Perfect Timing

May 10, was Mother's Day. Mother's Day has become a weird day for me...I noticed it this year more than I have before. It's a sad day for me due to not having a mother to celebrate of my own anymore, but a happy day because of all the mother's that I know. This year in particular was the first Mother's Day for a lot of my friends and my sister. The very first of many that they will have...So I found myself sad and incredibly happy all at the same time. Weird.

It has become a lil tradition of mine since my mom passed away that I would do something on Mother's Day each year to honor/remember her. I didn't really know what I was going to do this year...was a lil discouraged after last years mishap. (planted a rhododendron bush at the Ranch in my "special spot" and even was given a bench to be placed in my "special spot" to sit and reflect and just remember my mom and the moments I had with her. Wellllll, the bush was washed away in a flood never to be found or seen again! ha! I laugh now, cuz it is kinda funny, but it did bum me out.) So this year I didn't have a plan. Me, not have a plan???? That is NOT normal!

After spending the morning with my church family at Crossroads Church, I drove out to the Ranch to have a day with the Lord and to reflect and pray. Was a gorgeous sunny, breezy day! During my time in the Word, I read Nehemiah. And that's when the Lord just blessed me with a verse...a really sweet verse:

"Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength." - Nehemiah 8:10

Now I do realize that this verse was not fully talking about physical death as it was a realization that the people had sinned against God and their relationship with Him had been restored. Soooo not the same context, but still very applicable. I had never read the entire book of Nehemiah before...just bits and pieces of it...so this verse in particular was new to me. How sweet of the Lord to reveal this truth in His Word to me on Mother's Day of all days. A day that I was struggling with...

After I spent time in the Word, I drove down to my "special spot" and sat and reflected and prayed and cried. AGAIN...like He does all the time, the Lord met me in a special way and I got an idea of how I can honor my mother. I found a really neat rock in my "special spot" and I stole it! Yessss, I stole from the Ranch! ha! I am going to paint the rock...and add the scripture from Nehemiah on it. {pics will be posted soon, once the rock is complete} It's hard to find things to do to honor my mother because I feel like I am not in a permanent location...I don't want to put something somewhere and me leave it in like a year or two. Sooo this year's "thing" will b very movable! :)

The joy of the Lord is my strength....and I praise Him for that! It's only because of Him who is in me that I have joy, hope, and healing! Life is tough...without Him I couldn't endure the twists and turns that get thrown at me. Loss is impossible to understand, but His character never changes! His truths are just as true today as they were way back when!