Project 365 in 2010

So this is the project for 2010. 1 picture posted to this blog each day. I will do it.

October 25, 2009 Trunk or Treat

Tonight was Trunk or Treat at church. It was a wonderful night for this. The weather was clear but a little bit crisp which was appropriate for the season. It was well attended and think everyone had a good time.

October 24, 2009 Autumn 2009

In autumn every leaf is a flower.

October 7, 2009 50 Things For Which I Am Thankful

Today is the 1st day of my 50th year. In honor of that I decided to make a list of 50 things for which I am thankful. I opened a document at work and just added to it when something came to mind.

1 The Master Creator who cares for me
2 Jesus who left the glory of Heaven to redeem the world including me
3 The Holy Spirit
4 The angels
5 a heritage of faith
6 Jay - a husband who loves me despite by inadequacies
7 Kathleen - the first person to ever call me Mommy
8 Daniel - my one and only son
9 Charlsley - my baby girl
10 spending time with my family
11 Mama & Daddy - no one could have asked for better
12 my brothers - David, William & Lindsay
13 my neices and nephews - Brandon, Jason, Andrea, Michael, Rachael & Mitchell
14 my in-laws - Jiggs & Harriet
15 my siblings-in-law - Sam, Patti & Lorraine
16 my extended family - aunts, uncles, cousins
17 Bonnie who loves me like a daughter
18 my dearest friends
19 the Bethia Church family
20 trust in the relationships in my life
21 my health which I need to be more conscious of taking proper care of
22 today
23 a childhood blessed with devoted parents
24 my Mama's sisters who filled in the gap when needed
25 freedom to believe
26 coming home at the end of the business day
27 when Kathleen comes home for the weekend
28 watching Daniel play baseball
29 the smile on Charlsley's face when she is in hip hop dance class
30 a house provided for us by Bethia Church
31 a cellphone that I can keep in contact daily with Kathleen at college
32 a van that is paid for
33 choices and the freedom to make them
34 holiday times - fond memories of past and anticipation of future
35 laughter
36 offers of help in times of need
37 having fun with photography
38 a phone call or email from a friend
39 education
40 clergy appreciation month
41 compassionate doctors
42 all the modern conveniences I couldn't imagine living without
43 the Atlantic Ocean and hopes of seeing the Pacific
44 the internet - a wealth of information, support, and sometimes plain nothingness
45 an abundance of books
46 the ability to provide for my family financially though I would rather not have to
47 Thursdays off most of the time
48 health insurance - don't know where I would be without that
49 the hope of a big vacation planned for next year
50 diamonds

Photos of myself definitely doesn't make the list

October 6, 2009 My 49th Birthday

These flowers were delivered to the house today for my birthday from my lovely daughter. Thanks sweetie!!

Today I turned 49. It's been an interesting birthday, one filled with celebration, joy and a heavy dose of emotion. The past year has certainly been one of the more challenging years. Having had breast cancer changes your perspective on birthdays. A birthday is a precious gift and I will never ever complain about being a year older. I'll take as many as I can get.

Not only is each birthday a gift but each day is as well. May I begin each day with a prayer of thanksgiving for the gift of a new day.

September 27, 2009 How Do You Build A Life Of Success

This was written for a group question at work. We have a group in which we have a thought provoking question and we respond by email. It's great to see the different perspective - each fairly similar yet unique to that individual. I debated about putting this out there but here goes. This is my response to the question of the week.

The question for the week:

What or how do you build a life of success?

On our own I don’t think we can build a life of success. It’s only by Christ working through us are we able to build a true life of success. What better role model do we have. Christ willingly left Heaven to be born of a virgin and bore on the cross the sins of the world for each of us. I can’t imagine how heavy that burden was.

I don’t believe success is measured by how much stuff we have or how much money we make. That may be the world’s standards but not God’s. We don’t know what’s going on in the life of that person that may be driving the Bentley or wearing the Prada. The “stuff” certainly doesn’t bring joy. Oh it may bring temporary happiness when they acquire such things. There is certainly nothing wrong with owning the things mentioned such as a Bentley, Mercedes, Coach, or designer clothing. We all like to have nice things. If I were to make a purchase of any of the more expensive items, I think I would need to examine what my motive is for wanting it. Why do I feel the need to own such and such? If it’s to make me look successful in the eyes of my peers then perhaps I need to reconsider. If it’s all about me or what others think of me then it’s not the best use of my money.

Success isn’t measured by how much you have but instead of by how much of yourself you are willing to give. When we take the focus off of ourselves, it is then that Christ can do great works through us. If we commit ourselves completely to living a life in Him then we live into his purpose for our life. Am I willing to give of myself for those I love? Am I willing to give of myself for those I don’t even know?

Life is a journey that we are each on. It is filled with ups and downs – peaks and valleys. It’s how we live into those peaks and valleys that shape how successful we feel we are. We may feel we are a failure when we are in the valley but in reality everybody, even someone you may feel is the most successful person you know, has valley times too. We can’t have the peak times without the valley. If we don’t know how to manage the peaks and valleys, then the peak times are filled with celebration while the valley times are filled with despair. And you feel like you’re on a rollercoaster. No fun – been there done that way too much. Instead, in the peak times of our lives we need to be sure to be grateful and humble. And in the valley times we need to be able to look at reality in truth to realize that perhaps it isn’t as bad as it seems and to find the good in the valley. It’s those things that will help us get back to the peak.

One of the traps I fall into is comparing myself with others. And I can assure you that comparison is the death of contentment. My reality is what it is. And I have no idea what the person that I am comparing myself to has going on in their own life.

So I guess for me to build a successful life I need to focus not on myself but on the relationships in my life. I have been blessed with a heritage of faith and it is my desire to see my children walk in faith. I need to love my family deeply – oh so very deeply. I need to be able to manage the peaks and valleys appropriately. I need to utilize my finances wisely in regards to spending and saving. Embrace reality for what it is. I need to be content in my own life instead of comparing myself to someone else. Pray for wisdom to know what things in my life can be changed if needed or to accept the things that cannot be changed. I need to be aware of the needs of others.

I need to be like Christ.

Oh my gosh, I’m definitely a work in progress.

September 8, 2009 1st Day of School

First day of high school. I can't believe it. Where has the time gone? In another 4 years - oh I can't even think about that. I am so proud of the young man you have become.



First day of 7th grade. May you embrace this school year and take every opportunity to learn and grow. I love you so much.