To My Girlfriends

 

 

During the past week and, indeed, many times over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to pause and appreciate the fantastic women in my life. Just yesterday I was able to sit down with another remarkable woman of influence in my life who I adore and whom I call my friend and close confidante.

 It seems that during the  Best and the worst of times for me, my girlfriends make their gentle, supportive presence known. They’ve always been there to provide wisdom, guidance, a shoulder to cry on when it was needed, and so much more. I’m so grateful to have them in my life.

I remember sitting with my mom at a Meyer and Frank’s café in Portland, Oregon one stormy day as we watched the ice skaters below and my mom gave me some words of wisdom I have never forgotten. “Don’t forget your girlfriends”, Mom recommended while sipping on her hot cocoa. No matter how much you love your family, you are still going to need girlfriends.

Remember to go places with them now and then; and do things with them, even when you don’t necessarily want to, Women supporting and relating to other women is our responsibility and our gift.  What a funny piece of advice, I thought.  I was now a married woman, for goodness sake, not some young girl who needed friends!

But I listened to my Mom. I kept in contact with my girlfriends and even found some new ones along the way. As the years tumbled by, one after another, I gradually came to understand that Mom really knew what she was talking about!

Here is what I know about MY girlfriends:

• Girlfriends bring chocolate during crisis.
• Girlfriends keep your secrets
• Girlfriends give advice when you ask, sometimes you take it and sometimes you don’t.
• Girlfriends don’t always tell you you’re right, but they always tell the truth.
• Girlfriends still love you, even when they disagree with your choices.
• Girlfriends are there for you in an instant, and when the hard times come.
• Girlfriends listen when your children break your heart.
• Girlfriends listen when your parents’ minds and bodies fail.
• Girlfriends hold their son’s hand before a big surgery.
• Girlfriends reminisce how God has changed their lives.

Mom, My daughter Colleen, sisters, family, and GIRLfriends you bless my life!

When we began this adventure, we had no idea of the incredible joys or sorrows that lay ahead.

Nor did we know how much we would need each other…..

 Thank You for being a part of my life. 

Connection Between A Girlfriend

This week has been a vacation week for me. This time I really took some time out for me I have done an incredible amount of writing   Not much house cleaning…. Hmm J. 

But the best have been some conversations with girlfriends this week.   One of these girlfriend’s lives out of state and we started on a conversation that was amazing.

God’s power of connection  rang through. 

One of the biggest things that I got from our conversation was  on Purpose. 

Our purpose…..  We both are wives, moms, leaders, and chauffeurs, chefs, and ATM’s   but what is our purpose in our writings and connections. 

Here’s something that I wrote after that connection with my girlfriend Tam.

 

 Purpose

All my zeal and existence is tied up in You
Living for You is the only place I’m at peace
when I truly seek after Your face
when I be the woman You made me to be

 When I try and live for You
 and I encounter a wall of unknown;
I don’t sit there in fear and question of how to do it
See, You have taken care of me thus far
I won’t worry
just set my heart on You
and know You are my God
and abide in Your love for me
and concern myself with sharing that with everyone
this is my passion
this is my purpose
my calling
this is what You have made me to be
this is what all my talents are for
this is where I can spend all my energy
this is where I can enjoy life and grow
I will dwell on Your love for me 

 

To love and be passionate for the world the same

~Heidi 

 

 

 

 

 

Pizza

 

  

 

 

As I was washing dishes, my son Elijah (who turned 15 today) walks in.

 

(here’s the conversation)

 

Elij:  Mom I’m hungry

 

Me:  There’s a frozen pizza in the freezer

 

Elij:  Mom that will take forever!!!

 

Me: I guess it’s going to be forever until you eat (smirk and a smile)!!

 

Elij: Come on mom!!!  Do I have to cook it?

 

Me: Yep

 

Elij: (reluctantly pulling it out of the freezer)  How do I cook it?

 

Me:  READ THE DIRECTIONS (getting a little annoyed)

 

Elij:  Directions are hard!!!

 

 

Although, he managed to cook and devour his frozen pizza all by himself,  I was thinking to myself, how many times have I said that in life situations?

 

“directions are hard”  Especially when it comes to knowing God’ s will in my life!!!

 

Do you take directions hard in your life?

 

 

Extra Wrinkle or Two.. Blogging Friendships

Yesterday was such a blast.  I was able to surprise my close friend on her birthday.  We both joked that we would wake up with an extra wrinkle or two from smiling too much because of this event.

 

My Friend Hope  lives in Ottawa, Canada.  One true Canadian.  I was the first American she has ever talked too, she says. 

 Let me tell you she has the accent; especially with the word “about”. 

 

Yesterday, via phone we were able to talk for the very first time for about 51 minutes about absolutely everything.  Although we have been email/blog friends for 7 months now, it seemed like I had known  her for years….  

 

Hope is one classy woman who loves the Lord and just seeks Him so earnestly, but also just a very confident person, who blows wind in your wings to keep you moving on. 

 

Love her to pluto and back!!

 

I love blogging and all it brings…. Friendships….. good solid friendships.

 

What do you think about blogging friendships???

News Can Change Your Perspective

 

This last Friday I learned that a friend of mine is awaiting a heart transplant here in San Diego.  Brandi Taylor(early 30’s)  is the vice- chairwoman of the Ysabel tribe here in California.  I met Brandi years ago at a car dealership where we were working.  8 years ago her heart began to fail, even through childbirth two years ago her heart gave out. But she has trekked on and now the doctor’s are just waiting for a heart for Brandi. 

Something she so desperately needs now.

As I thought and mulled and prayed over that email that evening my perspective on my life changed.

The experience helped me learn how to make the most of the time that I do have here on Earth.  

 

                                                                                                                    

  Take pleasure in the Effortless Things                

                    

I no longer wildly move about my day ignoring everything in my path. I became aware of how God’s creation filled my senses: the fragrance of fresh air, the briskness of a breeze, the warmth of the sun, and the glow of the moon.

 This must be how David felt when he wrote, 

 ”When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him?”  

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                                     

Catch glimpses of the Good in People

 We too often engage ourselves in unfair appreciation of others. Have you noticed that people who continuously criticize others seem miserable? Perhaps that’s because their disparaging heart has created a different perspective in their world.

 Seek out the Good in a Bad Situation

  2 Corinthians 4:8-18: “We are hard-pressed [. . .] yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.”  

In his darkest days, Paul recognized that all was not lost.Paul prayed three times for God to remove the thorn from his flesh, but God chose not to do so. Instead of blaming God, Paul chose to see how he rewarded from God’s lesson. The thorn in Paul’s flesh helped him remain humble.

Sometimes our requests are denied or our plans thwarted. Instead of losing hope in our disappointment, we need to look for the openings and blessings our disappointments may bring.

Be Thankful

    When we cultivate a heart of gratitude, we are less likely to think about what we don’t have.  

 Give thanks always for all things to God the Father” (Ephesians 5:20).  

Meditate on These Things

 We often feel miserable because we have allowed ourselves to focus on everything that we believe is negative in our lives. Paul offers the best solution: 

“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just,

 whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report,

if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things” (Philippians 4:8).

 When we meditate on the good  of  the journey with Him it then becomes effortless.