my hope... my strength... my comforter... my song

I was wrong...

So I had this great idea to go to the Hillsong concert alone last night.  When the opportunity to get last minute tickets came up I wanted to "control" my evening by not inviting anyone to join me. I didn't want any distractions because I needed Him alone desperately, so I thought.  (I've been praying for His Will to be done.)  Well, I was wrong and I would not advise anyone to do what I did.  I was able to sneak up and get a seat for one up front in about the forth row.  It was the strangest thing.  I felt completely like an outsider.  For the most part they were jumping up and down and clapping.  It didn't feel right. I didn't feel like I belonged there. I didn't recognize most of the songs so I didn't know the words or the tunes. I couldn't see the screen because everyone around me was raising their arms, blocking my view. They all knew every word by heart. I loved all of the lyrics, don't get me wrong, but there is something about Worshiping Him in the company of someone I love.  To be honest, I began to panic... and cry,  not because I was moved, but because I feel like I am disappointing God with my life.  I panicked more and more during the concert and by the time I drove home I had a stomach ache.  As I closed my eyes I imagined being in Heaven with none of my loved ones.  What if I don't recognize anyone or what if they don't recognize me? Worst of all... What if He doesn't recognize me? And what if everyone there is singing songs, but I can't understand the words?  Will it be obvious to God and everyone that I am a fake?  I sure hope not.

Satan, get the you-know-what away from me!

Please pray for me.  And next time I'm not going to a concert alone!  

Thank you,

Angie

this is HUGE

192).  My friend, Su got me tickets to the *SOLD OUT* Hillsong Concert tomorrow night!

You may find it strange that she offered me two tickets, but I want to go by myself.  I could ask a friend, but I really don't want to invite anyone.  I need a night with no distractions.  I'm SO excited and grateful for this opportunity to see them.



xoxo

at the end of the day

     "Seize life! Eat bread with gusto, 
   Drink wine with a robust heart. 
   Oh yes—God takes pleasure in your pleasure! 
   Dress festively every morning. 
   Don't skimp on colors and scarves. 
   Relish life with the spouse you love 
   Each and every day of your precarious life. 
   Each day is God's gift. It's all you get in exchange 
   For the hard work of staying alive. 
   Make the most of each one! 
   Whatever turns up, grab it and do it. And heartily! 
   This is your last and only chance at it, 
   For there's neither work to do nor thoughts to think 
   In the company of the dead, where you're most certainly headed."
~Ecc 9:7-10 (The Message)

When it's all said and done, I want to be remembered as the girl who knew how to "Seize the Day"! 

Have a great day!

xoxo

I just love being a mom of mid-twenty-year-olds

175).  having Meghan and John both home at the same time
176).  Meghan's plane finally arriving late Friday night
177).  sharing coffee and conversations with both of my kids
178).  facials and massages
179).  not needing anything while shopping at the mall
180).  dinner out with just the four of us
181).  going for a family run
182).  breakfast at The Union
183).  Lincoln understanding that I need my time with my kids
184).  Dairy Dream with my family
185).  listening to my kid's kind of music in the car
186).  laughing so hard with Meghan in the Ralph Lauren store
187).  hearing John laugh at a t.v. show all by himself
188).  Lincoln doing a church drama
189).  watching Meghan train for her marathon
190).  going down to our own beach club
191).  taking a ride to find a house on Lake Fenton


xoxo

God is so good.

I love my Thursday nights...

165).  my thoughtful patient, Mary Ann who brought me an Espresso machine today
166).  my kind patient, Jim who told my boss he only comes to our office for me
167).  hugs from my patients who love me
168).  talking tennis (or any sport) with John
169).  the satisfaction of a completed task
170).  Jan telling me her mom "whines with purpose" ... the sound of her laugh
171).  the e-mails back and forth between my life-long friends Kathleen, Judy and me
172).  sore muscles from yoga
173).  birthday celebration with Meg, Hannah and Paula
174).  talking about Scripture with my patient

foolin' yourself

I was at my office 14 hours yesterday, so cut me some slack.

