My New Year's Song

Let's sing a new song in 2011. One of my favorite songs is called "Garden" by Need To Breathe and it describes Jesus' prayers in the Garden of Gethsemane before His death. The chorus, however, describes the author's longing for his life attitude to be like Jesus' attitude of total surrender to the Father. These are the words to the chorus:

"Let the songs I sing bring joy to you. Let the words I say confess my love. Let the notes I choose be your favorite tune and Father let my heart be after you."

This is all I want for the new year. To live a life that brings joy to the Father. That all I allow myself to speak would be a witness to the love I have for the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. That the choices I make be only out of the good and pleasing and perfect will of God.

In this new year, I couldn't wish, for you or for me, anything better than that our song for the new year would end with, "Father, let my heart be after you."

Happy New Year!

Christmas Lights

I see so many houses all done up in Christmas lights. They look so nice. I wish my house could look like theirs. I just have two strands of lights across my front bushes and they aren't very bright. The way the electricity is set up, I have to plug them in and then unplug them from the outside. I would like to do more but financially, the priority isn't in Christmas decorations this year.

There is another kind of light, however, that will come from my house which is brighter than it was last year. This light cannot be seen when you drive by my house. It doesn't shine in different colors or even flash. It's a steady light. A light that resides on the inside of me; my physical house, if you will. The light of Christ.

With each passing year, life gives us opportunities that will test the limits and if we face them with God's guidance and perseverance and a grace filled attitude, it makes our light stronger and brighter. We can then take that light to help brighten other people's lives and hearts.

The best thing about this light, is that it never burns out. In fact it gets brighter with each use and the best thing is, we can leave it on all the time and in all circumstances. My goal is that when folks pass me on the road of life, they will want to have a bright light shining in their own "houses" and not just at Christmas time but all year round.

May the light of Christ fill you and brighten your life for all to see!

Merry Christmas!

Thanksgiving is Coming!

And so it begins. The holiday season that is. Thanksgiving is coming! That means that the day after Thanksgiving I can listen to Christmas music! That sounds silly but it's a queue for me to start preparing.

Not the house or the gifts, although, I love doing that too, but it's more than that. It's time to start preparing my heart to be very thankful for a God who is crazy about me (and you). So much so that, as one of my favorite verses says, "He who did not spare His own son, but offered Him up for us all, how will He not also, along with Him (Jesus), graciously give us all things? Romans 8:32

When I think of that, I wonder at my doubt. If God gave up His son to die for us because He loved us that much, then why do I think He won't give me everything else? (Of course I'm referring to the things He knows are good for me.) He gave me the MOST He can possibly give me already and that was Jesus on the cross and with that eternal life. God gave us life! Everything else is less!

Be thankful for a time in the year where we get to be thankful. Be thankful for a God who is for us everyday of the year and wants the best for us. May your Thanksgiving be full of life!

Till We Meet Again

It's been a strange month of October. I've experienced a strengthening of my faith by remaining close to the Lord but sadness still crept in. Humanity is fragile, as I have been forced to look at it this month, with the deaths of two young men who were family.

One, no one knows why he died, yet and the other, an accident. It's sad to see parents bury their children and grieve so intensely. I had a dream once that my parents died and I actually woke up broken hearted and weeping as if it had been real. I can't imagine it the other way around. For me to mourn my children would leave me without breath.

Thank you Lord, that even when we those we love leave this earth, their love remains....till we meet again. Trusting in Christ will guarantee it. I hope, if you're reading this, that you can say with assurance, on some inevitable day..I will see you again, Anita.

My Nephew - Just call him cheeks!

Look at those cheeks! Just like my brother's cheeks when he was a baby! God bless you Evan!

The Gift of Vacation

The Lord gives good things and one of those things is called a vacation. We cruised the Western Carribbean with friends and family. It was a blessing. Enjoy the pics!

Spur of the Moment

Sometimes we get so caught up in the have to, can't, not enough time, it's too far, what if, I'm not sure excuses of our existence. We get caught up in a routine that literally sucks the "life" out of our lives. It's the stuff that makes us "old" in our minds and hearts. What happened to the just because, so what, go for it, who cares, let's go moments? They seem so far and few between the everyday stuff we need to do.

