Tag: summer

Posted on in Finding Grace Weekly Recap, Gratitude, Life is Short, Miscellaneous, Parenting

Finding Grace #434

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!

Free House Sparrow Bird photo and picture

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

This week was fairly simple and felt just right. As we often do, we enjoyed seeing family on Zoom. We always have a good time!

Work went well and was manageable. I had easier patients and a little more open time to catch up. Later in the week, I had some walk-ins and random issues pop up, but thankfully, I actually had the time to fit them in without any stress. I love that. 

On Thursday, I left work early to meet a widow friend for an impromptu chat. We met at Nichole’s Fine Pastry for coffee and dessert. We stayed for a couple of hours catching up and encouraging each other! I was grateful not to be so busy at work so I could go. I’m sure that was part of God’s plan, and my manager was also very understanding.

Lydia also hung out with various friends this week and went to two friends’ houses. As Lydia is an only child, I appreciate she can keep up her connections with some really sweet girls. This means a lot to Lydia, too.

This week, we enjoyed the slower pace by reading books, listening to music, and bird-watching. This was helpful since I still have been coughing all month! Thankfully, my doctor prescribed a short-course steroid to calm down my lungs. I am already starting to feel better… praise God!

Yesterday, Lydia and I also got to do a little shopping together. This was after we mowed the lawn and worked on a painting project—we earned it! We walked around a furniture store for fun, tried on some clothes, perused lotions and soaps, and even went to Scheels!

Today, I woke up early and had some quiet time to myself. I listened to some Bible lessons and cooked! I made crunchy chickpeas, bean burgers, jacket potatoes (baked like they do in Britain), and some tofu. I was excited that everything turned out so well! Later, Lydia and I tried making some homemade jello using fruit juice and agar-agar. Fingers crossed on that one!

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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)!

Posted on in Gratitude, Life is Short, Miscellaneous, Wisdom, Worship

Summer Simplicity

We are heading toward the end of June, and it feels like Summer is going quickly!

Lydia and I are having fun hanging out. We have tried a few new restaurants and taken several walks. We’ve checked out books at the library and watched a few movies. We’ve cooked together and enjoyed each other’s company. She’s going to camp in a few weeks, and we have one or two weekend getaways planned later.

Life seems so much simpler in Summer. You can go out without remembering heavy layers of winter gear. You can drive without too many delays (other than road construction!). Sometimes, the days are long, but that is a blessing overall!

When things are going well, sometimes we forget about God. If we are smooth sailing, we feel that we don’t need Him as much. Why does it take a crisis to make us draw close to Him?

Free Raspberries Blueberry photo and picture

It’s great to take advantage of the benefits Summer brings, but if we’re not careful, we can be just as “crazy busy” as we are the rest of the year! I, for one, am intent on enjoying my morning coffee outside and taking some long nature walks. I am eating lots of watermelon and berries, too!

Yes, it’s wonderful to be able to take it slow in Summer. But let’s also use it to regroup and reconnect with God. Summer means growth, so let’s grow in faith as we hone our spiritual practices. These include rest, prayer, worship, and Bible study (to name a few).

I don’t know what you have planned in the next two months, but if you need a sign to get a little R&R, this is it. 😉 Take time to sit with Jesus. Draw close to Him and celebrate what He is doing.

Find joy in the simple things. Go to the pool (or beach!) and swim in God’s grace. Put in the effort and see what He does next!

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Father, thanks for the gift of Summer! Help us take it in at Your pace so we don’t miss a thing. Restore us and rejuvenate us, Lord. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

Questions: What’s been the best part of your Summer so far? Do you have any exciting plans?

Tasks: Set your intention for the remainder of Summer. Build in some time to rest and grow with Jesus.

Posted on in Finding Grace Weekly Recap, Gratitude, Life is Short, Miscellaneous, Parenting

Finding Grace #433

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 week was really good, and I felt God directing my steps. On Sunday, Lydia helped my friend who was sick. I am so glad we were available to take care of her and her kids!

On Monday, Lydia and I had dentist appointments. We both had a good report! Then, I went to work. Because of logistics in drive time and appointments that were an hour apart, I only worked for a few hours. It was a nice change, and I still had a productive day!

Wednesday was Juneteenth, now a federal holiday. My coworker invited the rest of us to her lake house, a little over an hour away. I drove with Lydia and three other ladies for a fun day! Three other coworkers and a couple of their teens also came. We ate good food, took a pontoon ride, relaxed in the hot tub, and just caught up on life. We all agreed we don’t know many other people who WANT to spend time with coworkers on their day off! Such a blessing!

On Friday, I walked with Lydia down the street to our neighbor’s house to see what Lydia needs to know in order to help watch the house while they are gone in July. She will water the plants, mow, and check the mail. I’ll go with her each time in case she needs help, but Lydia is excited to make a little money!

