This Valentines Day I have to acknowledge the love of my life, Danny.  This piece today touches upon why he is the love of my life.  This love story was not planned, nor was it ever imagined to be so long.  Right from the beginning we each knew where we stood with each other.  There was honesty and trust right from the get go.  Our story started in our youth, has grown immensely, and continues to grow.  We have always grown as individuals, which has made our couple connection even stronger.  We have never placed each other in a mold.  We have always understood we are each who we are.  It was not always easy, but it was always worth it.  I hope you find your love this holiday or if you have your love, tell them how much you appreciate them and love them.  If you have not found your soul mate, never give up, because there is someone special for each of us.  Everyone doesn’t love early in life—-But everyone loves sometime.  Blessings on your journey to find the right relationship this Valentines Day!  May love come to you at right time!

Ode to the One I Love

As I admire him from afar,

His hair is silver and white now.

But I see the young man with chestnut hair.

The dimple is still there from forty years ago.

 

The once runner and ball player,

Now he consciously tries to stay in shape.

What I only see is the strong man,

I knew years ago.

 

He has held me to cry.

And he has laughed with me about the silly, little things.

His prayers are made to God daily for me and our family

He does not always appear religious, but his soul is so very spiritual.

 

This soul has worked hard.

To provide for me and our children.

Extra jobs plus his career.

Sacrificing his own wants for ours.

 

Beach lover.

Free Bird dancer.

Rocker on the back patio at dusk.

Chocolate connoisseur.

 

His hands have washed me after illnesses.

He has set quietly during recoveries.

Our children were soothed by his rocking,

And comforted in his arms.

 

This humble man carries my concrete pieces wherever I want.

He awkwardly and with humor shoos armadillos out of the yard.

He takes the garbage out.

And the clothes are washed because of this loyal man.

 

This brave person fought to return to us from a stroke.

He regained consciousness,

And pushed himself further than anyone could have.

Recovering to be with us for more time.

 

Although light bulb changing is more difficult these days.

Loving me is never.

His silly jokes still amuse me,

And his passion for sports prevails.

 

The pride I have for him is beyond what he would ever know.

His dedication to education,

And his contribution to the martial arts is above the bar.

But most of all his love for us exceeds all.

 

Watching him play with the grandbabies is the most fun!

Talking sports with the kids brings him such joy.

We have found delight and companionship as we watch our tv shows together.

And he makes me smile when he says “Take it home John Boy!”.

 

The conversations we carry on are interesting,

And the silence to just be together is so comforting.

Our pups think that he rules the world,

Because of his love toward them.

 

Who else rents a boat to take his love to an island for shell collecting,

And hauls her decorations back and forth for every season.

Who else knows just the right time to bring flowers,

And still remembers to get me juice and coffee every day.

 

With the car windows down,

Headed to the beach,

Our laughs and smiles echoed in the Florida night,

As Copperhead Road blasted in the background.

 

The days with you were and are the greatest love.

Sitting hand in hand by you in the lounge chairs.

As the waves wash up,

And the warm wind blows past us.

 

These memories of your love for me

Are only a few of a thousand.

They remind me of our love,

And will always be in our hearts and souls.

 

This man is my love.

A good, hearted man I have always known.

I love you more than anything.

You have taught me how to love.

 

I am not sure I could ever define love.

I certainly know love is many things.

It is small and large.

But I am positive about one thing, this man lives love!

Lori Rennae Hickman Chapman

Thank you for being with me this beautiful time of the year!  Thank you for letting me share about my love and what he means to me.  I really believe the way I have grown to love Danny has increased my love for others threefold!  My wishes and prayers are for you to know love in the way I have been able to.  God bless you in your enthusiasm, optimism, and continued journey with love!

Love,

Rennae

Relationships

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was one of those spring days in winter!  If you live in Tennessee, you certainly know what I mean.  I just had to stop and take in all the natural gifts we have.  They were just right in my face!  I told myself, “Why do you not do this more often?  Stop and admire all these blessings right in front of you.”  I am so silly in this everyday life!  I forget to pause—It does not have to be for long, but just a pause in order to capture a glimpse of these amazing gifts.  I realize I count my blessings for family, friends, shelter, clothing, food, and the list could go on.  However, I just forget the freebies sometimes!  The beautiful, natural, free gifts of everyday!  This week don’t miss out on your freebies.  All it takes is a pause!

