Archives July 2019

With summer heating up into the 100 degree temperatures here in Missouri, it’s easy for me to want to stay inside and enjoy the a.c. with a good book at a cup of joe. Although it takes a lot for me to sit down and be still, I do on occasion find my favorite spot on the bed with a pillow behind my head and pages to turn between my fingers.

The following is the “Kelly’s List of Favorite Books” to not only enjoy in reading but also to let your mind take you on a little mini vacay without having to even leave your cozy house.

1. “Taking Aim” by Eva Shockey

2. “Chasing Redbird” by Sharon Creech

3. “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee

4. “It’s Not Supposed To Be This Way” by Lysa TerKeurst

5. “Crushing” by T.D. Jakes

6. “Shaken” by Tim Tebow

7. “Uninvited” by Lysa TerKeurst

8. “Wonder” by R.J. Palacio

9. “Little House on the Prairie” by Laura Ingalls Wilder

10. “The Color Purple” by Alice Walker

and for good measure I’m extending the list to 11 because I just remembered a book that I can read over and over again…

11. “The Outsiders” by S.E. Hinton

Anyone that knows me knows that I hate to sit down long enough to actually read a book. But this “short” list are my absolute favorites and could sit down, read and get lost in again.

If you haven’t read any of them, they are worth it to open the pages. I promise you that once you get started you’ll want to stay until the end.

Stay gold, Ponyboy!

Kelly 🙂

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I found this today and it really hit me in a place I’ve been struggling with lately.

Sometimes we have difficult situations and difficult people in our lives that we just don’t know WHAT or HOW to handle. Repeated attempts at reconciliation just end up at “brick wall status” and you’re left with frustration, anger, and most of all resentment.

But what if those people and those situations are meant to GROW you and not FRUSTRATE you? I am a firm believer that there are no happenstances, coincidences. Every moment and every person you meet God put in your path, for something. 

For me, I have to constantly remind myself that I haven’t been buried anywhere. God PLANTED me where he wanted me to do good works. I remember almost 11 years ago, when I met Wes for the first time, how it all transpired and if there was ever a “GOD BREATHED” event it was the moment God placed him in my life. I had been praying for God to bless me with a good Godly man to share my life with and about two weeks before I laid eyes on HIM I laid eyes on his flaming Dodge. I was at the intersection of AB and 160 at the light and, as I was sitting there, this black, flaming Dodge dooley goes through right in front of me. Now normally I would just sit there and wait for the light but this time that flaming Dodge caught my attention, and I remember thinking “WHO on earth would make payments on a truck that looked like THAT?” It was about two weeks later Wes magically appeared in my life at the restaurant I was working at. Although I had worked nights there for about a year, and he had frequented it during that time, our paths had never crossed. I’ll always know that he was God sent, which leads me to my point.

We don’t get to pick who God sends into our lives. He knows ahead of time who He needs to send to us. He has a plan for each person, just like YOU are a plan for someone else as well. God needs for us to learn and grow so that He can use us for His grand scheme. We will NEVER grow in comfort. We have to be taken out of that place and pushed to our limits relationally if we desire real growth.

If you’re dealing with a difficult situation or person in your life, and they are family, just know that God is working on you both. He brought you together for a purpose and sometimes we just have to be obedient to His Word and press on. God will reveal what He wants us to know WHEN it’s time. Keep on praying about it. Keep on loving. Keep on keeping on. 

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” – 2 Timothy 4:7

Sometimes we deal with difficult situations and difficult people and sometimes…we ARE the difficult people.

Love and Peace to You All,

Kelly 🙂

One of my all-time favorite sayings and the only reason I can think of is because it’s so deep and though provoking.

“The axe forgets what the tree remembers.”

I don’t know about you but I remember every hurt that anyone ever inflicted upon me. Some are deeper than others but many times when the mere mention of a name or remembrance of an event can bring it all back just like the moment it happened.

I think sometimes when WE have inflicted a hurt on someone else and then apologize, it’s over in our minds and we move on past it. However, when it’s OUR hurts it’s a little bit harder to let go of and forget.

We are all a constant work in progress and thank God that we are. How else would we ever strive to become better than we were yesterday and to become the person God has created us to be.

Peace and love,

Kelly 🙂