Random Thoughts of Amy Potts

I had been a widow for nearly nine years and decided that I didn't want to be alone for the rest of my life.  I had a lot of love to give and I wanted to share it with someone who not only needed it, but wanted it and would not take it for granted.  I spent a lot of time at a sanctuary on the edge of town that I called "Serenity Hills".  I would go there and walk with my dog and at some point lie down in the tall grass to listen to the wind.  It was there that I would imagine who my husband would be.  I often took my journal with me to write thoughts as they came to mind and I would pray.  One day while I was lying there I began to pray for my "husband".  I wasn't dating anybody and I didn't even know any single men at the time. But I wanted to be sure that I was ready and that when the time came that I would not throw what love I had inside to someone who wasn't deserving.  I wanted to know that what love I had left would not be taken for granted...

If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, or if you have known me for very long at all, one thing you know for sure is that I love winter!  As long as I can remember I have loved winter.  I have fond memories of snow forts and sledding.  I had dreams of becoming a figure skater or an olympic skier.  Having grown up in rural Iowa, it wasn't likely that I would become either. Through the years people have said that as I get older I will come to hate winter just like the rest of the world.  I haven't found that to be true.  If anything, my fondness for the snow and bone chilling cold only grows stronger with time. Why winter?  Why not spring, or fall or the warm summer sun? Why am I drawn to the coldest, bleakest time of year?  Would you consider seeing life through winter eyes?  It is my winter eyes that help me to see more than a simple changing of nature's seasons. I have had experiences that have taken me full circle in what I have come...

My pastor ended her sermon today with the words; "May you be present and not somewhere else.  May you be found in Christ."  I listened with intent to her words today for many reasons. She encouraged us to look for joy in what we have and to be thankful for this moment.  I like to think that I do this well, but I often find myself living with the "what if" and "I should have" mentality.  This has always been difficult for me and I suspect that I am not alone. I am known to be a positive, upbeat woman who is rarely if ever down or depressed.  Honestly, I do view life differently than some who have experienced similar struggles and have known less heartache.  But I am also a woman who has real hurts, real disappointments and there are times when resilience seems less present.  But why were the pastor's words so meaningful today? This past week our pastor said goodbye to her mom who had been fighting cancer for some time.  As she approached the pu...

I've been reflecting lately on the origin of my faith in God and it seems that unlike some, I'm unable to really pinpoint a day or time when I had that "aha" moment.  All I know is that at a very young age I would listen to the voices of the meadowlark and the red-winged blackbird; curious to know what made them sing.  I believe that God's voice in the wind called me away from the angry voices of people to come out and  dance with the little stream on the edge of town. It was God who called me to safety then and it is He who calls me to a deeper place today.  It was God and it is God. I went away to a monastery recently to reflect on this faith and some things occurred to me.  For many years I worshiped in an evangelical setting.  I don't know how many times a congregation would rejoice when they learned that someone had come out of "Catholicism" to the true Christian experience.  So many times I would hear pastors refer to the "other" d...

Every year I get frustrated with the argument of whether or not retailers should say, "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays".  Every year I am perplexed at the number of people who stay up all night just to get the best bargain for Christmas.  Call me a cynic, but I don't think I recognize Christmas anymore.  Or do I? I did some in depth research on the subject of Christmas.  Well, not really, but I did launch a Google search.  I clicked on the first link I found which was, History.com and this is what I learned; "Christmas is both a sacred religious holiday and a worldwide cultural and commercial phenonmenon.  For two nillennia, people around the world have been observing it with traditions and practices that are both religious and secular in nature."   Hmm that's interesting.  So, Christmas is religious, cultural and commercial all wrapped up in one neat package.  Brilliant! So what's the big deal if the checker at Macy's or any other ...

Someone made this statement to me yesterday, "Amy, I'm not like you, I can't always find a reason to give thanks".  Maybe she is more like me than she thinks.  The truth is that some days even I have a hard time finding something to be grateful for.  One year ago tomorrow, I was sitting at my desk when a co-worker approached me to tell me that one of our dear teammates had been killed in a car accident the night before. That was a somber day.  I had to answer the question to customers all day of, "did you have a nice Thanksgiving?" For a whole day I said these words over and over until I believed them myself, "I have so much to be thankful for ". While it is true that there are days when it is hard to find gratitude, there is always something to be grateful for.  Today I am grateful for many things; too many to be counted actually.  But tomorrow could be one of those days when I have to reach deep within and simply say, "I'm thankful for...

I had the honor of accompanying my husband, Mike to another marathon this past weekend.  This one was in Richmond, Virginia.  I love going to his races for many reasons. I usually get him to the start of the race and then head on out to find a place where I can encourage him and the other runners.  Then I rush off to at least one more place on the course where I will spur him on before going to congratulate him at the finish line.  This is always my favorite part.  There is something else I enjoy while I am at the races.  I get to meet people from all over our country and beyond.  This race was memorable.  I met a lady who was from Poland, there to watch her husband run his first marathon in the United States. I also met a lady whose friend was running her 15th marathon this year! The most important interaction of the day was with a local homeless man.  As I was standing along the street cheering for runners I noticed a man begging money to...