John: "Mom, what did you end up having for dinner?"

Mom: "I had a 'kids meal' at McDonalds."

John: "Oh, I see. You're fooling yourself into believing the 'Happy' Meal was good for you?"

Hmmmm... I wonder what else I fool myself into believing? I love when my kid stops me in my tracks.



#163. I'm glad he cares.
#164. I'm glad it's a new day.

Thank you, Lord!
xoxo

p.s. They were the hottest, saltiest french fries ever and the cheeseburger was very fresh for 9:30pm! :)

Amen.

Amen.

I Believe... :)

a lot of fun and a little too much ice cream

Here I thought I was having a weekend to myself when my husband was out of town. I'm grateful for every moment...

139). golf with John, Sue and Pat

140). out-driving John on the first hole (HUGE)

141). an ice cream "puff" with my mother-in-law and Sam

142). watching "Wising Up" by myself

143). horseback riding (out of my comfort zone) with Nancy & Kathie

144). kayaking with Nancy, Kathie and Bev

145). picking up sticks on the lawn

146). an encouraging phone call from my sister in Christ

147). surprising my mom for an outing

148). swinging on Aunt Eveline's new deck overlooking the lake

149). my cousin Mike coming right over to give us a pontoon ride

150). hot dogs from "Lake Dog" (a refreshment boat)

151). brownie & ice cream back at Aunt Eveline's

152). seeing my aunt's house exactly the same as it's been for 50 years

153). the warm breeze

154). the phone call with Lisa in California on my way home

155). the king-sized bed to myself

156). waking up early and watching an online service about marriage

157). John home early and taking a nap on the chair

158). taking John to get his Michigan Great Lakes map framed

159). taking a ride out by Indianwood (the club where I learned to golf)

160). an ice cream stop

161). coffee with my sister-in-law, Lisa

162). playing "PIG" with John & Linc and making a few shots

163). hearing about Linc's weekend with Arie :)

the "go" part

I am reading through The Message this year. We are in one of my favorite books (Proverbs) of the Bible that speaks on Wisdom. I love to talk with older women who share their wisdom with me. My mother lost her mom when she was 12 years old, so I think she missed out and although she hates it when we say she did the best she could, she really did. I love when my daughter comes to me for wisdom. After this morning's reading, I know I need to encourage her to read His Word in case I'm not around when she is in the same season of life I'm in right now.

"Friends come and friends go, but a true friend sticks by you like family." (Proverbs 18:24)

I'm having a hard time with the "friends go" part. I've heard about people having a "falling out" with a friend and I couldn't understand why that would happen. I'm grateful for all of my friends, but I have this one friend... It's been 6 months since we had a miscommunication. Something got ugly, we had "words", but we have not had a real reconciliation and it still breaks my heart. As time goes on, it bothers me more and more. I'm not okay with it.

I would love to sit on a swing with Jesus and ask Him more about the "friends go" part. He says He will never leave or forsake us. I know He wants us to depend only on Him and He will never disappoint us. He will never reject us. I know this all in my head, but my heart just doesn't get it.

Last night as I sat on a swing overlooking the most beautiful lake with my aunt who is in her 80's and my mom who is in her mid 70's it made me smile. They are sister's-in-law by marriage and both have lost their husbands (and best friends) but they are still family and true friends. I wish I had a picture, but I have it etched in my mind!

I am SO blessed by all of friends God has put in my life. I do not take any of them for granted. Thank you for being one of them!

Love,

Angie xoxo

exhausted and grateful

I love this picture I took recently (before it died). :)

It's Thursday night and I am enjoying an evening to myself. I'm doing what I love to do. I'm taking in some music. I'm grateful for so many things tonight, but right now it's simple. I don't know what I would do if there was no music to feed my soul.



I feel like these guys are singing to me and me alone! When I'm exhausted this next song always touches me deeply. It doesn't matter how many times I hear it, I still need to be reminded and it brings me to tears.




