A Mother's Day Blog-a-thon

One of my favorite holidays is just around the corner.  Of course, I am a MOM!  I love having my children pay attention to me :)  I enjoy not having to cook (unless my own mother visits and then I want to spoil her with a lovely meal :)   It is a time when a mom gets to enjoy being spoiled a bit!  By the time Mother's Day rolls around, spring has shown her lovely face and we begin to enjoy a bit of warm weather here in our neck of the woods.  And I am a big fan of "honoring" those who have not only given life, but have given so much of their lives and sacrificed to care for their families.

I especially am blessed by the many stories I hear of the way moms have touched a person's life.  Special moments and memories etched in our minds and hearts for eternity.  Some involve tremendous sacrifice, some as simple as a smile when needed.  Other times, a mom was there with a crucial bit of insight at just the perfect time.  And others, just the thought of a special meal or event....even a smell that invokes the feelings of never wanting to let go of that moment.

For the next three weeks, I would love to hear from YOU and your special MOM memories!  I want to dedicate the days leading up to Mother's Day (May 12th) to remembering and honoring our moms. Actually, you might not even have a memory of your mother, but there has been a mom figure in your life and you would love to share a memory.  If you would like to email me your stories (500 words or less), I will review them and then publish them here on the blog.  You can give me your first name only (or not), and I will give you credit for your piece.  I had a friend a few weeks ago send me the most amazing story of her mom who is no longer with us.  That will be one of the first ones I share, along with my own "mom story".   A new and creative way to honor your mom this Mother's Day.  All it takes is a few moments of your time to put your heart on paper (or computer page :) and send it to me.  I would love to hear, maybe shed a tear or two, and even laugh out loud as you remember your momma :)

Actually, when you email, you could attach a photo if you feel comfortable doing that also.

Email stories to   DebbyJD@hotmail.com and put in subject line "MY MOM" .  Ideally, I would like to post a story a day until Mom's Day, but it will take all of you sending me your memories to make this work.

So here we go...our very own Mother's Day Blog-a-Thon.... get those stories rolling in...

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Love, Laughter and Ligaments

There are 14 main ligaments in my back (and yours btw :)....and a couple of mine are in a lot of pain!  Somehow through normal living...and lifting a heavy box :)  ...I have stretched ligaments in my lower back and am somewhat "out of commission" for a bit.  I have spent the last 4 days either lying down with heat or slowly walking and trying to get something done.  I don't sit still very well on normal days, so this is a test for me.  Going to the doctor on Monday was my outing for the week.  Five times a day of lower back exercises and hopefully, someone being around to get me up off the floor is providing entertainment for my entertainment-starved family :)    However, during these days I have developed a deep appreciation and heart of mercy for those with chronic pain.  I am saddened that those who live with constant pain have to do so.  I pray for God's grace to be real to them.

But enough of that....my daughter is home!!  After 6 months of schooling, missions outreach and adventure, she is back and sleeping off her jet lag!  Only a mom (and a dad) can understand the feelings of joy when a child is safe and back home under the same roof.  I have no idea how long she will be under that roof, but I am happy all the same she is here now!  This is the word finding a resting place in my heart today...


'Your servants' children will have a good place to live and their children will be at home with you."   Psalm 102:28 The Message Version

We met her at the airport in party hats and wild sunglasses...sorry, no photo; I was too busy convincing everyone to wear the glasses!  We are laughing, loving and enjoying the family altogether for this time.  I don't in any way take this for granted...I am enjoying every minute!  (She got to be my ride to the doctor on Monday!)

We had a small "family" dinner (plus two and minus one)....does that make sense?  For those of you with busy and larger families, you understand how difficult it is to get them all together for a meal sometimes.  The day after she arrived, we were able to gather 5 of us, plus two boyfriends, and minus one son, who had a snowboarding competition at the mountain.  He again won second place in his division (had to throw that in!).

He deserves a photo here :)

And the family, plus...

I find myself in these quiet moments of sitting still being thankful for what I have.  Our lives seem to be changing constantly...and I am sure change is up ahead...but for now, in this moment, life is good :)  .... except for a few painful ligaments :(   

From my heart to yours, whatever moment you are in today and this week, there is a blessing to be found.  Sometimes, it takes just sitting still to see it :)  

More blogging to come, but I need to go do some exercises...uh, oh...there is no one here to get me up off the floor.  Hmmm....you may not hear from me for a while :)

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A New Modern Fun Look...and A New Name :)

Spring cleaning....changing the furniture around...buying new colors to spruce up your home...okay, it is "summer" but this is what I have felt like recently with my blog.  July took off at a run and I haven't had much time to write or even reflect on writing.  But when a moment arrived, I decided I really wanted a new look, a new title which encompassed more of what I was trying to communicate, and in a sense "throw out the old" and get a little more "hip"...can I say that... "hip"??  I think I just did :)  

So...in a hip moment...and with my daughter home after a 7-week long road trip, my help to renovate the blog arrived!   We spent some hours together, brainstorming, and I like what we came up with!  That "communications degree" came in handy!  The blog is more up-to-date, technically, visually and I am learning so much about how blogging can enhance the writing dream on my heart.  There are portions of the blog still under construction, so please be patient as I learn :)  

One thing which is really cool and I didn't have on the other blog is you can not only "join" the blog, but subscribe to it via email.  This isn't "new" with blogs, just new with me :)  So if you would like to be notified when I post a new writing, please subscribe to me via email (your email is safe with me!) and you will know when I write something incredible, encouraging and life-changing...or maybe not, but it could be fun!!  I won't be writing every day, so you won't be inundated with unnecessary email, but you will be notified when I do post :)  I hope to expand in not only writing, but linking you to new fun sites, possibly give away some fun gifts, and open up a whole new world of communication (at least for me :)

And yes, I changed the "title".  I felt "heart 2 heart" was more all encompassing in what I am trying to share in my writing.  My heart to yours. I want to tell the stories of my life...of your life....and encourage us in our journey together.  We will see where this takes us.

So...bookmark this page....subscribe by email and let's have some fun together!

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