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Archives for May 2013
Happy Summer from the Vaughans :)
30 May, 2013 by 2 Comments
Five-Minute Friday: “View”
24 May, 2013 by 9 Comments
It’s Five-Minute Friday again when we write for five minutes unedited. Today’s topic is “view.” One, two, three…Go!
Your view of the world is uniquely yours.
It is how you look at life. Not just through your eyes, but through your ears, nose, mouth, and fingertips…and your heart.
As life happens, your view changes.
Standing at that sacred altar, vowing to leave your mother and father to create a life with the one you’ve chosen.
Touching tiny toes, captivated by the awe of a new baby, wondering how your heart can possibly stay within the confines of your ribcage.
Sitting beside a hospital bed while your daddy moves from this life into the next.
Realizing you are not perfect when addiction has blindsided you and permeated every facet of your existence.
Experiencing the extraordinary love of Christ when the word “miracle” becomes so personal and real you are forever changed.
When you realize complete wholeness can only be understood after complete brokenness. Click HERE to tweet 
Your view of the world is uniquely yours.
Learn from it. Embrace it. Share it.
To check out some other posts on the word “view,” hop on over to Lisa-Jo’s blog to see who else linked up. Be ready to be amazed…some great writer’s over there 
Just click on her button:
Just click on her button:
A Million Ways
12 May, 2013 by 2 Comments
My life has been so busy these last few weeks I’ve had a hard time just posting twice a week, and on Fridays it’s just a five minute post! But I can’t let mother’s day go by without a quick post for my mom. Among many other things, she’s one of my biggest fans! 
I could not have made it thus far in life without her. Besides the fact that she did bring me into this world, and probably wanted to take me out of it a few times, she has always been there to help me…every time I’ve needed it. And believe me, I’ve kept her busy!
A million ways she’s shown her love for me…
She has always loved me unconditionally—as mom’s should—but has just as quickly held me accountable when I needed it. And helped me get through it when I couldn’t do it on my own.
She slept beside me when I was sick…even when I was 40 years old!
She babysits the kids anytime I ask if at all possible.
When I can’t get the house uncluttered, she comes to my rescue.
When I need something altered, she’s my seamstress.
When I go out of town, she helps take care of our Sophie, Benji, Little Bit, Buttercupp, and Mally…and when I come home the house is cleaner than when I left, and my laundry is magically washed!
She always wants us to come for Sunday lunch for a hugh homemade meal. And when we go to church on Sundays, the kids almost always have friends with them. She makes room for however many strays we bring!
These few things I’ve mentioned don’t even scratch the surface.
She has made and is making baby quilts from my kids baby clothes and t-shirt quilts from their t-shirts. I really have no idea how I will EVER live up to the “grandma expectations” my kids will have of me!
And all of this stuff she does for me? She does for others too. {Just not as much of course.}
And even though we do make each other a little crazy sometimes…because we are so much alike…I love her so much!
There’s no way to be a perfect mother and a million ways to be a good one~Jill Churchill
I’m so blessed to have my mom!
Happy Mother’s Day Mom! I love you!
Five-Minute Friday~”Comfort”
10 May, 2013 by 8 Comments
Comfort…
A white goose-down comforter
A fire in the fireplace
A warm cup of tea on a cold day
Cuddling with my kids to watch a movie
Sleeping late with my hubby on a Saturday morning
Reading a book in my loft watching the rain out the window
A hot bubble bath
But the ultimate comfort: Knowing that God sent His son to die on the cross for our sins so we can spend eternity with Him in Heaven!
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16 )
In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. (John 14:2-3 ESV)
But honestly, my greatest comfort right now is knowing that this week is over, my hubby is on his way home, and I have medicine waiting at the pharmacy to nurse my strep throat.
My five minutes is up, my day is over, my week is done.
Have a great weekend and don’t forget to check out the other great “comfort” posts over at Lisa-Jo’s blog
And say a quick prayer for my throat 
God-Sized Dreams~Pay it Forward
7 May, 2013 by 17 Comments
I’m linking up with Holly Gerth today on the subject of Paying it Forward. Back in the year 2000 a movie titled, “Pay It Forward” opened in the box office and made a huge impact on my life. The concept of paying it forward, though not a new concept, was introduced in this movie in a way that brought new attention to it. Especially for me.
Enjoy this short clip before we continue…
I’m not going to spoil the movie if you haven’t seen it (but if you haven’t, you really must), but hold onto your heartstrings…there will be some serious pulling going on!
I’m not sure if you noticed or not, Haley Joel Osment plays the little boy, and his character name is “Trevor, ” which also happens to be my sons name. Also, I haven’t told you that my son was 18 months old when we saw this movie, and was very sick. He’d had a fever of 103-104 for just over seven days and the doctors could not figure out what was wrong with him.
His eyes were blood red, and the skin on his hands, feet, and lips peeled off in sheets. He loved his paci but gave it up because it hurt too much to have it touch his lips. It was breaking my heart. And then I had to go and watch this movie.
