I had the honor of sharing at The Bridge Church's womens retreat last weekend.  What I know for sure is that I absolutely love investing in the lives of women who are coming behind me in wifehood and motherhood and ... life hood.  It just makes sense to me to take the life lessons I have learned in over 5 decades of living on this here planet, and pass on anything of value I have gained.  

One of the topics I addressed is fully embracing who God made you to uniquely be.  It has taken memany years to accept who I am and who I am not.  So often I would look at other women I respect and admire and wish I could be more like them. Wished I was more contemplative or deep or studious.  I have friends who go on spiritual retreats alone and are quiet for days at a time.  One of my worst fears in life is to go on a silent retreat.  If there are no people and no talking allowed, count me out.  That is just not who I am, but for years I thought I needed to morph into that type of women.  Now that does not mean I cannot appreciate those who are like that.  In fact, I really admire them.  That is just not how I am wired. 

I have found that I get quiet by moving,  Don't know if that makes any sense at all, but when I am riding my bike, walking on the beach and even driving in the car, I can connect with The Lord and hear better than when I am completely still.  I do get still at times and value that time too. 

I now have accepted that I love people, need people and enjoying doing most things with someone else much more than alone.  I really like to cook but I LOVE to cook with someone.  I like to shop, but I LOVE to shop with a friend.  I like to bike, but I LOVE to bike with a friend. 

It has been so freeing to embrace how I am wired and not try to change who I am.  Don't get me wrong.  I always want to grow and be challenged to develop as a woman.  I just want to do it as I embrace who I uniquely am.  So, that's it.  I will just be the best version of me and no one else.  What a relief. 

Making crepes with my neice Sydney at the beach

Emily's blog post

I want to share my daughter Emily's blog post from this week.  It really inspired me.

A litte perspective Posted: 16 Sep 2012 09:28 PM PDT   Do you ever just have an off day? I am happy to report that I have less "funk" days the older I get and the more I mature- but yesterday was one of those days. My baby was fussy and teething, my husband was home for only a day before leaving for a work trip, and I felt tired. Urg, can anyone say #funkcity??? Crap, I could feel myself getting sad mid-day, bracing for my husband leaving and missing him even though he was with me. Then I was irritated with myself for being sad on the one day he was in town... dysfunctional cycle... actually, let's hashtag that sucker #dysfunctionalcycle...   I cried in the car after we had to leave Starbucks early because Theo was fussing... I cried, ok,- you caught me, I sobbed. I told him we should maybe only have two kids so that I could have enough quality time in the future- DARN having "quality time" as my #1 love language- there are just no short cuts to filling my love tank!!! If I wasn't sure I couldn't be pregnant I probably would have thought I was! Nope, just living life imperfectly.....   Paul (who is a pro by now at handling emotions) just spoke life over me- told me that this day doesn't define me, that I am a powerful person who can handle life, etc. That popped me out of my funk about being apart the coming week and I was able to enjoy the rest of the night with him.   So today, guess what happens?!! I meet a wonderful, sweet woman from Kenya at a birthday party. She and I start talking and lo and behold, she has been living away from her husband for SEVEN year... yes, SEVEN years. She is here going to nursing school, working, and sending home money to Kenya. By herself. She has 2 kids- also still in Africa. She came to Omaha not knowing anyone or anything about American culture... She looked at me with tears in her eyes saying that she missed her husband, but she was strong and had deepened her relationship with the Lord. "He's all I've had. I thought I knew God before this experience, but no, now I know God. This time has brought me so close to Him." I stood there literally having an encounter with gratitude just talking to her. I asked her if I could hug her and said that I was pretty sure God had sent her to tell me her story at the perfect time.     Nothing like a little perspective. So tonight I came home, I tucked my baby into bed. I called my husband and told him how thankful I am for our life together. Now I am laying in bed, praying for my new friend and grateful for the opportunity to live my life with more joy.

This week Ty and I rode our bikes around lake zorinski.  I love riding bikes a lot.  Ty rides bikes because I love to.  He even bought a bike last year so he could ride with me because he knows how life giving it is for me.  If it were not for me, he would not own a bike.  It is not life giving to him. 

That is what love looks like; doing things that someone you love, loves to do.  We have been intensional about being interested in what each other care about.  Ty loves football.  In the fall he begins to get as excited as a kid at Christmas.  Knowing that the football season is about to launch just makes him plain giddy.  HE LOVES FOOTBALL.  So, sometimes, not always, I sit and watch football with him.  Often I would rather be cooking or riding my bike or shopping, and I do make time to do those things.  This past week I spent a couple of hours ironing and watching a game with him.  Sometimes I will be on my laptop getting caught up on my emails, while he is watching a game. I used to get annoyed that he watched football so much but not so much anymore.  I know it really fills his tank and he can completely get lost in a good game.  I know he needs that escape when life gets stressful.  I am glad he has something that he enjoys so much.  Sometimes when he is chillin on the couch watching a game I will say to him, "Honey, you deserve to relax, I am so glad you are."  It always makes him smile when I say that and I think he even relaxes a little bit more.  And I know... soon we will be going for a bike ride together:)

My man on his bike

Lake Zorinski

the view from our ride

R E S P E C T , that was my topic last Sunday when I had the privilege of teaching at Covenant Presbyterian.  Respect is a man's greatest need, and men need it most from their wives.  I asked the women if they had a vision for their marriages.  I asked if their husbands would say that their wives showed them honor and respect publically and privately.  I shared a quote from John Maxwell that goes something like this:

"Make the big decisions first and then the rest of life is managing those decisions."  I decided early in our marriage that I wanted to be the greatest blessing in Ty's life.  I wanted to be a part of seeing him become an amazing man of God.  I will share next blog entry some of the ways I manage the decision to love and respect my husband.


Theo looks like he is about to make a big decision.  I hope it is that he NEVER WANTS TO MOVE OUT OF NONNIE'S HOUSE!!!!

Today I want to share with you one of my all time favorite children's books; "Sombody Loves You, Mr. Hatch".  Now I must emphasize that it is "one" of my favorites. 

I absolutely love childrens books and I loved reading to our children.  I have so many memories of reading to our children on a daily basis.  Bedtime always included a story or two... or three if they got their way. 

For Christmas each year, each of our children recieved a new picture book to add to their collection.  We have them all saved in a special box and they will each have them to read to their children.

Mr. Hatch is a wonderful story about the power of love.  I especially loved the books that provided a life lesson.