Day 81 - Surroundings

Our small group has been having good discussions about The Forgotton God.  It is a study on the Holy Spirit. I know change is happening within me.  I have opened my heart to how God wants me to interact with others in this world.  It is about loving everyone no matter what and being all about the fruit of the spirit.  The good news is that the Holy Spirit will bring out these traits.  When we exhibit love, patience, joy, peace, others will want to understand how we have this in the world.  That will be the opportunity to let them know about Jesus.  We need more examples of Christ. The kind that others want to know the secret to your happiness and joy.  Are you one of those people?  It is good to find other believers who want to be disciples of Christ. To know that even though a sinner, we can be changed by the power of the Holy Spirit living in our hearts. It is a continuing journey that we must continually seek out in our lives. Find the simplicity of Christ and follow Him. 

Peace......

Day 77 - Understanding

My dearest friends and family,

Wouldn't it be great to understand everything?  I think some of the biggest issues we have in our lives is over misunderstanding what is going on around us. Our little minds like to wander off and assume. Instead of asking or trying to understand we make our own conclusions about something.  Emails in our company have been the worst. People can read an email and put there own tone and inflection on the subject.  Anyone who has a busy, say it quickly, response usually always comes across as too direct and a little mean.  I like those kind of emails and I used to write emails like that. I have now gotten to add the little helpful words in all my emails.  I have been doing the check runs for our accounts payable.  The typical accounts payable person is usually not the happiest because they are getting screamed at for payments from the vendors.  When I sent out the emails for the remittance of the wires I added to the subject, "We appreciate your service!"  I got back very many emails saying thank you. I guess that proves that a little kindness can go a long way. If you really want people to understand you, then make sure you always mean what you say.  Also, make sure you say it often, too.

So if anyone is reading this, thank you so much for your time.  I appreciate you. Please take a moment to comment if you have time.  

Best Regards,  

Warmest Wishes,

Sincerely,

Love,

Peace,

Forever,

Day 75 - Bumming

I have been down lately so I leave you with this song by Tenth Avenue North. By Your Side. I think the only way to view is to copy and paste in URL  

Peace...

http://pinterest.com/pin/119908408800541382/

Day 74 - Patience

I am not very good at patience. I like the instant gratification idea.  I have learned during this journey that patience is a virtue. When you are trying to change you wished it would go faster than it does.  I notice small changes from week to week. But patiently taking every day and making my life a little bit better is good.  Patience is something we really have to teach our younger generation. They have no concept of being patient. The internet and phones have created an environment of get now, get it instantly.  Even our food we can get it instantly.  I told my husband we are going to go camping soon and take our daughter. This maybe a great idea or a really bad nightmare.  But it might be an opportunity to slow down, and let life happen and connect with each other and the environment.  

Peace...

Day 73 - Step

When I walk on the treadmill, I listen to music.  I cover up the statistics and time on the treadmill because I get fixated with getting to the 30 minute mark. I usually try to get songs that are 5 minutes or longer to pace out my time. Someday it is very easy to get through my session. Other days seems to take forever. I will peek at the time and see 18:00. Ugh, not long enough.  But little by little and step by step I am improving my health and my life.  Start. Move. Go. Forward. Step.  Keep moving toward to goal.

Peace.....

Day - 72 Now

Have you ever said the "we shoulda, coulda woulda" phrase.  Or the "I wished I had...." Phrase. Or "If I could do it all over" phrase. Or "if I knew then what I know now" phrase.   I think we have all said this at one time or another.   What we need to do is learn from our life and then move on.  The thing is you can start now to be person you want to be. Or do the things you want to do. The past does not stop the present.  Keep focused on who you want to be or become and then do it.  

Peace.....

Day 71 - Encourage

Life is about loving through encouragement.  We can touch lives everyday and bring encouragement and joy to all around us.  We are called to be set apart.  I can say that sometimes you would never know I was a Christian as my behavior was no different from the non-Christians around me.  To be set apart is rising above the worldly ways.  I believe we must surround ourselves with the word and meditate about how we should live like Jesus.  Once we believe and accept the presence of the Holy Spirit within us, we can let the Spirit take over where we are weak.  It is no longer about winning, or being right, or proving your point.  It is all about sharing your love with everyone around you.  By your example people will see your difference.  You will be able to lead by example. God needs strong examples of Jesus-like people in this world today.  People no matter what circumstance are righteous and holy and pleasing to God.  Step deeper into your faith.  I challenge you to raise yourself to the next level in your journey with God.  Forget the past and only look ahead on your journey.  Your reward will be , "We'll done good and faithful servant!"