The Natural Gifts

The sky goes on forever,

Just like infinity.

One row of trees after another,

Fills the horizon.

Lined up like soldiers.

 

My face with eyes closed turns upward.

Receiving the light.

Breathing the deep, clean air.

Air that holds hope.

And breaths that stroke the soul.

 

I can hear the wheat dance.

As the soft, wind moves across the land.

Each bird has their own voice,

When joined together like a choir of angels.

I am serenaded as if I am the only one in this world.

 

As the sun moves across the sky,

And displays a magnificent color show.

The moon peeks at me,

Waiting for its appearance.

On the stage of the dark.

 

The stars appear one by one.

Like little candles flicking in the wind.

Circling in the night around the moon.

They make designs like an artist,

And paint us pictures of the past.

 

Even in the coldest of winters

Or the hottest of summers

Sounds of all the animals are heard.

Sounds of joy, mating, fear, or being.

Letting us know there are many gifts beyond the sight of the eye.

 

How can I be so blessed?

To be given all of this freely.

All of these natural gifts!

Would I ever be so ignorant?

That I could not recognize these gifts.

Lori Rennae Hickman Chapman

Thank you for pausing with me this week!  I know you could choose other things to be doing, but you chose to spend time with me!  Take in all the freebies this week and count all your blessings!  There is so much out there for us to appreciate, if only we would pause and look.  Count each of the natural gifts you see this week and give thanks!  I am counting you as one of those gifts!  Happy week!

Love,

Rennae

 

Blessings

 

 

 

Deep inside of us, we have our inner beings.  Some say our souls, our spirits, or even our physic.  The special part of each of us that makes us so very unique.  As we travel the roads on our journey, we have many different experiences, positive and negative.  All of these experiences, especially the bad ones, can cause us to protect that being in different ways.  When we experience pain and hurt, we seek coping mechanisms to protect that inner being.  I describe several of those in the writing today.  Saying that we use these is not saying they are either good or bad, it is saying we implement in order to survive.  The very bottom line in all of this is understanding our inner being no matter what it uses and learning from those experiences.  Understanding our inner being will allow us to accept ourselves.  This type of growth will lead us to peace!  And peace is what we all really seek in this chaotic world.  Peace  in who we are, where we come from, and where we will go!

The Inner Being

Who is the inner being?

Do we ever know who it really is?

Maybe we are not meant to ever find our being.

It could be the path of trying that is the real journey.

Not the finding.

 

The path creates drama for some to identify.

We use this to protect that inner being.

Some of us live from one episode to another in order to keep the being alive.

While at the same time alienating those around them.

Driving people away.

 

Inner beings also use laughter.

Not a joyful laughter.

But a painful laughter.

Especially when the path is not funny, and the pain is so deep.

The laughter covers the pain.

 

Silence is how so many inner beings survive.

They withdraw inward.

All emotions go deep, deep inside.

Eating away at the inner self for years.

And piling up more and more.

 

Some inner beings spew anger.

Explosive, vial anger.

At themselves and especially at others.

Trying to cover and protect the inner being.

But only to create more enemies.

 

The inner being tries to move out of us at times.

It causes illnesses and sickness.

Individuals endure pain from conditions caused by the constant fighting.

The inner being pushes and pushes until the physical cannot function.

And the whole person suffers.

 

The inner being must be nurtured.

Nurtured to avoid these damaging methods of coping.

To gain feelings of being safe.

We all have our own inner being.

And we all must guard against the negative evils on our paths.

 

Love of one’s inner being is the hope for the journey.

Loving ourselves, so others may love us.

Not being fearful of who we are.

Understanding the creation that we are inside,

And living the journey, loving ourselves.

 

Even though we may not find the inner being.

It will find us.

