Just some special amazing thoughts about the birth of Jesus I wanted to share with y'all! As we celebrate the Christmas season, I find myself reflecting on one of the most striking images in the nativity story: Jesus, the Savior of the world, laid in a manger. A manger—a feeding trough for animals, used to hold food for sheep, cows, and goats. When we picture this moment, it’s easy to imagine the humility of the scene. After all, the King of Kings, the long-awaited Messiah, was not born in a palace or a grand hall. He was born in a humble place, where animals ate their food, surrounded by the quiet night of a small town. But there’s more to this image than meets the eye. This feeding trough, a simple container for animal feed, points us to something much deeper. Jesus, the Bread of Life, was laid in a manger. He came to be our spiritual food, the sustenance that would nourish our souls and give us eternal life. In John 6:35, Jesus says, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes t...

  Image from the Internet  It was a busy Monday morning. We were scurrying throughout the house, finishing the preparations for the photographer. I was carrying boxes downstairs and returning for more, only to take them down again. My asthma began to bother me slightly, but I figured it was no big deal; I’d take care of it in a bit. It didn’t take long for my chest to suddenly become too tight, feeling as though I was being suffocated. I couldn’t breathe; I couldn’t get air. I remember entering my room and digging through my purse for my inhaler. The next thing I knew, I was on the floor, struggling to take a breath to use my inhaler. I couldn’t get the breath I needed; I felt lightheaded and dizzy. My chest hurt, feeling like it was being crushed. I wasn’t getting the air I needed, and I had never been so scared in my life. There had been a few times previously when I’d had a bad asthma attack, and my mom wondered if she’d need to call 911. This was different. Somehow, I mana...

I know it's been a while since I've written anything here, and I apologize for that. I love writing, and normally it helps me work through things and process them. I also love sharing my thoughts and heart with y'all. Lately, it seems when I try to write, nothing comes; I have nothing worth saying. (Not true, I have plenty worth saying.) Sometimes it's just hard to say the things that actually matter. I'm going to try harder to post more often. In the world we live in, sometimes it can be hard to see God at work and through His work. Sometimes it's even hard to see that God is good. A while back, I prayed and asked God to help me see His goodness around me every day and to see that He is always, always good because I was struggling with that. Last month, one Friday morning as I was doing my devotions, one of the verses for the day was Psalm 34:8: "Taste and see that the Lord is good." For some reason, that particular verse really hit and stood out to m...

  Image from online: Spring is a time of new beginnings and surprises, thawing what was once frozen inside. As you hear the birds sing in the morning and evening, you are filled with awe. Flowers push their little shoots up through the ground where they were once buried in the dark. Leaves cover the trees with fresh green shade. The roots go deep, and the branches lift towards heaven, as if rejoicing and praising the Creator. The sound of children playing is carried on the wind. Long walks in nature, chatting with friends over coffee at a local coffee shop, and sipping a cup of hot coffee while wrapped in a jacket to watch the sun rise – spring is like a gift that has been unwrapped for us to enjoy. Spring is a life season too; we all start over somewhere, with something. When we fall, we get back up and begin again. You might be in the season of hope or the winter season in your life. If you are, know that spring always comes again, and it will come again, yes, even for you. Noti...

     I did this oil painting back in 2018 and call it the Storm. The feelings of anxiety and depression are real. I thought I was done with this season in my life, at least for now, but I'm not. Inside I'm drowning, I'm exhausted mentally, emotionally, and physically. I've been great at hiding it and trying to convince myself that I'm fine, but I know I’m not. I think I should be okay, even though I've been through a lot, it's hard to remember that it's okay if I'm not okay. Anyone who knows me knows I don't like to rest, I don't like to go slow, and I'm always ahead of myself. I let everyone else's needs and wants run over my own. It’s hard to take care of me.  I always feel selfish or guilty. This leads to exhaustion, more depression, anxiety, and panic attacks. There are times I just want to cry, I want to be okay, I want to feel rested, I want a good life, preferably one that's easier. I watched the Chosen a couple weeks ago a...

 Something new, something exciting, that's what the new year should be. Oddly I found myself laying on my bed feeling rather depressed as I watched the minutes tick away till midnight. I couldn't put my finger on it, but I just didn't want 2022 to end and 2023 to begin.  This past year has been quite long and hard, but yet at the same time the year has flown by, much too fast. I had thought I'd be excited and hopeful at what this new year would bring but I wasn't. I thought about the plans and goals for this past year that never happened, I felt like I had failed, my plans hadn't followed my timeline and all because this past year hadn't been what it was supposed to be. Or had it? Definitely not what I had planned for, nor what I assume anyone would. Last January was where the difficult, painful year started; I didn't want another January yet! It was the beginning of last year. But that was last January and not this January. This time is a new January an...