This week was the one year anniversary of my mom's passing. As always I am reminiscent of our good times and along with it creeps in the fleeting thoughts of the bad times, simultaneously. It almost is as if the two are welded together, as if one cannot be entertained without the other. Toward the end of mom's life, she took the time to explain herself and why she did certain things. She took the time to apologize and make the menz that had been twenty years in necessity. I suppose in saying that, my encouragement for the week, is to let the past stay in the past. Forgive. Notice there was not a Forget following that statement. I think it best in certain circumstances to cut your losses. But Forgiveness cleanses your soul. It removes the burden that is plaguing your life, and I assure you that if you are holding onto something that was done or is continuing to be done to you... you are plagued. I maintained this stronghold on my hard feelings for far too long. My hard feelings were not changing anything. They were hindering my own happiness. My mom's burden was that she couldn't allow forgiveness in her own life. Whether we are harbouring grudges against another or within ourselves, we cannot truely be happy and experience the elation of life, with out letting go. It is hurting no one but ourselves. Often times the one to whom we are begrudging things, are not affected in any way by our feelings. Think of that this week. What are you holding on to that is holding you back from what life has to offer? I challenge you this week to have the courage to forgive. Sometimes it's the other way around, sometimes we need to ask for forgiveness to clear our own conscience. Whatever the case... make a menz.
I will kick this off with 10 things I love about life and include my five random friends at the end!
1. The sights, sounds and smells of the beach. Something about it refreshes me like nothing else.
2. A good love story to read. I have read quite a bit of Nicholas Sparks lately. Currently, I'm working on "The Last Song" and so far so good.
3. Really good music. One of my favorate things is to play something great, like Aretha Franklin or The Supremes and grab the spoons, so H and I can sing along! I love songs with guts, that were written with integrity.
4. Dancing with H. He loves it and is so sweet. I'd like to think that his wife will appreciate my efforts at some point! :)
5. Being outside. It's amazing. It's so hard to imagine that everything around us is an accident. If you take the time to inspect the landscape, it's easy to see how God exists. Fall is my favorite time, everything is so inviting. The air is crisp and the wind is coaxing the leaves from their branches, with a promise to renew in the Spring. It's an easy thing to love.
6. Everything about being a mom. It's such a great job. Although I wish it were something that I could do full time, I love the precious moments that I get to share. Time is so fleeting and it is nearly unbearable to know that there are people out there that take these times for granted. Some by choice, and some by circumstance. I wish that I could encourage these parents to savor this time. God specially entrusted you with this little life. Shape it wisely.
7. I love taking risks. I think it's amazing to randomly meet new people wherever I am, to ride roller coasters, to skydive. Anything to boost the adrenaline.
8. I am still crazy about my husband. We loose sight of everything with the hustle and bustle of life, but I have to admit, he still gives me butterflies sometimes. It's easy to feel like the naive teenager I was when we got married. I hope that we get to enjoy our amazing friendship until we are old and gray (he will be gray before me, I hope! )
9. I love to sing. Everything about it fulfills me. I hope that at some point it fits into my life as a career some day. Nothing would be more satisfying that sharing what I love the most. I'll add that there are few greater things than knowing you have encouraged free thought for someone with the words you sing or the music you play. It's exhilarating.
10. My great love in life is laughter- it's inspiring. Plus it's a great way to burn fat without working out!
This week I have heard quite a few complaints. I'm not sure if people are groaning more, or if I have just become aware. In no way am I claiming to be above all of this. I know that there are days that we just want to stay in bed and be oblivious to the ever exhausting world around us. I'm certain a portion of our discomfort is originated during childhood. Most of us are kept oblivious to the outside world as children and taught subconciously that the world revolves around us. As with every arguement there are exceptions, but for the most part we are blind to what is coming ahead. What a wakeup call when we are faced with reality. ... We don't always get prince charming, everything in life is not free, our job is not fantastic, we didn't become overnight superstars... or supermodels for that matter. But most of us have what we NEED in life. We have friends, we have family... sometimes not both and other times none that we want of either..., we have clothes, a roof over our head, food in our belly. What we HAVE in life is so much more important that what we don't have. My encouragement this week is that if you spend the bulk of your time focusing on what you HAVE and what you can do to provide the less fortunate with what they NEED, you won't have time to worry about the things that your life is lacking... and most of the time, your life will begin to seem as though nothing is lacking at all.
