Thankful and Grateful in ALL things

I took a spill off my horse Saturday evening. I was playing polocrosse at Camp Waldemar. The horses were running down the field and mine started bucking. The last thing I remember seeing was me going over my horse's neck. I landed hard on the small of my back. This Texas ground is rock hard in our current drought. Thankfully I didn't break anything and I am healing. I was able to get up and walk off the field. I must have strong bones, another thing I am thankful for. My Mom is staying with me for a few days and driving me to work. It is so good to have a helping hand. I have been forced to slow down and be still, allowing time to heal. Yoga will help when I can get back to it.
I saw a storm roll in last night. It is invigorating to feel the wind pick up, smell the ozone, see the lightening in the distance, to hear the thunder. I love storms, it is like God's fireworks. My house sits on top of a mountain and I can see for miles and miles.
It is my prayer that with each day I will have the eyes to see and understand the blessings placed before me. Every little one and the big ones too!

Tyler and Blake were here last week. Time flies when you are having fun. We packed in as much as you can in 3 days. I was so glad that they had the chance to see each other. As they get older and live all over the place it takes some effort and planning to stay connected. Blake is in Colorado and Tyler is in Kentucky. We had time to visit with family-the Baxters and my Mom, friends-Connie and Karl Akers, Jeremiah Sanford. We enjoyed an evening around the pool and grilling out. We went horseback riding at camp. They went to Austin for a night on the town. This picture was taken at the brewery in Fredericksburg, my favorite town in all the world. What could be better than to be there with my boys? Sharing in happy memories with the ones we love. What a blessing!

Seeking Him in the Silence

I can feel fall in the air. It was 58 this morning and that is cool in Texas. As the days get shorter I am missing my porchtime. I have been sitting in my rocking chair in the mornings and enjoying the sunrise and devotional time. Now that the sunrise is later I don't have as much daylight before getting ready for work. I know how easy it is for me to come home after work and the gym and just veg in front of the TV. I feel guilty doing this because I know I could be doing something creative, reading a good book, journaling or spending time with the Lord listening to Him. I know that it is important to constantly question myself and my actions to keep them in balance. We all need to have down time. God told us to honor the Sabbath because we need to slow down and remember to keep it all in balance. With that thought in mind I will take a two week break from Facebook, TV and other distractions to focus my time at home on more productive things. I am so thankful for the beautiful Texas hill country I live in. God has given me this honeymoon time to be with Him. He has given me this time to grow and heal. I want to be wise and obedient so I will be growing into the woman He intends me to be.

I am looking forward to a visit from Blake and Tyler next week. They will be here Wed. to Sat. The time will fly by. It always does when you are having fun.

Seven Days in Utopia

It was a nice Labor Day. A friend of mine from Dallas came for the weekend. We went to see the movie 7 days in Utopia. It was filmed in Utopia, Texas - just down the road from camp. Robert Duval is the star (he is one of my favorite actors from Lonesome Dove). It is a great film with a positive life lesson. It helps remind me that life isn't about what we do for a living or the success we achieve in the eyes of the world but about the truth. We have to experience God to trust Him. It has to be a deep rooted part of who we are so that what we say and do line up with His character. I have experienced that over this past year with many struggles and pain. I have had to reach out for help and survive day to day. I listened to christian music, read the bible, talked with other believers, listened to sermons, etc. The foundation is laid for my faith so that even in my dreams I find myself saying the lyrics to songs that heal my heart. When life shakes your foundation and you are faced with a fork in the road, which direction are you going to choose? I think choosing God to lead you by the right hand is the only choice that will give you peace. Sometimes our trials are really God's mercies in disguise. I want God's mercy to flow over me. Go see the movie Seven Days in Utopia if it comes to your town.

Riding in the light of the Full Moon

I just finished doing some work in my office. It is sooo quiet. No phones ringing - not a sound. The security guard just came by. He is an ex-game warden and knows lots of people in the area and Uvalde. I have met his wife and daughter. I am going to have his daughter come ride with me tomorrow evening. She is getting her license to be a dental hygienist. We have some people staying at the health lodge tonight. There is a deer hunting convention going on in San Antonio and these people are deer breeders. They are buying some deer from Clayton.

It is finally cooling off and I am going to the barn to do a little riding. I took three counselors for a moonlight ride last night at 10:00 p.m. Stephen, Kelly and Jessica rode with me until 11:30. It was a full moon and riding on a caliche road you can see very well. We rode four miles to the main road and back. Great conversation about where they were going in life. The temperature was perfect. They all said it was the best way to end camp. I am so glad that I get to share riding with others here and have young people come in and out of my life. I hope that I leave a footprint on their lives like they do on mine.

Camp will be ending this Sunday. I have mixed feelings about it - I'll welcome having weekends free again, I'll miss camp. I have so many things to be thankful for. First of all, that God brought me to this place. He really does give us more than we could ask. It has been a great summer. He made it all happen and it fell into place perfectly. I love the people, the kids, the horses, the art, the music, the hill country. I would not want to live in any other part of Texas. I am blessed. Reconnecting with friends after many years. Living in a house that is so beautiful it could be on the cover of a magazine. Keeping my horses. Now for phase two, moving back into the Hunt and Kerrville area. I am looking forward to getting involved and serving in the community. Today's devotional really spoke to my heart. I hope it does yours too.

From the foundation of the world I had your life planned out, knowing which twists and turns of the road you would choose to travel on. I have a way prepared for you if you would but learn to take My hand and trust Me to lead you.

I need you to be of strong moral character, and stand up against the evil all around you. I want you to take good care of the body I created for you to live in.

Your soul is Mine.

I have chosen you,

redeemed you,

and made you Mine.

No more fear. No more second thoughts. We are traveling together and there is so much I have in store for you if you keep on the path with Me.

Yes, we will reach the summit, but it will be a much higher one if you stay connected to Me. I cannot force you to do the things I put in front of you. You must make daily choices for good and evil, for My service, for the personal calling I have for you. If you choose not to follow today, that means we will accomplish a little less.

Please take My hand and let Me lead you into uncharted territory, places you have never been before. I have so much in store for you if you would but let Me take you there.