If you have some time this weekend, I would encourage you to check out my friends Lynn’s and Dineen’s brand new website “Winning Him Without Words”. Their first book will be released later this month. The website has wonderful resources and you can even win some prizes . Just click on the image above to get to the website.

Thanks for stopping in today. Have a blessed weekend!!!

Current Mood: Happy

Check our this month’s Exemplify issue here. The theme is ‘Simplicity’…Don’t I need it ever to simplify my life. Sometimes my job gets in the way …

Have a blessed day in the Lord,

Current Mood: Blessed †

The old farm on a dirt road in the backwoods of northern New York State was described to me so many times, I can imagine the place, even though I never saw it: the big frame house with the wide porch, the pair of maple trees out front, and the barn in the back where my grandparents kept a cow or two, pigs and chickens, and a team of work horses.

That old house came alive for me in dozens of stories that my mother told, of how she and her sisters grew up there during the Depression. The stories had that long-ago feel not only because of the years that had passed, but also because of the era: tales of riding in a horse and buggy in the summer and a horse and sleigh in the winter. My grandfather owned an old Model A Ford, but the tires were patched beyond repair and there was no money for gasoline.

One story that has always stayed with me was of a particular Christmas in the early 1930s, a time my mother remember as the “depths of the Depression,” and there was no money. In order to pay the interest on the mortgage, to keep the bank from foreclosing on the farm, my grandfather needed a relatively small sum. The amount I remember being told was $13, but for the little they had in those days it might as well have been $13,000.

Tested by trouble and sorrows, my grandparents relied on their deep and abiding faith. As Psalm 34 tells us, I sought the Lord, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears. The answer to their prayers was to be found right in their own backyard with gifts of the earth. My grandmother went into the woods to gather bushel baskets full of ground pine, with green sprouts like miniature boughs that spread in great patches along the earth. From willow branches she made hoops, around which she bound the ground pine to make wreathes.

She sat up all night making wreaths, enough to fill a large hamper basket, which my grandfather strapped to his back. At four in the morning, he hopped a ride on the milk train into Syracuse, where he went door-to-door selling wreathes. Night after night, my grandmother made wreaths, and day after day my grandfather sold them.

As Christmas approached, my grandmother had saved coupons that came in tins of coffee to get a Kewpie doll for her daughters. The only other things she gave them were mittens she knit herself.

Then on Christmas Eve, my grandfather came home from the last day of selling wreaths, exhausted but relieved. The farm was safe for another year. From what he had earned, he had a dime left over, which he spent on his beloved wife to buy her a powder puff. That night, my grandmother gave him her surprise: enough money from selling butter and eggs all year to buy four new tires for the Model A Ford.

Hearing this story as a child, my head was too full of the Sears & Roebuck “Wish Book” catalog to really comprehend it. As an adult, I try to fathom living with no money at all. What lingers in my heart, however, is the love of my grandparents for each other: the dashing young American soldier in World War I and the beautiful French girl he met overseas and then returned to her country to marry.

Many years, thousands of miles, and untold hardships later, that love continued. During a very dark December, they found a way together to keep the farm and the family together. And so it would always be for them.

Patricia Crisafulli is a writer, published author, and founder of Faith, Hope and Fiction, a monthly e-literary magazine with stories, essays, and poetry to inspire and entertain.

Current Mood: Blessed †

During a quiet moment after Thanksgiving, I started reading my parents’ stack of love letters that I recently found in a storage box. As a Christmas gift to you, I would like to share my father’s words to my mother written to her during Christmas 1949. This incredible “hug from heaven” has been a tangible affirmation that Pearl Girls has true meaning and great worth for women throughout the world. I pray that God will continue to bless this ministry and outreach. May we all realize that the grit in our lives can be transformed into grace through the love of God.