After that, Lydia and I went to the downtown library to return books and check out some more. Then, we window-shopped and went out to eat at an Italian restaurant. We enjoyed our food and had tiramisu for dessert! We took home lots of leftovers! Afterward, we took a little walk and noticed some beautiful roses and other flowers in the Catholic parish next door. 

Today, Lydia and I made some cinnamon rolls with self-rising flour and Greek yogurt—they did not rise as much (a little dense) but were really easy. I also made a veggie pot pie with sweet potato in the crust! I will definitely make both again! Otherwise, I made some calls, did some laundry, read a book, and mowed the lawn. Maybe we’ll watch a movie tonight!

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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)!

Posted on in Being Gracious, Books and Movies I Like, Finding Grace Weekly Recap, Gratitude, Life is Short, Miscellaneous, Parenting

Finding Grace #432

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!

Free Bee Insect photo and picture

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

This week was fairly normal. I am feeling better for the most part, with only a random slight cough. My voice is back to normal, so I am grateful for that!

Work went well, and I was able to for all five days! 🙂 I was also on-call this morning but didn’t have to go in. Instead, I just had some quiet time waiting for my phone to possibly ring… all while Lydia slept in. Perfect!

Lydia has been practicing her viola for about twenty minutes a day. I’ve heard a few soundbites of Ode to Joy, Mary Had A Little Lamb, and Jesus Loves Me. She even sent a clip of Happy Birthday to her cousin, Alex, on Thursday for his fourth birthday. The coolest part is that she is playing all that by ear!

Yesterday, I took Lydia and one of her friends to go see the new movie, Inside Out 2! It was a good solid movie. It could even help improve us chat in the future, since we have a common reference.

After the movie, I took the girls to the mall, and then we also got a treat before we all came back to our house to ‘chill’ and have pizza. It was a fun afternoon and evening! Lydia kept telling me, “Love you, Mom” and “Thanks, Mom” for hosting her friend.

Today, we made a couple of dishes and mostly just spent time together. 🙂 Later, another friend came over to hang out. Whenever Lydia walks by she gives me a big smile. I’m grateful for impromptu gatherings with friends!

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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)!

Posted on in Finding Grace Weekly Recap, Gratitude, Life is Short, Miscellaneous, Travel

Finding Grace #430

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!

Free Myrtle Beach photo and picture

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

This week was relaxing! We eheaded to Minneapolis on Monday and did a little shopping along the way. We stayed overnight at a hotel before hopping on a plane to Myrtle Beach, SC, the next morning to see family!

We try to get together at least annually, and it was fun to try a new location. In fact, it was a new state for Lydia and me! We stayed at a huge VRBO home, and it was great to be together.

Lydia had fun with her two little cousins. We played in the sand and water and took evening walks along the beach. We did a little shopping walked along the boardwalk. We ate delicious food, including seafood, of course!

The weather was beautiful, sunny in the mid-eighties. It definitely feels like summer now!

Today, we flew back to Minneapolis and then drove four hours back to Fargo! It was worth the time to get a cheaper direct flight. Though, usually, we fly out of Fargo with a layover, I am grateful for the park – sleep – fly option this time.

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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)!

Posted on in Finding Grace Weekly Recap, Gratitude, Life is Short, Miscellaneous, Perseverance

Finding Grace #429

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 busy week filled with many important tasks. I tried to stay on top of work in order to do a little traveling. At home, we also had to get things ready.

Overall, work was manageable and good. I had some good conversations with my patients and coworkers! Sometimes, my job requires a lot of creativity, but sometimes, people just need me to listen.

Lydia had her last day of school on Thursday! It was wild how fast sixth grade flew by. She had a great year and grew a lot in height and navigating friendships. She also challenged herself with orchestra and pursued advanced math. Here’s to a fun summer!

This week was pretty wet. We had a brief tornado warning, lots of wind and pouring rain. Thankfully, nothing major happened. I am especially thankful for my sump pump. It doesn’t run very often, so I forget about it. While it can be loud, I am glad it does the job! 

Today, I was able to mow in between storms. This afternoon, we went to a graduation party for a coworker’s son. It was fun, and I can envision that being us in about six years!

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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)!

Posted on in Finding Grace Weekly Recap, Gratitude, Life is Short, Miscellaneous

Finding Grace #427

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!

Free Northern Lights Aurora Borealis photo and picture

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

This was a good week. I am grateful it was a fairly normal week of work and school.

The weather has been absolutely perfect this week. We were able to take some walks together. We noticed some pretty flowering trees, bunnies, birds, and more. I enjoyed hearing Lydia’s chatter about all she has been thinking about lately.

Work went well, and I had a bit of downtime this week. I had a couple of cancellations and used that time to chart and catch up, which was nice. I also took a short walk outside a few days during lunch. Taking those breaks helped clear my mind, and I felt more productive in the end.

My house projects are still in process, but my neighbor came to help remove the screens so I can replace them. It looks fairly easy, but I might need Lydia to give me an extra hand.

