Happy Mother’s Day

To Mother

You painted no Madonnas,

On chapel walls in Rome,

But with a touch diviner,

You lived one in your home,

You wrote no lofty poems,

That critics counted art,

But with a nobler vision,

You lived them in your heart.

You carved no shapeless marble

To some high soul design,

But with a finer sculpture,

You shaped this soul of mine.

You built no great cathedrals,

That centuries applaud,

But with a grace exquisite,

Your life cathedraled God.

Had I the gift of Raphael,

Or Michelangelo,

Oh what a rare Madonna,

My mother’s life would show.

~William Pitt Fessenden

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers. 💕Being a mom is one of the greatest, yet hardest, callings one can ever have. It is amazing to me, though, how God fills a mother’s heart with never ending love for her children despite difficulty, fatigue, or any other circumstance life brings. A mother’s love is unconditional and while she is not perfect, I believe it’s the closest thing to Jesus’ love on this earth. Thank you, Mamas, for all the sacrifices you make that no one ever sees. The love that you give your children will multiply in their lives like ripples in the water. Even if you can’t see it right away, know that your love brings beauty and kindness to this world that never goes away. Blessings. 💕

Your friend,

Tiffany

Unless…

My life is immersed in autism and special needs due to my son’s disability as most who follow my blog know. I haven’t written as much lately due to factors related to that and some other issues that are having to be addressed. Anyway, another special needs mom shared the following link yesterday, and it totally touched my heart so I wanted to share. (I haven’t donated to them, but just loved the heart behind the program. ❤️) It was a great reminder to me about not only caring with words but in the kind actions of giving and serving, too. I pray God richly blesses all who serve others in love whether with words or actions or both.

Blessings friends!

Your friend,

Tiffany

Here is the link to special needs program. Click on the short intro video on the site. I hope it blesses you!

https://www.unlessu.org/

The Value of Creative Work

It seems as though lately tons of things have been added to my plate, some of which I didn’t see coming. I’m so thankful God did, however, and that He works all things for our good. The following is an excellent reminder of the significance of our creative work. While our identity is so much more than our work, the gifts we use in our creative work are valuable and significant to God.

Excerpt from Jesus the Creator, Carpenter, Gardener, & King, this week’s devotion from my church. Just a little reminder and encouragement that our creative work has purpose and value.
Blessings.

Your friend,

Tiffany

Before God tells us He is love, before He tells us He is holy, before He tells us He is Savior, God wants you and I to know that He is a creative, productive, working God.

This idea of a God who works is unique in the long list of stories of the origin of the world. Every other religion claims that the gods created human beings to work and serve the gods. None would dare to say that God Himself works—much less introduce that fact in the first breath of the story.

This truth carries the utmost significance for the work we do today. Work is not a fringe thing or a meaningless means to an end. Work is central to who God is, and thus, central to who we are as His image bearers. That’s one of the great meanings of this first revelation of Jesus Christ.

And it’s not just any work that God does. It’s creative work—the work of taking risks to create new things for the good of others. It’s the work of entrepreneurs and artists, storytellers and sales executives, marketers and mothers. And as we will see tomorrow, it’s the type of work Jesus did when he came to earth to be born into the home of a carpenter.

Unexpected Blessings

Thank you to everyone who prayed for Landon’s dental surgery Friday. I could really feel all the prayers. ❤️ I honestly thought I would be inspired to write because of the difficulty of the experience of Landon’s dental surgery, but that isn’t the case. God blew me away with His goodness and kindness. I know the unexpected blessings were answers to specific prayers because they were little miracles that would normally not happen.

Unexpected Blessing #1

When we were checking in, a nurse came over and told me she had a son with autism. She told me it would be about a three hour wait until it was Landon’s turn. She understood how hard it would be for Landon to sit and wait so she suggested we ride around in the van and said she would call me when it was his turn to go back. The waiting time was one of my concerns as Landon gets really anxious when having to wait in a new place.

