Friday's Fave Five #132

Oh, good!  It's Friday.  I love me some Fridays ...

One reason I love Friday is that I love joining in with some awesome people over at Susanne's blog, Living to Tell the Story.  We take the time on Fridays to reflect on our week and find 5 things that lifted our spirits or made us smile.

Today is a dreary cold day in the midwest, yet, my first highlight of the week I wanted to talk about is:

1.  Signs of Spring:  I love looking for spring.  I get excited when I see crocuses, daffodils and tulips poking their heads up from the mushy gray earth.  As I drive to work, I've been noticing that all those trees that look like brown sticks everywhere seem softer somehow.  When I get close to one, I can see they have feathery celery-green buds on them.  Soon there will be leaves!  The fields seem to have purple clover blooming more every day.



Here is a shot of purple I caught as we drove to church last Sunday.  Notice the grass is getting green!

As I type this, it's such a downer to report that I hear the sound of sleet hitting the air conditioner outside my window!  However, spring always likes to tease us, she'll be back!

2. One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp - I received this wonderful book in the mail Tuesday.  Unfortunately, I've gotten to read very little in it so far, but I am so looking forward to it!  I love her blog, Holy Experience. I know I've mentioned her before, but you should go there. Really.

3. A little spring decorating - Monday, I came home from work and put away the snowmen in my kitchen, decluttered my countertops, and brought in some of my sunflower pretties.  My daughter came in while I was doing this and remarked, "Yay, the depression is lifting."  It's true that when I'm feeling good, I'm much more likely to clean and change my decor around.  I didn't get too far, but it did lift my spirits to start bringing spring into the house.

Please bear with me, I find I am listing my highlights out of order ...

4. Inspirational speaker:  Last Saturday, our Women's Ministries had a salad luncheon, The Eating of the Greens" with a special speaker.  Our speaker turned out to be a former church member that had taught our Adult Sunday School class for years.  What a treat to see her and once again be amazed at the wisdom she gleans from the scripture!  (All the salads were yummy, too!)

5. Quote of the Week: "Life was not about fitting in, but instead, standing out. I was uniquely created to stand out for the glory of my God." … Sue Cramer, Woman, It’s Time, Internet Café Devotions

This really struck me hard, because most of my life, my goal was just to be perceived as "normal," whatever that is ... To think that God wants me to stand out is a thought that is almost too big to fit inside my brain!

If you'd like to join in and share your week, link up at Susanne's Living to Tell the Story.