New Meaning

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy Kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever.
Amen

Tonight I was reflecting on the Lord's prayer and suddenly had a light bulb go off in my head. I have heard this quoted thousands of times, I have read this thousands of times, and I have even prayed this thousands of times....BUT tonight I suddenly was drawn into two sentences. "And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. " What I realized tonight is this... God is almost telling us... IT WILL HAPPEN. You will mess up and people you know will mess up. Whenever I thought about this the first thing to pop in my head was driving. There are mornings when I am driving to work and someone inevitably pulls over and cuts me off. I think to myself..."REALLY? Was that REALLY necessary?" Did they intentionally do that to make me frustrated?" More times than not the person probably just needed to get over in order to make their turn. But, then I think about the other side of the story. There are mornings when I pull over in front of someone only to look back and see arms waving up in the air. I think, "Ooops. I didn't mean to make you mad! I just really had to get over!" Unfortunately, the person is already mad and I was that person who added frustration onto their day.

God understands. God warns us that we need to ask Him to forgive us of these sins. And in the very next sentence, we equally have to extend that grace to those who have trespassed against us. When we hurt or frustrate someone, God forgives us if we ask him to forgive. At the very same time, He calls us to forgive those people who "pulled out in front of our car early in the morning". I realized tonight how beautiful grace and forgiveness is in a world that assures us we will mess up. Thankfully, God loves us. Bottom line.

Girls Night Out

Tonight we went out for Jules and Emily's birthdays. We had such a great time over delicious dinner and a glass of wine. I guess sometimes I take for granted "girl time" and how it makes me smile. Here are some pictures from our night out on the town. These girls are such a blessing in my life and I am so thankful to walk through life beside them.

A Day at a Time

So, this morning I woke up and realized something... today was going to be a great day. Why you might ask? Because I had all the time in the world and I had the ability to spend today just as I wanted it to be. A day combined with Jesus time, college football (particularly the TN vs. FL game), cleaning my apartment, exercising, manicures and pedicures with a dear friend, and a night out with the girls. Days like these provide me with clarity. They allow me to take a deep breath and know that today is just as God intended it to be.


Today is the Tennessee vs. Florida game. I am a Tennessee volunteer at heart. My childhood was spent admiring and cheering on the orange and white while singing Rocky Top. When I first moved to Orlando, I knew it was going to be a challenge to be in Gator nation. I have many great friends who love the Gators and there's nothing wrong with that, but I can assure all that I will stand firm in my upbringing and I will not waiver and "cross over to the other side." GO VOLS!

Here are some pictures from my time in New York City last weekend. My brother lives in Manhattan and my family flew up to go to one of the last ever Yankee games in Yankee Stadium. It was a great, memorable experience.

His Grace is Sufficient for ME

Wow, I had a chance to sit down tonight and notice that it has been months since I have blogged. You know one thing I love about blogging? I love that my friends can read what is going on in my life. I mean what is REALLY going on in my life.

One thing that I have always strived to be is real. I find freedom in being real. I find truth in being real. I find peace in being real. I see God's grace and hand in being real.

I know I have blogged about my church before, but Summit Church in Orlando has been not only life changing for me, but soul changing. It has given me a different perspective on being a Christian and loving Jesus. It has showed me that the church is a place for the broken, unloved, and hurt. It is not for those who are perfect. Because let's be honest, no one besides Jesus Christ has been or ever will be perfect. We've all fallen short of the glory of God... several times a day in actuality. But one thing that I have really been focused on lately is this: His Grace is Sufficient for ME.

His grace offers me hope. He offers me love when I feel unworthy of being loved. He provides comfort when I am convinced that things can't get any worse. He reminds me that He is walking beside me when I feel alone. He is present. HE is REAL

Mothers

I have blogged before about my unique opportunity to help families and kids during the most horrific, painful times in their lives. Today I had the pleasure of hanging out with one of my patient's mother. She is indescribable. Side note: It absolutely boggles my mind how many parents are not involved in their kid's lives. I can go to work on a daily basis and always have a child to hold, rock, play with, etc. because they are always alone. I don't think most people can truly understand how many kids are alone in a hospital. I sometimes feel like I work in an orphanage. Anyways, back to my story... Today was indescribable. I sat with a young mother for almost two hours today. We had a "Girl's Day" as I like to call it. We pretty much covered every single topic of conversation that comes along when two or more girls gather. I listened to her talk about her struggles, her points of weakness, her strengths, her undying love for her child, and unfortunately her sadness. She had not had a particularly "good" Mother's Day. When I walked in the room and asked her how she was doing, it took all of her strength not to cry. She and I have become pretty good friends throughout her daughter's hospitalization so she just let loose.

I am so amazed by this woman. She is my age and she is incredible. She has been faced with such a daunting task, but rises above with such grace and humility. Whenever I find something even tiny wrong with my life, she puts my life back into perspective for me without even trying. She loves her child more than anything in the world and it is encouraging to watch her grow daily and become a woman of God instead of the young girl she was when she first entered the hospital to deliver her baby. She is always positive. She never complains. She sits there by her baby's side every single day without fail because she wants her baby to experience the love that only she can give. She has a hard life, but she always celebrates the good in every day. I learn life lessons from her almost every single time I enter the room. She has changed my life and for that I thank her.

