quote of the week: 2/13/14

I missed last week (my apologies) but I couldn't miss this Thursday. In this month of February, our topic is....you guessed it "love".

However, I detest cheesiness, i.e. that watered down thing marketing and the media has called love. So my quotes may not make you feel all warm and cuddly inside (that's what Hallmark is for) but it will challenge and remind you of what true love is!

Happy Valentine's Day cyber-friends!

weekend jet setter part 2: count your blessings

this was me + at least another 3 bags,
stroller and car seat!
Thank God for momma!

As I mentioned in part 1, we travelled last weekend. It was a great trip. And thank God for mommy! She was literally a life saver. I wouldn't ever want to travel with an infant alone. Although Daelyn Grace was great (no fussiness) or anything like that, it was quite a bit to keep balanced.

Last week, I talked about the "lesson" I learned from one event of the trip but as I wrote, it caused me to reflect on the trip itself. I couldn't help but to see how many blessings there were wrapped up in that little getaway!

The trip was a blessing in multiple ways.
1.We snagged lovely priced tickets for a direct flight from Nassau to West Palm Beach. Although it was on a particular airline, we had absolutely NO problems (no delays, no cancellations...nothing)! In fact, they gave us multiple graces upon our return as it relates to baggage and such.

2. We got free and comfy housing. Daelyn had an almost-new bassinet to sleep in ($20) and a playpen to hang out and play in (free)...and more toys than she could keep track of. It was just like being at home.

3. We got an SUV rental for the cost of a compact car. I never imagined how much space baby items take up. Add to that a couple bags from shopping and you've got a mid-size SUV looking like we were moving away permanently. :/ I didn't think we'd need more than a regular sedan but once again...thanks to mommy's suggestion, we were comfortable for the 4 days we were there.

mommy, me & Daelyn Grace on the plane.
she apparently was not pleased
with the camera in her face.

4. I found some really good deals on the couple items that were purchased for me and the lil princess (funny how I'm mrs-shop-til-I-drop, but with a baby, I was like...five minutes in the store and I was done!) The stroller nor cart seemed to keep lil-miss-on-the-move content for too long so after about 20 minutes, there needed to be a change in venue...unless she fell asleep. The best part was innocently walking through aisles, pushing the stroller (or cart) and seeing clothing (and other items) "moving" and not realizing that it was my daughter's doings. 

and the best of all----

5. As you recall from last week, I got the DSM-5 for free. The person who gave me theirs paid almost $200.

Non-financial "blessings":

April & Daelyn Grace at her
 office in North Palm Beach.

6. Got to spend some good time with mommy, Daelyn Grace and April, who is my former roommate. They got to meet, play with, and spend some good time with each other and they became fast friends. :)

7. Got a 200-page manual which will be a great plus for my pre-marital program, One Accord, that I'm preparing to launch in two weeks. The manual accompanied a previous training that I missed and I am just so grateful to have it. It is a wealth of information and resources, that honestly would have probably taken more than 2 weeks for me to compile if I had to do it on my own. side note: I had planned to eventually have something like this- so now I can just add, rather than having to start from scratch! yippeee

8. I got an entire day to network with other professionals. I met some fabulous therapists/mental health professionals and got some great tips for private practice. Those tips are definitely priceless!


I'm sure there are more but I'll stop there. There is an old song I remember and it goes:

Count your blessings name them one by one

Count your blessings see what God has done

Count your blessings, name them one by one,

Count your many blessings see what God has done!

When was the last time you stopped to count your blessings?

Grace, peace, love and blessings to you!
Gia

weekend jet setter part 1

I traveled the past couple days for a professional development workshop. It was a good time all around, as we (myself, Daelyn Grace and my mom-"pseudo-nanny") stayed with my grad-college roommate.  

the "bible" for professionals
in mental health field

The workshop was all day...we literally left the house at 7:30 and didn't return until after 5pm!!! It was productive and very helpful to my own professional goals so no complaints from me!

The goal of workshop was getting the local professionals familiar with the changes in the DSM-5 - the official diagnostic tool for the mental health field.  have the DSM that I was trained in (previous version) but this version (5) is just released and of course costs a pretty penny. I found it on Amazon for a decent price ($120)...the range goes up to +$150 depending on where you purchase. Now I was all prepared to purchase this, but felt that I wasn't supposed to. I'll admit, I fought this- because in reality I hate going someplace unprepared. I dislike being THAT person. you know the one who needs to share because they aren't prepared. Yes, most of it is rooted in pride (I hate to not have my own things) but part of it, is just me liking to be prepared.

