The Ache to Trust

Distrust. That's a tough state to be in. The condition of distrust with worry, doubt, and even fear. I'm sure there could so many more emotions and states of mind attached to it. It's not a healthy place to be, but there's no rushing the healing of trust.


The ache to trust again. The ache to just be comfortable and at rest in trust. The ache to enjoy life in trusting the ones who are now part of our every day.


Abandonment -- Ache to trust the ones who presently love and support us to stay -- or-- come back if they have to leave for a length of time.


Loss -- Ache to trust in the love and companionship of the ones who remain -- and -- enjoy what they share in relationship.


Deceit -- Ache to trust for honesty, loyalty and dedication from the ones who here and now have never deceived.

I've found a way through all of this. Though there surely are many. 

At His feet, Jesus is helping me through with forgiveness. 

It's a a powerful word. Forgiveness is filled with power, love, and grace. It's a word of grace and beauty as it gently washes away anger, resentment, and bitterness. It warmly restores strength of heart, soul health, and spirit flight. 


Forgiveness relieves the ache to trust at the pace God has set for me. It continues to nurture trust after long ago child abuse, divorce, and continuous death of the only ones who would support my God-sized dreams. 


The gift and grace of new ones who bring safety, belonging, acceptance, and unconditional love. These along with forgiveness nurture my ache to trust year after year. 


The result of taking my ache to trust to Jesus in prayer is growing in joyfulness, hopefulness, and belief.


This was my simple prayer those years ago and I continue to whisper it again and again. Inspired by Mark 9:24: "Jesus, help me to trust again. Help me to heal from the past so I can trust again. I don't want to miss out on the love now."


With You in Mind:
I pray that prayer for you too who aches to trust again. Healing comes as you sit as His feet and openly talk about the distrust with Jesus. He truly wants you to. It's not ugly to Him at all. He'll bring people to help you through as you ask Him too.


Will you sit at His feet today and openly talk (pray) about the distrust your past has brought? Let Him grow a desire in you to trust again. He will heal the ache.


Can I pray for you? I'll pray even if you quietly slipped in to slip out. If you like, send a private message via email or message on facebook.


Soul Refreshment:


Mark 9:24 ~ "... help me with my doubts!"

I'm joining Bonnie for a discussion on Trust

And Lisa-Jo for a 5-minute adventure 

no editing.

Okay, I took about 7 minutes to write ;-)

Our Week In Photos ~ How We Connect

And now we head into our time off-the-grid, but first...


How We Connect

There are so many ways we connect with each other. Lisa-Jo has prompted our 5 minutes of unedited writing with a word close to my heart -- connected. 


Friends - coffee time, phone calls, emails. 
Neighbors - hellos, friendly waves, quick catching up at the mailbox. 
Family -  they are most dear to me. My highest priority next to God. I crave time with them in any way shape or form...


Connecting with Mele and Ezie


So, you can only imagine that after 9 days of not seeing them (when we usually see each other all the time) I was ecstatic to see...

I had to hug her and then hug him and then...well, just so excited!


She's always thinking of us and making sure we have time with Ezie. Shilo and I had been under the weather so the visits were postponed. Of course, Shadow was excited and beside himself. 


Ezie is getting so big and at the stage of recognizing, reaching, and grabbing. Mele's informed me that he laughs now! What a great holidays it's going to be with a baby laughing in the house.

Soul Refreshment

Jeremiah 30:19 ~ 

Thanksgivings will pour out of the windows; 

                                 laughter will spill through the doors.

Connecting with David and plans for connecting with the kids


David and I have been connecting over decorations this year. We're excited to have Mele and Ezie in our lives and wanna be as festive as we can. The boys will see familiar and new. It's all coming together nicely. The message of Jesus all over the house now.

Connecting here and there

A new of connecting for me is through facebook, twitter, other social networks, and linking up together at other blog homes. 


Connecting here with all of you.

