He

He

Strong and silent he stands. Confident, steady, solid, unwavering faith, unending love. He knows the path to take is long and less travelled, yet he walks with no fear, no expectation, no hurry. Only walking where former footprints have trod, he goes. Letting his faith and love lead - he follows. My only prayer is that along the way he finds me waiting down the path. Waiting for him, for us, for our journey to begin. That he will know its me, hold out his hand and lead me, lead us, farther down the path. Carefully walking in the way of Him who went before and who left the path clearly marked for us to travel together.

More than just a title ...

Picking a title for one's blog is a hard thing to do. At least for me it was. Should I be clever? Should I be straightforward and to the point? Trying to be real and creative and sum up all you want to say in one title is a difficult task at best. And then I remembered a poem I wrote.



I write poetry. Mostly for me, even though some has been published. One poem that I wrote last year really sums up the journey I've been on. Throughout all my searching of who I am, what I believe, the working out of my faith daily and the growing I've done somehow worked itself out beautifully in a poem.



Many of you know that my heart's desire is to be a wife and a mother. Since I was 5 years old, that is what I wanted to be. That is what I've always known I was created to be. And although I still wait for the Lord to fulfill that in my life, and although I carry on with my career and my friends and my travels, I still long for that. I've had an amazing life and it has been so interesting to see what God had planned rather than what I had planned. And even though I have stumbled, God's grace and mercy has taken all the pieces of my broken heart and made it whole and beautiful. It's the whole beauty for ashes theme (I have another poem on that!) that I love so much. Even though my heart may not be as pristine as I had hoped it would be, it has been made whole and beautiful - a work of art - a work of God.



So here is my poem that explains my title and maybe gives you another glimpse into me.

Stained Glass Heart

Once broken by heartache on the broken road,
no longer broken the treasure is whole.

In my hands I hold a priceless gift -
every piece tells a story of growth and grace,
every color a beautiful reminder of faith.

Connected and made whole by an everlasting promise.
Illuminated and sealed by the light of His love.

One day I’ll present this precious work of art,
as I offer to him my stained glass heart.


By: Jennifer E. Barnes
2008

California Dreaming

My trip to see Charlotte was amazing. Always too short. But I cherished every moment and even was able to capture a few of those moments on film. Enjoy the pics!

This is Charlotte and I at Las Brises restaurant overlooking the bluff in Laguna Beach. They had awesome ceviche, guacamole and fruity drinks!

Me at the bluff in Laguna Beach. I am amazed that just minutes before I was at the beach. I clean up pretty well , huh? Beach babes know how to do quick changes in the parking lot!

Charlotte and I met Tussany for dinner in Long Beach. She is due with a baby boy in August, so we threw her a "mini shower" at dinner. It was great to see her! She is so cute all preggers.


You can't see him, but I promise ... there is a super HOT lifeguard in that jeep! ;)

I saw this and just had to take a picture! I love this. I totally want to be a flip-flop family! Too cute. Much cooler than the fishes or stick people.

Kayaking! Charlotte and I went kayaking in Long Beach. We kayaked through the canals. It was so much fun!

This is my view of Laguna Beach via my blanket. How peaceful. It was so beautiful and the water was so blue!


I *heart* Cali!

I heart California! (and perspective)

I arrived in California Saturday afternoon. I am here in Long Beach visiting Charlotte for a few days. This is her first "free" summer with no classes (PhD in Psych - go Char!) so I had to come see her so we could catch up and do fun Cali things! It has been an adjustment having her so far away, so I really cherish the times when we do get to get together. And of course, I love any excuse to travel, come to California (where I was born) and gain some perspective.

Perspective on vacation??? Absolutely! I've always found that getting out of my little box, my little rut, my little corner of the globe and experiencing life in another place always gives me perspective. Being near the ocean, the vastness, the beauty of God's creation - perspective. Seeing/meeting people who think differently, live differently, choose differently - perspective. Knowing that Charlotte drives around f-o-r-e-v-e-r to find parking or has to pay to park near her own flat - perspective. So I am welcoming the perspective and trying to soak up all that I am learning about life and learning about myself. That in itself is a fabulous vacation for the mind, body and spirit. However, we do have fun things planned!

Here are some of the things we have planned. I will post pics soon. *beach, beach, beach* *kayaking in the canals* *riding bikes up and down sea wall* *eating, drinking and being merry* *visiting with Tussany & Bryan and Tussany's baby bump!* *staying up way late talking about everything and nothing* *perfecting the art of making mojitos*

I found these quotes and really liked them.

As far as the Moon is concerned, he is always full. ~Nathaniel LeTonnerre, translated

We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are. ~Anaïs Nin

I had the blues because I had no shoes until upon the street, I met a man who had no feet.
~Denis Waitely

The world is round and the place which may seem like the end may also be only the beginning. ~Ivy Baker Priest

Reluctant ...

I've kept a journal or three or four my entire life. It started out as one, and morphed into four. I keep them in storage boxes labeled "thoughts." They are me. My life, my musings, my jumbled thoughts, my cries to God, my hopes, my fears, my adventures. Not what you would call leisure reading, although some of my Junior High journals are hilarious! I keep them for me, to sort out the endless wonderings I have. I write in them because I think one day, my son or daughter (who are still *twinkles* in my eye) might want to read them. But I certainly wouldn't publish them. One for daily thoughts. A "dear diary" type format. One for God. Prayers, questions, revelations. One for quotes/poetry. I love quotes and poetry. This one helps me gather thoughts for my own writing. And the fourth is for my "Tender Warrior" wherever he is! He also may or may not want to read it, but I keep one for him alone none-the-less.

So why then blog if I have such a great system? Does anyone care? Who would want to read my ramblings? A few sweet friends perhaps who are bloggers themselves between their already full lives of kids and husbands and living? Perhaps. Perhaps not. I won't make the mistake of thinking I'll suddenly be on Jimmy Fallon explaining why my blog is so fiercely followed. I may be the only one who stops by from time to time, and that is OK.

I guess I've decided to blog to take what has been on paper for so long and update it with pictures. To tell my story in a different way. Put a new 21st century spin on it. I will still keep my journals. How could I not? They are my history ... maybe this is my future.