How-To :: Make a Prayer Notebook

In this post I am hoping you will join me on a journey to making your very own prayer notebook. Now, clicking on this post you may be wondering, “What is a prayer notebook?” A Prayer Notebook is a tool that can help you discipline yourself into a life of deep and committed prayer.

Now, let me be honest for a moment. Throughout my entire life my prayer life has been a little bit of a mess. I pray intently when something is going on in my life. A new chapter, a family member gets sick, I am about to travel, etc. But as far as “down on my knees praying to God every morning” type of prayer, I am not well versed. This is why I first decided to create a prayer notebook. I saw a photo on Instagram of one that my friend had made and felt lead (how very Christian of me, I know) to make one for myself.

Walking on Hallowed Ground

This hallowed ground, this silent sound.
The peace of souls both young and old.
A strong salute, a goodbye so resolute.
Too young to die, need not ask God why.
They died for me and you, the vicious, they went through.
So, honor them today, honor them in every way.
They live on through a name on a stone.
Their seeds of sacrifice have been sewn.
They lived their lives fighting to be free.
They March on to eternity, together, as one company.
Straight lines and faultless form, they march on like the perfect American storm.

 

A panorama of the Memorial Amphitheater

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This weekend, I found myself wandering through Arlington National Cemetery. The wind was howling and leaves were flying across the grass, dancing and twirling with the currents of the air. Walking across this hallowed ground, my soul cried for the souls that were laid to rest on this property.

Exploring my Roots

This weekend, after catching up with a wonderful friend of mother’s, my mom and I decided to explore my roots. We started our day in Binghamton, NY, where we ate at a Cracker Barrel.

This quaint little town is known for its Carousels which the lovely woman at the counter told us to go explore. Much to our dismay, all the carousels are boarded up and closed during the winter, so our adventure had to be relocated elsewhere.

We went to lunch with our friend, and then decided to journey to Pennsylvania to explore the area where both sets of my grandparents grew up.

In PA, we started by driving through Scranton (where The Office is based).

Scranton, PA

Unfortunately we could not find the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company, but did drive on Mifflin Road, which I consider a “win”. We then stopped at the “Historic Iron Furnaces.”

Why this election matters… and why it doesn’t.

Tomorrow is a big day for America… ELECTION DAY. Now, in this post I am not going to tell you who to vote for or what I believe will happen to America should either candidate win, but I will remind you that it is an important day to be an American, and an important day to exercise your rights.

We have the right to vote for our future. This is a privilege that not everyone around the world shares, so whoever you may choose to vote for, get out and vote. Exercise your right, because there are hundreds of thousands of previous Americans who fought and died to earn and keep this right.

That being said, do not lose your mind, or your faith, should the election not go the way you would prefer tomorrow. This is definitely one of the worst elections in our history and our candidate choices are most certainly not ideal. But, this one election, and these next four years, will not be the end of our America. 56 presidential elections, soon to be 57, have occurred in the United States, and I am sure circumstances have been less than ideal before and will be again. 

Chasing Colors + Embracing Adventure

Saturday November 5, 2016 was one for the books.  My beautiful mother, my nephew Joey, and myself set out in a pattern all to familiar to us.  We got in the car and simply drove. We drove all around creation passing state lines and the barriers of roads.  And when we got to the end of the road my mother simply asked, “Left, or right?” and our journey continued.

This barn dates back to the early 1800’s and is currently being restored

We started our day in Warren County, NJ and stumbled upon an Open House for the Van Nest Hoff Vannatta Farmstead in Harmony Township, NJ 08865.

Art of Prayer

When the sky turns dark and on comes the end of the day,
when it hurts so hard you don’t know what to say,
when the world is so heavy you don’t even think you can pray,

When your knees hit the ground so hard they shatter,
you’ve never seen 22 inches disappear any faster,
when life just sucks and you feel the hurts and woes,
that’s when you should pray the most,

The Waltz

I live for daydreams and delusions, the things I cannot see
mysteries of the morning, longing to be free

Like the sun when it rises and the moon when it sets
the roar escaping mouths of lions, the beauty in a chance with no net
reaching from the roots of the ground to the tops of the trees
I live spinning in the oceans sand, waiting for you to call me

Draw me in, show me more
tell me what this life is for

Cette Vie, Cet Amour

Not even death can break the bond God hath formed,
Two lives made one, too strong to be tore.
Dancing in the garden, tarrying through the stream,
Your breath falls on my neck, as we walk upon eternity’s seam,

Whisper, my love, take a moment to care,
Recount the many years we share.
Memories of gold, kisses of old,
Sweeter with each new day,
Hiding and running from the fray.

Dear Future Husband

Dear future husband, I know we haven’t met, but my dear future husband, in my thoughts you have been kept.

How silly this must be to receive a letter from the one you are destined to love. I don’t know your name, neither do I know your face, but one day, darling, I will happily and in incandescent bliss, take your last name.

The Story of the Succulent

Walking through the Walmart in Lynchburg in 2013, Kayla, Katie, and I were on a mission. We had walked through campus, down the most miserable hill we gave our own special name, across a highway and through a parking lot to get here. It was a simple walk, not nearly as complicated as it sounds, but we dreaded it each and every time we had to walk it. The only thing that made it worth it was that we were together. By this point, we had what we wanted, only needed to check out, but were procrastinating the walk back, so we browsed.

I was there when she bought her first succulents. Nowadays everyone has succulents. Little plants in glass containers hanging from the ceiling. I see them everywhere. Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram. But Kayla had succulents before they were cool. She didn’t know what they were when she saw them, but she had to have them.