Finding Grace #309

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Travel, Tourism, Park, Spa, Relax, Source, Gazebo

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?!

This week started off a little shaky but ended well! Praise God! Early on, I was having technical difficulties with my internet. I had to manage my emotions and calm down. I was still able to post my blog for Wednesday, but I had to jump through a few extra hoops. Thankfully, on Friday, the internet company came and updated a few wires and such. It was very out of sync but now it is working very fast and very well!

This week, I was pleased to receive more compliments about my book. In one case, I called to make a routine appointment and the person on the other end was reading it! She said it was good to understand the challenges we faced, but she also appreciated how I regularly turned the story back to God. It is fun to hear from a variety of people and see how God is using my pain for His glory!

Today, Lydia and I relaxed at home. We made a breakfast casserole, and later, some cookies. We told jokes, read books, and made a music playlist with Oldies favorites with family input. We also played a game and watched a movie, which seems to be our winter-weather go to these days! 🙂 We really don’t mind!

**********

These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Finding Grace #308

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Winter, Flow, Frozen, Snow, Riverbank, Nature

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?!

This was a great week! I received satisfactory answers for some of the unknowns I faced last week. Not quite the answers I expected, but answers filled with God’s grace. I’m grateful He holds us close and watches over us!

The weather was cold, but we didn’t have any blizzards. So that made driving fairly easy, which always eases my mind. I was able to host some friends one night, so I was very glad the weather was decent!

This week, I was able to learn more about gut health through an online (nutrition) continuing education course and also a seminar today. What’s even cooler is that I was able to help a patient with that information! Another bonus is that my own gut health also stands to benefit!

I enjoyed a productive work week this week! My office is still a little chilly, but the space heater has been working well. I attended some good meetings and had great collaboration on some projects with my coworkers!

Today, I had the gut health seminar, and we caught up around the house. I worked on some home maintenance issues, such as fixing some wires in my ceiling fan. Also, a friend came over to hang out, which was great since we haven’t seen each other for awhile!

**********

These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Finding Grace #307

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

The Road, Path, Winter, The Snow, The Sun, Snow

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?!

This was a good week left with some unknowns! Nothing too important for now, just I didn’t get some answers when I hoped to get them. Maybe next week, lol!

We enjoyed snow and cold, but also warm sweaters and boots! The snow is falling like a snow globe right now! I haven’t been out to clear snow, but might do it later!

This week, I felt like I was running in several directions at times, but I also enjoyed quality time with Lydia. We had food delivered and made buckwheat pancakes. We watched movies and played some games, too!

Work went well, and it was a good mix of being busy and catching up. My office, and the one next to mine, were really chilly, so we wore our coats for a little while. It was funny, and we made jokes that heat must not be in the budget. A work order was put in eventually and a couple of space heaters helped make it more bearable.

This week, I hosted two Zoom calls about writing and publishing. It was fun to “give back” and encourage these friends who are at various points in the creative process. Everyone has a story to tell! We discussed how they can get started or keep going, and I shared some lessons learned and what worked best for me and my book.

Today, we stayed home relaxed. Lydia cleaned her room while listening to an audiobook. I changed a light switch, repotted two plants, and did some reading. I prepared for some upcoming events, too.

**********

These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Finding Grace #306

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Bird, Blue Tit, Winter, Tree Branches, Frost, Frosty

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?!

This was a fun week! On Sunday before church, I spent a little extra time snow blowing and shoveling. It felt good to get my driveway cleaned up! And, it set me up well for when it snowed again later in the week.

This was the first full week of work I have had since the beginning of December. With traveling, Lydia being sick, and the holidays, it’s been a while! Perhaps that sounds like a luxury, but it felt good and I really love my team. I’m glad I was able to help some with some extra patients. We have some new coworkers, too,  and they fit in really well. Also, this week I met a Veteran who worked with Dave at Caterpillar!

I made more progress with my Ruth journible. It is such a rewarding experience!

