Jesus Smelled Good

She was about three at the time...

the day

my daughter
and I

walked up to the altar
after Bible Class to speak to our Pastor

he saw us coming
and waited for us

The next day as my daughter was preparing for nap
I sat next to her rubbing her back

when just as she dozed off

her

sweet
little
voice

whispered

"Mommy, last night at Bible Class... Jesus smelled good"

I blinked
then smiled

realizing in that brief moment

that she had mixed up

the man with
the message

She thought our Pastor was Jesus
and although I corrected her

that

sweet
little
whispering voice

has stayed with me for years

"Jesus smelled good"

and I realize that she was on to something...

we should all "be" Jesus

as

we live
we work
we interact

passing one another throughout the day

the fragrance of God should be upon us

sweet
fresh
vibrant

to awaken

the senses of those around us
and linger

The List You Should Start Today

There's a song we sing...

count your blessings
name them one by one
count your blessings
see what God has done

and I've learned that

blessing counting is a gift

as well as
a lesson

in gratitude
and perception

so I started a list
and invite you to also

stop
think about
record

the unique experiences
that have enriched your life thus far

take time to

count your blessings
and name them

one
by
one

___________________________________________________

"100 Days of Grace"

VolleyBall Lessons: The Power of the Double Block

I got chills when I saw them play together...

my girls

sisters
unified

fighting together

for

a common goal
a victory
a win

Then when they did the "double block"
I almost lost it

hands up
jump up
eyes focused

and

WHAM!

a block that

sent the ball careening back over the net
hitting the floor on the side of the opposing team

to

score
another point

I turned to their mom and said

"it's like having a good prayer partner"

because

when life keeps throwing stuff your way

it's good to have
a sister who

steps up
steps beside

to help you block what the enemy is trying to send your way

hands up
jump up
eyes focused

as we

stand together
pray together
fight together

in unity

A Good Pressure Wash

I came in with an attitude

and let everyone know...

"sorry guys, I'm not feeling it today"

so they left me alone...

and as I looked out of the window

Grace Showed Up

when I saw what the guys were doing and said

out loud

to myself

"Sometimes we all just

need a good pressure wash"

and

that nudge

that word

spoken

softly

sweetly

(like a little "pep talk" to my soul)

was just what I needed

because

sometimes

a little attitude

a little pressure

a little pain

is necessary to help

lift the deep stain

wash and rinse

the dirt away

Why Who You Follow on Social Media Matters

Who You Follow on Social Media?

Yep, it matters!

who you follow and

who you allow to follow you

both matter

Here's why...

They Show up in Your Feed

It's called a "feed"
because

the people you follow
are
"feeding you"...

posts
comments
likes

opinions
ideologies
theories

gratitude
grace

rebellion

the algorithms don't lie

and...

You are What You Eat

We become what we consume

peace
proactivity
positivity

is contagious...

negativity

hate

ratchedness

(no, spell check... I did not mean wretchedness)


spreads...

and

the more we devour
the more we crave

sluggish
lethargic
restless
ungrateful

Grandma tried to warn us that...

Friends of Friends can be Fatal

their comments

their influence

their inner circle

may not be for your "good"

so

choose people who

inspire

build up

challenge

encourage growth

choose people who 

make you want to

be

a better

you

street art in Aruba (Summer 2016)

Question...

If Jesus was on social media, would you follow Him?

Spiders and Screams

My daughter

screamed

ran out afraid

refused to sleep

in her own room

so I went in...

saw him crawling up the wall

reached over and

snatched him down

with my bare hand

"It's not that serious, girl"

as she looked closer

trying to recognize me

(I hate spiders too)

which made me smile

because 37 years ago Mom said...

"Baby, one day you will hold in your

hand the very thing that frightens you"

Time to open your hand...

Five Minute Friday- This is My Story

Yes (the font is wonky)

No (I'm not going to fix it)

--------------------------------

This is my story...

sometimes you are born into a home

sometimes you stumble into one

before this school year began

my incoming HS Freshman

made the Freshman Volleyball team

and

I was relieved

that she had found a home

a few weeks later

we arrived at the regional tournament excited

quickly pulled into a parking space

and began unloading the car when

I saw it...

one hundred days of grace

and heard...

what will you do with

the next one hundred? 

Sometimes it's more than just a parking spot...

I snapped this photo and when later I counted ahead

and found that Day 100 marked the new year

I felt a renewed sense of purpose

and THEN...

when I saw the invitation for this year's 

31 Days of 5 min free writing challenge

Grace Showed Up

and I was excited to have

(again) found a home!

And I am grateful for this

amazing writing community

because

sometimes you are born into a home

sometimes you stumble into one

and my prayer is that we never grow weary

of telling

of sharing

His Story of Grace

this...

is my story

Turn the Page... A Lesson in Vulnerability

I handed him

my notepad
and a pen

then turned my back to finish the song

he was
too young to know

I was
too old to forget

that a notepad is not the best way to keep a toddler quiet during choir rehearsal

(but for a gentle tap)

"Sis, he's writing on the other pages... not sure if you wanted him to do that"

by DMS 3/27/18

And it wasn't until this morning that I thought about it...

Sometimes in life we hand people our notebooks

we open up
we share
we are vulnerable

and they inadvertently (or willingly)

turn the page

and scribble over something we never intended for them to even see

it is an unspoken rule

but we expect people to
stay on the page that we hand them

because (we think)

this is my book

this is what I am willing to show
this is what I am willing to share

However...

he was too young and
I was just young enough

to learn

that

sometimes it's okay
to hand someone your notepad

and

sometimes it's okay
to even hope they'll turn the page...

To a Generation of "Beef-Seeking" Vegans

You are...

a plant-based
clean eating
vegan

generation

writing
posting
commenting

to use

that power
those words

to start wars
(and end them)

igniting
passion

stirring up
indignation

starting
beef

with hopes that your words will

confront
challenge
change

the world

sharing thoughts and opinions to...

invite conversation
entice minds
incite riots

biting down on injustice
to make someone

feel something
say something
do something

to stop

the carnage
the slayage
the feasting

upon innocent flesh
everywhere

And although it's ironic
(here's something to chew on)

every generation before you

was also forced

to fight
to bite

so you should never apologize for the fact

that you
have had
to become

a generation

of

flesh eating
beef-seeking

vegans