Unexpected Blessing #2

Murry and I rode around with Landon for about an hour. He had nothing to eat or drink since the night before at about 8:00pm. If you know Landon, you know he LOVES to eat. 😂 During the van ride he only asked for chicken nuggets twice AND he never had a meltdown. We told him he would have to wait until we ”got the boo-boos in his teeth fixed” to have food. Usually he gets really upset when he’s hungry, so again, I have no doubt God was answering that specific prayer. He only asked for chicken nuggets a couple of times but never got frustrated.

Unexpected Blessing #3

When the nurse called us, we drove back to the hospital and walked Landon back to a private room. They immediately gave him a medication to calm him hidden in a small amount of Sprite. (The only slight hiccup we had was that two doses of meds didn’t put him to sleep. The anesthesiologist seemed a little surprised. I imagine he’d probably never met anyone quite like Landon who has the strength and resolve of a much larger person.😂) However, they did not put his IV in until he was asleep. Answer to prayer right here! During the last (attempted) blood draw at the doctor, Landon was fighting so hard a vein blew immediately causing a golf-ball sized knot on his tiny arm. So my concern about that was totally resolved!

Unexpected Blessing #4

When they took him back, he settled down and did great with the anesthesia. The dentist X-rayed his teeth. The x-ray revealed he had 9 cavities…more than we thought! The dentist filled them, cleaned his teeth, and sealed his teeth. She said we shouldn’t have to do this again for several years or maybe not ever.

Unexpected Blessing #5

The nurses warned us that patients often are combative when waking up from anesthesia. Landon wasn’t! They even removed his IV without much fuss.

Unexpected Blessing #6

When Landon was awake enough to sit in the wheelchair and be taken out to the van, the nurse and my husband easily moved him into the van. I drove home, Landon slept in the van and remained asleep as we tucked him back into his own bed. Again…no meltdown!

Unexpected Blessing #7

Landon woke up several hours later. He was happy, smiling, and wolfed down two hotdogs and some water. He never got nauseous or sick from the anesthesia!

Unexpected Blessing #8

The next day, I decided to attempt to brush Landon’s teeth. Normally he fights me…big time. But he didn’t. He allowed me to brush his teeth without a fuss!

Then it hit me.

The thought that maybe part of the reason he had been fighting and so upset about having his teeth brushed was due to the fact that he had so many cavities!

Maybe his teeth were sensitive and hurt!

He couldn’t tell me his teeth hurt!

All he could do was scream and try to get me to stop brushing.

I still can’t get this thought out of my head! God knew all along that Landon’s teeth were sensitive and causing him pain. I’ve never had a cavity in my life. Not one. I don’t know how it feels. We don’t know how long Landon has had undetected cavities. But God knows. Landon’s surgery had to happen. To make him better. To remove and cut away the deteriorated part of his teeth. The parts that were causing Landon pain. Pain we couldn’t see. Pain we couldn’t fix.

How many times do we have something in our life that is hurting us? Maybe it’s something God wants us to let go of. Could it be He wants to remove some things that we aren’t even aware of so we can heal? Things only He can see.

I‘m so thankful God loves Landon. He loves each unique individual, more than a parent loves each of their own children. Although we do live in an imperfect world full of “cavities” at times, the Holy Spirit is always present in our lives- comforting, guiding, and helping us. He uncovers hidden hurt and pain and leads us towards healing where we need it. He’ll even send us unexpected blessings to remind us He’s there through it all. He wants us to have abundant life. Not because we earned it or deserved it. But because He loves us in an unexplainable and beautiful way. Simply because we are His.

Blessings.

Your friend,

Tiffany

PS As I am writing this, the song You’re Carrying Me (Vineyard Worship) began to play on Pandora. I really felt I should share the lyrics. No matter what pain or burden you might be carrying, remember God is carrying you. Trust Him.

