Nothing Says It All!!!

Proverbs 10:19

¹⁹ When words are many, sin is not absent,
but he who holds his tongue is wise.

Proverbs 11:12

¹² A man who lacks judgment derides his neighbor,

but a man of understanding holds his tongue.

Proverbs 17:28

²⁸ Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent,
and discerning if he holds his tongue.

Holding your tongue is the wisest thing to do, yet the hardest thing to do. I myself am still learning to do this at 30! These 3 verses say it all. If you hold your tongue you are wise, understanding and discerning. Yet if you don't you are sure to sin, lack judgement and are a fool! I have been the latter 3 than I have the other.

Nothing says it all. You can say so much by saying nothing at all. I have found that when I have said nothing it was a lot easier to debate things in life than it was when I let my tongue control my thoughts and actions.

Saying nothing keeps you calm. Along with calming the other person-90% of the time. Sometimes when people say nothing we think that they aren't listening. Same with my grats, when people say nothing sometimes I think no one is reading or absorbing what God has given me to speak. I have found out that these things touch more than just my own life. And I give all the credit to God.

Friends started these Grats, and I'm hoping it spreads like wildfire. It has helped me look at my life and make it into something, it has helped me to learn to control my anger, even though it's not perfected. Just writing these and even coming back and reviewing them helps me tremendously!

Today I'm grateful for:

Children. I have had kids in and out of my house all day, kids that aren't just my own. And to see them gives me joy. To see that they have no care in the world but to play outside, play doctor/nurse and just have fun. I encourage them to soak it all up while it lasts. Oh what I give to go back to childhood for even a day to just have no worries. As a child we can't wait to be grown and when we get there, we wonder why.

Sunshine. I'm loving it. It's hot but it's better than freezing. Being able to get outside and play with the kids has been good for the soul! Playing softball with Caity has been good exercise and quality time with just her. It's something that I can do with her that's just me and her!

Nothing. Don't think I've ever been grateful for nothing but it's something worth being grateful for!

Weekend being here FINALLY! This weekend I am going to RELAX! I hope. I always say that but never do it. I miss the kids so I stay busy so I won't miss them so bad, In turn I don't relax at all!

Last but not least Friends and Family. Without them I wouldn't be where I am today.

Well go out and enjoy the sun, It's a natural mood lifter!

And do NOTHING, Say NOTHING and appreciate NOTHING!!!

Love to all!!!

Beauty from pain

My whole world is the pain inside me
The best i can do is just get through the day
When life before is only a memory
I'll wonder why God lets me walk through this place
And though i can't understand why this happened
I know that i will when i look back someday
And see how you've brought beauty from ashes
And made me as gold purified through these flames

Job 23:9-11 (King James Version)

⁹On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him:

¹⁰But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

¹¹My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined.

The best we can do in any situation is to allow God to show us the good in it. Allow him to purify us and polish us. If we do this we will come out as gold. We have to allow beauty to come from the pain. Life is full of pain, But it's up to us what we do with it. Do you allow it to bring you down? Do you let it take you backwards instead of forwards?

No matter what is happening in your life right now, don't let it set you back, don't let it get you down. Grow and learn from it. Use it to empower you not deflate you.

Today I'm grateful for:

Beauty from Pain: Any Pain can be turned into something beautiful, if you allow God to take control and trust in Him.

Friends and Family: No matter how much Pain you have caused them, they still accept you. They allow beauty to come from the pain you've caused. I have failed both in many ways and I plan on living my life to make it up to them all. I am changing, I'm glad they are all just hanging in there until I am complete. When I come out on the other side, I will know who my true friends and my true family are because they will be there to meet me. I would not be where I'm at now w/o them and God.

My girls: They are growing up so fast. I am trying to learn to embrace them while they are still young. I don't want to spend my time just caring for them, it's got to be more than just that. I don't want to wait until it's too late. Seems like the day is usually spent just making it through to the end. Instead, I want to turn it around and make every hour I have with them precious and not wasted and not just trying to make it through to the end. I am working on this. It's hard when you are doing it alone, it's hard to not focus on just the needs, but they also need ME, not just what I can do for them!

Warm weather and the sun finally returning again. Today is going to be an awesome day. Caity has a softball game and I'll be able to enjoy it instead of freezing and in pain. I love watching her play and they are doing great this year. She wants to be a pitcher and she is going to do great I think, she starts lessons this weekend.

Today I hope that you don't let things discourage you but let them ENCOURAGE you. Let yourself be polished. Let Beauty come from the Pain.

Love you all!!!

Whose your Giant?

