His Eye Is On The Sparrow

My heart is hurting for a lot of my friends tonight who are going through trials right now. My Bible study today was on being courageous through these times of trouble and heartache. Our human nature kicks in and we get caught up in the moment sometimes and allow fear to plague our lives. But God is faithful and He will never leave us nor forsake us; He will be with us "unto the end of the earth"! We have nothing to fear. He will walk by our side or carry us, whichever we need.
When I start to fear that things won't work out, or fear the trial that I'm going through, I always recall a beautiful song that my dad loved dearly. He told me one time "Amy, I know it's hard right now but if God promises to watch over the sparrow, then I know He's going to watch over you through this." And he was so right. So for all my friends who need some encouragement, who feel that there is no end in sight, click the link below and watch this video. I'm praying for each of you and I love each of your dearly.

His Eye Is On The Sparrow
 

VROOM! VROOM!

Yesterday, thanks to my awesome neighbors, I was able to mark something off my bucket list!! I went on my very first motorcycle ride! We rode from our house to Lake Catherine State Park, went hiking there, then rode back. It was a great experience!! I've sat on the back of one before, but never went further than the road we lived on. I was so surprised at how much I enjoyed it! And I added another thing on my bucket list...to own a bike!

I'm not going to lie, I was so scared when we first took off. I had a death grip on his shoulder for most of the way and by the time I got off the bike, my knuckles were red and my hand was shaking! I didn't move the entire time I was on the motorcycle. As soon as we got on the freeway, I started praying and I didn't stop until we exited! BUT...that was the best time i spent talking to God!! I loved being in the open and just praising Him for everything! Of course, that was after I begged Him to to spare my life and not let me fall off! HA! 
The thing that got me was that while on the bike, I saw more than I usually do when I'm in the car. I felt more aware of everything around me. The wind felt so good on my face and I noticed more of the trees and scenery and just how beautiful God's creation is. By not being in the car, I was able to experience the ride better. It reminded me of how we as Christians are with God sometimes. We get in our "car" and are content with our blinders on and don't want to step out and see everything. We allow fear or anxiety to keep us from actually experiencing things that God has put before us. Once we get on to the "bike", where there is nothing but us and Him, WOW! We see things from a different perspective and actually enjoy this life trip that God has laid out for us.

Don't get stuck just driving around in the "car". Let God take control, get on the "bike", (it's ok if at first you have a death grip on His shoulder. I'm sure He won't mind) and see things in life the way God intended them to be seen.

Snow!

So, yeah...it snowed!! I love the snow! Seeing it snow makes me get all giddy inside and feel like a kid again! I spent most of my childhood in West Virginia so, each of the seasons played out like they were supposed to there. It was warm in the summer, cool in the fall and spring and cold in the winter just like it's supposed to be. I didn't know what humidity was until I moved to Arkansas. I was pretty sure that we were close to the gates of hell the first time I spent a summer here! Of course, you can just imagine my disappointment when November and December rolled around and there was NO snow!! Needless to say, I've continued to have a little bit of hope each year since I've moved here.

It does crack me up to see everyone here scramble around and go bonkers when the weathermen say it's going to snow. There is this insane mob at the grocery store and every egg carton, milk carton and bread bag is pretty much wiped out! I've always said that there must be a lot of people going to be living on french toast while they are snowed in. Why DOES everyone go for those three items every time there is a snow threat??? Why not chips and cokes and cookies?? Oh well, to each his own I guess!

Every once in a while, I get my wish of seeing snow and this weekend was another one of those times! My son and I and the neighbors all got out yesterday and went sledding and 4wheel riding. We had a lot of fun. It reminded me of when mom would get me all decked out in my lavender colored snow suit and I'd spend all day playing in the snow! It was a scene straight out the Christmas Story-we'd get 2 layers of clothes on, snow suit, scarf, gloves, hat and boots and you could barely get out of the front door because you couldn't move your arms or walk straight! But it was sooooo fun! Yesterday was great but it's nothing like back home. I could step off the side walk and would be waist deep in snow! We'd get the sleds or toboggans and slide through the powder or we'd run around until every inch of the yard had footsteps in it! And most definitely, there were snowmen! I mean, you can't NOT make a snowman when there's ready available snow!
Now I make memories with my son in the snow. He's not all about putting on a snow suit so he went sliding down the hill in his jeans...and ended up with a crack full of snow! After some of that and him pulling us around on his 4wheeler, we went inside to warm up. Nothing beats snuggling up with him and watching a movie! That was my favorite part of the day!

Not everyone loves the snow like I do and I offer my sincere condolences to those of you who are not enjoying this but I must admit that this, by far, is my favorite time of the year :)