Unexpected kindness, I turn my face to You
Surrounded by Your mercy, I’m falling into You

I’m waiting, You’re running and I lean into You

You’re carrying me, You’re carrying me, You’re carrying me
And I choose to trust You, Lord
You’re carrying me, You’re carrying me, You’re carrying me
And I choose to trust You, Lord

I don’t know the future but I place my hope in You, hm-mm-mmm
As You call me forward, I’m falling into You

I’m waiting, You’re running and I lean into You
My burdens are falling as I lean into You

You’re carrying me, You’re carrying me, You’re carrying me
And I choose to trust You, Lord
You’re carrying me, You’re carrying me, You’re carrying me
And I choose to trust You, Lord
You’re carrying me, You’re carrying me, You’re carrying me
And I choose to trust You, Lord
You’re carrying me, You’re carrying me, You’re carrying me
And I choose to trust You, Lord

I’m waiting, You’re running and I lean into You, woah-oh-oh-oh-oh-ohh
My burdens, they are falling as I lean into You, oh

You’re carrying me, You’re carrying me, You’re carrying me
And I choose to trust You, Lord
You’re carrying me, You’re carrying me, You’re carrying me
And I choose to trust You, Lord

I trust You, I trust You, I trust You, hm-mm-mm-mm-mm
I trust You, I trust You, I trust You

My March Tree/Birthday Tree

I wasn’t sure if I would have a March tree. My 10-year- old son was not too keen on the whole Christmas tree still being up thing. 😂 Since his birthday party is on Saturday, I promised to decorate it as a birthday tree. He actually told me he liked it today.

On another note, please keep my family in your thoughts and prayers as my other son has to have emergency dental surgery on Friday. It will be an exhausting and challenging day. However, I’m sure Landon will provide me with plenty of inspiration for writing that day.

Blessings to you, friends. I pray the beginning of your springtime is beautiful.

Your friend,

Tiffany

Springtime (Chris Renzema)

You’re the resurrection
That we’ve waited for
You buried the night
And came with the morning
You’re the king of heaven
The praise is yours
The longer the quiet
The louder the chorus

Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh

We will sing a new song
‘Cause death is dead and gone with the winter
We will sing a new song
Let “hallelujahs” flow like a river
We’re coming back to life
Reaching towards the light
Your love is like springtime

You’re the living water
God, we thirst for you
The dry and the barren
Will flower and bloom
You’re the sun that’s shining
You restore my soul
The deeper you call us
Oh, the deeper we’ll go

Come tend the soil
Come tend the soil of my soul
And like a garden
And like a garden I will grow
I will grow
Come tend the soil
Come tend the soil of my soul
And like a garden
And like a garden I will grow
I will grow
I will grow
I will grow

Groves of Lemon Trees

Do you ever hear or read someone’s story and afterwards feel totally thankful that your situation is not as harrowing? Maybe you read about someone’s difficulties and you feel compassion for them, but deep down you are relieved that you are not experiencing those things? Or maybe you read/watch/hear someone’s personal account that clicks with you and connects with you because you are experiencing something similar or it somehow resonates with you for one reason or another? Maybe you feel encouraged because you know you aren’t alone in the hard times? All of the above are just a few of the many reasons I started to write nearly four years ago.

I usually write whenever the inspiration hits. I’m not a “planner.” This can be good and it can be not so good. Usually I write because something reminds me of the imperfect world we live in. It’s kind of like the not so fun reminder makes me want to turn the negative circumstance into something refreshing, encouraging, and sweet. Something like lemonade. Sweet but maybe a little tangy. Like with lemonade, hopefully all the ingredients combine to make something real and refreshing.

