Someday...may come more quickly than I'd like...

Someday...my house will be clean. No messy fingerprints or works of crayon art on the walls, no crushed up Goldfish all over the carpet, no muddy footprints through the house, no laundry strewn about, still waiting to be put away in the "right" spot, no toys thrown everywhere seeming to fight for a place in the clutter, no unorganized kitchen counters filled with school papers, homework & half eaten lunches. No play dough particles on the floor or "washable markers" in the grout. No rocks, air soft gun bullets, or Star Wars guys found washed & still lingering in my dryer. No spills on the floors, no bugs in a cup, no forts & tents made out of all & every pillow & blanket from our bed & living room couch. No bathtub toys & rubber duckies left remaining in the bathtubs, no dirty clothes left on the floor, no toothpaste "finger painted" in the sinks, no toilet seats left up - again.



Someday...my yard will be well manicured & neat. No mass assortment of sports equipment & bikes left laying around, no worn paths from football playing, running, or hide & seek games in the flower beds. No dump trucks filled up with dirt from my garden, no play places or trampolines in the yard, no riding toys of every kind filling up places in the garage, no sand boxes on the patio leading trails & buckets of sand into the house. No sidewalk art filling up the driveway, no water balloon pieces & Popsicle sticks found littering the grass.



Someday...I'll get more sleep. No late nights finishing homework or projects that should have been done "yesterday," no long bedtime adventure story or "please just one more" Dr. Seuss kind of book, no extended bedtime routines involving more trips to the bathroom, another drink of water, & prayers with 3 sweet children being tucked into bed, along with 10 little baby dolls & 2 stuffed doggies also needing to "go night-night." No little ones waking up in the middle of the night with the stomach virus, a bad dream, loud thunderstorm, or simply needing to be rocked a few minutes more. No early risers in the house battling against my desire to "sleep in because it's Saturday."



Someday...life will not seem so chaotic. No interruptions while making dinner from busy, little toddlers who just want to "help," or crack the egg, no filled up family calendars begging for just a little more quiet time on the page, no long "to do" lists staring me in the face - still undone & transferred over yet again to the next day's "list of things to do," no moments of searching for a babysitter for that night out with Troy, no hours spent searching for the missing shoe. No running here & there to countless school events, birthday parties, play dates, music lessons, rehearsals, or sports practices & games.



Someday...I'll actually read that "One Minute Organizer" book I bought one day, with really good intentions.



Someday...I'll have more time on my hands (And maybe more money??? Maybe not.) More time to sit long & linger over scriptures with my Savior, more time to write & journal, more time for bible studies, more time to "sit & pray," rather than "pray & go." More time to volunteer in places other than schools & sport activities, more time ALONE in the bathroom to get ready for the day or to get my make-up on without a little princess insisting on her "powder," more time to run errands, shop at places other than Target, Walmart, or Costco, more time to busy myself with a wide assortment of arts, crafts & various projects that I've been intending to do yet putting off for years now. More time to read books with more than 25 pages, more time to talk on the phone again - when not in the car racing to get to the next destination of the day - more time for lunches with friends, spa days, or weekends away with my husband.



Someday...my car will shine...no scratches & dents from bikes & balls hitting it too frequently, no cheerios & McDonald's french fries lingering on the floorboard, no car seats fastened to almost every seat, no stroller in the back, no drifting smells from a bad milk spill, lingering cheese stick, or a Chik-fil-a nugget left too long. Someday...I may not even drive a minivan.



Someday...my refrigerator will be clean...it will beg to have little ABC magnets put back on the front, it will long to be opened a zillion trillion times a day by chubby hands just looking for another snack, it will ask for more art displays & pictures to be plastered across it's front & sides.



Someday...I might forget what channel Disney is on, or Noggin, or Nick Jr.



Someday...I may forget what it feels like to mix up endless cups of chocolate milk, or peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, mac & cheese, smiley face pancakes, or chocolate chip cookies.



Someday...we won't run out of milk - again - or out of pull-ups, or bread. My grocery list will look different. It will long to have baby wipes, lunchables, oreo cookies, & gogurts listed again. It will wonder why I'm not buying a ton of bananas, or that entire bag of apples, or stocking up on "mini" carrots, or the double sized multi grain cheerios, or family sized toilet paper & that extra big box of laundry detergent anymore.