On Friday, we had more snow. It was less than expected, but Lydia was able to do some remote learning for school at the Y (since they closed schools the night before). We had a good day; I went to Costco and picked up Lydia early. We dropped off a little gift for a friend and then watched a movie together!

Today, we stayed home and knocked a few things off our to-do lists. It always feels good to get caught up around the house! And, I’m grateful for the moments I have with Lydia!

**********

These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Finding Grace #305

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Landscape, Winter, Forest, Snow, Plantation, Sun, Japan

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?!

This was a cold, snowy week! The cold and snow are both very normal for this time of the year, so I was not too worried about them. But, a few other factors made for an interesting show of God’s grace!

On Wednesday, Lydia had an unexpected snow day off from school. It was a last-minute decision by the school district. I agreed with what happened, yet Lydia could have been left outside all alone. (The day before, I left her at the bus stop because the bus was running late and I needed to get to work.) I ended up staying home with her,  and we reviewed what to do in that type of situation. I also gave her a house key!

Usually, I work a half-day on Fridays, but this week I was able to work a full day and basically swap my hours from Wednesday when I took off. Essentially, I was able to take the equivalent of a half-day off instead of a whole day. Plus, I was able to cover for a couple of coworkers who were gone on Friday, so it worked well all around!
Friday also happened to be my 14th wedding anniversary (my 9th without Dave here). Lydia and I always miss him, but we had a nice dinner and watched a movie together! A friend sent me a picture of someone reading my book at a gymnastics class. It made my day a little sweeter knowing someone was reading about us!
Today, we went to brunch with a friend/coworker. Then, we went to “help” her pick out a dalmatian puppy! We played with thirteen puppies, and Lydia had fun cuddling one in particular. We are not getting a puppy at this time, but it was sure fun to dream! In reality, I don’t have the bandwidth right now to put in the effort a puppy would require. But, my friend does, so I’m sure we will get to play with her puppy soon!

**********

These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Finding Grace #304

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?!

This was another interesting but good week. We stayed home on Monday due to Lydia not feeling well and the blizzardy weather. It turned out to be a good thing since her daycare opened late and closed early anyway.

I discovered my car battery was close to dead on Tuesday, but thankfully, I found a charger hidden in plain sight on the workbench. (Thanks, Dave, for always being so prepared!) I bought a new battery and had it installed on my way to work because at 8+ years old, the original one was on borrowed time.
As we arrived home that night, the thought occurred to me… perhaps God kept us home on Monday so I wouldn’t get stuck in a blizzard with a dead battery and sick child. Our doctor was closed, and daycare closed early, so we had just chalked it up to another day of rest. But, of course, God always sees what we cannot.

We made it to work and daycare for three days, and now have a three-day weekend! It might be rough going to work and school for five days next week!

Last night, we had a great time hanging out with some new friends for NYE. It was so nice to be invited! Lydia even lasted past midnight and was in bed by 12:45 a.m. She slept until 11:50 this morning!

Today, we are mostly relaxing and preparing for this new year. We watched a couple of movies, started our new yearlong Bible reading plans, and did a few chores. We also decorated some Christmas cookies since Lydia wasn’t up to it last week. Overall, I love January since it is usually a little slower-paced. It’s below zero today, so it’s been good to stay in! Happy New Year!!

**********

These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Finding Grace #303

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?!

This was a good week, though a bit unexpected at times! We had a fun time Zooming with family and work went well, too.

The unusual part was that Lydia started feeling sick! On Tuesday, she displayed typical allergy symptoms. By Wednesday morning, she was on her way to school after a negative COVID test. Then, a few hours later, I receive a call at work to pick her up. She had a fever.

She woke up with a fever on Thursday, too, so it was good we had already decided to stay home. Thankfully, I have plenty of sick leave available. Also, I am glad to have a good team at work to cover my duties, though I was bummed to miss the white elephant holiday gift exchange. I let someone else use my gift, so it will be fun to hear how it went when I return next week!

