Wow

I can not believe how fast time goes by! I promise to catch up on blogging over the next few days:)

Have a great day!

losing my mind!

This is more of a post to laugh out loud @ me

this morning I did the following with in 15 min:

#1) walked over to my desk to w/ the tv remote in hand instead of my phone to charge

#2) put away the milk in the pantry, not the fridge, did remember in time

#3) and for some reason thought that I was back in college and missed the "bell" (only you PCC'ers know what I am talking about:)

I can only hope the day gets better:)

Loss

Sorry it's been a while since I have posted! I have busy working and pursing my dreams.

Yesterday, I took a self defense with Montgomery County & MD State Police. As we were learning the different skills, I had to think about the skills we need for other life survival. We take classes to help us prepare in case we are attacked (God forbid). But how do we prepare our self for when life attacks us?

How do we prepare for LIFE? Do we think about preparing ourselves or are we just waiting to be lunch for our attacker? Do we think that if we don't think about "it" it will never happen to us? How does life attack us? Many different ways.... It could be loss. And I will focus on this, as I am dealing with loss right now.

Loss is many different things, it could be the loss of a job, it could be the loss of your health, the loss of friends, the loss of family, the loss of a dream, the loss of something you wanted, then had to let it go. It could be a simple loss, like an iPod, or a cell phone quiting

How do I prepare myself for when life comes at me full speed, threatening to take me down? I thought about it and came up with a few things.

Prepare yourself by having a strong support of friends. Ones who
Expect that something will happen.
Go with the flow.
When something happens, breathe in, breathe out.
Know that God has a plan, no mater if I understand it or not.
Write. Blogging helps.
Dream of a day when life will be better:)

I would love to hear your thoughts? Comment or email me! :)

Peace~

One more thing

One of the reasons I am content in life right is that one of my life long prayers was to have a REAL family. For those of you who know me, you know my sad family story. I now am part of a family who loves, is excited for me, who cares for me and is there for me and no judging!!!

I am so very blessed to be with them, thank you J, L, R and C:) You are my dream come true. I thank god every day for you. I love you guys!!!

I would be remiss not to mention my other friends.....I have so many to be thankful for. M, you were there for me when no one else was. A, R, H, K, you have been my support, my backbone and watched out for me for a while now.

I don't have time to list all of my TRUE friends, but know that I love you and appreciate you so very much!! I could not be where I am today if it were not for you.

I am very thankful and feel very blessed....

As promised

Good morning all:)

As promised, I am writing my thoughts from yesterday. I have a few different directions I could go in, but will focus my thoughts on my journey with relationships this morning:)

I don't think I am in alone in trying to figure guys out. Please tell me that it is true!

I have been in a few relationships and have experienced the good side: the love, fun, not being alone, having a friend and setting your status to "in a relationship" or having a ring on your left hand.

The bad side: breaking up, which brings a million questions to mind, like what happened, what went wrong, am I a bad person, being alone, having to announce to the world or just a person that you are "alone" or "not in a relationship", or having a empty left hand. Learning to do things again by yourself. Of course, it is at this time, that you notice ALL couples, they seem to come out of the woodwork when you are "alone".

I wanted to explore the a few angles on this topic.

The first thing I want to talk about is the being alone feeling. Why is it that we feel alone? We have friends, family (for those of you that have that) and God. I think that the alone feeling comes from a few different things. We all want to feel loved, we want the world to know that someone loves us. When you aren't in a relationship, the alone feeling creeps in and plants seeds of negative thoughts, doubt about love, doubt about the male species!

Having recently experienced the hurt, the pain and let down and the scars it leaves, I know the feelings all to well. However, in the last few weeks I have begun to feel differently. I realize I don't need to be in a relationship to be happy. I don't need a guy to validate who I am. I am okay by being myself. I am okay to have the whole bed to myself! It has taken me a LONG time to come this understanding.

Right now, some of my life long dreams are coming true. I have prayed all my life for "this" to happen and if I was in a relationship, I could not commit myself wholeheartedly to what I am doing. Some very tough times got me to the place where I am today. The tough things I have had to go through have actually made meet the people I have met. The connections I need to make my dreams come true. And the time to devote to making it a reality!

