PAIRINGS - Dreaming Dreams

I'm a big dreamer... a day dreamer AND a night dreamer :) Some of my dreams are hilarious. Others are other-worldly. Some are sad or scary. A few felt more like a glimpse into the future. I love DREAMS & DREAMING. One of my favorite things is waking up with the memory of a dream lingering.

"There is nothing like a dream to create the future." ~ Victor Hugo

When I looked in the Bible, this scripture about dreaming stood out to me:

“Then, after doing all those things, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions. In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on servants—men and women alike.

Joel 2:28-29

Keep dreaming friends!

WALK #write31days

 Well... this was a SHORT experience. My 93-year old mother has dementia. She's recently fallen & broken a few teeth. She is also recovering from some minor surgery due to skin cancer.  It looks like my "blogging" will be on hold for awhile.  Maybe a few minutes of a sleepless night will give me another opportunity to post. Until then... here's a pathetic post I jotted in 5-10 minutes :D

10-01-22 #write31days  WALK - 5 minute challenge

 Today's word is "walk" and  my 5 minute thoughts are below...

As I write this I'm soaking my feet in Doctor Teal's Lavendar scented Epsom salts. Yes... both of my feet! Last week, I was preparing to leave the house for a great 4-day weekend with the LOML (the Love of My Life - aka my husband) to spend time with family in South Carolina. I was rushing around and sideswiped a door frame with my left baby toe. It hurt but, not like I had broken anything. It was definitely sore though. I was a bit bummed that I would have to limp around at a golf tournament we were to attend instead of WALK unencumbered. 

Well, wouldn't you know it... the morning the 4 of us arrived at the golf tournament another "accident" happened. We were going to be on our feet for approximately 8 hours that day. And... I misjudged a step and walked straight out into the air - severely twisting my right ankle. It hurt like everything and I wondered, "Will I even be able to WALK today!?!" My left baby toe was sore & now my right ankle felt like it was on fire. Yet, I WALKed all over that course for almost 8 straight hours!

The remainder of our 4-day weekend was spent with my foot propped up and cold compresses relieving the swelling. I was prayed for in church on that Sunday morning while in South Carolina. I almost felt like the prayer had already been answered -- the day before when I was able to WALK with my twisted ankle. Both injuries left me with very colorful feet due to bruising. But, both injuries have gotten better so much faster than I expected. 

We often take things as simple as WALKing for granted. But, what a blessing that simple thing is. Always give thanks for the simple things. Gratitude in the simple things goes a long way.

(Day 1 done... the next ones will be better, I promise.)

Worrying, Waiting, Watching... Believing!

Began this post on 9-6-12...

I'm trying not to worry about tomorrow. I'm doing all I can do -- as far as planning. But, there are so many possible scenarios of what could happen. How do I possibly plan for each outcome?

And, worry is something I saw too much of as a child. I don't want to analyze every possibility and then stress over what the best options. I want to constantly focus on the "what is" rather than the "what if".

I believe God can bring GOOD from any situation. I continue to pray for that. I truly believe God will bring good from this situation. But, as we all know, God's timing often isn't our timing.

How long do we have to wait to see the good. I believe I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. I wonder, does "land of the living" mean a.) our mortal lives here on earth? or b.) our eternal lives with Christ in heaven? Regardless... I believe I will see the goodness of the LORD. 

How about you? I'm walking a tight rope these days. I have to keep my arms wide open just to keep my balance. I can't glance down but, must look straight ahead. The end is in sight -- but, oh so far away! But, with arms wide open & eyes focused ahead and above, we can all be perfectly situated for greatness in our lives! It's a promise given from our Heavenly Father!

And... talk about sleeping when you're walking a tight rope... that's not easy. The trust in someONE & something supernatural will keep you from plunging to the rocks below. You can be quieted by God's love!

Regardless of what we face daily... there is help & hope. Hang in there friends! All will be well!

Remaining Open to New Possibilities

From one of my favorite authors...

"YOU WAKE UPON a winter morning and pull up the shade, and what lay there the evening before is no longer there—the sodden gray yard, the dog droppings, the tire tracks in the frozen mud, the broken lawn chair you forgot to take in last fall. All this has disappeared overnight, and what you look out on is not the snow of Narnia but the snow of home, which is no less shimmering and white as it falls. The earth is covered with it, and it is falling still in silence so deep that you can hear its silence. It is snow to be shoveled, to make driving even worse than usual, snow to be joked about and cursed at, but unless the child in you is entirely dead, it is snow, too, that can make the heart beat faster when it catches you by surprise that way, before your defenses are up. It is snow that can awaken memories of things more wonderful than anything you ever knew or dreamed."  

