Why worry

Spring is close. I know it because my little birdies wake me up before my alarm clock does outside. They are at my bird feeder, and I could really sit and watch them forever. My momma got me started on the birds several years ago because she had discovered a love for feeding them and watching them. I live pretty high up, and I had a beautiful weeping willow by my porch, but it died last year and I thought my birds wouldn't come back. I was wrong.

And here they are again, tiny little brown sparrows, beautiful chickadees, big red birds (the cocky pretty males and plain Jane females) and the goldfinches, that are so bright yellow they look NEON, they hang on their finch sock for dear life and swing back and forth while they eat.

They fly in, eat for a moment, and fly out, and just seem so carefree.

It makes me think about the verse in Matthew 6:26-27" Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?" NLT

Now don't get me wrong...I don't think we all just need to fly around without a plan, and think...well, God is just going to take care of all this. But, I do think there is something to learn there. If God can take care of these small creatures, and give them to us to watch and enjoy, with all their beautiful colors and grace, how much more can He do for us?

How much more? Why should we worry and be downhearted? Maybe it is just enough to take what we have been given with grace and trust and live it out, knowing our Creator is in charge, and He will use our gifts, efforts and abilities for His glory and give us what we need each step of the way.

Calico Trail

Nashville is a city full of dreamers. And it is especially sweet to see people, sweet, hardworking people, achieve some of their dreams. I am going tonight to hear some of my friends that are in the band, Calico Trail (www.myspace.com/calicotrail), play out for their first full band gig tonight! They are all amazing musicians, and have worked SO hard! And I can't WAIT to see what happens for them. So proud of Timmy D and Jon and all the other guys!

if you are around tonight, they will play at 12th and Porter in Nashville (AT 12th Ave and Porter...duh) at 9:00pm, which Nashville Time means 9:30pm.

COME OUT!

The greatest choice

Money comes and goes, but love is forever. Beauty and youth will be a memory one day, but love is forever. Recognition and power will not comfort you or hold you, but love will. Love is the source that carries us into this world, through our brief life, and into eternity.
It is a choice we have to make, a daily decision. The biggest responsibility we can undertake, but the greatest blessing.
Choose love, it never fails.

Things I love right now...

1. Being at the gym when "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" is on. I cut the bells and whistles on my cable to save $$$, and I only get about 20 channels now, the major networks, cable access and all the Christian channels. I miss E and Bravo, so I get really excited when providence sets in when I work out.

2. The devotional book "Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young. Everyday it gives me something to think about and hold on to through the whole day. I love it, I think I love it more than "My Utmost for His Highest"....It is simpler.

3. Waking up and seeing my kitties cuddling with me, they love to be all sweet and cuddly when it is cold outside..and inside.

4. Random texts or emails from old and far away friends. They come at the right time, always.

5. The Grill at Whole Foods. The luv the food, luv, luv, luv.

6. Laughing. Always. It never gets old, and it feels so good.

7. The website www.incourage.me I love it!!! You can get a daily devotional sent to your email.

8. The fact that my CD is done, and will be sent to duplication later this week. This is my greatest accomplishment, I do believe.

9. Coffeemate Italian Sweet Creme Creamer. Thank you Jesus.

10. That I will be an "cousin auntie" in just a month or two and then again in August, and they are BOTH girls!!!!

Thursday, February 18th

I am so very thankful that God pursues me, that He loves me. He is always letting me know that through the beauty of the sun, moon and stars, through the path of my life and they relationships I encounter along the way. He sings to me through music, and gives me the fragrance of who He is through roses and fresh cookies. He shows me delight through a child's laughter or animals playing.
He is never far away from me at all, and I am never out of his sight. He loves me that much. I did not do anything to earn this love, nor do I deserve it. But I am the apple of his eye, created for Him alone, every hair on my head and thought I have, He knows.

Just knowing this is enough when there are days that I doubt. I pray and trust that He will continuously remind me how much He loves his little girl named Tiffany.

Kids and Valentines

I had to speak at an elementary school today and it did me a world of good. Not only were all of the children at W.A. Wright Elementary attentive and well mannered, but such a sweet bunch as well. It is amazing to me how children are just uninhibited. They feel the need to hug, they do. I got down on my knees to their level and was having a very deep convo about hair with some 1st graders, they all wanted to show me their pigtails, sparkles on their jeans, missing teeth and so on. And one little girl just looked at me so sweetly and said "you have very pretty hair" and then just reached out and hugged me.

How can children just freely express what they feel? How come it feels so good when you get that from little munchkins? Maybe because we know that in those moments, it really is genuine, heartfelt. There are no "what's in it for me" thoughts, or withholding of affection. It just flows freely.

scuffed and simple...and finished

I picked up the master copy of my record tonight. It only needs to be sent to the duplication company and then it is ready. Really ready, like buy it on ITunes, buy it on the website ready. And I am driving around tonight at 10:30 in my car listening, and yes, hearing all the little things that no one else will probably notice and remembering every "thing" behind the sounds, song, etc. And then I realized that the little disc in my CD player is a dream I actually got to experience come true. And in that moment, I just stopped listening and said a grateful prayer that I got to do this project, and said a prayer of thanks for the person that helped my dream come true.