Thursday, February 17, 2011

The house that built me

"Home is a place you grow up wanting to leave, and grow old wanting to get back to."

Its funny how time changes your way of thinking. During my high school years I always dreamt about moving away to sacramento and working as a secretary! Funny how it actually did happen...well minus the marble wall with the company logo behind me (haha for those of you who don't know-that is what I wrote in my homecoming speech of what I wanted to do with my life).

As I think back on my childhood and teenage years, I am very grateful to my parents for providing a home filled with love, support, encouragement, and stability. I grew up in the same house from the age of 4 until I got married! So I'm sure you can imagine, the house is filled with many memories! From my handprints in the cement patio to buried pets in the yard, there are just so many memories every where you look. I love going "home" and reliving some of those memories. Its always fun to talk with my parents and play the "remember when" game.

Now having become a homeowner myself and a mother, I find myself wondering if Wesley will have these same memories. I want to provide a loving home for him just like I had growing up.

There is a song that Miranda Lambert sings called "The House that Built Me." I cannot listen to it without thinking of my house growing up. Parts of it don't really apply to me, but some parts do...it goes like this:


I know they say you can't go home again
I just had to come back one last time
Ma'am I know you don't know me from Adam
But these handprints on the front steps are mine

Up those stairs in that little back bedroom
Is where I did my homework and I learned to play guitar
I bet you didn't know under that live oak
My favorite dog is buried in the yard

I thought if I could touch this place or feel it
This brokenness inside me might start healing
Out here its like I'm someone else
I thought that maybe I could find myself

If I could just come in I swear I'll leave
Won't take nothing but a memory
From the house that built me

Mama cut out pictures of houses for years
From Better Homes and Gardens magazine
Plans were drawn and concrete poured
Nail by nail and board by board
Daddy gave life to mama's dream

I thought if I could touch this place or feel it
This brokenness inside me might start healing
Out here its like I'm someone else
I thought that maybe I could find myself

If I could just come in I swear I'll leave
Won't take nothing but a memory
From the house that built me

You leave home and you move on and you do the best you can
I got lost in this old world and forgot who I am
My silly parents and the house that built me

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Start today...

"Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending."

After meeting up with a friend and discussing family, friends, and just life experiences in general, I once again got the urge to blog. Yes, yes...I know those of you who know me are saying, "really Lindsay, how many times are you going to start and stop a blog?" Well...I'm here to say ONE MORE TIME! haha

I decided to start blogging again because after our discussion I realized what a great outlet blogging can really be. It is a place to basically spill whats on your mind at the current time and to get feed-back from those who read. What a great concept right? So with that said...here I go!

I chose the quote above because I can 100% relate to it. I cannot even begin to count how many times throughout my life I wished I could go back and say something different, or react differently to a situation, or even take back things I've said. However, all of that wishing and hoping gets me no where. Whats done is done-no changing that. So often I get caught up in the "should've and would've" instead of concentrating on the here and now.

Here are a couple of scripture verses that came to my mind regarding this situation:

Psalm 118:24 states, "This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it." I love that God tells us to rejoice and be glad IN it. He doesn't say, stew over what you did or did not do today...but rejoice and be glad!

Matthew 6:34 states, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." How true is that! Each day is a NEW day. If I worry too much about tomorrow I'm not rejoicing IN today. I think too often I worry about what tomorrow holds instead of rejoicing in the day God has given me.

No matter what I do, I cannot go back and fix things or change things. What I CAN do is start each day with the attitude of Psalms/Matthew; rejoice IN today and allow God to worry about tomorrow.