Someday...it will be more quiet here. No constant chatter, questions, giggling, yelling, singing, playing, building, crashing, climbing, fighting, laughing, toddler melt downs, or childhood whining. No sounds of running through the house, jumping in the playroom, banging on the drums, racing down the stairs, clanging pots & pans, or tennis balls, baseballs, or basketballs being thrown against the house.


Someday...I'll get more "real" exercise, more than just pushing a loaded grocery cart with 2 hefty toddlers in the front, more than just chasing 3 kids around & up & down the stairs, more than attempting to retrieve a screaming child from the upper level tunnel of the McDonald's playplace because they're not "quite ready" to go home yet, more than throwing endless baseballs, footballs, & any vast assortment of balls around in the yard, more than sliding on slides or swinging on swings in the park, more than pushing strollers, or rollerblading, or running & holding onto a bike until that sweet little one will let me "let go." I'll get my nails done again. I'll go back to a "real" salon. My roots won't show anymore. I'll know what's "in style" for the season. My purse will match my shoes again. Most all of my wardrobe won't be only from Target. I might be able to actually READ that great magazine I brought along to pool, instead of constantly counting heads & teaching kiddos how to swim.



Sometimes...in quick, brief moments of certain, especially "more difficult" days...I think about "someday." And the sheer realization of all these wonderful things that I'll miss - someday - comes crashing down on me. It instantly changes my thinking. It makes me decide to CHERISH these moments of the here & now. It makes me desire to SOAK in the gift of the present day - remembering that it will pass all too quickly, never to come again.



Someday...will bring new gifts, new challenges, new adventures, a new phase of life. And, to be quite honest, reality tells me that "someday" may come more quickly than I'd like. Many friends have looked me square in the eye & said, "treasure it, the days may go by slowly, but the years go by way too fast."



So for now, in all of life's crazy, loud & busy moments, I CHOOSE TO LOVE TODAY!

The Aramco Houston Half Marathon - WE FINISHED!!!

We finished the race, 13.1 miles, YES! That was the goal & we ran till the end, making it in at our own "record breaking time" at 2:25! Well, to be honest, it was really our first half marathon, so anything's a record breaking time, right?! But nevertheless, WE DID IT, THANK YOU GOD! And, for 2 busy moms who definitely didn't take long enough to train, we were very grateful to just come in across the finish line! Yes, we're paying for it today in various forms of aches & pains, but I know they'll all go away soon & I'll be ready to sign up again for more agony. (:



We literally joined thousands of other runners out there early yesterday morning on the city streets of Houston for the Aramco Houston Half. I always forget how many other people in this world really "like" running, it's simply astounding. And, runners come in all shapes & sizes, all ages, all ethnic backgrounds, believe me, you'd be amazed & personally challenged if you experienced a race & saw "who" was running! When the almost 80 year old grandmother passed me by in a previous race years ago, I told myself I'd never complain about my own challenges again!

I was so glad to run with our neighbor Wendy who helped the time be not "quite" so grueling & we kept each other going through the duration of the hardest miles. It makes me think about life itself - how important it is to have friendships - who will run with us not just through the joyful, wonderful, & celebrative moments, but who are willing to stick with us through the sheer pain & agony of the most difficult moments this journey on earth can bring our way. I feel so blessed to have so many friends & family who will RUN with me in life, no matter what. THAT is the kind of friend I so long to be for others that God has brought into my life.
So wondering how the race went?
Well, we ran..we ran through our aches & pains, we ran & talked about life, about issues, about doing another marathon, we ran & prayed, we ran & asked constantly, "how ya doing?" "you O.K.?," we ran & spoke out scriptures, we ran & watched other runners...the blind runner who ran with a guide, he's the one the kept me going longer - amazing...we ran & listened to the crowds around us, cheering us on, "Go! You can do it!," we ran & thought, "Yes, we CAN do this!," we ran more & wondered, "Wait, CAN we do this???," we ran in silent misery through those last miles, we ran & stopped talking about doing another marathon, we ran & didn't want to stop running for fear we wouldn't be able to start again, we ran, we ran, we ran! You get the idea right?
And then, finally, the end was in sight! I think that can be the toughest part at times, those last few miles, it can become more of a mental challenge to continue...to keep putting one foot in front of the other & deny your muscles the satisfaction of stopping.
There it was, clearly marked, 2 miles, then 1 mile, then that last & most longed for .1 mile! Whew! We linked arms & came through together - we had FINISHED! Thank you Wendy for sticking with me till the end girl, you got me through that thing! I'm so thankful for you!





I'm reminded of how much marathons parallel our lives & journeys with God...so many truths that He can teach us more through this big world of RUNNING. More stories to come out of that along the way...

