The day of pure bliss...

It's been really busy the past couple of weeks.... preparing for a child's very first birthday party, family members buying and selling homes, moving family members into the homes newly purchased, parents falling at work or randomly (!!) and trying to be on the road to recovery. Yesterday, was a great day and very very busy I might add. Getting everything together for this big bang birthday and then putting the party on.... lugging home all of the grand presents bestowed upon my somewhat unknowing son (I smile at this...) and getting the job of cleanup completed so that my husband and I can finally heave a sigh of relief that we did it! It was so funny how we were working so hard to make everything so stinkin perfect for him, being that it is his very first birthday ever.... he really didn't know the difference either way. We can tell him about how it all went down, show him pictures of his first party and who came to celebrate his big day.
But truthfully, he won't remember a blink of it. So....... who cares, right? We did. It will be one year ago tomorrow that that amazing and eventful day came into our lives and we welcomed such a bright joyous life into OUR lives. It doesn't even feel like a year ago that I was in labor pretty much all day long, at 4:30 in the afternoon I had the worst back labor ever and those contractions - - whew! How strong and intense. I remember all of it vividly. Yet, all of that was wiped away when that precious little baby was placed into my arms the moment he came out and I was gazing into his eyes as he gazed into mine. He studied my eyes so intensely as I softly spoke to him..... he was so calm and peaceful the moment he emerged from my womb. He knew my voice, he knew my smell. Now, he was learning my eyes and my touch as they now corresponded with the voice he had grown to know for the previous nine months in my belly. How precious he was.... and how precious he grows to be each and every moment we lay eyes on him!

Truly, this recollection reminds me of how God looks at his daughters... we are his beautiful, beloved daughters. He created us with such vision and purpose. He knew exactly what he was doing when he formed each intricate detail of our hearts, our character, our personality... everything about us! And he just smiles at us so adoringly every time he gazes at us. He just loves us so so much! It is our very lives that he created and destined for us to live with greatness and beauty. He made us with such an amazing design that not one person can ever come close to replacing what he created in our lives. It is yours and yours alone. Take it and run with it.... no one else has the same gifts, skills, personality, or 'wiring' as you have. Embrace what he created it you and celebrate it in every which way you can. You are as unique as you allow yourself to be.

If you're anything like me when you're under pressure or in a hurry due to schedules or deadlines, you're completely flustered and well, all over the place! You don't exactly think straight or realistically. Today, I was running errands in a mad dash because I had an appointment that I had to get to. My mother (as kind as she was) was watching my son for a few hours so I had pretty ample time to try and get these things done without too much delay. I got to one store in and out.... then it was off to the last store to make an exchange and dash out to get to my appointment on time with even time to spare. Or so I thought.

As I'm standing at the cashier line, I'm waiting for an available cashier. I waited for, I don't know, five minutes. Finally, a manager flagged me down to the very end of all of the cashiers to what looked like a very homely young man. It was pretty obvious that he was a little shy and lacked a certain amount of self confidence. So, in light of that, I tried to be extra nice to him even though I was really in a hurry to get out of there. He explained that he had to refund my initial purchase and then I would have to 'purchase' the new item in order to exchange... so I agreed. But then he paused, then stalled and looked very puzzled. Clearly, something was not right. I waited with anxiety to find out what the problem was.... he looked at me with a slightly fearful face and stated that he 'pushed the wrong button'.  Yes, I'll admit, my first thought was 'WHAT? Are  you kidding me?? C'mon, I'm so in a hurry here!'. But did I say this? Umm, of course not!  Did you think I was that rude? Really, I'm not.
Instead, I felt as though Jesus was reminding me of his compassion and love. To remember that this young man has a story. A story that I didn't know and that I should not punish him due to my own agenda. I felt convicted - very convicted that my first instinct was to give him a rather annoyed look and be incredibly snubbish to the fact that he clearly had no idea what he was doing and I was going to be late for my appointment. Friends, I had to repent for that level of thinking. I had no business thinking or feeling that way. It wasn't his fault I had this appointment to get to in 10 minutes. It wasn't his fault that my patience level plummeted when he hit the wrong key on his register. No...... and I knew better.