I learn as I go with writing. Sometimes I may add a little too much sugar. Other times I have a little too much lemon “tanginess” (is that a word?) Maybe I add too much water at times. Maybe sometimes though, the lemonade combination is just right. 😊

But one thing is for sure….I have groves and groves of the primary ingredient- lemons! God and life’s circumstances have ensured that I have an unending supply! It’s quite a beautiful grove, and at times I can not keep up with the abundance of the produce! Some of the lemons have gone to waste, due to limited time, limited resources, and being unable to handle the abundance. Yet many of the lemons have gone into making lemonade! Despite the variations in the different batches, my prayer is that it has all been real and refreshing. I pray the “lemonade” will continue to be that way.

I’ve decided to create a devotional from some of my “lemonade” so I am going to have to be a little more intentional about how I spend my writing time. I hope to still blog some, but I need to shift my focus to the devotional since my time and schedule can fill up quickly. The autism Mama life can be a busy one!

I pray that whatever circumstance life hands you, you’ll allow it to help you grow your grove or garden into something that will enrich, sustain, and refresh others.

Blessings.

Your friend,

Tiffany

Hold On To The Right Things

I’ve been running down this road

Don’t even know where I’m going half the time

I’ve been hiding in my phone

I have been missing all the moments and trying to find

I’ve been pushing back regret

I’ve been lost inside my head

I’ve been wandering around like a ghost

But I wanna hold on to the right things

And let go of the rest

‘Cause time’s worth more than money

And I’m done buying what won’t last

‘Cause the years are just a vapor

And this life is just a breath

I wanna hold on to the right things

And let go of the rest

I’ve been wearing myself out

Trying to get this off the ground on my own

Yeah, I’ve been carrying this weight

Feeling that something’s gotta change, God, I know it

Oh God, I know it

I’ve been pushing back regret

I’ve been lost inside my head

I’ve been wandering around like a ghost

But I wanna hold on to the right things

And let go of the rest

‘Cause time’s worth more than money

And I’m done buying what won’t last

‘Cause the years are just a vapor

And this life is just a breath

I wanna hold on to the right things

And let go of the rest

You’re the one thing that will last forever

So I’m done holding on to what won’t matter

You’re the one thing that will last forever

So I’m done holding on to what won’t matter

You’re the one thing that will last forever (oh, oh)

So I’m done holding on to what won’t matter (you’re the only thing)

You’re the one thing that will last forever (oh, oh)

So I’m done holding on to what won’t matter

I wanna hold on to the right things

And let go of the rest

‘Cause time’s worth more than money

And I’m done buying what won’t last

‘Cause the years are just a vapor

And this life is just a breath

So hold on to the right things

And let go of the rest

~The Right Things, Chris Renzema

I heard this song on the way to Wal-mart this morning. It really spoke to me. How many times have I gotten lost in my phone? How many times have I forgotten that time is worth more than money? I want to ”hold on to the right things and let go of the rest.”

About a year ago, I started creating a list of songs that struck a chord with me in one way or another. Hearing this song also reminded me to share my “running list” of songs that I’ve discovered. If you get a chance to listen to any or all of them I pray the songs uplift, bless, encourage, and inspire you.

Your friend,

Tiffany

My Song List (Part 1 😊)

God of Our Mothers and Fathers (Vineyard Worship)
I Am Thankful (Leslie Jordan and Paul Baloche)
Forever Amen (Stephanie Gretzinger)
Insatiable (Jesus Culture)
You’re Carrying Me (Vineyard Worship)
I’m Listening (Chris McFarney)
Canvas and Clay (Pat Barrett)
Sing my way back (Stephanie Gretzinger)
How To Be Yours (Chris Renzema)
Nothing/Something (Pat Barrett/Dante Bowe)
What a friend (Chris McClarney)
No Doubt About it (We the kingdom)
Give me Jesus (Abby Gambia Upper Room)
The Maker of the Moon (Elle Limebear)
I Choose to Worship (Rend Collective)
I Don’t Have Much (Josh Baldwin)
Praise the Name (Melanie Waldman)
Lovesick (Housefires)
When You’re My Age (Lori McKenna)
Love Came Down (Brian Johnson)
Tin Roof (Blessing Offor)
Blessed Are Those Who Follow You (Chris Renzema)
Friend (Jervis Campbell)
Let You Love Me (Jervis Campbell)
Eden (Jervis Campbell)
Hold Me Together (Jervis Campbell)
The Right Things (Chris Renzema)
Used To Be Mine (Chris Renzema and Moriah Hazeltine)

