The Journey Begins

Today I finally had time to sit down and think about my journey with perspective. I had decided that I needed a format and encouragement to keep my on track and to help keep my word in the forefront of my mind, so I jumped into Ali Edwards' "One Little Word" 

This was not totally new to me. I had seen much of Ali's work back when I was scrapbooking on a regular basis. I loved her ability to use simplicity in her pages, while still capturing the emotions behind the photographs and memories.

Her One Little Word gives monthly prompts that can be used to help guide throughout the year, reminding you why you chose this word, how you want it to affect your life, and learning more about yourself along your journey.

One of the first tasks I was given was to search for quotes connected to perspective. This quote depicted above popped out at me almost immediately.

Too often I find myself immediately seeing the negative in a situation. For instance when my husband took his new job recently I wanted to be supportive but I also knew that the job would require him to move into an apartment for several months while I try to wrap up loose ends here. I found myself thinking of the quiet house that I would face each night after work, the separation between us, and the pure physical distance.

Taking a step back and a big deep breath allowed me to instead think about how this new job would relieve some of his stress, allow for new challenges for both of us, and create new opportunities for our family.

I had been focusing on the "thorns" in our lives and overlooking the beautiful roses that were budding along our path! I need to consciously rejoice in the possibilities that God is presenting for each member of our family and allow those roses to blossom to their fullest! My perspective needs to change.

I found myself searching in the Bible for more words of encouragement to help redirect my thoughts and I found this verse:

I need to meditate more about the good things that are happening for me and for my family rather than dwelling on the negatives. I need to praise God for the opportunities that he is giving us and seek his guidance as we make decisions. I need to be truthful with myself and allow myself to feel BOTH sadness AND happiness as these changes occur. I need to maintain my perspective and keep searching for the roses that are budding along our path!

Perspective

It is that time of year again. The curtain closes on 365 days of my life and I, like many others, look back on where I have been.

In January 2017, I selected "conscious" as my focus word for the year and I tried to use it as a guide. I was conscious about thinking before I spoke (and sometimes deciding NOT to speak), conscious about my money and how I spent it, and conscious about my relationships with others and how I decided to nurture them. The word served me well!

As I sit here on the threshold of the next 365 days I once again tried to pick the perfect word- that one little word that would help me to ground me and guide me. This meant looking ahead to the things I already KNOW will happen: selling our house, leaving my job, finding a new house, finding a new job, watching my son embark on his own life outside of our family home, rejoicing with my daughter as she graduates college, takes the NCLEX, and gets married.

Many people facing all of this would have selected the word "change" as their One Little Word, but I did not want to focus on the changes. Instead, I want to focus on how I deal with them. I do not want to allow myself to get bogged down in what COULD BE. Rather, I want to focus on what ACTUALLY IS. Because of this, my word for 2018 is PERSPECTIVE.

I want to keep the changes in my life in perspective, focusing on the possibilities rather than the immediate impact. I want to look for the bright spot at the end of the storm, not the thunder claps and lightning bolts. As the changes require decisions, I want to take the time to truly examine my choices and look at the possibilities from all perspectives. And most importantly of all, I want to consider God's perspective- what does HE want for me, for my family, and for my future?

Though 2018 is very "fuzzy" now, I am certain that my perspective will become clearer as the days of the New Year go on.

What about you? Do you have One Little Word that you have selected for the new year? I would love for you to share it with us!  Post a comment below and tell us a bit about it. If you care to, you can even follow my blog as I post updates regularly. We can all offer support to one another as the year goes on and we truly welcome our word into our lives. Just go over to the right and become a follower!

Blessings Unexpected

I have always been one of those people with a giving hand and heart. I was raised with Luke 6:35 as my guide....

"But love ye your enemies, and do good and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest..."

Last week I received one of those unexpected rewards.

Last year I saw Kari struggling through finals in her second semester of nursing school and I really wanted to do something to help. I realized very quickly that it was not just her struggling; it was likely her fellow nursing class peers. Knowing that students spent hours pouring over notes and books, particularly for finals, I decided that I would do my part to keep their sugar and energy levels high and I created my first massive "candy bar cake". It was welcomed by them with many smiles and thanks.

I decided at that point that I wanted to make it a kind of tradition to do something for finals each semester and began plotting and planning for the Christmas winter finals round. I searched through Pinterest and found an adorable stocking made from nurse scrubs. It was then that I decided it would be my Christmas finals gift to them. I gathered together enough scrub tops and material to create 24 stockings, enough for each student, teacher, and office worker in the nursing building with a couple left over.

When the stockings were finished I stuffed them with "nursing survival kits", packed them up in a large box and sent them back with Kari after Thanksgiving break.