I came home from work tonight to more branches all over our yard from yet another storm. I wonder if God is trying to tell me something, but I'm just not listening to Him. I'm thinking about one of the verses I memorized last year because I could easily go to a place where I am overwhelmed about so many things I need to deal with tomorrow. I can sleep well tonight though because...

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (Matt 6:34).

xoxo

Love will...

...hold us together!

My husband and I celebrated our 9th Anniversary when we were on vacation this past week. I'm going to be honest. It wasn't my favorite. We had had a lot of togetherness by then and frankly, I was ready to come home. I don't need to get into the details, but we were struggling. I decided to take a risk by asking for tips for a great marriage via facebook. Nobody really knew that I needed something to hold on to and was hoping God would use my friends and family to give me some encouragement. I was very thankful that I had my iPhone, so I could check my e-mails. God is SO good! I decided to read the book of John as if I read it for the first time. I realized I need His Word every single day and His Love will hold my husband and me together and we're not alone!

I want to remember all of those comments forever!

Cheryl... Love (the Agape' kind) and Respect! Happy Anniversary!
Becky Jo... Phillipians 4:8 - concentrate on what is GOOD, noble, pure and right about each other. If you remember that when it gets rough, your heart will always choose to love.
Catherine... Wow! With 9 you could give others suggestions. Congratulations to you both.
Yolanda... My husband and I always tell others when they ask....to give 110 percent, not 50/50; because you will always cover and overlap one another. ;-) Happy Anniversary!!!
Gail... Happy Anniversary, Angie!
Annette... My go-to line: "Your only choice is whether you're going to be happy or not...so? what's it gonna be?" Hope you have a great day. Saying a prayer for you both right now.
Kim... Happy Anniversary Angie...A good tip, is keep Jesus Christ the center of your marriage...3 cords can not be easily broken...God Bless you with many more.
Mary Lou... Happy Anniversary, Angie...don't think I can top the tips that you've already been given. Marriage is hard work and it's more than worth working for. Like Kim said, keep Christ at the center of your marriage and love as unto Him. It's worked for me and we've been married 41 years and it's better now than in the beginning.
Lauren... After 26 years of marriage... I realize we should have been kinder to each other and quicker to forgive. We're still figuring it out. :) Happy Anniversary.
Amber... Happy Anniversary! I would love to give you a tip, but were still not sure how this whole marriage thing works? lol
Marianne... Congrats!!!!!! :)
Janice... Happy anniversary! You know my advice, but in all seriousness, respect. Tom is great at it.
Jenna... Communication! But you know that--you taught me! Love you and congrats
Luanne... No tips from me...just best wishes for a very happy day!
Chris... Congrats!!!!
Nancy... My dad said at his and my mom's 50th, "shower together once a week..." (ok... get your minds out of the gutter....LOL). He went on to say "it's hard to stay mad when you're scrubbing your sweetie's back..."
Susie... happy anniversary! my advice: hug kiss and laugh!
Teresa... Happy Anniversary! I think you have everything you need. Faith, Hope and Love...God Bless you as you celebrate your 9 years and your future!
Eileen... Happy Anniversary! x
Melissa... Happy Anniversary!!!!!!! We miss you guys ;-)
Christine... Happy Anniversary! I agree with Melissa, we do miss you!
Joshua... Happy anniversary!
Elisabeth... Isn't it, a couple that prays together stays together? That's what I've heard, anyway ;-) How about taking a trip to GR and hanging out with me for a day?!?!
Kathie... Happy Anniversary!
Mark... Annie, be honest, be open and know there is something greater than you,and life and marriage is awesome! God Bless and enjoy every day.
DeNaze... wow, there i was just all thinking about me and never did say happy anniversary...had to wait to say it on fb~! hope you had a nice week together~you are still together, right? haha looks like ya got some great tips. two words from here... beer and wine! jk... love you. p.s. did you find the little lamb in your stuff from up north?
Mary... My wise friend said: "whatever the question, love is the answer". Thanks for letting us butt into your week of togetherness, and making it all about our fun...and nase's head!
Jenny... Happy belated anniversary to my second mom and Jefferson! Love you both so much!



So much love to all of my friends and family!
Angie xoxo