We cannot ignore it.

The inner being is a fragile entity.

We all must protect it in a healthy way.

 

The inner being is specific to each of us.

Even though we cope in similar ways,

The inner being is as different as each fingerprint.

The journey would be unbountiful without it.

Knowing the inner being is all that can bring us peace.

Lori Rennae Hickman Chapman

This week work at acknowledging and seeking your inner being’s ways of coping.  Seek who you are and accept yourself with love as you would love others.  My prayer is that may your inner peace be reached this week.  Thank you so much for “being” with me this week!  Blessings and love on your journey!

Love,

Rennae

 

Journey

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have always admired the woods this time of year.  All other seasons we only see the external beauties of the woods like leaf color, mass growth, or animals leaving the security.  During the winter, we see clear through to the bones of the woods.  We are given glimpses into the secrets held there.  Many people are like this.  They hide their deep beauty because of hurts and pains due to life’s circumstances.  You only get to see this beauty briefly for a season.  I think many times we do not pay attention to these individuals when they are sharing a hidden secret about themselves.  We become too busy or too self-absorbed to notice, just like we are too busy or too self-absorbed to actually see the beautiful secrets of the woods.  When we are with these individuals, this may be the only time they are brave enough to share.  I encourage you this week to be observant.  Take time and notice the beautiful secrets of those around you, and take time to notice our wooded surroundings.  You will find all types of secrets that are very special.  You never know what blessings you will receive from just seeing things around you!

Secrets of the Woods

You show us all your hidden secrets at this time of year.

The leaves have blown away.

The grasses have dried and withered.

And you stand naked.

Exposing everything.

 

Beautiful secrets!

One of fallen logs.

Others hiding places for many creatures.

I can see all your insides.

Your veins of life running along the ground and throughout the sky.

 

The silhouettes you expose are magical.

The dark against the light.

Shows creatures and characters from other worlds.

The ghost trees dance in the clearings.

The cedars show their shades of green.

 

Your secrets reveal paths not taken.

Mosses provide carpeted paths.

And the curve of the Earth is so vivid.

I discover rocks to relax on.

And hidden earthy scents feel fresh and anew me.

 

I can see all the woods you have this time of year.

Maple, oak, and sweet gum are just a few.

Many have dropped their seeds and fruits.

To bury in the mulchy leaves across the floor.

Waiting to be carried away by creatures in the shadows.

 

You reveal the hues of your insides.

All shades of brown, white, charcoal, and deep green.

You make the homes of many by the knobs, cracks, holes, and twigs you contain.

The safe comfort for so many.

The lichens and moss make their resting spots in your bones.

 

The winter secrets are revealed.

If only we would look.

If only we would respect all that you give to us.

The day will come when you hide all these secrets again.

Until you let us see your internal beauty again.

Lori Rennae Hickman Chapman

I cannot thank you enough for joining me this week!  I pray you can be blessed by the secrets of the woods and the secrets of the beautiful people around you this week.  Open yourself up in order to receive blessings from both of these.  May your winter week be joyful, helpful to others, and happy from the secrets you discover in the woods!

Love,

Rennae

 

Blessings

 

 

One of the toughest times for me are those quiet times right after the holidays.  Visits and phone calls become fewer.  Busyness and preparation settle down.  Everyone returns to work and schedules.  It is just difficult adapting to the quietness again.  Where some of us search for the quiet, some of us dread this type of quiet.  As I reflect in today’s piece, I am so blessed to know this quietness after all the noise!  I am thankful I have those that love us and come home to be with us that causes all this noise!  Never be discouraged as the quietness settles in, because it also brings great hope for the noisy house again!  Use this quiet time to set goals, reflect, or express yourself in a positive way.  Come on quietness!  The sooner you are here the sooner the noise will return!

New Year’s Silence

The silence is deafening.

It is all over.

The hustling to hide gifts.

The rush to make cookies.

 

The most noise heard now.

Is that of the dogs rustling in their beds.

All the conversations are quiet.

Because all the characters have come and gone.

 

Not by choice,

But by life.