Thank you so much to all of you for your prayers, your encouragement along the way & especially for your thoughts & prayers for my dear friend Beverly in her fight against breast cancer. She will continue to be my inspiration in life & in running, as I sign up to do another in the near future.

love you all & am so grateful for your friendships!

"but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:31

Running Through the Pain...Running for Beverly...

This weekend as I join with many thousands of other runners to run the Houston half marathon, still wondering if I'm ready enough, very aware of the fact that I'm not in as great of shape as I'd like to be, I've decided to simply focus on this...
Finishing the race...doing my best, running through the pain. I've decided - I will not quit!
And here's the reason why, I'm running for Beverly.
As I've hit the trails this past month, often running in solitude, in quiet peace with my God, my thoughts & prayers have frequently gone back to my dear friend & college roommate Beverly Ulmer. She's a fighter. She's not a quitter. She's running through her pain in life. She's doing her personal best, she is running to WIN this race of life that she's on. And, she has become my inspiration in life to KEEP RUNNING.

Many of you reading this have journeyed a path similar to Beverly's, or have walked with a loved one through the agony of this dreaded disease. Cancer. I don't even like the sound of that word, who does? The fear that this one single word can provoke, the pain that this one diagnosis can bring over a complete family is just - HUGE. It seems to set it's ugly clutches on so many lives in our world that have been the most BEAUTIFUL, in every sense of the word, like my precious friend Beverly's life. It doesn't seem fair, it's never just, it never asks "is this a good time to visit?", it's one of many questions that I, like many of you, have for God someday. Why does there have to be cancer?

December 16th - I'd been having a kind of hard day that day, I was in some type of silly argument with my husband, I had yelled at my kids, I had complained to God about the "enormity" of the tasks that I felt compelled to accomplish that day, none of which seemed to be making much of a dramatic difference in the big realm of eternity anyway. And then that evening, I received an email.
THE EMAIL. The email from my friend Beverly that reminded me of my own "cancer" of sin, my own ungratefulness for the gifts that God has been so gracious to give, my own complaining spirit...it sent me to my knees that night & God continues to teach me through it even now.

She explained in her brief note that unfortunately the breast cancer she had been so courageously fighting for 3 long years now, through multiple treatments & surgeries, had now come back, for the 3rd time. To her lungs. Tears welled up in my eyes as I read the words & thought of this precious friend & sister in Christ. When is enough - enough? Hadn't she had "her share" of trials God? Not only battling breast cancer, but enduring 2 brain surgeries due to tumors unrelated to the breast cancer, journeying through years of infertility, & many other life events that would send most of us reeling? But, yet she seems to have the endurance, the amazing ability through the strength of the Holy Spirit, to KEEP RUNNING, never bitter, rarely complaining, still sharing hope to every life she touches.

Beverly - always JOYFUL, always able to make me laugh, always "quick witted," always loving & caring towards others, always living a life that would bring honor to her Savior Jesus Christ, such a beautiful person inside & out! I thought of our days rooming together in college, she had journeyed with me through my parents painful divorce & my dad's alcoholism during those days, we had journeyed together through studying, school events, and various boyfriend relationships & what we thought then were "huge" life issues. I had the amazing fun of journeying with her through her best relationship yet, meeting Dwayne, her future husband, & shared the honor of being a part of their wedding. We have always kept in touch through the years, never as much as we want to of course, but always able to pick back up where we'd left off in life.

Beverly - wife to Dwayne, together they have ventured through years of serving in full time ministry. Even through the cancer days, she has continued to be supportive & involved in his work, now as professor at Dallas Baptist University & through various interim youth ministry positions in the Dallas area.
Beverly - amazing & loving mom to Kyle & Kevin, twin 7th graders, and to Eric, sweet 1st grader...Beverly & Dwayne have known the pain of "waiting" for children & truly appreciate the gifts God has so Sovereignly placed in their home. They share the same heart that Troy & I have for adoption. They have realized what many couples who struggle with infertility realize in this life journey..."we" are not in control.
Beverly. Daughter. Sister. Friend to many. Her testimony of this process of grief she's working through has an amazing way of encouraging me. I always think I should be the one encouraging her when we talk or through our emails, but for some reason, it always seems to work the other way around. Funny isn't it? She knows what it is to face huge grief & pain head on. She doesn't run from it. She FIGHTS through, she doesn't lose HOPE, she doesn't fail in COURAGE. Sure, she freely admits to having her very real & "bad" days, she knows what it is to feel "weary," to be in need of one big, long nap, but she knows more than anything that GOD IS THE ONE WHO HOLDS HER FUTURE IN HIS HANDS.
Beverly is blessed to have one of the best & top physicians of breast cancer in TX., a doctor who doesn't like to give a "time limit" on fighting this terrible disease, but when asked, did share, "the truth is this, 50% of women battling this type of cancer may make it to 18 mos., some may live longer, others may not." The cold, real truth. That hurts. That in itself would make me want to run - away - very far, but Beverly instead, stands up to it, ready to fight it.
The chemo treatments have started again, & Beverly's doctor is looking into the possibility of helping her get into a new treatment in San Antonio soon, which has just finished the experimental phase. They & we who stand with her are not giving up! We continue to pray that God would intervene in fighting back this disease that would seek to take Beverly's life too early from this world.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_yivlcCpB4

