Liz's Letters

This season of my life feels very different than I thought it would.  My husband and I might actually be "empty nesters" but our kids still are a big part of our lives.  It's not a bad thing, but just when I thought I was going to have more time to do the things I thought I would always do "when the kids are gone" they just don't seem to be happening. So when people ask me how it feels to have all the kids out of the house, I really don't know how to answer. Sometimes, it feels really quiet and lonely. Occasionally, I am excited to have the house ro myself or to not have to hide my leftovers.  And sometimes it feels the same as when they were here.  But what I do feel is I am Mom.  Still. Mom.  Our oldest son and his wife just went to India to work for 6 months.  The other side of the world. I have "talked" to them just as much (maybe a little more) this past week as when they were here, 10 minutes away. I am still Mom. Our second son, the Ai...

Waiting with eager anticipation, I walk through my yard daily this time of year.  One of the things that I monitor is the blooms on my Peony plants.  We lived in Minnesota in the late 1980's and the house we rented had peony plants.  When we moved in, they were just starting to bloom.   I fell in love. We left that home, moved to Kansas for a while and then moved to the east coast of Virginia.  Everything I read told me that I would not be able to grow Peonies in that state.  I ordered some and planted them anyway.  The second year that they were in the ground, and before they ever bloomed, we found out we were moving to Texas. Everything I read told me I certainly could not grow Peonies in Texas. I dug them out of that yard in Virginia and brought them with me to Texas. That was almost nine years ago. They bloomed this week. They have bloomed every year, except the year of their transplant. I always pick the first blo...

 Having a daughter in a sorority is fun.  One of the things I have enjoyed this year (this is her second year as an AOII) is taking photographs.  This sorority is good about documenting and has a tradition of keeping a scrap book for prospective members to look through when they are considering a sorority involvement.  These photos were taken for my daughter's scrap book page.  She is  "Big" to a younger pledge sister who is called "Little".  I find it quite amusing that they actually call each other "Big" and "Little" as opposed to calling each other by their given names.  Anyway, having my new camera and in the spirit of continuing creating fun photos, here is part of the photo shoot I had with my daughter and her "Little".  Pretty Girls.

Yesterday, a friend sent me an early morning text. It said, "I would love to kidnap you today so we can take our cameras down to Ennis to take pics of the bluebonnet fields." My first thought was disappointment. After all, I do have to work. I was hopeful as I went to my desk to evaluate my day. Much to my surprise,my day looked really easy. So, the message I sent back said, "I can do whatever I want after noon!" I charged my camera battery, finished my work, put on my tennis shoes and off we went to the blue bonnet trail! In January, I changed jobs in hopes of reducing my stress level and having more time to do things with friends, family, and restore my interest in nature, creativity and spend time with my new camera in hopes of capturing some nice photographs. What a treat it was to have God answer my prayer with the job change and then He continues to provide me with opportunities to enjoy the things I hoped to spend more time doing. My second "...

There is one thing that I REALLY don't enjoy about being an "older" female. (some of you know what I mean and some of you might not...oh well) It's called belly fat. I eat the same, exercise more (well...I did until my arthritis has caused me to change my entire work out routine) and I continue to watch my midsection grow larger than the parts of me that are supposed to stick out! What's a girl old lady to do? So, here it is Sunday night before the Monday that I decide to "do" something...again. My middle son (who reluctantly still lives with us until he enters the Air Force this fall) suggested that we go back to eating "close to the ground", so to speak. As we shared our thoughts with a friend last night, she suggested (again) the Whole 30 program. I feel discouraged. So, tonight I am making macaroni and cheese. Not total, bad macaroni and cheese - at least I am preparing the heart healthy version with whole wheat elbow macaroni and...

My strongest desire is to live my daily life in such a way that I am aware of God's presence, honoring Him in what I do, say, and think and at the same time, experiencing the peace that He has promised me and I know is available to me.  I participate in different activities, disciplines, and such, in order to learn more about how to live life in such a way; sometimes with success and sometimes with little growth but never giving up.  This past weekend, I participated in a retreat (one of my favorite ways of learning and practicing a lifestyle that helps me with a higher awareness of God's presence) and I am still chewing on some of the wonderful gifts and insights that God revealed between Friday and Sunday afternoon.  If you know me (well) you know that I am a grateful member of Al-Anon.  And also, if you know me (at all) you know that I am a follower of Jesus Christ.  This is something that I actually had to "work through" in my mind.  Let me explain....

Yesterday I received some news that I have been waiting for.  An email was delivered to me with the results of an exam I took to complete a certification in Biblical Counseling.  Don't get too excited...it is not THAT big of a deal, but it did take over a year for me to complete the work and honestly, I am quite relieved that it is over.  Almost two years ago, the church that I attend thought it would be a great idea to equip their "Home Group Coaches" with a (level 1) Biblical Counseling certification.  It is a good idea, but what happened was that several of those who serve in this capacity found the time frame a bit more intense that what they could actually do.  Myself, and a few women barreled through (and I think about two or three couples) and the work is now complete!  Whew! As I ponder this completion, I have to snicker to myself.  "What does this actually mean?" and "What am I really going to do with this?"  As I worked on process pa...