-Sudden Snow, originally published in Telling the Truth by Frederick Buechner

I absolutely LOVE that post by Frederick Buechner! I had one of those mornings... 

I woke up worn out from the activities of the previous 3 weeks - helping our 92 year old parent transition from a home of 25+ years to a new apartment in a retirement community. We've all been trying to figure out and gently navigate the world of short term memory loss & dementia. That made this "time of changes" more challenging than we anticipated. Going through a home full of possessions from years & years filled me with joy one minute and left me emotionally drained another. BUT, when I awoke and looked out the window that one morning... the new fallen snow brought a special peace - the kind of peace that passes understanding.

Sometimes we just need something to distract us from the reality of this broken world. Sometimes we need to be reminded that each day holds a new opportunity... a chance to restart... a reminder of the faithfulness of God.

Whether it's an unexpected new-fallen snow in the winter or the sound of birds heralding the rising sun in the spring, our hearts and eyes should remain open to new possibilities.

We Remember You...

"In Memory of those gone from our lives too soon... We remember you in the morning, in the night, when we look at the stars, hear a song, revisit a place, and catch a familiar smell. You are always with us in our hearts." ~ Unknown #quotes #stuckinindiana

Do you miss someone and grieve for them? Grief and loss come in many forms. We miss those who have passed on. We miss those who once were cherished friends or family member but are no longer a part of our lives. Although not experienced in our family... I can imagine "missing & grieving" a child who passed prior to or at birth. 

Love comes with some sort of expectation of what the future will bring. The absence of a loved one can be strongly felt at the most expected times -- clearly out of the blue. Love doesn't necessarily stop when a person is no longer a part of our day to day lives. One of the most wonderful things about love is that it lives on and survives and even thrives when the loss happens.

Hold tightly to those feelings of love. They will bring comfort in the most uncomfortable times. They will be an inspiration that love is worth the cost of losing it.

TODAY... Chant the Beauty of the Good

Today... I'm going to try very hard to CHANT THE BEAUTY OF THE GOOD.

Real life isn't a picnic. Neither is real love or... real "almost anything" 

But, today I am encouraging YOU (and me) to shout out about the BEAUTIFUL GOOD to be found around us. In the words of Emerson:

"Don't waste yourself in rejection, nor bark against the bad, but chant the beauty of the good." ~ Ralph W. Emerson #quotes

#stuckinindiana #MorningThoughts #AtTheENDoftheDAY 

YET AGAIN... Waiting on the Porch

Last year... was especially a hard one for me. As a matter of fact the first half of this year hasn't been a lot better. 

We've experience loss, illness, death, injuries, sadness and a lot of trials! I'm reminded that my story isn't that unique when compared to the stories of others. LIFE is hard for all of us. 

The price of deep love might feel as though it will kill you. But, those feelings are usually just the "painful middle" in what will turn out to be a beautiful story.

I'm a daughter, a spouse, a parent and a grandparent. My parent is aging and experiencing challenges that often seem surmountable. My grandchild has faced and will face many situations we had hoped would never happen. And... my children aren't really "children" anymore. 

SIDE THOUGHT: Did anyone else out there think that when your child turned 21 that the biggest part of your "parent job" would be over? 

Well, I guess it is... the "parent job" is pretty much over by then. But, the love for each child never diminishes. The hopes & dreams you had in your heart as you held your infant have grown & flourished. You still hurt when your children hurt. And, their pain is no longer a skinned knee or bruised elbow from falling while playing. Their pain can be from loss of a job or a failed relationship or an unmet goal or a dreaded medical diagnosis or...

The list of things which we cannot protect our loved ones from goes on & on & on. How do we cope with that? What about the times when we can't really share what our family is going through out of respect for our loved ones? What do we do when our involvement is no longer desired from those we love? Life is full of times when we find ourselves "waiting on the porch" again to see an answer to unanswered prayers?

Once again I find myself...

At a Loss for Words...

I'm finding myself at a loss for words... and the funny thing is... it's okay...