When I first thought of this, I was kind of in shock. When I was walking through the valley of death, I could never imagine anything good coming out of it. It is only through time & healing that I see God's hand on my life and I am in awe. I am now a true believer in seeing that ALL things work together for the good, for the Glory of God. The things that I have to endure will actually help the world, what more could I ask for?

Do I want to be with someone? Absolutely! Do I want to care for someone, love, cherish, respect, be best friends, be there in times of need, do fun things with, hold hands, share my life with, have a family? Of course, it is my life long prayer.

However, I believe I am now in the waiting stages of finding that guy. I pray daily for whoever "he" might be. And when "he" enters my life, it will happen & just fall into place. I am learning that I am not in control, God is and I have to be patient and wait on Him.

One of my dear friends, wrote me a quick message yesterday: "Hey Sarah, You're pretty terrific, and one of these days a great guy is going to recognize that, and he won't let you goooo". It was a great reminder to me that I don't have to rush into a relationship. I am comfortable in my own skin. Whoever ends up being my life partner will be a very lucky guy! I say that not to be proud, but say it with confidence because the things that I have had to go through made me the person I am today and when "he" is in my life, he won't want to leave.

"He" will be the one I treat with the up most respect and love. I can't wait to love him. I can't wait to show the world that I love him. I can't wait to have a family after God's own heart. I can't wait for a lot of things.

But right now, I can wait. I am in the process of becoming an even better girl, future wife/mother, a women after God's own heart.

I know that my life is in God's hand and out out my control. It is a lesson I am learning.

I hope you enjoyed reading this. Any feedback or thoughts are always welcome! :)

new post coming

I have so many thoughts to write, but really must get some sleep tonight, so I will write in the morning:)

for me to remember

I read this verse this morning & it reminded me to LEAN on God and not my own. It is a lesson in progress!

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."

Have a great day! :)

Thoughts

It is WAY past my bedtime and I have to get up in a few hours, but wanted to get in a quick blog. It's been on my heart for a long time.....

I have had the chance to do a lot of thinking and if you know me at, you know that I am a pretty deep thinker:)

I have been around Christians all of my life. I have seen the good, the bad, the ugly, the cult, the judgemental attitude, the "I am better then you", the "I am going to heaven & you are going to hell", the ones who lead one life style @ church, another in real life and those who have been so turned off by Christians that they abandon their faith all together. Why is this?

Why can't we as Christians come together as ONE and not fight against each other? Why do we think we are God who has put us here on earth to judge another soul? God came to save us from our sin. If we were perfect, there would be no need for God. Sin will happen, it is just human nature. That is why we have God, that is why He came and died for us. I find it fascinating that those of us that call ourselves Christians are usually the first to criticize, to leave the one in need "stranded", the first to judge, the last to love unconditionally, the last to accept the person for who they are, for how God sees them. Matthew 22:34-38 hits the nail on the head.

"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?". Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.''

We are ALL here on earth to serve and help others, not for the world to serve us. We are not here on the earth to judge, all though it may be easy to. We are not to tell who gets into heaven or not- that is God's job. I am very thankful that I am not God!

More to my thoughts about this, but I have been up going on 21 hours and need at least some sleep:)

My marathon recap

Today, I ran the Richmond Marathon.....and here is my long recap-enjoy!

For those of you that know me, know that I am a runner, have been battling injuries on & off for over two years now. I have some awesome races, PR's and won age groups. Those of you know me really, really well, know that the last 5 months have been a test of my faith, my life, my health, my well-being, my strength in God and the courage to go on.

So, this year I helped co-coach the Montgomery Country Road Runners Club FTM program (First Time Marathon). I loved coaching and helping the pace group I was with. July 27, 2008 I ran a very HILLY half marathon in 1:43! I pretty excited and happy about that time:)

The very next week, life turned a corner for me and running & coaching took a back seat. Enough said!

I ran a half marathon September 14, 2008 and finished, but it was tough for a few reasons.