Today, these words here are inspired by Lisa-Jo's 5-Minuted Friday prompt where I'll be connecting in link-up. 

I close with these photos for camera phone Friday link-up and connecting with Dawn over at her place.

A time of lunch, play, rest, getting out and coming home to decorations. 

It keeps getting better.

1-2) Lunch with David 3) David measuring to hang decor 4) Testing lights 5-7) Snuggle, play, and nap with Shadow 8) Couldn't believe I found this at the discount book store. 9-12) Outdoor lights/decor almost done. 13) Reid checking it all out before he leaves 14) David & Shadow hanging on the porch amongst the lights 15) lighting the nativity candles 16) Our Santa band - now a least 13 years old.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone. 

I pray - 

blessings on you in finding rest, 

recognizing little joys in each day, 

discovering small wonders in the people who surround you, 

and that you live life fully.


Do you have a favorite way of connecting? Hang out for a little while and share about it.


If you've quietly slipped in, we want you to know we're so glad you came by today.

Connect at Lisa Jo's place

Connect at Dawn's place

Color: Our Week In Photos

Here's wishing you a wonderful weekend with hopes of rest, little joys, and small wonders. We hope you enjoy our week in photos. There are a few November camera phone pics at the end as we took the Thanksgiving holiday off. 

Thank you for being here. See you next week.

And if you've silently slipped in just to read, we want you to know we truly appreciate your quiet company.

Here we go....

Colors have a way of changing moods. The way it brightens my day or feeds my soul rest. Fall colors and deep winter colors are my eye candy. 

 How certain shades inspire creativity

How about the colors of baking...mmm

Some colors give you permission to relax and just be

There are even colors that feed the soul

How is it that colors can even encourage play?

Colors of the heart as he tries to surprise and decorate

  Those colors that reflect you and memories of the season

What are the colors that reflect you, your soul, the season your heart is in?

I've linked up with Lisa-Jo

for 5 minutes of unedited writing

Today's topic: Color

And for camera phone fun with Dawn....

We did a lot of hangin' out after Thanksgiving:

1) David & I waiting for our massages - Thank You Reid
2) First Holiday photo of the season
3) Matching cups at breakfast
4) Having fun with fashion

Who doesn't love good food? ;-)

1) Breakfast before decorating
2) latte and granola mix with almond butter
3) I love the foam
4) Mele's scone recipe - we made mini's
and of course it's vegan!

Do I Rest or Push Through?

Today, my 5-Minute Friday post and our Week in Photos are combined. Have a wonderful, fun, and restful weekend all. Praying we all discover more of His love for us each day.


Let's start with 5-Minute Friday ~


Our session this morning was amazing! After we hung, up I felt so refreshed in all the revelation. 


She taught me to know the difference between the times when I need to push through or times when I am exhausted and need to rest. 


Need to Push Through: 
I know I can push through when there is still creativity flowing. If I were to be distracted in any way, I can still be refocused. Here, my joy is still intact. The task can be accomplished, and the goal can be achieved. 


Need to Rest: 
If I find myself drawing blanks, forgetting too often, or jumping all over the place then it’s time to slow flow. I need to walk away from it all and take time to breathe or even nap if need be. 

I head into my weekend off the grid in obedience to the choice that leads me to joy.

Are you at a place where you “need to push through” or do you “need to rest”? 

Photos from our time off last week:

Took time for each other over the holiday

Got lots of rest and did relaxing things

Happy Raiders Fans - watched the game with him.

{Dwell} :: The Unexpected ~ Thoughts and Memories

Dwelling...on thoughts and memories of possibilities and encouragement.

From my heart:

Every November, I don't even think and God will bring Pastor Glen to fill my memories. Once again, my dreams come alive. I'm filled with encouragement and God possibilities. 

Unexpected possibilities:
He just walked up to me. That day in October 2005. He said, "I see it in your eyes. God put a dream in your heart." Pastor Glen White was new to our church. His spirit permeated a father's heart. Full of life and full of joy. His face showed it all.