This is what I found written on a tiny folded card inscribed with “Christmas Greetings” on the front:

Christmas 1949

My Dearest Carolyn,

Truly a jewel is a thing of beauty, but a life that is lived to serve others and to glorify our Christ, such as yours, is my dearest, a far surpassing gem in radiance and beauty.

Pearls to me, symbolize this “Life Beautiful” that you have achieved, Carolyn. Each pearl is a result of a great hurt to the oyster’s life. But the little mollusk builds an iridescent coat around this source of hurt, and as a result, the precious pearl comes into being. Life is like that too.

If we, like the pearl, can make of our hurts the basis of a thing of beauty, then we can bear witness to an on-looking world how Christians can overcome through Christ, blows that are seemingly insurmountable.

At this happiest season of the year, I give thanks to God for you, Carolyn – my Pearl of Great Price.

Your Claude

Isn’t this an amazing Christmas Pearl? I hope this message has touched your heart, too. Another Christmas gift I would like to share with you: My father’s lessons on leadership. These can be found on my guest blog post at Michael Hyatt’s website.

During this holiday season, decorate your life with Christmas Pearls — strands of God’s grace-reminders that nothing can separate us from his love, not even the grittiest of circumstances.

And please celebrate the “Pearls of Great Price” in your life through Post a Pearl. It’s a fun and free gift that you can share with special people who have been a blessing to you over the years.

Merry Christmas!

Margaret McSweeney lives with her husband David and two teenage daughters in the Chicago suburbs. She’s the founder of Pearl Girls and a published author. Please visit www.pearlgirls.info for more info. You can also find Margaret at her writing blog, From Finance to Fiction or on Facebook and twitter.

__________________________________________

A three strand pearl necklace will be given away on New Year’s Day. All you need to do to have a chance of winning is leave a comment here. Come back on New Year’s Day to see if you won!

Current Mood: Blessed †

“And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.”
~ Colossians 3:14-15 (ESV ~ emphasis mine)

How was your Thanksgiving? I hope you were able to rest some. I know that many of you had family time. I think it is marvelous that at least once a year we slow down to be thankful around the table with extended family…

I have to admit, that praising Him, being thankful at least once a week has changed my attitude. Being grateful/thankful every single day – sharing it every week, became not an attitude, but a way of life. Don’t you have to agree?

Here is my list for this week of thanksgiving to share with you all…

• Thank You Lord for giving me something on a daily basis to be thankful for. You have changed my attitude toward gratitude…
• Thank You Lord for the time I had with my beloved last week. It was wonderful to have 4 days off together. No getting up early on Friday – YEAH!!!!
• Thank You Lord for the time we had with Daniel and Sarah last Friday. It was wonderful to go to dinner, have some time together as a family…
• Thank You Lord for the time we had with my in-laws on Thursday. It was nice to see them…
• Thank You Lord for friends. I don’t know what I would do without them. They prayers, encouragements are daily reminders for Your faithfulness this side of Heaven…
• Thank You Lord for your Word. It is wonderful to have a power-verse every single week to memorize. So far (only two weeks into the program), I am doing well having the verses ‘written’ on my heart…
• Thank You Lord for Your daily provision and some extra provision that I am able to share my blessings with others…
• Thank You Lord for Your continued blessings on Laced with Grace. When I tend to see black, You always provide what we need. Your timing is always perfect. Lord, help me to trust and don’t get discouraged…
• And Lord, I am thankful for this community of Thankful bloggers that have come together every week to share their blessings with others on the Internet…

What are you thankful for this week? Please do share with us by leaving your link below. Please let me know if you are having trouble with Mr. Linky. There were issues couple weeks ago, and this week. I hope not today…

Thank you for stopping by today; remember: thankfulness can became a way of life – give it a try …

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Current Mood: Blessed † & Thankful

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: … a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted…”
~ Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 (ESV ~ emphasis mine)

The other night on my way home I thought about our son (as I do often…and pray for him)…I can not believe that he is on his own for a year already.

