praise God

Moving Home

Anyone else have a favorite donut place? As a former non donut lover, someone in the office where I worked introduced me to Rebel Donuts—Albuquerque’s finest. That’s all it took for me to be hooked. They’re not only tasty, but they’re also a work of art—so pretty I took pictures of my last three (from three separate visits). But it’s time to move home and find a new donut place.

With the waiting almost over, our pending move to Tennessee brings mixed feelings of joy and sadness. After twelve years of living in New Mexico, I’ll miss several people, places, and things including Rebel Donuts.

Friends, former coworkers, people I’ve served with at church, my fellow Bible study gals, and a young woman with whom I share a special bond are hard to leave.

One of my friends became a mentor and encourager for my writing. She asked me several years ago to write blog posts for our church, which led me to attend my first writer’s conference and write my first Christian romance series.

Besides people, I’ll miss Dion’s, Jimmy’s Café, and Monroe’s—my preferred places for pizza, fajita chicken sandwiches, and stuffed sopapillas topped with green chili. And my favorite places to visit in New Mexico—hiking the bosque along the Rio Grande, Tent Rocks, and Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge.

A major thing I’ll miss is the sunshine—on average it brightens the sky 280 days a year. Another weather-related blessing in New Mexico is the low humidity. Makes the hot summers more bearable to endure. I hope to never forget the Sandia Mountains, colorful sunrises and sunsets, my view of the city lights from my home at night, and the star-studded sky.

Although my husband and I will gain rainy days, cloudy skies, and lots of humidity, sunshine will come as an abundance of hugs and love from our children and grandchildren. We also hope to rekindle friendships with those we said goodbye to when we moved away several years ago. We’ll replace the hikes along the Rio Grande with several state and local parks in Middle Tennessee and find pizza galore. I’ve already found a restaurant there where I can order sopapillas and green chili—a staple here in New Mexico. And on two of our visits back home, our son took us to a fancy donut shop nearby, and I’m sure we’ll make it there again.

There are people, places, and things to say goodbye to in New Mexico, but dear ones as well to say hello to in Tennessee. I’m praising God that we’re moving home.

But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who long for your saving help always say, “The LORD is great!”
Psalm 40:16, NIV

Personal Blessings

The Lord poured out a big blessing upon me. Another book released, and for that I’m thankful, but there’s much more!

Twelve years ago, we left Nashville, our two married children, and our grandson. We moved 1200 miles away to Albuquerque, New Mexico, with our youngest daughter. For the past five years we could have moved back to Tennessee, but we didn’t want to pull her away from her high school. After graduation, she had no intention of moving back and leaving her friends, but she said we could leave her. We didn’t feel the time was right to do that.

My daughter asked me why we didn’t move back and let her stay. The primary reason to move was to be together again as a family. If she weren’t with us, that wouldn’t happen.

I’ve prayed over these past several years and asked the Lord to put the desire in her heart to go with us. Living so far away from our two other children and three grandchildren breaks my heart.

Two weeks ago, my prayers were answered. My daughter said she was ready to move back. Praise God! He worked a miracle in her. I’ve prayed and waited for this day for five years. Time for a happy dance.

I love New Mexico, and I’ll miss the view of the Sandia Mountains, the low humidity, and amazing deep blue skies. I’ll experience a personal loss when I leave my friends, Bible study ladies, writer’s critique group, and my chiropractor (God blessed him with healing hands). And there’s almost nothing more beautiful than the pink-orange sunrises and sunsets.

But my heart is in Tennessee. I’ll be home when my ten-year-old granddaughter visits and we make cookies together, my six-year-old grandson crawls into my lap for a story, or my almost adult grandson laughs at hubby’s silliness. Those happy encounters will beat a sunrise or sunset.

God has blessed me above and beyond all that I’ve asked or thought, and I am so grateful.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Ephesians 3:20-21, NIV

What blessing are you praising God for today?


Photo by Jp Valery - Unsplash