I am so, so excited to share this with you.  My sister, Leslie, and I have just launched a brand new website and we are thrilled to invite you to join us.  It’s all about being intentional and we plan to spend our days reflecting, guiding and inviting you to join us in our journey.  Please grab a cup of tea and pop over to With Every Intention.  We can’t wait to see you there!  While you’re there, be sure to sign up to receive updates by email or head over to our Facebook page, like us and follow our journey that way.

Just so you’re not left wondering…I’m not leaving my beautiful space here where I am Standing Over Running Water.  This will continue to be my space to reflect on all the blessings in my life.  Our new website is dedicated solely to living with intention.  Since I’m not a perfect intentionalist (yet), I’ll use this blog to continue to journal all the unintentional moments in my life!

Dear friends,

The end of 2016 is upon us and tomorrow we’ll be ringing in a new year.  2017 stretches before us over here in Corpus Christi like a fresh canvas and we can’t wait to fill it with beautiful, intentional moments.

I have always been inspired by The Three Questions, a story by Leo Tolstoy.  In it, there is a king who realized that if only he knew the right time for every action, the most necessary people and the most important thing to do, he would never fail in anything he undertook.  So he called for all the wise men to come forth and answer his three questions.  After listening to these supposed wise men (and all of their contradicting answers), the king decides to go and seek the wisdom of a hermit.  After various events that day, the hermit concludes with this advice:

“Remember then: there is only one time that is important–Now! It is the most important time because it is the only time when we have any power. The most necessary man is he with whom you are, for no man knows whether he will ever have dealings with any one else: and the most important affair is, to do him good, because for that purpose alone was man sent into this life!” 

There it is.  The heart and soul of living…living with intention: being present in this moment right now, being present with the people you are with at this moment right now, and doing good at this moment right now.  In other words, living this moment with purpose and intention. 

I spent the greater part of 2016 learning the art of intention.  I slowed down a bit and savored the moments.  The simple moments like watching Joey’s passion for Shakespeare grow in his homeschool co-op, seeing William’s delight in the adventure of camping, joining in Andrew’s pure joy in losing three teeth in quick succession, witnessing Katie’s sweet, caring nature bloom as she sat by Granny’s side after a recent surgery.  Then there were the bright moments of the year that I tried my best to be intentional about: the opportunity to travel by train to Missouri with Dax, the kids and my parents, the camping trips, the birthdays, the holidays, the family gatherings.  I did my best to soak it all in, to memorize the beauty and wonder of each moment and to gather those thoughts in my mind with deep, heartfelt gratitude.

Yet despite all intention, I still face the end of the year wondering how we have already finished another year. My beautiful children are all one year older, blooming right here where they have been planted.  My marriage is one year stronger, holding tight to the one strand that keeps it strong: love.  My life is one year brighter, filled with old and new friends, beautiful memories, and the hope of an even more intentional 2017.

Dear friends, I pray that as you ring in the New Year, you prepare to find the wonder and beauty of all the intentional moments that fill your days.  I look forward to hearing about those intentional moments and sharing mine with you at the end of 2017.

Blessings to you and yours,

Daxson, Stacie, Joey (9), William (7), Andrew (5), Katelyn (3)

The joys of motherhood often get lost in the daily drudgery of this little journey we call life.  It’s hard to show gratitude when we’re knee deep in diapers, bad attitudes and dirty dishes.

The pile of dishes stacked beside the sink causes us to groan in frustration, knowing that it is up to us to clean them while the muddy footprints on the floor remind us that it is time to clean the house.

Our stomachs growl and we sigh in resignation knowing that the only way dinner will be served is if we stop whatever it is we’re doing (paying the bills, folding the laundry, tending to a child) and dedicate the next bit of time to cooking…

Head over to Corpus Christi Moms Blog to finish reading and to find out how to rediscover joy in motherhood.

Gift giving isn’t bad.  On the contrary, gift giving is a beautiful opportunity to try to express our love in a tangible way.  But we’ve been trained by our culture and the media to believe that gift giving is about stuff.  And that stuff brings happiness.  It doesn’t.  And as soon as we pile up the gifts under the tree and train our children to begin to think that way, we plant the seed for deep rooted dissatisfaction in their lives.  Gift giving should be just as much about showing love as learning the language of appreciation. And when there’s too much piled up, it’s hard to appreciate anything with sincerity.  Less is more.  I promise.

Pop on over to Corpus Christi Moms Blog to gather some alternative ideas to piling up toys under the Christmas tree this year.

The traditional Thanksgiving song Over the River and Through the Woods brings pictures to mind of children bundled up in sweaters, yellow and red leaves on the trees, a fireplace with a blazing fire in Grandmother’s house.

South Texas clearly didn’t get the fall memo: the memo that dictates a shift in temperature, a change in seasonal appearance.  It’s still gorgeous outside here.  Sunny and warm with cool evenings.  The leaves on all of my trees are still a perky green as if spring is in the air.

But while we lack traditional autumn weather, we make up for it with perfect camping weather.  We can still head over the river and through the woods, although we’ll just do it camping style.  It’s time to pack up the tent and sleeping bags, the ingredients for s’mores, some firewood and oh yes, don’t forget those sweet little children of yours.

Pop on over to Corpus Christi Mom’s Blog to finish reading and find out some fun spots for fall camping…

We haven’t met.  Chances are slim that we ever will.  Yet you hold my future in your hands…literally.  See that woman on the operating table?  The one you refer to as your patient?  Well, she’s my mom.  She’s my dad’s wife.  My uncle’s sister.  My cousin’s aunt.  My children’s granny.  She’s not a number in a system or just a body on an operating table.  She’s a born person, unique in every way.  She’s precious to each of us.  She’s our encouragement when we feel down, our shoulder to cry on, our sympathetic ear.  For two of us, she’s the reason we’re here.  For others, she’s the reason we laugh and pray and find peace in our days.  So we just ask you to take extra special care of her.  Treat her as if she were your mom, your wife, your sister, your daughter.

She’s been battling health issues for many years.  Surgery after surgery after surgery.  Surgeon mistakes, bad luck, health issues pushed off for too long, complications brought on by surgical procedures.  Patiently smiling through every single trial.  She’s beat the odds each time.  After all her body has been through, it’s clear that she’s here solely by the grace of God.  His hand remains steady over her.  He comforts her when she needs it.  He hastens to soothe her soul.

But today her body is in your hands.  So today as you prepare your surgical instruments, we ask that you also prepare your heart.  As you review your notes before you see her, please also review your place in the grand scheme of things.  Your hands are meant to do His will.  You are an instrument of His, so allow Him to work through you.   Humbly ask Him to guide you.  Trust that He will.

We continue our prayer vigil for Mom as she heads back to surgery.  We pray for health and healing and peace.  For His will to be done and for each of us to accept whatever His will may be.  For strength, for trust, for hope.

But today we also pray a special prayer for you.  A prayer for your submission to His will.  A prayer that you allow His hand to guide yours.  A prayer that you see Mom as the unique person that He created her to be.  That you remember that she’s more than just a body…she’s a mom, a wife, a sister, an aunt, a granny.  We pray that you tend to her as you would tend to one of your own flock.  And we trust that He will endow you with the wisdom you need to heal her with the power of your hands.  And trust in the promise that He will reward you for your humility and trust.  God’s got this one, so please, allow His will to be done.

Thank you.