Anyhoo, it was clear...I had no peace about purchasing the book. Side note: having that "peace" is how I know its God "talking" to me. So it took me looking at my Amazon cart for literally 4 days before I finally clicked the "delete from cart" button and proceeded to purchase the other items. I even called April (former roommate) to check with her and she adamantly reassured me that coming without the book was "okay".

So fast forward, its the day of the workshop. I find a table that is strategically at the back of the room and doesn't have a ton of people BUT has someone who has a book. I sit and ask to share. welp. she happily welcomes to share with this stranger.

As the day progresses, we get to know each other during the hourly 10-minute breaks and she eventually asks if I had a book or had plans to purchase. I explain that I wanted to but honestly didn't have funds available at that time and would get it some other time. At lunch time, she indicates that from the beginning of the day, she felt God telling her to give me her book but she struggled because I am a stranger and she paid almost $200 for this book. Ultimately, she surrendered to what she felt was God directing her and blessed me. It was an awesome moment. Her obedience. My obedience. Blessings for us both.

The lesson(s) for me here was very simple:
1. God WANTS to take care of me. I soooo wanted to fix the situation, even to the extent of putting the bill on my credit card, but I obediently did not purchase and He provided- at no cost to me. There is no need too small or insignificant. A book. A stupid book that I may or may not use for another year, if ever...He ensure that I received it.
2.  My obedience is linked to someone else. Of course this is the case with DISobedience. I'm not sure what the lesson is for that lady, but I know what I got. And I'm beyond excited that I listened and also that she listened to.

I believe that God interacts with us daily. Sometimes its through others, sometimes its through those "gut feelings" and of course there are other signs and such. But that the heart of our Christian walk (for those of us who are on this walk), is this surrendered heart to not only recognize when it is God "talking" but to also obey. And even in the small things. Who would have thought that purchasing a book was of any importance??!

So as I leave- be encouraged. Look, listen and obey.

Grace, peace, and love,
Gia

Agape

The word love is definitely overused. Part of the problem is because the English language is so limited, that we decided we only needed one word, love, to explain at least four different types of love.

I came to thinking of this love as I embraced the excitement, attention, and love that my fur-baby poured on me when I came home from church one evening. Now I should say- the dog is "crazy". I can be away for an hour and upon my return, you'd think I was gone for 24 hrs. The same is with guests and strangers alike. He just goes beserk. He's just that high-strung (according to the vet) and absolutely loveable (according to me).

Well as I talk to him, yes, I'm talking to the dog...I realize that its almost 10 pm and he had not yet eaten. No the dog didn't tell me that, but hubby confirmed it for me. It dawned on me, that although Ari had not been fed, although he was locked out of the room and technically being "ignored"...although he may not have gotten sufficient exercise for that day, nor sufficient attention- that his "love" for his masters was unyielding. Although we've never mistreated him, I'm sure if we were too, that he would still be faithful to us. And at this point in my thinking I realized...wow.

Isn't that God's love. I don't always spend time with Him. I don't always spend time in His word. I sometimes ignore his nudgings. I definitely don't always get it right..as it relates to his guidelines for living...yet still He loves. And the crazy thing is, He loves when I'm in the state of rebellion and ignoring Him, as much as He loves when I'm "checking" for him. His love never fails. He (His love) is faithful. I can't go anywhere to escape His love.

That alone makes me squeal inside like a little kid. Oh, what manner of love is this that the Father has given to me!!!!!!!

Go forth today embracing, relishing, abounding in the love of the Father.

Grace peace and love,
Gia

A hug from a stranger

There is something about when I'm "home". I somehow don't have a routine...part of it is because of the excitement of being home, another part is because of my husband's lack of a schedule and then,  because this is "home"- I guess my brain goes into a more relaxed, go-slow mode...not sure.

Anyway, I said all that to say that I've been having some difficulty with getting my regular Monday and Wednesday blog posts since I came home...and I think this lack of structure is the primary explanation. All excuses aside, I should get to the point of this post...

the impact of a small gesture.

About a month ago when I was in Canada, I experienced what I've been writing about. You know I'm the queen of encouraging all of us to give a smile, a hug, an extra word of encouragement...something to make someone's day. Well, it happened to me. And the weird part was: 1. I wasn't having a bad day and 2. It was in church.