As I was thinking about the past year, I thought about all the seasons – not only the yearly seasons, but the seasons of life. And I finally got the passage of Ecclesiastes…we have to let go of the past and look to the future…So my focus today is on the seasons of my life and how the Lord helped me grow through them…

• Lord, thank You for being there for me in all the seasons of my life. No matter how far away I was at one point, You made sure that I don’t fall off the edge completely. You always has me in sight…
• Lord, thank You for allowing me to grow in my marriage. Although not always the perfect wife, You helped me to become better at it…
• Lord, thank You for allowing me to be a mom. Motherhood has helped me to become more patient. Thank You for helping me through the hard years of teenage hood…
• Lord, thank You for the childhood I had. I am for ever grateful for my parents. Their love for you has left an imprint on my heart…
• Lord, thank You for all the friendships you have brought into my life. The past and current ones. All the friendships have helped me to grow into the woman I am today…
• Lord, thank You for all the wonderful Biblical teachers in my life. With the power of Your Spirit, they have helped me learn more about You…
• And Lord, thank You for what You are going to do for the next season in my life. Lord, may I have an open heart and spirit to follow you, no matter what…

What are you thankful for today? I would love for you to link up your post below.

Thank you for stopping by today. Remember: no matter what season in life you find yourself in, cherish the past, but look with joy to the future…

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Current Mood: Thankful

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
~ 1 Peter 2:9-10 (ESV emphasis mine)

Over the last couple of weeks I reflected about relationships…My relationship with my Lord and Savior, with family and friends. The one thing that became clear is that if you speak out, share your heart, be honest with each other, things can be resolved…

So this week, my focus is on relationships…

• Thank You Lord that I can share my heart with You. No matter what happens in my life, You always find a way to comfort me…
• I am thankful for the relationship I have with my beloved. Although we sometimes do not agree on all things, I can talk with him about everything. I am thankful that he listens to me and I have an ear for his concerns. I think that makes our marriage work…
• I am thankful that I have a good relationship with our son. Although we don’t see him often, we do talk on the phone often. I guess we did something right …
• I am thankful for the relationships I have with some gals across the country. Although I have not been on the ‘net’ the past couple of weeks too often, I know that I can count on them when I am in need…
• I am thankful for the relationship I have with my mom. Although 6,000 miles away, we have still a strong friendship…
• And I am thankful for the relationships that are not friendships, but that help me grow and stand firm in what I believe in. I think that our Lord puts some people in our lives to make us stronger – stronger in faith and reliance on Him (does that make sense?

What are you thankful for this week? Please do share with us. I want to thank all 113 women who participated last week – God is so AWESOME bringing us together here on the ‘net’. Just imagine all the people that are searching for hope and come across your blog. God is using you ladies to reach out to the hopeless …

Thank you for stopping by today…remember – YOU are HIS people – made holy through your relationship with Christ Jesus…

1. Stacy 2. Tammy 3. Melanie 4. the cookntchermom 5. Felicity 6. Tracy @ Seed Thoughts 7. Cheryl@Hope 8. Denise 9. Gina’s Public Diary 10. flmom 11. Ann/mom2HandH 12. Peggy@3Ms…aMazingGrace 13. Angie 14. Paula @ Refined By Him 15. toknowhim 16. Kathy 17. Tracy @ Thirsty for Him 18. SharonB 19. BP @ Raindrops & Rainbows 20. Karen – Thankful for God’s Work in My Life 21. Millie 22. Susan @ Forever His 23. Lynn (Spiritually Unequal Marriage) 24. Willnette 25. Serendipity Park 26. Twinkle Mom 27. Colleen 28. Beth@The Accidental Pharisee 29. Mamasmurf (Chrissy) 30. Nancie 31. Pia @ My Life’s Journey 32. ari_1965 33. sharon 34. Lisa@blessedwithgrace 35. Kristi @ Kikis Corner 36. Janera – My Garden Hat 37. Colored Heart 38. Miriam Pauline 39. candyQ

