My First Poem

I recently attended a writing workshop and from that I was inspired with this idea for a poem. I finished it on the plane to Florida to attend my daughter's high school graduation.


Where I'm From

I am from spirit and light
And dust and breath
Sewn with threads of time
To become flesh

I am from heart and soul
And thoughts and dreams
Fed with rivers of emotion
To become life

I am from the past and the future
The beginning and the end
Viewed through the eyes of the soul
To become the present

I am from husband and wife
And daughter and sons
Grown with laughter and tears
To become family

I am from smiles and joy
And sorrows and grief
Woven with virtue and choices
To become memory

I am from notes and keys
And voices and song
Matured with practice and patience
To become music

I am from intimacy and desire,
Needs and insecurities
Sifted with instinct and love
To become woman

I am from sunshine and sand,
Palm trees and blue water
Torn apart by mountains and heartbreak
To become home

I am from knowledge and books
And classes and lectures
Molded with experience and time
To become wisdom

I am from heaven and hell
And from Eden and the cross
Sacrificed with blood and thorns
To become salvation

I am from verses and scripture
And Psalms and the Word
Folded with worship and prayer
To become peace

I am from all that there is
And all that will be
Carried in the hands of God
To become eternity

Congratulations, Joyce!

Today my daughter graduated Summa Cum Laude from high school. I can't believe she is old enough to be graduated from high school and ready to start college. Where does the time go? It seems like just yesterday I was bringing her home from the hospital as an infant.

Joyce will be attending Florida State University and has so much to look forward to in her life... I get excited just thinking about all the things she will encounter in this world.

I've included my favorite Senior Pic of Joyce...

-- Kristin (the proud mama)

Happy Birthday, Dad and Robbie!

Today is both my father's and my nephew's birthdays. Happy birthday to them both!

I don't have pictures of either of them so can't post any at the moment... :(

but I'll try and remedy that so stay tuned...

-- Kristin

Weight Watchers Update #3

My weigh-in was yesterday and I was having a great week up until the day before and then emotional eating took me down a rat hole I couldn't recoil from. My loss for the week was only 0.2 lbs, but considering the binge the night before, any loss was simply a miracle. An entire box of Vanilla Wafers was devoured along with all my hope for a loss.

But, all wasn't lost. I did lose and with the 0.2 lb loss, I'm at a total weight loss of 5.0 lbs. Not bad for three weeks of effort and, according to my WW leader, a nice weekly average loss.

I'm motivated to have a good week this week and armed with plenty of ideas on how to combat emotional eating should the need arise.

Three cheers for weight watchers! :)

Talk soon...
--Kristin

One Year in the House

Today is the one year anniversary of when Gregg and I closed on our home in northern California... we live in the Santa Cruz mountains and I so love the surroundings: majestic Redwoods, sleepy moutain towns and friendly folks abound. We are also a short drive to the Pacific Ocean and Monterey Bay, which adds even more beauty to admire.

I will admit to missing Florida, but I've come to realize it isn't Florida, the place, I miss, but rather, the people. I miss my two older children and my mother especially. Recently when I was feeling particularly down about missing FL, I drove by the little church in my town that has the marquis. Many times this little marquis has offered me insight to a particular circumstance I was thinking about and today was no different.

The marquis had this: "Better to count your blessings than what you're missing"

That hit home as I feel greatly blessed here in California. I have a great home (as the pic above shows) and my husband and I both have good jobs that support our desired life style. I do get to visit FL and also bring my kids to CA to visit. Finally, I feel especially close to God living in the mountains and that is my biggest blessing of all. Truly my relationship with God has flourished in CA and I feel I'm just scratching the surface of how this relationship can grow and add deep fulfillment to my life.

I guess what's best is just as the little marquis states -- count your many blessings -- and indeed I have many!


-- Kristin