Hey, Siestas! We will do our random drawing later today as promised and, if you don’t mind a little delay, post our biography winners within the next forty-eight hours so we can leave time for you to respond to this post. I learned something new about you over the previous post: YOU ARE READERS. And I love that. Get a load of the number of comments to that post! Of course, it makes sense when you think about it. Blog readers usually are…well…readers. I have already ordered several books from your recommendations and others of you mentioned titles that stirred up great memories of biographies past.I am a dyed in the wool book nerd so this totally spoke my love language.
I’ve been thinking about something since AJ’s recent post about stepping back from her LPM job for the sake of her family. In that post and in the one that followed, we hashed over the painful truth that, actually, no one can do everything and, unless our all is Jesus, no one can have everything. We have limited resources of time, energy, and ability. But, I thought it would be fun to list a few things (dreams, if you will) that we’d each do…if only we could. If only we were not limited by time, energy, and ability, or money, for heaven’s sake. How would you complete the sentence, “If I could, I would…?” Here are the ground rules: YOU CAN ONLY NAME THREE THINGS. You have to choose. Keep in mind, these aren’t regrets. (i.e. “If I could, I would…live my whole life again without making that stupid choice.” We all have plenty of those and they’re not likely to encourage others much.) The things we’re listing on this post are wishes! Dreams can say a lot about a person and reshape how we picture one another. For instance, maybe I’ll find out today that Moose Mama secretly wishes she could sky dive, or katiegfromtennessee has a long standing dream of being a zookeeper, or Sister Lynn has always wanted to take tuba lessons. You see, this could change everything. OK, well not everything. Not even much. But, for crying out loud, wouldn’t it at least be a little fun in a grueling week? Here are three of mine:
If I could, I would…
1) Travel to every country on earth.
2) Teach elementary school Sunday School.
3) Learn sign language fluently.
OK, how about you?
1. Have a house that has a stunning view of snow covered mountains from the back yard, and a breathtaking view of the beach from the front yard. If it’s a mack daddy log cabin, well that would be a bonus.
2. Be able to jump on a flight, at a whim, and travel anywhere in the world.
3. Be able to know every language, so that I can speak to anyone. Current need: speaking Spanish to the guy that cuts my grass. SO regretting taking Latin in high school right now.
Amen to the Spanish thing
I’m rethinking my responses now… you’re 1 and 2 sound pretty amazing… although I think living where it’s cold is an unrealistic dream, I’m quite acclimated to New Mexico weather.
1. Travel- the first places would be Rome the see the colusseum, among other amizing places there, Paris.. ok maybe all of Europe, then I’d hit up Tokyo.
2. Do missions work in Ethiopia!!!! Wish I could pack my bags right now.
3. Move to a quite little area near the mountains (not too far from a city) and run a bed $ breakfast with my hubby. That’s actually my idea for early retirement.
I think it would also be fair to state a “when I can I will”
1. Start a women’s magazine that is totally God centered and not… corney.
can ya’ll tell it’s early? yes ‘amizing’ and bed $ breakfast. lol
LindsayA!
I won’t to be in prayer with you about this women’s magazine that is God-centered and not “corney”! That would be awesome!
thanks brandy! praying in agreement is always the best way to see things happen!!
If I could, I would:
1) Live in Italy for a year and learn the language.
2) Learn to blow glass.
3) Learn more about cloisonné enameling from the masters.
I love your ideas.
Oooh – glass blowing sounds fun!!!
1. Travel to Kenya to meet my Compassion International child.
2. Learn how to read hebrew and greek
3. I would like to adopt a house full of orphans.
1. Travel EVERYWHERE with my husband.
2. Build a log house near a lake, where I could have missionaries on furlough stay to renew and refresh.
3. Build a beach house (on or very near the ocean) for the winter months where I could do the same as #2.
1. Meet Beth, Amanda & Melissa Moore 🙂
2. Go to Itlay
3. Go to Africa
If I could do three things I would:
1) Have a positive attitude whenever my children don’t (ha ha)
2) drive around Europe with a tank full of gas
3) sew a quilt start to finish by myself.
1. Heal my husband body so he no longer hurts. (He is in constant pain from a stroke, heart disease, and polio as a child.)
2. At a moments notice, travel EVERYWHERE with my happy and healthy husband. No more lugging around oxygen tanks, scooter, and medical equipment!!!
3. Playing in a bluegrass band. I am in the process of living one dream of learning to play the upright bass or as the bluegrass crowd calls it the “doghouse bass”.
I’m going to respond quickly so as not to overthink it…
1. I would… do my own version of Eat, Pray, Love. (meaning I would travel Europe and Asia experiencing different cultures, people, and foods, letting the Holy Spirit tell me where to go next.)
