the best of the week | itsawonderfilledlife

It also represents halfway to the first day of Spring, which is then halfway to the first day of summer! I do love to look ahead, and anticipate longer daylight, warmer temperatures and slower times.

This week the most viewed post was a reminder that sometimes, to get through the dark day we need to look back, not forward, and see that we can trust the God of today and tomorrow, because He was trustworthy yesterday. To do this can remind us to have A Joy Perspective. May you have that joy perspective this weekend.

Also this week :

Do You Love Me Conditionally
(a new take on the more common concept of unconditional love)

Castle for Sale
(what is cheaper, easier is not always what is best)

Unlearning the Bible
(if you are a follower of Christ, what is your authority?)

Alabaster Jar
(sacrificial gifts that last)

Blessings to you this day,
Carole

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The Best of January 6 – 10

Posted in WONDER, tagged cleaning house, how busy are you, little things, positivity is the key to success, the best of, the best of January 6-10, the best of the week, the look of freedom on January 11, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Well we all survived the first week back

to work,

to school,

to regular routines.

How are you? Busy? That was the most viewed post of the week. I believe that busy is the dirty little four-letter word that doesn’t start with ‘F’ but everyone uses or wears like a badge of armor.

Also this week were :

Little Things
(the little things we do are big things)

Positivity is the Key to Success
(thinking positively can be good for your health)

Cleaning House
(how packing Christmas away helped me to finally celebrate it)

The Look of Freedom
(sometimes the look of freedom comes from escaping, but sometimes …)

Blessings on your week,Carole

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The Best of December 30 – January 3

Posted in WONDER, tagged forward, look closer, New Year, the best of, the best of december 30-January 3, the best of the week, time flies, what do the stats say, word of the year on January 4, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Is it really 2014?

I remember when the calendar turned 2000 … hum, now I sound old!

That is how it is with time … it moves so very quickly … faster with each year … you could almost say that Time Flies. And that was the most viewed post this week, published on the first day of the new year. A post, and a then-and-now picture of my kids that was my eyes-wide-opened reminder of the race of time.

Also this week were :

Look Closer
(those who are older were once our age too)

Word of the Year
(a challenge to choose a word, rather than make a resolution, for the New Year)

Forward
(what direction are you entering 2014 looking?)

What do the Stats Say?
(a little thank-you … to you)

Blessings on your week,
Carole

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The Best of December 23-27

Posted in WONDER, tagged All is Well, carol for christmas, christmas, christmas eve tradition, fish and bread a, the best of december 23-27, the best of the week, what makes ones life wonderful on December 28, 2013| 1 Comment »

Christmas has come, and is now moving out of the way for the New Years!

It was the post Christmas Eve Tradition, this week, which received the most views. May you enjoy a peek into one tradition of our family each Christmas season.

Also this week were :

All is Well
(the song may be all about Christmas, at first glance, but it is really a song that we sing as we inhale and exhale, each and every day of our lives)

What Makes Ones Life Wonderful
(perhaps Clarence was right on)

Carol for Christmas
(truly an old hymn, but such a good one)

Fish and Bread Anyone
(thanks for what we will receive, even though we might not perceive the impossible)

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The Best of December 16 – 20

Posted in WONDER, tagged christmas, the best of december 16-20, the best of the week on December 21, 2013| Leave a Comment »

As this week wears down, as school is closed for the break, as the pressures of the Christmas season start to recede (or mount, as may be the case) my corner of the world was treated to snow.

It fell soft … and slow

reminding me that it is not in the hustle and bustle, not in the partying and celebrations,

that Christmas is found.

This weeks most viewed post was It’s not Fair. This is a post that reminds us that God’s hand has been in the planning of His method of redemption. Saving through His son, delivered by a human woman.

Searching for a Holy Night
(more reminders of the quiet of the season)

Why Mary?
(just a girl … but the girl that God chose)

The Husband of Mary
(Joseph, the man God chose to be Earthly father of the Son of God)

After the Festivities a Still Small Voice
(God’s choice, not the expected one)

And, although you could find this in the post just above, here is a song that reminds me, every time I hear it, of the gentle way God chose to save us.

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The Best of December 9 – 13

Posted in WONDER, tagged christmas, in the mood for christmas, saint nicholas, the best of december 9-13, the best of the week, the first family, the gateway to the soul, turn your eyes on December 14, 2013| 1 Comment »

So, if you are reading this, you have survived Friday the 13th … and if you are aged (like me) you didn’t even realize it until you awoke today!