This week, the biggest surprise was seeing the Northern Lights (the picture above is from Pixabay, an online repository, not mine)! Last night, I stayed up late and went out to the countryside for the best lightshow in twenty years. I had never seen two colors before. Glorious! Lydia was at a sleepover but sent me some of her pictures, too. I’m glad she thought they were cool!

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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)!

Posted on in Finding Grace Weekly Recap, Gratitude, Miscellaneous

Finding Grace #391

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 week was ‘business as usual’ and relatively calm! Lydia had a great week at school and even walked to Starbucks a little down the road with her friends afterward. She earned some money from babysitting and mowing, so it was fun for her to get a treat.

 I had a ton of patients this week at work, and they ALL came. Often, I have a few no-shows or cancellations so I have more time to get caught up. I stayed a few hours extra on Friday afternoon to finish all my charting! I am grateful for an understanding boss.

Work was stressful enough that I didn’t take much of lunch break one day. Ninety-nine percent of my day was with patients. I ate quickly between patients and still got interrupted.  I was exhausted mentally. As a result, I later had some gut issues and felt depleted the next day. I decided to take a rest day, which was the best thing I could have done. I had another full day of work and other activities but did not do any extra chores or exercise. Instead, I went to bed early! I was proud of myself for listening to my body. The next day, I felt much better!

The picture above is of the blue supermoon this week. It was taken by my very talented brother, Patrick, who currently lives in Phoenix. I asked him if I could share it with you all, and he happily agreed. I took a photo, as well, but he has a lot more skills than me. 😉

Today, Lydia and I celebrated the first birthday of a sweet little girl. Her mom is a dear friend, and we had fun catching up with some familiar faces and meeting more of the extended family. It was so cute watching her try to open presents and eat her smash cake!

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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)!

Posted on in Gratitude, Life is Short, Miscellaneous

Finding Grace #389

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!

Free Flowers Zinnia photo and picture

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

This was a good week! It started off around Midnight on Sunday watching the Perseid metro shower for my birthday (Saturday). We saw about ten meteors, and a couple were very close and spectactular!

Work went well, and I had a nutrition student shadowing me each day. She’s trying to decide if she wants to be a dietitian. I had a variety of patients, and it was fun to show her what I do. I’m sure she will choose whatever path is best for her!

Lydia had two sleepovers this week. I was happy for her to soak up the last few days of her summer. Each girl is a good friend, and I also enjoyed a couple of evenings to myself.

Today, while Lydia was gone, I made the most of the time and did some deep cleaning while catching up on a podcast. I would have done it if she was home, but I probably got more done on my own! Tonight, I am doing a little organizing while watching a movie!

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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)!

Posted on in Gratitude, Life is Short, Miscellaneous, Perseverance, Pivot, Wisdom, Worship

Rush Hour

Rush hour in Fargo is, well, nothing compared to say Chicago or Minneapolis! In the big cities, you could be in traffic for over an hour and barely move. I don’t think I could handle that on a regular basis!

In contrast, you may drive for fifteen to twenty minutes in Fargom yet typically keep moving along. But you still need patience, especially when people try to rush ahead or cut in traffic on the highway.

Yesterday, I spent some time running errands after work. I decided to skip the busier route and went through town. I still hit some traffic, though not as many vehicles switching from one lane to the other. Funny how the other lane always seems to move faster!

I am just as guilty as others trying to get home after a long day or move on to the next activity. But yesterday, I just took it easy and enjoyed the ride. Even so, I was home within eleven minutes after finishing my errands.

Free Traffic Cars photo and picture

I thought about how a spiritual “rush hour” might go. Now, often, God’s timing is much slower than ours. He is never early, never late, and always right on time!

Second Peter 3:8 says, “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” God’s timing is unique, but so are His purposes for us.

So as I sat in traffic and watched other people, I wondered how often I rush to move closer to God or hurry up my routine to spend time with Him. I don’t usually have a lot of wiggle room, so I have to set aside time diligently and even invite Jesus to come with me.

Do I speed up and ‘switch lanes’ to get to Him?

Do I readjust my schedule and rush to Him, or do I rush through my time with Him to move on to the rest of my day?

Every day is a little different, with a morning and evening rush (traffic, and often at home). But ideally, we should be excited to spend as much time with the Lord as possible. I am challenged to rethink my daily routine, and I hope you are, too!

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Heavenly Father, thanks for these little insights into the spiritual world. Help us throw off everything that entangles us so we can run toward You.  Help us keep You as our main priority. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

Questions: How can you focus on God in your travel time? Do you like to sing and worship God; pray for your day or others; or listen to a podcast or audiobook about spiritual matters?

Tasks: Listen to God’s word through the YouVersion Bible app. Or, tune your car radio to KLOVE or your local Christian radio station (in Fargo, that’s Life 97.9 FM). If you have SiriusXM, check out The Message. Several of these have phone apps, as well!