Katie M. Reid

Finding Grace in the Unraveling of Life

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Intetional Mothering: The Best Gift I Ever Gave

Welcome to Day #5  of the Intentional Mothering Series!

We are pleased to announce that Marnie is the winner of the nightlight from Lights by Linda (Day #1’s giveaway)! 

It is our prayer that this series is a blessing to you.  In light of that, and today’s topic, it is time for another giveaway!  Today, my friend Zoann is blessing one of you with a gorgeous handmade necklace.

To order some of your own beautiful handmade jewelry, e-mail Zoann at:  zoannt@frontier.com

To enter this giveaway:

1.  Share this post’s link on facebook (and invite your friends to join us on this journey of “Intentional Mothering”).

AND

2.  Take a few minutes and visit the True Woman website and see how it can be a blessing to you.

AND

3.  Comment on this post (after you have shared on facebook and visited True Woman).  The comment
should include that you shared on facebook and visited the site- and include a specific resource(s) you found there (one winner will be chosen at random and have the beautiful necklace mailed to them).

*Be sure to follow the directions carefully, so that your giveaway entry is eligible.

***************

I had the absolute privilege of hearing Carrie Gaul speak at camp’s Women’s Retreat, last fall.  Carrie is a delight; authentic, approachable and an excellent speaker…inspiring others with God’s love and
the power of His Word.  

Carrie is a biblical correspondent for Revive Our Hearts, a Bible teacher, conference speaker, and author of Joy in the Midst,
a Bible study on Philippians. She and her husband Dennis, who serves on
staff with Life Action Ministries, have two married children and a new
little grandson! 

  
*Special thanks to True Woman for letting us share this post with you. 

The Best Gift I Ever Gave

Christmas was only a few days away. Everything appeared so nostalgic the night we visited our daughter in her little apartment. But the lit tree, burning candles, and carols playing softly in the background could not hide the tension that existed in our relationship. 
We just could not seem to communicate face-to-face anymore without some level of misunderstanding and hurt. 
We had always had a fairly close relationship, so I had been asking the Lord to help me see the reason for our conflict- as He saw it. 
That night, standing in her little kitchen, I sensed the Lord whisper, “Ask Katie what she sees.” 
Without hesitation, Katie responded to my question in tender humility, “I struggle mom, because whenever we are together you always look so disappointed in me.” 

Oh, how her words pierced my heart; never had I wanted to hurt her in that way. Yet the Lord gave me the grace to see the truth in her words and to realize He was answering my prayers. We wept together and I silently cried out for the Lord’s help in healing our relationship. 

That night, the Lord gave me an idea for a Christmas present that would help bring about that healing. 
The gift? A simple little journal–nothing lavish or profound, but a tool the Lord used to knit our hearts together as we wrote back and forth each month for several years. 

I recently asked Katie (now twenty-nine and married) to share her perspective on how journaling impacted our relationship. Here is what she said,
 “That Christmas gift is what really helped our relationship become what it is today. As we journaled, we talked about “life”–fun stuff, silly stuff, sad stuff, and yes, even the hard stuff. We shared memories from my childhood, dreams for the future, and disappointments from the past. You encouraged me and reminded me of all God had done in my life in the past and all He wanted to do in the future. 
Journaling helped me open up and share things I had never been able to talk about with you. Writing out my feelings was so much easier than trying to verbalize them face-to-face. It helped me process some of the tough questions of life. 
Through our journals, I learned about who you were as a woman and not just as my mom. It brought us so much closer together even when we were miles apart.”
Our journaling was, and still is, a precious gift in my life. I treasure that time that helped heal our relationship and bring us to where we are today! 
“To God be the Glory great things He hath done!” 

Sincerely thankful,

Carrie

Carrie has a deep love for God’s Word and a passion to see women grow in
ever-increasing intimacy with Jesus through the study and application
of His Word. She enjoys discipling and encouraging women and has had the
privilege of ministering to missionary and national women in Africa and
China through conferences and retreats. In her spare time Carrie enjoys
walking, reading and
“chatting” over coffee.

Deep Breaths:

1.  Is there a bit of tension in a relationship you have with a child, or maybe even a parent?  Oh, girls,
     I realize Christmas is a long way off, but just think what the Lord might do if you were to give the
     gift of encouragement today!

2.  Will you do it?  Will you commit today to investing the time and energy it takes to bring words of
     hope and healing to that loved one?  Who knows, a simple journal may become the best gift you,
     too, have ever given.

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