2. I would…be on a dance team that performs during worship on Sunday mornings. (Have you seen those kids dressed in black dance/sign to the song, “Now Behold the Lamb”? Oh my word.
3. I would…be a writer, making lots of money, enough to have a debt-free house, a Lexus SUV, and happy, well-adjusted family who is cultured and traveled. (and there’s the superficial me.)
If I could, I would…
1. Be a stay home mom and homeschool my daughter.
2. be a professional singer – either in a group or solo
3. play the guitar like a pro
1) Build a one level house with a mother-in-law apartment on 2 acres of land.
2) Teach Preschool Sunday School
3) I love someone’s post about trying all the food stops in the U.S. listed on Food Network!
If I could, I would..
1. Live as a missionary full-time
2. Shoot hoops with the NBA OKC Thunder players
3. Travel to every exotic island on Earth for a month at a time
Yes, I realize that interferes with me being a full-time missionary but if I could I would do both somehow!
1. Train service dogs.
2. Learn to play the piano.
3. Learn sign language.
1. I would build my little sister a brand new house. She has nine children. Two by birth and seven by either adoption or fostering. She is amazing and has the heart of our Father. She sacrifices each and every day and I would make sure she had a bedroom that would be an oasis for her.
2. I would go to every beach I could in the world and dig my toes in the sand!
3. Spend a month with my husband in a remote romantic place with good books and great food!
Ok, this is hard! Let’s think the first 3 things that come to mind.
1) Travel cross country in an RV. We have a camper already!
2) Live in Tuscany, Italy. Already knowing the language (of course)! I hope my Mansion in Heaven looks like one of those Italian villas over there that you see in pictures!
3) Be able to spend half of the year traveling in the RV (see above) and half of it living in a condo at the beach. (Retirement dream)!!!
1. Be a stay at home mom
2. Have an organized home
3. Sing a solo
If I could, I would….
1. Apprentice under Jane Packer, Florist in England
2. Spend my time volunteering helping the needy, rather than working for pay
3. Travel through Europe
1. Stay home with my kids
2. Travel to Australia and Europe with my family
3. Work out every day and be TONED
Or maybe be toned WITHOUT having to work out everyday! (Now there’s a dream!) 🙂
1)Go to Rwanda every year for a short term mission trip.
2)Be a stay at home grandma
3)Take Algebra classes (never took one algebra class in high school; now I think I would love it!)
1. Get my Jewish Parents to come to church and feel loved.
2. Not work, volunteer all day long at homeless ministries.
3. See a new place in the world every month.
1. Live in a beautiful home full of windows on the beach.
2. Write a book.
3. start a non-profit to help teenage girls
1. Buy a Jeep 4X4 for my husband, white body with tan top (that sounded odd when I typed it), tricked out just like he wants it.
2. Learn to whitewater raft really well and do it often.
3. Travel to Italy and stay for at least a month (bring on the food–and a little bit of wine please!)
This was fun!
If I could I would…
1) go to seminary and get my masters in marriage/family counseling
2)go to France or Italy and take a 6 month cooking class
3)open a bed and breakfast
1. Own a small, quaint bookstore in a little town and hold weekly Bible study.
2. Travel to the Holy Land.
3. Work in ministry with high school girls…I love them!!!
If I could I would:
Have a place large enough so all my children could have a home on the property and my mother-in-law could live with us.
Travel to Alaska and Hawaii.
Never have to wash my hair everyday.
1. Travel around the US so I could see my friends once a year at least. (or maybe I could be the inventor of the first teleportation system…oh wouldn’t that be nice!!)
2. Buy my parents a new house, and a vacation home in Georgia since they love it there but are stuck in Indiana.
3. Move to foreign country as a missionary for a year.
1. Produce my screenplay
2. learn to dance like the kids on “So You Think You can Dance.”
3. Have lunch with Beth, Anne Graham Lotz, and a few other spiritually giant women and them listen to them have a prayer time together so I can learn how to pray better. (Actually, this one is my first choice.)
1. pick the perfect wife for our son. Someone who loves God, my son and…herself ..unconditionally.
2 Die with my husband just like on the movie the Notebook!
3. Have enough money to just randomly help low-income families who truly need it.
What a great question to ponder!
1. I would write a book! I am a BIG dreamer!
2. I would travel to Italy and eat as much as I wanted!!!
I would have gelato every day!!
3. I would go back to school to study psycology and
become a counselor to help missionaries!
The great thing is these are all possibilities! Nothing is impossible with God!
I think you could do ALL of these! shoot for the moon sista! (or shall I say Siesta)
If I could, I Would:
1) be musically talented, instead of musicallly challenged
2) work with rescuing animals
3) give to every charity that helped people.
