on getting lost...and a giveaway!

last month, our family went on our yearly vacation.
i've chatted a lot about it here...
we covered thousands of miles and eight or nine states.
{i can't remember exactly how many right now...it's all a bit of a road-trippy blur.}

during our time in south dakota, we got lost for a bit while looking for our next landmark stop.
again, my memory fails me, but really the destination bears no importance in this post.
what i distinctly remember is my immediate frustration at the realization that we were "lost."
in reality, nothing had changed.
we hadn't run out of gas.
we didn't have a flat tire.
none of the kids were car sick.
we weren't stranded, destitute, or forsaken.
really, all that had changed was what we knew...
we knew that we were headed in the wrong direction.

but that knowledge is all it took to set me off.
i was annoyed.
worried a bit, but mostly, just annoyed.
now, instead of it taking forty-five minutes to get "there," it'd take an hour and ten.
i huffed and i puffed and if it had been there, i probably would have blown the house down.
i didn't want to be lost.

and then i had one of my chats with myself.
and it dawned on me that i was being completely silly.
and what's more, i was missing the entire point of a road trip!
getting lost isn't a tragedy.
it isn't an emergency.
if viewed through the right eyes, getting lost isn't even really an inconvenience.
in fact, one could argue that getting lost is ofttimes the entire point of the trip.

getting lost allows us to focus on our current surroundings more than our destination.
getting lost forces us to look at the "now" rather than the "then."
and more times than not, getting lost causes us to slow down and stop.

i think i need to get lost more often.
this week, i'd like to take my kiddos for a country drive, just to look at the fall colors...and get lost. 
{trust me..."getting lost" in this scenario will be extremely easy for me.  i'm one of those people that has no internal compass whatsoever.  i could get lost in a paper bag.}
this week, i'd like to pick up a good book and get lost in the story.
i'd like to listen to a beautiful song and get lost in the message.
i'd like to watch the world right outside my window and get lost in the beauty and incredible wonder of nature.

come on.  join me.  let's get lost together.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
i was thrilled when, shortly after we arrived home from vacation, melissa lyon west contacted me to see if i'd like to do a giveaway of one of her prints.
i browsed through the prints she has available in her shop and when i saw this one, i knew it was the one i was meant to have...especially considering the lesson i'd learned just a few days prior.

melissa's family is a bunch of traveling nomads...and she's well acquainted with getting lost...both figuratively and literally.
this past summer, melissa contracted lyme's disease.
during the hopelessness that ensued from that diagnosis, she experienced a severe panic attack during which her "saving grace" was a bit of paper on which she'd hastily scrawled a verse.

without her even knowing it, lines of grace had been born.

the pieces that melissa now hand-letters are shared with those who need encouragement, but they are expressly made for her and her struggles...
full of words that cut deep to heal, uplift, and give grace.

the heart of lines of grace is the happy mail society...
for less than a trip to the coffee shop, you can receive hand-lettered hope delivered to your doorstep each month, to keep reminding you who you are in Him. 
{readers can sign up for a free copy of the current month of the happy mail society here! note: this content is different than that included in the free month offered on the website, which you could also sign up for!}

melissa has graciously offered to give away one of her prints to one of you this week.
here's what you have to do to enter:
1. visit melissa's shop and pick out your favorite print.
2. come back here and leave a comment stating what your favorite print in her shop is.  please be sure to leave your email address with your comment.  comments without email addresses with be disqualified.
3. for an extra entry, follow lines of grace on instagram {@linesofgrace} and come back and leave a separate comment stating that you did so.  again, please be sure to leave your email address with your comment.  comments without email addresses with be disqualified.

winner will be chosen and notified via email friday morning {10/31}.

happy-happy-win-win!!!
xo


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
giveaway closed.
lindsay, you're the winner!!!
i'll be contacting you by email today.

17 comments:

  1. I love the getting list print. Would be so excited to win!
    Kristin.sellars@gmail.com

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  2. Hi! I'm Melissa's sister. I was so happy to stumble upon this today. Just so you know, Melissa is one incredible person. She has encouraged me in so many ways and especially since lines of grace was born. Her talent is all over my walls and part of what lifts your spirit when you look at one of her pieces is the knowing that she is sharing her heart with you. Thank you for featuring her work today :)

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  3. "You are the mama that your kids need" totally spoke to me. This is getting a little personal, but Melissa, your story struck a chord in me. 3 years ago, at the end of the summer that our foster child moved in, I got really sick. Really sick. Fast forward to this December, and we adopted our little guy, and this March I was diagnosed with Lupus and Fibromyalgia. Our son is 8, so full of life and energy. In my hardest times, mostly when I've been stuck in bed, I've questioned why God picked me as this little guy's mama. I would think: he needs someone strong, who can adventure with him and spend the quality time with him that he hungers for. But I felt God whisper to me that he did pick me, and I have found new ways to adventure with my son while I recover, like watching movies in bed together. I just wanted to share that your story and this print touched me, Melissa! I get your story, the hard times, and how much comfort God's word can bring. Thanks for sharing your story. colibri_mel@outlook.com

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  4. The getting lost print is lovely and so true. laurenbraaten@gmail.com

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  5. I really like the "you are the mama your kids need" print. It's such a good reminder, especially when the days are long and I'm feeling like I'm having a hard day.
    SHull2319 at gmail dot com

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  6. I follow lines of grace on Instagram (shull2319)
    SHull2319 at gmail dot com

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  7. The getting lost print is profound for me as I feel pretty lost right now, personally speaking. It's a great reminder that this season is not a waste.
    TheJoyfulJewelryBox@gmail.com

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  8. I follow LinesOfGrace on Instagram (@TheJoyfulJewelryBox).
    TheJoyfulJewelryBox@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  9. I actually love this print. I read this post Tuesday and then that evening John got us lost going the backroads to dinner. I would have typically been annoyed (especially since I was hangry) but I had just read this and didn't feel the least bit frustrated…and we really enjoyed the ride. (i do have to admit that i blamed the longer wait time on him though because we were later getting there heehee) HUGS!!!! Thank you both for doing this.

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  10. I follow Melissa and Lines of Grace. My IG is gretchen.leah. Thank you again!!

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  11. Love the hope as an anchor print!
    ruthelaine17@yahoo.com

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  12. I am following lines of grace on IG! My account is @fawn.and.fern

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  13. I am following lines of grace on IG! My account is @fawn.and.fern

    ruthelaine17@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  14. I like hope is an anchor. Acetebow@sbcglobal.net

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  15. I follow on Instagram acetebow . Acetebow@sbcglobal.net

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  16. Hope is an anchor llew415 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  17. You are the mama your kids need. What a great reminder to stop comparing ourselves with all the wonderful mamas out there, and to be the mama God created us to be for our own special, little family.
    35bethjones@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete

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