A Little Resurrection of the Blog and Soul

Hello, world!  6 years later and I am back to say hey.

Sometimes you run off for a while in search of bigger, better things only to come back to the good old faithful blog many years later.

The only thing that has visibly changed in all these years is that I'm now a mom to two wonderful little ladies. I still live in the same house, have the same job, and go to the same church. The biggest changes in my life have happened beneath the surface, in my heart and mind, through situations and experiences that have torn me down and built me back up.

Life is weird like that; we can interact with people all the time and still not have a clue about the war going on inside of them. It's comforting but also unsettling. When you're the one facing an inner battle you can choose to just let safe and helpful people in to walk along side you, but you can also be completely oblivious to someone else's silent struggle.

If you can identify with that, just know that it's okay. Not everyone needs to know what you're going through. (It's okay to disappear for a while and you don't have to explain why.) You may have to let go of and grieve the loss of your dreams. But let the death of your old dreams be the fertilizer that will cultivate the growth of new, better dreams.

The hard times won't last forever and someday you'll be able to look back and see the abundant harvest of character and wisdom that you gained through it. And not be mad about it.

Life is both complicated and wonderful and the only thing that makes sense sometimes is to say that we weren't meant to understand all the whys and what ifs of life. Sometimes it just is what it is but for sure everything we face is meant to draw us closer to God and make us more useful for His kingdom and His purpose.

Tips for Getting Things Done

I'm as good of a procrastinator as the next person, but I also hate the feeling of putting things off for too long. And of course nothing feels better than checking something off your list that's been on there for a long time. I often, if only for a brief moment, feel pretty confident I could conquer the world after such times. :D

I work full time, most of which is from my home office. It's both a luxury and not at the same time. Because sometimes it's easier to do housework than paperwork and vice versa, and distractions are often plentiful. I've found that making separate lists for work and home has really helped me in prioritizing what to do and when. And it's a lot easier to focus on what I'm doing when I'm not trying to remember everything else I have to do in the back of my head.

So if you're thinking of things you need to do while reading this, stop right now and write them down. 

Here are my favorite list-keeping tips:

1. Set a goal/deadline. It's easier to get things done if you give yourself a deadline. Even if it's one you just make up for no reason it will help motivate you to get things done. Or aim for a certain number of tasks a day. Whatever motivates you most.

2. Check things off as you go.  This helps me keep momentum. If I finish one thing I'm more likely to do another, and maybe even another. Sometimes finishing one small task and checking it off your list is all the confidence you need to tackle something more difficult.

3. Reward yourself.  (The main reason I like to finish my to-do list in the first place. :D) I usually reward myself with some quiet time reading a new book or sipping a latte while I catch up on my favorite blogs. Or go on a walk. Whatever you like to do, make yourself finish some tasks before you indulge.

So, go and be productive! :)

What I Learned in 2016

Every year I seem to follow a certain pattern in my blogging habits: I start strong in the beginning, writing and sharing regularly, and then my inspiration dwindles as the year goes on. I might make some goals to remedy that in 2017, but either way, thanks for putting up with my sporadic behavior here. :)

As I reflect on the past year I thought it would be fun to share some of what I've learned this year...

To notice and appreciate the beauty around me.


To find joy and contentment in normal, everyday life.

To open my own small shop and gain different business experience.

To garden, nurture, and harvest, even long after I'm weary of it. :D

To budget, spend, and save our resources purposefully.

To write lists and goals to keep my priorities in focus.
To develop my photography skills and create my own style.

And lastly, to realize how big the world is and how small I am in the grand scheme of it.
But yet how large of an influence I can have on my surroundings. 


It's been an incredible year and I can't wait to see what the next one holds. Blessings to you all as you reflect on the past year and look forward to a new one!

Cheers,

The Choice To Be Content

I've travelled to enough different places in the world to know there are far more exciting and beautiful places to live than where we call home right now. But the beauty of home is that, no matter the scenery and level of activity, it's where we belong. And we can choose to see the world around us as dated and boring or unique and beautiful in its own way.

I like to dream about what it would be like to live in a big, bustling city or even in our quiet little hometown. Those places seem to have natural appeal and glamor without trying. But lately I've been thinking about where we live right now and the beauty and charm that I enjoy every day as I walk through our little neighborhood. 

I will never be completely satisfied with where I am and life will never be completely perfect unless I consciously CHOOSE to be content. I can look at what's wrong with the things around me or I can focus on what's right. I can dream my days away about where I think I would love to live or I can enjoy each day living right where I am and make it my dream. 

The difference is in what I choose to focus on. 

What about you, how do you strive for contentment in your life?

Stop the Fade

Sometimes I sit and look back on my life and all the things that have changed. When I was little I couldn't wait to grow up and do the things I wanted and become the person I hoped to be. Now when I look back I wonder how it happened so fast... (And I'm not even old yet).

