Capture The Moment
My friends affectionately call me “The Picture Queen.”
Yes, it is true, I take so many pictures and love to share them with anyone that is willing to take a look.
Why do I have this obsession with pictures?
Because, it allows you to capture the moment right when it is happening to savor the memory.
With a picture, it is as if time stands still.
That moment, that memory will forever live on now that you have been able to capture it through photography.
My pictures mean so much to me. They are gifts that I offer my children.
While they groan when I ask that they gather together for family portraits, especially around holidays with our other relatives, one day they will appreciate how they managed to struggle through the agonizing picture taking!
Occasionally, my 18 year old daughter will go through pictures now, and she will remember all of the details surrounding that moment in time that is reflected in the picture.
That’s what it is all about!
To me, a picture has more worth than gold! It allows me to step back in time with my loved ones that have passed on. The memories rush back in, and for a moment in time, I’m there with them again. Feeling those feelings, remembering what we were laughing and making those goofy faces about. They all flood in. I’ll admit that there are times that although the memory is a happy one, tears will slip out of the corner of my eyes and run down my face. I realize that moment in time is lost forever, and I’ll never have another moment like this with them again in this lifetime.
The holiday pictures are so important to me. Yet it is sad to look through the pictures year after year to see that we’ve lost precious family members. Even still, I capture as many moments that I possibly can.
These are my memories with my loved ones, and I treasure each and every one.
I love my family!
I encourage you to capture the moment with your family as well!
Memories to treasure for a lifetime!
Friends Became Family
On a dark, lonely evening as I watched television alone, a commercial came on for a type of online “lounge.” Intrigued by it, I went to my computer to check it out. Logging into the site 18 years ago, I had no idea just how the people on this site would impact my life.
From that night on, I checked in as often as I could to find my new friends waiting for me. We would laugh, joke, and occasionally talk about serious issues that we were going through. Since I was at the beginning of a bad divorce, these friends became my lifeline, my escape, and soon, my confidants. Wishing for more privacy than the public forum allowed, we took our conversations over to email. We shared so much about our lives that before long, we were all emotionally connected and bonded.
I am convinced that God placed these wonderful people in my life for a very special reason. They were there when I needed them the most and struggled through things that threatened to steal every ounce of my sanity. From the bad divorce and the horrible things my ex husband did to me; my sisters suicide and trying to recover when my heart was shattered after losing her; remarrying my old high school sweetheart that resurfaced after the separation from my husband, to having a ruptured ectopic pregnancy that almost claimed my life and required emergency surgery; finally welcoming a beautiful blonde haired blue eyed angel into this world after painful procedures trying to conceive; both of my parents being diagnosed at separate times with cancer, going through surgery, and finally being told they were cancer-free once again; a horrible work situation where I was bullied almost daily by my boss and co-workers; my daughter’s graduation from high school; my new found love of horses and welcoming our herd of five horses to their new home; and the list goes on and on.
It hasn’t been one sided either. I’ve been there for them through their parent’s passing; their medical tests; their own diagnosis and treatment; the passing of one’s sister; family disputes; etc.
As you can see, when once we were mere strangers, we became friends in the most unusual way back then. Over the course of 18 years, though, these friends became family! I thank God for each and every one of them.
Sadly, we lost one of our very special family members last year. She struggled with breast cancer and lost her battle in November of 2014. We miss her so much, but she is always in our thoughts. We are thankful for the memories we made together and the opportunity to spend time face-to-face as we met for the first time last September.
These precious people are now family, and I thank God for how He put us together in the most unusual but beautiful way all those years ago.
What Is Your Calling?
There was a knock on the door, piercing the silent atmosphere of our office environment. She rose to open the door as she politely thanked the postman. Making her way over to my desk, my coworker presented me with a white package, smiled, and said, “Here’s a present for you.” Little did she know that the contents of this package was a very special present waiting for me to rip into.
This individual has long been known for his surprise gift-giving abilities. Out of no where, a care package would appear for my daughter and myself. At a particularly hard time in my life when I had just started going through the divorce proceedings, my friend reached across the miles and offered little gifts to bring a smile and warm my heart. He never forgot my daughter or left her out. In all of the packages that would arrive at my place of employment, there was always a little surprise inside for her, too.
Today as I opened the package, I smiled as cards fell out on my desk along with two books. One in particular said on the front, “This card has no purpose.” When you opened it, it said, “I sent it anyway.” Ah, but here’s the thing. The card may have seemed like it had no purpose whatsoever, but it clearly did as it brought a smile to my face as soon as I read it.
Another card had an actual hug inside complete with instructions that made me giggle.
And the last card said that it just wanted to brighten my day as I’ve brightened so many of theirs. Awe! What I especially loved about this heartwarming card was the bible verse on the left side.
Every time I think of you —
and I think of you often! —
I thank God for you.
1 Corinthians 1:4
The Message
This individual was sent to me many years ago, almost 20 years now. My heart is forever grateful for the genuine and true friendship that has been mine all of these years.
He has the gift of encouragement, and he reaches across the miles to turn the corners of my mouth into a wide smile.
I believe the gift of encouragement is his calling.
What is YOUR calling?