As much as I hate for my heartstrings to be pulled, it’s good for me, and I guess the combination of the two “Trevors” really made this movie—and it’s message—stay with me.
I’ve always tried to “pay it forward” any way I could…sponsoring children through World Vision and Compassion International, tithing and offering to my church, sponsoring a family at Christmas, etc…but what I’m doing right now may be my biggest “pay it forward” yet.
My daughter, Miranda, became friends with a guy she worked with, whose name just happened to be “Trevor.” I won’t go into all the details, but just after Christmas, he ended up basically homeless. So we let him move into the little apartment above our garage. His dreams of college had long been taken away.
So we are trying to help him reclaim his dreams…getting enrolled back in college and possibly a coop program through a local company here. It might not be his ultimate dream, but it’s a start.
Shortly after he moved in, he expressed to me how grateful he was for our help, and that he would repay us in any way that he could. My immediate response was, “Just pay it forward.”
We don’t need to be repaid. Thankfully, we are in a position in our lives right now that affords us to help others. And it’s as much a blessing to me to be able to help as it is for the person receiving it. But someday when he is in a position to help someone else who needs it, hopefully he’ll remember to just pay it forward.
There must be something about those Trevors and my heartstrings!
What are you doing to pay it forward?
Check out Holly’s blog and see how other’s are paying it forward!
Five-Minute Friday~ “Brave”
3 May, 2013 by 8 Comments
When I think of the word “Brave,” I think, “What does it take to be brave?”
Fear. Without fear, there would be no need for bravery. So it takes fear to be brave.
Courage. Without courage, it would be impossible to be brave. So it takes courage to be brave.
Then there’s that verse: If God is for us, who can be against us? That verse that we hear so often, but it’s so hard to really believe…absorb…down deep to the core. But it really takes God to be brave.
Of course there are people against us. Sometimes, it seems like the whole world is against us. But when all is said and done, who is the One that really matters? Who is the One that we will spend eternity with in Heaven? Who is the One that created us for His pleasure?
So many things in this world require us to be brave.
- Sending your child to college away for the first time
- Watching your daddy die of cancer and your mom carry on without him
- Announcing to the world that you have an addiction
- Explaining to your child the process of having to put her beloved pet to sleep
- Flying across the ocean in an airplane
And those are big things. Life…every single day…requires us to be brave.
But because we have the hope and power of an almighty God on our side, we really have nothing to fear.
Fear + Courage + God = Brave. Click HERE to tweet that
Because if Him, we’ve got this!
Five minutes up: Stop.
(That one took more thought than usual…didn’t get too many words out in those 5 minutes!)
What does it take for you to be brave?
Linking up with Lisa Jo over at the Gypsy Mama for Five-Minute Friday. Click on her button to check out some others thoughts on “Brave.”
Seven Ways to Stay Passionate About Your Passion
2 May, 2013 by 2 Comments
Are you passionate about something? How did that passion arise in your heart? Is it a hobby? Is it a calling? A labor of love?
Satan loves to discourage us. To make us think our passions—our dreams—are insignificant, or downright foolish. Don’t let him have the satisfaction. Here are seven quick tips to keep your passion alive: (Click here to tweet this 
)
)1. Stay connected to it every day, one way or another~No matter what your passion is, I can almost guarantee there are others who share you passion…and some of the probably blog about it! The internet is a great, easy way to nourish your passion a little every day.
2. Fellowship with others who share that passion~Since I began writing, my writing group has been a lifeline. If I hadn’t connected with them when I started writing, I’d have surely quit long ago. They encourage me and remind me that what I’m doing is important…it is my purpose.
3. Remember why you have the passion in the first place~What drew you in? Remind yourself what led up to your passion. I became passionate about photography when my friend Patty committed suicide and I had almost no pictures of her. I’ve been snapping pictures of everyone since. I became passionate about writing when God gave me a miracle. It compelled me to write…I was so excited I wanted to shout it from the rooftops!
4. Make sure your passion is in line with God’s purpose for your life, and always talk to Him about it~God has a purpose for your life. Jeremiah 29:11 tells us that point blank. Then Romans 8:28 says: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. We tend to forget about the second part of that verse. Christians love the first part…all things work for good…but there’s a catch: to those who love him and are called according to his purpose. If your passion is in line with God’s purpose for your life, it will be a blessing in your life. That doesn’t necessarily mean it will be easy, God doesn’t promise that. But it will be good.
5. Read about your passion~Seek out books from the experts. Continue learning new aspects of your passion.
6. Teach it to others~Share your passion with others. Teach what you love and you will keep it alive.
7. It’s okay to take a break~I realize in #1 I told you to stay connected to it every day, but you don’t have to go full force. It’s okay take a step back when you need to. You can get burnt out on anything, no matter how much you love it.
What is your passion? Is it in line with God’s purpose for you life?
