Monday, January 26, 2015

Happy Monday Morning ~ Hold My Hand

Hi friend!!!


Happy Monday Morning! 

found on Photobucket
 
 
"Enjoy the tempo of a God-breathed life by letting Me set the pace.
Hold My hand in childlike trust, and the way before you
will open up step by step."
 Jesus Calling - 
Enjoying Peace in His Presence
~ Sarah Young
 
 
Ahhh.... the tempo of a God-breathed life. *sigh* Sounds heavenly.
 
I'm sure you agree that life can be fast paced, kind of crazy and pressure filled. So much so that sometimes we just want to scream for it all to stop.
 
Never mind slow the tempo.
Stop the music! 
 
When I start each day by spending some quiet time alone with Jesus, my days are more joy filled and there's a peace in my spirit that is with me throughout my day. In fact, the quote above is from yesterday's devotional reading.
 
Starting the day with Jesus sets the tempo for the whole day.
 
Dear Jesus,
Hold my hand and guide me through this day. Help me to remember that You are with me every step of the way. Thank you that Your plans for me are good and You are able to make my path straight.
I love you!
Amen
 
Love ya,   

Sunday, January 25, 2015

One Last Word About My One Word 2014

Hey there friend!

I'll soon be officially announcing my One Word for 2015. Yay!!

"Officially" as in the why, when and how of choosing my word for this year. I've already put my 2015 One Word graphic on the Home page and listed it on my One Word Journey page. I'd prefer that I had done it all at one time. You know - to have a big "TAH-DAHHH" moment.

But noooooo, I just couldn't wait.

First of all, I couldn't wait to make my One Word 2015 graphic. I love doing that sort of creative thing. Once I had it done and saw how pretty it was I was anxious to share it on my sidebar. And since it was already the first week of the New Year it had to (at least according to my rules) be put up and the 2014 graphic taken down.

So, ummm..... Tah-dahh?!


Anyways, before I say good-bye to my Word for 2014 there are a few final words to say.



As I check to see how many times I posted and shared with you about my progress I realize there isn't very much here.

Going through my archives, there are only two posts tagged "balance".  The intro in January for my  One Word 2014  and  The Good Stuff  in February.

That's it for the whole year - two out of 21 total.

Maybe that doesn't seem very balanced to you. Yet actually, to me, it does.

I've come to realize that to have balance in my life it doesn't mean that all areas in my life are given equal time. Nor does it mean that everything gets accomplished right away. Maybe not even at all..... sometimes it's best to put it aside or redirect.

What it has come to mean is that I manage my time better and don't get too caught up in one task, project or area and than neglect the others. Because you see, it's when I don't keep things in my life balanced that it causes me to become overwhelmed and even guilty about neglecting other things.

Sounds pretty logical and simple doesn't it? Yea, it does. Except when you are task oriented and love a good "To Do" list. And you love it even more when the task is completed and you get to check it off your list. {Raising my hand. Yep! That's this girl right here.}

Now, if my lists included family time, friend time, relaxation and play.... well, that would be great. But, they usually don't. That's "fun stuff" and it should always be "work before pleasure" (another one of my rules).

So, I've learned......
..... to not spend hours in bloggy land and neglect time with hubby. {hence, only those 21 posts all year}
..... to put away the quilting and not have hubby run out to get us sandwiches or burgers for dinner {a-hem, again}.
..... to put my feet up and read after spending a couple hours doing yard work in the hot Florida sun. Even if I didn't get it all done. {Dang "To Do" list.}

Anyways, yes I've made progress, but I think that keeping things balanced is something I'll continue to need to work on. I guess it really won't be good-bye to balance after all.

Love ya,

Monday, January 19, 2015

Happy Monday Morning ~ What Are You Aiming For?

Hi friend!!!


Happy Monday Morning! 

So I have a question for you today -

What are you aiming for? 

Which brings me to another question.... or two.

It's now the third week into the new year.
How is it going with your New Year resolution?

Or maybe instead of yearly resolutions you have yearly, five year and ten year goals.
Are you on track to meet those goals?

Maybe, since it's Monday, you're just aiming to make it to the weekend.
"Bull's eye" you say?



photo courtesy of Photobucket
 


Whatever you're aiming for today, might I suggest that you -
 
"Aim for progress rather than perfection."
 
 

Being a gal who tends to be a perfectionist I really, really like this idea. 

I can apply it to a personal goal I made last year. Last March I decided to loose ten pounds by my next birthday.

I'm not quite there and my birthday is in six weeks.  I can either feel like I'm failing or I can celebrate the nine pounds I've already lost.

Nine pounds lost!  I made progress!

Yay me!
Woot! Woot!

