April Woman of Hope

Happy Pink Saturday everyone.  I hope that it is full of blessings and that you are able to visit many of the amazing ladies who participate - especially our hostess, Beverly.  Today I get another distinct honor of sharing with you another Woman of Hope.  Her name is Elizabeth.  She is gifted in so many ways and has made me laugh (many times) until I cry.  I hope you enjoy Elizabeth's sharing heart and that you are able to glean something. 

This is a picture of the pond in their backyard that she and her husband put together.  It is full of lily pads and large gold fish and the sound of the water is mesmerizing.

 Here is a picture of some of her fruits that she has produced.

In the foyer you are greeted with a wall of crosses.

A peek inside.

Elizabeth and her husband rescue Dachsunds.  Meet Gracie.  I love Gracie. (I love you too, Iris and Spigot).

Elizabeth in her HOT PINK top - her color of hope.

Woman of Hope

What gives you the most hope? Knowing Jesus has my best interests and well-being at heart gives me such hope. I know that if I stop and listen I am more likely to follow his plan for me and less likely to go too far astray.
Tell us about yourself. I am a 50 year old wife and mother of two. I became a Christian late in life, but I was being groomed for a long time. My husband and I have been married for 22 years and we have a daughter who is finishing her first year in college and a son who is about to be a senior in high school. They are what I am most proud of and who I am most inspired by. Family and home are what really bring me joy. As far as my work life I have had a wide variety of jobs over the years. When I was in college I worked for two summers on the highway as a flag-girl, later I was a buyer of skiwear for a sporting goods company. I owned and operated a landscaping company for 22 years and a few years ago I decided to use my brain more and my body less so I went to Denver Seminary and got my Masters in Counseling. I have always loved people and my heart always goes out to those who are struggling. I believe that God called me to make this change in my life and I am now building my practice and loving the time I have to slow down and be more in tune with Him.

What do you consider your gifts? I believe that my gifts are compassion, mercy, and encouragement.
I have enjoyed many of your creative gifts. What is your favorite way to be creative? I have lots of ways that I enjoy being creative. I love, love, love, working on my house. My dad had a hardware store and I worked there for several years when I was a teenager. I learned to love all of the tools and gadgets and things that made things work. (Last week I was able to fix my washing machine AND my toilet and I felt like I had just painted a masterpiece!) My husband and I have worked on nearly every room of our home, sometimes going down to the studs and starting over. It is so fun to put it all back together and turn our house into a home. When I'm not revving up my table saw, I love to garden only now we do it for ourselves instead of for a living. There's a lot less pressure, that's for sure. When I got my bachelor's degree in Fine Arts I had the opportunity to draw and paint and sculpt. I really want to do more of that but currently if I feel like being quiet and creative, I pick up the knitting needles and make a little something, but I am far from being an accomplished knitter. I've got a long way to go there! Lastly, I love it when I can feel the creative juices flowing when I am sitting with a client, of course, that's really just the Holy Spirit giving me a new idea and that is just too cool!
What do you do to relax? I watch far too much TV (home and gardening shows, and movies mostly) and I read. Just finished Rob Bell's new book, Love Wins. Loved it!! Almost anything on the creative gifts list is relaxing to me too...even if it requires a lot of sweat and work, it is still relaxing to me, probably because it is so rewarding at the same time.
What is your favorite saying or verse? "Be still and know that I am God." Ps. 46:10 It is short, but it reminds me to slow down, stop, listen and know that God is with me and if He created the universe, He can handle my problem, whatever it may be. It just tells me to pause to reconnect to Him.
What color is hope for you? I love hot pink. It is bold and it reminds me of my favorite peonies that come up in spring, and spring always reminds me of hope.
What is hope to you? Hope is often defined as wishful thinking or a sense of optimism, I think it can definitely be those things, but it becomes so much more when you allow Jesus into the equation. His amazing love for all of us just assures me that everything, ultimately is going to be alright. Being secure in Him, allows me to be very hopeful.
Anything else you would like to add? One of the most important things that I have learned or come to understand is that God is so much bigger than we can fathom and he sees the big picture. When I stop thinking small and step back and get a different perspective of things I can face the harder things in my life. I also need to remember that my story and the story of those around me is not yet finished. There is more I can do and there is more that God definitely intends to do.