Not from lack of love,

But from living the journey.

 

All that can be heard.

Is the rain on the windows.

And the wind whistling in the eves.

Which both leave only contemplation.

 

The holiday movies are gone.

Dinners out will happen other times.

Books returned to the shelves.

All have provided dreams, trips, and fictions of many characters.

 

The rest provided in a safe place.

Has shut down for a time.

The comforters and pillows for naps.

Are all tucked back into their cubbies.

 

The winter lights are the only sounds to be heard.

Their warmth tries to replace the missing souls.

Everyone including the puppies.

Watch the doors and windows thinking someone will come in.

 

The silence may be scary.

But one has to remember it will not last long.

Other days will come.

When the conversations, laughter, and being together will drown it out again.

 

Quietness come as you may.

Because I know the hope is hidden beneath you.

The hope when the souls return.

Making this a noisy house once more!

Lori Rennae Hickman Chapman

Thank you so very much for being with me this week.  I am so grateful that you spend your quiet time with me.  May your quietness bring joy, smiles, and thanks, helping you to look forward to the hope of love again!  We say thanks to God for the blessing of noise!  Make your quietness a blessing of joy this week!

Love,

Rennae

 

Blessings

 

 

Wow!  Was that holiday season as fast for you as it was for me?  I pray yours was as wonderful as mine!  Thanks for your understanding in me taking time with family and friends.  I have to say while I was leisurely moving through the holidays, the stars where moving through the night sky.  I have never seen such brilliance on these clear, cold winter evenings.  The sky sure puts on an amazing show!  And even though in my belief, our day for celebrating is over, when I look at the stars the celebration only continues.  Their brilliance reminds me of one of the greatest stars ever given, Jesus!  As I peruse the winter night sky, I can not help but to consider the greatest star of all.  I hope with the beginning of your new year, your celebration can continue as we see the miracles before us.  I hope you can know the holiday just continues because of this brilliance!  The Star shines on!

The Winter Star

The star fell from the sky.

It landed in a lonely manager.

All thought the Star would be a king.

The Star would be from power and royalty.

 

There were other plans from the Universe.

The Star was to represent the normal.

Not the aristocrats of society.

But the humans at the lower echelons.

 

The Star grew up as a normal child.

Doing childlike things.

And raised in the religion of His people.

But with a special sense of being different.

 

Different in heart and mind.

Yet aligned with common man.

The Star became a young man.

Following the heart of His Father.

 

As the Star became brighter and brighter.

Many of those with small hearts

Feared the light of the Star.

They feared His connection to mere humans.

 

The Star cured people.

It taught children.

The Star ministered to those hurting emotionally.

And applied some of the greatest love laws throughout time.

 

This Star did miracles.

It led the common man to be strong

The Star scattered love everywhere.

And promised a light that would beam past death.

 

The leaders and governors of the people.

Became more fearful and developed hate for the Star.

So much hate that they sought to extinguish the Star.

Their small minds developed schemes to employ against the Star.

 

They appeared to snuff the Star out.

To only learn that the Star.

Returned to the sky to burn brighter.

And burned into the heart of man.

 

The Star found its way around the world.

And reached all nations and all people.

Uplifting many to know.

God’s grace through a simple Star.

 

Lori Rennae Hickman Chapman

May your winter journey be guided by the brightest light of all!  The most amazing thing about the brilliance of this Star is that it transfers that glorious energy into us as well.  Thank you for joining me again.  I hope my words can encourage and inspire you as the year begins.  Thank you for allowing me to be a part of that journey.  Shine on bright stars!

Love,

Rennae

 

Grace

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy December! Friends and Family! 

