Printable PDF version of this prayer: Prayer for Protection
Prayer for Protection
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Tag Archives: Hope
Thank You~Gracias~Grazie~Danke~Arigato
I want to take this opportunity to say, “Thank you.”
Sincerely, from the depths of my heart.
I am so grateful for each of you reading this.
The fact that you would take a break from your busy life to read what I have written is not only humbling, but motivating and encouraging.
Thank you for allowing me to process the shock, pain, anger, regret and all of the other emotions that I have written through over the last 10 months.
As you know this journey with Elliot has changed me. In a good way.
She has changed me and will continue to.
I know the posts have been deep and sometimes dark, but I could not have experienced the peace that I have had were it not for those of you who are reading, sharing, commenting and praying.
I will continue to write about my beautiful friend. How can I not?
However, I will also get back to posting on life in general.
I will try to center most everything around experience, strength and hope.
Thank you…for embarking on this pilgrimage with me.
It is often bumpy and at times I cannot see much further than my own face, but it is worth it. You are worth it…I am worth it.
If only we could see more than a fraction of our worth.
Our fear would dissolve in the truth of our potential.
We were born with a great purpose in mind. Each one of us.
We are being groomed for greatness.
On the days when you feel anything but great (and those days will come), if you remember nothing else, remember, you have been given this gift of life. With this gift comes the freedom of choice, the blessing of opportunities, the realness of humanity. I don’t care what you’ve done, what you’re doing or what you will do, nothing on this earth has the power to strip you of your potential.
Eleanor Roosevelt said it best, “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” Friend, You were born to be blessed. Don’t allow anyone or anything to tell you different.
Love and Light,
Head full of Hope: A Story in Pictures
This is a story about my Bella. She is 14 and always looking for ways to make a difference. With the limited resources that she has, she must get creative when supporting others. She knew that she had one thing to give that could potentially impact someone her own age.
Let’s see if a picture really is worth a thousand words…
In the chair at Van Michael Salon in Buckhead with Kelly
Kelly making the first cuts.
The first pieces are in her hand
Second section of cutting
12 inches of beautiful hair
Styling the new do
Remnants of what's left and unusable
Finished Product
She is smiling for several reasons. One being that she feels like she weighs 10 lbs. lighter.
A GREAT BIG THANK YOU to Kelly at Van Michael Salon in Buckhead. She took care of everything. They are a participating salon in Locks of Love.
This Man
Okay, okay, I get it. You want the story. The Chris and Joy “Happily Ever After” story.
An entire book could be written on this subject alone… How we met when I was just 16 and he was 18 and though it would be years before we would consummate what had only grown stronger since that first meeting… our lives… from that day… would never be the same.
And those of you who know me well are right, I cannot get much further into this blog world without talking about the man who stormed the gates of hell, picked me up and carried me home.
More times than not, when I don’t do something, it’s rooted in the fear of failure.
In this case, it’s the fear that I can not do our story justice through my menial writing ability. That I do not have the words to paint an accurate picture of the way that God used this man to change the course of my life. That because of him, I have been redeemed. And because of his faithfulness and pursuit of my heart, I have a better grasp of Christ’s love.
The man that I see when I look at him is one who has sacrificed much and fought tirelessly. This strong and beautiful man has saved me from myself more times than I probably even know. He saw promise in the brokenness. He was able to see what I could not see and he has spent the last decade helping me uncover and bring into the light who I really am.
Christopher is the first man, the first human being that has ever had a front row seat to my heart and soul. It’s a scary thing. He, however, sifted through the lies of darkness, broke down the walls of self loathing and established residence. It was no easy task. His persistence paid off and after, not months, but years of diligently championing my heart, I began to see what he saw. Possibilities from within.
There is a song called Bless the Broken Road.
The first time I heard it while driving, I had to pull over as the tears kept flowing, stinging my eyes and blurring my vision.
Here is the part that most resonates with me…
I think about the years I spent just passing through
I’d like to have the time I lost and give it back to you
But you just smile and take my hand
You’ve been there you understand
It’s all part of a grander plan that is coming true
Every long lost dream led me to where you are
Others who broke my heart they were like Northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you
Now I’m just rolling home
Into my lover’s arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you
Though there is so much more to the story…so many details and tangible evidence of forgiveness, struggle, passion, pain and beauty… the truth that I know, that I will always know, is this…
God created me. And while forming and shaping my being, He already had Christopher in mind. He then made him to fit me exactly. Or maybe vice versa…either way, we are like puzzle pieces… Each completes the whole. We were created with the other in mind and God’s hand is on us still. Of this, I am sure.
Even A Girl Like Me 