The Cost of Freedom

To each and every American veteran this Memorial Day,

Thank You.

GRACE

Grace.

What a mind-boggling concept (for me). Do I fully understand it? Does anyone? Do you? I am not going to drone on and on about what grace means to me (shocking, I know...)

BUT, I would LOVE it, if those of you reading this would post a comment about what grace is/means to you. I know it can be difficult to boil it down to something you can post as a blog "comment". I understand this. But would you each please give it a try? I'd absolutely LOVE to read what it means to you and what it "looks" like in our lives, in your opinion.

The Good, The Bad, The Blessings...

Life is funny. It can be such a wobbly balancing act. At least it always seems that way in my life. It seems that it's never ALL good or ALL bad. There's always a sprinkling of each going on at the same time. I have many things in my life right now that are just plain AWESOME! In contrast, I also have some things that I am struggling with too. But that's life, right? A balancing act between struggle and triumph. Does anyone these days not have A LOT going on? Family, friends, children, finances, homes, jobs, cars, health...etc. Does anyone ever triumph over everything in life? Nope... none of us humans do. And that's OK. In fact, I think it's good. Because it is in the times of struggle that we give God the opportunity to teach us, mold us, change us, and hold us up. It's a completely different need we have for Him than in our times of triumph. Then, He gets to cheer for us, smile for us, celebrate with us, and beam with pride for us. But in each He can bless us, both in our successes and in our struggles. He's always there to give us what we need from Him at just the time we need it, and it can always be a blessing if we are open to it. Whether our circumstances are good or bad, HE IS THERE, and He can and will bless us IF we let Him. I am so thankful for the successes He has blessed me with and I am also thankful for the struggles He's allowed in my life. I am learning, growing, changing, and am abundantly blessed by all of it. Thank you my God, for your wisdom, love, and grace in my life.

Mother's Day Prayer of Thanks

Thank you God for making me a mom. I wasn't expecting it. I wasn't prepared for it. I was scared to death. But You knew best. And You always do. You changed my life. She changed my life. I had no idea how deeply my life could be touched by another human being. Through her, You've given me a clearer and more beautiful portrait of Yourself. It amazes me to think that You look on me the way I look at her. The depth of love You have for me must be so much more than I have for her, and yet I simply cannot conceive of such a depth. I love her so very much. She has brought so many many wonderful things into my life. The greatest one being my new/revised understanding of You...my Father. Thank You for my angel, she is the sunshine in my life. Thank You for knowing best, always. What I was initially terrified of has been one of the biggest blessings of my lifetime! Ahhh, the wisdom and blessings of a loving and gracious Father! Thank You for giving me the gift of Your love, forgiveness, grace, and Gracyn.

Eeeek, I've Been Tagged!

Ok, Delia tagged me. Oh my...

First, the rules:

1. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.

2. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.

3. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.

4. Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them they're tagged, and asking them to read your blog.

Ok here we go...eight random things about ME.

1. I am secretly (or not so secretly now) a huge fan of Jack-in-the-Box tacos. Yes, those extremely fattening, greasy, 2 for a $1 tacos. I love them. I know, they are down-right offensive to and opposite of all things healthy, but I really think they've injected them with some sort of highly addictive chemical. I am hooked and have been since I was very young. Thanks a lot mom!

2. I love to do yard work. I love spring, planting flowers, trimming shrubs, pruning trees, getting my hands dirty. Now, I don't mow...I guess I could if I had to, I've just never had to. But the rest of it...AHHHH, I LOVE IT!!!

3. I used to take gymnastics as a small girl under the coaching of Bela Karolyi. Yes, the wildly famous gymnastics coach. At the time I didn't know he was a big deal, in fact he has us call him "carol", since it was easier for us American little girls to say. I quit, not because I didn't love gymnastics...I DO, but because he couldn't pronounce my name correctly and it made me mad. (Oh, the ignorance of our youth...I could kick myself NOW.)

4. I am an animal freak! I love animals. So does my daughter. We have a cat named Bailey and a dog named Bonehead. We love them both! I've had more animals in my life than I can count. I don't see that ever changing!

5. My favorite place on earth (that I have actually been to) is Playa del Carmen, Mexico. People seem to be either mountain people or beach people. While I love both...if I had to pick, I am definitely a beach girl. I love all things tropical. Palm trees, white sand, clear water, colorful fish, etc...

