Unanswered Prayers??? Or is the answer just delayed?

I know I'm not in the minority when I say that I've had a couple of
prayers go unanswered(it's more than a couple but who's counting).

Prayer is a tricky thing. People pray for all kinds of things, some times we
pray for health of ourselves and our loved ones, sometimes we pray for a
job or economic success. Sometimes we pray for love, happiness and
friendship.

In retrospect the prayers that seem to be answered the most are the ones
that I have asked for things that I can also help accomplish. Things like
guidance, faith, willpower, and compassion. Those are the ones that seem to get
the most positive results.

When I hear the words Unanswered Prayers I think of the Garth Brooks song
by the same title, if you haven't heard it please go look it up and listen. This
song always reminds me of all those childhood nights I prayed that a certain boy
would like me, or a certain person would talk to me...well needless to say those
things usually didn't happen.

Then I think about the things I have now. The life that I am busy creating and how
each step has lead me to the place I am right now. Not long ago I was telling
 my bestfriendthat I was glad that a prayer wasn't answered several years ago.
 He inquired why and I said because I have no doubt in my mind that if it had
 been answered that you and I would not be talking now.

Life is funny that way. God sure knew what he was doing when you let that
 one go unanswered.Maybe it wasn't really unanswered after all...it was just
 answered in god's time...not our impatient and instant gratification society but
in the timing that is right for the plan.

That brings me back to prayer....when we listen to our ministers and clergy pray
 in the church do we really listen. I know I am guilty of this, I start thinking about
the things that I want to pray about, the things that are on my heart. I'm ashamed
 to say it but I've even thought about what's for lunch after mass or how hot I am.
 I tend to lose focus when I pray and I know that when I begin to ramble I try
to close the prayer quickly with a simple "God you know what's on my heart"

I think that God does know what's on our hearts but he wants us to know
what is on our hearts too. Like I said before the prayers that seem to be the
most successful for me are the ones that I can affect. The ones that I can play
a part in...see to me I think a lot of people ask for miracles in prayers and not
just pray....

But that brings me back to the beginning and the Unanswered prayers...Do
they go unanswered because we didn't really attempt them, didn't really
believe in them or do they go unanswered because they where not right for
us????

What I love Wednesday- Brockport, The Canal, and Coffemakers!

It's Wednesday!!! I've decided to do a new column every Wednesday.

It's called What I love Wednesdays. One this day I'm gonna list

some of the things I am in love with this week. It may be a new thing,

it may be an old treasure, it may be a place, person or time but it

will always be something that I am excited about on this Wednesday!

My first new love is our new town! We moved to Brockport,NY
last Wednesday. Coach recently got a job as the DC at
this school. I was nervous about this opportunity, the
whole Cornell U experience left us scarred...

Well needless to say I'm loving it! The town is about 30 miles
from Rochester. It's on the Erie Canal. It's a little town that has lots
of modern amenitites (Lowe's, Walmart, Grocery stores) and also has
a very nicely preserved downtown section.

Now for the really cool part!!!!

Half the town is on one side of the canal and half the town
is on the other side of the canal...Which gives you these really
cool bridges that go up when a ship needs to cross the canal.

We where told that about twice a week a ship comes through the canal
but it hasn't happened that we have seen it yet. For me this is such
a truly amazing thing. The history of this country is based on
the Erie Canal....its so cool to look at it and say that someone
100 years ago was using this Canal to transport goods!

It's such a cool thing to know that you are in a town that
has such an amazing thing in the center of it...

My final love is my new coffee maker! Let me start by saying that
I am not a coffee drinker. I don't have to have a pot before I
can function in the morning. I do love the random cup of
french vanilla coffee, and I am a serious tea drinker.

I do however love the smell of coffee, my kitchen is decorated
in coffee stuff and I think that the most amazing places are
little coffee shops...

So anyway back to the coffeemaker! I got a Keurig Platnium!
These are suppose to be the big daddy coffee machines.
I got one that looks just like the picture. Plugged it in
and made a cup of Early Grey tea, plus some cups of
cocoa for the kids!!! I have to admit I'm in LOVE with
the machine.

I love that I can make all kinds of different drinks one
at a time. I don't have to make whole pots and a cup of
coffee/tea brews in about 40 seconds! This model has
different cup size settings so you can brew to taste, as
well as water temp settings.

This machine will surely get some use in our house!!!

Well that does it from What I love Wednesday!!! Check back

next Wednesday for something new!!!

Something old, Something new!

So its time....time for the big move! Well honestly anyone that

knows us knows that since March 2008 we have moved 6 times

this will be our 7th move!!! Needless to say I should be a pro

at all this moving stuff.

Our moves have been filled with excitement and hope, as we are

now and sadness and tears as a couple of moves in the past

have been.

It's never easy to move, for me it requires sorting out stuff and

letting go of lots of things that don't need to take up room.

You'd be surprised what you decide is nescessary and what

isn't when you move as much as we have.

Moving allows us to evaluate what is really important

to us. It allows us to let go of that shirt we haven't

worn in 10 years and to store away that little

trinket box from our friend we love so much.

It reminds us of those that really love us and

not just those that claim to care.

Moving also allows us to clean out some room for

the new experiences, and things that we can look

forward to in our next place. It allows us to

collect new things, or add to a unique

collection that we have.

For me, a person who likes to cook, I collect

recipes from the gals I meet. I also pick up the joy of trying

new things. In NC I picked up several recipes for soul

food. In Cornell I learned about wine and got a

recipe for a delicious hash brown casserole.

In WNY(my birthplace), I picked up recipes for

Chicken wing dip!

I also collect recipes for life. These ones are a little

more interesting. All the people I have met have taught me a

lot about life, love, living, dieing, and lets not forget football.

The blessing of moving allows us to free up space in

our houses and our hearts to make room for the new.

I think many of us hang on to things long past the usefullness.

We hoard things because they remind us of something special,

a special person, a special moment, a special place. It's good to have

some reminders of things. It's good to hold on to things

that we would like to pass on to people in our future.

But take it from a pro mover, your heart like your home

can only hold so many things and sometimes we have

to clean it out in order to make room for new things.

So as I move I will have two special boxes, one

I will mark with the word "Something Old". This box

will contain the things that are special to me

the jewelry from NC friends, or my Cornell sweatshirt,

my WNY photos and the special things that I have in my life

from all the places that I have been.  The second

box will say "Something New". This box will hold the

new things that I will get when I'm in my

new place.

When it comes time to move again, as I am

hoping that we will move(It'll mean something good for us). I

will look through the "something new" and transfer those

things to the "something old" box and begin the

journey anew!!!