sEAson of LifE

This morning I started to think of how yet again I have been down deep in the trenches of another season of life where God has been working tirelessly with blessings, challenges, gifts, & growing I never saw
coming...yet all of these gifts have also forced me to see the cracks and streaks in the mirror representing areas I am weak in FaItH & hOpE. It was then that I realized I am not actually in another "season" of LiFe...there is just ONE season of life when we are walking thru this life with God. I am slow to learn and open up my mind and heart to the FuLL capacity of what God has promised. I wish I wasn't so slowww...and dare I admit, so stubborn to letting my heart lead my mind into the beautiful way God has prepared. However, I am. No matter how much I learn, I seem to still face a cold snap and my heart and head close up shop for a little bit and work in the worldly realm instead of soaking up the retirement the HeavenLy realm PROMISES. The only positive aspect to my slow learning and stubborn self is the unabashed awe and wonder that smacks me in the face like it was the first time I am hearing and seeing all around me. I never tire of being utterly amazed by this journey God hand gifts each of us. I do tire that I continue to doubt his promises and doubt the beauty my life posesses as his Child. Then again, we already know that we are human, we are flawed, and we will FaIL.....on our own. Rooted in the truth...maintaining the work to remain rooted...is how we will succeed with beauty and fLAIr to SpaRe~.

Every day of this Season o' LiFe is a ride that we will never be prepared for as much as we all want to be. Every day we will face adventures we didn't know existed, presented with Feats we could never possibly train. The only preparation we have for LIFE success is to perfect our ability of begging....perfect our humble weak stance of bowing down on our knees and pleading for grace, strength, wisdom, & love. This season we are in is made up of every day of our life. We will never be able to know if we will
be any good at what we are about to embark on...chances are we will be highly uncoordinated & awkward at every step of this thing called LiFe......but that is precisley why we are given the map and guided to walk in the steps of the path He's cleared for our clumsy feet

LiFe LeSSons fRoM a coWBoy to HiS dauGHter

Life Lessons from a Cowboy to his Daughter

My dad is a cowboy
His rules are my roots.
He taught me his ways-
 I followed his boots.

To a gun-fight don’t bring
A knife, he once said.
Always follow your heart
But don’t lose your head.

I knew I could jump
Whenever I felt froggy
But I was never to let
My pack become soggy.

He saw through my games-
Even at my worst.
Because my rodeo
Was never his first.

Finally-I should rein
With a strong, sure hand
Because as long as I live
I’ll ride for his brand.

by Amanda Stavropoulos

Poem of the Week for 10/19 

Cowboys and Indian Magazine

sEcrEts, TwInKLes, & JoY

"The gentleman had a twinkle in his eye, a spark, as if he had discovered the secret to life and it brought him much joy."

I am not a journaler. Okay so big deal right? Well, I always think of people who journal as the ones who never have to rummage thru their purse (or truck console for you guys) when they need a pen, or heck just to find the ol drivers license;) Along with fervent organizational skills, I think of those who journal as those folks who no one can say a bad word about. They talk softly, walk softly, laugh demurely, and never speak out of turn. Yep, a journaler is everything everyone hopes & prays I might become!! :P I too used to hope to became a journaler, as I was reminded when I came across my ill-fated quest for journal success. The funny thing about irony is that as my 26th year came & went, the chaos I seem to embody did not. And so the journal got buried in a box if chaos. As my 27th year fell upon me, my aspirations embodied something more akin to a 'weekend journaler'. See, the weekend journaler is accustomed to daily chaos but looks forward to basking in the relaxation of a good ol fashioned structured, white picket fence weekend...every now & then;)

I recently found myself {once again} feverishly packing for an unplanned move. While this move is not intended to find me living beyond my county borders, it was nonetheless, highly unplanned & a result of less than ideal circumstances. Since no day in the life of this gal would be complete without a side sprig of gypsyness, these thoughts have been plucked straight from the shady nook of an all too familiar a storage unit. As I rummage thru totes, boxes, & bags I find myself blessed beyond recognition as someone above offers my rest for my weary soul in the form of a shady storage unit & a long unopened journal.

On this very day I wonder how many of us find ourselves hiding from our past, cursing our present, and backing away from our future. It's on days like today that someone is trying to come in close to stop the second hand and show you this very moment in time.Where finding that unfinished journal bears no resemblance to shame or failure but instead gratitude for the words recorded & the hope they replenish. What we have is what we have....not have not. A sparse journal, a sparse bank account or a sparse society...may we see what ee have in each rather than what we have not. May our eyes be open today to seeing that we have before us everything we need to carry this day onto completion.

"Invitations to Jesus come to us in many ways sometimes thru circumstance, an opportunity that opens before us. Sometimes thru other people who see something that we may not yet see, they invite us to step forth in some way. ...We don't get to wait to offer our lives until we have our acts together. We do not get that luxury. If we did, would anyone EVER feel like offering anything"

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