greek isle . soleil bella . earrings of love ::

two new items added to my shop!

the first pair of earrings are so beautiful largely because of the bright aqua chalcedony briolettes. they remind me of the water in greece. the clarity. the fresh feel. the crispness. :) thus, they bring me back to my honeymoon. such great memories indeed! the second pair of earrings are amazingly sunny and bright. citrine is one of my favorite stones because of their translucent color and soleil flavor. :) swing by my shop and take a look around!



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i wrote the thoughts shared below for my church's women's ministry :: monthly email tree. the email tree is a wonderful way for women to encourage one another with the things God has been working on in their heart and life. i hope you are encouraged as well. :)

i trained for and ran the san diego marathon in june '04. through that experience, i learned that life is like a marathon. both are in full need of God's presence, discipline, routine, pushing through challenges, breathing consistently, doubt, letting the little things pass, pure joy, utter pain, endurance, faith and even slowing down at times. all of this jumbled about and happening a thousand times over and over again.

my life marathon has been filled with ups and downs. God has been faithful and is daily growing and challenging me to run a stronger race. through the Word, prayer and chats with the hubby and close girl friends, i feel God speaking to me via annual themes.

in '08, i felt that God was telling me to "let go". although i truly have faith that God handles all the big and little details of my life, i realized that i was unable to place at His feet the one thing i hold closest to my heart. this being my desire to live near my sister and BIL (brother in law). their move to california in august '07 brought me way down. in my heart i knew that this was likely a permanent move and i couldn't figure out a way to fix the problem. my heart was often filled with sadness. through praying and chats with my sister, we were both reminded that God IS sovereign. sure, we may not see a solution in sight and we may still be on opposite coasts which make us miss out on the daily happenings of each others lives, but we must remember that God knows all. He has it under control and He hears the deepest desires of our heart. even though '08 has come and gone, i am still learning how to let God have this desire. the constant ache of being far from my family and wishing we all lived next door to each other is still ever present.

"rejoice in the Lord always. i will say it again: rejoice!" philippians 4:4
"i know what it is to be in need, and i know what it is to have plenty. i have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. i can do everything through him who gives me strength." philippians 4:12-13

in '09, God is growing me to rejoice and be content whatever the circumstance. in reading, meditating and praying last week, i heard God reflecting with me on these two things. the word 'rejoice' means to have joy. my heart has not felt joy in a long time. i have been too discontent with different situations (i.e. the "letting go" situation from '08) in my life to see all the blessings and love that God has provided me through family and friends. in my discontentment, i grew extremely selfish. needing and wanting jumped far above loving and giving. i'm glad God has spoken to me regarding this aspect of my life and am excited to see where and how my heart will change. hopefully, it will soon look a lot more like His heart.