40. Kim aka GoofyMamma(hubby) 41. Tere {Blessings in Life} 42. Liza’s Eyeview 43. Renee @ In Christ Alone 44. Linda 45. sherry 46. Beverly (by Grace) 47. Heather @ Not a DIY Life 48. Aisha @ The Holley Herald 49. Nichole (Heart 4 My Home) 50. Heather@mommymonk 51. Beth/Mom2TwoVikings 52. Mary 53. Dawn’s Daily Life 54. Sarah @ Burgeon 55. Darlene 56. Peculiar 57. Laurie Ann 58. Mommy Magee 59. Prairie Chick 60. Bright Sunshiny Day! 61. Mary 62. Erica 63. Kim @ Scattered Stones 64. Chelsey at Joyfully Living 65. Bird Poop & Relationships 66. genny 67. in the masters hands 68. Kim @ cowhumor 69. Katy Lin 70. Tania 71. Nancy @ Homemade Blessings 72. Tiffany @ The Faery Inn 73. Carrie – Oak Rise Cottage 74. Susan (A Happy Heart at Home) 75. It’s All About Him! 76. Lea 77. Lalaine@Day to Day Miracles 78. Rosheeda

79. Tami @ The Next Step 80. LaDonna 81. Tracey @ Cheese and Whine 82. Susanne 83. Nichole @ A Call to Higher Places 84. Linda aka Yellowroseli 85. Tara @ Feels like home 86. Irene *The GreenGreek* 87. Julie 88. Cara Lynn 89. Michele 90. Rabia 91. Pat 92. Tea with Tiffany 93. Donetta at a life uncommon 94. Dorothy Bowen Klass 95. Amanda Bowers 96. Kim @ An Artful Life 97. Chandy @ Out Standing in My Field 98. bvoylesal@aol.com 99. Cheryl 100. Janet @ Daily Provision 101. Nessa @ Ramblings of a TX Housewife 102. alihsee 103. HisFireFly 104. godschild 105. Edie 106. In Light of the Truth 107. Rocks 108. Abby 109. Heather 110. Tessa @ Jesus-Filled Hope 111. Bella Mama 112. Stacy 113. Laurie @ womentakingastand 114. Trish @ Venturesome Sojourners 115. Jen–Scraps & Snippets

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Current Mood: Thankful

Elisa, I really didn’t mean to skip the last couple of months on “Living Intentionally”. You see, if I don’t put everything on my ‘blogging calendar’, I forget…I am sorry that I forget once again to set my calendar on sharing my up-dates on “Living Intentionally 2008″…

As I was reading over my list from January, I think that some things have changed. Or a least I have made adjustments to it – more or less…so, let me give you a little up-date on the items.

• “Not pressing ahead of the Lord, but waiting on Him…” – Yes, this one I do have a handle on. I know that I can trust Him; His timing is always perfect – I just have to be open to His guidance – stop and listen.
• “Continue with my morning routine to read my Bible…” – Some days I moved it to a later time of the day to read my Bible. This part I have changed – I want to know the books of Philippians in-and-out by the end of the year. To me, Philippians is the top-of-the-list encouragement book of the Bible…
• “Continue scanning photos of our son…” – this one I had to stop for a while, because it put me into a tail-spin. It made me sad. Let me explain: I am proud of our son – he is a great young man now. Looking at all his baby and childhood photos made me realize that this chapter of my life is closed. Every time I scanned a photo, I had tears in my eyes. I didn’t realize how much it affected me until the day my sweet friend Lynn called me on it – I was on the verge of depression…so, I had to stop scanning for a while. Eventually I will be able to scan all our son’s photos…
• “Expending on Laced with Grace…” Changed that a little too. Instead of going with a forum, we will have guest authors for the rest of the year. We still have one guest spot open . It would be for November – so just let me know if you are interested…
• “Stop and listen to hurting people…” I continue to do that as good as I can throughout my busy days.
• “Share my blessings with others…” I think that I am on track on this one …
• “Writing down thoughts in my little book…” – Argk – not so good on this one. But I have been writing out my prayers…
• “To truly live intentionally…” – Yeah – that has been the strong point this year. Take in every.single.minute. – Count my blessings, even when in the valley…Loving the ones close to me and the ones not so close to me. I pray that I will continue this point for the rest of the year…

To check out more “Living Intentionally 2008″ posts, please visit Elisa at “Extravagant Grace” – our hostess for this monthly meme.

