here am i....

So, a few of you may have noticed that I have been away... at least from my blog... for a few weeks. I did not intend it to be so many days, but for the suddenly undisciplined, each day passed into another and another, and well, here it is, three weeks since my last post.

Since I don't have a giant readership, I felt that I probably wasn't all that missed from the blogosphere and didn't push myself to be here. Over the past two days, however, three of my readers emailed or checked in via Facebook to ask if everything is ok in my world. I sheepishly say, 'yes.'

I have been 'away' for a few reasons... a couple of good ones, and (the reason for the sheepishness) a couple of not-so-good ones. The good reasons are that I have been helping a sick friend with her kids the past few weekends, and I have been away from the computer and/or not really able to blog on those days. Another ok reason was that, once I passed my one-blog-post-every-day-for-one-year mark, I decided to allow myself some leeway to not necessarily post every day.

The not-so-good reasons are that I have become very undisciplined--and, as I said, as one day turned into another, it became easy to skip it for a night...and another...and another... This was also a sign of the lack of discipline in seeking those "heart rock life" moments and encounters, and I found myself not really looking for those little, but meaningful, God-moments in my day. I've allowed myself to be "busy" with less important things in the evening, such as too much Facebook time or game-playing time on the computer--rather than sharing God-encounters.

And, so, with my confessions... and with my heart of gratitude toward those of you who sought me out... I say, as Samuel did, "Here am I, Lord."

"Each day holds a surprise. But only if we expect it can we see, hear, or feel it when it comes to us. Let's not be afraid to receive each day's surprise, whether it comes to us as sorrow or as joy. It will open a new place in our hearts, a place where we can welcome new friends and celebrate more fully our shared humanity." ~Henri Nouwen, Bread for the Journey

Oooooooooh!!

Aaaaaahhhhhhh!!!!

Wooooooooooooowwww!!

No, your calendar is not wrong. It's not the 4th of July.

Nor is it Chinese New Year.

But, it IS a special day for me today...

It's the ONE YEAR anniversary of my blog!!

My blog's 1 year birthday!!

I am celebrating today, a year of (& 365 posts celebrating!) ...

• God's amazing grace
• opening our eyes to see God's hand and HEART in the details of daily life
• learning to hear His whispers of love in the midst of a shouting world
• encouraging words and heart-felt comments left on my blog
• amazing people who have visited me here
• new friendships with cool people from around the world
• God's incredible faithfulness
• His unbelievable unrelenting inexplicable love for you and me!
• finding things in daily life for which to be grateful!

For all of this, and for all of you who have been here with me...

I am incredibly GRATEFUL!!

Thanks for joining me in this HEART ROCK LIFE!!

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. ~Ephesians 3:20-21

another blog-iversary!! #300

It's blog-iversary time again!! This is my 300th post! I can hardly believe it, but I have managed to post 300 consecutive days! And I think a few of you may have even read every post... if so, my compliments on your stick-to-it-iveness and my thanks for your interest and support! You've made this cyber adventure so very enjoyable!

I thought it would be appropriate to celebrate my blogiversay with a new heart find... not a rock or a fruit or a leaf this time. It's something quite different.

A few days ago, when I was in Michigan, my mom opened up a grocery bag she had carried into the house, and excitedly said, "Guess what I found?!" She pulled out a container of donut holes, and I responded with, "Donut holes!"

"Yes," she said. "But when I turned the container over, look at what I found on the bottom...."

Aha! A heart-shaped donut hole!!!!

I praised her heart-seeing skills and her great discovery! She said something about it not being the same as when I find them because for me it's a "God thing." My response to her was that I think it's ALWAYS a "God thing"...no matter who finds them! God delights in speaking to us in unusual and unique ways, and I believe it thrills Him when we can see His love in the details of life. These heart sightings are just one of those ways.