Finding myself in the midst of Him, beyond the music - beyond the noise

Word of God speak; pour down like rain; washing my eyes to see Your majesty

Be still and know that You're in this place...

Please let me stay at rest in Your holiness...

All that I need is to be with You and in the quiet to hear Your voice...

Word of God speak; pour down like rain; washing my eyes to see Your majesty

Be still and know that You're in this place...

Please let me stay at rest in Your holiness...

I'm finding myself at a loss for words... and the funny thing is... it's okay!

question ... Five Minute Friday 6-21-19

Five Minute Friday, 21 June 2019
The word: question      

For the past 18 months, I've been battling a huge question... "Where were you in all of this God... when things started to unravel."

For the first time that I can remember in my adult life, I've been thrown by a situation which occurred that was in direct violation with what I felt was the Lord's will. I did everything humanly & spiritually possible to make sure that I felt the Lord's hand upon this situation since mid 2012. And... I had a total peace about what was happening & what I felt was God's will to happen. 

But then... in late 2017, it began to unravel. The process was pretty fast... but, felt like it stopped time. During that time, I continued to pray for the will of the Lord - feeling & believing that I knew what that was. But, when all was said & done... things didn't work out as I had hoped, prayed, desired...

"Where were you in all of this God..."

Though my world was shaken... and continues to feel unsteady, I am not giving up on the faithfulness of the Lord. I am trusting that He sees down the road and that He is at work in all of this.

BONUS: A great video from Mercy Me and exactly how I have felt...

Word of God Speak

Love the quote below and have shared it several times over on the "When You're STUCKinindiana Facebook page".

God is always present, always at work, so there are no God-forsaken situations, only situations that have been forsaken by His followers. God is answering our question with another one,

"I’m right here; where are you?'” ~ Mark DeVries  #quotes

#FiveMinuteFriday

NEW BEGINNINGS in 2019...

HOW DID I MISS POSTING THIS ONE :D

New beginnings are on the way in 2019...

Saying good-bye to 2018 and looking ahead to 2019! Giving thanks for family, friends, faith... and more! 

This has been as especially tough year for "mrs. stuckinindiana". There have been changes that were NEVER anticipated. There have been times of disbelief and denial. There have been questions about what God had spoken in the past years. There were questions about what the future would hold... what the past has meant...

AND there have been QUESTIONS: 
Is this anything that is specific to only me... mrs stuckinindiana???

NO! Life holds disappointments & hardships & confusion for all! 

How do we walk the days ahead?

We must walk as if we are CONFIDENT in the HOPE of a brighter tomorrow. Because... we are CONFIDENT that tomorrow will show us that GOD wasn't surprised by what happened... and that God has been planning ahead for this...  

HIS HAND IN ALL OF THIS WILL BE SEEN! Nothing that was ordained by Him is forgotten... nothing that has been blessed by Him will be un-blessed! He is working for the BEST for each of us!

Here are a few posts shared by us from https://www.facebook.com/stuckinindiana/ 

Worst Year Ever!!!!!

Have you ever looked back on a long period of time (12 months or more) and said to yourself.... That was the WORST YEAR EVER! Have you ever been so very certain of something to only watch it implode in front of you? Have you cried out to God and earnestly pleaded for what you felt deeply was His will - something of which you believed to be His will all along. Have you cried out to Jesus... for Him to restore what was broken... for Him to show up mightily on behalf of hurting loved ones... for Him to soften hardened hearts & heal injured souls?

I was brought up in a "Christian" home. And, by that I mean... a family who walked the talk... a preacher's family where a daily, personal relationship with the Trinity (Father, Son & Holy Spirit) was taught and lived out. The choice for me to be a "believer" was more so for my family in my younger years. But over time, I came to understand, choose and grow into my very own personal relationship with Christ. 

Over the years I've experienced a peace that passes understanding through my faith (Philippians 4:7)... in times of death, disappointment, illness, hurt, loss of relationship, rejection, fear, and more. 

          * I walked the road of cancer with my father believing fully that at any moment God would heal Dad's earthly body and feeling the perfect will of God as I sat by my dad and heard his body let out it's last breath. It was a very hard year. But, in the end, my heart knew that what had happened was in God's perfect timing. 

          * I was lied to and betrayed by a person that I felt would always be a huge part of my life. It was years before I saw what a blessing that rejection had actually been for me & my future. 