How often do we think or feel so selfishly because of someone else's mistakes or downfalls when we can earnestly practice compassion and love. Is selfishness part of our beauty? No, it is not in our DNA as women after God's own heart. Love, compassion, grace and mercy, however are. These are the qualities that God desires for us to practice daily as his daughters and as his beloved. Take a step back from your first instinct and take the road less traveled..... love like you've never loved.

Think about it...

Amidst all of the craziness that life has to dish out to my family and I.... making a large purchase (our DREAM land), planning birthday parties, playdates, attending birthday parties-weddings-graduations, the daily grind and everything else in between... it has occurred to me once again that despite how the world seems to be in a blunder, life is good if you look at it that way.  Even though each day has it's share of 'uh-oh's' and 'OH boy.... what are we gonna do 'bout this one?!?', there is always something to be thankful for and having the ability to remember that such a time as this is a precious and cherished moment. We may not have all the money in the world and don't have the ability to do everything we wish we could - - but we are healthy (aside for all of our aches and pains due to the wonderful aging process :), happy, have a great roof over our head, have vehicles that are mostly dependable and get us from point A to point B.... my husband has a job that provides and I am able to bring in a little at times myself. Our son is a happy little boy that just loves us because we love the bejeebers out of him! And my husband and I...... well, we are more in love now than the day we were married.  We are a blessed people. And I am blessed to be able to say that.

How often do you take the time to just look at your life regardless of all the shoulda couldas and wishes, and understand just how fortunate and truly blessed you are? I mean really, even if you have a little cold or you are very prego and just once you wish you could keep something down!, you will build immunity to that cold... and thank God that you are housing such a precious life inside of  you! What a gift from God! 
I look at myself in the mirror in the morning just after waking up and I'm like, "sheesh! where'd YOU come from?!' but truthfully, God made me beautiful. He made you beautiful. Your heart and your exterior appearance.... it is a stunning picture!

Girl Time

Today was an interesting day. My son was just not himself. He was tired, I was tired. He was beyond cranky, yet didn't want to take much for naps. Ugh. Just another one of those days. Part of my worry today was the fact that I felt as though he may not have been feeling like himself, it was rainy and gloomy outside... yet we were supposed to be going to meet up at a playdate that morning and also go to the doctor to find out WHY he didn't act himself. I just wanted sleep. I just wanted peace. It just wasn't happening... not on my son's clock, that is!
We wound up going to our little playdate. And thank God we did. I was reminded today of  how much I need to have positive female relationships in my life. Even if I have to have my child in tow. Regardless of being a sweaty, dingy mommy  - or being a single young woman - female connections are vital! It was a breath of fresh air today to connect on a womanly, female level with another human adult female. Someone who shared my faith level, my passion for life, and who had simular views on the world we live in and the importance of our female hearts. Girls..... we need this. We do. As much as we try our darnest to be strong through all of life's circumstances, it is so very important to make connections with the other females we have in our lives. If you do not have these types of connections... pray for them to come into your life and go out and make friends with these types of ladies.

Our hearts are meant to love, to nurture, to have deep connections with those we love and care for. Yet, if we do not make a daily connection with God as well as with other women who share our heart's desire... we begin to fall short in who we are as the female heart. Take time to have coffee with the girls or go for a short walk with a close gal pal of yours. Make that connection and make it a priority. You'll be so glad you did - I promise!

Ever had a 'BAM!' ??