December 13, 1988 was not a Friday, or a Saturday … it was a Tuesday. On that night, twenty-five years ago, I went on a first date with the man who is now better known as, the hubby. Twenty-five years ago …

I liked the gentlemanly things he did, like opening doors for me.

I liked the way he treated people, like they mattered.

I liked the sparkle in his eyes, like the light inside them was, itself, a living entity.

Our eyes are important! Some have said that they are the door, or gateway to the soul. This week, it was the post The Gateway to the Soul

which was the most viewed.

Also this week :

In the Mood for a Celebration
(our human Christmas parties mirror those of the first Christmas)

The First Family
(the unexpected first family of Christmas)

Turn Your Eyes
(the intimacy of eye contact)

Saint Nicholas
(the man behind the beard)

Blessings to you this day,
Carole

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The Best of November 11-15

Posted in WONDER, tagged congratulations, how do we earn what we hav, nighty night, peace on earth, something beautiful and real, the best of november 11-15, the best of the week on November 16, 2013| Leave a Comment »

The best of this week is about experiencing the benefits of living in community … in the good days, and in the long dark winter nights of our lives.

Whether it is dealing with physical, emotional, relational or spiritual pain, sharing that pain with those around us (just like we share the joys and successes) can mean we are escorted from mourning into dancing.

So, this week, it was the post titled Congratulations that was the top viewed post.

How Do We Earn What We Have
(an important question one teacher asked of her high school students)

Peace On Earth
(what is perfect peace?)

Something Beautiful And Real
(beauty that comes from our broken humanity)

Nighty Night
(a little combination of a lullaby and a bedtime prayer)

Blessings to you this day,
Carole

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The Best of November 4 – 8

Posted in WONDER, tagged celebrating 70, itsawonderfilledlife, really me, the best of itsawonderfilledlife, the best of november 4-8, the best of the week, the homeschool question, this is not mother's day but, why we struggle to love her on November 9, 2013| Leave a Comment »

The most viewed post this week did not surprise me.

We have all been hurt by the church, in the church, in the name of the church, by people who invest in the church. It is a common thread for many, most … maybe all.

Partly our struggle comes from our expectations of the church.

Partly our struggle comes from the expectations within the church.

But, Why We Struggle To Love Her is bigger that expectations, and my goal in this post was to unravel some of the tangled mess of knots that make us struggle, to see what the real struggle is with our communities of worship.

This Is Not Mothers Day But …
(my humble story, and a video to encourage us as moms)

Celebrating 70
(a celebration of my dad)

Really Me
(me … the good, the bad, the ugly … the REAL me)

The Homeschool Question
(my annual offer to homeschool my kids)

As it is Remembrance Day, in Canada, this coming Monday ( on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month), as well as Veterans Day, Poppy Day and Armistice Day in other countries around the world, I wanted to share a short video in honor of veterans, of any war or conflict, from anywhere around the world.

Most veteran live their lives, but some are living in poverty and desperation … possibly partially due to attempts to keep living with the nightmares of what they have seen in battle. When I have heard the stories of the man my grandfather was to his wife and children, due to his addiction to alcohol, I know that war has horrific and life-long scars that can become ancestral curses for generations.

As I watched this transformation video, I found myself hearing the words of the Jason Gray song, Remind Me Who I Am. May God work, through the hands and feet of those who love Him, to transform those whose lives were transformed by the sacrifice of giving their lives for others.

Blessings to you this day,

Carole

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The Best of October 13-18

Posted in WONDER, tagged aim to teach, at the end of herself, dannie and annie, if i didn't apologize who would, pray ... really pray, thankful ... in all circumstances, the best of october 13-18, the best of the week on October 19, 2013| 1 Comment »

This week, the most viewed post was a favorite of mine, too.

As in times before, I believe that At the End of Herself was viewed significantly more than the others simply because it’s message resonated with so many. We have all reached the end of our ropes, the end of ourselves, and we all can relate to the hopelessness that can accompany that place at the end.

Also this week I published …

Thankful … in ALL Circumstances
(can we truly be “thankful in all circumstances?”)

Aim to Teach
(intentionally teaching the magic words)

If I Didn’t Apologize, Who Would?
(a redemption story, where the sins of the father are paid by the son)

Pray … Really Pray
(prayer doesn’t change God … it changes me)

As an additional bonus 😉 I thought I would add this video … get out the tissues … but don’t worry, there is joy too.