          * I've lain awake many a night wondering about the safety of a dear, loved one. I've cried countless tears over the choices and their consequences from decisions made contrary to what I would have suggested. I've felt bullied, badgered & belittled for my feelings & faith in many of those times. I'm still waiting for some of those things to be resolved. But, I believe that they will.

          * And, I could go on...

My story probably isn't any different than most others. However, I've had the peace and assurance that God was at work in all situations... working for the best --- our best! Often that peace has been painful. I'm still confused about how certain things turned out. I still wonder if some of my prayers are being sent up in accordance to His will or just to heal the pain I experience. Each day is a new beginning of trusting & believing that it will all be fine, in the end.

So, for those out there who have had similar thoughts to... Worst Day Ever... Worst Week Ever... Worst Month Ever... WORST YEAR EVER, know that you are not alone in those feelings. Be encouraged that sometimes things are falling into place when you are certain they are falling apart.

A scripture that I cling to is... 

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:28‬ ‭NLT‬‬ http://bible.com/116/rom.8.28.nlt 

Some songs that have helped in times of struggle -- in the past year especially...

Alanna Story - I Won't Let Go

Casting Crowns - Oh My Soul 

Mercy Me - Even If 

Lauren Daigle - You Say 

Laura Story - Blessings

Hillsong United - So Will I 

Five Minute Friday: LOVED

LOVED... there's a difference in KNOWING that you are LOVED and FEELING that you are LOVED.

As a follower of Christ, I truly believe that EVERY SINGLE PERSON is LOVED by God, the Creator of the Universe.

But, when it comes to the times in life which knock you off your feet or knock the wind out of you... those times which seem to have no rhyme or reason... 

Do YOU feel LOVED?

Knowing and feeling are two very different things. Knowing I am LOVED gives me hope. But, when I also feel LOVED, I have hope, peace, and strength. I feel as though I have POWER over the unknown. I feel as if I can handle any storm or failure or disappointment that crosses my path.

I can rest in that feeling of being LOVED. I don't just have the head knowledge but, I have the heart knowledge too.

My prayer for you today is that you FEEL that you are LOVED... just as you are, without fail, each an every moment of your day.

One of my favorite reminders that we are LOVED...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HqN9spmhok

TEXT:George Matheson
MUSIC:Christopher Miner

1. O Love that will not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.

2. O light that followest all my way,
I yield my flickering torch to thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in thy sunshine's blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.

3. O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.

4. O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life's glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.

©1997 Christopher Miner Music.

O My Soul...

DISCLAIMER: This post is 100% about the faithfulness of God (from a Christian perspective) in this imperfect world.

Have you ever felt like there were moments in life when you have been "punked"? Even to the point of wondering how God could let you be fooled like that?? Have you had something happen in your life or the life of a loved one that you could only have imagined in your wildest and scariest dreams? Have you questioned your faith or questioned the closeness of your relationship with Christ?

A Picture Speaks a Thousand Words

If one picture speaks a thousand words, how much is spoken as you pour over years & years of memories captured of a loved one who has gone on? 

Just recently two pretty amazing people in our area went on to receive their heavenly reward. Both individuals had

The Struggle I'm Grateful for ... Depression & Anxiety

Yes... you read that title right... I am grateful for depression and anxiety. 

This is our 4th year over on the When You're STUCKinIndiana Facebook page to participate in making one gratefulness post a day in November. I've tried to be very thoughtful with my answers for each day. If you want to see the daily posts, look over on Facebook on the stuckinindiana page & look at the photo album entitled, November 2017 #ourthankful30. The question posed for November 27th caused me to pause and think...

What struggle am I grateful for?

There have been many

Transitions

Tonight, I sat on the floor beside an 8-month old pet chicken that I'd raised from when she was 2 days old... and I saw her take her final breaths. She was a gift for our 4 year old granddaughter last Easter. BUT, I had done the hard work to get that chicken to a healthy 8-month old pullet. She'd recently begun laying tiny little white eggs. She was our only "girl" to lay white ones. 

Last spring, I held one of our hens in my arms as she took some of her final breaths. It was late at night. I fed her water from a medicine dropper. I put soft food by her beak while she licked it. She didn't make it through the night. She'd been my little buddy - who would always come to check in with me every hour or so while they were out free-ranging. I sobbed when she was gone.

