Beauty of Barrenness

This weekend was so eventful. Packed with so many great things. I went out with my sister for a Zumba charity fundraiser for a local children's organization. Got to see my nephews & hang out with my sisters. I had a long over due lunch date with a good friend. Dropped off starter kits at church  for the arrival of Refugees that will be arriving in our area. I had great conversations filled with laughter & tears over a delightful dinner with beautiful women. I pushed myself out of my comfort zone to be more intentional at church- catching up with fellow brothers & sisters in Christ.   There are no words to describe how full my heart is in this current moment. If only I could just make time stand still. I feel as if I'm at the best time in my life right now. Everything feels perfect. It's impossible for perfection though. I know, I know. My weekend was packed to the brim but I don't regret any of it. As I'm typing this, I'm literally struggling to s...

Roger & I have been married for 10 years now and one thing we've definitely learned is that we need friendship. 2015 was a hard year, I mean, when is life nor marriage not hard? You'll always face new challenges. I wish someone would've told us on our wedding day how important it is to stay friends in your marriage.  I honestly don't know when we lost that important factor of our marriage, but I guess once marriage happened, it was all about figuring out how to make it through life.We stopped asking questions. Stopped getting to know each other & we began to just conform to this normality of what we thought marriage was supposed to be. A Relational Retirement.  Last year, Roger & I literally felt like we came to a point where our marriage was going to end. Not because someone cheated or because we didn't get along. Most people I know would probably conclude & compromise at the fact that they "fell out of love" with each other. For us...

Sometimes, I fall into the trap of thinking that its okay to feel alone. Or maybe being alone is best. But over & over again, God reminds me of His heart for community. These past few days, my heart has been super heavy based on this topic. Is it selfish to desire a loving community? Is it wrong to surround yourself with positive influences? Do you ever feel like you're in an obligated relationship with your current community?  I love reading & learning more about how to become inspiring & influential. A lot of resources I've subscribed to or have skimmed through, talk a whole lot about filtering through the people you surround yourself with. Making healthy decisions for your relationships. I find this quite difficult actually. I don't want to hurt or offend anyone's feelings in the process of doing so. So, I guess I just never get around to it. I mean, there isn't really a handbook on how to surround yourself with positive & genuine loving pe...

January 1st. The first day of the year, Roger (my awesome husband) & I went out for coffee for the first time and made that our "2016 planning date". We've never really been that intentional about making plans together. We have casually pointed out a few resolutions we had & maybe even scribbled it onto a restaurant napkin or post-it note, but that's about it.  We've been married for 10 years going on 11 next month!!!!!  10  YEARS?!?!? Time surely does fly, but it's slow in the midst of it. 10 years is equivalent to a decade. I've dedicated & committed 10 years to him & him to me. The thing is though, that between all those years, we've never actually made it a priority for us to be intentional. With each other, with our family, or our friends. But, we've recently just really felt a movement of people moving in a more purposeful way of living. Enough with the impossible resolutions. Its more about making realistic goals. Settin...

4 years ago, I stopped making resolutions. Like many other bloggers, I learned that resolutions were just a plan for failure. I'd make vague goals that were a bit impossible & before even hitting the summer, I'd give up on them. Lose weight, be a better ministry leader, read the Bible, and so on & so forth. What I've recently learned is that change doesn't just happen overnight. It takes baby steps. Dreams don't come true if we don't turn them into goals. Goals aren't reached if we don't set deadlines.  2015 was a great year. A year of challenges, change, &  transformation. I love that with a new year, comes a fresh start for you to create who you want to become. A time to self evaluate and let go of bad habits & make room for improvement on a greater version of ourselves. I've thought it through, & I choose to make 2016 " JoyFull. " I want this year to be filled with joy.  2 " Consider it nothing but joy ...