Last week, I got to experience a spur of the moment time with my daughter. No planning, getting there on time, what if we're late, what if we get lost or I'm tired entered this picture on Thursday last. In the car, around 7pm, on one of the most beautiful days of July, I looked at my daughter and said, I wish we could just drive down the shore for the no good reason. She looked at me, as if trying to find a reason why I wouldn't and said, "Why not? We could go to Long Branch. It's only an hour away." I couldn't think of any reason why I couldn't go. As if I need a reason to not go!

So we drove home, changed our clothes, and at 8pm hopped back in my car! E-Z Pass newly glued to my windshield, nothing could stop me now. The music blared as we sang along, traffic was nowhere to be found and in the background was the sound of the GPS lady directing me, "In point 8 miles, stay left." You got it Dolores!

In one hour we arrived at Long Branch and I had the energy of a 15 year old. We parked for free, which is always great and walked to the boardwalk. A refreshing breeze accompanied us and as we turned to take a picture together, my shawl blew right in our faces as we smiled for the camera! God certainly has a sense of humor.

We finally got the picture right and proceeded to a restaurant, where we sat outside watching the waves and sharing french fries and a salad on the side. :-) My daughter then treated me to great coffee and dessert across the street. With coffee in hand we went down onto the beach and found the perfect spot to sit on in the sand and we admired the amazing array of stars God had on display that night for our viewing pleasure. The sounds of the waves breaking, the breeze blowing and my daughter by my side produce for me one of the most wonderful, unplanned nights of my life. As I looked over at her, I saw she had tears coming down and realized, it was the same for her. For a brief, amazing time, nothing was wrong in the world.

We finished the night by strolling along the beach back toward our car, laughing and talking about this and that. Now around midnight, we were happy to find the bathroom still open at the end of boardwalk, before heading back home. The drive was filled with "old school" music, even less traffic and questions in my mind.

Why don't I do these kinds of things more often? What holds us back? I'm not sure but I can tell you this. We miss out on special times and mini adventures that make us excited about life and most importantly the people we love. My daughter and I bonded that night and something else happened inside me. I realized that although planning is good and being on time is better, the spur of the moment is all we really have.

Mr. Perez Has No Comment

Grumpy at times, he doesn't say much and when he doesn't want to talk, he says, "No Comment, please!" He is the hardest working man I know and expresses his love with acts of service. Nothing brings him more joy than to beautify your surroundings with things you need and sometimes things you don't. Family and home is the most important thing in his life and there isn't anything he wouldn't do for you, if he thought it would help. Sometimes it has to be done his way but it's usually never a bad thing in the end. He can make you a bed with a secret shoe compartment, a backyard haven with built in cabinets, a garden like one in magazines, and even build a sturdy stand so you can hang the heavy bag you've been dying to punch on, in a place you thought had no more space. He's a mechanical and carpentry genius.

He loves his music dearly, appreciating each nuance of a drum or flute chiming in to timed perfection. He taps his toes and waves his hand as if he himself composed the piece and was conducting the band. Jazz, Salsa, Big Band, makes no difference. It's where he finds his peace.

No one can make you laugh harder than he can. With a sharp wit and play on words, you become an aching belly of roaring laughter when you hear the way he tells a story. He's developed his own vocabulary as he ends our time of grace at the table with "Barraroo. Barraroo." You might say he has the gift of speaking in tongues!

Always looking to restore old and dirty items into new and useful things that can be admired, he reminds me of Jesus. Taking our old and used up lives and making them a whole new creation that can be used for great things or small and sometimes just to be admired by the One who cleaned it up. If I asked Mr. Perez if he saw the similarities in who he is to the One who created him, he'd just reply with, "No comment, please."

I love you dad. Thank you. Happy Father's Day.

God, I Need a Quarter...

