Category Archives: A Girl in the Middle

Winter Wonder [My Story]

I am a photographer.

I am a lover of scenery; God’s creation enthralls me and I find no shortage of places to find His glory in the world around me.

I love taking in the beauty of each day.

Rich hues fill the VA hills each autumn, summer sun peeks from behind mountains and highlights ocean waves, and spring blooms fill the grounds and trees with promises of new, but winter is the least of these.

 Snowbirds fly south by way of wings they were born with as well as cars that will take them there. It can get cold here. We might get some snow, and that’s beautiful, but a lot of winter is dark, bare and just drab.

Today, before the frigid below zero temps blow in, I decided to go out for a winter’s walk. I was in search for winter’s beauty that would satisfy my photographer’s eye.

Would you believe I found it? Yes, without leaving my own yard it was right there plain as day.

Enjoy ~ Winter Wonder!

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Insomniacs Know [My Story]

The Late Night Moon over Midlothian, VA.

Night Moon

 

1. If you’re an insomniac, you know that night time comes too late.

2. Dinner time would make a good bedtime. If only it didn’t get in the way of everyone’s life.

3. Insomnia makes you aware of your surroundings you may never realize otherwise, such as how many times a minute the smoke alarm in the bedroom blinks.

4. Everyone knows that staying awake while counting sheep is a shepherd’s job.

5. Insomniacs know: We’d make a really good shepherd.

6. We insomniacs are hard workers. We can climb mountains, cross oceans, dig trenches, plan parties, visit loved ones, figure out budgets, plan meals, lay out tomorrow’s outfit,            write letters, handle business, remember birthdays, choose a new paint color…all before we get out of bed in the morning and heading to work.

7.  Mornings are rough. Really rough.

8. If you’re an insomniac, by 2 pm you’re exhausted and counting the hours until bedtime.

9. Seasoned insomniacs hate bedtime.

10. A  nice back rub is insomnia’s counterpoison.

11. Coffee is our best friend.

12. Sadly, for an insomnia, our pillow is our worst enemy.

13. However, wakeful nights leave any insomniac with lot of opportunity for praying.

14. The late night moon is an amazing sight.

15. After a good night’s sleep,  every fellow insomniac is ecstatic and thankful for what is so often taken for granted-some rest on the weary body and mind.

Matthew 11:28-29 “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

 All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves.”

May you find sweet rest tonight, friends.

 

Charlie Brown Christmas [My Story]

Oops!  Just when I thought Christmas 2013 was a wrap, I see something that was left out.

There it stood in plain sight: my Charlie Brown Christmas Tree. How could it have been overlooked? That’s an ironic thought when you put it in the context of the story itself. The rest of the gang was thinking quite the contrary, how could it not be overlooked.

Yet, like Charlie Brown Christmas, we both had it in our possession.

 It’s a quiet reminder that though the day we choose to celebrate Christ’s birth has come and gone for another year, the reason it’s  a joyous occasion at all needs to visited-in our hearts and homes-every day.

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Although I have to put away Charlie Brown Christmas tree for now, I’ll continue to celebrate Jesus’ birthday.

 I’ll choose to remember that He came as that babe in Bethlehem with a purpose. He was born to die… and to live again.

Easter is just 106 days away!

Walk in Truth [My Story]

It was 1996.  Just yesterday in my cleaning and organizing spurt -that didn’t last nearly long enough-I found a dusty, red spiral notebook. None of those are unusual at my house: dust, notebooks, finding old things…  I digress.  After swiping away the dirt and wondering why I had written “Private Property” on the cover, I rolled back the cover and began reading as my own handwriting script filled page after page.

Mid-way through, I get to the part where, as a new mom, I was praying for my baby son.  I asked the Lord not for the  things my little boy would do in his life, but rather who’d he become.  I wanted him to learn to love the Lord. I prayed he would have a kind heart and seek after God’s heart. I could quote it all here, but my words are not the important part.  Come with me now,  18 years later to today.

My baby son will be 20 years old this year.  Like a lot of 19 year old young men, he spends part of his life every day with little buds in his ears and  fingers on a keyboard.  There he sat doing the same thing he does day in and day out. Just him and his savior. Today he got up from the table for some reason, and about that time I was scuttling through the kitchen.  His ‘stuff’ was sitting predictably in his ordinary place, so I am surprised I took a second look at all.

But I did.

Sure am glad the Lord prompted my heart to pause and reflect on what ordinary looks like, and where it comes from.

…and as I type the tears cloud my vision.

Now all I have to say is, Thank you, Father. I am forever grateful.

Bless this son of ours with your goodness and mercy. Continue to use his life and his gifts to bring honor and glory to your holy name.

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3 John 1:4 I have no greater joy than this: to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

Best Christmas Gift Ever [My Story]

Was Christmas really just 8 days ago? Really?

It was a simple but nice morning here at home, and everyone was happy giving and receiving special gifts from one another. To be sure, my 9 year old was happy with every gift he got-so happy that it was on to the next gift in record time. We could tell when one was more special than the next, because he’d go back to that opened gift and stay with it awhile more.  I loved watching that.  If you ask him what his best Christmas gift ever was, he’d  probably respond with whichever one he most recently played with- just like any other little boy who loves his toys would.

My oldest is 19 and it’s harder to buy gifts for young men who love baseball and, well, baseball when their equipment needs are well stocked.  However,  gift cards for his favorite restaurant and itunes cards speak pretty nicely to him. But, what fun are too many of those?  Then there’s cash.  Funny how starting your own job gives cash a fresh value-and it is always nice, right? But this is us. We often do things differently such as wrapping up an old baseball bat because we knew he’d be anticipating a new one. (I mean, a baseball bat in a box is pretty telling.) That was a fun year, and don’t worry, he did get his new bat!  This year we had a likely parents-only-funny moment as we were shopping in Target for an itunes card. We walked by the sweaters…and there it was staring right at us. A grey shawl collar knit sweater in size small. Yep. My 6’4″ 285 lb son was getting a sweater in small.  Not that size would matter too much because he hasn’t worn a sweater since he was 4 years old.  I wish you could have seen his face as he pulled that gem out of the box Christmas morning!  Funniest thing was watching him dig deeper into the then empty container. What did he think was in there?   That was a great way to give a gift card (if you ask us)!  Feel free to  use that idea  for yourselves next year when finding your own best Christmas gift ever. 😀

I do love giving my family gifts. I love watching their faces and their excitement. I love hearing their hearts come out in words as they thank us for something that is special to them. In that regard, I take my time when it comes to opening my own gifts. This year, the joy was in my sons’ faces as they eagerly awaited my response to the gifts they had lovingly chosen and wrapped for me.  Do I love Hobby Lobby? YES! Can it-or anything else-compare to the message on this envelope?  NEVER.  I love my boys and the best Christmas gift I’ve ever gotten, “To the best mom on earth,” and it was for ME!

Proverbs 31:28 Her sons rise up and call her blessed.

Somethings simply can not be underestimated.

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