Liz's Letters

Project 365 My Week in Pictures Monday, June 22 I was transportation for my daughter and her friend getting a pedicure. They were leaving for camp (at the beach) the following day and wanted to have freshly painted toenails. We all three got pedicures! Tuesday, June 23 A woman I worked with had her long awaited for baby yesterday! I went to visit him (and her) and my lunch hour. (I love my iPhone, but I really don't like the camera...oh well!) Here are the girls, getting ready to leave on the bus! Watch out Orange Beach, Alabama! They are attending Student Life camp at an awesome location! Wednesday, June 24 Wow. It is just my husband and I at home for dinner tonight! So we hit our favorite neighborhood restaurant for dinner. Thursday, June 25 I pass this pasture every week on my way to a meeting I attend every Thursday night. It never ceases to amaze me that these horses are smack dab in the middle of a very elite housing addition! Texas is sort of fun that way. Friday, June 26 W...

Just over a year ago (by two days) I sat on an airplane leaving my former "home" in Virginia; my second visit after my move to Texas, at that time, 3 years ago. It was a day full of sadness and pain that words could not possibly express, not plain sentences anyway. The prayers that went up that day were certainly interceded by the Holy Spirit as much of what I prayed, there were no words. Things had changed in Virginia. And I lost the person who had been my very best friend there...the one we, as women, call "BFF" (best friend forever). She and I knew we had a David/Jonathon type friendship. The only thing missing for a while was our "Saul". He showed up and the story played out. On June 24th, I was David, behind the rock. And I left, never to be seen again. Yes, friends, the friendship had to end. My "Saul" was ready to kill the friendship...and he did. (to read the story of Jonathon and David, go to 1 Samuel 18 in the Bible.) A poem flowed fro...

Hooray, it is Friday! And time for Friday Fill-ins! Let's see what my brain comes up with as I fill in the blanks provided by Tonya at Friday Fill-In's Blog. 1. She had a great big smile on her face as she boarded the bus to go to camp! (my daughter when she left for camp on Tuesday) 2. God is by my side, always, and I am ever so grateful. 3. I know this: there are only two things that I have control over in my life - my attitude and my location! 4. Be still and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10) 5. These words apply to me: Life Is Good. 6. Every time I looked outside yesterday the sun was shining. 7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to hanging out with my husband, tomorrow my plans include going to the gym, laying out at the pool, and hopefully a double date with our best friends, and Sunday, I want to worship God at the Village church , read, and pick up my daughter when she returns from camp!

If anyone T HINKS he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. ~ Galations 6:3 Lately, I have been thinking a lot about thinking. I have also been thinking a lot about selfishness, pride, and an attitude of being self centered. This verse addresses some of what I have been pondering. Recently, I took an inventory of events in my life that had certain results. I saw some things that fall in the category of this verse that I have been working on changing. Since I am a human being, with human characteristics, I also have needed to refrain from taking other people's inventories for them. Especially when their behavior toward me has reflected the same flawed behavior that I see in myself. Why do we do this? I sometimes think God shows us our own ugly behavior by putting someone in our life that has the same ugly behavior. When someone else is doing "it", doesn't "it" look even worse? But when we realize we look just the same (or worse?) we are so...

Hang on for a long week! Sunday, June 14 Fred and I completed our Membership Requirements and signed our Membership Covenant. We are now official members of The Village Church. That was a long time coming! Monday, June 15 Stopped by the fitness center after work! It has been WAY TOO long. Three weeks. These back issues are really hindering my ability to work out! BOYS! DON'T LOOK! Tuesday, June 16 This is a stack of girls underwear. I have experienced envy whenever I wash and fold my daughters cute undies from American Eagle. They were having a sale this week, and I bought MYSELF some cute undies! No more boring solids for me! Wednesday, June 17 My daughter and I drove to Tulsa today. One of the things she has always wanted to do is stop at the Arbuckle Wilderness Park on the way. We made time to do that and it was hilariously fun. I am not sure that she and I have ever laughed so hard together! Above - a Llama A camel, looking to see who was coming for a visit. That is Reb...

Tonight is my last night in Tulsa. My daughter and I joined my son here (at my mom's house) in the middle of the week. Last weekend, when she was at my home celebrating her birthday, and my son's birthday...they left together to come to Tulsa for a little Grandma/Grandson time. (yes, my 22 year old son STILL comes to spend a week with his grandma!) On Wednesday, my daughter and I drove up to spend a few days and here it is, Saturday night already. Three of us will drive back to the Dallas area tomorrow so that we can spend the day with my wonderful hubby - the GREAT father that he is. My plans were to post my regular posts while I was here, ABC's of the word, Random Acts of Poetry, Friday Fill-Ins, etc, and this is my first time actually sitting down at the computer. So...I guess I took a technology sabbatical, with the exception of a few twitter updates. My 365 project awaits my return (I forgot the cord to upload photos) and I will say right now - I am going to have a ver...

