AFrica is Almost Here

Today I got a few of my shots for Africa. I was sitting in the Lobby of Kaiser waiting to talk to the travel nurse and I was in shock that I was preparing to go to Africa. I mean it didn't even feel like it is happening until today. Today was the real shocker, well, eye opener. After hearing about all the negative things that the shots and medications, that I need to take, will do to my body or can potentially do, I was finding myself still at peace. Surprising, especially when 3% of those who take Malaria meds have crazy dreams, or that the shots that i am getting are potentially going to make me sick, and make me feel like a semi-truck has hit me. Even though this may seem like i am complaining, I am not. I am documenting my thoughts of the day. Above is the list of the shots that i have to get or have already gotten in this case. Yellow Fever is on Monday! June 1st, 2009. I look forward to what God has in store for me and my trip. I cant wait to see what will happen, where i will be challenged and who I will encounter with. Until the next step is taken....

Blossoms of Life

The blossoms of life are many. The blessings of everyday are not supposed to be hidden. When you think of flowers what colors come to mind? Orange, Pink, Blue, Yellow, Red, purple, and all are VIBRANT! Each day is a different flower, each flower has different approaches to showing their vibrance, their defense, their life, and their joy that they each bring to the world.
Today I was blown away by the joy I felt from a California poppy that was on the side of the road. Even though it was in a small cluster of poppies, the sun was shining just perfectly on the poppy's petals. God is so amazing, so amazing. I am speechless.
These are just a few of my favorite flowers that bring strong emotion to my life. By color, energy of happiness/joy, or role or symbolism of intimacy.

Worship Music... the best music to be stuck in your head!

I have the same routine every MWF. Get up at 615-Workout for 45 minutes. Eat Breakfast. Turn on my computer and start Pandora list: Worship tab. From there on out... My heart is encouraged, challenged, inspired by the words of the songs, and most of all: I want to throw my hands in the area and fall to me knees. I love love love worship music. I truly enjoy having worship music stuck in my head. It changes my day, it shapes my attitude, and it make me approach life with joy and a feeling that I can accomplish anything. I have been so encouraged by two songs in particular lately. "You wont Relent" by Misty Edwards and "Amazed" by a spectacular artist. Misty Edwards shapes Gods mentality of not giving up until he has all of us and all of our attention and love. "Amazed" changes my monotonous daily life into a friendly reminder of How amazing and spectacular God is. I am truly amazed by who He is, by His character and the interaction that He desires with us. I will not find another love like this. No other being will want me like him and no other will love me the way he does. God cant love me anymore or any less. That is a thought of itself.

MOTHERS!

I know that it's mothers day on Sunday and the potential thought of my mom not being here because of cancer scares me. My mom is healthy. She is on her way to becoming a long-term survivor of Breast Cancer. Tonight I cried for the first time in understanding what I have and who my mom is and what she means to me. She is my hero! She is someone who makes a difference. Someone who has taught me more than anyone else in this world. She has made me who I am today by her wisdom, her knowledge, her love and her desire for me to be a woman after God's heart. I could not ask for someone else as a mother.
I was confronted with an emotion today, an emotion that is so hard to look at straight in the face. Sadness...combined with Joy... accompanied by thankfulness. Seeing a cancer patient (sadness) with no hair brings me back to shaving my moms head during her beginning days. That is in itself beautiful, intimate, and difficult. I am so glad that I was the one to be there for her. Having the intimacy of relationship with my mom. I immediately picked up the phone and called my mom. at the very sound of her voice, I had none. I wept beyond all that i have before. My mom always said save my tears for something worth while; well she is worth more than tears, more than thoughts. The blessing of hearing her voice (Combined with Joy) out weighs so much in life. I am so thankful for my mother. I have been so blessed to have her as my mother. She is amazing. There are no words to describe how thankful I am to have her in my life. This mother is the ultimate of mothers. I love her so much that there are not enough tears in the world to measure how much she means to me. Happy Mother's Day to all mothers.