Because of the holiday weekend, I took Lydia for another COVID test, just to be sure. We both tested negative again. (I’m grateful we received the vaccine.) Anyway, it probably is some other virus, so a good reason to just lay low and rest!

Yesterday, because Lydia still wasn’t 100%, we stayed home and watched the Christmas Eve service online. We canceled plans with friends, but they were so kind to bring us a gift and some yummy food anyway! Thank you!

This morning, before Lydia woke up, I made a fresh pot of coffee and spent some quiet time with the Lord. I enjoyed the peace and quiet, especially as light snow started falling. We should be getting snow over the course of a few days, so I may get to use my new snowblower!

Today, Lydia felt pretty good. She’s still coughing and is mostly resting, but we watched “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” opened presents, watched some movies, played some games, and just relaxed. It was good to celebrate Jesus, I hope you have had a Merry Christmas!

**********

These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Finding Grace #301

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Barn, Red, Christmas, Wreath, Farm, Rural, Landscape

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?!

This week was fun and short! On Monday, we had friends from church over. We enjoyed some treats and had shared many laughs. We also shared some struggles and prayer requests, then offered support to each other. It was such a rich time!

I took a couple of days off from work to spend time with family. That meant I had to cram a whole lot of tasks into just a few days. At home, I kept things simple. At work, I got everything finished thanks to a friend/coworker taking one of my patients!

Sometimes cramming a lot into a little space of time is stressful.  I tried to keep things in perspective and invite Jesus into each situation. And, I took lots of deep breaths.

We enjoyed seeing extended family and celebrating some December birthdays! We pulled off a big surprise for my dad. It was so good to see them since we all live so far away!

This week, I sent out more books and enjoyed hearing from several people about what my words and story meant to them. If you ordered from one of the online retailers, I would appreciate it if you could leave a positive review. Thank you very much!

**********

These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Finding Grace #299

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?!

This was a fairly relaxing week! On Sunday night, we celebrated Lydia over family Zoom. She was surprised with a new scooter! Everyone pitched in, and she has been riding it in the garage now that it is chilly outside!

Monday through Wednesday was spent working, but I got a lot done in a short amount of time. The holiday mood makes the workday go by faster!

On Thursday, Lydia and I enjoyed a relaxing Thanksgiving. We enjoyed seeing the new movie Encanto! Then, we visited with some friends and made some yummy food.

Then, I was able to take Friday off. Woohoo, a four-day weekend! It’s been good to relax and catch up around the house without rushing. I always have a long to-do list, but many of the tasks are quite simple. I have been able to cross those off my list, so I am glad about that! I also worked on signing some books before sending them out!

Today, we worked on a few things around the house before our afternoon and evening plans. We caught up with a friend at a coffee shop earlier, and tonight, we are going to have dinner with other friends! These friends were a great help to me when Lydia was little, and they are in my book. So, I am happy they will be receiving a copy of it tonight!

**********

These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Finding Grace #298

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?!

This was an amazing week! On Monday night, I had some friends over for a monthly gathering. It’s always good to hear what God is doing in their lives.

As many of you know, on Wednesday, I went live with my book! Fear, Faith, and Moving Forward is now available for purchase! It was fun to see encouraging comments and feel all the love! I have sent out three batches of books so far!

For the last few weeks, we have been planning a Peanuts-themed birthday party for Lydia. Her party was today and it was a blast! The nine girls played balloon volleyball and did a relay race with marshmallows. We did Peanuts trivia, mad libs, and BINGO, as well! The girls loved the peanuts stickers we used for prizes. We had fruit, chips, and ice cream cupcakes from Dairy Queen. Lydia received many cool gifts and enjoyed the photo booth at the end. I am grateful all these girls could celebrate with us!

Tonight, we are watching the Peanuts movie, and Lydia’s birthday is tomorrow!

This was a full week, and I stayed up late every night. I didn’t get much sleep but saw God’s grace all around me. He kept me focused and going strong. Thanks again for all your support and prayers. It really makes all the difference!

**********

These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!