The next month & half was spent getting a business off the ground, some personal healing and workouts. I was still scheduled to run the Marine Corps Marathon the end of October, but I was having EXTREME IT band problems. I went to m sports doctor and was told that I could need surgery and to defer MCM till 2009. I was bummed, but knew that it was the right choice.

So the last few weeks I have been thinking about running a marathon. Philly filled up, so that was out, but Richmond had a openings. I signed up for it a week ago! Got a hotel room and spent the last 6 days working hard and not even thinking about the race! Whatever was going to happen, would. I was secretly hoping to run a 3:40-a Boston qualifier.

Friday morning, I packed and my iPod went out of commission! Perfect timing! I had a 10am meeting downtown, then came back and picked up my really good friend, Eddie and we left Gaithersburg around 1:15pm. We had to make a supposedly quick stop at the dealership for my car and that took 2 1/2 hours! It was their mistake to begin with and we were both frustrated to say the least. We left Chantilly, VA a@ 3:50pm. For those of you who know 95, know that it is a horrible road. Traffic sits there, no joke. So, we took the "back" way as long as we could. When we got to 95S, traffic was still bad. When you put together Friday+rain+5pm time=SITTING!!! It was a little madding to say the least! It took about 4 hours when it should have taken 2!

We finally made to the expo and I picked up my packet. Then on to the hotel. As we were checking in, we were informed that the forecast was high winds and heavy rain!! What a treat:) LOL!! We were both exhausted, so we ordered room service and I crashed into bed around 9:30pm.

I got up at 5am. After my breakfast, we left for the race. The weather was actually kind of muggy, humid & around 60 degrees. I got into my coral and the race started @ 8am! I was off running and it felt great to run. I had Eddie's iPod to use (thanks babe:)) so that was great. (BTW, I am sure I am going to make my anti iPod running friends upset, sorry in advance:)).

I felt pretty good and was on track for a 3:40 finish when the unexpected happened. My legs, feet and quads CRAMPED!!! I have never had this issue before so I was kind of taken by surprise to say the least. I was forced to walk. I can not describe the pain and the feelings that were going through my body. It was very strange to say the least. My foot cramped so bad, it actually picked up off the ground! It was weird and hurt like hell!!! I continued my walk/jog/running as much as I could, but when I realised that I was not going to make my goal, I tried to settle into my "pace", listen to the music, pray and take in the route.

At mile 17 I finally saw Eddie and it was so great to see a friend! I was off my time goal and he knew that something was wrong. I told him what had happened and he encouraged me on....thanks again dear:) I gave him my hat (it was no longer cold, it was sunny, humid and warm!!!)

Soon after that, I fell right into a trash can and I laughed! It was kind of funny. When you cramp, you have NO control what happens to you!!! I took a salt tablet and had a few bananas, but to no avail:(

So, I continued on, listening to music-some very good words on some of the songs. I also kept quoting a few verses:

"Psalm 23:4, As I walk through the Valley of Death I will fear no evil, for thou are with me. Thy rod and staff comfort me."

Isaiah 41:10"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Quiting was never an option. As the miles got higher, the pain was also increasing. My time goal was WAY out of even trying to make. I trudged on and pulled deep inside me and found the courage & strength to endure.

I saw Eddie again at mile 23 and it was so good to see him! I gave him my jacket (had that already off around mile 2, but it had my iPod in it, so had it wrapped around my waist. He hobbled with me for a few minutes and then I said I would see him at the finish.

I rounded the corner and a older guy came up and blocked the wind for me-it was VERY windy! I tucked in behind him and another lady joined us. I tried to run, but just could not stay at that pace for very long! So, I stopped and walked and walked, then jogged, then ran, then walked....I think you get the idea:)

Mile 24 was just ahead. I kept telling myself to stay strong, you can do this, you haven't trained so be easy on your self, etc. Yea, right, I like to set high goals and achieve them. Today I learned that I can have goals, they just may need to modified.

The last 2 miles were tough. I finally saw the finish line and picked up my hobble. I am sure I looked hilarious!

