a tuesday full of hope...

i remember hearing a news announcer say "this is a tuesday full of hope" if i remember correctly it was for some prisoners that had been released in iran...don't remember the details...but i always have remembered that phrase...

whoever heard of tuesdays having hope? sundays...maybe...even mondays might have a little hope...weekends? sure...weekends almost always have hope...but nothing really hopeful ever happens on tuesdays...

unless...of course...you expect hope on tuesdays...

so i tried looking for hope on tuesdays...i would wake up on tuesday and say to myself..."today is a tuesday full of hope"...i would repeat the promise over and over as i dressed and left for the day's activities....i put a lot of feeling into the phrase...like i really expected "hope" to happen...i left the house believing there would be bright hope for all i did that day...

what actually started happening was that i created an environment that supported and encouraged hopeful situations...and...with hope...came joy...

i can't begin to tell you what those tuesdays were like...my tuesdays were something i looked forward to each week...i started scheduling my most difficult meetings and appointments on tuesdays because i knew the chances were good that things would go well...

then i started thinking...this is too good to only practice on tuesdays...now...i've made this a practice for every day of the week...

the world is filled with wonder and mystery...we are surrounded every day by so many beautiful surprises...but without hope...we tend to pass right by without even a glance...

on the other hand...we also encounter fear...anxiety...worry...and threats of personal defeat...but i found that all of these encounters pale in the face of hope...fear and hope cannot coexist...

share my tuesdays full of hope...walk in the new light of Godly expectation...

cherishing the moments...

had a lovely day yesterday celebrating with my mom...even though i think every day should be "mother's" day...they do so much for us...i also realize the older i get...that my days with my mom are numbered...and no...i am not trying to be morbid...or constantly think about death...but it is a reality...

i mean...who really knows...i could get hit by a bus tomorrow...and my mom out-lives me...what i'm trying to get at...is that we really are not promised tomorrow...and although i try and live my life in the present...and cherish every moment that i can...sometimes...well..life gets in the way...and we think...well...i can postpone the family dinner till next week...or next month...

personally...the older our parents get...i think the most important thing we can give them...is our time...when they've settled into routines...it is easy to feel forgotten when the world is flying by...and evryone has their plans...and there they sit with their regular routines...

it was nice to hear my mom laugh yesterday...and she got what she loves the most...the family around the dinner table...and although not everyone could be there...she was touched...she was happy...she felt loved...she felt appreeciated...

and that...is what was most important...

no love like a mother's love...

wishing all the mom's out there a wonderful mother's day weekend...
to my mom...
i thank the Lord each day for you...
i love you...

No Love like a Mother's Love

There is no love, like a mother's love,
no stronger bond on earth...
like the precious bond that comes from God,
to a mother, when she gives birth.

A mother's love is forever strong,
never changing for all time...
and when her children need her most,
a mother's love will shine.

God bless these special mothers,
God bless them every one...
for all the tears and heartache,
and for the special work they've done.

When her days on earth are over,
a mother's love lives on...
through many generations,
with God's blessings on each one.

Be thankful for our mothers,
for they love with a higher love...
from the power God has given,
and the strength from up above.

by Jill Lemming

words...

a few weeks ago...i was just mindlessly looking out the window of an airport watching a few seagulls dart about overhead while airline workers were busy loading bags...nothing about the scene outside the airport window spoke of danger...but then suddenly i remembered the flight from new york a while ago that was brought down by a few geese...that seagull that faded into the background just moments before became a point of extreme interest to me...what if?

it's amazing if you stop to think about it that a huge airplane could be brought down by just a few birds...

birds...who would have thought? it makes me think about other seemingly small things that can cause great destruction as well...

words vented in frustration can seem so small...

slightly disrespectful attitudes can seem so small...

complaining about lack of finances can seem so small...

but each one of these seemingly small things can so easily and tragically wedge itself into the core of a relationship...and more importantly...in between your relationship with the Lord...and send it screaming toward destruction...

i pray the Father help me to realize that with each word i speak...i am making the choice to bless or to curse...and that even when my emotions run high...i can still speak words that are pleasing to Him...

five things...

...i'm thankful for today...

the Father's amazing love for me...

my incredible family & friends...

health...

freedom...

and the amazing "summer" day in spring that we were gifted with today...

circumstances may or may not change...sometimes it is the circumstances of others that remind you of what you have...

this is your life...

precious moments...

you know those days where you are on the go...all day? and you know that when you get home...there is still a list of things that needs to be done...

but...i had given my word to my dear papacito to help him out with his new phone...and a trip to costco...no...not my ideal for a long day...

but...he's my dad...and although i knew that i could easily call him...and postpone it for a day...or two...or even a week...i knew that it was important to him...so...in my car i got...drove over...and set out to do what i said i would do...

after fooling with the phone...we headed to costco...chatting it up...laughing...telling stories...and then...finishing up at costco...we get back in my car...and we are about 2 exits from his house...and he...mr spontaneous...suggests we go to the fish market...for dinner...just us two... =)

now...i'm tired...we were right by the fish market...and now we were almost at his house...and i'm thinking of the long list of things i still need to do tonite...but..this is my dad...my papacito...it was a no brainer...i exited...drove to the fish market...had the most enjoyable dinner with my dad...just he & i...

those moments are precious...and you grab them every chance you get...