Lovey Dovey

Oh it is that time of year... the lovey dovey time. All the lovebirds are coming out and making their sweet sweet plans for that love in their life:).  It might surprise you as a single lady whose never had a "Valentine" that I love this time of year! I love to hear and see what special schemes everyone is up to. I love to hear everyone talking about love. Loving and being loved. It's a beautiful thing.

I also love to TRY to change the skeptics. It's my goal in life to change one persons view of Valentine's Day... to see past the singles awareness day or the retail traps.

I am going to have a little fun with the Valentine's post this year...enjoy....

I am pretty sure this is going to work for me this year...

This cutie....

Wearing a shirt that says....

And no doubt I will soon be off the market;) 

Happy New Year

For me 2012 was a quiet year. No big life changes, no big mile markers. I am thankful that it was a quiet year. I think I needed it to rest and re-energize, reflect and just be. Now as I look forward to 2013 I feel that it is going to be a year of action. I am not really sure what that looks like, but I know I want to be a part of great things. You don't become a part of great things by sitting back.

As I go forward in the New Year, my challenge is to remember that I don't need a New Year to make better choices, live more, love more, stop making excuses, etc. The Bible says His mercies are new EVERY morning! Everyday I challenge myself to learn from the past and roll out of the bed and give it everything I have to not make the same mistakes, but when I do (because I know I will make those same mistakes again one day) I will not give up the fight. I will pick myself up, learn from it, and try again. So I challenge you. Don't give up on day 3 of your new year's resolution when you eat 2 brownies, didn't workout, your room is back to the condition it was before Jan. 1, 2013, you didn't read your Bible, watched too much TV.... Fight the fight. Tomorrow is a new day. Learn from the past and get excited about making tomorrow better than today!

On December 31, 2013 I pray I look back on the year and know that:
*I am wiser
*I am stronger
*I know God more intimately
*I have done great things for God through His strength and wisdom
*I have loved richly
*I have spoken truth
*I have been compassionate and been sensitive to the needs of those around me and looked for ways to meet them
All because of God's work in and through me!

Winter Snow

This song has blessed my heart this Christmas season. I believe the character of God that He most enjoys showing His children is His gentle, tender, compassionate, loving side. How fitting that He sent His son in such a way. What a beautiful way to picture the Savior entering into this world. Isn't that the times where we experience Him the most and hear Him the clearest? When it's quiet. No fan fare. No big production. Oh this song makes me stand in awe of our God's beautiful, tender nature. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

The Little Drummer Boy

It's the story of a little drummer boy that tugs at my heart about this time every year.

He was probably not much older than the King of the universe that sat before him, and like Jesus he was a poor boy. A poor boy who had no gift that was fit for a King. But he wanted so badly to present a gift to the Messiah that he asked if he could do the one thing he knew he could do well. The one thing he loved to do. He wanted to give his best to Jesus.

So he played his drum...pa rum pa pa pum... The animals kept time with him... pa rum pa pa pum
pa rum pa pa pum rum pa pa pum...

He played his best for him and then He smiled at him. The King of the universe smiled at him.

Such a simple story about a simple boy who brought such a seemingly simple gift. As simple as it seems to bring our best to the Lord no matter what it is we tend to :
Make excuses... oh this gift isn't fit for a king so I just won't give anything
Get too distracted to even go to see the King... too busy, too tired, too ____________
Worry too much about what others will think
Give half hearted...

Our God, the Messiah, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Holy One is worthy of our best gifts no matter how seemingly simple they may be. God sees the heart not the gift itself.

1 Samuel 16:7 and Psalm 139:23-24

Therapy

 I am not sure how many of you have experienced the weeks leading up to the holidays in a classroom setting with precious children who just can't contain their excitement any longer but still have lessons to be learned, seat work to complete, and tests to take, but I assure you it will change your life. You will understand why teachers get 1 week off for Thanksgiving and 2 weeks off for the holidays!

I feel after today (and the potential for more days this week to be like today) I will need some intense therapy during my week off to prepare for the intense weeks of excitement and busy schedules that lead up to the Christmas holidays.

