Cathy's Heart

I am on a anniversary get-a-away with my wonderful husband of twenty-nine years. So this will be short, simple and sloppy (unedited). But I want to share with you why this time of year is so special to me. And I pray that this new year will hold special surprises, abundant blessings and dreams come true for you too! I love New Year's! I'm pretty sure it is my favorite holiday. And even though it is actually just another day. I love what it symbolizes. A fresh start. A clean slate. A new beginning. I am a goal maker. A list keeper. A get it done and cross it off the list kind-of-a-person. And the start of a new year is the perfect time to do this. Every year after Christmas, I begin to reflect on the past 365 days. And I make goals for what I want to accomplish in the days, weeks and months ahead. However, New Year's is also very special to me because it the time I celebrate new birth. 33 years ago, after running hard and fast away from God, I answered a pastor's plea to...

  It happened many years ago... Steam rose from my coffee mug. I took a long sip, and stared out the kitchen window. It was another gray and dreary morning in Southern California. Not even a hint of sunlight poked through the thick marine layer outside. And inside, in the depths of my soul, it was not much different. My heart felt heavy, weary and dark. I was beginning another day filled with resentment and frustration, all because of something I desperately wanted. For weeks, like an immature child, I had been begging God to give it to me. And sadly, for the first time in my life, I could NOT end my prayer with, "Nevertheless, not my will but Thy will be done!" My husband and I were at crossroads. He was just about to finish four grueling (for me) years of law school. I wanted to go one way and he wanted to go the other. What started as a grand adventure four years earlier had become a exhausting journey for me. I never imagined how hard it would be to move away from family ...

Waiting...To Go (Part 2) This week, I have been sick. Each time I attempted to write a new post, my brain was too foggy to concentrate. However, I received an email that challenged me to push through the fog. A portion of it read: “Thanks for the encouragement you give me through your blogs! It is lonely out here and we are having a tough transition. Your blogs help me to feel connected. The other day was very difficult and after time in the word and prayer I looked at your blog. I was waiting for it to download on my iphone, because our landline and internet were down...I desperately needed to hear from God. "Please let there be a new word from Cathy!!!" I cried out to Jesus. I cried when a new post came up and saw that you had added ones for kids and teens...Please keep writing Cathy I Need it!!!" My friend's note broke my heart. But it also affirmed that I need to continue to be obedient and disciplined to write. As I said in my last post, writing is hard work. ...