Summer Journaling...

The unofficial start to summer is here.  School is out and the weather is warm.  It feels and looks like summer here in Mid-Missouri.  We just have a few plans this summer.  We hope to do a lot of outdoor activities like fishing, swimming and picnics.  I hope to be able to pull the boys away from riding bikes and skateboards and hanging out with friends and do a little journaling with them.  They both like to write and enjoy taking pictures so I'm hoping we'll be able to work it in this summer.  If nothing else, I hope to fill my own journal with thoughts, dreams, photos, magazine cutouts and sketches...just like I used to do as a young girl.

However, I'm not a young girl anymore as my 25th high school reunion is this summer...GASP...how can that EVEN be possible?  With age...and responsibilities like kids, a job and a house to run it's harder to feel those carefree summer feelings that I had when I was younger.  Summers were magical and really seemed to go on forever.  I hope to capture some of that in my journal this summer.



Here are some summer journals that are inspiring me...

Summer Planning...

Great Idea For The Boys...

Garden Journaling...

And Writing...

---jackie

Valentines Day Wisdom To Carry Through The Days...

Let everything you do be done in love (true love to God and man as inspired by God's love for us).

1 Corinthians 16:14 From the Amplified Bible

What better way to live my life than being intentional about my love for God and those around me. I can honestly say that I don't approach everything in my life this way and I can imagine the difference if I did. There is always work to be done isn't there? For that I'm thankful. I hope I never stop growing and learning in my faith.

I mentioned recently that I'm starting a new class at church. It's called Sacred Rhythms. It's based on a book by Ruth Haley Barton.


I'm excited about the class because it's based on the same spiritual practice that I've been enjoying in the Solo Devotional for the last year. The practice is called Lectio Divina or Divine Reading/Spiritual Reading. Basically, you study, ponder, listen and pray. This one practice has made all the difference for me in my relationship with God. However, this class is really out of my comfort zone. I love the idea of getting together with other people and discussing our faith, but for me to actually do it is something else altogether. I missed the first class because of my illness, so this Wednesday is the first one for me. This a big church. I got the list of my classmates last week and I don't know anyone. That's okay...but I'm stepping out of the zone a little. I'll let you know how it goes.






Hope you all had a wonderful Valentines Day.

Jackie

**photos - red tulips on my dining room table, strawberry cake with cherry frosting for Valentines day, Kobe enjoying a cupcake made from leftover batter.