Today is a note to let you know I will be taking off for a few weeks.  With all the hustle and bustle of the holidays, I am spending some very precious time with friends and family like you!  I could not let the year end without saying how very blessed I am to have you support me and find inspiration in my writings.  I pray that you can find peace and love this holiday season, no matter your beliefs.  I pray that you, your family, and your friends can be together in hearts and minds, understanding just how blessed you are to live each day with each other.  It is so imperative that we see just how glorious our lives are and can be!  No matter what is going on in our outer circumstances or around us, we realize we have those that love us and care for us deeply.  If we were not in their lives, there would be empty spots and voids.  Celebrate this season with peace, thanks, and love!  Focus on everyone and what all you are given so freely.  I will miss our conversations each week, but 2020 is right around the corner!  We have many new challenges, experiences, and inspirations headed our way!  Relax, celebrate, and lavish yourself with the people you love.  Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!  I will see you the first of 2020!  May God bless you and yours as He has mine.  May the peace that was meant for us all fall upon your heart!

Merry Christmas!  And Happy New Year!

Love,

Rennae    

I am so blessed that in my beliefs, I can go straight to God with my prayers through Jesus Christ.  I can be doing anything at anytime and say prayers for thanks, requests, and praises.  Through the Holy Spirit I can also receive answers!  We so often think we must be in a holy building or place to do this.  But isn’t everywhere and everything that we know about Holy because of God?  A building or structure cannot contain God.  Only man can contain God.  Freedom is wonderful!  No matter your beliefs, exercise your prayers today and every day.  Do not overlook your freedom this week.  As we celebrate this Thanksgiving season, give your thanks for this amazing freedom.  Exercise it greatly with your freedom of prayer anywhere and anytime!

Praying

I pray in the dark of night.

My prayers go out in the light of day.

On the way to the doctor.

Coming home from the grocery.

 

I pray in the shower.

While I decorate with flowers.

As I wash up dishes.

And as I sweep the floor.

 

Prayers go up in my big soft comfy chair.

They go out as I pray on the front porch.

I pray loving on my puppies.

And with my head on my pillow as I dream of my children.

 

I pray over the amazing food I am given.

And for the warm water as it hits my face in the morning.

My pleas are heard at a stop light.

And in line at the department store.

 

My prayers fill the sky that is filled with winter stars.

I pray in the garden.

And on the church bench.

Beside the small creek under the trees.

 

I pray at the hospital with family.

And at the ballgame with friends,

Invocations waft out as I cap my strawberries.

And as I smell my coffee.

 

I pray as I gaze upon the stars.

As the sun rises,

My voice is heard by God.

During the sunny day,

I give thanks by prayer for the sun and fluffy clouds above.

 

At the end of the day,

My requests are made as the beauty of the sun disappears in an array of colors.

And when the dark comes upon the Earth,

I whisper my pleas to God.

 

When the butterflies flutter by,

They carry my prayers to God.

I pray into the eyes of the deer,

And know I am heard by God.

 

The birds listen to my prayers,

And chirp them to God.

I whisper my prayers to God,

And the white birch waves them into the heavens so He can hear.

 

I have been given the grace to come to God anywhere, anytime.

My prayers can happen anywhere, anytime.

And they are answered anywhere, anytime.

When I am praying and listening anywhere, anytime.

Lori Rennae Hickman Chapman

With us being in this Thanksgiving season, lift your prayers up!  And be ready to accept those answers!  The greatest gift we are given is the freedom we have in our beliefs within this country.  Give thanks in a very big way this season with prayer!  My prayers for you and yours during this season are that you are blessed with joy, love, free beliefs, and free prayer!  I am so very thankful for the love you show me!

Love,

Rennae

 

 

Grace

 

 

 

 

I can not explain why, but dread seeps into my heart this time of year when the clocks have fallen back and bring the dark out so early.  It’s like the whole community rushes from wherever, work or activities, to their safe space before the darkness takes over.  It also makes our hearts heavy, and we seem to retreat, sometimes from ourselves and others.  Although this is a tough time, we must push to continue shining our lights!  We must consciously keep our minds and hearts open and beating!  Seeking positive, good directions and thoughts.  Don’t let that darkness dominate!  Take your dark and make it into a sky with lighted stars!

The Dark at Dusk

It comes so quickly now.

And it last so long.

The trees’ silhouettes appear like black spaces in the sky.

The dark creeps down and covers the sun.

 

The pitch black appears.

