Episode I: A New Hope

I will be honest with you. It was strongly suggested by a dear friend to write to a larger audience than just myself, so today I sit designing/writing a blog and I feel like this:

Now that THAT’S out of the way, hello! My name is Kathleen. I’m pretty good in the kitchen, I love to read, I love to make people laugh, and I prefer to be barefoot. I love Star Trek, baseball, animals, babies, laughter, opera, video games, and most of all, Jesus.

Every day, we have hundreds of chances to see Him at work in this world, in our lives, in His creation. Sometimes it’s in big, beautifully fantastic ways (how can you stand on a mountain or by the ocean and not see His hand?). Other times His presence is the still, small voice after the fires, the storms, the earthquakes in our lives. I’m going to take the troubles I face, even the minor annoyances of life (cold showers, laundry, car breakdowns) and learn to see His plan, His goodness. I’m going to try to see them from an attitude of gratitude and trust that in all these things, His grace is sufficient for me.

I love words, and as such I tend to fall in love with them and use too many; I’ll try to keep my entries short (about 500 words). I don't want these words to be mine, anyway, I want to share with you what God is sharing with me. I’m in a time of transition in my life. I’m learning to see the Master’s hand at work in my life, and in the lives of others. I’m learning to fully trust in/have total dependency on my Rock. I’m on a journey, learning to be joyful and grateful in ALL things.

I’m learning to see the forest of blessings through the trees (BLOG TITLE MOMENT!); and I’m inviting you to come with me! I’ll show you the things I find difficult to deal with, what I learn and see through them. Hopefully you'll share with me, too, and we'll  have some good times. I am goofy through and through, after all.

As a good friend of mine once said, “Afoot and lighthearted I take to the open road… Allons! whoever you are come travel with me! Traveling with me you find what never tires.” (Walt Whitman, Song of the Open Road)

(P.S. For the record, dear Star Wars peeps who see the post title and gasp, I know Episode IV is A New Hope. I was going for something there. : )