Introduction

You know, it is always tough to create a new blog. What do I say? How do I start? What does my heart really say versus what I need to be saying? Do I fudge and say what I think everyone wants to hear or what I feel like I should say? I've created several blogs. One is for the happy go lucky part of our life. One is the secret blog where it has no identity but one that I feel like I can say exactly what I am thinking and feeling without being judged (fyi - I have only ever done 1 blog post on that blog .. just can't bring myself to doing it) and then now this blog. One that I feel like I should lay it all out on.

I am just the typical average female, wife, mom, daughter, granddaughter, sister, aunt, niece, cousin, etc. I realized that my life is just like the hundreds of thousands of million other ones. We paint the picture perfect life on the outside where on the inside we are crumbling in a million pieces. We want everyone to think we have everything together in it's perfect spot when in reality there are so many missing puzzle pieces and they are nowhere to be found.

I have come to realize that my marriage is not perfect, nor is any other marriage on the planet. If someone tells you that they have the perfect marriage, then they are boldly lying to your face!!! Sure, they may have everything they need but there is some flaw in there somewhere. Trust me! I would not say that my husband and I have made mistakes in our marriage because mistake is such a harsh word. I would like to say that we have both made poor decisions. Poor decisions that have caused us much hurt, anger, harm, trust, love, etc etc. But in that, poor decisions that have at least made me stronger in the long run. Decisions that have taught me hard lessons. Decisions that have taught me patience. (Patience is definitely not my strong virtue - my parents will agree 100% on that!)

That is where this blog comes in to place. Like the old classic saying "When life feeds you lemons, make lemonade." My life has been filled with lemons lately - bad tasting lemons at that. Lemons full of bitter and not sweet. Lemons that are rotten. But I have made a decision that I am turning those lemons into lemonade. I will not let my life be full of bitter bad tasting lemons. I want it to be sweet like precious lemonade. I want it to be full of life and sunshine, like the color of a lemon.

As winter comes to a close in the coming months (hopefully sooner rather than later), I plan to embark on the coming of spring where life outside begins to come back. Where trees of fruit begin to blossom. Where spring time flowers bloom and beautiful colors shine. That is me! I plan to shine. I plan to make lemonade so sweet that it is real, not fake. I desire to have real sugar in my lemonade and not artificial sweetener.

I want to close my first blog post with scripture from my quiet time this morning. It has been (sadly) a while since I have turned to the ONE who can ultimately make my lemonade sweeter. Yes, I have selfishly been the one thinking I can do this on my own and let me tell you, it definitely doesn't work that way. It has gotten more bitter as it has gone!!! But I opened my devotional this morning and low and behold the scripture was mapped out for me - it is so funny how God works that way sometimes.

"Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise - the fruit of lips that confess his name."     ~Hebrews 13:15

"And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."
~2 Corinthians 3:18

"Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory." 
  ~Psalm 73:23-24

I am just a very broken woman, but I know who holds my future and my future is bright and sweet! No I am not excited about the dirt path that I must travel to get there, but I know that my lemons are very sweet on the other side!! Please join me and cover me in prayer as I get my feet dirty! HAHA!!!