The last few years I have been a high maintenance beach goer. I really love the beach, when it’s under ‘perfect’ conditions. I will go--If it’s NOT too hot or too cold or too windy, or too crowded. Well good luck Dani, welcome to the Central Coast beaches. It’s usually too cold, and in the summers it’s way too crowded and on most days that end in Y, it’s too windy.. and then on all the other days it’s just too hot.

I went on a run this morning, and by “run” I mean—walk WAY MORE than run. I am not a runner. I want to be. I once (twice) signed up for a half-marathon. I bought the shoes, the ear buds and water bottle pack to wear around my waist for my LONG runs. The long runs never came. But that water bottle pack is very helpful for holding my keys,  phone and $5 in case I get thirsty or hungry on my walks! So it wasn’t all for nothing. The first half marathon I signed up for was to raise money for digging wells in Africa for people who NEED fresh water. They even sent me orange shoelaces for my running shoes to inspire me. It did inspire me, but not to run. It inspired me to send them money for the wells. A friend told me “The only thing that inspires me to run is someone chasing me”. I have found I agree. 

When my husband Gary plays "hide and seek" with our kids it’s more like "stand-out and be found". He usually hides in the most obvious places and the kids squeal every time they ‘find’ him. It’s precious. And hysterical. My kids are 8 and 6--he could actually hide himself from them and they still could probably find him. 

I have friends that had 2 free airline tickets anywhere. The only catch was they had to fly stand-by and did not know what flight they could get on. Can you imagine sitting in the airport, packed and ready to go and have no idea where you are going?

A chase drink is something tasty you drink right after a shot of hard alcohol to make the shot more livable—like juice, soda or even beer.

The true logic of that alludes me now that it has been nearly 5 years without a drink. Why on God’s green earth would I drink something awful only to follow it up with something tasty to make it livable? Well, besides the obvious reason for any addict (a post for another day) the chaser drink made my decision to drink something hard (awful) more livable.

For so long I resented the journey. I resented my journey. I resented that healing never came. Well, at least that is what I thought because it didn’t come the way I had thought it would or should at the time. I had no idea that even in God’s Kingdom healing could be a long process. I had always envisioned some big event like God delivering the Isrealites out of captivity from Egypt. When was I going to get my one way ticket out of my own Egypt? I kept calling the airline but was on hold for a very long time.  Scripture is clear—God fixes, God restores, God heals, God delivers. Where was my healing? When was it coming? For many a full moons I have prayed for that one moment of deliverance. Delieverence from circumstances and situations that took years to create.. And as time went by I began to doubt my faith and I began to doubt God’s goodness and His promises when deliverance never came the way I thought it should or would. I began to wonder if I had somehow disqualified myself from God’s promises.

Well here goes. After the encouragement of a few friends my journey of blogging begins. Writing is not new to me, but having people read what I write is, so be gentle. This is where I will share my life and my journey, my thoughts on God and His amazing Grace in my life. He is still at work and thankfully He never gave up on me.