Christmas Spirit

As a child I remember taking family drives through neighborhoods thoughout the city and looking at all the Christmas lights on the houses. It was always a great memory of mine. I also remember feeling that "cheer" was seen more and people seemed to be a little more happy. The past few days, as I have intentionally been looking for such things, I have wondered where it has all gone to. Perhaps the real reason for the season has been lost and so has the joy. I was on my way home from my brothers house last night and came through a neighborhood in Olive Branch just to look for lights and out of about 100 houses (est.), I literally saw two that had any kind of lights on them at all. One had a string of white lights on the roof and the other had a santa in the front yard. Not to put an "importance" on Christmas decoration, but I just feel like everything is missing its happiness.

Christ is the reason for the season. Seems as if he has been pushed out of our busy life styles as well. Everything this season is all about "what do I get". What happened to many communities going downtown to feed the homeless? What happened to making your next door neighbor a homemade card and a pie? What happened to inviting friends to different church events?

What happened to telling the story of Jesus?

Why Do I Fell THIS Way?

This past week has been so rough for me. I am not sure why. I guess because I have been thinking a lot about being alone, especially during the holidays. I miss having special people around. I just feel like my temper is short and I am sad all the time. I put on a good smile a lot of the time, especially when I look around and see how sad everyone else in the world looks. Its just awful. This time of year should be cheerful and full of love. I mean, why shouldn't it! Jesus was born. Died for us. Loves us. But why can't I even be fully happy this time of year. There are a lot of things that I desire and I wonder if God will ever grant me the things I want out of life. Maybe I am just in a "funk" right now. Today during church my mind was in a million different places. The singing was amazing and I loved hearing voices blend so beautifully together. But any time someone got up to talk it was like a blur. I'm ready to feel good again. My emotions are so up and down.

I am visiting at my brother's in Jonesboro this weekend. Will head back home tomorrow afternoon. His girlfriend, Jessica is here and I just love her! So glad that she is apart of our family now. I hope to one day have someone in my life that is as good to me as she is to my brother.

I have been reading a lot. Love and faith stories. Maybe its not helping my mood any. When does a books story ever happen in real life...

Catch Up Post From My "New Start" Blog

Aug. 19, 2012 

Well, hello again everyone! This is my new blog! I figured that I wanted to start a new blog because through my old one and deleting all the post about life over the past few years would have taken to long. Besides, I'm turning over a new leaf in life and starting a new journey and I guess this means starting a new blog called "Thankful and Blessed" is very approaite. Over the past two months so much in my life has changed. As most of you know already, I did not get married. Thankfully. I called the wedding off a few weeks before the day. It was probably the best decision I have ever made. I moved out of my house and into a apartment on the other side of town closer to my job. It is safer, cleaner, I feel better there... just an overall better atmosphere. I am also a photographer now at Holland Studios in Germantown, Tn. Love it here. I enjoy my job, even though sometimes it can be hectic, its fun and refreshing. Nothing like getting to go to a job where you enjoy where you are. On top of that, I love photography, so that makes it even better. This past week I also decided to try a new church. Highland Church of Christ is a lot like Downtown in Searcy. (where I am from) Not very consertative and the singing was great, and those of you that know me know that singing is very important to me. Turns out, my boss and his family also go there. Lol.

As for my personal growth, I am seriously looking into going back to school. I want to finish out my degree and work in Special Needs Education. I am also working out everyday, and although it practacially kills me most days, just getting back into it, I am liking it. I am meeting new people and moving up in the world. I have been doing more for myself, trying to not worry so much about whats going on with others and trying to fix everything... cause in reality I cant fix everything, only God can. So I am rolling with the punches and moving forward. Not that I am stopping caring for other people lol. Just surrounding myself with people that are doing good things in life and moving forward as well. I have been coming up and praying on my 5 year goals... which i will be posting about soon.

I know God has a plan... happiness is in there and I am really starting to feel it. Money is super tight, bills dont always get paid on time... and at first I cried and stressed myself sick over it, then came to the realization that it is what it is and God is in control. Since then, things are looking up!

Well, I need to get back to work! Got a busy afternoon!

Thankful and Very Blessed,

Lucy

December 16, 2012- To Catch up read here...  www.thankfulnblessed.blogspot.com

I have decided to come back to "inside lucys mind" because of the past that has been written here. Its kind of awkward to have your past, when its not so good, plastered all over the internet. Some post will be deleted, but it also reminds me where I have come from. Life goes on. 

