A Few of My Favorite Things – And I Think They’ll Become Yours Too – #3 Journey Onward

(If you were here the past two weeks, skip a few paragraphs to those squiggly lines and meet my friend. Otherwise, read on.)

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens. Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens.  I grew up singing those words along with Julie Andrews but now I have my own list of favorite things.

To those who read my words and follow my blog, I’m going to do something different and new. The next few weeks, are going to be hectic for me and I am going to be working on some new writing projects so I’m going to step away from blogging for a few weeks. During my time away, I’m going to share a few of my favorite things with you – a writer, a podcaster, a ministry leader, a fitness coach and a few ministries I participate in and love.

I will be sharing my favorite people behind my favorite things because I think you’ll love them as much as I do. These are people I actually know. Some have been in my home and some haven’t – yet. But I do life with them. The convenience of technology allows us to cook together, unload the dishwasher, iron, coif our hair, drive and drink coffee – among other mundane things.

So, grab a mug of java or your favorite tea, get comfy and join me as I share with you the women I laugh with – and at times, cry with, sweat with and serve with.

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I met sweet, funny Laura at a Christian communicators conference. She was sitting with Lisa (who you “met” last week.) I came in a tad bit late and a whole lot of frazzled because I was upset about a family member. I thought I tried to cover my harried and emotional state fairly well but one look from Laura had me in tears. That’s how we met – I spilled my guts and she gently said she would pray for me and the situation. It was an instant connection though we left the conference and continued our lives several states away. The next year, we reconnected at the conference and knew God had something more for our friendship.

Laura is one who makes me laugh every week – and we’ve been known to share a tear together too. I wake up to her encouraging words – because she rises early and spends time with Jesus every day. She has a zany sense of humor, kind spirit, sweet soul and is a lover of Jesus. Ya’ll if I recorded our Marco Polos and put them on a YouTube channel, I’d be rich and you would be very entertained – and inspired and blessed.

Meet my friend, Laura. I know you will be blessed by her writing and encouraging words.

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I started my blog in 2013 after attending a She Speaks conference. I loved the blogs I was reading but they were all geared to young moms and I was an empty nest mom.

My hope was to encourage and share some of the parts of that phase with others in my shoes, but also to maybe build some bridges between generations as perhaps younger women might glean some insight into their own moms.

I quickly realized my audience included women and men, of all ages and stages, and what I thought was needed was not at all what God intended for my writing.

It would seem the way God speaks to me in the midst of the comic and tragic parts of life is common to a mix of people and we all could use some encouragement or laughter or someone who just says, yeah…me too.

So I started writing what a friend dubbed “organic posts”…basically like you and I met up for a quick cup of coffee and I shared what was on my mind and heart, usually five days a week.

It’s an on-going conversation between us.

Why the name Journey Onward?

Several years ago, my sister-in-law gave me a book called Valley of Vision Prayers of the Puritans. It was leather with the name embossed in gold. Near the bottom was a subtitle “Journey Onward.”

I loved the book and the prayers so much that at Christmas I decided to purchase multiple copies for friends. When the books arrived, I was disappointed the copies I ordered lacked the subtitle.

I mentioned this to my sister-in-law, she explained that when she ordered mine, they offered to inscribe my name on it. Rather than put “Laura Reimer,” she felt led to name me – Journey Onward.

Of all the names I would give myself, this would have been the last.

“Quitter”

“Habitually Late”

“Majors in the Minor”

“Likes to Take Frequent Breaks”

“Drags Her Feet”

“Lingers Too Long at Rest Stops”

“Hates Change”

Sure, any of those. But “Journey Onward?”

It became a challenge for me to live up to my name, and it became the vision for my little slice of the internet as I started seeing my life as a Journey to be shared with my fellow sojourners.

Where I have been, where I am right now and where I am going is what I write about. God has been faithful in my past, He is faithful in my present and He is and always will be faithful in my future.

I have asked Him to show me HIMSELF in all the steps I take. He has answered and called me to share my journey with YOU.

Bless you. Bless me. As WE… Journey ONWARD

Check our her blog HERE

Find her and follow her on Facebook HERE

 

See you next week for another one of my favorite things ~ SDT (Isn’t this fun?)