Thankful Thinking
It was raining cats and dogs and hippos out there. We had a flood warning for days. There were multiple accidents on the radio, thankfully none of them impeding my journey to work. I arrived safe, dry and a little early.
See how I did that?
I found something to be thankful for.
A Stressless Best Yes
As we enter a new year we get to decide about our commitments.
Then you see her coming- the person who schedules everything at church, work or school. No matter what you do, she eventually corners you for a commitment. She has a clipboard and a pile of paper and schedules.
Isn’t it a good idea to be prepared?
What if you already know the answer, because you arrive at this moment with a well thought out plan?
What if we plan for a Stressless Best Yes?
Christmas Joy and a New Year
Christmas Joy.
What does it mean to you?
For me, Christmas Joy is focused on gifts, but maybe not in a traditional sense.
I am a person who takes very seriously the choosing and giving of gifts. I loathe the white elephant concept completely. It has no personal touch and loses all meaning and I simply cannot do it. When put into a situation where I don’t have an option, my sweet husband has to handle it all the way. (thanks honey)
Here’s the thing. God planned the most unselfish, majestic and amazing gifts for me. Aside from the obvious, the gift of the infant Savior, he has blessed me with many things. I have a comfortable life. My husband and I have a committed marriage. We have children and grandchildren who are healthy and taken care of. We don’t need anything, because we have been blessed with the ability to provide for ourselves.
The least I can do is choose something as an expression of love for the people I buy or make gifts for.
I spend countless hours researching and making lists, sure to cover all my bases. I want the gift I give to someone to mean something to them. I want it to be something they can smile about. I want to make them feel loved and wanted. I choose carefully, while not forgetting frugality.
It brings me great amounts of Joy to anticipate giving the perfect gifts to them. When they finally receive their gift, I hope they love it as much as I loved putting it together for them.
Another part of Christmas Joy is spending time with family. We used to have these long afternoon and evening Christmas dinners, opening gifts and playing games. We had more desserts than a family could possibly eat. There were kids running around and the chaos was manageable.
What happens when those recipients don’t convey enjoyment of the well sought after gifts?
What happens when the family Christmas parties become more stressful than joyful?
When I give a gift which is well thought out I often wait for a reaction. Sometimes, I am disappointed. It doesn’t mean I did a terrible job. It simply meant more to me to give it than it did to them to receive it. My Joy remains intact because I cling to the idea of gifting without expectation of reciprocation.
When family Christmas parties overwhelm, I must find a way to cope. Sometimes the reason I am overwhelmed is because I am tired to begin with. Maybe there is an elephant in the room. Praying before an event helps. I also use essential oils and calming tea, careful of my caffeine consumption. When I am stressed before I go somewhere it makes my anxiety a bit edgier and more uncomfortable.
On occasion, I may simply stay home. There are some boundaries which are put into place for our own personal protection and well-being. It is ok to make other arrangements to see those you love. It is ok to skip the drama and controversy. It is ok to enact a policy of self-preservation.
This holiday season I have simplified a bit and I hope you have too. Welcoming a new year I will cherish the quiet we have chosen. Sometimes the best gift we can give is peace to ourselves.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
XOXO
How About a Bit Of Dirt?
There was a time not very long ago when I had zero trouble writing a blog post. I would sit down and start typing. The words would flow and the raw emotion seeped through the page. When people read what I had to say, they could feel my heart beating.
Now I have been “refined” a bit. I worry about technique and what the CWM has to say. I pour over my words to make sure there are no mistakes in spelling or grammar. I check my word count. I cut important things due to theoretical and SEO restrictions. I am still not perfect, but I do edit more and catch my own mistakes. (mostly) (ok, sometimes)
Then I read my words and they seem to have lost their zing.
In all the formatting and “doing things right”, I have lost my personal touch. I have become worried about hurting peoples feelings with the truth. I have worked myself into a frenzy because a professional editor has mentioned all my downfalls to me but never said anything about the story. I have forgotten there are real people on the other side of this screen, and maybe they are reading this.
What I seem to be able to do? I managed to make categories, do my own header and link to scripture and books and relative places on the internet. I have learned how to do a few technical things. I can change colors, styles and schedule posts. I can make my own graphics. If I focus I can rebrand my page as my own. ( I did this last summer- what a hoot)
What I cannot seem to do?
Capture my actual feelings and thoughts, my inspiration with words. Why? Because all this technical stuff is in my way. All the people who say “Do this” and “Don’t do that” are replaying in my head.
My questions- Why can’t I? When did I become master of none of my words? When did I start listening to what people say when they don’t know me or have a vested interest in my writing? When did I start worrying what the “big publishing houses” have to say? When did I allow my worry over what others think of my skill level completely obliterate my process?
More importantly, why have I let people and their interjected opinions supercede the whispers of God in my heart?
Maybe my blog will fade away into nothing. Maybe these past 10 (?!) years have all been a dream I will forever chase. Maybe I will never be published, never have a big following or never write “good enough” for some of the technical nobody’s.
Or maybe God has a different plan all together.
Today I will claim my words as my own. I will not conform to some of the nonsensical standards pushed upon me because “someone said so.” I will create and I will share. This is my space, and I am reclaiming it.