Essentially, I'm just going about the routine of using the restroom after church before the long 45 minute drive home  and as I stand in line (because there is ALWAYS a line for women's restroom), this lady comes up to me and gives me a hug. Okay, so that's not weird...I am in church. That is expected. But what she did after is what shook me to the core and literally brought tears to my eyes..

she looked me in the eyes, told me that I looked beautiful and that God loves me.

I think she may have said something else but I need you to know it was not the words, I know I'm beautiful :)) and I KNOW that God loves me...it was the warmth, the intentionality, the "I see you"/"You are not invisible" nature of the act that still has me thinking of it and getting all warm inside because of it. It was love. It was genuine.

It took less than a minute for this woman to validate my humanity when for all intents and purposes, I didn't really think I needed validating at that moment...you know- it wasn't like it was a bad day or I was feeling exceptionally sad or lonely or anything..it was just a normal Sunday....

until she came along.

And THAT is what drives me. THAT gets me excited. THAT is what I want to do with everyone (or at least someone) each day:

Genuinely show the love of our Father, so the individual is validated, encouraged and rejuvenated.

I should note that apparently I wasn't her only victim. ;) Two awkward minutes later (as I stood fighting tears), this burly man comes lumbering over to her (as she too now waited in line for the restroom) and is literally gushing thanks. He was so overcome by her "genuine hug and kind words" that he had to come looking for her to tell her thanks.

That, my friends, is the love of God in action.

Have you had one of those experiences before? tell us about it!

Grace peace and love,
Gia

Father knows: Lessons from Ari

Remember this from last week? I mentioned in the previous post that as I listened to Ari bang on the bell repeatedly that I thought of two lessons. The first was on persistence and the second, which I'll share on today, is about our Father. For all intents and purposes, I am Ari's mommy. So much so, that the neighbor's kid, who is about 5 years old, calls me "Ari mommy" whenever she wants to get my attention but cannot remember my name. Yes it is very cute...she literally screams across the fence "Hello Ari mommy, can I play with Ari today please?". :)

 Now back to the story, if you recall, this bell ringing was occuring a little before 5am and I refused to get up. I eventually fell back asleep and at some point Ari must have stopped banging on the bell because when I woke up, he was curled in one of his favorite positions just chillin. Now the thing is, I know my dog. I know that he can wait. I know that he won't have an accident unless he is sick or had an exorbitant amount of water or food during the night. And truth be told, even in the latter scenario, it is unlikely for an accident. He's a big dog now. ;) Of course, this story read differently about 1.5 years ago when we were still in the midst of housebreaking.

 Unfortunately, this isn't to suggest that we haven't had accidents. We have ignored him and the bell once or twice since he's been housebroken, only to find the "reward" of our lazyness in some corner of the apartment. Those were definitely not cool lessons.

 But unlike me, our heavenly Father is perfect. He knows us perfectly. He knows our limits. He won't make mistakes. His provision and His answer will always be on time. He will not allow us to be stretched beyond our limits, to the point that we have an accident and make a mess. Of course, sometimes, messes happen but if we fairly asses the situation, this is usually because we were disobedient. What I failed to mention about Ari and "accidents" (and this is a bit gross) is that from time-to-time, actually more often than I care to admit, he eats something he shouldn't have eaten and ends up vomiting in the house because his stomach can't take it. There is nothing I could have done to avoid him vomiting due to ingestion of foreign substances. That is totally on him. However, I try my hardest to monitor his needs and ensure that I provide for each one in a timely manner. I (we) are all he has. We are his source.

We are like Ari in more ways than we may realize. We persist in prayer, we bang on our chests..we bombard heaven for a response, a provision...and sometimes it seems that we are being ignored. But we aren't. We should recognize and accept this truth and avoid finding alternatives or substitutes while we "wait on God". It inevitably will cause an accident that makes a mess and makes us feel a mess.

The truth is: God sees, He hears and in perfect timing, He will respond. Know that. So today, trust God and his perfect plan for your life.

Grace peace and love,
Gia

Grateful that His love endures forever!

I have been following another blog and last week they started a challenge: 21 Days of Gratitude. For whatever reason, I haven't officially committed to this challenge but because I have read the daily posts, I have been keenly aware (and convicted) every time I open my mouth to complain. It has been a very interesting struggle within my mind. In all honesty, I love it. As I mentioned before, I embrace growth, even though it often hurts and I am really looking forward to a more grateful me.