"If I have seen farther than others, it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants." - Isaac Newton

I must say this is very true. I think God is my giant and because of standing on His shoulders, I have seen farther than I would have ever seen w/o Him.

This weekend has been awesome! I spent some MUCH needed time with my 3 girls. I can say that I feel the change inside of me. Even though the progress is slow, it is happening! I want to be the best I can be for not only myself but for my girls. I had a talk with them last night. I told them that I pray for them and with them and that when they saw mommy having a bad day or being in a bad mood I wanted them to stop me and pray for me. I know that God spoke that to me to speak to them, He knows that would help me tremendously. Sometimes when we are having a bad day, we are blinded by all that has happened. THIS will be my eye opener on those days.

We also talked about cleaning and responsibilities in the house and just how we kept our house clean and free of clutter we had to do the same with our heart. If we let bad in, bad will come out. If we fill it with clutter it will not be clean. I killed two birds with one stone in that convo. They agreed that we want our home to be clean for when people come over, and we want our hearts to be clean at all times also. I asked them that if mommy didn't clean the house and just let it go, what would people think when they came over? They said "They wouldn't want to come back". EXACTLY. Just as if we push Christ out of our hearts and fill it with bad things, he will not want to live there!

They are such a blessing in my life and I know sometimes I get at my wits end and need a break, but I could NOT imagine life w/o them. We had a girls night out Saturday night-me and my girls not my friends. We went to see "How to train your dragon"..........Such cute, sweet movie. The father of the boy displays how we are sometimes with our children. We sometimes are blinded by what "WE" want them to be and can't see "THEIR" true potential that FAR EXCEEDS what we though we wanted for them! They loved the tub of popcorn with extra butter and the coke, it's a rare treat! They almost ate a whole tub, I was shocked!!! It was a fun night that I hope to be able to save and do once a month with just them and myself! FUN TIMES!

I can say I seem to have grown in these last few days. And I feel GREAT! I hope for everyone in my life to see their change and to continue to grow. Don't let anyone or anything hold you back. Never settle in life, Find your Potential and let it exceed your expectations!!!

Love You ALL!!! Have an AWESOME week!

Snares!!!

Psalm 25:15

15 My eyes are ever toward the LORD,
For He shall pluck my feet out of the net.

I know I've been MIA for a while on my gratitudes. I've been MIA on a lot than just my grats. Can't really put my finger on exactly what. The last few weeks I've just not been myself. I guess I just have a lot going on and figured it best to step out of myself and away from it all. Yeah that doesn't work. I really didn't notice that I had done that either until a few days ago. I've been somewhat numb, guess when so much happens to you, you become numb to almost everything. I've decided that these grats keep me from being totally numb, we all need to feel-even if it is pain!

I was studying today and the verse above is what I stumbled upon! It was perfect for what last night held and what I've seen my friends all go through. A lot of people have been battling and Psalms 25:15 holds that key to the answer! He will pluck us from our troubles if we keep our eyes, minds and hearts on him!

Today I'm grateful for:

Recognizing: Recognizing that I was on the path to being lost once again. Not lost from Christ, but from myself. It took me this long to figure out who I was, I sure don't want to lose it again! The devil tries many techniques to get to us, I think he was trying to take my eyes off of myself so I would get lost and would not feel, then he was going to attack. Well guess what, Christ is on MY side and as long as He is beside me, Devil you will not breakthrough!!!

Releasing: Last nights service we all released things. If you hold onto the things that the Devil uses against you then you will not be able to overcome them. It sounds easy to just let go, but it's not. Baby steps and many made that giant leap. Just hold on to that and don't let those things back into your life. I'm talking to myself to. I've let go of things and grabbed them back. It makes life so much harder, if we all could just let go and TRUST God, our journey would be a lot easier!

Laughing: I want to do this more, I'm trying to learn to laugh and not be so hard all the time. When you are a single mother or any kind of mother then you tend to put on this armor to use and direct your kids that sometimes we forget to have fun with them too. Laughing can cure just about anything. I truly believe that. My goal is to do it more, to lighten up and have fun with my kids.

Seeing: Seeing God's works. People ask how do you know He's real, how do you know that what you are believing in is truly there. You know because you see Him work through your people. Through everyone surrounding you. Speaking things that are the same but giving everyone a different interpretation to speak. Like last night in church. It wasn't just the preacher speaking and teaching. God spoke through us all and we all were teaching each other and Speaking out what he had told. It was one of the best services I've been to! Sometimes things that aren't the normal speak astoundingly.

