Who I am, Heather, Day 1

Heather, Day 1

Who I am

Today I am challenged with the task of writing about myself (okay, so I usually don't have a problem. I'll start out by defining who I am, Heather Nadine Collver. Through my life, I have also used Schmith, Cottrell, and Leavitt as a last name.

Heather simply means a flowering shrub or interwoven yarns of mixed colors producing muted grayish shades with flecks of color. Nadine is defined as a female given name.

I had to laugh when I read the definitions. They are so simple and I like to think I am as well.

Flowering is a good way to describe my life, I started out a seed that needed nurturing until I was in the light of the "son" to bloom. I had no problem maturing fast, in fact, I was "blooming" in fourth grade with a body of a 12 year old.

I am certainly a grayish shades type of person. If I could just be here and not be seen, then I would be in my element. As an adult, I strive to be here and reflect my God, so that I am not the one that people see, but to Him be the glory. There are times when my flowering takes over the rest of the garden though. I tend to spread myself out all over the place. Spring is my favorite season, with all the new blooms, which is a reminder of when I became a Christian, how God gave me new life, and continues to give me a new day, full of opportunity to spread seeds. It defines who I want to be in Christ; forever changing, growing, and producing in response to the love and care of my creator and caregiver.

Flecks of color brings a smile to my face which quickly dims when I remember growing up. My freckles were my signature until the hormones took over and hid behind that nasty pubescent acne that earned me the recognition of “Pizza Face” in fifth grade.

Interwoven yarns of mixed colors has many meanings in my life. The first thing that comes to mind is the many people that influenced my life, from ALL walks of life, weaving into my life different colors. The second thing I think about is my hair. As a small child, my hair was straight bright yellow blond from the Reno sun. When I moved to Oregon when I was 7, it began to fade underneath so that when I was at that already awkward age of 11, it decided to curl and grow out a light brown color. The top half being curly brown and the bottom being straight blond. Third, I think of how my life was filled with bursts of color. There were times when all I could see was black and white. I think of when I had our first daughter, Hayley. I could not bear the color pink. Now, with three girls, it has taken over our lives. I've warmed up to it.

Jeremiah 17:8
He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit."


Dear Lord,
I praise you for who I am. When I read and understand what my name means, help me to remember your victory in my life. Although I may have reflected a thorny bush for many of my growing up years, I know that you continued to nourish me in times of drought, in times of trouble, those thorns protected me. So I thank you for all the colors in my life that have made me who I am today. May I give back to you my life so that you can use me to plant the seeds of hope and love in those who need it. Lord, bless those that read the devotional this week. Help me to have the words to speak life into them, use me, Lord, I am yours. Amen.

Please pray for Dale C. this week.