Now, as with most things in life, the events tend to overlap. My bible reading a couple days ago was from Psalm 136, here are the first 5 verses..

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!

His faithful love endures forever.

Give thanks to the God of gods.

His faithful love endures forever.

Give thanks to the Lord of lords.

His faithful love endures forever.

Give thanks to him who alone does mighty miracles.

His faithful love endures forever.

Give thanks to him who made the heavens so skillfully.

His faithful love endures forever.

As I read this, I couldn't help but notice how the Psalmist was doing a couple things- first, he recognized and thanked God for who He is and what He has done and then, almost as a reminder, but most likely as a 'chorus' for a song, he then stated that "His faithful love endures forever".

The Psalm goes on for 26 verses and as I came to the end, I thought, I could personalize this. So today, I'm here to share and encourage you to find another reason to thank God!

• I give thanks to the Lord that I am privileged to experience life with all five senses (thanks Schantal). His faithful love endures forever.
• I give thanks to the Lord for a cadre of supportive family and friends who make life meaningful and exciting. His faithful love endures forever.
• I give thanks to the Lord for freedom: of speech, of worship, and of thought. I can publicly do this without recourse. His faithful love endures forever.
• I give thanks to the Lord that even if I didn't have this freedom of worship, and if I were to be punished with death for declaring His praises that there is a home for me in Heaven with Him! His faithful love endures forever.
• I give thanks to the Lord for health, breath, and daily bread. His faithful love endures forever.
• I give thanks to the Lord for my husband, who not only loves but also supports me. His faithful love endures forever.
• I give thanks to the Lord for making me - me!...and completely loving me as He made me. His faithful love endures forever.

I could go on and on and on but I'll end just how the Psalmist ended...

I give thanks to the God of Heaven because His faithful love endures forever!!!

Grace, peace and love,
Gia

Wordless Wednesday (A Father's Love)

A Father's love-part 2

This story began yesterday, so you will need to read that to follow this. 

  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

...So we are both inside the store, and we are deliberating over the types, grades and brands of oil available to us; we pick one up and go to the counter. You should know that there isn’t much grounded rationale that went into the selection of the oil other than it wasn’t the lowest grade (which I had offered off the top of my head previously). We are at the counter and the clerk, a seemingly middle aged white guy with nothing memorable except a simple chain/necklace with a cross around his neck.  He kindly suggests that we look at other brands that may be less expensive and walks us back over to the section and helps us pick one out. We thank him and pay for our items. Of course there is light conversation but nothing exciting...yet.

I walk out the store, with a funnel and poured the oil in the engine. At that moment, it dawns on me, if the engine was empty, then it will need way more than just 1 quart of oil. In the past, when changing oil, I usually had to buy at least 7-8 quarts of oil for my V-6 engine vehicle. Side note: shout out to my daddy-Keith for requiring that I became familiar with under-the-hood of a car and that I knew how to do basic car maintenance. This was one of his conditions for driving alone. I hated that “rule” but have been grateful for it as my first car was a true clunker!

It was at this point I went back inside and found that the clerk was making the same recommendation to my friend- we needed at least 2-3 quarts.  Without going into every detail, let me just say, that we suddenly had a personal helper! The clerk would leave his store and register unattended to monitor the process, check the oil and make further recommendations. After about 15 minutes he suggests we turn the car on, pull to the side and let it idle for the oil to work its way through the engine. Another surprise, 5 minutes later, he walks to where we were parked (leaving store and register unattended AGAIN) to come and listen to the car and give us further instructions. Another 10 minutes later, he comes out with a bottle of “treatment” which he purchased with his own money, pours it in the engine and then we just chat for a bit while the car did its thing.

What I missed while I was pouring the first quart of oil was that, apparently we reminded him of his daughter, who apparently is living alone in Florida. He was moved to help us, as he thought about his inability to help his own daughter should she be stuck in a similar situation. It was a father’s love that brought an aloof stranger to somewhat abandon his own work responsibilities and provide support and practical assistance to two young women whom he never met before.  

