Liz's Letters

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Friday night, a couple of ladies and I went to a Comedy act. One of the women works for the comedian that we went to see, so she assured us that we would really enjoy ourselves. I was looking forward to going since I wanted to spend time with these new friends and get to know them better. We drove to a church in Plano and found good seats where we could see. The church's worship band played a concert for us that was quite good and very uplifting. We clapped, and worshiped, and enjoyed being together. Then, the comedian, Tim Hawkins, got on stage. He was very, very funny. I can't remember when I laughed so hard. My stomach hurt, my face hurt, and I was laughing from deep inside of my soul. It was uncontrollable and so much fun. The ladies I was with were laughing with the same kind of laughter. And I was so very grateful that one of them, sitting next to me, laughed with the same loud and free laughter that I did. I was thinking about laughter as we left the performance and I co...

REJOICE! It has been one of those days that I look forward to! I had the perfect night's sleep last night after a little bout with insomnia. When the alarm clock beeped, I woke up happy because I realized that I had had an entire night of sound sleep! Oh, joy in the morning! There was enough time to spend with my Heavenly Father this morning. His word spoke to me. My prayer time felt effective. My energy level was good...ready to start the day. I absolutely love to spend a little time in the morning talking to a friend. After spending time with God, talking to a friend always lifts my spirits and helps me remember that I am not alone on this journey of life. I spent a little time chatting with my dear husband as we got ready for work. We had a genuine kiss good bye for the day...you know what I mean...a meaningful kiss, not just the obligatory kind. I left for work knowing that my man loves me. As I started my 35 minute commute into Dallas, I called a dear, dear friend i...

I have been thinking a lot about what it might be like as a mother bird. I like birds and have always been a little fascinated by them. When the time comes for the mother bird to lay eggs, she begins to build a nest. Back and forth, back and forth, gathering supplies after selecting the safest place that she can locate in which to lay the eggs and hatch them. If you have ever watched birds make a nest, it is nonstop activity until the nest is complete. Then the female situates herself in the nest and the eggs are delivered. She waits patiently until they hatch and then cares for them until they grow the feathers necessary for flight. When that time comes, the mother knows it is time for them to grow up and head out on their own. So, she coaxes the baby birds out of the nest and chirps at them until they finally figure out how to lift and stay in the air. On the occasions that I have had the opportunity to watch this process, it always makes me nervous. The mother bird has no ...

Kin. Relatives. Blood Relation. These are ways that we describe the people in our family that are related to us biologically and although I have a lot of people in my life who are family, the biologically related ones are a little scarce. When I was born, my mom was married to my biological father, but by the time I was two years old, the marriage disintegrated. My father spent time with me after the divorce, but didn't seem to have much interest in really being in my life. When my mom married her second husband, my biological father turned over his parental rights so that her new husband could raise me as his own. This happened so early in my life that I only remember my dad as the one who I call Dad to this day...although he is not my blood relation. In the meantime, the brother of my biological father was keeping up with my life through regular letters to my mother. I always knew who he was, but only met him once when I was around 15 or so. I would see the letters and car...

Tomorrow my daughter and I will head back to DFW after 5 days of visiting with family and friends. It has been an interesting week for me. I found time to think about some things that I needed to think about. I had a conversation that has needed to happen with a friend of mine who I made amends to. I introduced my daughter to a friend of mine that I have known since I was 12 years old and also to a relative that she didn't even know she had. (that is a blog post all alone) I have cried, laughed, and looked at my life through a different window for a few days and it has been good. I love being able to retreat, to move out of the normal day to day living and see who I am, who I want to be, and what God is showing me from a different perspective. It is as if being somewhere else, somewhere safe, allows me to look at myself as if I am not myself. Odd as that sounds, it is good. It has not been an easy time in my life the last several weeks. If you have been reading my blog, you know th...