I finally crossed the line at 5 hours, 2 minutes. My worst time for a marathon (Marine Corps 05 was 4:07, Chicago 06 was 3:50), but I had not run in weeks, yadda, yadda and I finished. I was SO happy to get that medal placed around my neck. It means so much to me, probably even more then all of my other medals I have.

This medal was the symbol of so many different things to me-the pride of finishing, having been through "hell" the last couple of months (well, really my whole life to be honest) the joy that I did not train, but had the courage to start, the will to stay focused and the strength to finish, no matter my time. I don't care that I did not qualify for Boston, there will be plenty of more marathons to run and time for me to train properly.

After passing through the food tent, Eddie and I walked about another mile+ to our car. It was good to keep moving, but it was a very slow move!! LOL. Made it back to the hotel where I quickly got a shower and we checked out. I crashed in the truck while he drove. So very thankful for his support and being with me. You rock! :)

I took a ice bath for my lower legs and it helped some...going down/up stairs is still an issue, but that is normal.

I feel great waist up except for a bruised back which I have no idea how that happened!

The race course was challenging, some hills, the wind factor and the crowd support was pretty good. The wet wash cloths and food along the way were great....would I run this course again, YES!!!

So, that is my story! I have now done 3 marathons:) YEA!!!

And I am off to sleep....hope you enjoyed the saga:)

Drop me a line if you have any questions or leave a comment!

Thank you to all of you who prayed for me today and who have been there for me over the past few months. I could not be where I am today if it were not for you. I am truly grateful to all of you and you should know if you are one of them:)

Peace!

This past week

This past week has been a very exciting and crazy week. I will try to recap a few things for your reading pleasure:)

First, Sunday morning at church, Pastor Dale mentioned that he had a vision at the previous night's service of someone with a scared heart. He said the scar could be very deep, bleeding a lot, or not healing. I was in shock. For those of you that know me, I have gone through some VERY tough times and his vision could not have been more dead on. I was glad I went to church! The message that morning was about overcoming life challenges. We are to manage life expectations. This can be hard for me, I have a plan on what I think should happen. But I have to realize that God has the best plan then I could ever dream of. We should expect the following: life to be challenging, painful, daily & mundane, problems to arise, Spiritual battles & attacks, people to be human, God to be available and Heaven glorious & perfect.

One comment that he mentioned is that even though you may be having tough times it does NOT mean that God is displeased with you.

We are to see challenges as opportunities for God to display His grace & power. Several great Bible verses for this thought (1John 5:4, Rev 3:12).

Life challenges will:
devour us
destroy us
develop us.

We need to draw on the right resources and trust in God's grace.

It was a great message and my blog is not doing it justice, but it gave me hope and encouragement and I hope it does the same for you!

Peace~

helping a stranger

I have not posted in a while....but wanted to share this with you. It made me stop and think about the little things in life. And also reminded me of my daily goal, to be a blessing to someone, whether I know it or not!

So I am driving to my next client & its raining and I see a bike & an older man on the side of the road...I pull over and ask if he needs help....he has a flat. So I offer to take him home. We load the bike in my truck and I "met" Dr. Gunther! We had a great chat as we drove to his home....his wife was so happy!
This is what life is all about...it made my day that I could help someone! Thank you Lord for putting me in the right place at the right time! I am so happy that You had me drive by at the right time...yea!!!

You never know the places God will put you. It shows me to trust in Him and go with the flow so that I may be a blessing to others.

~peace always~

to remember

Had a very rough day and this verse came to mind:

After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.” Genesis 15:1

Living life

I am trying to trust in God that he has a plan for me. Trusting Him to help me make the right choices in life. Sometimes I get so busy planning "life" that I forget about just living life! Help me to remember to go with the flow....

$1.00 makeup!

I posted this on Facebook, but thought I would share it again:)

http://www.eyeslipsface.com/shop.asp

Nordstrom is changing the logo
on their makeup, so they're selling everything for $1!!!

The make-up line e.l.f. (eyes-lips-face) has been bought out by
Nordstrom and will be re-packaged with the Nordstrom name on it. They
are getting rid of the entire make up in ELF packaging. They are
selling everything for $1. You do have to pay shipping. They have
everything - powder, mascara, lipstick, a mineral line (100% natural),
brushes & cases, nail polish, lotions, you name it - it's there.

