I've had something on my mind for the past few days that I want to share. All of us have hard times. Bad days. Times when we feel down or depressed. Sometimes we don't know any reason for it...we just feel that way. Other times there are circumstances in our lives that are bringing us down. They may be in our control, or out of our control, but they bring us down just the same. I just want us to remember that God has reminded us time after time after time that we may have to go through something unpleasant to get to something wonderful.

There are examples of this all through nature. Rain brings a rainbow. After a cold winter, comes a beautiful spring. There are examples of this in our daily lives...unpleasant work brings a paycheck. A long ride brings us to our destination.

Most importantly, there are examples of this all through the Word of God. Joseph was sold into slavery by his own brothers. He was put in prison for a crime he didn't commit. He was forsaken and forgotten by everyone...except the One that mattered. In Genesis 39, we read "The Lord was with Joseph", time after time. God didn't forget him. Joseph didn't know what was going on...but God did.

Jesus even reminded us before he ascended to his Father that he had to go away or the Comforter couldn't come. His going away was unpleasant, but what a wonderful blessing is the Comforter!

Are you going through something unpleasant? Don't lose hope. God is with you. He knows how to turn something unpleasant into something wonderful. One of my favorite verses right now is Micah 7:7 "Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me."

Just a few thoughts from my heart...to yours. May your day be blessed and your heart be happy.

Summer break is finally here! Whew! What a year. As the kids get older, being a homeschooling mom gets harder. This year we had Algebra II. Math is NOT my best subject, so it was a challenge. But I enjoyed spending time wtih my son every day, and I actually enjoyed learning some things. Who knew you can teach an old dog new tricks? :)

I've had some things on my mind I wanted to share today:  there are some things you just can't get back.

No matter how much you wish to, you can't turn back the hands of time. Once you have your 30th birthday, you'll never be 29 again. That's just the way it is. It's the same way with moments. I try to cherish moments with my kids, because I will never have things exactly this way again. Time marches on whether we like it or not.

Have you ever gotten wild and crazy and gotten a haircut? Not a trim, but a real haircut? Then you get home and look in the mirror and cry and say, "I want my long hair back!" Guess what. You can't get it back. You can try to grow it again, and it may or may not look the same as it did before, but you can't get it back. Nope. Impossible.

You can't unbreak something once it's broken. This goes for glasses, vases, promises, and hearts. If something is broken, you can try to piece it back together, but it will never be the same. Never.

This last thing...and it's a biggie.. is your reputation. When I say the names of some famous people, be honest...what's the first thing that comes to your mind? Bill Clinton. PeeWee Herman. James Baker. Lindsay Lohan. It doesn't matter how many good things someone has done in his or her life, people will remember the bad things you do. Trust me, it's just human nature. That's why it's so very important to think through decisions that you make. Ask yourself, "Is it worth it?" Odds are, many times, it's not. A moment of pleasure is never worth a lifetime of pain.

I'm sure you can think of other things that can never be gotten back once they're gone. Just a few thoughts from my heart...to yours. May your day be blessed and your heart be happy!