I sat at home, smiling my little smile, and waiting to hear what they all thought. I never expected what was to come. When Kari came home she had hardly made it in the door when she said, "The nursing students got together and sent you something." She then handed me a beautiful gift box. I opened it where I discovered this beautiful sweatshirt and a $50 gift card to Jo-Ann's Fabrics. She went on to explain that they just wanted to thank me for taking an interest in them and caring about them. It touched me so much that I actually cried.

I did things for them because I truly cared and understood the stress that they were feeling, since I had seen it in my own daughter. I did not expect anything in return. The kindness shown by this group of strangers truly touched my heart! The warmth and love I felt mirrored back to me in this gesture was my true gift and reward!

At this time of year I would like to ask you to think about the people around you who just need a little something to brighten their days and lives. How can YOU do some little selfless act for them? Give without expecting something in return. The reward that you do receive will be the BEST GIFT EVER!

Caring Hearts

If you know me very well, you know that I am always searching for yet another project. As soon as I finish one, I try to find the "next thing" to which I can dedicate some time.

Very rarely, I come across a project that just begs, "Do me NOW!" Today I found one such project and I am hoping that some of you will join me on this one!

I had just finished creating a video playlist on YouTube for an upcoming school presentation and I decided to reward myself by spending a few minutes watching some crafting videos. It was while watching a Jennifer McGuire video that I learned about a yearly card event called "Caring Hearts Card Drive".

In a nutshell, people from across North America and Australia create cards and send them to the organizing group. These cards are then distributed to people who live in nursing homes. Having visited a nursing home many times when my mother worked in one, I know firsthand that many of the people there do not have regular visitors. They crave any little bit of contact they can get with someone from the "outside". Just a kind word, a minute holding their hand, a smiling face, and even a tiny little card can really brighten up their day.

This card drive is running from October 2 to November 17. All cards must be received at the group headquarters by November 17. This year they are requesting that you make cards with a Christmas or winter holiday wish only. (For more of the specific instructions and for the submission form that must accompany your cards, go to Jennifer's blog at the link below.)

Want More Details? Go HERE

I know that I have many crafty friends out there. Some of you who do not consider yourselves to be "crafty" even work with group of others such as BETA Clubs or church groups. This kind of project is the PERFECT one for all of you to unite and join in efforts. Maybe your organization can have a card making party and then send in all of the completed cards together as one!

I only wish that I had discovered this opportunity earlier. I still have several days to get creative and make a BUNCH of cards to include in this project! Won't you join me?

Your participation in this project WILL be rewarded! You are sure to feel that warm tug of the heart that I always get when I do something like this. As if that isn't enough, the Card Drive has also assembled a variety of prizes that will be given to some of the lucky people who make and send in cards. (More information on that can be found at the link above also.)

I cannot wait to see how many of you commit to participate! Get creative and give from the bottom of your caring heart!

Don't Spill the Beans

I may be showing my age a bit here, but who out there remembers THIS game? 

Growing up, it was one of my favorites. I loved to play it with my brothers, stacking the beans on top, one by one, awaiting that moment when a player would finally place one too many beans on the stack and the pot would tilt and overturn, spilling everything all over the table top. 

I had not really thought about the game much. It was just one of those fun little tidbits from my childhood tucked away in my memory. Then, this week, the game took on a whole new significance for me personally. 

My life for the past couple of months has felt much like that bean pot- duty after duty, appointment after appointment, personal stress on top of personal stress. Instead of the fun game from my childhood, I found myself wondering what little thing life would throw at me that would finally be the ultimate "pot-spill" moment. What would cause me to crash to the ground emotionally? Well, this weekend that pot spilled!

A couple of months ago my husband broke his foot- his right foot- his driving foot- and that has meant that I am doing all of the driving, getting myself to work and taxiing him to his many meetings and appointments. The foot is still in a boot and is healing very slowly. As a result, it looks like I could have several more weeks of taxi duty. I also recently took on a part time job at the local elementary, a position funded through grant money and working with early childhood literacy. My daughter is in the midst of a stressful senior year of nursing school and has required some hand-holding and attention and my mother suffers from dementia. My father is her full-time care giver, but when he needs to do something out of the home, I am the one called upon to come and take care of her. The cherry on top of the whole emotional sundae is the upcoming marriage of my daughter, next August. With her in college, I am doing a lot of the "grunt work" and I am also spending spare time crocheting items to sell to help make some of the money to pay for the wedding. 

Then Friday, the final bean got placed on top of the pot- my maternal grandparent's house burned, likely by arson. My mother and father had inherited the property in February when my aunt died and Dad has been working diligently to clear it out and get it ready to sell. We had encountered some legal issues and have been working through those, but we could not get them resolved quickly enough. The house was a total loss. Already ill with bronchitis and faced with the burning of that property and the emotional trauma, I suffered my personal crash. 

