Be a Match!

I started donating to the American Red Cross a few years ago.

(Then I had my house-mate Meadow pierce my ears which 

made me unable to donate blood until March, 2013.)

I was born a sickly babe,

and a blood transfusion was instrumental in saving my life.

Ian Brown's illness reminds me again, 

that our bodies can help save other peoples lives.

So would you consider joining me in becoming a bone marrow donor?

Who knows - you might be the match!

https://www.dkmsamericas.org/register

Heavy Heart & Sad Eyes

You know that moment when you get news...

Bad news...

And you know it's going to hurt.

And keep on hurting...

My dear friends Christy and Ian got that kind of news.

They found out that Ian has 

Leukemia.

Ugly word.

Painful word.

Bad word.

And when I went to pray for them I was 

reminded of something

Ian said to me. 

A few years ago Christy got cancer.

Afterward, Ian said it was one of the best things that happened to their family.

Because it focused his eyes on Jesus.

And it taught him what things were things of importance.

And knowing Ian I agree. He is a better man now.

And so when I prayed for him I asked that this story would reflect that story.

Would you join me in praying for this lovely family?

That this cancer would bring even more focus to their lives.

That more people would be touched by their stories.

That this would enlarge their ministry.

That his life would be spared.

That Christy would be strong and courageous.

That their daughters would be comforted by their heavenly father,

who never grows weary or weak.

That peace and joy would permeate their lives. 

Do Difficult Things!

A few years ago I read a book by one of my favorite authors called 

Don't Waste Your Life (John Piper). 

I was motivated by it 

- along with some other things at the time - 

to make a list of life goals. 

I love lists. I crave goals.

One of my goals was to pursue music.

To listen to good music.

To participate in good music.

To sing and play.

And in someways I have done that.

I play guitar. Fiddle. I sing. And that's all good.

After a break of pursuing music I've started up again.

And I'm surprised to find I retained so much.

(I took almost a year off!)

Today I took (for me at least) a PLUNGE.

And I played for my church.

I refused a mic.

But it felt good to conquer something 

that intimidated me before.

Keziah Pictures!

Pain

I've been thinking about adoption and pain. 

My good friend Anastasia is writing a blog post
per day about adoption for November. 

(Which is National Adoption Awareness Month). 

Here's a LINK to her blog. 

Anyway, adoption is something I care about. God uses the 

word adoption when he speaks about building His family. 

The thoughts swirl in my mind. Why do these little children have to suffer. 

The pain is intense - there is REAL, DEEP HURT.

Driving in the car this morning with Anastasia talking this over, 

my reaction was to nearly break down in tears.  

(Which was surprising to me - I don't think of myself as a crier.)

As we talked I realized that we all have hurts throughout our lives.

Whether it be something big or small -
having our pain acknowledged is important
and helpful
and healing.
And that's part of what life is about.
Learning how to hurt and heal.

Pictures!

Keziah the sleeping pro!

Jubilee is full of life!

Providence is just beautiful! A perfect blend of her
first father Joe and her gorgeous mother Lis!

Mom and Keziah

Ivanna loves her little girl!

A Day of Reflection

After the sermon at my church Hope last week I started thinking that I really needed a day to reflect on where I was - where I was going - and why it mattered.

I started at Cabrillo again 1 1/2 years ago. I had gone through another 

program and graduated  but for various reasons 

I wasn't able to continue in that field. 

It was a great experience - I loved everything I learned and I've put it to use. 

I knew when I started back at Cabrillo I'd be at the beginning again - and to be honest 

I had no clue what I was going to do when I was finished!

It was, perhaps, one of the first times in my life I really 

stepped out in faith and just went for it. 

And my life is better because of that choice.

Back to reflections though!

So today I had no work - homework is caught up - it was time to reflect. 

I thought deeply about where I am - and found a few areas I was really happy about. 

(Something I hadn't anticipated!)

I'm really happy about the place I worship.

I'm really happy about the school I attend.

I'm really happy about the place I work.

I'm really happy about the living space I have.

I'm really happy about the relationships I am in.

Interestingly, it was in these areas that I also saw the most need for growth.

I need to get more involved in community. 

It's a place I need to make time for investment.

I need to focus better and manage time well so I can be a better student. 

I want to be faithful in the small things and really take time to learn. 

At the same time, I want to engage more with people in (and out of) class.

I need to invest in learning how to do things more at work. 

I haven't memorized a few things that I really should know... 

I'm going to spend time learning that so I will be a better asset 

to the amazing team of people I work with!

I need to care of my space with more diligence. 

That way, I will be able to open it up to others. 

Plus, having a neat, clean space inside 

is important for my well-being! 

And spending time gardening, and beautifying outside makes my heart soar!

I need to manage my life better so I can be available to be in relationships. 

I need to let me hearts gazed be fixed on Jesus so I'm more willing to take risks - 

conscious of the solid rock on which I stand. 

I also need to understand more fully my limitations to I don't over-extend as much.

I also want to play more music.

I'm eager to see how my life grows throughout the next year.

Knowing what and why I'm doing things should help me stay the course.

Failing on Getting it DONE...

Sometimes it's easy to share only the good things going on in life. And it's easy for me to get caught up in that. (Like my pottery in the last post.)

Today I got that AWFUL email from American Express - the one that tells you: 

"You're late on payment." 

Now, I know that some people truly cannot pay their bill every now and then - which could make seeing this message all the more stressful.

But I can pay my bill. And I do (mostly) pay my bills on time.

 Because this is now the third time I've done this in a year I thought I should write about it.

Once I thought I was good with my money. 

I don't spend much of it.

I save a lot of it.

I feel like I'm pretty generous with it.

But then I met my newest brother-in-law Adam.

And I got close to someone who's good with money.

And I realized that I'm not.

I'm just not.

Sure, I've only been in debt ONCE. (Long story... maybe for another time...)

And that was short-lived.

And I've saved for school (for the most part.)

And I've saved for my car.

And my other important life goals.

But it's in some of these little things... like knowing when to pay my bills. 

And having a real budget that works and doesn't lie.

And remembering when I get paid. 

(Seriously I have forgotten to collect payment from families I tutor for... Once I even lost a check and didn't realize it until the person who paid me called to ask why I didn't cash the check!)

In those areas I just fall FLAT.

Last week at church my pastor Danny talked about loving God with our whole heart, soul and strength. He recommended we take some time to look at our lives and 

figure out what direction we needed to go 

- areas we needed to focus on - 

for the next year.

One of the areas I'm committed to growing in is financial responsibility. 

I want to be wise.

New Pottery!!

New Pottery!!

I adore pottery. There's just something about it that gets to me.

It's never perfect. Each piece is different. And I love it!

I got these at the Cabrillo Ceramics Student Sale today.

Can you guess how much I paid? 

(Hint: It was a good price!)