It is the official first evening of Spring Break for my 8th grade daughter, Rebecca. To celebrate, she and I got in our car and drove from Dallas to Tulsa, OK., which is my hometown. It is our first trip since Thanksgiving because my mother came to our house for the Christmas holidays so it is exciting to be back at "Grandma's". There is something that still feels good about coming home, even after living in my own home, with my own husband and children for nearly 26 years. (Woo hoo...anniversary coming up this Thursday!) I enjoy bringing my daughter and it amazes her that after all the years away (I haven't lived in the Tulsa area since 1989), I still call it home. I love to look at the skyline, the river, and all the things that are so familiar to me. I drive the streets as if I still own them, the same streets where I first learned to drive, where I rode bikes with my friends, I drove my first car, I had my first date. Time flies backward when I am here and ...

After the somewhat blah week that I had last week, I did what many girls do to try and lift the spirits...I went shopping! My sister-in-law and my 26 year old niece were with me and we were looking for great outfits to wear to a baby shower for my other niece. Both of my nieces are in retail, one at Belk and the other at Ambercrombie and Fitch, so I needed to look as cool as possible for a 46 year old aunt. Since my mood had been a little dark, I was drawn to bright colors in bold 1960's patterns and just couldn't keep my eyes off of them. So, I tried on a wild dress, in yellow, black, gray, and cream and loved it. With the approval of my niece, I made the purchase and wore it to the shower with black tights and tall black high heeled boots. Wow, did I feel great. Just having fun...that's what girls do! I also found a blouse at the department store, also in yellows, blacks, whites, and grays. There was something about these colors that seemed to lift my spirits, as if all t...

All my past is color Placed inside my hands Empty is the canvas Patiently I plan Stars are bright above me That’s not where I am Greens will be behind me Blues will make the man I can’t help but fear I’ve done this wrong Cause seldom second chances come along Greys are all around me Fading into black Stars were bright above me Won’t you bring them back I can’t help but fear I’ve done this wrong Cause seldom second chances come along If time can break us, will it make us strong Cause seldom second chances come along ~Need to Breathe

Just a little update on my Pearl story. God has those dime store pearls that I talked about in my blog post dated February 11th. I am not taking them back. What I found out in the last month is that those cheap pearls are wrong doings...my own. My application was: "Are you holding on to harmful or unnecessary partners, relationships, habits and activities, or even a job to which you have become so attached that it seems impossible to let go? Sometimes it is so hard to see what is in the other hand. Sometimes it is impossible to see until we relinquish 'the cheap stuff'. But DO believe this one thing........God will never take away something or ask you to give it up without giving you something better in its place. He's had it in His hand all along." Having relinquished what I believed to be harmful actually cleaned out the jewelry box and allowed me to see what is really in there! The dime store pearls are not people, but my own attitudes toward people, that h...

Whew! I am so glad that it is Friday! Occasionally, I experience a week, or a season, that I just can't seem to wait until it is over and this past week was one of them. It saddens me to admit, but I just muddle my way through, looking toward whatever end is in sight and I know I waste a lot of time and opportunities, but sometimes life is just so hard! That was my week. Every first week of the month, my job requires that we close out the month. This requires a tremendous amount of work and thought as we accumulate all the services provided by the doctors we work for and make sure that everything is submitted accurately and by the deadline. This occurred yesterday. I spend the week on guard against errors, reassuring physicians and staff and coaching the employees that work for me to get the job done. It makes me very tired even though I love it. That in itself is enough to exhaust a person. But this week, I also have had some emotionally and spiritually tiring situations....

CHOOSE YOUR FRIENDS BY THEIR CHARACTER AND YOUR SOCKS BY THEIR COLOR. CHOOSING YOUR SOCKS BY THEIR CHARACTER MAKES NO SENSE, AND CHOOSING YOUR FRIENDS BY THEIR COLOR IS UNTHINKABLE. ~Anon A friend of mine sent this to me today and touched my heart! She is a beautiful woman (not the same color as me) and a blessing as a friend. I met her after she evacuated New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina and we became friends at a time when we both were feeling out of place. I had just moved to Texas as well. Our friendship has touched my heart in many ways and the quote she sent me today has love written all over it! (see post from this morning about LOVE) God is so good and I never cease to be amazed by the tender ways He shows us His love...through little messages from Him through other people to help us remember how very much we are loved. My socks match my clothing but my friends match my heart!