I am going to be restored! My sickness will leave me, for now I'm going to let it teach me and not let it get me down. I look back a year ago and see that I'm a lot better than I was then!

For all of my friends I hope for you to be restored. Whatever has a hold of you that you fully release it and allow it to teach you and restore you! Don't let the Devil use it against you or use others against you. It's hard, but it's best to walk through your trials and laugh at the Devil for not getting to you! And believing and trusting the Lord to see you through them and help you see what/how he sees it!

Love you all! Have a Great week, It's almost Friday....WooHoo!!!

Undeserving

Undeserving yet He has still given me more than I have ever asked for. People who may not know me may not see how blessed I am. I have more treasures than anyone could ever ask for. I'm not talking about my Home or my car or anything that you could buy me. I'm talking about the greatest thing you could ever own and yet it doesn't cost a thing.

I've got 3 awesome kids. I know they each have their things that they can do that can irritate me at times. But all in all they are really good kids. I just hope that I can do them justice as a mother and raise them up not by just teaching but by leading in example through the things I do and how I act. I can say that it has not been as good as it should be. I am trying to fix things in my life and just hope that I can still be a good example.

God sent me wonderful friends just in time. I was drowning in myself and God knew just how to help me. It started out me helping them. But then through it I realized they helped me more than I ever knew I needed. I think everyone needs help. We all need someone to lean on, to help us. Everyone helps me with my girls and that means a lot to me. For them to see them as I see them. To look past Caity's attitude, Syleste's tantrums and Lyvie's hyperness and to see them for who they are. It's amazing. I hope to be there to help them when they have their little ones.

Today I'm thankful for:

Priceless treasures: My number one priceless treasure is having Christ in my heart and life and being able to let him use me as his tool.

*Friends. They are God's way to warm the soul. They are here to help release us from our fears. To support us in our journey. A true friend will take your words and let your friendship grow, sometimes words from a friend can seem harsh because they know us so well that it hits on a nerve, a nerve that leads to our fears. Yet they can, in the same breath, be there to comfort us through it and help us look to Christ to overcome it.

Just as God is our Friend. He warms our soul more than anyone could ever do on this earth. As His true friend we take his words-even though they can hit that nerve and instead of breaking down and allowing the devil to overcome us with our fears, we grow with Christ from them and are free from them. He is our comforter, no matter what we face in life.

The message that He has sent through our speakers. I prayed for a message that could touch us all, touch on our fears and help release us from them. Tonight's message was right on. Goes along with the spring cleaning of our life. And although we allow him to spring clean many things in our life, we still tend to hold on to a few things "Our Closet" That we keep locked. We all have that closet that we hold the key to, and even though we don't open it much or at all, we still hold that key thinking it brings some comfort to us. It's never going to do anything for us but keep us held back. We have to Let Go and Let God take control and clean it out. I am handing my key over to him , Letting it go. It's hard and I know i will have to work DAILY, Hourly, Every minute, second, I know that I can do it though and I will do it. Just as I know that my friends are releasing those keys and together we will grow in Friendship with each other and most importantly with Christ.

Psalm 103

Of David.

¹ Praise the LORD, O my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

² Praise the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits-

³ who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,

⁴ who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,

⁵ who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

⁶ The LORD works righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.

⁷ He made known his ways to Moses,
his deeds to the people of Israel:

⁸ The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.

⁹ He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;

¹⁰ he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.

¹¹ For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;

¹² as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

¹³ As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;

¹⁴ for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.

¹⁵ As for man, his days are like grass,
he flourishes like a flower of the field;

¹⁶ the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and its place remembers it no more.

¹⁷ But from everlasting to everlasting
the LORD's love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children's children-

¹⁸ with those who keep his covenant
and remember to obey his precepts.

¹⁹ The LORD has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.

²⁰ Praise the LORD, you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his bidding,
who obey his word.

²¹ Praise the LORD, all his heavenly hosts,
you his servants who do his will.

²² Praise the LORD, all his works
everywhere in his dominion.
Praise the LORD, O my soul.

The Reason

Reason

Tonight has been an AWESOME night. My words will not even begin to justify it. Amazing things have happened and I am glad I got to witness them. I am glad I am learning to LISTEN and FOLLOW God and what he wants for me and what he tells me to stand up and say. At the time it is very hard to do and I am WAY out of my comfort zone. But stepping out is paying off. I am so thankful for getting it all together and knowing that I can change myself and witness to my children and to my friends and family.