A little over 15 years ago, I sat beside my father, kissed him on the forehead and whispered some words of comfort and promise. I held his hand as I listened to him exhale that last breath of air. In that moment, I was absolutely broken yet, at the same time absolutely certain that he was in a better place. I had watched his body be ravaged by cancer for the past 7+ months. I had accompanied him & my mother on multiple medical visits. I'd sat by him in a critical care room one night when we were certain the end was moments away.

How can I possibly write about the death of two pets and my own father in the same post? It seems ridiculous... disrespectful... bizarre.

But, tonight as I watched the life ebb away from my pullet, "Maggie", I thought of the peace that prevailed as my own father left this earthly life. And, I thought about how precious life is -- even for animals.

When my father passed, I could do nothing to prevent what happened. I went into those last moments believing & knowing in my heart of hearts that God could have healed & restored his body in the blink of an eye. I knew that either his healing here on earth or his healing by passing into heaven would be quite a transition from where he was in those final moments. All I wanted to do was bring peace to the moment... the moment of transition.

And, tonight I was reminded once again that life is full of transitions. We transition from being young to being old. We transition from being child to parent. We transition from able-bodied to broken. We transition from being children to being adults. Some transition from being rich to being poor (and vice versa). Some transition from being single to be being married... to being single. My mother transitioned from being a secure, nurtured wife to being an unsure & somewhat scared widow -- as my father breathed his last breath.

Life is anything but stationary. It's full of transitions. Some seem happy. Others seem sad. May we walk with those around us... and help to make some of those transitions more peaceful.

The Simple Joys - May in Indiana

The SIMPLE JOYS surround us... no matter where we are. Savor the simple joys: like blooming trees in Indiana or lush mountain greenery in the Kentucky mountains or... those things that surround YOU wherever YOU are!!

We changed the cover photo on the When You're StuckInIndiana Facebook page today to this shot taken while looking east from our backyard in the "land of stuckinindiana"...

Blooms on one of our ornamental trees -
a crabapple tree :)
Cameo by our NEIGHBOR, Eddy,
over by the white barn.

The old saying says, "April showers bring May flowers." It would seem that we got our fair share of showers in April and, we're getting an extra dose in May. In addition to a lot of rain, we've gotten some pretty strong winds. The wind the other day broke down and/or destroyed the blooms on all of our irises and many of our other flowers. It also continued to beat up on our fence out back:

I am choosing to "embrace the beauty in the broken" - ha ha! The hole in the fence makes a great frame for our wonderful open country view. It also makes this coming holiday weekend's fence tear-down and rebuild activity much easier :/

There's a lesson to be learned there :)

... and now to go outside in the rain to clean those clogged gutters...

Beware of ONLINE FRIENDS...

I met someone online a few years back. 

Isn't that a great beginning to a horror story!!!

This person is a woman - like me. And, we conversed pretty regularly for the next two and a half years. Through our conversations:

2016 August 1 of 3 ONE THOUSAND GIFTS

Three Gifts A Day: AUGUST 2016
Based on the book, One Thousand Gifts, (by Ann Voskamp) #1000Gifts #JoyDare
I took the 1,000 Gifts Dare for the year of 2012... continued in 2013... and 2014... and 2015. Going to hit 5,000 in 2016!!! GOD IS FULL OF BLESSINGS...

Mon 8-1
4906 playing house - aka - making the new apt seem more like home

4907 meeting new people at UPike

4908 deer sightings at the new apartment

Tues 8-2
4909 getting familiar with new places

4910 buying myself a happy ("glam gloves") for the new apartment

4911 liking my spouse - you know a lot of people don't :O

Wed 8-3

4912 shopping in jammies - well, covered up with a long sundress

4913 reminders of the Little

PBS kids on TV

4914 sneaking up onto the apartment roof for a quick the view

Thurs 8-4
4915 early morning deer outside the window
4916 lunch with new girlfriends

4917 cool color blends for the apartment

Fri 8-5

4918 mountain air in the morning
4919 historical registry places

 

4920 pretty scenery along the road of life

Sat 8-6
4921 a happy helper for the household chores

4922 picking up the slack

4923 feeding green tomato-plant-eating demon-caterpillars to the hens

Sun 8-7
4924 the color of blue - sky, pool, etc.
4925 pool time with the Little

4926 summer free-style dinners

Mon 8-8 - school day off for the Little
4927 running errands with the Little
4928 visiting Great Grandma and Great Grandpa

4929 visiting a Great Uncle and Great Aunt

Tues 8-9

4930 a few hours of quietness
4931 some things never change (cat on the fireplace mantle!)

