Surrender

Sometimes you’ve just got to give up, give in,

Let surrender begin.

You’ve hit a fender, life’s in a blender,

Best to just simply surrender.

Stop fighting for rights and turn out the lights,

You’ve fallen from seemingly new heights.

Rock bottom is cold, no longer feeling so bold,

But at least this solid foundation will hold.

Look up and see, there’s no reason to flee,

You just want to be set free.

Reach out your hand and then take a stand,

Seek the only One who can truly understand.

You’re not alone, even in this combat zone,

Surrender and His grace will surely be shown.

Give up the fight that is fueled solely by spite,

Know that He sees you in your plight.

Surrender my dear, there’s no need to fear,

Know that He’s working even if it isn’t clear.

I know the road looks hard and you are standing firm at guard,

But know that I reach out with the sincerest regard.

But above all, seek God, as I know I am flawed,

But by Him, I am always utterly awed.

I love you, sweet friend, and I trust your heart, He’ll mend,

And I pray that on Him alone should you depend.

Joy Lynn

Longing for Connection

She sits at the screen just passing time,

Consciously listening for that familiar chime.

Minute by minute, scroll after scroll,

New information is gathered but she feels like a troll.

Waiting for someone to just break through,

A new notification or a message out of the blue.

She sighs and she waits for a sign that someone cares,

The silence in her mind is more than she can bear. 

She’s looking for love in all the wrong places,

Twitter, Facebook and even MySpace’s. 

A connection with someone brings validation,

But a silent day causes self deflation.

So where should she go when she feels all alone?

Messages go unread and no one answers the phone?

Turn to the One who will never let go. 

Hebrews 13:5 says He’ll be there, you know?

So turn off the computer and silence your phone,

Find yourself on your knees and before His throne,

Give Him your troubles, your worries, your fears,

Lay down your burdens, He’ll carry those tears.

Return to the One who loved you first,

Who has loved you in your best and your worst.

Find acceptance and love in His tender care,

When you long for connection, you can find it in prayer.

Joy Lynn

New Year Souvenir's are...

...done for now.  Mostly because the new year is no longer new and I think the list accomplished it's purpose in opening doors to memory making and starting/encouraging new habits some of which have done well and others that haven't.  But I no longer plan to bore you with the run down of it.

That said, I did want to end the list on a high note because the biggest thing on the list was accomplished within the month.

I went to Texas for the first time since November 2012, so almost 2.5 years!  I missed it and it was so good to be back and catch up with family and friends there.  I was able to eat some delicious food, take some drives to admire how green everything was and how much the area had grown and I was also able to do a lot of sorting, packing and weeding out of my stuff.  I now have, if I remember correctly, six totes and two paintings left back home that I will eventually find a way to move up here if this is where I continues to reside.
I'm not a great or motivated picture taker but I'll let them tell some of the story and then wrap this one up and call it a souvenir list done well.

 This is the boat I got to sail around while in Texas. I simply called it the "boat".  The huge engine in this thing purred at higher speeds but it was a monster to try to park anywhere.

 My only home cooked meal of the trip, "bok choy" but got to have it twice so I was pleased.

 A wall decoration at the church that I liked.

 Whataburger is now in H-E-B, a Texas based grocery store, selling "fries" in a bag. It was interesting...  Not like a regridgerated bag but a potato chip bag, similar to potato sticks in a can.

 Texadelphia is still my favorite restaurant of all time.  Great sandwhich (it's actually a whole sub but I didn't think to take a picture til I was half way through my meal) that comes with chips and salsa and queso. SCORE!

 Palm tress because.....Texas............seriously, they are everywhere.  There is no where in the Valley that you can't see at least one palm tree on the horizon if you look all the way around.  Eeeeevvvveeerrryyyywhere!

 The fun of sorting.  Some old pictures ( Grandma, Mom and I.), an old gift to my mom, and part of my trading card collection.  I was that kid....

Taco Ole was my second favorite restaurant of this visit.  I got so full on chips and salsa and sweet tea though, that I had to eat most of my nachos as breakfast the next morning.

 Taco Fiesta also provided a solid serving of nachos and chips and salsa.  I love my Mexican food.

And last but not least, this is a picture of a brand-spanking-new Wal-Mart built in my hometown of Donna, Texas, population ~16,000.  My New Englanders are going to think that's a decent population to support a Wal-Mart but what you have to understand is there is a Wal-Mart in Alamo, six miles away, one in Weslaco, 3.4 miles away, and then a new type of Wal-Mart called a "Neighborhood Market-Walmart" that is 5.2 miles away if all you are looking for are the groceries.  That's further compounded by the fact that there is at least one H-E-B in every town as well, pretty much.  

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So some take aways from my time in Texas....everything is bigger there.  I had grown accostomed to things here in New England and they no longer felt small but then I went back to Texas and everything was HUGE.  I don't think we need big things here in New England but there are some stark differences between life here and there.  I'm glad I don't have to deal with the traffic, especially in McAllen when transitioning between expressway and frontage road.  I learned that a huge boat of a truck feels great going 70mph on the highway which is the speed limit down there.  

Most of all though, I learned that no matter the distance, family and friends will always be near and dear.  I am grateful for the time I was able to spend with each of you as some allowed me to stay in their homes, gave me rides, took me out to eat or talked over coffee.  It was a blast and a blessing to get to see the ones I did and hopefully next time I go down, it'll be a tad longer so I can see more people and relax some.

And for those not in Texas but praying, thank you for that!  If you are bummed the list follow up is ending, feel free to shoot me a message and ask how life is going and I'll surely update you.  Hope you enjoyed the pictures of Texas.  Sorry, not sorry, that there are no pictures of me in there, besides of when I was a child.  I'm not the biggest fan of the other side of the camera lens.  

Hope y'all are doing well!  Take care and God bless!

Until next time,

Joy Lynn