10 Things I Learned in April

I enjoy my weekly Friday Randomness post because I can randomly decide to change things up. And today I choose to join Emily Freeman of Chatting at the Sky for her end of the month post where she invites other writers to come along and share what they learned the past month.

Original photo by friend Judd Johnson

1. A trip to San Diego to see my oldest son and his wife was precisely what I needed to refresh my heart as I approached the half-way point of my husband's deployment. I loved meeting their sweet new puppy too. I’m ready for grandchildren but will gladly cuddle up with Storm for now.

2. I enjoy shopping so much more at recycled designer apparel stores. I fell in love with My Sister's Closet while in San Diego. Who doesn't love walking out of a store with a few outfits, a cute purse and a pair of sexy shoes for under fifty dollars? The added bonus was shopping with these two lovely ladies:

My daughter-in-law on the left and writing friend Satin of My Heart, His Words on the right.

3. My son and his wife agreeing to join me for church makes my heart sing with joy. Oodles of joy!

4. My youngest son wins the hearts of his audience with the first strum of his classical guitar. He had his first guitar gig at an adorable Rock House/Coffee House/Wine Bar mid-April and I must say I have a very talented son. A live performance picture can be found here.

5. Winter does eventually come to an end. I survived our horribly long and cold one without a complete meltdown. PRAISE GOD! It’s still colder than I would prefer it to be for this time of the year but we are headed in the right direction. It’s warm enough for evening walks again which has a positive impact on my attitude.

6. I’m addicted to buying books (I shared addiction here) and April is apparently the time of the year for book launches. I really need to find more time to read. If you have not read Jennifer Dukes Lee’s new book Love Idol, head on over to Amazon and buy now. If you have an addiction like me and you are trying to refrain from buying another book, buy this one first. While you are at it, buy Spiritual Misfit by Michelle DeRusha too. The two are meant to be purchased as a pair.

7. God gives you grace just when you need it most. You can read here how He used friends to bless me when missing my husband desperately. We truly were not made to do life alone.

8. Deciding to read and blog my way through the Love Dare book during my husband’s deployment has taken my attention off of my strongholds and instead put my focus on chasing after God’s kind of love. As a result, those strongholds are beginning to lose their grip. My Lenten journey may not have ended as intended but God is good and He will give me victory over this mountain.

“For the Lord your God is going with you! He will fight for you against your enemies, and he will give you victory!” ~ Deuteronomy 20:4

9. Saying yes to attending an (in)RL meet-up was a wise decision. Saying yes to God is always a wise decision. If God calls you to something, He will surely see you through it and bless you for your yes. This is exactly what God did for me. A big heart-felt thank you to my new friend Kay for her heart to host the meet-up at her church.

10. I love exploring options for a blog makeover. However, making a decision on the direction to take is hard. VERY HARD. I've learned to say thank you to my blog designer often so she does not lose patience with me. Creating a Pinterest board to explore options has also proven to be excellent advice received from a writing friend. Oh, you can follow me in Pinterest here if you would like. I’d love to follow you too.

And one more (so I guess that makes it Eleven Things Learned in April) because the month of April is over which means I am one month closer to having this gorgeous husband of mine back home.

Since this is what I normally do on Friday's, below are a few of my favorite blog reads from the past week:

• Shelly of Redemptions Beauty: On Trusting Our Work to God: A Guest Post by Anita Mathias 

• M. Molly Backes @Medium: How to Be a Writer

• Diane Bailey: Worst Typo Ever - Telling Your Story

• Susan Stilwell's Guest Post at Inspire a Fire: What A Pair of Ugg Boots Taught Me About Prayer 

• Tammy Hendricksmyer's Guest Post at The Gift of Writing: How Writing Found My Inner Child

There are always many more posts that moved me. It's so hard to choose just a few. Thank you for sharing your stories, friends. They do matter.

Blessings upon blessings.