Thank you for stopping by and reading my ramblings…Be blessed today and always…

Current Mood: Okay

“The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.” ~ Psalm 28:7 (ESV)

No special thoughts this week, because my brain is on overload over the last couple of weeks. Today I just want to thank my Lord for the His work in my life and for the things around me…

• Thank You Lord for never giving up on me. I praise You that You always seem to find someone or something that will lead me back on the narrow path…away from the path of destruction…
• Thank You Lord for the beautiful spring weather we are still enjoying here in Arizona…
• Thank You Lord for showing me what I needed to get rid off in my life so I am able to fix my eyes on eternal things again…
• Thank You Lord for lifting my spirits. It was so wonderful to have Daniel home for a couple of hours this past weekend…
• Thank You Lord for the quality time my beloved and I had over this long weekend. It was wonderful to smile and even laugh again…
• Thank You Lord for Your incredible mercy and grace…The only thing I can do is praise Your name because of it…
• Thank You Lord for my mom who always will have an encouraging word for me…
• Thank You Lord for wonderful girlfriends in God who are patient, loving and praying…I wouldn’t know what I would do without Your servants who are willing to reach out to the hurting…
• Thank You Lord for music. Worship music is the best thing that will get me through a workday…
• Last but not least – Thank You Lord for preachers and teachers that are willing to share Your Word with all of us who are willing to listen…

What are you thankful for this week? Would you like to share your thoughts with us? Please leave your link below…

Thank for stopping by today…and remember to let your friends and especially God know when you are hurting…open your heart so the healing can begin.

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Current Mood: Thankful

“Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.” ~ Psalm 51:12 (ESV – emphasis mine)

As I was sitting down to write my Thankful post this week, the words “Lamb of God” kept coming back. As I was sitting in church today for the Ash Wednesday service, tears were flowing down my face. Not because I was sad, but because my heart was overflowing with joy. A joy that comes from knowing that the Lord loves me – no matter what. So, I though it would be an appropriate theme for me this week…

• Thank You Lord for going to Calvary for me so that I may spend eternity with You. Lord, continue to uphold my willing spirit to serve You where ever I can…
• I am thankful that the Lord reminds me that I am at where He wants me. Although I am not always happy about decisions that are made at work, I can have an attitude of joy (more about that in my devotion tomorrow at LWG)…
• I am thankful for my marriage. Although we have had our ups and downs, I am joyful to be married to my Sweetheart. He makes me laugh when my day was not that great…
• I am thankful that our son is doing so well. I already have gotten used to him no living here. But then again, we also have regular contact with him. He is going to Japan with his friends this summer – I think that he might check things out to see if he would like to live there for a little while…
• I am thankful that I learn more and more about Photoshop. It is such a joy to create digital LO’s with Photoshop. I am even scanning photos from our son’s baby-age …
• I am thankful for Mugs of Truth. It gives me great joy that a company has made its goal to share God’s truth on merchandise . Mugs of Truth is having a sale right now on their bracelets. I will be drawing one name of all the Thankful Thursday participants to receive a Philippians 4:13 bracelet. So make sure you link up your Thankful post below …

What are you thankful for today? I hope you will leave your link below to share with us. If you don’t have a blog, still share with us your grateful heart …

Thank you for stopping by today. May our Lord give you renewed joy daily as we reflect on His sacrifice at Calvary.

Blessings to you and yours…

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Current Mood: Thankful