Retail therapy: A must (especially since I have done VERY little of my Christmas shopping.

Message therapy: A girl can dream can't she!

Aromatherapy: Ahh the wonderful smells of the season filling up a cozy home!

Spa therapy: facials, manicures, pedicures, hair cut and style...oh once again I am a dreamer!

Yummy in my tummy therapy: Thanksgiving...YUM!

Cuddle, snuggle therapy: Sweats, big fuzzy socks, a warm blanket, a cuddle buddy (probably Reese the niece:)), fire, a nice warm drink, and a good Christmas movie.

Dance therapy: I have some fun weddings coming up (and some days where I'll be home alone;))

Running therapy: Pounding the pavement is a wonderful way to escape!

If you have any other suggestions for therapy please let me know! I will need every bit I can get;)

Randomness...

So it's been quite awhile!! Since I can't seem to make one cohesive post come together (believe me I have tried multiple times:)), I am just going to throw out some random realizations I have had lately. Maybe it will give me the jumpstart I need to get back in the swing of things...

* Pinterest makes me want to stay home and cook soups and holiday goodies from now until after Christmas and have sweet friends over to share these treats with and play games with and chat about life and watch movies together. It SHOULD make me want to do Christmas bulletin boards and Christmas crafts but that is not the case. Oh help us all when it comes time for me to execute those Christmas crafties:).

*  I have miraculously been quite disciplined in my workouts lately. Unfortunately this makes me ALWAYS hungry!! I am a bit of a bottomless pit;) So needless to say I am now working on being more disciplined in my eating and on being more self-controlled.

* It always amazes me how much I need to practice what I preach. In second grade, students are learning to have self-control, which as #2 states I am currently in need of. Of course, theirs comes more in the area of blurting out, making better choices etc. Then there's "Pay attention" "Watch where you are going" "slow down"which I tell myself these same things after the school day is done.

* The Lord will send you the precious encouraging words you need at just the right time. It of course always seems to be through the most unexpected sources and at the most unexpected times! I have been so blessed to have a couple of these in the past week!

* I ate dinner and a treat and am still hungry...currently practicing that self-control stuff:)

* I have a wedding this coming weekend. I think that means dance party every afternoon to prepare... Song suggestions welcome!

When to speak and when to be silent

I am reminded of Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 where it talks about there being a season for everything. Verse 7 says there is a time to speak and a time to be silent. I don't think that I really have realized this little truth until lately.

Lately I feel like the Lord has had me in a season silence. Most would say, Morgan you are quiet enough and others would say well it's about time:). I was working through some things, preparing for a new year of school, searching my heart on some matters, and it was quite a lonely time. Friendships were distant, mostly just life getting in the way, and I would sit at the end of the day simply needing someone to hear me out, listen to the burdens of my heart. But God took that a way for a time. I was not pleased to say the least, but of course looking back, I am so thankful! In fact, I would wake up the next morning so thankful that I didn't subject some sweet friend to all of that :). But more than that I am thankful because the Lord was showing me how I needed to bring my burdens to Him first and foremost and how much I was seeking comfort and answers from the wrong places. Don't get me wrong...I am the first to say how important friends are and how blessed I am with precious friends, Godly friends and that it is wonderful to be able to share the depths of your heart with them! God gives us one another for that purpose, to share life together. But I need to bare my heart to the Lord first and then allow Him to show me what I can share with those He has blessed me with.

Another way I have seen the Lord call me to make sure I am speaking when I should and remaining quiet when I should is in ministry. Looking back I too often see times when I spoke just to break the awkward silence in a Bible study, not really speaking from the heart, but simply trying to help the Bible study leader not feel like a failure. Lately I have realized how much time I need to really gather my thoughts on things. I need like a day. So if you really want to hear how I actually feel about something deep on a matter of the heart and not just the first thought I have that I spout out (most likely from nerves), Lay it out there for me and then let's go have a coffee date:) Ok so the point is , I just want my words to count, I want to choose them carefully, I want them to be a reflection of my heart. Not to mention I want them to make sense, catch me off guard and there's no telling what kind of non-sense you are going to have to sort through;)

Remember once the words are said you can't take them back.