Posts

Waxed Apples

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  A taste, a smell or a sound can transport you back to a memory. The Waxed Apple was one of my favorite fruits in Taiwan. Ever since I have returned, I have looked for it when I visited an Asian grocery store. Every time it was nowhere to be found, until today. I wasn't looking for it. I was simply enjoying all the familiar foods I was seeing in this international grocery store. I had come with friends, and we were enjoying ourselves as we picked out what we wanted to bring home. Then, I saw out of the corner of my eye the unique pink color. I couldn't believe my eyes. Truth be told, I almost cried. This apple is refreshing on a hot and humid day. For me, it's so much more. The touch, taste and smell all brought me back to many happy memories.  God is good.

Peeps with Mom

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  Mom’s doing great in rehab. She’s healing well. Thank you to all who have prayed and continue to pray. We have a journey ahead of us. I’m glad for some light moments today as we shared purple peeps together, her favorite snack. God is good.

This Beautiful Life

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 I’ve been driving in the rain for over 4 hours. It’s not been the best drive of my life and I’ve been on a lot of road trips. I had my worship music blasting and yes I most definitely was singing on the top of my lungs. Why not, it’s just me and Jesus in the car.  I was able to do a lot of thinking too. A lot of life changes happening at once. I believe RJ finally has college direction and he’s thrilled about it. Some other things happened, that I’m not going to share, but it did put fear in me that I have not felt since I moved to NC. I was able to overcome it today on this drive. My mom (Iris) is in rehab and I meet with a lot of people tomorrow to talk about her health and her future. All of this and more swirling around me. I whispered the name above all names- Jesus and He was right there next to me. The simple question came, “ Is it still a beautiful life?” I was quiet. The fear I was facing was causing me to believe I couldn’t keep this new life that I loved so much. I...

He Cares

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  Tomorrow night I will be heading to NJ to meet with the doctors and to see my mom. This is going to be a difficult meeting.  Life is filled with seasons. Some are beautiful and some not so beautiful.  God's faithfulness remains the same. I have walked with Lord long enough to know He is just as with me in the valley as He is in the mountain. He is a steady and faithful friend. I trust Him. I was thinking on this during my lunch break. I had gone to the park and was soaking up the sunshine. I looked down on the grass and saw some wild berries growing on the grass and remembered a powerful sermon preached by Bro. Loammi Diaz on God feeds the birds. If God feeds the birds, how much more will He take care of you and me. He walks with us. He goes before us. He makes a way. He is our provider. He is our peace.  God is good. 

Last College Visit

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 Yesterday, we attended our last college visit. RJ has until the end of this month to make a decision. We spent a long time at Appalachia State University. It's a beautiful campus and I would say the most unique out of them all. I will probably go back to visit this area on a Saturday, simply because it's so beautiful. I know he will pray and choose the right school for him. He's a fine young man and I am so proud of him. God is good.

Seasons

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  We like to say that we have different seasons of life. There comes a moment when your parents cross over to a different place and season where they are no longer the independent parent you always knew. My mom (Iris) has always been extremely independent. Stubborn and not willing at times to do what she should do for her health. The last time I visited she looked so good. Healthy, strong and happy. It takes one fall to change it all. Yesterday, she fell and broke her hip. I was not able to go to the hospital and the doctor suggested I wait until we knew how the operation went and instead focus on what the plan will be when she gets out of rehab. He had full confidence she would be fine when she was operated on. He was right. I knew this because people were praying all over the world for my mom and I know who my God is.  The real test will be how she responds and recovers in rehab. I would love for her to move back to her home and keep her independence, but I also know to be h...

A Beautiful Deception

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  The past week, I have seen this beautiful flower in the trees all over North Carolina. It's even on the trees behind where I live. It fills the air with the most amazing scent. I finally looked it up and discovered it's called Wisteria. If kept in check and pruned it is a wonderful and pleasant flower.  It truly is mesmerizing. However, if left to grow freely, it becomes an invasive plant. The flower becomes a beautiful deception.  If you are not careful and you allow it to cover a tree, it will consume the tree and eventually kill it. What seems to be mesmerizingly wonderful can cause you to lose sight of what it really is and if not kept in checked, it becomes very hard to defeat. It will bring death to whatever it has consumed.  I find that to be a very valuable life lesson. Just because it looks good and feels good, doesn't always mean it's good. Too much of something can have a negative effect. You can put this into relationships all the way to the food we eat...