Life's Palette

When you think of color, what comes to mind? Rainbows….sloppily filled in coloring books…the blue sky, green grass, or wildflowers?



All of these are prime examples of visual color, however I believe there’s another way to define color.

Color is a feeling.

When I’m relaxed, I feel a cool blue wash over me. When I see something beautiful, I feel like a lightly rippling lake in the sunset. When I feel that spark of intimacy and adoration as I look at one of my siblings, I see a splash of pure white accompanied by the cheerful colors of wildflowers and butterflies.

The sensation of color can bring inspiration to any situation—Extra passion in our fiery moments, or, contrastingly, ultimate peace in the still moments. It feels so pure and natural to see colors in the vaguest of visions…yet, it proves that there is focus. People crave focus, and it’s refreshing to know that even when we feel free as a bird and lazy as a pillow-cloud on a windless day, life still has vision.

Now, let’s take our visions...
…and turn them into legacies.

A BFF or Bosom Friend?‏

Do you have a best friend? How often does the acronym BFF escape your lips or flow from your heart to the keyboard of your computer or your cell phone? It’s a very common modern phrase that is seemingly harmless, but my question to you is… how harmless is it really?

When I was a young girl, it always made me feel special and accepted when somebody labeled me their “best friend”. Somehow life seems just a little sweeter when you’ve won over the heart of another. But if I’m being honest, I’d also have to admit, there was also a feeling of victory when I’d earned that label. There’s an element of competition in the world of friendship – those who win feel good and those who lose don’t like it.

Why is it that we can’t love people and simply show them how much? Haven’t we been taught that actions speak louder than words? If there’s someone in our life who is dear to us, who has earned a special place in our heart, why do we feel we must call them “best”? The words, ”dear”, “special”, “precious”, “loved”, and “close”, are all ones which elevate the one we love to a high place but don’t exclude others. “Best” means “most desired”, and that’s where the trouble begins.

I know this goes against America’s cultural norm in a world of “BFF”, but it is a cultural norm that’s not biblical. I can’t think of one place in scripture where that term was used. Even Jesus had special friends (Mary, Martha and Lazarus… the disciple John), but there was no exclusion of others. He never said to any of them, “I love you most.” He welcomed and accepted all who came to him. He gave us the best example of what kind of friend we should be.

Books and movies often flaunt the phrase “best friend”, and it has such a warm, embracing appeal when you see or hear it there, but the media rarely shows the other side, because most people don’t want to admit that they’ve been hurt by being on the outside of a “best” friendship.

Those who are our special friends know it by the way we treat them, not by the labels we give them. No friend will turn away from you for not calling them “best” if you treat them well, but many people will turn away from you if they hear you use the term “best” when referring to someone else. They’ll feel you are keeping them at arms length.

Anne Shirley and Diana Barry’s relationship is every girl’s model of friendship, right? Well, I prefer what Anne said in L.M. Montgomery’s book Anne of Green Gables when she wanted a friend so desperately. She said, “It would be best to have a beautiful bosom friend”. I like that better because it doesn’t exclude anybody.

Lynnette Kraft at Dancing Barefoot
My heart's desire is to touch and inspire the lives of those who God puts in my path. There's nothing special about me, but there is something very special about the One who not only offered me eternity with Him but also carried me through some terribly difficult times and made me exceedingly joyful! He's shown me that each and every trial in my life has been for a beautiful and valuable purpose.
I have an amazing husband who I've been married to since Dec. 17th 1988. We've gone through joyful times and we've suffered tremendous heartache together. We've had nine children and have said goodbye to three of them. To read a condensed version of our story, please go here: What Can Be Gained Through Heartache.

I love to laugh and hope to make you laugh a little too! Please stop by my blog and let me know that you did! I love making new "chums"!

a piece of peace

Hi I’m Cole from lettersfromcoco. Hannah asked me to be a guest and write about my favorite vacation which is so much fun how could I refuse. It took me all of three seconds to decide which vacation was my favorite. One word-Aloha! I’ve been lucky enough to make it to Hawaii twice, but my absolute favorite trip was to Kauai two years ago.


There is just something about being on that beautiful island that makes me feel so at peace. It’s like you get a small taste of what paradise with Jesus is going to be like. Surrounded by such incredible beauty, it brings a great joy that comes from forgetting all about the little stresses of life and appreciating the wonderful works and gifts of God.


"...wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well."-psalm 139:14b



This is one of many places that I can’t help but feeler closer to the creator. There’s nothing like sitting in the sand, listening to the waves and just feeling instantly refreshed. Where do you go to be refreshed?

much more than camping

camping... oh the beautiful scents of being outside in nature... it's as if the whole world disappears and you are left alone with the trees to gaze at the beauty of the Lord's creation. then there's the tent that's always inevitably tough to put together, campfires while enjoying smores and hot chocolate, and rapid adventures down the river. there's time to spend with your family; which is undoubtedly the best part of the whole shebang.

this camping trip was different. as a 3rd grader (an awkward and chubby 3rd grader at that) i had no idea how often i'd recount the whole vacation... my brother and i went camping for the weekend with my dad. my parent's divorced, so any weekend we got to spend with my dad was always a treat. especially if it included camping. this time, we packed up and headed to donner lake, ca.