6. I love my family. My daughter is the LIGHT of my life. She makes my world a joyful, fun, playful, precious place to be. My mom is tender-hearted and kind. If you're hurting, she is hurting too. My sister is one of my very best friends. She is almost the exact opposite of me, as far as personalities, but we "get" each other. She's always there if I need a friend. My dad is my rock. My best friend. My measure of a good, Godly, Christian man. I'd be lost without him.

7. My mom and dad named me Carlotta because my dad worked at the bank with this lady named Carlotta.My parents both just really liked her name a lot and thought it was very unique. I never met this woman until I was in my mid-twenties because she ended up being my aerobics instructor at my gym. Weird!

8. I am THE MOST BLESSED woman I know. My life is not perfect, I don't have a lot of things. But when it comes to the things that matter, truly matter, I have them all, IN SPADES. God has blessed me in so many many ways, and I am humbled and eternally thankful for all that He is and all that He has done in my life and in the lives of those around me. I am a friend of God. What an amazing thing!

Ok, I am tagging:

Amy C.

Kimberly

Erin

CeCe

Anyone else who wants to play...I don't know eight people who will play along...you know who you are...party poopers!

ME!

I have been reading a book today. It is by T.D. Jakes. I am really enjoying it.

He has "reminded" me of a few things that I already knew, but lose sight of from time to time.

One of those things is the fact that I am exactly who God created me to be--right down the the tiniest detail of my body, the tiniest details of my psyche, the tiniest details of my heart, mind, soul, etc... I am one of a kind. An original. The only being ever created to these exact specifications. God planned my very existence. He knew when the exact perfect time for me to exist would be, where my life should be lived, to what family I should be born, to what conditions, what skills, strengths, weaknesses...EVERYTHING. I am ME. Here at this time, in this place, in these circumstances, with this family, these friends, this church, this appearance, this mind, soul, and heart for a very specific reason within a very specific plan. HIS PLAN.

Another thing T.D. reminded me is that because I am designed, to the tiniest detail by the God of the universe and that I should not ever change the things that make me...ME! No one can be me like I can. I am the expert. I am hardwired to be Carlotta. If I were to try to be someone else, to look like someone else, to think like someone else, to behave like someone else....I would be insulting my God. He made me the way I am for a reason, with a plan! He gave me my intricacies for a reason...ALL OF THEM. He made me LOVE animals. He made me tender-hearted. He made me silly. He made me competitive. He made me short. He made me even-tempered. He made me sensitive. He made me caring. He made me compassionate. He made me easy-going and flexible. He made me fair-skinned. He made me a daddy's girl. He made me a mom. He made my sense of humor. He made me SO many different things. To change them to be like someone else, or to be liked by someone else would be a travesty. I will not change ME, the ME God created me to be for anyone! I will not.

I have many times forgotten these things at different times in my life. I am ME, designed and purposed by GOD Himself...that alone makes me wonderful, special, unique, and GOOD. I am the WAY He made me too, and those things are wonderful, special, unique, and GOOD. I will not change ME for anyone. God wanted me this way for HIS reasons. And..."poo" on anyone else who doesn't like it!

All of these things are true for each and every person who has walked, is walking, or will walk on this earth. Be YOU. Be proud. Don't ever compare yourself to other people. Don't ever try to change to be like other people. Don't not ever change yourself to attract other people. Be YOU. And God will work His plan in your life. His wonderful, beautiful, and perfect plan for your life. Don't mess with His perfection! Be YOU, God's YOU. I am ME...the best and only ME there will ever be! And I love it...and embrace it. I can and will improve ME to be a better ME in light of God's Word, but I will not change my Carlotta-ish details that God blessed me with--on purpose--for anyone or any reason. I know they exist for a higher-purpose! Yours do too.

Delight

"The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing." Zephaniah 3:17

"The world is so full of care and sorrow that it is a gracious debt we owe to one another to discover the bright crystals of delight hidden in somber circumstances and irksome tasks." Helen Keller

"I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness." Isaiah 61:10

"Love is but the discovery of ourselves in others, and the delight in the recognition." Alexander Smith

"To overcome difficulties is to experience the full delight of existence." Arthur Schopenhauer

"Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires." Psalm 37:4