People who ask me to explain how *I* know there is a God, I can simply answer. It's not anything that *I* am going to prove to you through history or His word. It's something YOU have to just feel and you will just know. My answer: God speaking not only through me but through others simultaneously and it coming out from within us and speaking/sharing what He has told us. THAT Is how *I* know He exists-of course I have other reasons but that's one of the main ones. Nothing I can make you feel either.

Today I'm grateful for:

Power of Prayer: Nothing can compare in strength-IF You have the Faith.

Reasons- I have been through MANY different trials in life. I always said what everyone says *Why ME? Why me Lord? Why am *I* going through this? You know he answered that tonight while I poured my heart out to Him. To witness, to use my trials and speak out to my friends, family and girls/kids. The Devil has attacked me in MANY ways during my life. He has used Family. He has used drug addictions attacking my family to get to me, He has used people being taken away from me. He has used love being taken from me, He's used MY health, MY KIDS Health, My Family's Health, Death, He's used MYSELF against me- Looking at the outside and the differences I have from everyone else, ALL Has been *TRIED* to be used against me, TRIED is the key word there. It almost worked but it's not going to work, not now NOT EVER! I know it's going to get A LOT worse than it has been, I expect that and I am Armored to fight against him and I have an ARMY standing behind Me. With all that I have, he is so small.

Answered Prayers and Speaking to me the word to comfort and strengthen others. Tonight a major prayer was answered. And I couldn't be happier.

Not wanting for myself, being comfortable where I am in life. All I want out of life is to see that my trials were not done in vain and that I can use them to reach to others to better their life. I want them to be happy. I could be where I'm at the rest of my life as long as everyone else's life that is entwined with mine is Awesome and they are happy. That is where my happiness lies at this moment.

Knowing I am going to be FINE! I am going to get my health back. I'm slowly getting things back in life and that WILL happen when God knows I've been through it and have LEARNED from it. He always knows when it's time to allow things to heal in my life. I am learning that it's when I've Learned from it and grown from it. Not when I let it feed depression and lays me down.

Friends, I hope that you find wisdom in these words. I hope that you see God in this and not DANA. It's not me. So don't give me credit if you are helped from this, but give the credit where it is due, Look UP and praise him.

I love EVERYONE in my life, whether I've met you or not and everyone of my friends have touched my life in some way or another and my Goal is to touch their life in some way! Have an awesome weekend and look for your reason for the things that have come against you in life. Grow and Learn from it and don't let it get you down unless it's down on your knees asking God to help show you!

Not letting it get me :)

Just when you think Spring has arrived and the sicky bugs will leave for a while, we get slammed with snow flurries/freezing rain with low temps again. Which I also wake to being sick :( That's ok though bc I know that it will be sunny again-hopefully to stay for a while and make complain of the heat and I will get better.

Spring is in the air and it will come.

Spring-what does this word mean to you?

To me when I hear it, this is my first thoughts:

-To bounce, jump or leap

-New life rising up

-Sunshine

-Warm Rain

-Crisp, Clean, Cool

And here's what the definition is: SPRING

Who knew that a word could have so many vast meanings.

This is what came to me from reading the meanings:

-I will move forward

-God is the source that is going to make things rise up in me

-I have been "sprung" from my imprisonment that the Devil once had me in

-God will rapidly remove the stresses in my life. Only He can Spring me from them. He will recoil me back to normalcy.

-I am growing and have been renewed through the Spring of Christ

-Like a Spring we are Resilient.

-Christ is my support that helps me to rise.

Never new that one word could mean so much and be used in a Christian way.

Today I'm Grateful for:

Knowing I will get better. Yeah I'm sick, and I could dwell on that, but knowing I will be fine and will get better is a much better aspect to looking at it. After all if we were never sick in body or mind we wouldn't appreciate the times we are well :)

Having help in the time of need. I'm very lucky that I have the family/friends that are always there to help me when I'm in need of anything. Not everyone has that support.

Sunny days will be back. :)

Ladies Retreat nearing. I can't wait. Last year was amazing and I know that this year only holds more. We have all grown so much since last year and I know that we are only going to grow more and more. We have an amazing group of ladies in our Church.

Being able to overlook. Overlook what the Devil tries to use to get me down and out. He can throw sickness at my family, use those around me to say/do hurtful things, use my kids against me BUT as long as I don't let him in, he can't do a thing. If I don't dwell on the pain he can not enter in. Another door has been slammed :)

Medicine. It can be abused but it is a God send. Some meds help us in our healing process. I know right now my Tylenol Severe Congestion is helping me to breathe, not ache and to feel less cruddy even though it makes me ill and groggy. Hey can't have something help without the ill wanted effects.

My hope for you is to allow things to Spring up in you and renew you.

Happy Monday :)