Mother Daughter

 

One of the gifts we gave our girls for their 10th birthday was their first "Mother Daughter" get-away.

It was something I've dreamed about since they were born!

For over 20 years now, my mom and I have gone on Mother Daughters, aka a girls get-aways.

When I was blessed to have 2 little girls of my own, I started planning our little get aways!

My dream came true last week

 as we headed to the beautiful seaside town of Santa Barbara for a few days.

There were many lovely moments, but this one was my favorite!

I gave the girls a list of activities they could choose from to fill our time.

One girl was very excited to watch a movie in our room!

All in our jammies and ready to cuddle in bed with a movie, we were disappointed to find that we didn't get movies in our room!  Imagine that! 

 I guess they wanted us to look out the window at the ocean or something!

We ended up watching an episode of "Little House" on my phone and it was magical!

Left over pizza, tiny phone propped up on a pillow, long past bedtimes..

 I really felt like I was hanging out with my girlfriends!

 

 

I have to say, this trip came at a great time.

Honestly, life with 2 girls can be a bit rough from time to time.

Especially when they're twins.

Especially when they're 10!

And to be even more honest, these past few weeks have felt rather hopeless in the "mother of girls" category.  I get so frustrated with them and their endless arguing or bossing or talking back!

Take me now Jesus!

But this time away together felt like a breath of fresh air.

They didn't bicker or compete for my attention.

They acted like best friends.

Our time away gave me the reassurance that everything is going to be ok.

I'm going to be ok.

Sometimes it takes getting away, out of the everyday normal, to see people in a new light.

I saw 2 little girls that are not so little anymore, 2 girls that I can't wait to take away again!

No Substitute for the Truth

2 little weeks ago I posted about missing the window to prune my roses, but cutting them back anyway.  Statistics tell us that as parents we have small windows to teach our children certain things, expose them to various experiences and flavors and encourage desired behaviors, and if we miss those windows... well, who knows what will happen to our kids!!

And if we don't prune our roses in the right season, we're doomed!

But just as I know that it's never too late for change, growth and transformation in God's economy, I decided to hack down my roses anyway and to discipline my children with the hopes that God is not bound by a certain window of time and nothing is impossible with Him!

Well, just 2 weeks later, here is that same rose bush!

Only 2 weeks later and there is visible, healthy growth!

As I was looking at this rose bush today, aside from being thrilled that I didn't listen to the gardeners guide to healthy roses!, I was struck with another bit of truth.

We've been suffering from a much publicized drought here in California for quite some time.

We ration our water and only water our gardens on Mondays and Thursdays or else we get fined heavily!  Our plants are limping along just fine, but this past weekend we got some solid rain! And I kid you not, the growth after the rain is undeniable.  Almost the very next day we could see new shoots and buds spring forth on our plants and bushes!  It's unreal.

We never see that obvious growth from the sprinklers or the hose.

But the rain, pure, falling from heaven rain, nourishes like none other and spurs new growth immediately.  There is no substitute for the rain.

Made me think of Truth.

Word of God Truth.

Nothing yields more growth and abundance in our lives than the Truth of God.

So many other substitutes can help us limp along, scrape by and "make it."

But there is no substitute for the absolute Word of God that is pure Truth, falling from heaven, to heal our wounds, bring light into darkness, cleanse our mistakes, remove our scars, and

spring forth new life in dead, hopeless areas.  

It's just unmistakable.

Where do you need new growth in your life?

Are you looking to other things to nourish you and bring about change?

I encourage you to simply read the Bible, surrender to God's Truth and allow His Word to transform you in the healthiest, longest lasting way.