Vision and Faith. Been a thing this week with me. Cropped up in a few conversations and in my thoughts.

Sometimes we are on a journey and it is just so rough that we feel like we have been smashed against the ocean's shore over and over, waves hitting us and knocking us down, the sand scraping our faces. Stinging. We are so tired, we claw ourselves up from the shoreline to the distant grass. We stretch out and the sun begins to heal the scrapes and warm us up, each ray of the sun gently soothing our tender skin.

Did we take the time to understand what the storm was all about? Don't doubt that those storms can teach us. Storm brings rain, and as my friend Anita says, the rain purifies and cleanses. Did we look for the signs of hope and promise after the storm? Let that storm stir your soul and wait for the vision that is yet to come. The sky will open, the rainbow will appear and the vision will shine down around you. Be still and wait.

Have faith and be grateful for the treasures the rainbow will bring.

Night......

Well... I have had this vision in my mind for days now. My idea of paradise. Close your eyes and dream with me. I have been dreaming about sitting in my little row boat, hand in hand with a glass of wine, my fishing rod, someone to bait my hook (no conversation please) and a good book. The purpose is not to catch fish.

The sun is beating down on my face, arms and legs. It is incredibly warm. The fish are nibbling slightly. I lay across the hard aluminum seat, padded with life jackets. (poverty fishing). Yea! I am in the middle of the lake. All around me I see movement, people driving along the small road to their cottages, kids running and kicking balls, adults cleaning around their cottages. Teenagers laughing and carrying on. All action at a distance is only muffled sounds out here.

I sit, undisturbed in total tranquility. I hear little gurgles from the water, feel the slight rush of tiny waves hitting the side of the boat. The fish are not bitting, but I don't care. I can't be reached or bothered by anything or anyone out here. I am finally in my own world, even if for just hours.

I look into the lake, wondering if I can see bottom. It is endless. I imagine what it would feel like to slip off the side of the boat and just float around. But I am so warm and comfortable that I only entertain the thought of floating in the water.

Don't open your eyes, I am after all.... in my own world.... for now.

Cheri

My friend Tim designed this new site and little did he know that the sunflower he kept in his archives would end up on my site and have me think daily of my dear Uncle Johnny. The story - for many summers my uncle threw sunflower seeds in the field behind our cottage. The most beautiful big orange sunflowers would lay like a blanket across the hill between our cottages. So many of us would stand in the midst of the flowers to have our pictures taken. The sheer beauty of the flowers was truly breath taking. So symbolic is the sunflower for our family, a sign of simplicity and beauty. As it became a little harder for him to move around, he stopped planting the sunflowers ...but the memories of him and his desire to do nice things for us live on in our hearts. The vision of the beautiful sunflower field reminds me of his kindness and brings a smile to my face. I laugh when I think about him calling me (even at 40 something)...skinny bones.

Take a moment today to linger on something or someone that has brought you great joy. Stop what you are doing and cherish those memories, lock them in your heart, close to you, as no one can take away your dreams and visions if you hold them close to you.

Night......

Well, it is Sunday evening and I had an incredibly busy weekend. I was anxiously waiting for the clock to click into Sunday so I could write my next journal entry, hoping to write something quite inspiring.

I was reflecting on my weekend, wherein I was the host to four young ladies and their leader, Amanda from the youth group for the weekend and I decided to write about my experience which was inspiring to me.

It was awesome actually. Having a pajama party with chickies all weekend brought me back to my childhood - pajamas, late nights, giggling until the early hours of the morning, filling our faces with junk food and just plain girl talk. These new generation girlies rock!

My new friend (a 12 year old, with an incredible maturity level) informed me that.... "You know, God made Adam and it wasn't good enough so He made Eve".... (I had a good chuckle over this one -) and then she made me laugh further when she continued to say that...." actually it's a GIRL'S world, .... boys just live in it......you know...!" Doesn't she rock !

I was so exhausted Saturday afternoon that I decided I would take an hour and catch a nap... well my new little friend peeked in my room and plopped herself on my bed wherein she initiated conversation. She sat there with me for 45 minutes just sharing and reflecting and, yes you guessed it...no nap for me. I would gladly give up that nap again as the time spent was so enlightening ... oh.... to be really young again.......

See you chickies next year...!

Oh..I have a sore throat and am getting the flu.... guess that's what I get for thinking I can keep up with 12 year olds!

GOODNIGHT!

My new BLOG site... I am so excited about this. This is where I can write and say the things out loud that go on in head...I can pretend that someone really wants to hear it...! haha... Now I am believe it or not, speechless... naah... not for long.

I am reading a book "Only a Woman" by Terri McFaddin. It is probably not a book that is on the best seller list - because I picked it up at the book store for $7.99. Original price was $17.50) so I assume it's either an old book that everyone has read, or the content just didn't have what it takes to reach out and entice someone to buy it. However, it was a bargain and I bought it.

Quite a neat little book actually... The book starts off describing a story about a woman who's husband died with many other men when their village was under attack by a rebel army. She was left with her child and the responsibility of saving their village. Trembling with fear and knowing she was the only one to save the village, she cries out "I am only a Woman" . She realized how foolish she was thinking she would always live in her perfect little world never having to live without the help of a man.

Now, my comments today are not about women facing living with out the help of a man, but specifically of any of us men and women..... living a life alone. Without the grace of a partner, friend, brother, sister...mother...father... Alone in this world. So totally alone without these key people in their lives..... so... where do they go, what do they do, how do they feel "connected"? We put our needs quite naturally in the humans we are connected with in life. When situations and life remove those people from our lives...what do we have left?

So... my answer... put faith and trust in our Father in heaven who will always be there... it's through him that we gain strength, encouragement and stability. When the road is just too hard to journey though, you always have him, and he will never fail you.... now...

My next comment.... have you ever felt like you (man or woman) was just not "good enough, strong enough or smart enough" to just do whatever task has faced you? Don't let situations put a wall between you and what has possibly challenged you. There is a reason that challenge is facing YOU...not me or someone else.. It is facing YOU because YOU can do it... you are after all ONLY GOD'S CHILD!.....

Well..now this might scare some of you off... but I challenge you to visit my site again..... as I know it will only get better...after all... I AM THANKFULLY... A WOMAN ! !

CHERI