Dear Grief

This post has been written for linking up to Kate Motaung’s blog to celebrate the anniversary of the release of her beautiful book: Letters to Grief.


Dear Grief,

You have kept me company since I received the news that my dad had been diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer.  When someone tells you they have a terminal illness you start to prepare yourself for their passing, or so you think. You grieve for them throughout their battle and try to be strong for them. You grieve again when they lose that battle but are comforted by the knowledge that they are  in a better place where they are no longer in pain.  As we are struggling through the pain of loss we must remember He is with us. We can turn to His words for comfort.  He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.- Psalm 147:3

 I received the call on Christmas Day last year to tell me my dad had passed away that morning. He lost his battle with cancer and it was eating away at me that I wasn't able to be there. I am forever grateful to my cousins and aunts and other family and friends who were able to be there with him in the end when I could not be.  I am extremely grateful that I was able to see him at Thanksgiving just a few short weeks before.  I flew up to Nashville with the generosity of a friend and her husband. They used their frequent flyer miles to purchase me a plane ticket to visit him.

Today, almost a year later, your presence is still with me and will remain with me.  You creep in with sadness, but there is happiness as well.... happiness found in the memories of the moments my dad and I spent together.

I invite you in because I  know that in order to heal I must accept you and know that God will continue to be there to comfort me.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. - Matthew 5:4

Sincerely,

Casey

My 10 favorite things right now

This weeks Five Minute Friday word is Ten.  The first thing I thought of was sharing my 10 favorite things right now.

 

  10  of my favorite things right now

1. Fair Trade Friday Earrings from the Earring of the Month Club. Wear a story.

 

2. Simply Tuesday book by Emily P. Freeman. I have fallen in love with this book and you will too.

 

3. A mailbox full of letters from my compassion kids.

 

4. I love that it's summertime!!

 

 

5. Jennifer Dukes Lee. Her post inspire me everyday.

6. Time Hop App. It makes everyday Throwback Thursday.

7.  Stitch Fix. They do the shopping for you.

 

8.  My daughters fairy garden, because I wish I had one when I was a kid.

9.  Crowder- "Come as you are"  I LOVE this song.

10.  This picture, because these girls will always be my two favorite things.

I am linking up with Five Minute Friday

Hope anchors the soul

Last weeks Five Minute Friday Word was Hope.  It wasn't until a friend sent me an e-mail on Thursday, that I finally knew why I was struggling to find the words for this post. He knew I needed to read her words and her words were the encouragement I needed.

So here is my Five Minute Friday a little late.

Hope.

A dear friend wrote to me, "I was feeling like there were too many faults in me to deserve to be forgiven over & over. I have turned away from the things that have given me so much hope."

I have felt this way many times; not worthy enough to be forgiven. Searching in the dark, trying to find hope.

We are all searching for hope. Hope motivates us. It keeps us going. It keeps us moving forward.

“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain.” ~Hebrews 6:19 

Hope is an anchor for the soul. I refuse to sink. I refuse to give up. 

Hope in the Lord gives us confidence in the future.

Hope in the Lord gives us strength.

Hope in the Lord brings encouragement.


To my dear friend, I hope for all of these things. I pray that through Him you will find confidence again; you will find your strength; and you will find joy and peace.

 "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope."~ Romans 15:13

 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:1 

Five Minute Friday {World}

I think of all my compassion children all over the world. Brazil, Kenya, Indonesia, Bolivia, Haiti, Ethiopia, Nicaragua, and Ecuador.

I read all about their world online and through their letters. They write and ask me to pray for them and their countries.  They talk about how they have to walk to get water and how they walk to the center to learn about Jesus. I get tears in my eyes when I read about how much they love Jesus.  My beautiful children of the world.  Along with my two daughters they humble me.

I pray for all my children. I pray for my daughters that they make a difference in the world no matter how small it is. I pray for my children of the world, that I can share my love and God’s love for them though the letters I write. I pray that people continue to sponsor children so that they may get an education and have a safe place to learn and grow.

I strongly believe that child sponsorship through Compassion International is one of the best ways to prevent slavery and child labor before it begins. Want to become an abolitionist with a focus on preventing slavery? Become a sponsor!

Tweet: Today is World Day Against Child Labor Day Every kid deserves a childhood of freedom. But 150 million kids in developing countries are robbed of that freedom. http://ctt.ec/dP681+

 I am joining  #FiveMinuteFriday today.

Five Minute Friday {Gift}

Five Minute Friday is an opportunity to purely blog for five minutes based on a prompt. Today’s prompt is “gift” and this is what came to mind:

Gifts.

This prompt made me immediately think of  Fair Trade Friday and how I started trying to buy only Fair Trade Items as gifts.

In fact, I just has finished my last blog post about giving gifts when I saw this was the new prompt. So I am taking that as a sign to share what Fair Trade Friday is all about.

When I think about giving fair trade gifts as a way that benefits everyone from the artisan to the recipient, it brings me joy and gratitude. It allows us to give a thoughtful gift to the people closest to us while benefiting someone in need. Gifts from the heart are always more meaningful to those receiving them.

So I am using my Five Minute Friday post to share my favorite gifts. You can check out my last blog post and the Fair Trade Friday shop to see what it's all about.

I am linking up with Kate Motaung at Five Minute Friday and Titus2sday

Five Minute Friday {Blue}

Five Minute Friday is an opportunity to purely blog for five minutes based on a prompt. This is my first post with FMF. Today’s prompt is “blue” and this is what came to mind:

Blue,

the color my favorite things.

the color I love.

blue sky.

 

the ocean, so calm and peaceful.

my two daughters eyes, so full of wonder and love.

the color of compassion.

my beautiful compassion kids.

the blue sky on a warm summer day. relaxing near the ocean with the sound of the waves crashing on the shore. my two beautiful daughters that are full of compassion, love, and spirit. my compassion kids who I love like my own. just as my life changed forever when i became a mother to my two daughters, my life changed forever the day i sponsored my first child. so all of these things bring me happiness, make me smile, make my heart full.