I also am able to see through her how lucky I am to have a mother who loves me more than life itself. My mom drove 9 hours to spent a week with me in Orlando to help me move. I mean, who does that? My mom is my best friend. She knows everything about my life. She knows the good, the bad, and yes my friends...even the ugly. She walks through life with me supporting me without fail. She loves me unconditionally. She shows a love of Christ through every action. She speaks truth to me when I want nothing more than for someone to tell me what I want to hear. She is my best friend, but she also is my mother.


Thank you Lord for mothers. I pray for my friend Lord. Please surround her with your love. Give her strength to go through her days. Allow her to understand and recognize how worthy she is and how beautiful she is. Praise you Jesus for giving me a mother who exemplifies love through every word to me. You have blessed me Lord and I thank you.

In an Instant...

I was going to work today just like I do every day, but something different was awaiting me. When I pulled up and parked in the parking garage I heard several sirens. It is not unusual to hear sirens walking into the hospital, but there was something different about these sirens. Once an ambulance arrives on our property, they usually turn the sirens off. The sirens continued to scream as I walked into work. Then I saw one fire truck, then a second, third, and finally a fourth. I kept walking into the hospital, but I saw a couple of people standing in front looking up at the top of the building. I paused for a second and asked a woman what was going on. She continued to tell me that a window washer had fallen from the 7th floor to the 2nd floor. I heard later during the day that the guy had been stabilized by the medical staff at our hospital, but had to be rushed to the trauma center. He had four broken extremities, blood in his lungs, and ended up having to be intubated (a tube placed in his throat to help him breathe.) I was on the 7th floor today in the PICU and I saw the pool of blood outside where the guy had fallen.

Isn't it crazy how life can drastically change in the matter of an instant? I am so glad that I have the assurance that if there is ever a day that drastically changes my life for the worst that my God will be there with me. He is my sustainer. He is my protector. When the going gets tough, He is there to pick me up.

Lord, please be with this man who fell today. I don't know his name, but you do. Heal him, strengthen him, give his family peace and sustain them. Allow him to see through this horrible situation that you are the God of the universe and you love him very much.

Believe and Be Satisfied

I was with my mom today and we went to a little shop on Park Avenue. While we were looking around, my mom found this picture frame with a quote written on it around the spot where the picture goes. It said, "If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so that I never have to live a day without you." It was a quote from Winnie the Pooh. I absolutely loved the quote, but more than that I loved the story that the woman who owned the store told me. She was talking to us about the picture frame and she went into this story about a young couple who were just recently married. She said that there was a beautiful picture frame similar to the one we saw and one day the man was in there with his wife. He noticed this beautiful picture frame with a nice quote on it and it caught his eye. He came back a couple of days later and brought a picture of him and his wife from their recent wedding. He asked the owner of the store if he could place the picture in the frame because he knew that his wife would be coming later that day to look into buying it. She said yes so he placed the picture in the frame. That afternoon, the wife walked into the store and walked right up to the frame that she had noticed a couple of days before. When she looked at the frame she noticed a picture of her and her husband. She was extremely touched and purchased the frame with their picture already placed in it. Wow. I know that this story sounds a little cheesy, but it was a true example of love between a couple. It was so simple, yet spoke volumes. It was an unexpected story of romance.

I was given this poem/short story from my high school mentor at church, Kelly. She really wanted me to understand how important a relationship is with God as the center. I absolutely love it and still keep it close by at all times. The paper is a little beaten up from reading it over the years, but the words still remain true.

Be Satisfied

Everyone longs to give themselves completely to someone-
To have a deep soul relationship with another-
Be loved thoroughly, and exclusively.
But God, to a Christian, says:
I want you to be satisfied, fulfilled, and content
With being loved by Me alone-
With giving yourself totally and unreservedly to Me-
With having an intensely personal and unique relationship
With Me alone.
Discovering that only in Me is your satisfaction to be found,
Will you be capable of the best human relationship
That I have planned for you.
I want you to be united with another after you are united with Me-
Exclusive of anyone or anything else,
Exclusive of any other desires or longings.
I want you to stop planning, stop wishing,
And allow Me to give you the most thrilling plan existing-
One that you cannot imagine.
I want you to have the best-
Please allow Me to bring it to you.
You just keep watching Me, trusting Me-
Keep experiencing the satisfaction that I am.
Keep listening and learning the things I tell you.
You just wait.
That's all.

Don't be anxious.
Don't worry.
Don't look around at the things
Others have gotten or that I've given them.
Don't look at the things you think you want.
You just keep looking off and up to Me,
Or you'll miss what I want to show you.

And then, when you're ready, I'll surprise you with a love
Far more wonderful than any you would dream of.
You see, until you are ready and until the one I have for you is ready,
(I am working even at this moment to have both of you ready at the same time),
Until you are both satisfied exclusively with Me and the life I prepared for you,
You won't be able to experience the love that exemplifies your relationship with me.
And this is the perfect love.

And dear one, I want you to have the most wonderful love.
I want you to see in the flesh a picture of your relationship with Me,
And to enjoy materially and concretely the everlasting union of beauty, perfection, and love
That I offer you with Myself.
Know that I love you utterly.
I am God.
Believe and be satisfied.

I absolutely loved this when she gave it to me in high school because it provided me with a unique understanding of what God's love is and what he intends for us to have. We just have to trust and believe.

Lord, I want to be satisfied in you. Thank you for being the ultimate definition of love and romance.