And while all this growing up and changing happened, I had some of the best years of my life so far and some of the worst. I've learned to accept that some relationships turned out exactly opposite of what I hoped, that I will never get to live out some of my dreams, and that other situations turned out far better than I ever dreamed.

As I compare life now with the way things were back then, I often ponder about what caused the changes in me and the people around me. Some of the changes are good, some disappointing, and others aren't significant one way or the other. But I realize that it wasn't just one certain thing that caused the changes in our lives.

It was a slow fade.

Our lives are made up of the many situations we face and our response to them. We can choose to become bitter and angry at the hand we've been dealt in life or choose to be grateful for the good cards we do have. We may not deliberately choose a destination that we find ourselves at, but we got there by making small changes along the way. 

It's a slow fade,
When you give yourself away;
It's a slow fade,
When black and white are turned to gray.

And thoughts invade, choices are made
A price will be paid
When you give yourself away,
People never crumble in a day;

It's a slow fade.

How to stop the fade.

Purpose, each day, to be mindful of the people and truths you want to hold onto in life, and create habits that will keep them there. Pray and read your Bible everyday and highlight scriptures that encourage you. Keep in touch with the people who are important to you. Send them a note or make time to get together and let them know you care.

Sometimes you need to let go of things and people who have fulfilled their purpose in your life. But some things shouldn't change and some people are meant to be in your life forever. Hold onto them.

Embrace the life you've been given and learn from the situations you face.

How Living in a Rural Community Has Made Me More Creative

When I was 2 years old my parents moved our family from Central Pennsylvania to Northern Minnesota. Like just-across-the-river-from-Canada Northern Minnesota. And if you know anything about the area, it's fairly rural and removed from "the rest of the world." Think 1 1/2 - 2 hour drive to the nearest mall.
While this area is all that I ever remember calling home (and I really do love it here!), I have occasional longings of leaving it to experience life in a place with more economic prosperity and options. I mean, how could you not wish to live in an area that has a coffee shop a couple minutes in every direction? I may never know what that's like.

But one thing that I have learned from living in a rural community, that I think I would've missed out on otherwise, is to be creative even in the simple things. I can't go on a quick run to Target and sip on my favorite Starbucks latte as I do my shopping. Because of this I've learned to plan ahead and make myself a to-go cup at home instead. I have fun learning how to create my own lattes just the way I like them, and it's also a lot less expensive.

So, we don't have Target, but we also don't even have Walmart. Remember Big Kmart? Yep, that's what we have. That and 3 dollar stores... *face palm*  Trying to decorate a house requires a lot more forethought and creativity when your options are limited. I scan the local thrift stores for items I can repurpose or else try to make something myself. And when I do get to go shopping out of town at all my favorite stores, I feel (and probably look) like a kid at Christmas.

But ultimately, I say all this to remind each of us that life is what we make of it. I know there are unhappy people in the most prosperous of places and there are happy people living in far worse places than I described above. It's a daily choice for each of us to be happy where we are, whether in life or geographically, and find the good that is around us. And most importantly, I'm here and you're there for a reason.

What about you, how does where you live positively affect you?

New Year

I love the fresh motivation that a new year brings, full of wonder and anticipation about what this new year will hold and what might be accomplished and experienced. And this year I've been inspired to choose a word to specifically focus my thoughts and efforts on, and that is VISION.

If I were to name one word that I hung on to last year it would be INTENTION, and I feel like vision is an extension of that. --I had to think of the common phrase we hear "the road to hell is paved with good intentions" and I realized that if that's all I'm doing with my life, it's meaningless.-- So this year I want to focus on planning ahead and establishing a vision for my life, seeking God about where he wants me to invest my energy, and then preparing myself for whatever that is.

Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained;

But happy and blessed is he who keeps the law [of God].

Proverbs 29:18

And with that in mind I also want to emphasize that every new day can hold this same meaning for us. We don't have to wait for a new year to start over and do better. We can endeavor to do this every day, reevaluate where we're headed and what we're doing.

So here's to a new year. And may you be challenged, stretched, and encouraged along the way!

What about you, do you have a specific word or focus for the next year? 

I'd love to hear your  thoughts!

Forgiveness

Show me how to love the unlovable
Show me how to reach the unreachable
Show me how to see what Your mercy sees.

Help me now to do the impossible
Help me now to give what You gave to me.

Matthew West

Attitude is Everything

"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. 

Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company, a church, a home. 

The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past, we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. 

The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude."

Charles Swindoll

Beauty

Love of beauty is taste.

The creation of beauty is art.

Emerson

Encouragement + Getting Older

Encouragement is something that I value a lot more now than I did when I was younger.

When you're young you can live off of the excitement of life, gaining new freedom as you become an adult and having fun times with your friends. You live for the next party or road trip, and when you're at work you dream of how you can make the most of your paycheck. But as you get older, you change, your friends change, and so does the fun.

Some of the people that I used to be friends with, I haven't talked to in years. --Primarily because we live far apart and our paths don't cross anymore.-- But it's ok. They found friends in their corner of the world, and I found friends in mine.