Life Goes On

Tonight is the first night that I have really sat down and decided to go public (via internet) about some situations that have occurred over the past few weeks. Most of you know by now that I made the decision to call off my wedding to Chris. I will not go into details because it is between us and God and because there are already so many lies going around that I just don't want to come down to that level. Every day I wake up I know however, more and more, that I made the right decision. I am happy...genuinely happy. This is a feeling that I missed! I am taking better care of myself, taking time for myself, working out, eating better...do what makes me feel good and happy and thanking God at the same time for showing me things in time!

So, life does go on! And boy, am I happy that it does. I have an amazing job at the biggest studio in Memphis. I also have my own place, my friends, my own money... my life! I am learning new things day by day and I couldn't ask for more. Now, of course, I could ask for people to stop making up rumors, assumptions, yada yada yada and just leave things alone and mind their own business... but people just don't do that. Its second nature to always be right.

I am happy. Point blank. I thank God EVERYDAY! Life can not go anywhere but up from here.

So, now that this is out even more publicly... say a prayer for both families. God does have a plan... and I can not wait to live it out. I know the lessons I have learned and they have been and will be so valuable to me.

Live every day as if it was your last! Love yourself! Remember your own heart is important to!

Love, Lucy

Name This Holiday: Ressurection Day vs. Easter

Happy Easter to everyone! I don’t know about you, but I am so thankful that Jesus is alive! What a comforting thought to know that the man that died for us and saved us is alive by our Gods side. Some days I wish he was a physical figure for me to physically see and talk to and touch. But his Holy presence feels so good. I walked outside my house today to get some fresh air (sickness has overtaken my body today and I needed to breath in some cool air) and I saw almost every house on the street up from us had at least 10 cars in front of it and tons of families and friends everywhere. It was beautiful to see, however, I wondered if they really were celebrating Jesus’ resurrection or if they were just hunting eggs and bbq’ing. Now, I have most certainly done this to and actually wished I could have done it today with my family and friends, so in no way am I putting this down! Trust me…however between seeing this and while I was on facebook checking up on some friends and saw what my best friend Rachel wrote I just thought I would share some feelings on it. Rachel wrote on facebook: “…….” And I started to think about this statement and how true it is. We do a lot of “celebrating” in our “worldly” ways and they often over shadow the true and original meaning of why we even named this particular day a holiday.

I got a little curious and decided to look up some articles on why we call the Ressuriction Sunday, “Easter”. I went onto www.christianitytoday.com and read an article by Ted Olsen. Here is an excert from that piece.

“why do we call it Easter?

---The fact of the matter is no one knows for sure, but our best bet comes from Bede ("The Venerable"), a late-seventh-century historian and scholar from Anglo-Saxon England. He says Easter's name comes from the Anglo-Saxon goddess Eostre, associated with spring and fertility, and celebrated around the vernal equinox. So there you go. As Christmas was moved to coincide with (and supplant) the pagan celebration of winter, Easter was likely moved to coincide and replace the pagan celebration of spring.
And while we're at it, the Easter Bunny comes from these pagan rites of spring as well, but more from pagan Germany than pagan Britain. Eighteenth-century German settlers brought "Oschter Haws" (never knew he had a name, did you?) to America, where Pennsylvania Dutch settlers prepared nests for him in the garden or barn. On Easter Eve, the rabbit laid his colored eggs in the nests in payment. In Germany, old Oschter lays red eggs on Maundy Thursday. If anyone knows why children in an agrarian society would believe a rabbit lays eggs, please tell us or a historian near you. We're all dying to know.---

So after reading this he goes on to state “enough of the pagan side of Easter and onto the Christian history… This excert read:

Thursday commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus, getting its name from the Latin translation of Jesus' saying that evening, "A new commandment I give to you" Mandatum novum do vobis. It is marked by foot washing and the blessing of the oils. But in various parts of the world, it has other traditions as well. The German word "to mourn" (grun) is very similar to the word for green (grÜn). So in Austria, Hungary, and much of Germany, today is GrÜndonnerstag: a day to eat spinach and green salad. This is not the only reason for eating greens: Passover is celebrated with karpas (a green vegetable, usually parsley) and bitter herbs. In old England, men used to shave their beards on Maundy Thursday, as this was a time to cleanse the body as well as the soul to prepare for Easter (Resurrection )

Here is another article on “Pascha” vs. “Easter” or “Passover” vs. “Eastra”. This man is named Michael Harper and is a little stronger in his words. Click on the link http://www.orthodoxresearchinstitute.org/articles/fasts_feasts/harper_pascha_easter.htm -- to read the entire article but here is an excert.