My day!

This morning was another "cold" morning. Of course, "cold" being a relative word. I am sure some people think it is warm when it is 30 out!

I left my home at 8 am and arrived @ my first client (and good friend). After helping to get 2 year old Sarah off to school, I gave the 6 month old twin boys baths. Then I bundled them up, loaded them in the double stroller and we were off for a nice long 2 hour walk. I did not have my gloves and I nearly froze my hands off!

The twins had a great time sleeping while I pushed them, talk about a good workout! Along the way, I stopped to do my daily pushup's, dip's and ab work.

When I got back to their house, my hands were so numb that I could not unbuckle their straps. Thank goodness, "mom" came home just then w/ Sarah and she helped me get the boys out. They were hungry, so we tried solid food first, then after they had enough of that, the standby bottles were ready:)

At my next family, I picked up Kyle while his brother Blake had Spanish. Kyle & I worked on homework and then he left for soccer. I took Blake for a play date with Ian. Then 2 other kids, Sam & Chloe got dropped off. Once Blake & Kyle's mom got home, I left with Sam & Chloe.

This is where the exciting part of my day began! As we were walking toward the door, I asked if Sam had a key....um, no he did not. The front door was locked (sometimes it is left open). So, my creative brain jumped into gear. We went to the back of the house to the garage. Still not open. So then, I saw the alley way. I tried to climb the wall, but 9 feet was a little out of my reach. So, I called for Sam and I lifted him up the wall (good thing I lift weights!) and he went over without any trouble. Thank god! The back door was open and we all made it inside. We were laughing so hard. It was so hilarious, 3 people in the dark trying to climb a wall, if any body walked by then would have thought we were breaking in. And I guess technically we were!

They went to bed and I rested 'till the parents got home. Then I finally dragged my butt home and started to blog, but by 12:30am, my brain had enough and I fell asleep:)

I am still laughing at last night!! I love memories like that:)

Sleep

Oh, why does sleep elude me? I need sleep!!! It has been a crazy day and another one coming up.
Lord, please let me know you are there and give me sweet dreams.

Good quote

Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle" (Plato)

from a friend

I received these kind words from Doug Keen. THANK YOU!!! I really appreciate it:)

“Sarah Stanley is one of the more responsible people that I know. When she sees a task at hand, she’ll give it her best effort in a very determined fashion in order to see it to completion. She is much more the giver than the taker in those situations, preferring to get the job done almost regardless of the amount of personal effort it may take. I’ve seen this approach to things in the full spectrum of her life from professional to personal. There are few exceptions, from my view. The icing on the cake is that all the while she’s going about her business, she remains upbeat, friendly and understanding of those around her. One can’t ask for more dedication with the bonus of a creative, positive attitude, than that. Like most successful people, Sarah does what she assesses needs to be done, even if it’s single-handedly. I would definitely count on her no matter how important the job or fatiguing it may be to complete. To recommend her is indeed a pleasure.” October 28, 2008

Doug Kean , photographer | voiceover artist , Shotz Photos, LLC
was a consultant or contractor to Sarah at Sarah Stanley

Live your life

I recently heard this song and fell in love with it. While I don't agree with some of the lyrics, I think the basic message is clear.

A great reminder for me every moment, every day.
Live in the present!
Live MY life, not someone's else.


What you need to do is be thankful for the life that you got.
You know what I'm sayin'.
Stop lookin' at what you ain't got
and start bein' thankful for what you do got.
Let's give it to 'em baby girl.