Would you join me today in praying for Beverly & her family and for these months ahead as they literally "fight it out" against this disease of cancer? So many of you have shared her experience & know how to pray, you know what it's like, you understand her pain & the pain her loved ones feel in watching her battle this cancer.

I've learned so much from watching her walk with Christ deepen during these difficult days. I've remembered that it's often in our darkest hours of pain, that we feel the nearness of His amazing presence. I've been reminded to not take life - my own - or my loved ones - so "for granted." I'm taking more time to soak in the moments of kissing my children goodnight, reading them stories, playing, or just looking deep in their eyes & telling them how much I love them. I'm learning to take more time with my husband, I'm seeking to not allow the disease of "busyness" to drain or mess up our marriage, I realize afresh my commitment to him remains strong, no matter what we face together in this life. I remember that sometimes our quick words to friends, "sure, let's get together sometime," can be a good intention never carried through. Sometimes we just need to make it happen, instead of talking about it. I'm remembering, people are what's most important in this life, not things, not work, not money. I'm reminded that time is PRECIOUS, each day of life is a GIFT, not something to take for granted. I know, more than anything, I want to live ON PURPOSE for my remaining days on earth, I so desire to live with INTENTION, not wasting my days on things that really don't matter. I'm reminded again that this world is not our final home, that though these temporary bodies of ours are often frail & subject to illness & disease, our SPIRIT WILL LIVE ON, THANKS TO OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.

So Beverly, my dear friend - I'M RUNNING FOR YOU THIS WEEKEND! As you continue to run through your "fight" against cancer, you have many friends & family standing with you, praying you through your pain, asking God for a miracle, trusting Him to fill you up with His peace & strength, relying on His grace to carry you through the darkest times of grief.
I love you friend...you're in my heart...always.

"...But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:13-14

"I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." Phil. 4:13

"but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength, they will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:31

"The Beverly Ulmer Cancer Fund" is being established through Bank of America to help the Ulmers with specific medical needs & travel expenses related to treatment. If you are interested in contributing to this fund, please contact Troy & Debbie McDaniel at troyandddebbie@aol.com.
If you'd like to send a pray, note of encouragement, or correspondence to Beverly & Dwayne directly, please email dwaynebeverlyulmer@sbcglobal.net.

Run...For All Of Us Women Who "Run" All Day

I remember the day quite clearly, December 10th, about a month ago...I had to dig out my beloved running shoes from the back of the closet, I knew they were in there somewhere, surely I hadn't thrown them away, had I? Or donated them to the Goodwill box, maybe sold them in a garage sale? Oh, there they were! Right under the stack of clothing on the floor still waiting to be hung up, right beside the "memory box." Yes, that's fitting, "real" running, you know the kind that's on the streets or trails, had become more of a "memory" to me of what once was, than a present reality of life today. Most of my current running, which I tenderly call "REAL" running, involves "mom type" of running, many of you reading this know just what I mean...

What most of us think of first is the inevitable form of "errand" running, you know, running to the store, running to the bank, running to the post office, running to the school, running to the doctor, running kids around to a sheer variety & assortment of activities, parties, & sporting events, running here, running there, running everywhere! Whew, I'm weary just thinking about it, and about what all I have to do later today.

Then there's the "clean up" form of running, running around the house from room to room, up the stairs, down the stairs, arms full of laundry, lugging a vast assortment of toys, books, & other items left out by 3 children back to its original intended place in each room, because as we all know & say frequently, "everything has a place," picking up, cleaning up, turning off running faucets left on by a child before there's a flood running out & onto the floor, running to get them on the "potty" before it's too late, running to clean up the spill or mud from off the floor, or to catch a lizard, or pick up a bug, or any other "foreign" object brought it from the outside or left on the carpet by an ill-fitting diaper.

