My Vision

Be Thou My Vision has always been one of my favorite hymns. Did you know it was ironically written by a blind 6th Century poet saint named Dallan? Although Dallan would probably have been thankful for a return of his sight, I'm pretty sure his physical vision is not what he was referring to in the prayerful words below. Instead he is asking that the Lord be his best thought, his light, his dignity and delight:

Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee, Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my battle-shield, sword for my fight,
Be Thou my dignity, Thou my delight.
Thou my soul's shelter, Thou my high tower.
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise,
Thou mine inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of heaven, my victory won,
May I reach heaven's joys, O bright heav'ns Son!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my vision, O ruler of all.

Conviction overwhelms me when I take in the lyrics. So often the Lord is one of my last thoughts rather than my best. I'm consumed with the tyranny of the urgent; filled with mindless thoughts of my daily checklist; caught in living out the motions.

I want more.

This week I'm praying the Lord will improve my vision. That He will lift my thoughts from self and give me an eternal focus which doesn't seek wealth or approval from others. That I will instead focus on what He calls us to in Micah 6:8 - "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."

And I pray the same for each of you. Because it is only in the Lord that we find meaning in this life, and only in giving of ourselves (our talent, time, words, hearts) that we find ourselves. Like my pastor said this morning, we are blessed to be a blessing.

Sleep well sweet friends. I hope your Monday morning is filled with joy and excitement over a brand new week and that we will all strive to truly LIVE the days we are given!

pics taken before sat. a.m.'s 9-miler; thanks for marking the miles with me kat!!!

The Cat's Meow

photo via caboodleranch.com

So here's a little tail I had to share with you. Anyone who knows me well, knows that despite most's hatred of four-legged felines, I absolutely LOVE cats! In fact, one of the main reasons I can't sit still with excitement over one day buying a little cottage is that I will finally be able to have my own kitty.

Well once upon a time, a Jacksonville man named Craig Grant disdained cats. I can imagine that he disliked them for all the silly reasons most people do: they shed, they're snobby, they're spooky, blah, blah blah.

But then one day Grant's son left little Pepper behind when he moved out of dad's house. The next thing Grant knew, Pepper was pregnant, and today Grant is a true convert; perhaps possessed is more apt. He now houses at least 660 felines at his Caboodle Ranch, a 5-acre cat-sized village for homeless cats.

Check out the whole story here.

And have a HAPPY FRIDAY!!!

Happy Birthday Big Sis'

Hope you're 30th year is the best yet filled with lots of giggles, memorable moments, and joy!

Sending all my love,
Your Biggest Fan, Tag Along, Straight-haired Counterpart, Little Bird, and Favorite Sister!

Racing for the Cure

Last week I had the privilege to join a team captain meeting for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure at Birmingham's American Cancer Society headquarters. It was truly inspiring to gather with women of all sizes, ages, races and backgrounds who are unified by a common cause: defeating breast cancer. One woman wore a T-shirt that said: "Yes, they're fake. My real ones tried to kill me!" A pretty brunette who couldn't have been five years older than me shared her story of her surprising diagnosis. And, I learned that men can get breast cancer too; who knew?!

I left that evening so excited to start training for the morning of October 9th when thousands of women and men will gather in Linn Park for the 2010 Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure.

If you'd like to race, but don't want to start by yourself, join Team Lakeshore! We'd love to have you along. Or, if you'd like to donate towards our team's fundraising efforts to find a cure for breast cancer, click here.

We started our four-week 5K training plan today with an easy 25-minute walk. I plan to run the same amount after work. If you're looking for an easy four-week training guide, you can download it from this page.

Alright, that's all for now. Have a wonderful Monday!

Now and Then

My college roommates and I celebrated our five-year graduation reunion this past month in Destin, Fla. Together we represent three states, two marriages, five kids, five completed marathons, a common faith and almost 10 years of shared life experience!

Here we are six years ago in Auburn.

Happy 28th Birthday Milky Wilkey! Love you Lew!!!

He Knows It's Scary to Be Us

In between sips of coffee and sniffles (still recooping from the weekend bug) early this morning, I found this encouragement from author and speaker Beth Moore. You know how sometimes it's good to just hear that somebody else has been through the same situation as you? That someone else has felt the same pains and endured the same hardships yet made it through to the other side? Or that someone else sees your hurt and genuinely cares? That's what Beth is saying about the Lord here. He knows we don't always have it easy here on earth; He cares. Most importantly, He offers real hope:

"He does not take lightly that some of us were raised in a veritable madhouse. He does not take lightly that some of us have been mentally berated or physically beaten or sexually abused or simply abandoned.

He does not take lightly that some of us are still trying to recover from that midnight phone call. He does not take lightly that some of us were born with legs that don't work. Or eyes that can't see. Or ears that can't hear.

He does not take lightly that some of us have endured the cancer treatment of our very own children. He does not take lightly that some of us, Lord help us, have buried our own children.

He knows it's scary to be us.

The thunder crashes in the heavens, and the earth grows dark in the middle of the afternoon, and a man, beaten to a bloody pulp, cries from a cross between two thieves, "It is finished!"

Because He did, one day God will wipe away every tear from the eyes of those who trusted Him, and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things will pass away and all our hardship will be finished."

Savoring Moments

A nasty sore throat had me out of commission today forcing me to live out the meaning of Sunday: REST. My only escapes from home were for a walk in the sunshine and a trip to Publix to gather ingredients for one of my favorite healthy fall dishes.

This chicken chili recipe is adapted from one of Bob Greene's Best Life recipes and is filled with fiber and iron from the kidney beans, lycopene from the tomatoes, and toxin removers from fresh cilantro which I also learned has strong anti-inflammatory agents for arthritis.

To make, dice half an onion and saute with half a TBSP of minced garlic.

Cook two chopped boneless, skinless chicken breasts in olive oil and sprinkle with as much chili powder as you can handle. Add your sauteed onions and garlic to the mixture.

Then rinse and drain two cans of light red kidney beans.

And pour into the pot with your chicken.

Pour in two cans of Muir Glen Organic Diced Tomatoes.

Bring the mixture to a boil then turn down the heat to a medium simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.

Add in about 1/4 cup chopped cilantro.

Cook for another five minutes and then serve up with Parmesan cheese and blue corn chips.

Freeze leftovers in individual containers and enjoy over and over again!

Here's my lunch for at least two days this week!

I got to share yesterday afternoon running with two of my favorites, my Bestie and Baby Rollins. Kat had a 7.8-mile route marked out for us. We couldn't have asked for better weather or a happier baby.

One thing I will say is running while pushing a jogging stroller ain't for the faint at heart. I pushed the first three miles, and my back was on fire when we finally reached our 3-mile marker rest stop.

I know I'm always saying how much I love running, but I really can't think of any better way to spend a cool, late summer afternoon than logging miles.

And, it never hurts to have adorable running companions! :)