Quotes

I love quotes. I love quips. I love it when they are in different fonts and colors. I love them so much I have an entire Pinterest board dedicated just to quotes and quips. It is very full! In fact it has over 400 pins! (Have I mentioned I am a Pinterest junkie as well?)

This morning as I was scrolling through Facebook, as is my customary habit every morning, I happened upon a quote by Charles Swindoll. It perfectly sums up what I have been saying to myself for a little over a week now and I just have to share it.

So I got to thinking about why I love quotes and short sayings so much. And I have made a decision. It is because I have a slight case of ADD. My brain, at times, can only handle a little at a time before it gets derailed and moves on. So, at times, like these wee hours of the morning, I do better with snippets of wisdom instead of deep, meditative portions of literature or non-fiction. 

These short and sweet sayings stick with me throughout the day and I attempt to repeat them to myself and, on occasion, my co-workers just because they are meaningful. Some are light-hearted and fun, while others, like the one above, remind me that I have purpose here on earth. And as long as I draw breath I have the opportunity to facilitate hope for those that hurt. Because, as a child of the Heavenly Father, I am called to share that hope that I have been given.

I just remembered something. As a teenager I had a friend who collected snippets and lines from books that he was reading in notebook that always kept in his shirt pocket. What an interesting idea! Couldn't he just have pinned it? Oh, I forgot. When I was a teenager, computers and internet were still a thing of the future. 

Until next time, may you find a snippet, a quip, a meme, or a quote and let it set with you throughout the day - until another one comes along and derails the first. 

Your friend,
Petra

Hurts and Pains

My heart is hurting for so many women around me right now.

There are women who are struggling with depression, having no one to turn to for consolation. They struggle every day just to get out of bed and get to work. They hide behind a pasted-on smile, hoping nobody asks them if they are okay; because they know at that point they would have to break down and cry. 

There are women who go to work in so much physical pain, but they cannot show it for fear of losing their jobs. They have mouths to feed and bills to pay, and these women know that they cannot give an inch to the agony that dwells inside their muscles and bones. 

There are women who have been betrayed. Friends who claim to be allies and yet turn and slander their characters on social media or in the workplace. These ladies have difficulty sharing so much as a cup of coffee with someone for fear of having their trust broken. 

There are women who cry themselves to sleep every night because their husbands have quit loving them. They struggle through every day facing problems that they never knew existed - death of dreams, not being able to trust another man, weighing out the cost of forgiveness. These women have been abandoned by the one person who had promised never to betray or leave them.

And there are women who hurting because of death - death of a husband, death of a child, death of an unborn child. Yes, death is final in the carnal sense, but the intense agony in living while your loved one is not...this is a pain I can never imagine. 

So, all of this said, I will repeat...My heart aches for these women. I want to help. And if the only way I can help is by letting each one know that you have a friend, a listening ear, encouraging words, I would be honored to help.

And as a friend recently reminded me, If all I can do is pray, then that is the absolute BEST thing I can do!

This blog is going to be one way I can reach out to women. I believe I have been called to write, and write I shall! The Lord impressed upon me recently that if I can only reach one person, that is enough. I hope to be a light in the midst of your darkness. I have had my share of struggles, and I will share some of those with you on this new journey. Hopefully we will all gain a new understanding of what it means to share in each others joys and sorrows.

A Fresh Start

I have been spending an awful lot of time meditating on the deeper things of life lately. I even went back and re-examined my old blogs to see how far I have come. I want to revisit one of my first blogposts. There are few updates I wanted to share. 

Saturday, June 30, 2012

Rainbows are special.  There is a feeling of fanciful-ness when one sees a rainbow.  I realize we should feel hopeful every time we see a rainbow, for that was the intent the Lord had for rainbows.  When do rainbows "appear."  Every time it rains, right?  But what if it rains and we see no rainbow.  Does it mean there is none?  No, it just means we aren't looking.  

I believe this to be true in our lives, too.  The Lord sends the rain in our lives, whether it is in the form of  a gentle rain to water our thirsty souls, or a thunderstorm to clear away all the dirt and grime that has accumulated in the dark recesses of our souls.  But no matter the reason the rain comes, there is always hope in the form of a rainbow.  All we need to do is look for it.  And sometimes, in order to see it, we just need to open our eyes! 

Lately, I have had a few rain showers in my life.  A failed relationship was a storm that came at a "bad" time.  But what came of it was a rainbow in the form of a friendship.  I am thankful for the hope it gave me that all relationships are not negative.  I had a thunderstorm in the form of clinical depression descend on my life, but I sat still in my car one day and saw my rainbow in the form of a trip to Europe.  It gives me hope that the Lord has a wonderful plan for my life and despite the mess I make in the mud puddles after that rain, He will still bless me and give me the desires of my heart if I wait patiently on Him.

There are some people in my life who cannot understand the actions I have been taking lately, but I do not hold it against them.  They just cannot see my rainbow. They cannot understand the fanciful-ness I am experiencing as I dance and sing under my personal rainbow.

Firstly - I know from experience that rainbows are there in the midst of the storm, and I am starting to look more carefully for the rainbows before I give up for lost.

Secondly - Blessings can come in many forms, from the smile of a stranger to a conversation with an unlikely friend to a hug from a co-worker. It can be in the form of music, a novel, or even a scene from a movie. It can come up from behind, from way out in front where someone turns to you, or from right next to you, possibly someone you have taken for granted.

Thirdly - The Lord is always the One to be praised for the rainbow, no matter what the form. 

Today is a new day!  My heart is full. My heart is decisive. My heart is broken. During this new season of blogging I have purposed that this will be about YOU, the reader. I am determined to share with you my heart, tips, advice, and lots of love and hugs. The reason? I am determined to bring hope to the hurting. Encouragement to the discouraged. Loved to those who feel unloved. I want to fulfill what I believe to be God's purpose for my life.

I have been through many storms. Some are known, some are unknown. But I have found a little ray of sunshine in each storm and I want you to be able to see your rainbows as well. My hope and prayer is that you will find Hope for your Journey just as I have.

Prayers and blessings,
Petra