This is a much more important subject than a mere dispute about words. If the word in English is Easter, then one is bound to ask "what word?" Was there some word which, when translated into English, became "Easter"? The plain answer is "no". There is one simple reason for this, Jesus Christ in the days of his flesh never visited these shores, and his words were not written in English. He spoke Aramaic, and his sayings were recorded in Greek, as were the words of the other NT writers like Paul and Peter. An example of the desire to replace the word "Pascha" with "Easter" is the King James version translation of Acts 12:4 which describes the arrest of Peter by Herod and his intention "after Easter to bring him forth to the people". The Greek word here is pascha, and all modern translations rightly now translate the word "passover"

We need to realise also that there is no equivalent word for "Easter" in the Greek language, for one simple but important reason, the word is an Anglo-Saxon word for a pagan festival. The word in its original use is entirely pagan. According to the English Church historian Bede, it derives from a pagan spring festival in honour of Eastra or Ostara a Teutonic goddess. It has no associations whatsoever with Christ, His death and Resurrection, or indeed anything Christian. Is it not, therefore, unsuitable to be used to describe the greatest day in the life of the Church? The French, Italians and Spanish do not make the same mistake. Their words come from the proper source — Passover, which in Greek is the word "Pascha".

Like most holidays, especially the Christian ones, its obvious that we have put our own spin on things. What does Easter mean to you? Not really sure on how I feel about this article but I do know that I believe in what the Bible says and whether or not you call it Easter or Resurrection Sunday, it should be recognized as the day that Jesus rose. For He is why we are all here. God is so good. I can not say that enough. No matter what situations I get into, He is always there to lead me back to where I need to be. I don’t know how someone could not believe in Him. So… All this being said…

HAPPY RESURRECTION DAY!!!!!

Still Breathing!

So, since moving in we have yet to really have the house in total order...humm I am wondering if it will ever be in order. However, I did get the master bedroom redone and I love it! I will post pictures of it in the next blog when I update about the house.

So far we have visitied a few churches. This is kind of a pain. I wish I could wake up and the perfect church for us as a couple would just be at our front door. We have two that we like though...but we need to do a little more searching before making a decision. Bringing two church backgrounds into a family is not really easy, but we are making comprimises and working it out. I am so thankful to have a great man in my life. He is usually really understanding haha. Most of the time.

We got a really nice and unpleasent surprise at the same time... turns out (although I have not really needed it) the AC is broken and has been broken all month. The nice part about it was that our electric bill was only $37. This was great for our first month and since Im still not working at the moment. Granted we still owed half the deposit so our actual amount due was a little larger but still this is GREAT! I thought it was going to be crazy expensive. After seeing this I wondered if maybe I could tough out the heat when Chris is not home this summer and keep our bill this low...doubt it! It sounds nice though. Ha.

Chris is off working all the time... So I am here in Olive Branch alone all the time...which is good I guess because we aren't married just yet. Lol. However, it is coming up so quickly! Only around 8 weeks left. My parents have been working hard getting the land ready for all of our guest and I finally sent out invitations! I looked at my list and there is still a lot I have to do. First and foremost Chris needs to get his tux...what kind of a wedding would that be if everyone but the groom had a matching tux...haha. Actually it may look just right considering who we are...silly people. Lol. :)

I will be posting anther post really soon about the house updates and all. Several people have been asking about pictures of the house...don't worry they are coming. Just wanted to get it somewhat in order first. No one wants to see a messy house over the internet...you can just come over for that! Hahah. Just playing.

I miss my family and my friends! Love you all!