Today was one of those 'ho-hum' days.... rainy, gloomy and just really laid back. Days like that just really do not give me much motivation to go out and do much. You know, with it being so wet out and all. But then you get a little bit of cabin fever and you're all 'oh my goodness - I have got to get out of this house and get some fresh air before I melt to death!' Totally what my day was like today!
Yet, do you ever find that days like that make you think more?? Or am I just the normal weirdo....?? Uhh... I heard that! Ok. Fine. I'm a weirdo, I can admit it. Alright, so, here I am on the computer browsing various stores for what I hope to be my son's potential birthday gift from my hubby and I when BAM! All of a sudden this really interesting and crazy message comes to my mind. And it is a message that I heard a couple of days ago in Sunday morning service. Now, I don't want you to think that whatever I hear on a Sunday morning in chuch goes in one ear and out the other, because it doesn't. Honest! But... it seems that I will hear it and know that it applies to me and think, man, what a great message! Then, that same day.... it has left my train of thought and then it happens. Like that 'BAM!' I I told you about.. only it happens like three days later. It suddenly becomes so real and evident in my life and in my heart.

Here it is. You know how in life, we females like to mix everything we do together... you know.. we multi task everything. Yet, often times, we mix way too much of things that are not pure and not glorifying to God in our everyday mix. Well, the truth is, those things that are not edifying do NOT mix. Which is why that life mix doesn't quite work out for us. Not for our lives, our hearts, or our souls. And the worst part is, if we don't recognise it, it can contaminate not only our lives but also our relationships and those that we love and those we interact with. The worst part is, it can damage so much more than we can ever be aware of.  Scary isn't it?  Personally, I think so. It made me really think about what is in my life and in my thoughts that does not need to be there. What should I ADD to my life that encourages purity and that glorifies God? The answer.... Prayer and Persistance. There is another one, but, I will save that for the next post.

Think about it. If prayer was the first thing you concentrated on, even though it may seem small, it truly would turn into a big difference if you practiced it every day.

When I was in High School, I used to think 'I can't wait for the day that I am done with school!' It was a long awaited day - yet it was out of haste. I was thinking about that today as I was going about my day wondering if there was anything I would have done differently. Actually, it was my husband that triggered my thoughts towards that direction as he asked me the other day if there was anything from my high school years that I would go back and change if I had the chance. Somehow, I'd never really taken the time to consider such things. I just remember that I did not enjoy my time there, I was not exactly a popular kid and I really didn't care who I portrayed while I was there, either.
Yet, knowing that in the beginning of my junior year of High School my life had taken a dramatic change forever. I had made a life changing decision that would eternally affect my entire countenance. Considering that fact, my friends had not really changed too much. My social status did not change at all. I still didn't go to prom or have a boyfriend (sheesh... if I would have, that would have been pretty interesting to say the least!) And.... I still did not like school. Interestingly enough, I remember partly dreading school simply because I had to ride the bus to school. I never - no NEVER got to drive myself to school. I still look back on that and think it was pretty lame! Yea, I know, cry me a river.....

So, as I'm reflecting on my areas of change if I could go back.... based on how I changed on the inside, I wish I would have taken under consideration the legacy I could have left behind. Truly. I did not take seriously how much I could have made a positive impact on my school mates. I did not make it my mission to reach out to anyone. To be an encouragement, uplifter, or a positive reinforcer. I did not make myself known to people that I loved them or cared about them. I simply went about my day in the usual way without a care about anyone else's day or their story. There were so many people in my school that carried around broken hearts, bitterness, pain, anger, unforgiveness, etc etc. I did not take the initiative to be a vessel of love the way I could have.  If I could go back, I would have been the best possible vision of love and compassion to the people I saw everyday in my school. I would have left an unmistakeable legacy.


Maybe you're done with school for the year or you are graduating and moving on to college. What type of legacy did you leave with your classmates? What kind of example do you carry as you walk those halls? Is it a positive and impactful example? Even in your life with your friends and family.... strive to be the best version of you. Is there anything you would do differently to ensure it's a great one? You have the ability to be amazing and impactful on every person you know and cross paths with. It comes with your heart and what is deep within you. Discover that dazzling personality of yours and put it to good use to make someone else feel incredible. The more you bring out someone else's greatness, the more incredible you feel!