the camping was usual, we fished, went rafting, enjoyed the mountain air, hiked, hiked some more, had campfire after campfire and smore after smore. it was the last time i camped with my dad. he died the next year of cancer. i never realized that i'd remember eating each of those smores while sitting next to daddy. i didn't think i would recount the whole rafting experience while recalling each paddle forward. it was the best camping trip and one that will be cherished and remembered always. this was definitely more than a camping trip. sweet time spent with my dad was such a gift in light of what he faced in the coming year.

i'm thankful for memories. you never know when certain memories will be the last.

lowercase letters by Carissa Graham
i am a follower of Christ and forever will be in awe of His work on the cross. i know that all joy is found in knowing Christ; i love being a part of mission work. i have an incredibly talented, fun, handsome and overall amazing husband - we were married dec. 19, 2004. he is the contemporary worship director at our church. we had our first child, a son - hunter, on feb. 2, 2009 and are so in love! our second child, our daughter, sage - a blessing in surprise! - arrived june 4, 2010. i'm a stay at home mommy and am eagerly loving every minute of it. i'm a california girl, but since being transplanted to the south, i'm learning to bloom where i'm planted. i'm so thankful to the Lord for directing my path and making it straight!

Hitting the Road

Hello Everyone! I'm Jozen from Lola's Girl and I am so honoured and excited to be guest posting here while our sweet Hannah takes some much needed time off.

When Hannah told me she was going on vacation, it got me thinking about my childhood summer vacations.

At the start of every summer, my parents would pack up my sisters and I and stuff us all into our family van and hit the road.

We would be gone for the entire summer.

We would leave home (Vancouver, British Columbia Canada) head for the US border and drive down the I-5.

First stop: San Francisco.

We would visit with family, take in the sights and eat clam chowder along Fisherman's Wharf.

After a few weeks, we would pack up the van and hit the road again.

Second stop: Los Angeles

We would visit with family...

Visit the happiest place on Earth.

Lose our lunches on the insane roller coasters at Six Flags

and be mesmerized with Hollywood entertainment at Universal Studios.

After a few weeks, we would pack up the van again and hit the road.

Third and final stop: San Diego

We would eat and visit with family and eat some more and visit more family.

And finally, with the end of summer just around the corner, my parents would pack up the van one last time and we would head back home...

Camping along the way.

We did this summer trip, every summer from the time I could remember until I finished high school.

I didn't realize it at the time, but these annual summer road trips created my fondest childhood memories.

Riding in the back of the van with my sisters playing "punch a buggy" or reading book after book after book.

Warm summer evenings walking around Disneyland or playing card games with my cousins.

Being trusted to go to the mall by ourselves or staying up late and playing Super Mario Brothers on the Nintendo.

Thanks Mom and Dad for giving me all these wonderful childhood summer memories.

Sweet Little Getaways

I love little getaways.

Whimsical little trips to tucked-away places, excursions dotted with cupcakes and tea, fun memories with loved ones... oh how I wish I was on vacation right now like our lovely Hannah Nicole is!



My name is Dionne, and I write over at the City of Dionne bloglet. While Hannah is away on vacation, I thought I would sweep us all away to a charming little vacation spot.... your own living room.

Sometimes our imagination and creativity can take us on the best holidays, don't you think? Some of us dream of camping and exploring the Great Outdoors, but we don't always have the time to do that. Why not go camping in your very own living room? Who says that only little kidlets can set up a fort in their living room? This year for Valentines Day, instead of going out to a fancy restaurant and staying in a chic hotel, my husbo and I made our own fort in the living room and stayed up late talking all night.



You could go hiking across your house - set up a trail of pillows and make a map to navigate your way across the terrain. Go fishing in your bathtub. Roast marshmallows over the fireplace. Tell scary stories on the front porch. Set up a Tea Party Picnic (with this indoor camping trip you can bring your breakable china!). The possibilities are endless!



What would you do on your Living Room Camping trip?

And I'm off!

Just a quick little blip to wish you all goodbye for a little while! My family (grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncle and all) are heading up to Woodland--our annual, traditional, been going since my mom was little, vacation. One beautiful, blessed, blissful week filled to the brim with family, food and fishing, accompanied by a healthy dose (healthy as in a big walloping dollop) of swimming, games and laughter. A week where we're drinking in ridiculously big swallows of joy and love and happiness mixed together for one sticky, sweet drink that just slides down your throat and coats it in a mess of deliciousness; the taste lingering long enough to bring melancholy after it's gone. One week where my family becomes even more than it already is...a week of vividness, and bigger, beautifuller life.



But fear not! I'm not going to let Aspire be neglected! I've arranged for an array of beautiful bloggers to guest post from the 4th to the 9th of July, so that you have something to look forward to each day. (surprise! Any of you guess it?)

Meanwhile, this will be my fam. Minus the pool and plus the lake and beach. I'm talking relaxation here.



And this is completely unrelated, but have you tried nutella?







♥♥♥

Goodbye, my lovelies! Will be seeing you when I get back! But for now...I've gotta run! :-)