Flower (Photo credit: RedTail_Panther)

I believe that it is a choice to focus on living in the present – wherever I am – I want to be fully there.

When was the last time you had to get a hold of your thoughts and tell yourself to relax, focus and just be there?

God Bless

United Methodist Church, in (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Greg and I have had the privilege lately of visiting churches on Sunday mornings here in the Pacific Northwest.  We have been open to trying other denominations and have listened and taken everything in with no judgement or bias (well…maybe a little bias) and have appreciated things new and unfamiliar to us.

In our search we have met some really wonderful people, seen and heard some great music and teaching ministries. The most impressive have been the people in these different denominations.  Deep down inside I’m forced to admit, that I expected people who didn’t think and believe exactly like me to be unfriendly, hostile, pushy and illiterate, lacking depth and reasoning skills.  Pretty dumb.  But the teachings of childhood are hard to shake and once we get a preconceived idea in our head – it is very hard to change it.

As Greg and I have journeyed through our denomination and seen many changes happening in the music, it has been both good and bad for us.  Good in that our kids really enjoyed the progressive trend toward all things modern and new and bad for us in that some of it is just too much the same, some too hard to follow, some too loud etc.  We are somewhere between modern and 20 years ago – and to be honest the music of 15 years ago still suits us best.  Take away choir and orchestra music of our denomination and you’re left with just a worship band with not much variety.

So we have explored music of the more traditional denominations that we thought we would NEVER be interested in.  The Presbyterian and Methodist being among our favorite choices so far – for their depth of teaching, variety of music and beauty of the service.  I was never familiar with a more liturgical service (thought it was only in the Catholic church) had been to a Lutheran service once or twice where my Dad is the organist and was convinced that it was not for me.  But there is a beauty to the order and planning of every scripture reading - hymn chosen and scripture song sung for the message.

Nothing can compare to the pipe organ and huge choir at 1st Presbyterian Church in Bellevue.  The pastor is very interesting, uses humor and deep teaching to make his points clear – and honestly, it’s the best music in “church” I’ve ever heard.

But proximity is very important if hoping to become involved – and we are a couple of miles from Fairwood Community United Methodist Church where I visited yesterday.  I’ve always been curious because this is the lovely little church that I rent twice a year to have my recitals with my students.  I’m not sure what I expected – but it was certainly different (in a good way) than what I thought it would be.  The people were so friendly - had two people engage with me (I was late) before I even got into the sanctuary while standing in the foyer while the choir and teenagers being confirmed were on the platform singing an opening number.  They treated me like I was already one of them.  Then I found my seat toward the back and a nice older man behind me helped me as I stumbled a few times, wondering what book they were singing from.  There were 6 eighth graders that had been confirmed in the earlier service and were a part of the beginning part of the service that I was in – with introductions and explanation to the younger children and adults (like me unfamiliar with confirmation) of what was being done.

The pastor of this church is a woman.  I did not know how I would feel about this.  But my concerns were quickly diminished when I heard her speak and saw her with the children.  She uses humor and relevant topics to convey her point – yesterday she spoke on “Heroes” and used “The Hunger Games” as her premise.  It was relevant and interesting.  I looked around and saw many people just like me.  The same needs, concerns and place in life.  Many have never walked the road in ministry that we have – or ever will – they will never know what we have experienced in another denomination – never see things around the country and here in our own city inside a different type of church – and yet – I realized this:  we are more alike than we think.

I’m not sure where our journey will ultimately end – but in the meantime, I am reassured that God is not just restricted to one denomination.  He is everywhere - relevant to those who seek Him.  Ever present in our songs of worship, our traditional choir anthems and in our prayers offered up in reverence.  We have good friends from the Tri-Cities area who have been pastors like us in our denomination and have found themselves feeling quite at home in the Methodist Church.