Life In Olive Branch

So, since moving here I have had no time at all to post on here so I figured it was time. Lol. We don't have internet and writing a blog on my phone is not the easiest thing to do. Chris and I got a house in Olive Branch, MS. We are about 1 min from his job so it is really convient. We have been blessed with our first home. We have a nice, 3 bed and 2 bath home, with a big, privacy fenced in back yard. I can't wait to have Bama, my lab up here. It has been a big adjustment. I have been here almost two weeks and I am learning a lot and learning it quickly. I have a lot of worries and some days are much harder than others but I make it through. I am here alone most of the time... Being that Chris works so much on the road... And that we are not married yet... I'm at the house alone. I've been Job searching... This is a downer. Lol. I want to work not only to have extra income but to keep active. Inbetween all of this we are also looking for a new church home. I miss my family... A lot. Growing up and moving away is a lot harder than I thought it would be... None the less I am excited about this new adventure. Scary... And I wish I could spare us some of the hard lessons but... Depending on God is becoming more real everyday.

Here are some pictures of our random adventures since being here. I will upload some of our house soon. I can't wait to have internet!

The pictures are: Chris at lunch, my first home meal here ( chicken and veggies), chickens in our yard (thanks to our neighboors), Chris fixing the furniture we were moving in, and Charlie sitting in Chris's lap watching him play bb on the Xbox. Lol.

Changes for health

My church is doing a fast for 21 days and I got to thinking that some of these "fasting rules" (they are doing the daniel) would be good to carry on forever. One because I am really striving to loose as much weight as possible and two because I would like to carry a year long fast of "something" each year as maybe an incentive to keep improving and growing in my spiritual life. If you don't know what the daniel fast consist of it mainly cuts out meats, sodas, all sweets, breads, etc. After the 21 days I am vowing to do the following for the rest of the year...:

1. No more sodas (you can do it Lucy!!!)
2. No more food after 7! (this will be hard because I am one to stay up late and always munch, and my body shows it!)
3. I will exercise EVERYDAY for at least 30 mins. (at home... videos, bands, walking...just something to get my heart going)
4. I will eat HEALTHY food portion sizes! And learn to know the difference from being satisfied and full.

I am not going to add more onto myself than I think I can handle... So I am starting with this. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can... Repeat until it becomes, I know I can, I know I can...

Praying, praying, praying... Im tired of being the same. I pray that I get to where I love to be involved in healthy activities and get enough courage to go out and be active even in front of people. I know there is happiness in it. I just have to actually stick with it long enough this time to get it done. I wish I had a support group or friend that was available to go through this with me. But, friends will come in time I am sure... maybe. lol. Everyone I know is pretty good looking. Ah well... I can do it... I have to.

Reading Challange

Last year I started reading Denise Hunter, Karen Kingsbury, Lisa McKay (must read hers), as well as a few other Christian Fiction authors. But, I have also read Laruelene McDaniel, Jennifer Weiner, and a few others in the Fiction category. I have decided that for the new year I want to continue on my reading. However, I am actually going to make a goal for myself. Because of my busy schedule and still learning to "stick" with a book that doesn't catch my interest in 15 pages, I am going to challenge myself to read TWO books a month. Thats 24 books this year. Yes, I can most certainly do this. Hopefully I will get to where I am reading even more than that. But above even these 24 books... I am challenging myself to read the entire bible over the course of this year. So... 24 books plus the Bible. Yes, I should have my eyes busy. Below are a few reviews on some really good books I have read as well as my reading bucket list. Lol.

Jennifer Weiners Book: "Best Friends Forever" was a pretty good book. I actually JUST finished this one about two mornings ago. Here is what the back of the books says: 

When Addie Downs opens her front door and discovers her long-lost childhood best friend standing there, with terror on her face and blood on her coat, she finds herself on an extraordinary adventure on which she'll learn the truth about her past and forever change her future...

Addie Downs and Valerie Adler were eight when they first met and decided to be best friends forever. But being a teenager is hard enough without having to maintain childish promises friends make to each other when they're young, especially when life is steering them in different directions.

Val went on to the life of fame and fortune she's always dreamed of while Addie stayed behind in their small Midwestern town, forging a quiet life for herself. But sometimes, the bonds made in childhood hold a tighter reign on our destinies than we know and when, 25 years later Val shows yup at Addie's house with a secret they only a childhood friend can bare, the two women embark on a road trip they'll never forget.

