This moment

Wow! What an incredible week! If I told you everything that's happened, you'd think I was lying or crazy.....Really! It's been an incredibly fulfilling, scary, heartbreaking, heart BUILDING, pouring-into-the-lives-of-people-I-love, kind of week! And to sum it up, I got the perfect summation at a funeral yesterday of a dear friend's daughter. This woman was clearly beloved by the sobbing and grief displayed among those fortunate to know her. I did not have that pleasure but her own daughter stood up and read a letter she'd just found in a book her mom had sent her and it could not have been a more beautiful testimony of who her mom was in life. I asked her permission and am sharing this portion. It is not original and I could not find its author. If you know where it comes from, please feel free to comment.

Nothing is worth more than this day

This moment in time will stop being the present and turn into the past-another memory.

It is the blessing and the curse of life. It never stops or even breaks for us.

We can only try to be present in each moment that we are given

and truly LIVE in it because it will surely not last.

So today, kiss your mother, say hello to a stranger, say goodbye to a bad habit,

hold the door open for someone-do it today because today is all we have.

I am so utterly in love with this sentiment. It is the fuel my day is fed upon.

I am a simple yet deeply complex. loving but utterly selfish, straight forward but scared of my own truths, broken and beautiful child of God striving to do this life, seize each moment, with love, integrity and strength. And if I lay my head down at night without my failures poking at me like an unyielding bully, that's a good day. Most of the time I see more where I failed than succeeded and wonder where this crazy score card in my head came from.....but........but...............................

Sometimes, there are these breathtaking moments, of utter wonder, awe and deep seated peace and I bask in the truth that I am loved beyond imagination by the God who created me and I see people as shining vessels inviting that pouring in of self and I just can't imagine a better moment than right now. And then that moment become a precious memory. A perfect snapshot, as it moves further and further and further away.

This day is a perfect opportunity to create a moment like that or to just settle for what is familiar. My prayer is for the courage and strength to seize as many opportunities to take that new path of either my own creation or Divine leading that fills my life with meaningful moments. I love you all! Go have yourselves extraordinary days!!!

Attitude of Gratitude

Thanks for the feedback from my first post. I had initially thought I would only blog once a week, but as I re-read my first post, I was very aware that I had left out one key component of what I am being in my life and the title says it all. I do believe there are no accidents in this world, only opportunities to take whatever is handed to you (or what your grab with both hands and hang on to like the devil) and use it for good. Literally NO MATTER what you get.

I was on this path early in life but didn't have the language tools to refine the fuzzily defined concept in my brain. I got clarity however a hard way and in a most beautiful way. Everything I have been terrified could happen in my life has literally happened in the past five years and guess what? I'm still standing, better than I ever did. Looking like a true survivor, feeling like a little kid..... (Thank you Elton John.)

I'll not go into it detail by detail, but since 2006 I have had a baptism by fire in this education and have received my PHD in living life in spite of those days when I just wanted to succumb to the waves crashing over my head and breathe the water of my own misery and drown. I developed postpartum depression after the birth of my last child and friends, if you know and are in the throes of that road of despair and depression of which I speak, all I can say is breathe, don't walk it alone, and know it's a season.

I yelled at God, cried out to Him, questioned the very nature and even the existence of Him and finally just leaned into it and let it guide me where it would under the supervision of a trusted therapist, family doctor and phenomenal friends. And man oh man, did the God of the Bible show up for me in a deeply personal and overwhelming obvious way. Praise God that season has passed. And I would not change one single moment of it. It literally gave me a facet of my life that is so precious to me and it empowers me to have seemingly unlimited access to loving others I recognize myself in, which turns out is everyone I meet!

So what does all of that mean in relationship to an attitude of gratitude? I am committed in this life to dislike NO ONE, literally not one person. I will find a way to be grateful for whatever comes my way knowing it will not be more than I can bear. Philipians 4:13 properly translated "I can do (bear) ALL things through Christ who strengthens me." I am committed to not only show gratitude but to actually personify gratitude as a way of being. I reject all unforgiveness in my life. It is literally like sipping poison every day and thinking it will kill the other person. I tried to google that quote as it is not my own and there are dozens of them verbatim or very similar. so I have no idea who first said it. But whoever did, THANK YOU!!!

OK my loves (and yes that is specifically written for YOU). I am off to do all that is in front of me to do. I hope this entry has given further insight as to what I am up to in life!! Have a wonderful weekend and make a difference in someone's life today! It is the best gift you can give YOURSELF.... But more about THAT later :-)

Broken and Beautiful

OK so this is my attempt to make a contribution and make sure every ounce of pain and struggle I go through right now can be used for a positive purpose. My name is Cheri Griffin, and I am utterly broken and seeking to see the beautiful as I do life. I am a Christ follower and my hope in life is that if you know me at all, that is not news to you. I am also wife to Chris, mom to Courtney, Jessika, Cody and Shelby and grandma to Marley. I have been a stay at home mom for the past seven years and have been a full time volunteer mainly in the realm of children and mom's

It's clear to me now that I have lived my adult life taking neither my life nor myself at all seriously. I have allowed myself to become ridiculously overweight and have chosen not to take any responsibility in creating any happiness in this life. I thought the more miserable I was, the more I was "doing it right" and "living beyond" my own personal needs. I did this with not one shred of authenticity. I really wanted to be loved and taken care of and thought if I just didn't do any of it for myself, others would step up and do it for me??? Whatever! It sound utterly ridiculous even writing it but that's what I did and I take full responsibility for that now.

Logos Security has multiple meanings for me. I believe The Word is the only security available in this word. And for me The Word is both Christ and the Bible which is one very long epic tale written entirely about Him and the word is my word given with integrity along with the words given to me by others.

Everything else is really just vapor right now. There is nothing else to rest my head on at night. Money is stolen, lost or thrown away. Homes burn, are taken away or thrown away. Marriages are as tenuous as ever if you read the latest statistics, and health is fleeting. So that's it. This blog will be about sharing my life with a world who cares to check in and my goal is to inspire you to share back. My hope is to begin a conversation about what is most important in my life, to make myself accountable to... well, the world in keeping my word and to create a life that is deeply meaningful and rewarding in the things that matter to me most.

Those things that matter to me most right now, living a life with integrity in Christ, loving my children (and yours) through my work in the world, creating affinity and love in a marriage where it doesn't exist right now. And allowing myself to lead in the changes I would like to see in this world. There was a time when a man's word was all there was. He bought and sold by it, offered and received services by it, basically lived and died by it. I don't see that much of anywhere these days and I'd like it back please. I will begin it and see where it goes. Will you join me?