When was the last time you visited something different from what you’re used to and were forced to removed the box where your God exists for you?  When was the last time you were really open?  Will it surprise you to see some people from other denominations in heaven with you?  We are the ones who put people in denominations and categories of “spiritual” and “non-spiritual” – God does not.  He just sees the heart.

Lord help me to be open to things that are different.  Help me to see people the way you see them.  Help me to engage in a way that I am always open to your leading.  Amen.

God Bless

Usually this happens in the car while driving somewhere. Sometimes I don’t even have to be in the car – but just looking for it.

When my children were small I got lost driving places all the time. Before cell phones I would get exasperated and finally pull to the side of the road and feel like having a good cry, but usually I stopped myself because the kids were in the car and I wanted them to believe that I could do anything even be strong and get them anywhere we needed to go. But they knew the truth. I was simply and hopelessly lost.

In one such comical moment when living in Fort Worth, Texas – I was driving with 5-year-old Ashlee in the pouring rain. We were on the freeway, I missed my exit and was really lost. I remember feeling so annoyed and a little scared too – I mean where in the world was I anyway? I even enlisted the help of my 5-year-old and said, “Ashlee please help me read those blasted signs!” To which she replied, “Mom – I can’t read” Oh yeah – details.

Fast forward to the mid-nineties when we had our first cell phones. I was a sales director in training in those days and did much of my business on the phone while commuting between Kirkland where we lived – and Renton where we went to church. In those days it was not against the law to talk on a cell phone while you drove so I got much done that way with my sales calls. One time because I hate to drive on the freeway in the rain – I chose to take a “back way” home. I got lost. Again. I called Greg from where I was and couldn’t even tell him where I was so the cell phone couldn’t help me!

Fast forward again to the present – where I now own an iPhone with navigational ability. Yeah for me! Yeah for progress! Except….when the maps on the iPhone takes me a “back way” just because – and l end up in a neighborhood that looks nothing like the neighborhood I’m supposed to be in! It was someplace I had been before, but not for 2 years. I thought the map would direct me so I didn’t take along the directions. I was hot, tired and in a bad mood after trying to follow to the letter – the step by step instructions on the map app. Daisy my 8 month old puppy was along for the “easy” drive and gave up on being patient 30 minutes previous to me finally pulling along the side of the road. I thought to myself, “this can’t be happening to me again” and was not a bit funny as I found myself wanting to cry. How silly, I thought. Who cries over being lost? I guess I do.

I called Greg and he suggested that I try mapquest or another map app – and if that didn’t work – I should just go back to the place I remember and the map app would redirect me. If he heard me whining and whimpering (just a little) he never let on. I mean – how bad could it be, right? Except for being hot and cranky and Daisy too – we were still in one piece, had less than a quarter tank of gas and no one needed to go to the bathroom. Yet. I tried the address in mapquest and a funny thing happened. It did not even recognize the address and tried to give me an alternate one. After circling around in that neighborhood a few times I finally found my way out and to the main road. I had to rely on my very bad memory and NO sense of direction to get me to the right street – but I eventually found it.

But a strange thing happened as I perused the house numbers. The house that I knew had to be the house was one number off from the address I had typed into the map app.

Oh brother.

Have you ever been really lost? What’s your story?

God Bless

Image via CrunchBase

I now am the proud owner of three devices – an iMac, iPhone and now an iPad 2 (thanks to a very generous gift from my son for Mother’s Day).  It can be triple trouble when things go wrong – not to mention having triple the junk mail to delete every day

Because I also run a business and manage personal appointments, my calendar is very important to me.  The nice man at the Apple store told me I needed iCloud to sync my devices together wirelessly – and he turned the feature on – on both my iPhone and iPad.  Unfortunately, he did not realize that at home I have an older Mac, which does not support iCloud – and by turning on this feature, I received duplicates on everything on my calendars.  So while coming home, I deleted all the duplicate entries on my iPhone.  But when I arrived home to check this with iCal on my iMac I found to my despair – EVERYTHING had been erased!  Just vanished into thin air!  I remember having this problem when I first got my iPhone and the only fix was to turn off iCloud – I just couldn’t remember why!  Now I know.