You're gonna be a shining star
With fancy clothes and fancy ca-ars
And then you'll see, you're gonna go far
'Cause everyone knows who you a-are

So live your life
Instead of chasing that paper
Just live your life
Ain't got no time for no haters

Just live your life
No telling where it'll take ya
Just live your life
'Cause I'm a paper chaser

Just living my life
Just living my life

Never mind what haters say, ignore 'em 'til they fade away
Amazing they ungrateful after all the game I gave away
Safe to say I paved the way for you cats to get paid today
You'd still be wasting days away, now had I never saved the day

Consider them my protégé, homage I think they should pay
Instead of being gracious they violate in a major way
I never been a hater still I love them in a crazy way
Some say they sold yay and no they couldn't get work on Labor day

It ain't that they black or white, it has an area the shade of grey
I'm west side anyway, even if I left today and stayed away
Some move away to make a way, not move away 'cause they afraid
I brought back to the hood and all you ever did was take away

I pray for patience but they make me want to melt their face away
Like I once made them spray, now I could make 'em put the K's away
Been thugging all my life, can't say I don't deserve to take a break
You would rather see me catch a case and watch my future fade away

You're gonna be a shining star
With fancy clothes and fancy ca-ars
And then you'll see, you're gonna go far
'Cause everyone knows who you a-are


I'm the opposite of moderate
Immaculately polished with the spirit of a hustler and the swagger of a college kid
Allergic to the counterfeit, impartial to the politics
Articulate but still I'll grab a nigga by the collar quick

Whoever having problems with their record sales just holla T.I.P.
If that don't work and all else fails then turn around and follow T.I.P.
I got love for the game but ay I'm not in love with all of it
Could do without the fame and rappers nowadays are comedy

The hooting and the hollering, back and forth with the arguing
Where you from, who you know, what you make and what kind of car you in
Seems as though you lost sight of what's important when depositing
Them checks into your bank account and you up out of poverty

Your values is in disarray, prioritizing horribly
Unhappy with the riches 'cause you piss poor morally
Ignoring all prior advice and fore warning
And we mighty full of ourselves all of a sudden, aren't we?

You're gonna be a shining star
With fancy clothes and fancy ca-ars
And then you'll see, you're gonna go far
'Cause everyone knows who you a-are

So live your life
Instead of chasing that paper
Just live your life
Ain't got no time for no haters

Just live your life
No telling where it'll take ya
Just live your life
'Cause I'm a paper chaser


Got everybody watching what I do
Come walk in my shoes
And see the way I'm living if you really want to
Got my mind on my money and I'm not going nowhere

So keep on getting your paper and keep on climbing
Look in the mirror and keep on shining
'Till the game ends, 'till the clock stops
We gon' post up on the top spot

Living the life, the life
In a brand new city got my whole team with me
The life, my life
I do what I wanna do

I'm living my life, my life
I will never lose,
I'm living my life, my life
And I'm not stopping

So live your life!

A new day

I hope today is a better day then yesterday.
Help me to relax and breathe!
Help me to not be overwhelmed.
I know that the time you have given me here on earth, it is Yours. Help me to be a blessing to the people I come in contact with

And I am thanking God for friends. They are wonderful.

~peace~

What a day

So, here it is almost midnight and I am beat. Today has been an extremely long day!

To start with, I am still sick and taking more drugs. So my system is in overload. I get to my first client and I was shaking so badly that I thought I should go to the ER right away. I called my best friend, Lori and she told me to sit down. Oh, and I was also feeling very nauseous. Not a good combo when you have a baby in your arms! After sitting down for a few minutes, I forced myself to feel better.

My clients were great today. First the 6 month old twins had their checkup and also shots. Poor things.

Then in the afternoon with my second family I made Play Doh with Blake(age 6). He loved it! It is really easy to make. Next week we are going to make edible Play Doh. That should be fun:)

My third client of the day was this evening. After dinner, baths, reading bed time stories to the kids & putting them down, I was able to watch the Biggest Loser. The parents had a dinner to attend so it was nice and quiet.

Watching the Biggest Loser was actually kind of bittersweet for me. Phil got eliminated. It was also his 20 year wedding anniversary. He surprised his wife with a ring and a vow renewal ceremony. They said how much they loved each other, how they were best friends. How my heart longed to have that soul mate. Why is finding love so hard? I have been pondering this question for quite some time now. I so want to love my best friend, share life with, do things together, be there for each other, help others, have a family and show the world that we love each other! I am trying so hard to trust that His timing is perfect, but I am getting restless. I need to be patient and wait for the "one". The "one" who I can love, who loves me back, who we share everything with, the one that we can grow together, the one that I can show how much I appreciate him, the one who is ready . Lord, please give me a patient heart. May this waiting period in my life be used to grow closer to you. Help me to trust that you have a plan for my life.

