I have to start with my blog apology.I have been terrible with writing this blog lately but I have a good excuse.I have been working on a deadline for my new book.I have been doing nothing but writing so I hope you will forgive me.
Last week was Thanksgiving and I, along with 8 million other people, crawled in my car and made the trek back home to Mama’s.The journey home was hectic and traffic was busy but all in all it was a good trip.It was worth it as I sat around the table with my family eating turkey and my sister in law Shay’s sweet potato casserole.But then I crawled in my car to head back to Chattanooga.I can only assume that everyone knew what time I was leaving and decided to leave 15 minutes before me.I had barely left Mama’s driveway when I looked up to find a sea of cars ahead of me.
I love New York City.I really do.Even though I am a country girl from North Carolina, I enjoy the city.This past weekend I had the opportunity to hit the streets of New York City once again.It was great.Lisa, my trusty assistant, had a conference to attend so she invited me to tag along with her.We flew into Philadelphia, drove to the conference, and then on Friday afternoon we drove to New York City.
I love photography.I don’t get a chance to get out and take pictures as much as I would like, but when the leaves change in fall I just have to get out and capture the moment.Chattanooga is a great place to be in the fall.The weather is wonderful and the surrounding mountains make the changing leaves a spectacle to behold.
I saw a lady going into the grocery store yesterday.She jumped out of the car with her 9 or 10 year old girl in tow.She hustled across the parking lot toward the front doors never looking back to see if the girl was looking for cars or close behind.I thought, “Surely this can’t be the girl’s mother” as I looked both ways for traffic.But I was wrong.The girl made a feeble attempt to catch up by squeaking out a “Mom, wait on me.”The mother never turned around.
Sometimes God does things for you just for fun.I love it when He does things like that because it always reminds me that He enjoys me and the relationship I have with Him.On Friday I went to the rental car agency to pick up my rental car.The gentleman behind the counter handed me the keys to my car, which was supposed to be an intermediate size car.You know, the kind with no bells and whistles but it gets you there.I figured I would end up with a Kia or something like that.Well, he pointed out the window and said, “That grey mustang is yours.It’s an 09’ and only has 7,000 miles on it.Have fun!”Now I am a sports car kind of girl, so he didn’t have to tell me twice.Lisa and I drove to North Carolina this weekend in style and didn’t get any speeding tickets!
Sorry for the long delay in the blogs.Whew life has been busy!The first weekend of October I spoke at the Joyful Woman Jubilee here in Chattanooga.It was great because I could sleep in my own bed.I had a wonderful time speaking with Mary Whelchel, Joy Martin, and all the Rice sisters.
I just got back from the Southern Association of Christian Schools Teachers Convention.This year it was in Gatlinburg, TN.I spoke 5 times over the two days that I was there.
Well it has been a few weeks since you have heard from me.I went to the beach on vacation with my family.It has been years since my entire family has spent a week of vacation together.This year was a special occasion – my father celebrated his 70th birthday.When we asked him what he wanted he told us that he would like the entire family to go on vacation together.So we all cleared our schedules, packed our bags, and headed to Myrtle Beach, SC.
I met two friends of mine yesterday at Starbucks.It had been a while since we sat down and just talked.We discussed life, books we are reading, things God is teaching us, and questions we are pondering.It was great conversation.There was no agenda, no persuasive arguments, just freedom to share ideas.Conversations like that require transparency, honesty, and courage because you risk the chance that your thought sounded stupid or your “realness” will be misunderstood.But despite the requirements, I really enjoy those rare moments.It challenges me to strive for more, to pray for more wisdom, to think outside the box, and to be more like Christ.It is one thing for me to say I am a Christ follower but another thing altogether to actually be one.As my friend said so eloquently yesterday, “the more you strive to know Him, the more He requires you to know yourself.”If I desire to be like Him, I must recognize who I really am and allow Him to take all the mess that is me and empower me to be like Him.