ICloud (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

While trying to rebuild the information from both my iPhone and iPad 2 – I found that many things were gone and there were significant holes in my schedule.  This was a disaster because I have 25 music lessons every week and some of those appointments had to reschedule or change and I now had to rely on my faulty memory – not good.  It was a panicky situation for me.

I read every forum I could get my hands on talking about syncing my calendars so I would never have this problem again – but came up empty every time.  There was a way around iCloud on iCal – but I could not understand it – even though it was supposed to be easy.  I called my techie son who works for Apple and it was discovered that I don’t have enough memory and would need to buy more memory and then do an upgrade to Lion before I could get iCloud on my Mac.  It was discouraging and expensive.  All I wanted was to sync my calendars and for it to work.

So I slept on it – and the next morning I tried again.  I came across another forum talking about the same problem as mine.  This time the “fix” was so easy I felt almost ridiculous trying it.  In the process I was on hold for an Apple techie to see if I had done everything I could.  By the time a young man came on the line I was well into solving the problem by syncing the three calendars on iTunes with a special iCloud code that was given in the forum I was reading.  The Apple tech – (bless his heart) said that it basically couldn’t be done and that I needed the upgrade.  Period.

So when this simple “fix” WORKED – I was AMAZED and ELATED!!

We often take things for granted when they work.

Do you have a problem you’re trying to solve?  Don’t give up.  There is always an answer.  It may not be the answer you’re wanting or thinking needs to happen – but there is always an answer. 

Look for another way – think outside the box and find out what works.

God Bless

Take care and God Bless

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Views of Gas Works Park and Lake Union facing towards the North East from Queen Anne, Seattle WA. The Lake Washington Ship Canal Bridge is in the background with a backdrop of the University of Washington and the Cascade Mountains. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

How many times are we like a cloudy, rainy day in our thoughts – going along through the day with all the correct motions and intentions, and yet perceiving our world as much smaller than it really is.

I was challenged to take a lesson from nature – open up my eyes and LOOK around me – for things I cannot see with my natural limited senses.  I want to reach far beyond the box of “normal” and see with God eyes all the beauty I’m missing.

I thought of the song “On a clear day you can see forever” and was reminded that it is clearness in both our eyes and thoughts that can give us that unique perspective on things around us.  And I want to always remember what is invisible when the storms of life close in on me and I cannot see.

Dear Lord – help me to hang on to that clear vision from those clear days – and to use it when those tough times close in around me.

When was the last time you saw things with “clear vision”?

I heard the following song on Spotify today from a local Seattle band – and have been writing this article with this tune in my head.

Enjoy and God Bless

Tell me somethin’, give me hope for the night
We don’t know how we feel
We’re just prayin’ that we’re doin’ this right
Though that’s not the way it seems

Summer gone, now winter’s on its way
I will miss the days we had
The days we had
I will miss the days we had
The days we had
Oh, I’ll miss the days we had

Loving, leaving, it’s too late for this now
Such esteem for each has gone
Has time driven our season away?
Cause that’s the way it seems
In the world of the speech that is new
I’ll be back again to stay
Again to stay
I’ll be back again to stay
Again to stay
I’ll be back again to stay

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Time has a way of sneaking up on you, and for me – this journey happened slowly at times and at other times very quickly.

Ten years ago our daughter was 14 and a freshman in high school. Our son was 10 and in the 4th grade. That seems like a lifetime ago when they were that age – and at the time, it seemed as if time moved very slowly.

But in between the swim meets, choir concerts, endless baseball and basketball tournaments we knew these were the best years and we tried to enjoy them and hang on to every minute, knowing that once these days are gone – they are gone.

