Sunday Grace

Hmmm, I'm a bit tired tonight. It was a good weekend, but long on physical exhaustion.....a 10.5 mile run on Saturday with a bunch of gardening thrown in besides. My 40 year old body doesn't recover like it used to.

Karl worked on extending our fense on the East side of the house, so we would have more storage area for my gardening tools of the trade. He also built me a raised bed for a strawberry patch. I LOVE my handyman!

My folks took us out to dinner on Friday night, kind of a late birthday dinner. We went to one of my favorite restaurants, The Rose and Thistle Pub. They have a great outside patio that you would never know was there from the outside. Had a great Scottish meal and a pint o' cider.

Did you know that every life is a beautiful mess? We talked about that in church today. No one is perfect and we all sin, but the grace of God saves us from guilt and shame. He calls us to come along side others gently and humbly, to carry each others burdens, to love like he does. We are not our sin......we are made in the image of God. That makes me thankful that my life is a beautiful mess.

May God's grace touch your life in a special way this week,

Sammy

3191 Miles Apart

I LOVE the concept of this blog......at the heart it's a precious story of a lovely friendship. They just published their first book, A Year of Mornings and the current blog is working on a year of evenings. Love it, love it, love it!

Here's my own little photo of the week.

Oh, how this spring of love resembleth

The uncertain glory of an April day!

Which now shows all the beauty of the sun

And by and by a cloud takes all away.

Shakespeare

Sammy

Living with Your Whole Heart

I've been chewing lately on what it means to live with your whole heart. I do believe it is completely connected to living authentically. When I am living authentically, it means I'm loving and living who I am. If I am able to do that, then my heart can really live, it can take in and give love with no boundaries, it can be limitless. It can be courageous.

I saw this youtube on another post and I fell in love with it. It speaks to living with your whole heart in a tangible way that blew me away.

Click here. Go Susan Boyle!

Sammy

Sunday Grace on Monday

So I'm one day late on my Sunday Grace post, but I know that we need grace all day, every day, not just on Sunday's. I am thankful that God's grace knows no bounds, does not respect time or space and is always given freely to us.

I spent this weekend doing all sorts of fun things with friends. It started out with a surprise birthday party for moi on Friday night......so fun, so surprised and blessed by my friends.

On Saturday I picked up my dear friend, Christy, and we went to Edgefield to luxuriate at the spa and enjoy an evening away. Christy is one awesome friend, wife and mother. She turned 40 a week before I did, so this was our celebration time. It was a super enjoyable time and the weather couldn't have been better.

The amazing Ruby Spa at Edgefield......massage, facial, pedicure....

Celebrate.....

A lovely dinner.....

It was truly a refreshing and restful time.

Sammy

I Thought It Was Just Me

If you are a woman interested in learning about shame, what it means in our lives and how to become shame resilient......here's a book and an online read-through with the author. It is very insightful, very hard at times, but worth the work. If anyone is interesting in working through it together, I'm up for it.



Sammy

Sunday Grace

I really do try to post every Sunday for Sunday Grace......but sometimes time gets away from me. I know you know what I mean.

Today is a special day.....Easter Sunday. For me, Easter means redemption, all things beginning new. How fitting that Easter falls in Spring, when it's so green that it almost looks dreamlike, when the first flowers begin their bloom. Yes, it rains, but with rain comes a beautiful iridesence that is magical.

Vase of Spring....

Dogwood bud....

Pear tree bud....

Gail, can you see that I'm learning????

I have to admit, this excited me most this week (other than my birthday).......we rebuilt our composting area. I feel like a grown up urban farmer now........

I also turned 40 on Friday.....it really has been a lovely weekend.......good friends.......good food. I LOVE that I'm 40 now. My body creaks a little, I don't jump out of bed like I used too.....but I know more about who I am than ever before and accept where I am in my journey. What more could I really ask for?

Special friends, Pete, Laurie and Gail.....at the best Gelato place in Portland!

My most awesome and beautiful sister, Tabitha....

See you soon, Sammy