My eyes got cloudy as he shared at another point about his daughter and I thought of my own earthly fathers (and mother), who, if they knew,  that I was stranded in the middle of nowhere (literally), in the middle of the night, more than 3hrs away from “home”, with less than $10 cash on me, would be very worried. I then thought of my heavenly Father, who loves me so much that He allowed us to stop at this particular exit, with Mr. Bill Joseph George, his angel for this time. My heavenly Father who has set his angels to encamp about me so that I would be safe. My heavenly Father who may seem really far away and removed from my life, but is right there...always. My heavenly Father who loves me even more than Bill loved his daughter...My heavenly Father who loves me even more than my own dads love me. My heavenly Father, whose love is eternal, unconditional and abounding toward me.

Needless to say, Bill saw us “off” with a number of instructions and contact information for any number of worse case scenarios. I saw his heart in his eyes as he said good bye and I will always remember the very kind gentleman who “adopted” us, treated us as he would his daughter and set us off to arrive home safely. Yes, the trip ended up taking about an hour longer than planned; we arrived in Windsor at about 3 or 4am (sleep deprived) but we were safe, no hiccups or stops or problems along the way. The car on the other hand, is still waiting for a diagnosis, and I am hoping it is nothing too costly, but even if it is, I know there is no need to worry; our heavenly Father will bring another angel to “provide”.

Grace, peace and love

Gia

10 signs you should pull over

A Father's love

This weekend, I took a roadtrip with a friend to a nearby major city. I thought it was a 4ish hour drive but apparently it was more a 5ish hour drive. In any event, the drive up was smooth and event-less; I barely even felt the time pass even when I drove! I absolutely hate driving and I usually feel the tension from this dislike in my shoulders and neck etc...so I tend to feel every minute of most long drives.


The events of the trip was nice enough. Nothing super exciting until our ride back home. We got a very late start due to a a number of events but nothing to get upset about. So as is typical of this relationship, I started out the drive back (my friend hates driving even more than I do) and we are doing our thing. Cruise control, music and chatter. The conversation was just as good going back as it was coming. But for whatever reason, my throat was just dry and my water was not helping.at.all. So after fighting it for about 1/2 hr, I decide to stop on an exit with a McDonalds so I could get a $1 soft serve. We figured we'd change drivers and stretch while we were at it. We were a little under the half way mark from our destination and while I was fine driving another couple hundred miles, we were really trying to push it to get home in as little time as we could, i.e. not too many stops.

As we pull into the McDonalds, I lower the windows and of course slow down, preparing to park but this loud grating and knocking sound pierced our ears. We both look at each other frantically with the same question in our eyes..."what the hec is that?" A bit freaked out, I opt to not stop and park but push through the empty drive-through since there was a gas station on the next side of the parking lot and we quickly decided to not actually turn the car off until we were at the gas station. Side note: I feel gas stations should either just hire mechanics with an internal GPS as clerks or train their staff on basic car knowledge and have a GPS somewhere behind the counter. It is without a doubt the most common place to stop to ask questions, directions or of course, in this case, troubleshoot a car problem. Throughout the seemingly VERY long wait at the empty drive through window, the noise continues to assault our senses...and I say senses not ears because my desire for that ice cream cone went out the window when the windows were opened and we were greeted with the sound. I offered up a quick prayer out loud asking for favor with finding someone who could assist us with troubleshooting and we began throwing around ideas of what it could possibly be. My friend began and ended with oil. Interesting that she knows nothing about cars, so this wasn't a logical conclusion but more of a I-had-a-feeling conclusion. Not to mention, she mentioned oil/oil changes before we left home and looking back, this should have been sufficient "warning" for me to ensure she followed up with this idea before embarking on such a journey.

Nevertheless, a couple minutes later, we have our slushies and are parked in the gas station. The hood is popped and I leave for a second to go inside and use the restroom. While I am finding the restroom, I make light conversation with the store clerk asking about checking the oil while the car is hot. I get a noncommittal response but I remained light and somewhat engaging and he finally clarifies that I am probably thinking of the radiator but the oil would be fine. He then gives me a heads up to be careful inside the hood to not get burned since, in fact, the engine is hot. I use the restroom and go outside, giving him smile and a thanks. I check the oil, it is non-existant. The light blue hand towel that we used to wipe the 'thingy' barely had two brown spots so at that point, I was like "Ok, lets buy oil". I call off some random number for oil, which turns out to be accurate but a very low grade- no clue where that number came from but anyhoo, we go inside to purchase oil and gas and something to snack on. It is at this point, where we, well I begin to see more changes from the store clerk....

Considering the background took so long to develop, I'll finish the story in The Father's love, Part 2...