Today, I parked at a metered space and gathered my change, only to discover it took only quarters. All my dimes and nickels wouldn't work. So I opened the car, and rummaged through a bag and prayed, "God please let me find just one quarter for a few minutes. That's all I need. One quarter." As I frantically searched I heard a voice near me. "Hey mami! Over hear!" Not sure he was speaking to me I looked and then continued my search. Once again he called and then headed to a van parked right in front of me, letting me know I could have his space with two hours left on the meter! God not only provided what I needed but gave me more than I expected! He never ceases to amaze me!

On my way home I remember what I had prayed the night before. I asked God to remind me of who He was and is in my life, this week. Well today he answered. He reminded that in my life He has been and continues to be Jehovah Jireh. The God who provides!!

Meet Me In The Meadow: What It’s All About?

Meet Me In The Meadow: What It’s All About?


A great reminder by Roy Lessin, of what living life is really about.

Great Vacation

Russ and I drove down to North Carolina to visit friends dear to my heart. The Soca family graciously received us like family. We had the most wonderful time as we spent time with them. Thank you my friends for the blessing of your friendship!

We also got a chance to visit with my uncle Freddy and my newest cousin Cammie! She is soooooo cute. I started coughing and she quickly tapped me twice on my back and quietly said, "Cough, cough." I lost it. She was so adorable. Russ said he has a new girlfriend! LOL Thank you Uncle for an amazing lunch!! Love you all!

Enjoy the pics!

Winter Storm 2010 Part 2

I Survived!

Another event down and I survived. All-Star 2010 was held in the Dallas Cowboys Stadium and attended by about 109,000 people!! It was amazing to see. I thought it was our best yet. The stadium was soooo huge and game was exciting. The best part? Getting home.

Being away for 11 days is a long time. It's good because I don't have to cook and someone else cleans my bathroom but at the same time I miss my family. I'm always away for Valentine's so thats kind of a downer too. I usually get sick at the event but this year I stayed healthy all the way home...and then I got sick. Oh well.

Happy to be home, with those I love, even if my nose keeps running. :-)

I Know Where I'm Going!

To the chapel of love!!! Russ proposed on Saturday night at his birthday celebration. It was the most surprising moment of my life..ok, well, besides the times I found out I was pregnant (with Didi and Garrett). After opening his birthday presents he began to speak to those present how thankful he was for them in their lives, his parents, my kids, etc. and then he said, "Oh yeah, Anita. I learned alot about gemstones this year and proceeded to compare me to a brilliant diamond in clarity, cut, flaws, etc. (Which by the way he said I didn't have many at all.) The whole time I'm mesmerized by his speech and thinking, "Wow. God has really grown him. Look at how he's verbally expressing himself." I was falling in love all over again watching him. Then when he got to the carat, he said he wasn't sure what to say about that so he pulled the box from his pocket, walked over to me on the couch and asked if I'd marry him and put the ring on my finger! I stood up and threw my arms around him and cried 5 and 1/2 years worth of tears. What a way to make me feel so special even with my Yankee t-shirt on and smelling like cheeseburgers I had just made. Wow.

Russ, I am relishing the blessing you are in my life and cannot thank God enough for you. Thank you for loving me, my children and my family. I cannot wait to begin our lives together. You are truly a wonderful man who loves the Lord and always remember; Frankie ain't got nothin' on you, blue eyes!

Happy 2010! Where will this year take you?

We were so blessed to have a wonderful Christmas and New Year's celebration with family and friends. There is no better time of year for me to express, more than usual, how much I love those around me. I wish I had pictures but my camera battery charger is lost and I will have to gather pics by others before posting any.

It's 2010! Resolutions have most definitely been made. I'm a bit of "list" person so I love making resolutions and seeing how I did over the last year. Do I always keep them? Not fully and not all. Example: On Jan. 1st 2009, I wrote that I would like to run five 5k races that year. How many did I run? One. Yup. That's all I had time for! I lowered that number to 3 for 2010. I did grow spiritually in many ways this year so that was a blessing. This year my main hope is that God would create a deeper hunger for His Word, in me. (And I'm also praying secretly for my brother, but don't tell him) :)

Whatever your resolutions are, I hope you are challenged to grow in many ways and that you find you are loved way more than you think, by the God who created you. Happy New Year! Cheers!