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Simple Thoughts Sunday: HAPPY NEW YEAR

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Happy New Year everyone.

Today sets forth a blank page and new path. I prefer my paths fairly straight, with few rocks and beautiful scenery. Mountains, rivers, friends, fresh air… That’s good because God promises us paths that drip with ABUNDANCE.

As we all know, life has many paths and some are what I fondly refer to as “ass kickers” – and that’s okay. We don’t reach our highest potential, or enjoy life’s true beauty without some effort and “STRETCH.”

I’ve been putting together my 2017 plan over the last few days (while dealing with this awful cold that some handsome college kid delivered to my door step). I will pray over this plan today and in the days to come, and what I know is that God will put me on many paths this year. I need to follow his guidance and not my own desire to take the route of least resistance… To put on my explorer hat and be ready, fully knowing that whatever the path looks like, He’s right there with me, along with some really great friends and family He has put along the trail!

I pray that you’ll join me throughout the year as we find out what’s ahead and together, and fully know that whatever it is, the year is promised to be “CROWNED with GOODNESS.”

Merry Christmas!

(Photo Creds: We Heart It)

Merry Christmas!

It’s Christmas night – a time to reflect on the joy of the moment. Today we celebrated the greatest gift ever given and my prayer is that you embraced the tenderness and joy that this gift offers. I am concluding tonight with an excerpt from Ann Voskamp’s ‘The Greatest Gift‘ advent book as it captures this time so very well…

“Christ came into the world for you- and you came into the world for him.

The world will be still tonight.

There will be lingering, longing. We will long for this wonder to go on. One Christmas candle will flame in the quiet. This CANNOT FADE – none of this can ever fade.

‘For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given’ (Isaiah 9:6)’

God is with us.”

That’s all I need – all we need. God is with us. As we sit in silence to embrace whatever this day offers to us, be it joy, tears or love, we have what we need: God is with us indeed.

Merry Christmas from my sweet family to yours!

Raise a glass to those that help you be you!

(Photo Creds: We Heart It)

As we all get prepared to spend the next few days with those we love, and that God has surrounded us with, I thought this quote was ideal.

Acknowledging those that help us along the way – that cheer us on through prayer, kind words or even constructive criticism – is so very important. It takes a bit of extra time and thought, but being intentional about this can truly deepen your relationships and increase your own happiness.

There are times when we get overwhelmed with people or processes – or just life. If we can stop and take time to write out the reasons we appreciate those people it really shifts our thoughts to the positive.

I think I’m going to write a letter of blessing to my boys and maybe a few others. I am also going to spend some time during the pre and post-holiday meals to thank those that have had true meaning in my life, such as my grandma Zillhart. Every year, she pretty much stuns us all with the most amazing prayer of gratitude before our family holiday meals. That simple prayer enriches the lives of my boys and myself. The little things… they are the big things.

I hope that you will take time to “call out” those who help you achieve your best and if you’d like I know the readers would love to hear your story!

This is Us

(Photo Creds:We Heart It)

At a holiday meal last Monday my dear friends all shared how I just HAD to watch this new drama, ‘This is Us.’ This wasn’t the first time I had heard this, so I committed to doing something I had never done, which is “binge” watch this season.  I’m about three fourths through…staying up way later than normal.

If you know me… I don’t do that without a really good reason – and let me tell you folks, this is a good reason. THIS IS US is pretty much AMAZING in every way. I highly recommend it!

The picture above captures the theme of the story.  It’s love and cold and struggles and warmth all wrapped up into a beautiful scene… many beautiful scenes. It’s perfect. The NBC website describes it as “refreshingly honest.” It is that and more. It is us. It is all of our lives, woven together by fabrics of many colors.

As I age, I learn that the crazy parts of my childhood are maybe not as crazy as my mind created them to be. That all people have stories… stories that are both amazing and stories that are sad and sometimes messed up. What I’ve also learned is that life wouldn’t be as beautiful if we couldn’t contrast that with the not so “beautiful.” I’ve learned that fantasies of sugar plums dancing and the perfect family involves scenes that don’t make there way into Facebook feeds and photo albums.

The contrast is what allows us to highlight and cherish the good and it takes it all to make our lives fulfilled and magical.

‘This is Us’ is really good. I think it will help us all love better and serve better.

Simple thoughts Sunday – Love BIG

(Photo Creds: We Heart It)

Advent week 4 – LOVE! The final week as we prepare our hearts for Christmas. How perfect is it that LOVE is the focus this week?

