Thank You Lord For a New day!

January 1st may be the calendar start of a new year, but for me, a new year starts when the first signs of spring start to show themselves to us again. The sun is out, the birds are chirping, and the Warmth! My buttercups are coming up, as is new growth everywhere! I'm encouraged each spring as I pull back the dry leaves to expose the new growth of a plant. The new life that has been growing in the darkness and pushing its way above ground so that it makes it appearance at just the right time. I believe we too Bloom during different stages in our lives. (Wow thats a blog all in itself!)
We have had the blessing of a couple of warm days this week, and we are celebrating! There is much to be appreciated seeing some green grass, or in our case some onions sprouting! The trees are budding and soon everything will be just vibrant with a rainbow of color! This time of year, as I do in the fall, I send up prayers of thanks for my eyesight!
Yesterday a friend and I went up into Kentucky to run some errands, and how wonderful it was to see the fields being prepped for planting! We saw horse drawn plows and tractors busy in their preparations for another promising season.
On a different note, soccer season has begun and we are all ready for it. Little man has been playing for several years now, and we enjoy watching his progress.
Our middleschooler, he is practicing more music on the piano for his recital in May. Sweeetie is taking his final courses and anticipating his graduation!
As I ponder these changes taking place, and the new growth that will come in our lives this year, I am ever thankful to our Heavenly Father for giving us another day!

Bring on Spring!

This winter has been a long, cold, wet, and grey one. While I enjoy the cold of winter and the various snow activities, of which we get very little of here in Tennessee; I’m so ready for the warmer weather.
(Wow that makes me sound like a spoiled southerner.)
Bring on the spring! The green, the warm sunshine, flowers, and the promise of new life to the yard and surrounding scenery! The family can get outside and go! Gardening, cycling, hiking, camping, picnics, swimming, white water rafting! Oooh! I’m getting excited!
I think one of the reasons I get anxious for spring is that I like to dig in the dirt. If I’m not planting something, my happy meter is low. Last year a close friend and I planted several daylilies, and iris. I so look forward to reaping that harvest! It is therapeutic to me to have a fresh bouquet of flowers on the kitchen table. Planning the flowers, the potted arrangements and ferns to warm up the front porch is one of my most favorite activities all year!
Last year Sweetie and I worked three new flower beds and even planted some new bushes. We painted outside and replaced the front porch columns, the windows and air/heating unit. While there are lots of updates to the inside we still have to complete, I am way more excited about outside improvements! This year I hope to buy some evergreen trees to fill in the tree line between us and our neighbors. I have sketched designs for enlarging our back deck and building a backyard oasis for us to relax in after a long day of work. This is the part where Sweetie cringes. I have designed a pagoda and have found the stone I want to use for the flooring and walkway. This includes a separate grilling area and a rock fire pit that would have stone benches so that more than 6 of us could sit around and roast marshmallows.
We tend to have many people over to visit and to be able to expand our living space into the outdoors while living in a subdivision is challenging, but not impossible. Oh! Just typing this out and dreaming about it makes me smile! No, I won’t get all that accomplished this year, but it’s in the 5 year plan!
What are you dreaming about accomplishing this spring/summer?

Friendship Bridges Built Across Time

People come and go in our lives. Okay, I hear ya. Yes, that's obvious. My point is, how some folks you just connect with, where others you don't. However, each person has an impact on our lives.

The experiences I had with each one, some formed my opinions and ways I interact with people today. Is it the same with you? Think back to your first friend. Was it a neighbor someone you played with after school each day? Or perhaps a classmate that saved a seat for you at the lunch table. Was it a bully, or a well intentioned classmate that hurt you? Each one had a purpose and was in my life for a reason, as I was in theirs for a reason. Just as you were for someone else.

Some of these people I just knew would always be in my life, but they aren't anymore. Thanks to social networks like facebook, and myspace several of these broken ties are connected once more. Time and circumstances have changed us, but our friendship is still there. We are living life, but still connected to past moments in time. This year Sweetie and I are making plans to attend our 20 year highschool reunion. Man, its something to say that but to type it just makes it more real. 20 years! When did that happen?

Somehow our generation was determined, as I'm sure that others before us felt, that would live our lives differently and change the world. The world has changed. I'm sure there are tangible connections and impacts our class has made for the better to improve our lives and that of mankind. We all hope to leave the world a better place than we found it. How many of your dreams and goals did you accomplish? Embrace the victories, try hard to let go of the disappointments.

Moves from state to state, death, divorces, marriages, children, life.. it happens. We spend our lives attached to duties, jobs, commitments. Schedules define our time. We move from event to event until we look up and our children are grown, we are living our parents lives, or some variation of it. Suddenly, it's been 15 years, or 20,30, 40. Where did the time go?

Spending time with some new friends last night, we talked about how much we have each changed over the years. Things that were so important to us at one time have faded and we have moved on to others. Our priorities are as varied as we are. Time moves on, things change. New people come into our lives through work, church, school, community.

We have friends in our lives that are older,same age, and younger. The older ones,
have much to share with us, if we will just listen. Experience, and example is what gift they bring to the table. Same age group? They give us the gift of understanding, we all grew up listening to the same groups, have the same memories, share the same struggles. The younger group? They keep things fresh. Yes, we are constantly reminded of how old we are by them, but the ideas and energy they bring to the friendship is just refreshing!

If possible, take time to be "old school" and write a note to your friends. What a wonderful suprise to get a greeting from a friend instead of advertisments and junk mail! If they are close by, set up a lunch date. The gift of friendship given to each other is priceless! Don't waste it! Reconnect on a more personal level. You will be better for it, and so will they!