I'm participating in Five Minute Friday with Lisa-Jo of The Gypsy Mama. Each week, Lisa-Jo gives us one word to write on for 5 minutes flat. It's been a great exercise for me to learn to gather my thoughts quickly.  Our word for this week is ...JOIN . GO Sometimes it can be easier to sit on the sidelines.  To be an observer and not join in. I think of the years when I didn't want to join a church.  It was easier to watch what I called Church TV each Sunday.  I could hear a positive uplifting message and be good for the week.  What I realized…

I'm joining Bonnie for another Faith Barista Jam today.  She has invited us to write a letter to God.  The only requirement is to ...be real. At first, I was hesitant.  After all, that's kind of personal.  But after joining in last week with a letter to my younger self, I found it very revealing and I hope it blessed a few people.  So I will be transparent once again.  So here goes ... Dear God, First of all, I want to thank you for loving me and forgiving me.  Your grace is amazing to me!  I'm so glad I am your child and that you will never…

Sometimes life can get so hectic that we never stop to notice the blessings all around us. Counting those every day blessings isn't too hard when I'm surrounded by children all day long.  They always seem to delight in the simplest of things.  Adults can learn much from them. One of the young boys in my after school group brought a tortoise to school for show and tell.  Of course, he had to take it out and show it to us too.  The laughter and fun as they were handling and observing the tortoise was contagious. And in our three year old class, …