Perspectives

Perspective is a very interesting thing. We do not see things as they are; we see things as we are.
~Benny Perez

Measure not God’s love and favour by your own feeling. The sun shines as clearly in the darkest day as it does in the brightest. The difference is not in the sun, but in some clouds which hinder the manifestation of the light thereof.

~Richard Sibbes

Hope lives under the cloud of impending good. It’s up to you to choose your perspective. How you look at tomorrow directly impacts the way you live today.

~Katherine Walden

It is so easy for me to “get stuck” in seeing circumstances from my viewpoint. However, my view is so limited. All the while the Holy Spirit is high above all the circumstances capturing the entire, enormous beautiful picture. He sees the vast expanse of all of the good and the bad and how it fits together to make a magnificent masterpiece in the end. The storms don’t discourage, rattle, and upset him the way they often affect me. Yet He understands my humanity and is with me always to comfort, guide, counsel, and encourage. The following devotion is from Discover the God of More, Benny Perez on the topic of Holy Spirit Perspective. I pray it is an encouragement to you, also.

Your friend,

Tiffany

Holy Spirit Perspective

When we are facing battles, navigating the storms, and walking through the valleys, we must seek the Holy Spirit’s perspective. Getting a revelation of His perspective of our circumstances has the power to change what’s happening on the inside of us, which changes what’s happening on the outside of us.

Perspective is a very interesting thing. We do not see things as they are; we see things as we are. Depending on how you are, you may not see something the way it really is. How you process what’s happening in your life depends on where you are at in your life.

You need to know that regardless of your upbringing, by God’s Word and grace, you can begin to look at life the way the God of More wants you to look at life. That ancient Greek word used for ‘transform’ in the original text is metamorphosis—the same word that is used to describe the process of a caterpillar turning into a butterfly. Our perspective needs to transform from a natural view to a supernatural view.

If we want to see things from a Holy Spirit perspective, then we need to be spending time reading and studying the Word of God. If God has spoken a dream into your heart, the Holy Spirit will remind you of it when you are in the middle of a storm. If you are frustrated and discouraged because you cannot see the fulfillment of a dream yet, the Holy Spirit will give you the strength and wisdom to endure.

We must view our storms and valleys from the perspective that God is above them. And if God is above it, and you are in Christ, and the Holy Spirit dwells within you, then you will surely arise from it and get to the other side.

The Holy Spirit is above all things, so we need to get the same perspective the Holy Spirit has over the situation, rather than the perspective that I have over the situation. No matter what voids are there, what darkness is there, what the enemy is trying to do in your life— the Holy Spirit is hovering above your situation. The God of More is about ready to turn it around on your behalf!

Mesmerizing Music

Today is my Sunday to keep Landon. My husband and I take turns going to church with our other kids so we each get the chance to go. Landon’s behaviors make it very difficult for him to sit in a service for very long. Thanks to technology, we have the ability to watch online.

While I was watching/listening to the praise and worship part of the service today, I remembered a praise and worship artist I recently discovered while listening to Pandora the other day. I absolutely love music as it seems to touch parts of the soul in a way that nothing else can. Beautiful, truth-filled lyrics combined with mesmerizing sounds produce this undefinable almost magical quality to me. Some songs just seem to draw me into them and keep me there for awhile. Anyway, I love discovering new to me worship artists, so I wanted to share. I encourage you to check out Jervis Campbell. I originally heard his song Friend on Pandora, then heard Let You Love Me. After that, I was hooked. 😊 Then I searched on YouTube and listened to Eden and Hold Me Together.