Love, it has been a life long question. One I am sure I write more about. For now, I am me and me alone. Alone to focus on being the best person I can be. To help others in need. For now, time to go to bed....sweet dreams.

~peace~

I can only imagine

A song that is giving me hope!

I can only imagine
What it will be like
When I walk
By Your side
I can only imagine
What my eyes will see
When Your face
Is before me
I can only imagine

Surrounded by Your glory, what will my heart feel
Will I dance for You Jesus or in awe of You be still?
Will I stand in Your presence, to my knees will I fall?
Will I sing hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all?
I can only imagine

When that day comes
When I find myself
Standing in the Son
I can only imagine
When all I will do
Is forever
Forever worship You
I can only imagine


When all I will do
Is forever
Forever worship you
I can only imagine...

Copyright MercyMe

Sick

Being sick really bites! However during my current illness, I am doing what I should, rest. Take it easy...breathe.....slow down....heal. I hope it works!

~peace

Life and trust

What will today bring? I sometimes wish that I would know what to expect so I can be prepared for it. Will I be disappointed? Will I be pleasantly surprised?

I wish I could see the the board game of life, moving along the board and reaching the desired spot "home". But I am not, so Lord, help me to be patient and trust in what you have planned for me. Remind me to "live my life" and go with the flow.

~peace~

Fall and life

As I was taking a walk today, I noticed that it was Fall.....yes I finally realized that:) The leaves on the trees were rich, beautiful colors of orange, red, yellow and brown. As I was walking I was thinking that our lives are a lot like seasons, a lot like tress....not a new thought I know.

Having recently come through some very tough times, I pictured myself as "Winter". My "Winter" was a long a season for me. Everything that I planned for came crashing down. My hopes, my dreams, my wishes, my smile, my spirit, my outlook, my love, my determination, my life, my energy, it was gone. Winter overwhelmed me. Winter took over my body.

Today I can look back on that very long season and see how God worked to take me from the bottom of "Winter" and bring me back to live life. Today I pictured myself as a fall leaf, full of vibrant color. As I watched the leaves fall down around me, I picked one up. As I held the leaf in my hand it reminded me that even though I fall, someone will be there to pick me up. It may be a very painful and long journey, but there is always a season ahead that will make you look back at your life path and see how where you came from. Where I am headed to, I do not know, but I pray & hope that the happy times are ahead. And the Winter season will be less frequent.

I reflected on my winter season and wondered why. I don't know the answer to that, but I hope that I went through the valley of winter to help others. To reach others who are in the "Winter" season. To touch a soul. To trust God. To be at peace. To be a blessing. To share a smile.

When we are in the lowest of our time, God is there to encourage us. He also puts dear friends in our lives to slowly put our leaves back on our tree. He brings us joy. He brings us peace.

Although my tree is not full of leaves yet, I am looking forward to the day when it is. For now, I am happy that my time in the winter "cave" is almost done. Live my life, no mater what season it is....there is a better season ahead. Promise.

Peace
SES

Marathon thoughts

This morning was the morning. At this time right now I was to be running my 3rd marathon, the Marine Corps Marathon. Well, those plans had to be deferred. I have been suffering with a few injury's and could not heal in time to race.

Having been a volunteer coach for the First Time Marathon program, not being able to run with my group is a letdown. I should be there with them. I need to help encourage them. Wait, is this about me or them?

I am learning to "let it go". Once I made my decision to defer to 2009 I have had such peace. Peace that I am learning my lesson to not run injured. Do I want to run for the day or for the rest of my life? I knew the logical answer and made the choice that would let me heal quickly. I am content and know that there is a "bigger picture"for my marathon running life.

Oh, but wait, I want to run a marathon before 2008 ends....

Good luck to all my friends running this morning, I am there in spirit!

Today, Saturday, Oct 25, 2008

Today was a good day for me! Thank you God!