I found myself emotionally and physically drained, crying to a friend and pouring out my woes. God used her in that moment. She took my hand, wrapped an arm around me, and began praying for me. With each word from her mouth, my sobs calmed a bit, my breathing eased, and my weight began lifting. God's calming spirit began filling me and I knew that I could go on. My personal "beanpot" had been uprighted- empty for now. Yes, life will begin filling it again, bean by bean, but I can always count on God to help me find my balance and come through. 

Isaiah 41:13 says, 

For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you."

God used my friend as an earthly answer for the comfort I needed in that moment, but I need to remember that I can always call on him to offer that emotional comfort when I need it. When I find myself off-kilter and unbalanced because of life's many stresses, I need to remember to pause a moment, take a breath, and seek God's help. He can and will help me through!

When Life Throws You Hurdles

I spent the day with my daughter at her latest college track meet. She has been running track for the last eight or nine years. Over the course of her career, the majority of the events that she participated in were simple running events, though she did spend a season or two doing hurdles back in high school.

Recently, Kari's life has been filled with struggles and anxiety. As a junior nursing student she faces the daily struggle of too many chapters to read, difficult material, and frequent tests. This all comes on top of an already full schedule of track practices, weight sessions, and meets.

The past two weeks, in particular, have been difficult ones, with her dad and I getting frequent calls and texts. We have talked with her, advised her, been there to just listen, and - most importantly- prayed for her.

Then, her coach recently decided that she would need to run the steeplechase event at today's meet. (For those of you who may be unfamiliar with this event, allow me to explain. The steeplechase is a 3000 meter event in which the participant rounds the track, jumping 35 barriers over the course of the entire race, including a barrier with a water hazard. To give you an idea of how long the race is- today's race involved 7.5 laps around the college track with 5 barriers in each lap.)

For the past week, Kari has thought about, talked about, and stressed about this event. After all, she had several hurdles to overcome (pardon the pun). Her college does not have an actual track where she can practice, so she had never run the full 3000 meters with barriers. She also had never encountered an actual water hazard, though she had seen one at previous years' meets. Furthermore, she had not done any type of hurdle event since early high school.

Today, Kari conquered those hurdles!

When she came to a hurdle she found a way to get over it and when she landed in the water (2.5 feet deep at the lowest side) she climbed her way out and kept running! It wasn't perfect hurdle form, but she did get over them!

As I watched her make her way around that track, crossing each hurdle, and rounding each lap, I also hoped that it would help her learn a much deeper life lesson. Just as she was able to conquer these literal hurdles that were in her path, so can she conquer the hurdles that life throws her way.

She is not the only student I know who is struggling at this point in the school year. The last month of the semester is always filled with that PUSH to finish the material in the necessary chapters. This means more tests, more assignments, and an often overloaded schedule. These can all be potential hurdles that prevent a student from finishing the school year in a strong way. When this happens, DON'T give up! DON'T fret and worry! Just keep on plugging along, working at a steady pace, and continuing to do your best. You CAN overcome! When life throws you hurdles- just keep working to get over them, giving of your very best!

What's Up Wednesday

I have not posted in a while because I have been busy, busy, busy!

Over the past year, my craft room has become more of a "pile" room. I found myself sewing more and working on my paper crafts less and less, primarily due to the fact that I did not have a good desktop surface to work on. Years ago, my father built a nice L-shaped desk for me, but with technology increases, the desktop quickly became covered. Now that I have a wireless printer and a wireless computer, I have the potential to move things around, if I had the space. The desk that he built for me was truly built in- no moving that thing.

I have been saving my money from crochet projects and have accumulated enough that I can actually think about a trip to IKEA to buy new furniture- furniture that I can actually move and manipulate to fit my space better.

With retirement, I actually have the time to begin weeding through things and emptying the room out. When Kari went back to college for the spring semester I asked her if it would be ok for me to use her bedroom as a "holding room" for everything while I tear out, paint, and purchase everything. She kindly agreed. (It is probably a good thing that she does not come home very often because she certainly could not get to her bed right now. LOL!)

I am excited about the potential that lies before me, but I am anxious too. I know that I am going to have to part with some of my wonderful stash- but I am finding good homes for it! In case you were not aware, the Owsley County High School now has a "Make It" Lab that enables students to use their creativity to show their knowledge. I have already filled a box or two that will be going to the lab and will definitely have more before this creative journey is done. If you find yourself with paper, cloth, glue, beads, or anything that might be used for creative projects, contact Megan Bowling at the High School. I am sure that she and the students will be able to put your cast-offs to good use!

Over the coming month I will share updates about my progress. When I am not ashamed of the mess, I will begin posting photos. For now, there is not much to see, other than boxes and stacks of stuff. Expect another update in a week or so- hopefully by then I can share a photo of the empty room.