He Is My Everything

i hear, see, sense God in everything.

even in those things where i might say,
"oh, that is not from or about God," or
"that does not honor God,"
God is still the gauge.

and even in those times that i've sat in darkness,
it was the absense of His light that i perceived.

everything.
He is everything to me.

Free People

The Free People catalog is one of my favorites, fashionably speaking.  I flip through that thing and finish feeling free to show you my true colors, fashionably speaking.  (And then I usually remember my age.)

Seriously, though, those folks are at least providing some great fashion direction.  Take this Native American-inspired poncho, for instance.  I could get it from their book for $168 ... or I could simply follow their direction at my favorite thrift shop instead.  I got mine for one dollar. 
That's almost free, people.



And that's really what this whole thing is about, see.  I have gratefully been freed from the tyranny of high-dollar desire, that overwhelming urge to purchase instantly and at their highest offer. 



And that's the reason that I share all of this ... because, well, you know ...
free people free people.

I've Got Dreams To Remember

I walked into a crowded boutique, sat down on a bed, and removed my boots and four pairs of socks. Some young women standing next to me started pulling sandals from a backpack and together we admired the shoe craftsmanship. At last I said, "I can do better than these shoes."

Rather suddenly, everyone left the building, apparently headed to some kind of church event. Only the boutique owner and I were left. She came to me and asked if she could help me with something. I said, "I can still spend my money but I have to do it responsibly. I used to walk all around, looking at everything but now I know that I want one special thing and would like to find it here. So please show me your shoes and your earrings."

She went to and came back from various corners of the shop, carrying hand-picked boxes, showing me very unique things, but none of them were quite "it." Finally, in an effort to surmise my particular style, she asked, "If you were the parking lot sloan, who would bring you the mask?" "Like snoopy," I asked.  She nodded.

"Oh," I answered, "Glinda the good witch."

And then I woke up.

This Is The Look That Love Built

For day two of our recent love-fest*,

• Hat and vintage leather jacket from my favorite thrift shop, which just happens to be a ministry of my church - and where I have the joy to serve
• Scarf that I bought while with a favorite friend on one of our wandering together days
• Affordable jeans, for real
• Boots that were, again, a gift - this time from someone whose name I knew, a friend - but still, I'm blown away by the kindness and generosity that does exist in the world.  It's out there.  Keep the hope!

*Day one is here.

I've Got Yo' Poncho



That's it.  That's all I've got.

The Take Away

When I'm dressing for the big events in life, I tend to think as much about where it came from as I do about where I'm going.

Recently, honey and I went away for our annual "Celebrate That Honey Survived That Heart Attack" weekend.

Here's what I took for day one:

• Vintage sweater vest, which speaks to my love of old stuff, nods at my love of embellishment (it has ties!), possibly winks at my politics.
• Overpriced jeans which I purchased in my former days - and continue to wear because 1) former, for real, so I can't replace them, and 2) they remind me to hold what I've got.  In the lessons learned sense.
• Boots that were a gift from a customer whose name I did not even know.

  

One of the things that you might take away from this is that neither one of us knows how to use that stupid camera.

Doesn't matter that we one-upped the model.  Doesn't matter how many "take better pictures" blogs I've read.  We can never seem to get this picture thing just right.

Doesn't matter though.  I assure there are other things that we do get right - at least some of the time.

...


And that brings me to what I hope you'll take away from this:

• Never overlook those who cross your path.  The person whose name you do not know today may be the one who tomorrow blesses you or who needs to be blessed by you.
• Love the people that God places in your life because you do not know when your time with them will end.
• Be grateful for every trial, every blessing, every day. 
• Every day, be grateful. 

Live Free or Die

First of all, I thought this would be titled "Grateful" until I actually sat down to write it. This new title makes total sense to me now and I hope both will make sense to you when I’m done.

Second - and this is important - the stuff that I’m about to lay out here is a reflection on my own experience and is not intended as any sort of finger-pointing. I’ve tried always to be clear and forthcoming about my own inward reflection and would not have thought such a thing necessary to say except that I’ve seen much "out there" lately (reaction wise) to indicate a possible otherwise.

So now, three years ago at about this time, my husband had a heart attack, the kind commonly referred to as the widow-maker. Without making this whole thing about that experience entirely, I’ll share only this part: when the doctor who was performing the heart catheter came out to tell me that what was supposed to be a fifteen minute procedure resulting in the installation of a stint was turning out to be much more serious - "dangerous" was the word he used - and that they’d had to call in an open-heart surgeon just in case my husband’s artery blew out which would require emergency bypass surgery, and he allowed me to see my husband for just a moment before the surgeon arrived and they continued with the procedure...well, it was my husband who prayed for us. I could barely even breathe through my tears. Need I tell you how grateful I am for him?

As soon after his recovery as he was able to climb stairs again, we went away for the weekend to celebrate simply the fact that we still had such opportunity. How grateful we both were that weekend at the beach back in ‘09! How grateful we’ve tried very hard to be on every day since then. It’s a trick sometimes. I’m assuming you know what I mean. So it’s an anniversary now, an annual practice for us to spend a weekend away celebrating the life that God has given us.

This year, we threw in a couples’ massage - at 7:30, Saturday morning! (Really??!!) Later on, we would ask each other questions such as, "Are we being frivolous?" "Do we really deserve anything?" Etc., but that’s not what this is about. At least, not exactly. I’m not sure if it was the shortage of morning coffee, if it was an endorphin thing, or if it was just part of the enlightenment process but I found myself reflecting on some very unexpected things that morning.

I’ll start with massage as that’s as logical as any other place. I can’t remember the last time I had one before this time, but I used to have them regularly, and not the therapeutic kind. The indulgent, stupidly-expensive kind. I also had pedicures - either frequently or slightly less frequently. And manicures too, of course. But these were my indulgences (vanity-wise.) I had regulars too. I saw a hairdresser ev-er-y six weeks for cut, color, highlights, Coiffure (read with french accent, please.) I saw an aesthetician every five weeks because, after all, "you brush your teeth every day but still see the dentist every six months."

When looking back at my former self, I wonder how it is that all that high maintenance didn’t yield a better-looking product. That is where I find my Dorian Gray. You can paint a canvas over and over again, but the oily ugly* will eventually seep through. Thank God I have been freed from such a prison as that.

Nowadays...I "run up the road" when I have twenty minutes to spare and my (new) hairdresser can work me in for a "super-trim." I color my own hair from a box. Occasionally, I pin in highlights (but they’re usually pink.) Way less than frequently, I’ll spend an afternoon giving myself a pedicure - employing my dremel tool when necessary. I make my own facial pastes with things such as aspirin or vinegar. (Pinterest, anyone?)

How much God has changed me. How much more work He will do in me. How grateful I am.

"For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death." Romans 7:5

"O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God - through Jesus Christ our Lord!" Romans 7:24-25

"Today I have given you the choice between life and death" Deuteronomy 30:19a

I have chosen to live free in Christ rather than die in my sin. Thank God that He loves me enough to make this possible.

*As I lay there reflecting on my wasteful past, other indulgences came naturally to mind, my various addictions through the years. Alcohol, cigarettes, prescriptions, shopping, to name the doozies. Shopping has been my last and hardest addiction to beat. I say again, addiction manifests itself in all manner of ways and I do not disregard my susceptibility to establishing new addictions / addictive patterns. 

"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:20, daily.

Or in other words, to live free I must also die to my selfish, indulgent will.  Daily.  Thank God that Jesus made the way for me.