I think I just had an a-ha moment.

Yep! A-HA!

Let me share it with you -
Whether the aim is to meet a goal, keep a New Year's resolution, or change a habit -
life will be sweeter if we remember to celebrate the progress we make along the way.

Just keep aiming, don't give up and celebrate along the way.

Do I hear a Woot! Woot!

Bull's eye!

Love ya, 

Monday, January 12, 2015

Happy Monday Morning ~ He Holds Us Close

Hi friend!!!


Happy Monday Morning! 

It's my first Happy Monday Morning to you for 2015!
 

 
A few days ago, as I read a couple of verses in Isaiah, the middle part of one verse created a picture in my mind. One that brought comfort, joy, peace and love for my Jesus straight to my heart.
 
I knew it was gonna be a HMM verse and I couldn't wait to share it with you.
 
 
 
"He tends his flock like a shepherd:
He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
he gently leads those that have young."
Isaiah 40:11
 
 

I was able to find a picture on Photobucket {not sure who to give credit to} that pretty much matched what I imagined when I read that verse.

Yay! That makes it easier to "show" you what I mean.

As I spent a few minutes thinking about this verse, it brought back memories of years ago of me as a mom to two active little boys. If one fell down and got hurt I'd hear his cries and run to him, scoop him up in my arms, hold him close to my heart and comfort him the best I could until he settled down. Then I would check the boo-boo and see how bad it was. Whether some first aid was required or just a mommy-kiss-to-make-it-all-better, I'd do what was necessary to dry his tears and put a smile back on his sweet face. Then there were tender words spoken to remind him of my love and probably a few more not so tender words to remind him to be more careful {especially son #2} as I sent him back out to play.

I let some more memories of being those two little guy's mommy play out in my mind ...... and that's when my heart filled with love for Jesus.

You see friend, there's a connection here with how I would comfort my kiddos and how Jesus comforts us.

When life trips me up and I fall, get hurt and cry out I know He hears me and comes to me. He picks me up in his arms and holds me close to his heart. He comforts me until I settle down. We check to see how bad the boo-boo really is. Maybe I just need a reminder to be more careful or there is some first aid required {both of which can easily be found in His Word}. Whatever the need is to comfort me He readily gives it.

Oh how He loves me.
Oh how He loves you, too.

So, next time you fall, just call out to Jesus. I know I sure will.

Love ya, 

Friday, January 9, 2015

Five Minute Friday Fun: Welcome

Hi friend!

What day is it?
It's Friday!

And what does that mean?
It's time to party and have us some 5 Minute Friday fun! 

The party is at Kate's place in blog land. It's a linky party / blogger flash mob / free writing exercise. Whatever you want to call it, I say it's just plain fun - blog land style.

Everyone spends five minutes writing on the same topic. If they have a blog, they link up to Kate's post.

No blog? No problem! Just leave your five minutes of writing in the comments section.

The truly fun part is that you write with freedom. There's no emphasis on grammar or spelling. Punctuation is also worry free {yay! 'cause I love me a bunch of commas when I write}. Pretty much the only "rule" is that you visit the blog of the person who linked up before you and leave some encouragement. 


 ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
and GO!

WELCOME

The last week or so I've seen many comments, messages and graphics welcoming the new year on Facebook.

Welcome 2015!!

Yay!
A new year!
Things will be better this year!!

But, I've also seen some comments bidding 2014 "good riddance".

Hmmmm..... I can't help but think that there's something a little off about that. Even kind of sad.

I mean was this past year all and totally that bad?
Come on now... think about it.

Were there no blessings..... not a single good memory ...... no fun..... nothing? Did we miss it?

I bet if you stop and think you can find at least a few things that are worth a smile and bring something good to mind from 2014.

So, I'd like to suggest that we be more mindful of our blessings this year.  

Let's not only welcome the new year for a week or two,  but lets welcome each new day.

Yep! All 365 of them

Let's wake up and thank the Lord for the new day.

Let's remember His mercies are new every morning.

And ya know what? I bet if we do this, that next year we'll see many more comments on social media that instead of saying good riddance, we'll be bidding a fond farewell to 2015 as we welcome 2016.

and STOP!



~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Ok friend that was fun... but definitely not my most inspiring. I guess I'm out of practice with this kind of quick-thinking-on-my-feet writing exercise. Oh well, there's 50 more weeks (more or less) to do better.

And I did want to clarify that I realize there are some days and times in our lives that can be  particularly difficult. For me it was 2007.  Nevertheless, God is good and forever faithful. So even in the darkest of times I have found that I'm able to thank Him for never leaving my side.

This is the day the Lord has made
let us rejoice and be glad in it!!
Psalm 118:24
 
Love ya,