And, let's not forget the most important form of mom style running, the "almost emergency" form of running, you know the kind that stops you mid sentence while talking to a friend - to run & grab the toy, lightsaber, or any other item that's about to crash over another child's head, running to stop them from going into the street, running to see what in the world all the fussing is about, running to give aid & comfort from a fall, a bonk on the head, a skinned knee, running to get them OFF of the counter, OUT of the pantry, OUT of the snacks, OFF of the top of the fence where they are now "stuck," & AWAY from any other possible disaster or impending doom, running to prevent any mass assortment of what could be an "almost" definite & real emergency situation. And, I might add, you know you're a REAL runner, when the running takes place while holding a hefty child under each arm! I've even seen a mom run holding 3! Now, that's a runner!

And of course there's thankfully the "leadership" form of running, which I think just makes our world a better place. I mean, wow, we women can RUN things, hormones & all, even when pregnant, even when worn out from being up with a sick child all night, or exhausted from spending hours of finishing up some project that our child had due the next day at school. We can run things smoothly, efficiently, like a well oiled machine! (Well, at least most days, O.K., so we all have a bad day here & there, but we still keep running!) We run our households with the vastness of all that usually entails, we run businesses or corporations, we run PTA groups, school functions, classrooms & entire schools themselves, we lead out in ministry, in bible studies, in community events, we run preschools, nurseries, day cares, Mother's Day Out programs (so that other moms can stop running for a few brief hours), we run for government or political office, we run to the aid of friends who are hurting, to neighbors who need some help - or a babysitter, we run a dinner by someone's house we know could really use it, or some hand-me-down kids clothes, or furniture, the list could go on & on...the point is this - we run, we run, we run!

Yes, running...it's in our blood as moms, as women...we indeed are the BEST runners in this world. So I decided to once again take advantage of this one thing I seemed to know so much about, I had decided to pick up "running" & hit the trails once again. I'd even toyed with the idea of doing a half marathon in the next month, just to keep me motivated, to give me a goal to shoot for.

I knew I needed to get back into shape, come on, how hard could it be??? I mean, I "had" been a runner, a novice runner at that, but had managed to run a few 5K's & at least 1 marathon in my previous years. And don't these 7 years of motherhood account for at least a few more marathons?! I figured it would all come back to me rather quickly, you know, kind of like riding a bike or skiing, you never really forget once you've learned. Well, that had been a few years ago, actually, QUITE a few years ago, of which I was very quickly reminded.

We set out, here's the picture...one out of shape mom, tugging along one little out of shape dog, pushing along a double running stroller, with 2 chunky little toddlers, who together totaled about 75 lbs of extra weight for my first day of running, WHEW! We were quite a sight I'm sure. Most of the first part of the work out was about getting Noah & Gracie to keep their hands in their side of the stroller, "no swiping snacks, you both have your own, that's Gracie's juice Noah, give it back now, Gracie, stop pushing Noah, let go of his hair right now, etc.., etc..." You get the picture right?
A little ways down the road, the real "pain" began...I was reminded of the one sore knee I had messed up while training for that marathon back years ago...whew, that pain is STILL there? Never did go to the doctor for that, guess I should have. I was surprised that I had "new" pains too, pains I had never known up to this point...my foot had never hurt before, now what is up with that? My leg & lower back muscles seemed to be resisting every urge that I now had to run them back into shape. Ouch, that's my foot, oh my aching back, ugh, my knee, what I mess I was!
I found myself huffing & puffing while not very far along, how could this be? I seemed to keep leaning on the stroller for support with every step. I had thought I was more in shape than this! I'd probably not even gone a mile!
Noah asked from his little comfy seat, "Mommy, why are you breathing like that?"
I answered him the best I could, while gasping for air, "Well, honey, Mommy's running & well, sometimes it's hard just to get going again, I'm just tired out, that's all."
He then simply asked, "Mommy, why don't you just stop running?"
GOOD QUESTION! GREAT QUESTION! Why didn't I think of that??? Why don't I just STOP running?
I was tempted right then to do just that, to stop. I didn't need anything else in life to wear me out, wear me down, come on, don't I have enough to do??? Do I really need to start putting some type of grueling work out schedule on top of my already busy kind of day???
But I knew I couldn't stop. I was determined. I knew I needed to get back into shape & I didn't want yet another day of starting out & quitting all in one day. Ever been there? There had been so many feeble attempts already where I'd said I was going to start some type of work out & then never followed through. But I did have good intentions, doesn't that count? Uh,No.
I said to Noah & Gracie, "Because I CAN'T stop running hon, I've got to keep going, even when it hurts, just a little bit longer."