The following weeks he'd fill me with possibilities toward my dreams. He even took myself and our son under his wing to mentor. The heart of a father. He mentored us with so much joy and love.

Unexpected loss:
He thanked us, but already had plans for Thanksgiving weekend. "See you Sunday." A few days later the phone rang. A thoughtful friend realized who he was in our lives and broke the news. Pastor Glen slipped out of our lives and quickly as he entered. No wonder, God has us learn from him at such a fast pace and that we could retain it all. No wonder.

Unexpected joys:
Pastor Glen loved paddling canoe. He had the heart attack while he was paddling. I spent time with his wife over the following weeks. She shared how mentoring us put the twinkle back in his eyes. She told of how he came home every day so full and excited. He made future plans because his dreams were reignited through mentoring us. The pain was now replaced with joy so quickly. She let me know her life was touched by our family. I left her so full. In her pain, she breathed life words of joy.

Unexpected influences:
Dreams. Our dreams touch the lives of others without us even trying to. One person's dream sparks another to have one. A dream in someone's heart and reignite his/her dream that was tucked away for God's perfect day.



Thank You for letting me share with you today. This verse came to mind as I wrote.

Soul Refreshment:


Phillipians 4:8-9


~ Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. 


Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.




Today's topic "Unexpected" really dug into my soul. Visit Lisa-Jo's place for more unedited, impromptu writings by others.

*I'm dedicating November's life words to gratitude and dwelling.

Refreshing Day 28 ~ Life of Relevance

Relevant. Now this is one power-packed word.

This prompt took me right to the Thesaurus for some reason. I'm glad it did. 

Right away the words "a life of relevance" flowed into my soul.

Take a look at its amazing synonyms:

• Appropriate
• Admissible
• Applicable
• Becoming - now this is my favorite. This one implies "grace". Oh, I love becoming.
• Fitting
• Pertinent
• Important
• Relative 
• Significant

Now, let's personalize those beautiful words:

• Jeri's life is appropriate to God's purposes for her
• Jeri's life is admissible in God's presence
• Jeri's life is applicable to God's calling over her
• Jeri's life is becoming all God has created her to be
• Jeri's life is fitting in this season of her walk with God
• Jeri's life is pertinent in situations that God's places her
• Jeri's life is important in God's heart
• Jeri's life is very relative to today's generation
• Jeri's life is significant to God's heart.

Your turn. Go ahead. Place your name in front of those synonyms. 

Every word is true of you whether you believe it right now or not. Let it's truth take root in your soul.

Yours is a life of beautiful and powerful relevance. 

Soul Refreshment:

1 Peter 2:9-10 ~ 

But you are the ones chosen by God, 

     chosen for the high calling of priestly work, 

chosen to be a holy people, God's instruments 

     to do his work and speak out for him, 

to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you—   

     from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted.

Woohoo!!!

Come join us over at Lisa-Jo's

for more on Relevant

Earlier Days of Refreshing

are here

Other 31 Dayers
and their wonderful topics here.

Refreshing Day 14 ~ Caught in His Tenderness

Isaiah 54:8 ~ It's with lasting love that I'm tenderly caring for you.

Those words completely refresh me to a still, calm pause. The rest completely takes me over and I'm caught up in His tenderness toward me...toward us.

I'm tenderly cared for with an love that will last for all time. That completely rocks! It rocks even more that you are cared for the very same way!!! I'm so excited. Can you tell?

"Caring for you"...these life-words bring comfort in that God is actively caring for me, for us, in this present moment. Wooh!

Let's just say this beautiful morning is off to an amazing start.

I purposely wrote this just now. So I could join up with Lisa-Jo in 5 minutes of unedited, not even pre-thought out writing from my heart.

Are you caught up?

How does Isaiah 54:8 "catch" you?

Click the photo for more Days of Refreshing

Check out other 31 Dayers and their topics here