Thanks you Veterans

I just want to take this day to thank Veterans for what they've done for us. In fact, I want to give a special shout out to my uncle Paul who served on a B-17 during World War II. You can see his picture below. Veterans Day was yesterday, but frankly I think we need to doff our caps to Veterans everyday. Their sacrifice over the years has kept this country free.





















That's Uncle Paul in the center of the front row!




The wars are different, but the faces are much the same. The needs and longings of the soldiers and their families continue down through the years.








Our soldiers are men and women, sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, grandfathers and grandmothers, and dear friends.







They give above and beyond all that anyone should ever have to give.



Marine Staff Sgt John Jones by Timothy Greenfield Sanders



Freedom comes at a high cost. May we never take it for granted or dismiss the value of our veterans' efforts. God Bless each and every soldier and their families. May you live in protection and encouragement - as we live in the freedom and safety you have provided.





Thanking you today and everyday.

Never Say Never

You know how they say you should "Never say never?" Well...generally I would agree with that, but there are some things that I think I can say, "I will never...."




For instance: Gold Lame'



I can pretty confidently say I will never buy gold lame' clothing - at least not willingly.




And how about a boar's head. Nope - not springing for one of those. I can pretty honestly say that I never intend for a boar's head to grace my walls.









Oh, and I will never buy a book on "How To Look Great In A Bikini" Yeah, that's not happening, because I can promise you I will never wear a bikini.









But there are other things I'll say "never" to - and they are more positive "nevers".



I will never stop loving my children or grandkids. No matter what - no matter if they grow up to do terrible things - I will love them always and forever.











(Yikes - Rainy is starting to look like her Nana Tracie)












I will never like/love liver

- except the one inside my body. And yes, that is a positive, because it makes me very happy to say so, and




I will never stop praising and loving God for all that He's done. God has blessed me in so many ways and although life has had it's ups and downs this year and all the years before--I am so very blessed to know Him. What a priviledge to be His.



Today may seem filled with nevers for you. I'll never get the job I want. I'll never be the mom/dad I should be. I'll never find true love. I'll never be out of debt. Whatever the "nevers" I have one that you should "NEVER" forget.



God said in Deuteronomy: "Never will I leave you nor forsake you." That's the most awesome "never" I know, and because of that - I think I will say "never" and say it will great confidence.

Keeping Up

Sorry for missing my blog last week. I was swamped and totally forgot until it was well into the day. Hopefully, that won't happen again.




I had a great time at the Women's Event at the 1st Alliance Church in Great Falls, MT and wanted to share a little bit with you. There were about 80 people in attendance.





The church advertised it as a "Novel Luncheon with Tracie Peterson" and they put on a wonderfully catered lunch with a trio of singers who were so phenomenal. By the time I got up to speak, I already felt that I was in the company of good friends.





My focus was on Letting go of the Past. I used the verses from Isaiah 43:18 & 19.



"Forget the Former Things; Do not dwell on the past.

See, I am doing a new thing!

Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

I am making a way in the desert

and streams in the wasteland."



One of the things that God keeps bringing me back to is how we drag around the past and it weighs us down and makes the journey much less fun. It's like taking a trip somewhere you've always wanted to go, but packing 3 really heavy suitcases of stuff to take along. You spend all your time worrying about that stuff, checking on it--pulling it out to use--putting it away to keep safe. You bear the burden of all that extra weight--and in the process the trip is no longer as much fun as it might otherwise have been.



My husband and I have gone to England several times - sometimes for as much as two weeks at a time.

We've learned to pack light. In fact - we can do 2 wks abroad with nothing more than a back pack each. However, one year we went and took large suitcases. We were concerned for some reason about having enough stuff and packing room for presents. We were miserable.



Dragging around extra weight whether physical or emotional is never any fun. It serves one major purpose and that is to exhaust you. Oh sure, with more luggage we had more choices of clothes, didn't have to wash anything out, and brought back more presents. But by discarding the extra burdens we were freed up to move quickly, get into places that we might not have gone with large bags, and truly had more energy. The same is true for emotional baggage from the past. It is so difficult to move forward when you're dragging the past along with you and I think that was one of the big reasons God gave us these verses.



So today, I'm encouraging you to dump the baggage. "Forget the former things." Do not be exhausted by dragging around a bunch of unnecessary stuff. "Do not dwell on the past."



Let God do a new thing and watch streams pop up in the wastelands of your life.