Peace...  

Day 70 - Fall

I love Fall.  I loved it most in the Midwest when the leaves were such vivid colors and the temps got cooler.  The summer days are good but nothing beats a nice fall afternoon. Football.  Hot chocolate.  Pumpkins.  Throws.  So comfy and cozy.  My dad preached a lot of sermons. I can't say I remember them at all. But one time he took a picture of a tree every day as the leaves started to turn. He described the beauty of the change and the colors that came and went. I will have to ask him what that was about because I don't remember anything else.  Maybe it's that just as God creates the tree, he also creates us and we change from season to season with God making us into a vivid masterpiece of love.  I think I will ask my dad if he remembers.  I will let you know.

Peace

Day 69 - Fruit

I have really tried to put my heart toward the fruits of the spirit.  In the Bible it is found in Galatians 5. 

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit that the Spirit produces in a person’s life is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these kinds of things. 

This week my daughter and I have got to spend some time together.  It has been fun for both of us.  I have tried to teach her that unconditional love is how we should live and this is the key to happiness.  I pray for her a spirit of love and all of the fruits of the spirit.  School is not the easiest place to test this.  But it is God whom I trust to walk with her everyday when we cannot.  

Peace..

Day 68 - Lean on me

Everyone needs help at some point in their life.  We will need help. So don't be afraid to ask your friends and family for help.   To love and be loved is the most important thing in the world.  So make sure you let someone know when you need a hand.   Keep looking for your opportunities to help the world one person at a time. 

Peace...

Day 66 - Balance

Last night reminded, me how important balance is in my life. My daughter spent the night at a friends and got scared of a dog barking and things going bump in the night. I got to text her for an hour while she was up at 3:30 in the morning. I wasn't a happy camper in the morning. I gotta have my beauty sleep. I like things to go as planned and don't do very well when the unexpected takes place.  I need the balance of sleep, work, and family. It is important for me to know my limits so I can be a productive member of society. Not really even society, just around the family. As I write this I am yawning.   Planning and doing what you plan always works best for me.  Sometimes life just happens.

Peace...

Day 65 - Broken

I have been living in an euphoric state lately since getting back in communion with God.  I do not ever want to drift away from His presence the way I did.  God is forgiving and he will openly accept us back however far we fall.  In the midst of all this the reality of the work is upon us.  As much as it is good to stand and worship in the presence of God, He calls us to help the lost and suffering of those around us.  We never have to go too far to find a person in need of God's love and healing.  That is our mission. To go into the world and spread His message.  The greatest part of this is that it is God who is saving.  You are the instrument to seek the lost.  Never give up on anyone or anything that God can fix.  We can go boldly into the broken world and let the lost find God. It doesn't have to be Africa or some foreign mission trip.  The lost are all around us.  Desperate for a Savior.

Peace is for everyone 

Day 63 - Surrender

We have started our small group on Tuesday nights.  We are studying the Holy Spirit from the Forgotton God series by Francis Chan.  Our discussion went to if we have felt moved by the Holy Spirit.  I had shared that some years back I had a very strong connection with God and felt the presence of the Holy Spirit move within my life.  I do not feel this close now as I did years back.  Someone asked why?  I said it was life creeping back into my attention.  But, after thinking about this for awhile, it had to do with one action.   Surrender.  God asks us to surrender our lives so that he can lead us and we can be used according to his purpose and plan.  Surrender.  Giving up your control and what you think God wants and turning your life over to him.  Surrender.  It isn't a kind of partial sometime kind of decision.  It is a life changing, God inspiring, radical thinking, satisfying leap of faith.
We all know that God keeps his promises.  So let go and surrender.

Peace and Surrender........

Day 62 - Relax

Our house is busy. Time moves faster than we have to get it all done.  I want to make our home a relaxing positive place to have peace from the chaos. Sponge Bob, dogs barking, music playing and life get in the way.  In order to get to our goals no matter what we want we have to consciously work to achieve what we want.   I think our children have way too much stimulation around them. The tweets, texts, FaceTime, videos, music all create an environment to never calm the mind down.  We are going to make an effort to turn off the noise and distractions so that our minds can relax.  

May you find your peace and quiet........