Yeah, that's what I thought you said...

It's funny how the sun shining outside and the warm weather dictates how well the day can go. Like if it's rainy outside... for a moment I think, 'well so much for a fun day outside..', when I could be thinking 'yea, what a great rainy day - bake cookies, watch some Elmo's World with the babe, rainy naps, etc, etc.'  So, why can't that be my first reaction?? The same goes for my husband. The rain comes and he's all, 'what a crappy day!' Until his patient load doubles that day!!  :)  Funny.  And then Facebook.... HA! Apparently a lot of my Facebook friends do not like rain...  if only it could be warm and sunny all year 'round. Ok, so we don't live in sunny Arizona or Cali-fornia. We live in Minneeessooooota. Did I get it right, ya'all??  Ok. So I tried. :P  

ANYWHO.... as I was saying! So today is one of those blah-blah days, meaning, it's not entirely sunny outside but it is not raining and it is quite warm. What kind of day is it going to be? Here's my ho-hum answer..... you make it a great day. What's that?? I didn't quite hear you - did you say, you MAKE it a great day? Yep. You heard me. Girls, we must look at every day we wake up and have breath like it's our only day to shine. It is the day you were created to be the most amazing version of you. Exersize those smile muscles often, kick your attitude up a notch and try on those heels you've been eyeing in your closet.

This is the day the Lord has made.... let us rejoice and be glad in it!!

I had an interesting weekend over the Memorial holiday.. lots of relaxing along with a lot of socializing. I am the type of person that enjoys peace as well as quiet, however, when you are married to an extrovert - too much peace and quiet is not a good thing. In fact, it'll drive them absolutely bonkers not to mention antsy. I realized this on Saturday afternoon as we really had planned to stay low and enjoy the weather and simply be a nice little family with our baby son. Yet, the slower our day got, the antsier my hubby got. I told him, 'honey, if you've got that much ants in your pants then go for a motorcycle ride or something... all your pacing is driving ME up the wall!'  So, on to the motorcyle he went. Much to my surprise, five minutes later he returned with a very disappointed look on his face. "It's going to RAIN." he muttered. Well, so much for that. Needless to say, the rest of our weekend just flew by only because we had a wedding, graduations and a family gathering all within the next day or two.
It had occured to me at the wedding we attended that was nearly three hours away (imagine that with an 11 month old... oiy!!), that I was going to enjoy this wedding because truthfully, I do enjoy weddings for the sake that the two people that are pledging their faithfulness and undying love for one another are going to begin a new journey as husband and wife and choose each other over the rest of the world's point of view. And honestly, I didn't get to see the ceremony (the baby thing, you know) but I did get to see how much fun the bride and groom have together and it made me smile to think that they could potentially open up a whole new world for their family someday-- to have their cake and eat it too!
Now, what my point is here today, is that in the midst of all of this mushy-gushy stuff is the  fact that my mind kinda trailed off for a time while at this beautiful wedding. At some point, I felt out of sorts due to the social aspect. I felt judged... as though people knew something that I didn't and they avoided me like the plague - some not all, though, I must say. But it occured to me the other day.... who cares? Really! Does it really matter what people think - of me??  No, it really doesn't. Why? Because I know who I am and I know that I am loved greatly by those that DO matter. My Jesus, first and foremost. Secondly, my hubby, my son, my family and in-laws, dear dear friends, etc.  Furthermore... I know exactly who I am because of Jesus Christ. He has made me beautiful, witty, bright, intelligent, gifted, and has blessed me tremendously.

SO, the next time you feel downsized by the world around you..... look around. Look at the people who love you and look at YOU. Remember what you are capable of and what you have been blessed with. And remember what a very significant person had said, 'No one can make you feel inferior without your concent.'  - Eleanor Roosevelt.