Even though it was dreary and damp outside, my heart & mind were full of love and thankfulness. I was able to take a yoga class. The class was a time for me to unwind and think about nothing-or try to think about nothing!

Today was also clean sheet day-yeah:) I love clean sheet day!

Then this afternoon, Carli and I went Halloween shopping. We had fun getting small treats and laughing at all the drivers on wet/slick roads. Yes, the cars I talked to got out of my way:) LOL
We went to one of her favorite stores-Sephora-and try on makeup. We had a blast! I had been looking for the past few weeks for a game called "Blokus" and I finally found it today at Target! So, tonight, Carli, Rachel and I played it. I love family game times.

Tonight, I baked some treats and decorated boxes for Halloween, while watching the Penn State game vs Ohio. PSU won and I am so happy about that!

And oh, yes checking Facebook to make sure I know what is going on in the FB world!

Listening to the news now and thanking God for giving me one more day on the earth. This week a teenager was killed, another one of friends had a still born and another friend lost twins. I pray that God may give them the strength and courage to face each moment ahead.

~ Peace & blessings

The things we do

I have been thinking a lot about the things we do. Do we do "things" so we get attention? Or do we do things so others may have a better moment, a better day, a better year. I pray that the things I do for other people may bless & touch them in a whole new way.

You never know when you do a "thing" for someone how it may impact their life. One of the reason's we are on this earth is touch lives.....so the next time I don't feel like doing a "thing" let me remember that God has put me at that place in time to impact someone.

I think all too often we think that "things" have to big. But in fact, I think the little "things" is what makes the most difference. A smile, a note, an email, a kind word, a hug are all simple ways that we can let someone know we care about them.

The things I do=touch a life.

Bikram Yoga

Having recently been encouraged by a friend to do something for me, I have been trying to put it into practice. Since I have been sick, I knew that I could not do too much exercise, but I thought of the perfect activity that would accomplish two things, time for me & to sweat the germs out! Bikram Yoga. For those of you who don't know what BY is, it is HOT yoga, and by hot, I don't mean hot girls/guys, I mean the room where the tempiture is about 105:)

It was the perfect day for the class! Raining and dreary outside, but inside we were toasty warm:)

One of my goals in life is to stop thinking so much, just be in the moment and to breathe. Yoga-hot or normal-is the perfect setting for me to practice this. Do I succeed every time? No, I do not. I find my mind drifting off and then I run to catch up with it. Breathe, Sarah breathe! However, today I found that my practice was indeed about being in the moment and learning to keep my mind focused on the pose despite the drops of sweat around me:)

Peace!

Life

Life has it's twists and turns. As soon as one battle is won, another enters the scene. It is through these life battles that our story is written. At times when we are in the midst of our life story, we don't often see the outcome.

I should replace the "we" with "I". Having recently come through some tough times, it was hard to see the other side. Although I and we will always have battles, it is through these times that we become stronger people. Our story may help one person. Our story may help a village. Our story may help a nation. No mater who it helps, we know that it has made us the person we are.

Oct 20

My best friend Lori, gave me a birthday card with this quote. I read it every day!

Trust in yourself.
Dare to be bold.
Cheer yourself on.
Make yourself proud.
Be any age you want.
Dance to your blessings.
Dream on purpose.
Laugh a lot out loud.
Yesterday's gone.
Tomorrow's not here yet.
The present is now.
Dare to be you!

It's done

Well, after much debate and thoughts, I have deferred my marathon 'till 2009. I feel at peace with the choice and look forward to getting healed!

Choices

We all have choices, some may seem big to us while to another they may seem small.

For me, I have choices. Do I run a marathon or wait and get healthy? That is the question!

Happy October

The start of a new month and every time the 1st rolls around I think what will this month bring? Regardless of the events that happen I pray that I will remain strong.

I still trying to figure the blog out and look forward to updating my stories about my life on a regular basis-stay tuned! :)

First time to blog!

As this is my first time to blog, I just wanted to get a blog posted!

As my title stated, I really hope that my life story will help at least one person, if it helps many, then that is a bonus!

For today's post, I will start simple: I went out of my comfort zone and went to the golf range by myself! Lesson learned: don't fear the green or others!