I think all of my boys would say Christmas is the best time of the year, but one of my sons REALLY LOVES CHRISTMAS. I bought him a sign with a message that says, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year,” a few years ago and he proudly hung it in his room everyday of the year until he went off to college. I love that he did that, and I love that he understands the message of Christmas and that it’s truly all about LOVE. My mom-heart hopes that he will hold on to this truth all through his life.

Loving well is central to our hearts as humans. We are meant to love and often we get it right, and sometimes we don’t love as well as we can or should. Regardless, we strive toward LOVE and the world usually magically gives it back to us.

As we head into this week, my prayer is that we love well – the best we can! Even when the world sometimes doesn’t give it back, we press forward and continue to love. Thanks to the Christmas story, we know the truth is that God so loved the world, and he gave us his only son…

And our hope in this wacky wonderful world is real and beautiful. Enjoy every minute of this week leading up to the MOST WONDERFUL DAY OF THE YEAR.

Love my friends! Love well!

Joy is a function of gratitude and gratitude a function of perspective

(Photo Creds: We Heart It)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This phrase stopped me in my tracks. I was simply reading yesterday’s advent message and I had to take a moment to let this idea soak in. I get the idea that once we are grateful we can be more joyful. That seems simple to grasp. If I can understand how blessed I am and call those areas out, my life is happier and more joyful.

The second part hit me, because I think since gratitude does have to come first and we have to realize it’s not that simple if your perspective has shifted. Like most of you, I have many friends and family that have a different perspective due mainly to unfathomable loss that they have experienced. This can be in their health or of someone they care for, loss of a relationship, or even the sudden loss of a loved one. THESE REAL LIFE REALITIES NO DOUBT SHIFT your perspective and possibly can get some stuck in “neutral.”

This “neutral” creates, in some situations, not necessarily a heart nor soul that is ungrateful but a heart that can’t quite get to full gratitude and joy. After all, the pain is real, and our human nature causes us to not easily hurdle over pain to shouting joy to the world.

So, what to do? As you know, the goal of my writing almost always goes back to how to best SERVE WELL in our homes, communities and workplaces/schools etc. We really need to remember that we have an entire world around us that isn’t feeling joyful during this season. We need to maintain an empathetic PERSPECTIVE and do what we can to be that smile and that listening ear to possibly help move someone out of neutral and into gratitude & ultimately joy.

Have an amazing holiday weekend!

Who is that one person….?

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Who is that one person that you meet with BUT not often enough? That person that no matter what, when you do get to share a conversation, they make you better? You leave smiling. You walk away going, “wow, I’m blessed.”

This question is a bit of a trick question, because at least for me, there is no way I could narrow this down to one person. Now, let’s make this a bit more difficult and unless there is absolutely no one else, let’s not think of dear friends or neighbors we see often, or immediate family members.

I did this little exercise a couple of weeks ago; reached out and scheduled lunch… AND, THIS IS THE WEEK. I get to meet with three of the coolest people and boy am I excited!

There is not much that should make us more “JOY CENTERED” than being with those people that most certainly God placed in our path for a reason, to change us for the better and create a life fulfilled.

Your challenge today is to at least come up with one…reach out and put it on the calendar.  A walk in the snow, a mid-day coffee break, a meal to break bread with those you love. Make it happen! I’d love to know if you joined me on this challenge.

Simple thoughts Sunday: JOY

(Photo Creds: We Heart It)

I love the JOY of this picture. I’ll never forget the first real snow my dog experienced years ago. She ran, galloped, rolled and literally jumped INTO THE JOY. This is our opportunity this week. It’s Advent week three and the theme is JOY.

As Christians, we begin to let the season sneak into our hearts. No matter your faith, we all find ourselves singing along to favorite Christmas songs… ‘Baby it’s cold outside,’ ‘Mary did you know,’ Mariah Carey’s ‘All I want for Christmas is you,’ and the ol’ faithful songs like ‘O Holy Night.’

Those famous lyrics seem to GENERATE JOY and a feeling that something “is different” about today – about the season we are in. It IS DIFFERENT. It’s special.

As you go into your week, my prayer is that you will not only find JOY AROUND EVERY CORNER, but that you will EMBRACE the reason for this season.

For those who want to go deeper, the following is the Prayer of Peace of St Francis of Assisi (St. Francis is one of the most venerated religious figures in Roman Catholic history (had to look that one up). Even though this was written likely in the late 1100s, it stands true today.) 

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love.

Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is discord, union.  Where there is doubt, faith.

Where there is despair, HOPE.

Where there is darkness, LIGHT.

Where there is sadness, JOY.

O Divine Master,

grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;

to be understood, as to understand;

to be loved, as to love;

For it is in giving that we receive.

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

HAVE AN AMAZING WEEK!

Welcome December 2016! Opportunities to love, serve and sacrifice!

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(Photo Creds: We Heart It)

It’s December! Can you believe it? Part of me feels like it’s been a super long year, and the other part feels that we are just getting started. Regardless, it is HERE and I’m ALL IN.

December provides us this AMAZING time to SHINE THE BRIGHTEST! Perhaps my favorite part of this month is that there are so many OPPORTUNITIES to LOVE, to SERVE, and to SACRIFICE for the benefit of those in our daily lives.

This weekend is the IDEAL TIME to truly sit down and be thoughtful about who those people are and creatively come up with a way to express that to them this month. Although the family is top of mind, there are so many people that make our days and ultimately our years rich and meaningful. December offers us a perfect chance to make sure they know how much their silly jokes or simple smiles make our lives joyful.

Of course this isn’t about spending extravagantly unless that is your choice. A hand written note, handmade item, or home cooked “anything” are ideal gifts of thoughtfulness. A meal together or any type of invested time is the best. It’s all about expressing and showing love.

Join me on this exercise this weekend. I’d love to hear your outcomes. Heck, I may get started today.

Some ideas:

A trip to the local fire or police station with a thank you note and some cookies or pizza…. Something to show that you notice their contribution and are grateful! (I have a friend that does this and I think it is so inspiring!)

Of course I try not to forget the hair stylist and all of those folks most of us need to feel and look our best.

What about the postal workers, cleaning crew at work, garbage collectors, medical offices…. And of course the teachers…

How about those that work for the non profits and are so busy raising funds and planning activities that they get overlooked?

So many options…maybe between all of us, EVERYONE CAN FEEL LOVED THIS DECEMBER!

Out of the chaos….

(Photo creds: We Heart It)

(Photo creds: We Heart It)

This could be my hand, but it isn’t. I know that on Sunday, my insight was on the importance of focusing on the season – the true meaning, the richness, the depth… I do believe that by the way, and I am absolutely counting on it this year.

Today however, I want to expose the very idea that we are human. Not only that, but humans in a potentially hazardous world. A world thriving on “being busy,” capitalism, etc. We all would like, from time to time, to get in the car (preferably a fantasy car; something fast, fun and that meets our every need with a great stereo, warmth and cooled seats) and drive right out of the city… out of town… out of the chaos.

The very idea of being surrounded by family offers both a deep sense of warmth and gratitude, and a bit of a stir to get the heck out of dodge. To run from the possible side conversations and dinner table topics that could ignite a family disaster. I mean, who really did you vote for? You get the idea. Who wants to upset their favorite uncle anyway? Isn’t it better to just get the heck out before you say what you really feel.

This isn’t limited to family. This is true for work, and I love my career. That doesn’t mean however, that there aren’t more than a few days that I want to jump in a getaway car and have some extraordinarily fun accomplice drive me out of town to some getaway; one that offers a reprieve from crazy people and processes that just might bury a less-strong person.

I hope you all can identify. So, here is the insight for the day: take a drive.

Leave before the chaos reaches the front porch. (Too often, we follow the Darwinian approach and dive right in… but not today.) We have this freedom that we don’t use often enough. Pick a friend that you feel yourself with… It may be a 7-year-old niece, a college roommate or a work colleague. Get in the car and DRIVE. Even if you just drive to Fort Scott (if you are in my neck of the woods, that’s due south and only a one hour and seven minute drive. Approximately one tank of gas – who knew… It’s the county seat of Bourbon County, Kansas… Does that mean we could get a quality cocktail there?)

My point…We all need to get away.

We all need a good friend, be it family, chosen family or a great coworker who will help us reset.

We all need someone to jump into the chaos with us… but only for a little while.

The world needs us to come back to reality, but if you need to get out, get out. I personally need to do it more often. Heck, I know I’ll find a fun boutique or road-side diner that will make my day for sure. I also know, that by driving out of the chaos, that I’ll be a better person when my GPS takes me back home.

It will for sure help me to hit ‘reset’ and be able to not only live in the chaos of the season, but to thrive in it. To connect and to grow… To achieve that expectancy that I indeed truly strive for.

Thelma and Louise, anyone?