If God wants my message to reach someone, it will. If he wants me to shut it all down, I will. If He determines I need to follow some rules, he will provide them in a way which is not harmful to me or his message.
I have always wanted to be a rebel on some level. As a Christian woman, I guess I always have been in this world. But instead of this fight coming within myself, I choose to let it go and return to the writer I once was.
Carefree. Truthful. Weepy. Grieving. Hysterical. Serious. Funny. Alive.
My niche is me.
And it is time I shared her with you.
XOXO
Merry Christmas 2018
What a magical day!
Christmas morning for me means cinnamon rolls and orange juice. It’s the smell of a crisp winter morning- (I live in Ohio so we get those here). It’s always been about thanking God for his Gift and spending time together with family and friends. It’s never been a day I wanted to run around from place to place- my heart has always been at home or very close to it. Now that we have grandchildren, I don’t mind going to their house. We sometimes hit a movie and go to friends for dinner. Our traditions have changed somewhat but the intention is the same.
These past 24 days leading up to today were filled with devotions and stories I had heard over much of my lifetime. I have spent countless hours reading and learning each of them as individual parts of my biblical knowledge. I never put them all together into one fascinating trail leading up to the birth of our Savior.
Though she will likely never see it, I want to thank Ann Voskamp from the bottom of my heart. Her perspective and ability to speak to my soul when weaving her words are tremendous. I appreciate her listening to the nudge of the Spirit when she hears it calling.
This has been a wonderful Advent journey, and I hope you will consider joining me again next year.
Have a very Merry Christmas friend.
XOXO
Reflecting on Day 18
Wow.
How about day 12?
“Every Little Thing is Gonna Be O.K.”
Yes, I do believe that. But some days…they prove to be harder than others for sure. What is your favorite day in the past week?
This week has flown by and I am grateful for each moment. The scripture from Ruth 1:16 packs a lot of punch. She lost everything, yet she was willing to give all of herself. Amazing woman, Ruth. Her story will not be forgotten by me.
She moves on through her life never giving up hope of a future. She grows faithful at a time when she has nothing left. Her faith brings her through.
Her faith brings her to Bethlehem.
Her son has a son, named Jesse.
He has a son named David.
Ruth’s faith brought us David and continues the promise of a Savior.
I would love to hear your favorite daily devotion. Looking forward to seeing what impacts you.
Reflections on the First 10 Days of Advent
The first 10 days of this journey have been amazing!
I never considered the roots of Jesus’ family tree before now. I always knew everything leads to him, but I have never studied scripture in this way. How are you gleaning from each day’s study?
One of the most impactful days of study so far has been December 6- Laugh!
In Genesis 21:1-7, Sarah has a baby.
Sarah and Abraham are old. There is no way around it. When God fulfilled His promise to them, and I read those words (probably for the hundredth time at least) I was struck and in awe. The God of the universe kept his promise to this older couple because they had been faithful. It was their simple faith which carried them through. What a testament to me. And for Sarah to say, “God has brought me laughter.” Tears for sure running down my face.
I have been facing loads of grief and heartache recently. I have had faith when faith is all I could muster. I realized on day 6, if God could give Sarah and Abraham a baby, He can soothe my soul. I needed this reminder.
I hope each day brings something new to you in your Advent Journey. I would love to hear about it.
Without Jesus, There is NO Christmas
So by now, you have probably seen my first three images for the Advent study.
The pictures of ornaments I took on my own tree. The printable ornaments can be found on Ann Voskamp’s website, and the keyword is in the book. I printed them and placed them on cardstock. I have a small primitive tree dedicated to this project. My plan is to hang each day’s ornament after I read the devotion and answer the study questions. There are multiple ways to use the book to study Advent, this is how I am using it this year. I have done it differently in years past.
In reflecting on this process, I have realized I created 25 ornaments for my Jesse tree, over 30 images and over 30 blog posts. I have some significant time involved in sharing this with you. As we read through together, I would love some feedback. If you would like to follow along, comments about your experience are more than welcome. I love to hear what people have to say about their perspective.
There are multiple ways to be connected. You can connect with me in the following ways.
To make things easy, subscribing to my website is the most convenient. You will receive each day’s post in your inbox. If you are an email person, this is the option for you.
You can also connect with me via Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Linked In.
Next week- A reflection on the first 10 days of Advent, this study and what I have learned from it. I hope to hear from you soon, and I hope to see you here!
**All links are posted to the right of your screen.
The Family Tree of Christ
Advent
It means “coming.”
Ann Voskamp writes in the introduction, “When you open the pages of Scripture to read of His coming, of this first Advent before you ever read of the birth of Jesus, you always have the genealogy of Jesus. It’s the way the Gift unwraps: you have Christ’s family tree… before you have a Christmas tree.”
What a breath of fresh air for me. I have been reading this book each day for the 25 days of Advent the last two years. For some reason this year, it has prompted me to be more serious about the Origin of Christmas. She is correct. She goes on to explain a tree is nothing without its roots. It’s just a jumbled mess of branches, waiting for the next storm to blow it down, taking advantage of its weakness.
When Christ was born, no one cared about your identity through your lifestyle. What they cared about was your lineage- your family determined your future. Your origin mattered. Christ came from a feisty group which included all the drama of a good novel. The best novel, actually. Men were in charge and women were invisible. Except…