4932 evening cuddles

Wed 8-10

4933 a new vacuum cleaner that doesn't weigh 2 tons
(there's something to be said for inexpensive K-Mart appliances - ha ha!)
4934 gorgeous sunsets played out on the eastern sky at our stuckinindiana home

4935 the blessing of having a view and a cement pond here in stuckinindiana

2016 AUGUST 1of3 ONE THOUSAND GIFTS

There are more blessings to come! GOD IS FULL OF THEM! Search for other daily blessings from us by searching for the blog labels of: #1000Gifts #JoyDare #1KGiftsJoyDare

Just One of Those Days

Yesterday was... one of those days! It was a day I'd love to forget. It was a day that I never want to forget. And hence... this post.

The day began with a wonderful wiggly wake-up from the Little around 6am. That is one of the best ways to start out any day. The joy of young children is contagious! We had a bit of fun when we got the day mixed up & sent her to school in her jammies for Pajama Day -- which is actually today!! Thankfully the school provided her with a long top to go over her tights and the pajamas were sent home. The Little's Mommy made it to work safely - which is always a blessing. My loved ones driving in snowy, cold conditions isn't my favorite scenario.

The sky was clear & blue as the sun rose over the barren field adjacent to our yard. It was a beautiful sunrise. But, the temps were horrendous. At 8am the air temp was 3 degrees and the windchill was -15! Our seven chickens refused to leave their coop area in the corner of the barn. It was a toasty 14 degrees in there.

The chickens gobbled up the warm oatmeal mix I served them and then made a big chicken pile - cooing, fluffing their feathers and grooming one another. Three warm eggs were waiting for me in the laying boxes. Our new girls are less than a year old & laying every day so far. The older 4 each take about every other day off. 

When I returned inside from the barn, the madness began... as I rushed around getting things in order to head out for the 5+ hour drive to our Kentucky home for the LOML's Christmas party with the Prez and First Lady of the university. One of the projects that had to be completed before leaving turned into a huge challenge - involving a technology glitch and me possibly telling the LOML that I hated him. (Note to self: Even if there's a fine line between love and hate, some things should just STAY in your head!!!) I made it out the door over an hour behind schedule.

The first 4 hours of the drive went well with me singing along to SiriusXM The Message and the Carpenter's Christmas Album. The temps were low but, the roads were clear and dry. On a side note... people heading east from Lexington on the Mountain Parkway drive REALLY fast!!

An hour down the road, the car traveling in front of me hit a pothole that I wasn't able to avoid. I hit hard - jarring my teeth. And, Mini Coopers with racing, run-flat tires don't handle potholes and bumps well. Immediately the alarms went off that the front right tire needed to be checked. I rounded a corner and pulled into a crowded gas station. Gas stations are few and far between on the Parkway. (Thanks God for the placement of that pothole.) I maneuvered my little car between all the trucks pulling giant horse trailers and was greeted by a sea of men in uniforms -- Carhartts for some & police uniforms for others. They checked my tire & put air in it & I was on my way. Their posse was transporting elk from Kentucky to West Virginia to introduce them to a new habitat. AND, the caravan of trucks, trailers & cars were about ready to head out. They said they would look out for me as they traveled east -- in case I had any issues with the flat run-flat tire.

I was grateful to get back on the road until about 15 miles down the road when a semi decided to disregard his red light causing me to careen over to the opposite side of the 4-lane road toward oncoming traffic. I swerved back to my side of the road right in time to just miss colliding with a concrete barrier just beyond the intersection that separated the 4 lanes. 

I arrived to the holiday party well over an hour late and visibly shaken. The home was decorated beautifully & the conversation and laughter were genuine and healing. My mind & mood were quickly won over by the love & friendship of my new Kentucky family. What a blessing to have great people to share the journey of life. 

I've been thinking about how close I came to not being there that night or possibly ever again. But, I am so grateful that God protected me and provided for me from the moment I awoke until the moment I rested my head on the pillow. Some days are just too full to believe. And, this was a day that gave me a run for my money (as my mom says). 

My day was FULL of reminders to cherish the moments we have here on earth. And I thought a lot about how glad I am that I know where I'm going when this life is over! Because in the blink of an eye... everything can change!