If I could, I would….
1. write a book
2. homeschool my children
3. go on a vacation to a new place at least once a year
If I could, I would: well, actually, I do set some goals and meet them, i.e., I have my koi pond and I’m going to Tuscany at the end of the month. I have a “bucket list” but I wish I could (1) have loved my family better; (2) I wish I had more time to embroider, cross stitch, or tole paint like I did before my boys came along, (3) relax and have fun, i.e. went to Hawaii and didn’t get in the water!
1) travel to Europe with my husband and spent a month or two seeing the sights.
2) be a published book author
3) live close to my somewhat-spread-out family
If I could, I would
l. Travel more
2. Learn to play the saxophone.
3. fly in a hot air balloon.
1. Serve long-term in Africa someday. Been there twice. It’s been a long-held dream.
2. Get married and have a couple of children. Because of some wounds and some painful lies that Satan has reiterated to me over the past few years (some through the mouths of a “Christian” counselor and someone I counted a close friend), I find myself thinking that I’m not marriage (or even dating or relationship) material. But I’m trusting Jesus and learning to regognize the enemy’s schemes. Not that I am absolutely confident I will get married one day. That’s in God’s hands. But I’m absolutely confident that God COULD bring that about in my life. That it’s not somehow off-limits to me.
3. Lose 30 more pounds (40 down, 30 to go). With God’s help, I can do it! 🙂 I’ve had setbacks, but am not giving up.
If I could I would…
1. Have the perfect home that felt like it was in the country but really in the city.
2. have a job that makes an impact on teenage girls and young adults.
3. be a sick (ridiculously good) hip hop dancer with my boys
If only I could…
1. Give my “far” friend (and her 2 kids) an A/C and Heater unit for her shack house…and then remodel it to be darling!
2. live on the beach every summer for at least a month.
3. design, build, and decorate a European cottage in the Texas Hill Country (and live there).
1. round up all of our spreadout family and all live in one community together (where there are no hurricanes or blazing hot weather!)
2. fully fund college savings accounts for all of our 17 grandchildren
3. learn to and excel at playing the piano
1. Get a degree in Christian counseling
2. Speak in a different tongue (learn 1 foreign language)
3. Mission field w/ family
1. Travel, travel, TRAVEL!
Anywhere, everywhere.
2. Be a better hostess.
3. Scuba on the Great Barrier Reef.
1. Become a chef. I would love to minister to friends and family through great food and conversation!
2. Own a cabin in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. I would love to escape there with my family.
3. Go away with my husband at least two times a year. We have three little ones and grandparents who are not able/willing to help.
1. Be able to play an instrument and speak Spanish fluently. (My girls are learning violin, and I have to sit in as their coach … I am soaking it all in and determined to walk away with some skills! Rosetta Stone Spanish is on the list for our whole family … in a year or two.)
2. Have my manuscript on surviving hardships published.
3. Travel anywhere, anytime!
If I could I would…
1. Have a godly man to share my life with (I’ve never been married)
2. Take a vacation to a tropical place
3. Live in a better neighborhood
If I could – I would:
…..Love to spend a morning with Beth Moore sipping coffee. Having a personal “teaching moment” would be a bonus!
1. I would travel to Switzerland with my Hubby, and vacation in the Hotel I worked in for one summer in 1974.
2. I would live close to all my kids and their families.
3. I would be able to go to a Living Proof Live!
Oh my goodness, I love this game!
So here they are…
if I could, I would:
1. get an amazing camera and learn photography & editing
2. turn my love of fashion and design into something I could earn a living doing!
3. travel travel travel– learn about new cultures, try new foods and hear new languages!
1. Take up pottery, weaving and leather work and even participate in Medieval re-enactments.
2. Go to Bible college and immerse myself in studying the Bible and worship leading.
3. Live in an energy efficient house that my husband designs on a property with chickens and a cow with a garden full of veggies and fruits.
Three things…three things…ONLY three things…it’s so hard to limit it to just three. I think I have changed my mind, more than three times, already! :0)
1. Write books that people would want to read
2. Have my own little shop filled with books and curiosities where my little fur-baby (Myra the wonderdog) could “work” with me.
3. Travel anywhere (esp. around Europe and Prince Edward Island)
If I could, I would…
1) Be a Stay at home mom or
2) Be in ministry full time
3) travel the world!!
Believing Him~Pamela
If I could, I would
1) quit my job and become more active in ministry.
2) live in a beautiful house on a lake in a community filled with godly women
3) learn to sing beautifully and sing worship, praise and love songs to Jesus (I hope I get to do this in heaven. I know I get a new body and I hope it includes a new voice.)
Have a GREAT weekend!
Linda