When 10 years comes and goes it is a funny thing – we say to ourselves and others around us, “What happened??” And we are truly surprised when things don’t stay the same or when we do something and our bodies don’t feel the same as they used to in the “good old days”. I truly do wonder where we got as much energy as we had to be running all the times with kids and their events and I know I couldn’t do it today without paying for it!

As I reflect on yet another Mother’s Day – I realize this is the first one where we are true empty-nester’s – our daughter has been married for the past 2 1/2 years and our son is going to school in Southern California – so it is my first Mother’s Day without him in the area.

But I also think to myself, “Wow – what great well-balanced grown up kids we have! We must have done something right – or maybe they turned out in spite of us – either way I’m thankful and grateful for all of God’s MANY blessings poured out to us in this last decade and the ones before that.

I am looking forward to a great future in this next decade and the ones to follow as God wills it for each of our lives and can’t wait to reflect back on those memories. But mostly I’m learning to live in the moment and enjoy the journey along the way.

Where we’re you 10 years ago?

God Bless

Because she is a small white Bichon Frise – she also has tear staining issues.  We’ve tried everything.  But since being on more of a raw diet (fresh meat, freeze-dried and air-dried raw) she is much improved.  We were also told to get stainless steel bowls for her water and food.  She had pink porcelain before – but just in case any dye could seep through – we decided to try them.

Well believe it or not – she was FREAKED OUT because she could see her reflection in the shiny new bowls.  We tried to coax her to drink her water but she would NOT go anywhere near those scary things.

So we returned them and got plastic.  With plastic there is no clanking of her tag against metal or porcelain – so a double bonus.

But with these new bowls – there was another problem.  They were scary and deep.

She simply would NOT put her face inside the bowl to eat her food.  Drinking was okay because she didn’t have to go as far inside the bowl.  But in order to eat – we would have to put her food on the floor beside the bowl or hand feed it.  Because she is still a puppy – it is important for her to eat – tough love doesn’t work for growing puppies.

But we made a discovery!  When we brought the food up higher in her bowl – she went right to it and ate it just fine!  So Greg got a plastic lid – and with a little hot glue – he glued in to the inside of her bowl.

Guess who is eating now? With NO PROBLEM.

It was such a quick fix – so cheap and very little effort. And now we can all relax and know she is getting enough to eat

It’s the little things in life – that cost nothing, that give the most satisfaction.

When was the last time you had a “quick fix”?

God Bless

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OK Now (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I heard this song while doing some work at my desk this morning. I’ve heard it before – I love Jon McLaughlin and have many of his songs on my Spotify favorites list – but somehow I never really heard these lyrics as powerfully as today. Maybe I needed to hear it today – maybe you do too.

God Bless

Open up the center of my being
There’s gotta be some room inside of me
I’m tired of trying to find a way to make it through these endless days

Complacency is not enough for me
Constant thoughts of where I ought to be plague me
How could I be a fool so long when the only way I live at all

Is You’re loving me
It’s Your grace that’s so amazing
It’s You’re loving me

I’ve tried to push distractions from my head
Oh, I try and try but find myself mislead
for I need Your hand to clear this road
I know I cannot bear this load

I run until I run right out of breath
And only a fool would run from what he knows is best
For Without Your hand to guide I know
There’s loneliness there’s never growth
But still I try, I fail all on my own
But through it all

You’re loving me
It’s Your grace that’s so amazing
It’s your loving me

So open up any door for me
And watch me walk again
I give up all fear and reluctance to depend
And when I fall down again, Your rules they never bend
You pick me up anyway

Cause You’re loving me
It’s Your grace that’s so amazing
You’re loving me

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Former logo of American Idol from 2002 to 2008. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

My pick for last night’s American Idol show. Holly did an amazing job with this very difficult song – made famous by Tina Turner and Celine Dion. Hope you enjoy it She may be the dark horse of this competition.

What do you think? Who is your favorite?

God Bless

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