for my tay …

Sweet child of mine …

You are walking a long and hurtful path. You know loss. You know grief. You know loneliness.

Your courage and heart continue to amaze me. I stand in awe of you … at times taking for granted the darkness you have seen … but so in awe of the Light you are shining into those dark places {read John 1:1-9 … go ahead, read it!}.

Tay … precious Tay … you. are. beautiful.

You were made for so much more than this.  You are. so much more than this.

If all else in this world fades and let’s you down … always remember … you are treasured … you are sacred … because you are His.

You are beautiful.

And I love you … always and forever … no. matter. what!


Beautiful
:: MercyMe ::

The days will come when you don’t have the strength
When all you hear is you’re not worth anything
Wondering if you ever could be loved
And if they truly saw your heart they’d see too much

:: chorus ::
You’re beautiful
You’re beautiful
You are made so much more than all of this
You’re beautiful
You’re beautiful
You are treasured, You are sacred, You are His
You’re beautiful

I’m praying that you have the heart to find
Cause you are more than what is hurting you tonight
For all the lies you’ve held inside so long
They are nothing in the shadow of the cross

:: chorus ::

Before you ever took a breath
Long before the world began
Of all the wonders He possessed
There was one more precious
Of all the earth and skies above
You’re the one He madly loves
Enough to die

You’re beautiful
You’re beautiful
In His eyes

:: chorus ::

You’re beautiful
You are treasured, You are sacred, You are His …

Posted in family thoughts, music, taylor | 4 Comments

i a-s’more you!

Get it? Or do I have to explain it to you too? Maybe it’s just that my cleverness is lost on the kiddlets?

I’ll explain anyway … :)

I a-s’more you … instead of I adore you. Get it now? And the treat bag is filled with s’more goodies! Clever, huh?

I enlisted the help of uber-designer extraordinaire, Nellie, per usual she didn’t disappoint! Lucky readers, guess what she’s offering up on her blog today? Free vday downloads!

nellie’s blog
nellie’s etsy shop
link to custom listing
link to free vday download

Pin It

Posted in craft, creative, etsy, free download, holiday | 8 Comments

won’t you join me … (in) RL?


Wondering what (in) RL means? Easy … in. real. life!

Here’s the scoop … (in) courage is throwing the biggest party ever … all over the world! And you’re invited to attend … right in my home! The basic idea is to have a community conference right where you live, no travel involved. Well … unless you’re one of my Wisconsin peeps and wanna come down with the ol’ Bible study gang!! Just sayin’ …

Okay, off track there … got a little excited!

Anyway, I don’t have all the exact details yet, but if you’re a reader of my blog and live close by, I’d love if you stepped out in faith with me and sign up to attend! If you have any questions, just shoot me a note!

I have some links at the bottom of the page that will give you more information, as well as a link to sign up for my particular meetup. And please … take a few minutes to watch the videos put together for this special event! I think the first one will bless you regardless if you sign up to attend or not.


(in) RL website
q&a for conference
registration {register first}
sign up for my gathering {then sign up}

Posted in (in) courage, movie | 3 Comments

and then i remember …

Crazy. Literally. My life is literally crazy.

~ a five year old’s ruptured ear drum
~ cat pee in curtains
~ using face toner to remove eye makeup
~ using hair gel as face moisturizer
~ rotting roof that needs repair {in numerous places}
~ mold in the hvac system
~ having the house hepa-vacc’ed
~ unexpectedly making dinner for 15 that are homeless
~ an eight year old with a hurting heart
~ never. enough. sleep
~ living and sleeping with industrial machines and fans so loud we can’t hear each other talk
~ mental stresses too detailed to mention
~ dogs eating cat poop and dragging it through the house
~ said dog’s lunch doesn’t sit well and I’m cleaning her mess off the carpet
~ nine year old in tears thinking “Bob” {the water dragon} died.  thankful for false alarm
~ ten workers in the house sterilizing it and the air
~ consoling a teen in tears, in the middle of the kitchen with crazy literally swirling around us

And then I remember . . .

1.  A place to find joy amidst my sorrow.
6.  A husband who asks for prayer.
12.  Happy texts from daughters thankful for homemade french onion soup.
20.  Sweet notes written to the tooth fairy.
25.  Peace for today.
32.  Courage to stand up for, and share our trials.
33.  Walking in on daughters saying prayers aloud.
45.  Blessing others and filling them with wakeful joy.
53.  Taking time to slow down and listen to a hurting child.
54.  Charlie Brown band-aids stuck to my sheets.
62.  Signs revealed when we need to touch His hem.
70.  Trusting my {writing} voice.

Are you making Joy a habit?

Posted in 1000 gifts, family thoughts | 11 Comments

intentions and joy

You can find me over here today talking about intentions and joy … hope to see you there!

Posted in guest post, modsquad, parenting | Leave a comment