Photos Galore!

You know what is one nice thing about unpacking? Going through your old stuff. I mean, like mementos and stuff as you find new places to store them. Today, I started going through several boxes that hold my photo albumns and other picture holders (Yes, I have a ton!).

I have photos dating all the way back to grade school, ever since my parents got me my first camera. Now, don't think I took up photography or anything, I just like taking pictures, so they definitely aren't professional or anything.

Still, there's something about going through photos that brings a smile to my face. Such innocence, such simplicity. Was it really worth all that drama? (referring to those high school years) So many people have come and gone in my life, and it's nice sometimes to go look over the snapshots to remember the footprints they left in my life--good or bad.

I've always been a people-oriented person, so it's no surprise that it is people who lend me strength, hope, encouragement. I think the worse thing for me is to shut myself up away from the world (which, oddly, I have a habit of doing). It is definitely no wonder that the people in my life are my joy. Any one person can bring a smile to my face with just a hello.

And as I flip through the photos, it is nice to be reminded of how far I've come as a person myself. The maturity overall, and as a friend to others. Looking back, I am blessed by all the people God placed in my life. As the saying goes, some were only for a season, but others are there for a lifetime.

Do you have a box(es) of photos that you go through? How often do you go through them? Been through them lately? Why/why not?

Make a Joyful Noise

As the weekend approaches, I'm in a whirl of excitment. We are finally getting our house next week. In case you didn't know, in January my family and I arrived in Hawaii, where we'll be for the next three years (my husband is in the military). We've been in a hotel ever since. It's been a frustrating experience, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Praise the Lord!

So, today, let's make a joyful noise! Not just for me, but for each other. I am far from a feminist, but I still think we need to rejoice in the fact that we are women. God made each of us unique in powerful ways. We have so much potential when we open ourselves up to God's purpose for us.

We are strong! Who else could endure running a household, work, family, ministry...all while cramping and bloating? Yeah!

We are nurtuters! Not only did God build in the natural instincts to take care of our families--it goes far beyond that--we help others. We extend our light to friends and even strangers.

We travel in packs! Okay, men make fun of us because we do everything together. We laugh/cry together, we shop together, we workout together, we even go to the restroom together. Well, we're social creatures, what do they expect?

We are emotional! Just another God-given ability. We are emotional for good reason, it gives us a supernatural knack for relating to other people.

That's just a short list of what makes women so wonderful. I'm sure I could go on and on, but then I would potentially bore you. I rejoice in the wonderful femmes that God has placed in my life over the years. Some were only there for a season, some are closer than sisters. That's pretty amazing for a girl who turned her nose up at the other girls in high school.

So, call up a girlfriend and make a joyful noise. Tell her how awesome she is and how much you value your friendship. Another thing about women, we never get tired of hearing how much we mean to someone!