 After reading this book... I did come to the conclusion that it was pretty good. I had actually had it on my shelf for almost a year due to the fact that I tried to bring myself to read it a while back but at the time couldn't get into it. There are some tugging parts in this book, some twist and turns that will keep you interested. These two "best friends" have a past hurt that is revealed in the later part of the book which makes their reunion together a little more interesting. However, through all the drama in the book, I was expecting a little more of a "wow" ending. However, the ending that was written suited it fine...still a little disappointment. Rating out of 10... I would say a 7. Still would recommend it. :) 

"My Hands Came Away Red" by Lisa McKay is by far a great book! I would recommend it a millions times over. It is about a girl who goes on a mission trip and their experiences. Once you get past the first few chapters you CAN'T put it down. I read this book in two days. It had me capitivated. The drama, the tense scenes, the scares...Its a must read! 

Back of the book says: Cori signs up to take a mission trip to Indonesia during the summer sfter her senior year of high school. Inspired by happy visions of building churches and seeing beautiful beaches, she gladly escapes her complicated love life back home. Five weeks after their arrival, a sectarian and religious conflict that has been simmering for years flames to life with deadly results on the nearby island of Ambon. Within days, the church building the team had constructed is in ashes, its pastor and fifty villagers are dead, and the six terrified teenagers are stranded in the mountainous jungle with only the pastor’s teenage son to guide them to safety. Ultimately, Cori’s emotional quest to rediscover hope proves just as arduous as the physical journey home

If you like books that have a lot of action in them... This is a hit. I aim to read more of her books and books like this, this year. My friend Rachel actually lent me this book after reading it herself. She also gave a really good review on it.

 Denise Hunter has written several books that I have read over the past year. This one "Seaside Letters" is one of several of the Nantucket series that she has written. I have read all but two, one of which I am in the middle of reading now. 

Back of Book says:   Their letters could lead to lasting love . . . or expose Sabrina's mortifying secret.Sabrina Kincaid didn't intend to fall for Nantucket native Tucker McCabe, the man she serves coffee to every morning-a man tied to a past she deeply regrets. But she has. And she's fallen hard.But she's kept this a secret from her handsome customer. And now Tucker wants to hire Sabrina to help locate his friend "Sweetpea"-the mysterious woman he's falling in love with online. Sabrina is not inclined to help, but if Tucker hires someone else, it could spell disaster. Because if someone else sifted through the emails and figured out the truth-then Tucker would discover that the person he's trying to find is . . . her.

The Nantucket series are mostly "love" stories but they are most certainly not the sappy ones. They are about people facing big obstacles in their past and how those obstacles and tragic events lead two people together and increase their faith. She writes Christian Fiction, which has become one of my favorite categories to read.  If you like a little love mixed with inspiration... Read these. The Nantucket Series includes Driftwood Lane (her newest one I am reading), Seaside Letters, Surrender Bay, and The Convenient Groom (which I have still yet to read, but will!). These stories are not tied together in any way OTHER than the fact that they take place in the same town of "Nantucket". Characters and stories are all completely different and each have their own surprises. 

I have read many other books of which I will possibly write reviews on later but these three are ones that stood out to me over the past few months. Right now I am reading Denise Hunters: Driftwood Lane and have about three waiting for me once I finish this one. Sometimes I can read a book in a day or two, and other times it may take me 2 weeks. So that is why I am giving myself some time le-way. Some of the books that are on my achievement list for this year are : 

These two books are both by Jeanette Windle. They look exciting and are in the same catagory as "My Hands Came Away Red" so I am excited to get to these two. I have made a list of about 12 books that I know for sure I want to read and will surely find more as I go along! I would love to read all of Denise Hunters books (she has 17) and Lisa McKay's also.  So.... Here I GO!! :)

 

Happy New Year

Happy New Years to you and yours. I hope that all of you had a good one. I brought in the New year with my church family worshiping. It was great. First off I love to sing. But what better things to sing than worship music. I went home feeling great. I know that God has a lot in store for my life this new year. So many people are going around saying how this is our last year on earth... I dont really believe in the mayan calendar but I do believe that God only knows the time when the world will end...and as far as that is concerned, the end could be tomorrow. Are you ready? If God came back tonight, would you make it to heaven?

On to other things! Church was amazing today. Did I mention that I loved worshiping!? Lol. Then I got a phone call from Chris saying that he was in Meridian, so I high tailed it up here to spend tonight, tomorrow...well until tuesday morning with him. I have a lot of expectations for this new year. 2012 is going to be all that it can be...Greatness. I just know it.
Thank you God for another Year!!! :)