Planting Seeds and the Simple Life

And here we go, my very first blog post!

Take a quick trip back in time with me.

Think back to that summertime years ago. The one you find yourself slowly walking out onto a diving board gathering your courage to make that step you’ve been wanting to take for quite a while.  You reach the end of the board and nervously you start bouncing up and down over the deep water, gathering your courage to take that first big leap out into the blue.  Finally you take a long deep breath, close your eyes, and jump (and if you are like me, you probably cheated a little bit and jumped sort of sideways instead of straight out to get closer to safety; but hey, it took great courage to jump at all, right?!) As soon as you hit the water and make your way to the surface, your adrenaline kicks in to help you make that long swim to the side. You catch your breath, holding on to the edge of the pool until you can swim to the ladder. And there you are…completely exhilarated and ready to jump again!  Before that day, it was just a desire or a dream. Then for some crazy reason, on that particular day you believed you could do it.  And you did.  Yet the important thing is that all along you knew there was a safe hand to pull you out if you needed it. You weren’t completely sure how it would go; but at the same time, you knew deep down it was time, someone was there to help you if needed…and everything would be just fine. 

Welcome to my world now…THAT is how I feel in creating this project. 

To be honest, that’s sort of how the different seasons in all of our lives can feel. We go through times that are fun, exciting, exhilarating, confusing, heart breaking, and even scary.   Yet, like bouncing up from the deep water after that courageous jump, with every jump, we become braver and more resilient. We grow stronger and our faith grows deeper. And if we are lucky, seeds are planted in us along the way that grow lots of fruit. Special Fruit.  And like a big forest, with other trees around us, that growth happens over time.  That slow and steady growth develops our faith.  The truth is God places special people around us, sharing fruit, planting seeds…to connect us to him along the way.  And we may not realize it; but we, too, bear fruit that nourishes others along our way too.

All of my life I’ve been blessed to be surrounded with special people that God has used to plant seeds in my soul. And I’m excited about this opportunity to share some of our stories with you in the coming weeks. Happy stories, funny stories and even a few sad stories.  And no, I’m not going to pretend that life for this southern girl has always been easy.  Like you, I’ve certainly had a few punches in the gut along the way.  Some of those truly knocked me to my knees. But as Momma always said, “This too shall pass,” right?!  Yes, seasons come and go like winter, spring, summer and fall. And yes, some losses in those seasons cut deep…really deep.  Yet as my daddy and I talked about not long before he went to Heaven, the Light is always there in the darkness. And sometimes that Light is brightest IN the darkness. And it’s during some of those winter seasons that, although we may not realize it, we are growing stronger.

Yes, life’s seasons come and go, just like winter, spring, summer and fall.  Each season is filled with special blessings. Sometimes they are plain as day and other times I have to look for them. Sadly, sometimes the seasons include losses that cut really deep. And so the older I get the more I’m appreciating a simple life.

So regardless of the season, this country girl loves being outside and enjoying each of the seasons as they change. Growing up in the South, I’ve enjoyed riding 4-wheelers with family and friends, saddling up horses for a ride across the farm (my 2 all-time favorite things to do), and quietly walking in the woods watching for or listening to wildlife. I love closing my eyes and breathing in the scent of a freshly cut football field on Friday night or College Game Day Saturdays, traveling to new places making memories with my daughter, and simply walking along beautiful white sands kissed by the turquoise tinted gulf coast water. The past seasons of my life have been amazing. And this new season I find myself navigating is pretty amazing too. But it’s the people God has put in my life that make it the best! And now he has used them to inspire me to share some of our stories with you.

Hopefully some of the seeds God has planted in me have produced good fruit, fruit that makes the lives of others better. So many of the people He has put in my life have helped make me a better person. Our daughter, Alyssa Lee has truly been the greatest blessing of my life. Her beauty, strength, faith and determination inspire me every day. Her courage has always been a quality that motivates me to try new and different things (things like entering a dance competition wearing a “hoochie momma” dress to raise money for a good cause and taking home not one but two trophies with Brian Hutton, the best dance partner ever… or jumping into this new adventure of “virtually” sharing stories and ideas with you). And since being Alyssa Lee’s mom has been the greatest blessing of my life, I want to dedicate this first blog post to my greatest inspiration, “Doodlebug.” I love you, Doodles! Also, my Aunt Nancy Noel has served as a cornerstone of faith, hope and love for our family. She has encouraged me to write and has always been one of my greatest cheerleaders. She celebrates her 86th birthday today, so this is my special way to tell her “Happy Birthday and I love you!”

Today’s Reflection

Darius Rucker is one of my favorite singer/song writers around. I think I had a school girl crush on him, that is until 2018 when he pulled for the Georgia Bulldogs against Alabama in the 17th National Championship football game. Bama walked away with a huge win that night and Alyssa Lee and I made some really great memories to last a lifetime. Rolllllll Tide Roll! But I have to admit I do still love Darius, despite his slight error in judgment that night.

His song For the First Time inspires me and brings back the fearless child in my soul. In the chorus Rucker asks “When was the last time you did something for the first time? ” He goes on to sing “Let yourself go, yeah, follow that feeling, maybe something new is what you’re needing.” You can check it out at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8rfRjO_hmo .

So think about this a minute.

When was the last time YOU did something for the first time?

Better yet, when was the last time you did something you have felt led to do for a while but haven’t yet. Maybe it was something that could make a positive difference in someone else’s life? Is there something you have been procrastinating over or even better -some small seed you could plant that could make a positive influence in the world? Take a few minutes, think about that “something” you’ve wanted to do to help others, pray about it and see what comes to your mind. And then I dare you…step out onto that diving board, close your eyes…and JUMP! Someone in the world is waiting for you to make their day!

Philippians 4:13

"I can do all things through Christ who strengths me."