FLOURISH

2 weeks... that's how long I've wanted my own blog. Over the past 2 weeks I've had SO MUCH I wanted to write about - making applesauce, biking 20 miles on a Sunday afternoon, and even rediscovering my natural haircolor (it's been 19 years of highlights) thanks to MacGyver's enthusiastic persuasion. How is it that he is almost always right!? Are your husbands that way too? It's a good thing I've started listening, and occasionally following, his advice. It has proved to be rewarding. Anyway, all those exciting things don't seem quite as exciting anymore, so they'll just have to be happy memories.

Let's begin with last weekend. FLOURISH is the name of the ladies retreat I attended with friends from a different church. This time of year is not my "flourishing" time. I think the changing season affects me more each year. It's more the feeling of wanting to give up the responsiblility of the everyday, boring, hard things (like teaching my - oops! I mean OUR children. He does remind me that they are OUR children and will probably read this at some point). I'd prefer to just hike, bike, try new ethnic recipes, and bake banana chocolate chip muffins. Ooooo, by the way they are soooo delicious! My children have NO idea that they're made with whole wheat four and flax seed. It's one of the first times something that healthy REALLY IS that good. I'll make them sometime and post the recipe...

Anyway, our speaker was a bright, passionate lady from England who wanted to push us out of our comfort zone and make us squirm. She told us so! Well, she was the best speaker I've ever heard! Or maybe God just knew this weekend she had to say what I needed to hear. She spoke about how the Lord created us to Flourish and referred to the passage on faith, hope, and love. Each session she focused on what keeps us from hope, then on faith, and then on love. She then taught us God's promises referring to each one and to 'have courage' to claim those promises for ourselves and our families. Well, it connected for me - in both my heart and my head. It's always hard to take a weekend like that along with what I've learned and merge it with my life's reality. But I'm up to the challenge! Im looking forward to it at this point.! I do feel like I've been set free from the duldrums of my boring life this past month, or so I felt then. Those boring everyday things have a whole new wonderful and exciting meaning now. I feel it from the top of my head to the tip of my toes! It must show because my KK came up and hugged me just out of the blue today. You'll learn that she's pretty reserved with being the first to offer physical affection. I felt priveleged!