God is relentless, that's for sure. He does not give up. I recently had to give my testimony (a requirement for membership at my church) and was again amazed at the amount of time it took me to turn my life over to Christ. I was 25 years old, but I had 3 really good friends sharing with me and praying for me...for 5 years! Currently, God has been relentless in pursuing parts of me that I have been reluctant to give to Him. Attitudes. Relationships. Pride. Anger. But He gently moves, day after day, moment after moment, until finally, I am surrendered to Him. From 1999 until 2008, He had me on a persistent journey. It was rough and I held onto things - people - because I was afraid to be without them. God, however, knew He had better plans for me. I was involved in situations that were damaging to my health, relationships that were tearing me up with abuse and co-dependency, and living in a place that looked remarkably like a pit. Not that life was all bad because it wasn...

The Gift Chapter 2 The Bones of the Dead The chapter title has held me for days...The Bones of the Dead. In chapter 2, Hyde refers to the bones of a salmon being returned to the sea, after making full circle, in order to revive and return to human form so that next year, the salmon could repeat a gift giving process again. The American Indian tribes that live with this mythology call this a potlatch. (this is just the beginning of what we learn about potlatch!) The gift that the salmon's provide is the tribes primary substance - food for the winter. The Bones of the Dead. of course. Potlatches and coppers are a main part of this chapter. Potlatches, the gift giving celebration, and copper; the item used in the gift exchange - the value, if you will. The copper is given, and a gift is returned, in the example, blankets. The recipient of the copper expresses his gen...

Week 4 of Project 365 My week in pictures Sunday, June 7 My handsome husband is doing some serious tree limb trimming. I was summoned to help by bundling the branches. Monday, June 8 My first day working in my rearranged office. Since taking this office over a year ago, I always wanted to rearrange the desk so that I could look out of the window while I work. My back has been to the view for all the time I have occupied this office, but Friday, a friend and I moved the furniture and arranged it so I wanted. This is the view out of my office window. When I am sitting at my desk (above), if I look to my left (where I was standing when I took the picture of the desk) this is what I see. I love it! Tuesday, June 9 My day today was very exhausting. I am glad that I enjoyed my office arrangement yesterday (Monday) because today I didn't even have time to think about it. The day didn't stop until I saw this (my comfy and waiting bed)...and I realized I had not taken my daily phot...

Having gathered sentences from several conversations all week long, I started two poems, and then Wednesday came. Along with Wednesday came a tornado to my north Texas neighborhood and even though many sirens have blared and many close calls have occurred, Wednesday was the first time my 15 year old daughter was present to see the real thing. Our evening was happening; I was preparing dinner, my husband mowing the lawn (we knew storms were coming) and my daughter and 22 year old son were assembling a new porch swing in the garage. I wrote a poem to reflect the remaining part of the evening. (just now posting it because the electricity just returned!) Sirens (a family conversion) There is a tornado warning Rotation is forming, see there Sirens are sounding, like a song. I'm going in! Mom, I am scared! Look! Look, there it is! That is it, it's so dark, there's a tail. Where is Dad? Come inside! The trees, will they break? They bend to the ground. I hope the power comes on...

On Mondays, over at High Callings Blog , there is a book study going on. The selected reading is The Gift by Lewis Hyde. "... The Gift is a brilliant defense of the value of creativity and its importance in a culture increasingly governed by money and overrun with commodities..." (back cover) Reading that, I was captured into curiosity that could only be satisfied by reading the book. I do not consider myself an artist, but one who believes strongly that we all have something to contribute and if we can do it with artful creativity, well...what a gift! I did read the introduction, and like Sam , made a few notes as tried to absorb all that was said. My first note, "I think I am in over my head!" However, I pursued as the words drew me in and I began to look at gift exchanges with new eyes, although blurry. Art as a gift? Hmmm, yes, I can wrestle with that thought and it make some sense. But how about the authors thought, "a gift that cannot be given awa...

Another week has passed and I have to say, I am enjoying this project quite a bit! Some of the photographs, I fear, might be boring to anyone who views them, but for me, they record a happening, something noteworthy, or something worth remembering in my life. So cool. So here we go... Sunday, May 31 Every morning when I wake up since I became a parent, I make rounds to look in the beds of my beloved children. My heart fills with love and blessing to look upon the sleeping humans that God gave me and my husband to look after and care for. They are no longer babies. The oldest turns 25 this week and doesn't even live here. (yes, I peek at him in the morning when he is visiting.) The middle one turns 22 this week. And the youngest, she is 15. Sunday morning, when I arose to start my day, I found this in my 22 year old son's room. He has always been a gifted artist, but a gift that he has worked on only on and off in his life. Lately, he has had a renewed desire. My heart soared t...