Here are the lyrics to Eden. Hope your day is blessed and beautiful.

Your friend,

Tiffany

Eden
Written by Jervis Campbell
[verse]
Born and raised in the darkness still my soul did sing out
of a hope that brought tomorrow Of a love that covered me
And the times I felt the farthest Still your love did cling
Oh by faith my feet were grounded Couldn’t fight your gravity
[chorus]
You’re the bones inside my body
You’re the fire that fills my lungs You’re the reason I’m still standing You’re the strength to carry on
And I wanna know you like it were Eden Like its only the two of us
Oh I wanna walk among your presence
I want to feel your faultless love
[verse]
So take me out from the harbor And by your light you lead, oh I wanna go to your still waters I wanna sail your silver sea
And I know this life it gets harder But as long as it’s you and me Oh I wanna go in full abandon
I wanna give you everything
[chorus]
[bridge]
I just want to feel it Your faultless love

The Hope Plant

“It’s always something, to know you’ve done the most you could. But, don’t leave off hoping, or it’s of no use doing anything. Hope, hope to the last!”

~Charles Dickens

“Hope means hoping when things are hopeless, or it is no virtue at all… As long as matters are really hopeful, hope is mere flattery or platitude; it is only when everything is hopeless that hope begins to be a strength.”

~Gilbert Keith G. K. Chesterton

More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

~Romans 5:3-5

The Hope Plant is the title of my first book. Somehow I totally forget that I ever wrote it. I seriously forgot! Quite honestly, it’s probably because it’s about one of the hardest times in my life. I guess in some ways I’d rather forget. I’m glad I remembered today though.

So, to sum it up briefly, the way this book came about was through some pretty horrific health problems I faced during and after the birth of my third child. I intended to write a full length book about it, but life happened, Landon was diagnosed with autism, and the chaotic life has not stopped yet. (Yes this is an excuse about why I didn’t write the long version of the book, but it is definitely true.)

However, I have an uncle who really, really wanted me to write a book. So, as a 60th birthday present for him, I wrote a much shorter version of The Hope Plant using a site called StoryJumper. My daughter used StoryJumper for several years to write her stories and encouraged me to use it too.

I didn’t use any kind of formal structure or method to write this book, I just kinda wrote it. 😊 It is written like a children’s book in that the plant is personified, and it glosses over the health problems for the most part. The overall theme of hope and the simplicity of the plant is somewhat childlike. It does mention miscarriage/death in part of the story, so that part is more adult themed. (So I obviously did not have a clear picture of who the audience would be other than my uncle at the time I wrote this version.)

All of that to say, I think at times God wants us to look back and remember how far we’ve come. I felt like the Holy Spirit nudged me today reminding me of the book and said ”Look, remember this hard time, you got through this, and you’ll make it through the difficulties you are facing now. Trust me.” What better way to remember than reading a written reminder of how God used a plant to help me have hope.

I’m not sure if this link to my book will work. I am very technologically challenged at times. 😊 The link can be copied and pasted if it doesn’t work or if you’d like to look up The Hope Plant (Tiffany Vaughn Guy) at storyjumper.com. (A funny, little caveat…some of the books listed under my name on the site are books my daughter wrote several years ago. She has always been so creative and quite the little author. 😊)

https://www.storyjumper.com/book/read/87364535/The-Hope-Plant

Today I pray you have hope and never lose it, no matter how dark circumstances may be in your life. We are not promised an easy, problem-free life, and often we find ourselves in difficulties that seem to almost drown us. When the storm clears and the difficulty subsides, we can look back and see (sometimes even read) of how God helped us endure. Through it all, the most comforting, reassurance of all is that Jesus never lets go of us. We can always trust in that. He is our Hope.

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.
~Romans 15:4

Your friend,

Tiffany