The expression of love softens us and the ones we love. It opens up a channel between us. It invites an intimate response that closes the distance. It feels good to express love, whether through a smile, a touch, or a prayer. It heightens our sense of being alive. Acknowledging another's presence means that we, too, are acknowledged. Each of us is familiar with feeling forgotten, unnoticed, or taken for granted, and recognition assures us all that we haven't been overlooked. Knowing we are loved may be the key to our doing the things we fear. Love supports us to charge ahead, and we can support others to charge ahead. We know that if we fail, we have someone to turn to. Love heals. It strengthens, making us courageous both when we receive it and when we give it. Knowing we are loved makes our existence special. It affirms that we count in another's life. We need to honor our friends by assuring them of their specialness too. (Each Day A New Beginning) Dear fri...

As fun as it was to see it snow last night, it is equally as nice for me today as the sun is shining bright and the temperatures are warming to near 60 degrees. What I just experienced is my snowfall ideal. Beautiful coverage that lasts but for a short time. Long enough to stretch the morning out, but not interfering with the entire day! I am not a winter person. I like the sun, the warmth and the brightness of it's light. I am not alone. Look at what God's word says about the sun in Ecclesiates 11:7 - Light is sweet, and it pleases the eyes to see the sun. So be it! ~Liz

Do you remember the excitement of hearing the weather forecast, knowing that it might snow and looking outside before you went to bed to see big snowflakes and snow covering the entire ground? That happened in our household tonight and it brings joy to my heart and memories to my mind! We moved our family from Virginia to Texas a little over two years ago. Virginia isn't known for great amounts of snow, but it certainly was known to happen. Texas, on the other hand, sees little snow. Our daughter has missed seeing the fluffy white stuff (unlike her bah humbug mother) and still, at 14 years old, will go outside and do the snow dance in hopes of a snow day! Well, all winter long, we have had mild temperatures. In fact, over the weekend we were in the seventies. We have already seen 80 once or twice since the New Year, which is exactly how I like it. As the calendar just turned to March, I have been dreaming about warm weather, sunbathing, and planting flowers. So, when I hear...

Recently, I was challenged to make two lists. The first list was a list of everything positive in my life. I found this fairly easy as I listed off my marriage, all three of my children, their health, my health, my mother and her health, a job that pays well, a home that is more than comfortable, new friends, old friends, renewed friends, babies being born, etc, etc. The second list that I was to write out was a list of everything negative. This list, unfortunately was just as easy to fill out with the radical change of a close friendship, my son needing a job, concern over my mom walking, and the time it takes my husband to do his homework for his Master's degree. I was pleasantly surprised that the list of positives out weighed the list of negatives. However, I was then challenged to look closely at both lists and pay close attention to which list occupied the majority of my thought life. Oohhh , I did not like what I saw. Certainly, the negative list was more often in my thought...

Beauty from ashes. I found myself pondering that phrase this week. My son has a band t-shirt that carries that name or something similar. And I ran across the phrase this week in a study that I am participating in. As I thought about the ashes, I realized that back in old testament times, ashes represented mourning. When someone died, or something terrible had happened, the people would tear their clothes or wear sack cloth (very uncomfortable) and put ashes on themselves. Our society used to wear black on similar occasions, but that seems to be a thing of the past. I found myself wondering why we, as a society, no longer make public expression of our mourning...or even our joys for that matter. Back in the day...(old testament again), emotional expression was the norm. Not only did people walk around with ashes and torn clothing, but they also wept aloud - publicly. And when King David experienced joy, he danced in the street in his underwear! As I think about these things,...