Changes aren't easy, and there is nothing wrong them, it's just life.

The thing I cling to is that each person I met was brought into my life to help shape me in becoming who I am today. I may never see some of my old friends again, but I still highly value them and the impact they made on my life.

And now that I'm older life has more meaning. People are more true to themselves when the hustle and bustle of the teenage years are over and wear off. My friendships go deeper than they used to. And I find the need for encouragement more than I used to. Tell me I'm not the only one? :)

Receiving notes or kind words from someone mean the world to me now. I appreciated them before, but they have more value to me now. Because life is scary, sometimes it doesn't feel like what you do matters and no one notices. So when someone makes the effort, I cling to that.

And I want to make an effort to do that for the people in my life. First, by writing these thoughts down for whoever reads this (I hope you're encouraged!). And second, by practicing what I preach. One of the goals I made this year, and it will hopefully stick for years to come, is to send birthday cards to my close friends and family. And I want to do a lot more writing and card-sending in general.

I'm a lover of all things techie and social, but social media has made me feel less close and personal with the people I care about, and I miss that. So here's to turning over a new leaf. I know it isn't New Years, and I'm 6 months behind. --Or is it 6 months ahead? ;) But I figured now is always a good time to set new goals and make things happen.

And let us consider how we may spur on another on

toward love and good deeds ... encouraging one another

And all the more as you see the day approaching.

Hebrews 10:24, 25b

He is Faithful

Lately I've been mulling over thoughts of God's peace and faithfulness. When I'm faced with questions and doubts it scares me. I like feeling peaceful and having full confidence in what I'm doing and where I'm headed in life. And I've spent a lot of time and effort trying to create that stability for myself in my own life so I can be depended on by the people around me.  

But sometimes I need to search out and be reminded of God's faithfulness again in order to maintain that strength.  And in that search I've developed a few favorite verses that I want to keep close:

Deuteronomy 7:9 says "Understand, therefore, that the LORD your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes His unfailing love on those who love Him and obey his commands."

And John 16:33 "I have told you all this so that you may have peace in Me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world." 

The latter is probably my most favored of the two scriptures simply because of the context. The chapters leading up to this verse are packed full of truths and promises; Jesus has been telling His disciples what is going to happen to Him and how they should live, and He continues to prod them to be faithful until the end.

I have no reason to fear or doubt, because God has this all figured out. He knows the end from the beginning and everything in between.  

So "Take heart [my friends], because [we know the One who has] overcome the world!"

Finally Home

I find myself taking many things in life for granted all the time. But the one that has stood out to me the most in the past 6+ months has been having a home.

Moving.

When Doug and I got married this spring we were only a month and a half into building our house so we had to find a temporary place to live. It was great being able to rent his brother's house and have a place to call "home" for a time. But still, there's nothing quite like having a place to call your very own. One that you can truly make your own.

But yesterday it finally happened. We moved into our house! --A day we dreamed about and looked forward to for months! Last night, after our helpful movers left and it was just the two of us, I sat down on our bed, in our room, in our house, and just looked around and felt so relaxed. Like we finally reached the top of a mountain and had a gorgeous view of the precarious valleys and thick woods we journeyed through to get here. And it was all worth it.

It's the same way in normal life, we go through unstable and trying times that stretch us further than we think we're capable. But when we look back we see that it is what helped us to grow and mature in new ways. 

God uses times like this to mold and shape us. If we don't allow ourselves to be stretched we are unable to be changed into His likeness in order to be better used by Him. His ways are higher than ours, and He always has our best in mind.

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable, and perfect." Romans 12:2

My Driving Lesson

There's a joke that in Minnesota there are two seasons: Winter and Road Construction. However, living in rural northern Minnesota with not very many roads means we don't usually experience the latter season, but this year was an exception. 

The road in front of my parents house, which is also the road I take to work, has been in disrepair for some time and this was finally the year to give it a makeover. Little did I know that this would lead to a makeover for me, as well. 

See, the speed limit in the construction zone was reduced from 55 to 40 (which is a significant difference when you've been used to cruising on that road your whole driving life). And construction went on for a couple weeks and I and the locals continued to drive at our accustomed speed. Then, one ordinary October day, enforcements were brought in to be sure we were aware of the temporary speed change.

____

It was Monday and I had been at the office by myself all day. So of course I was excited to see the clock hit 5:00 and anxiously locked up and left. I got in my car, turned on the radio, and was singing along to one of my favorite songs, when up ahead I saw a state patrol vehicle. I looked down at my speedometer and my heart sank to my toes. I'm dead. 

And this girl got her first speeding ticket.

____

So now I drive 40. And I've learned that driving a little faster doesn't always mean I'll get to my destination any quicker. Plus, if I drive slow I have more time to notice and enjoy the scenery around me.

It's the same way in life. If we rush through it, busy hopping from one thing to the next, we don't get a chance to enjoy the things that are right in front of us.