I think it's wonderful when we can help open others' eyes to see things differently... when we can encourage others to take delight in the details... when we can find joy in our daily lives. And, isn't that what this whole blogging thing is about anyway?! (I know it is for me!)

So, here's a little bit of sweet love for your day!

And thanks for hanging out with me!

"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess,

for He who promised is faithful.

And let us consider how we may

spur one another on toward love and good deeds.

Let us not give up meeting together...

but let us encourage one another..."

~Hebrews 10:23-25

the blogging juices have run dry ...

This is what happened to me each time I sat at my computer searching for something for show and tell on my blog tonight....

I thought I had better just call it a day and quit before I got electrocuted! : )

...the chicken appears once again courtesy of Doug Savage at SavageChickens.com, used with permission...

for His glory...

In human intercourse the tragedy begins,

not when there is misunderstanding about words,

but when silence is not understood.

~Henry David Thoreau

In light of the problems many of us have been experiencing in Blogger the past few days--that of our "followers" mysteriously disappearing and our comments sections not working properly--I thought this quote would be appropriate.

When we are suddenly faced with "silence" from our regular blogger buddies, either from no comments being left or from their faces disappearing from our "followers" list, most of us fall immediately into self-doubt or introspection. What did I say to offend? Was I boring? What was IN that last post?!?! Where have they gone?!?

And an even bigger question brought up from the very depths by the unexplained silence: "What do we do (and how do we feel) if no one comments or follows us?" That question takes us right to the heart of the issue. That one should make each one of us examine why we blog in the first place... is it about the strokes? the praise? or is it to share the awesomeness of God in our worlds? to share with others the wonders of knowing the Creator of the universe?

My blogger friend, Billy, addressed the "follower" issue in a post today, and we, his readers, were reminded that it's not about who reads our blogs or about how many readers we have each day. Or, at least it shouldn't be. It's about how we let God speak to us and through us by what we write or what photos we share... and it's about the community we are involved in as we write our blogs and read those of others. It's about how we bring glory to our Father--the true Writer of all our stories--rather than to ourselves.

As for me, I don't have a huge list of followers, and to be completely honest, at times in the beginning, that bothered me a bit. I saw other bloggers with multitudes of followers, and I wondered what I was doing wrong. Then I remembered why I started my blog in the first place--it wasn't about me... it was all about God, the Giver of all good gifts. It was about looking for Him all around me... and as my title says, it was to be "...thoughts about everyday life--with its joys and sorrows and oh, so many mysteries-- about opening our eyes to see God's hand and HEART in the details of daily life and about learning to hear His whispers of love in the midst of a shouting world..."

And that purpose, that mission statement if you will, does not require comments from others, nor does it require followers. It simply requires that I open my eyes and my heart to see His hand and to hear His voice. And that I am faithful to acknowledge His presence, His GOODNESS, in my daily life.

So, if others would like to join me in the adventure, I say, "Come along with me! Let's do this thing called 'life' together!" And, when there is silence--when the praise or encouragement is not heard and when no one else seems to be "in it" with us--let us each continue to do that which God has called us to. If it is writing, let him write. If it is photographing, let her photograph. But in all things, let us seek His face and give Him the glory...

"Perseverance must finish its work

so that you may be mature and complete,

not lacking anything."

~James 1:4

my 100th post!!!

Today is a special day for me and my blog. Today is the day of my 100th post!! And all those posts without missing a day! Wheeeeeeeeeeeee!! This is, indeed, a cause for celebration for me! And so, I give my readers a little fireworks show to celebrate with me...

Oooooh!

Aaaahhhhh!

Woooooowwwwwww!

Ooooohhhh!

Wooooooooo!!

...and, though I know this little video is sideways,

I just had to include it for the sound effects!

and, last but by all means not least,

the one that most shares my "heart"...

Thank you for 100 glorious days of blogging... thank you to all of you who have been reading and to all of you who have let me know so by leaving your comments! You have been a source of joy and encouragement in my daily life, and I appreciate you all!