Just some random thoughts......

We have been enjoying extraordinarily warm (hot) days lately in West Michigan. We are breaking a record, as I hear.
As I look around, I see the daffodils, hyacinths and other beautiful spring flowers and my heart is so full of gratitude. What a beautiful place we live in! We have so much! Lots of food, a house where we can live in peace, loving family and friends around us, a church family who is always there, we are healthy and happy....
God has blessed us with an abundance here in America.
It would be sooo selfish to just sit around in my whole life and enjoy myself. How would I be able to give an account to God???
In most of the world people are suffering, starving, dying in wars and diseases. Why am I different? Why am I here enjoying all that there is to enjoy, peace, abundance, love?
The answer: I am no special. God loves his children the same way whether they are suffering or not, hungry or not. I have a special responsibility to share the boon around. To give back. To give as much of my time and myself as I can.
I wanna be SALT. I wanna flavor people`s lives. I wanna show them Christ. I wanna be LIGHT. I wanna reflect His light. With every one of my breath I wanna live to represent Christ to the people I meet. So that they will know that in Christ we have EVERYTHING. We have SALVATION, we have the LOVE OF GOD, we have ETERNAL LIFE, the HOLY SPIRIT is within us.....

Thank you Lord!

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Edina at the lady`s retreat :)

Hi!
I really gotta pick it up and update our blog more often. It has been like a month and a half. 
No excuses though!
I (Edina) had a magnificent weekend. I went to a lady`s retreat with 32 other ladies from our church. Seems like I had been too full of myself to humbly give lady`s retreats a chance in the past. I always avoided them thinking "too many women, loud, crowded, intense, fluffy" etc. But I can say now that the first lady`s retreat of my life proved me utterly wrong!
Some amazing ladies put together a completely relaxing and meaningful couple of days at a sumptuous hotel. 
Friday night we had a toothsome dinner buffet with fried perch and lemon tartar sauce, kielbasa and saurkraut with an unbelievable carraway seed sauce, beef steak and baked mac-n-cheese with imported cheeses, blue cheese-spinach salad with raspberry dressing, dreamy soft and crunchy breadrolls and apple pie with cherry jubilee. I mean talk about being full... 
So with full stomacks we were ready for a nap. Instead we started a 7 part DVD teaching series by best-selling author Elizabeth George. Let me tell you it was 100 times worth it to stay awake for it. Throughout the series she shared 7 of her "favorite" life-changing verses from the Scriptures and how they effected her life. 
I took notes faster than ever not wanting to miss a word. During the two days of teaching I got so much "meat to chew", so many things to bring before my Father one-by-one to pray and think about.  I am planning to share some of those thoughts here soon. 


The never-run-out freshly squeezed lemonade in our crystal glasses and the unlimited Starbucks coffee-bar was a nice feature I thought. *Even though I dont drink coffee myself I do enjoy the smell.... :)
We also had several drawings for prizes throughout the weekend. How fun! I actually won the very last drawing! :)


Also have to mention Lori Schaeffer`s truly fascinating presentation on how to put together   cute little spring plant and flower compositions. Even me ("The PlantKiller") thought Wow that actually looks easy enough that maybe even I could do it. Thanks Lori!!!

And on Saturday after the last teaching and wrap-up session we had the utter pleasure to browse the famous Twelve Oaks Mall for a few hours. Had the chance to go to Hennes & Mauritz (AKA H&M) this lovely Swedish clothing store.... I know I know... here comes the European talk again bla bla bla...but I truly love European fashion! :) LoL. Naturally! 
Thank you Marsha, Diane, Val and everyone else! :) 
Here are some pics.

our sumptuous dinner

Large and beautiful fireplace in the lobby

My roomies

Marsha on my left

Elizabeth George, our speaker

beautiful plant compositions

the terrarium, I totally want to make one

Plants in a shoes. Table center piece

Hennes & Mauritz and ME

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