And it causes a clearness in the air.

The coyote’s screech can be heard clearly.

The dark brings a chill to the night.

 

We hustle and scamper to get inside.

No one waits to be left in the dark.

Because it is in the dark where our nightmares arise.

Our greatest fears surface so they can be seen.

 

The hand of the darkness moves across the hills, the grasses, and the trees.

Until it smothers everything with the absence of light.

The dark is a pitch, deep black canvas.

That canvas is a background for silence that is very clear.

 

For some reason the dark pulls us deep into depression.

It takes away our shadows.

And makes our heart so cold.

Cold toward others and ourselves.

 

Our bodies want to slumber where the warm calls us.

We seek the light provided by the inside.

We are led to the fire provided internally.

Comfort draws us in to escape within the light.

 

The day light will arrive when it comes about slowly again.

It will have a longer stay.

All our shadows can be seen again.

And the sun will cover the dark.

 

The light will break the abyss of the dark earlier.

And it will stay late.

The dark can only hold us for so long.

Our lights will only be covered for a short time.

Lori Rennae Hickman Chapman

I pray for you and yours a bright transition during this intercession toward winter.  Surround yourself with warmth and warming souls!  Read encouraging writings, warm with coffee, cocoa, fires and blankets, and soothe your transition with friends and family conversations.  Blessings of light upon you this week as the dark moves in!

Love,

Rennae

 

 

Journey

 

 

November is always a time we think of thanks.  We pour our hearts out and give thanks for so many things and everything.  I just always think of my Mom and Dad at this time.  They never turned a stranger away for a meal, and they always gave what little bit they had in helping someone else.  This was their thanks for their blessings!  If money wasn’t given, then doing a job for someone or being there to support someone was what they did to serve others.  During different holidays, like Thanksgiving, you never knew who might show up to share a meal and the blessings of the day.  We so many times think that to serve someone, we have to put on a big show or spend enormous amounts of money, but it does not have to be like that at all.  I do not know the number of people whose souls were comforted by conversation under the garage with Em and Jim while sipping a cup of coffee.  My parent’s names may not be on a library building or highway, but their names are in the hearts of many people!  I realize they never knew how many people they served, but I saw how many they did.  A word of encouragement, a pie, a call, time to just listen, or the smallest sincerely unimportant act of kindness.  So, as you give thanks this month, think of small things you can do for others that demonstrates thanks for their being.  To repeat myself, it does not have to be a big deal. Just paying for someone’s coffee behind you in the coffee line, letting the Mom with three small children cut in front of you in the grocery line, or a word of thanks to your checker or waiter/waitress.  Passing your thanks on in a way of “humble hands” will go a long way in this world!

Humble Hands

I looked at his rough hands.

And thought of the many planks he had carried.

I glanced into her heart.

And saw all of those that she had helped.

 

I really tried to look beyond the physical attributes I saw.

It had become hard these days.

Caring and remembering where they had been.

And where they had gone.

 

Their sweet bodies showed the signs of life.

Life lived to the very fullest.

But in a hard way.

And for a long time.

 

They genuinely cared for their family.

Always believing in an extended one.

Calls of love each day.

Celebrations together every season.

 

They always gave thanks.

For the pennies they had.

And for the souls they treasured as friends.

Enjoying kindred spirits during rough times.

 

Always being thankful enough to share.

If not with money.

With hard work, food, and support.

But always there for those in need.

 

Sharing every day,

Not just once in a big way.

Giving their smallest morsel or their last penny,

So others could be blessed.

 

Demonstrating that service is giving.

And giving is love.

Believing it is by the humble hands we serve.

Not by arrogant hearts.

Lori Rennae Hickman Chapman

During this month make your thanks “humble hands”, and serve someone in a special way!  Look for the opportunities.  You will be surprised how many times God sends an angel your way to help.  Don’t overlook the opportunity to give thanks by serving!  Serving others is serving God.  I thank you with all my heart for joining me this week!  Thank you for allowing me to serve you with encouraging words and love!  I am so thankful for you!

Love,

Rennae

 

Blessings