My thoughts for the week this week are that of friendship. As it seems we try to rekindle the past. We are always grasping for friendships we once had or lovers we still carry with us. It's easy to say that we lost touch for whatever reason but in most cases, I feel that the reason we move away from each other is that we are becoming different people. In my case personally, I took a step toward a family life and focused on it rather than really living much of a party lifestyle. At 18, this really slims down the number of friends that want to be around you. I found that it was fine at the time, however these days I am clinging to whatever used to be instead of forming new friends that fit into my life now. As it seems, even at 27 there are those that are still living it up. It's hard for me to accept that although we maintain a friendship, it isn't always easy to modify your life to include them regularly. I suppose what I am saying is that life comes in seasons. Some people are meant to be a permanent fixture in your life, while others are there to support you and visa versa for a season. It doesn't mean that they have to be extracted from your life, as you may be cordial when you meet on the street. It does however mean that you shouldn't invest yourself into someone that isn't necessarily willing at this point to invest back. It leaves both parties hurt in the end and possibly can damage the friendship indefinately.
I will kick this off with 10 things I love about life and include my five random friends at the end!
1. The sights, sounds and smells of the beach. Something about it refreshes me like nothing else.
2. A good love story to read. I have read quite a bit of Nicholas Sparks lately. Currently, I'm working on "The Last Song" and so far so good.
3. Really good music. One of my favorate things is to play something great, like Aretha Franklin or The Supremes and grab the spoons, so H and I can sing along! I love songs with guts, that were written with integrity.
4. Dancing with H. He loves it and is so sweet. I'd like to think that his wife will appreciate my efforts at some point! :)
5. Being outside. It's amazing. It's so hard to imagine that everything around us is an accident. If you take the time to inspect the landscape, it's easy to see how God exists. Fall is my favorite time, everything is so inviting. The air is crisp and the wind is coaxing the leaves from their branches, with a promise to renew in the Spring. It's an easy thing to love.
6. Everything about being a mom. It's such a great job. Although I wish it were something that I could do full time, I love the precious moments that I get to share. Time is so fleeting and it is nearly unbearable to know that there are people out there that take these times for granted. Some by choice, and some by circumstance. I wish that I could encourage these parents to savor this time. God specially entrusted you with this little life. Shape it wisely.
7. I love taking risks. I think it's amazing to randomly meet new people wherever I am, to ride roller coasters, to skydive. Anything to boost the adrenaline.
8. I am still crazy about my husband. We loose sight of everything with the hustle and bustle of life, but I have to admit, he still gives me butterflies sometimes. It's easy to feel like the naive teenager I was when we got married. I hope that we get to enjoy our amazing friendship until we are old and gray (he will be gray before me, I hope! )
9. I love to sing. Everything about it fulfills me. I hope that at some point it fits into my life as a career some day. Nothing would be more satisfying that sharing what I love the most. I'll add that there are few greater things than knowing you have encouraged free thought for someone with the words you sing or the music you play. It's exhilarating.
10. My great love in life is laughter- it's inspiring. Plus it's a great way to burn fat without working out!
This week I have heard quite a few complaints. I'm not sure if people are groaning more, or if I have just become aware. In no way am I claiming to be above all of this. I know that there are days that we just want to stay in bed and be oblivious to the ever exhausting world around us. I'm certain a portion of our discomfort is originated during childhood. Most of us are kept oblivious to the outside world as children and taught subconciously that the world revolves around us. As with every arguement there are exceptions, but for the most part we are blind to what is coming ahead. What a wakeup call when we are faced with reality. ... We don't always get prince charming, everything in life is not free, our job is not fantastic, we didn't become overnight superstars... or supermodels for that matter. But most of us have what we NEED in life. We have friends, we have family... sometimes not both and other times none that we want of either..., we have clothes, a roof over our head, food in our belly. What we HAVE in life is so much more important that what we don't have. My encouragement this week is that if you spend the bulk of your time focusing on what you HAVE and what you can do to provide the less fortunate with what they NEED, you won't have time to worry about the things that your life is lacking... and most of the time, your life will begin to seem as though nothing is lacking at all.
My thoughts for the week this week are that of friendship. As it seems we try to rekindle the past. We are always grasping for friendships we once had or lovers we still carry with us. It's easy to say that we lost touch for whatever reason but in most cases, I feel that the reason we move away from each other is that we are becoming different people. In my case personally, I took a step toward a family life and focused on it rather than really living much of a party lifestyle. At 18, this really slims down the number of friends that want to be around you. I found that it was fine at the time, however these days I am clinging to whatever used to be instead of forming new friends that fit into my life now. As it seems, even at 27 there are those that are still living it up. It's hard for me to accept that although we maintain a friendship, it isn't always easy to modify your life to include them regularly. I suppose what I am saying is that life comes in seasons. Some people are meant to be a permanent fixture in your life, while others are there to support you and visa versa for a season. It doesn't mean that they have to be extracted from your life, as you may be cordial when you meet on the street. It does however mean that you shouldn't invest yourself into someone that isn't necessarily willing at this point to invest back. It leaves both parties hurt in the end and possibly can damage the friendship indefinately.
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