I can't stop running...we can't stop, we moms must run...even when we're weary, even when it hurts, even when we'd rather be sitting around on the couch, watching some mindless show, eating chocolates or something that sounds much better than the sheer effort of running...moms - women - run...it's what we seem to do best. Your "mothering" may come in different forms, some of you are moms or soon to be moms, some are grandmas, some are wives, some are aunts, or sisters, some teachers, mentors, & leaders in the workplace, all of us are daughters, all of us are friends to many, all of us "mother" in one way or another.

So, to all of you "marathon moms" out there, to all of you women who "run" all day, you may not be receiving some great medal of honor to award you today for your tireless efforts of running miles for your family & children, but know, your reward is there, it's waiting for you. Sometimes our rewards come in little ways & they're almost immediate, like a big bear hug from a 3 yr. old, a "'tank' you mommy, I wuv you" from the mouth of a 2 yr. old, or a "mom, you make the best food I've ever had, yum!" from a 7 yr. old, as he gulps down his mac & cheese & PB&J, washing it down with a big glass of chocolate milk. But other times I think our efforts, work & years of feeling some moments of "pain" in the running of mothering, will come in the days ahead, when our children have children, when they come back & say, "wow, now I see how much you did for us mom, you're the greatest," or "O.K., now I get it, I understand why you had to say no," or when they want to bring their friends home to meet "mom," & when they actually want to hear your counsel & whatever "wisdom" you might have to share for any number of situations. And, of course most of all, as you & I both know, our BIGGEST reward is in heaven. Our biggest rewards are those we will probably never see while here on earth, they are yet to come. When God says to you something like, "I gave you the responsibility of raising these precious little ones, My children, and YOU'VE DONE IT WELL!"

Keep running moms, don't give up, don't lose heart, don't let the pain of today stop you...RUN!

"...and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith..." Hebrews 12:1-2

Long week? Trying to get back into the swing of things?

Happy New Year everyone! Wow, 2008 seemed to fly by, now here we are, ready or not - 2009 has begun! Guess it's full speed ahead from here, right?!



Well, if you're like me, you may have found yourself wishing for a few more days of "down time" this past week before heading straight back into the busyness & craziness of life, of routine...

Did you find yourself wishing you were still just "hanging out?"



and just "hanging around?"



Still wanting to kick back with your feet up in your favorite, comfy chair?



Were you dreaming about having just one more day for a little "spa" getaway?



Feeling like you've been going around in circles this week? Can't decide what to do next? Tired of the same old "race" you're on? Wondering why you can never seem to "get ahead?"



Not wanting to fight yet another "super galactic battle" in your world - at work - at home?



Longing for some kind of "superhero strength" to help you through the day?




Wishing you were just "rolling in the dough" so you wouldn't have to work so hard for your money?



Already "blown" your New Years resolutions, goals, plans - whatever you call them - you just know you don't have them anymore, have they "burst like a bubble" right before your very eyes?



Finding it difficult to stick to that "healthy lifestyle diet?" Dipping into the treats a bit too much?



Feeling like you'd really "love" to exercise, but your "get up & go" has "got up & went" somewhere - very far away?



Wondering why you seem to keep doing the things you really don't "want" to do, like maybe, cutting up your brother's homework?




Don't be discouraged, don't give up, stay the course, stay strong!



Keep your eyes on the goal & RUN! Throw off the things that would try to hold you back, stop the negative thinking, & GO FOR IT this year!



Keep believing in yourself, in your dreams, & mostly in our BIG God!



Keep your sense of humor in life - LAUGH alot, laugh out loud, it always seems to make our "challenging" days more bearable.



Keep "balance" in your life, God first, others second, etc..., things always seem to flow better that way.



Don't be afraid to be different.



Don't be afraid to be "loud."



Remember above all else - GOD IS FOR YOU! He's got a year FULL of great blessings, stories, adventures, and joys to unfold before you...He'll help us over the obstacles, He'll get us through the challenges, HE IS OUR STRONGHOLD, HE IS OUR HOPE!



"The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run to it and are safe." Proverbs 18:10

"But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings..." Malachi 4:2

It's a new day...it's a New Year - have a GREAT one!