Skip to main content
Image
By design#860

The beginning of Petals of Friendship


So what is Petals of Friendship?  

In 1997, I was still what I would consider a fairly new believer.  I had a thirst for God and wanted the important people in my life to know HIM, too. My desire to know God on a deeper level led me to read and learn.  I also had a great community of women around me who helped me grow in my new found faith.  Thinking back, we were all in different places in our journeys, but one thing rang true.  We loved the Lord and shared that love in our own unique ways. 

For me, it came through the creative process of writing.  And so, Petals of Friendship was what came from that.  I came across my original newsletter in some old papers I've kept and was surprised to see the date of my first newsletter.  The very first newsletter (top photo) was printed sometime around 1996, on a pin-feed printer.  I vaguely remember that first "edition".  I chuckled as I saw that  I added a crude hand drawn flower on it to decorate it, but I had to make it cute!  A new newsletter would come out each season or when I would be inspired.  I would  bring my original to the copy center and print the copies I would need. The second photo above shows a fancier version of Petals, produced when our computer software was upgraded.

I was scared.  I wasn't sure how people would respond to my newsletter.  But once I got over the fear, it became easier each time, so I continued to write with hopes that what I shared would inspire and encourage the reader.  And now, over 20 years later, I am still writing and putting it out there.  Still a little scared now and then, but I just push through the fear. I still feel the creative process wired within me, and I still share it to show how God works in my life. 

Each of us has a beautiful gift that is waiting to be used. I hope you have tapped into what God has poured into you so that you can use it to point others to HIS amazing creativity.  If you have not found that gift, treat yourself to some quiet, reflective moments where you will sense God's presence in your life.  

God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.  1 Peter 4:10

Lord, help me to use the gift you have given me.  Not for my own glory, but for yours alone.

The first Petals


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What does your "cookbook" look like?

By
My Betty Crocker cookbook is a wreck. It was given to me as a bridal shower gift in 1979, and I have treasured it ever since. Over forty years later, it remains a prized possession. It has been my cooking guidebook, truly important when you’ve grown up feasting on a mainly southern Italian diet, (no complaints here) which included a lot of pasta and meatballs. Yes, our meals had variety, but gravy was simmering at my house just about every other day. The traditional, and now collectable Betty Crocker cookbook became my best friend in the kitchen. Today, it has all the signs of being used and maybe a little abused. The pages are weathered, written on, and stained. The covers are loose, no longer held in place by the familiar spiral binding. The only thing keeping it together is an oversized, stretchy band. I’ve collected other cookbooks over the years, but this one has been my go-to manual. In it, I discovered new recipes, tried making things I had never heard of, and was thrilled
2 comments
Read more

Baby steps to Big Girl Dreams

By
My heart was racing.  I had a tug inside of me to make a call to the local community college to inquire about teaching a continuing education class.  I had always had a desire to teach, and the bubbly stir inside of me kept pushing me to act.  My only problem was that  the conversation in my head made me want to run and hide.  But the stir was so very strong.  I had to do something.  And then I remembered a teaching I had just heard by Joyce Meyer.  She spoke about fear and how it can grip your life.   Her solution was simple.  She said, "Whatever you need to do, do it afraid."   A light blub moment !   Her words interrupted that internal conversation, and pushed me to make a choice and shift my thinking.  I marched to the phone....afraid....and made the call to the college.  I asked if they were in need of instructors and before I knew it,  one thing led to another.  By the end of the call, I had an interview lined up and a request to submit a curriculum for a new class
4 comments
Read more

The practice of listening.

By design#860
"It takes time and practice to learn to listen. And it takes a caring heart. A fourth-grade teacher once asked her class, "What is listening?" After a few moments of silence, one little girl raised her hand. "Listening," she said, "is wanting to hear." Lord, make us a people who want to hear." Janet Dunn, Desiring God. I love learning and I admit that I am somewhat of a self-help junkie. A friend once said to me, "You have to start reading something fun!" It didn't sound interesting, but she was right. This same friend is a great listener. When I sounded off about trouble in my heart about my relationship with my mom, she offered kind and loving advice. What was that advice? That I needed to seek the help of a counselor. Inside, I rolled my eyes. Really? Again? I've gone this route before, aren't I done? But I went forward with her advice.  I connected with a counselor, a caring soul, a beautiful listener. With her by my s
Post a Comment
Read more