Day 61 - Free Your Mind

Why do we complicate our lives.  Jesus made everything so simple.  We need to go back to His teachings in the bible and just relax and let what he tells us to do soak into our minds.  We have very cluttered minds.  Have you ever tried to sit still and do nothing without thinking?  It is very hard.  Yet we must let our thoughts out so that God can enter in.  I am a fan of the contemporary christian worship scene.  Many do not like the repetitive singing over and over and over again of one phrase.  The next time you are listening to a song or in a worship service where a song has a repetitive phrase, take this time to treat it in a meditative way.  By singing the phrase over and over you can clear your mind of the unnecessary thoughts in your head and allow yourself to hear from God.  Just as the Buddhist repeats ohmmmmmmm and plays a gong over and over, or when we meditate we focus on our breathing,  it is a way to let out your thoughts. Once we free our minds, we just might hear a word or two from God.

Peace and love be yours.............

Day 60 - 16%

Well I am 16% through my year long journey.  Some things are going well.  Others, I seem to continually struggle with.

One of them is my water.  I can't seem to drink enough every day.  I am hooked on coffee.  So coffee on the way to work and usually two cups throughout the day.  I really need to get off the coffee and switch to the water.  If anyone has any ideas to help, let me know.  I will take all of your suggestions.  I actually like the taste of water.  I don't need to mask it with any flavor.  It is once again, making it a habit.
21 days to a habit right?  Starting now I should be able to have this licked by the end of October.

Speaking of October.  I love to decorate for Halloween.  Most people have gotten away from this ghoulish holiday.  I think it is rather fun for the children and us adult kids.  We will start the fun this weekend on the decorations.

As promised, here is the finished front door project.  I was looking through my pictures for the before and after and saw that my mom had the same color on her house at one time.  Great minds think alike.

Peace.....

Day 59 - Banana Cream..................

I know what you are thinking.  NO, Becky!  Don't do it!!!! Don't eat the banana cream pie!!!!!!!  Well I did not.
Banana Cream is the color we picked out for our Front Door.  I think I would love to be in marketing for a paint store to pick out and name all of the colors.  Wouldn't that be fun?  Just from the description you are going to know what color our door is.  It looks like banana pudding without the bananas of course.  Our door was a dark hunter green that matched the shutters.  I have never liked the color so for about 6 months I have been looking at different colors for the front door.  I picked this color out about 4 months ago and got this and another shade to test.  Banana Cream beat out After Glow.  After Glow was too Dark.  So today we painted not realizing the time to dry between coats.  So I have been putting a fan to speed up the process.  Of course, I did not take the door down.  Who has time for that?  But we did take off the door knob, key knob and got a new door knocker and brass plate.  I picked the yellow to bring cheeriness to the front porch.  It is very pleasant.  
I love to redecorate.  I like change and get tired of the old way of doing things.  I get this from my mom.  Change is good.  My journey has been good.  I have realized many things about myself that I can change for the better.  We all have things we can improve upon in ourselves.  Some things are out in the open for the world to comment on and discuss.  Other things are very private that only you may know what you want to change.  Our mind, thoughts, and actions can all change for the better.  Look for something you need to change and make it happen.  I will show the pick of the door once completed.

Peace......

Day 58 - Clean

I am sitting in the Buford Community Center while my daughter takes an acting class. The lobby is so beautiful. It is also so clean. No stuff. Can a house be like this and still be lived in?  I have never been able to find a place for everything and have my house be presentable for anyone to drop in unannounced. First there is the dog situation. Two dogs. One sheds. The other has problems with where the bathroom is located. Then we have the humans who live in the house. I would say my husband is the neatest of us all. I think it is a draw between the rest of us.  Why do we have to have so much stuff?  I am going to make October clean up month. I will start with the downstairs. Then move into my room and my closet. I read a book on simple living. It says we should live with one fork, one spoon, one knife, one plate, and one glass for each person in the home. I told my mom about this about ten years ago because she has so much stuff. She couldn't comprehend the concept and thought it so hilarious. To this day we still laugh about this.  My mom has her everyday silverware and then two complete sets of goldware. Yes, that is actual gold plated service for eight that a bank gave away back in the 70's. She has her good silverware. I don't even know how many sets of dishes she has accumulated over the years. Or glasses. Or coffee mugs. But here is the crazy part. My moms house, with all of her stuff always is much more presentable than my house would ever be.  So I guess it's not about how much stuff you have. It's where you put it. Or rather don't put it that matters.  I am not an organizer. Which you would think all accountants are anal and have to be super organized. I guess I broke the mold on that one.  

Conclusion. I will get rid of stuff I no longer use. And try to organize the remaining stuff so my house will be presentable if company drops by on the spot. Also be neat enough so hubby can be at peace. 

Peace.      

Day 57. Fell asleep

I fell asleep on this night and did not get to blog.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Peace.............................

Day 56 - Validation

It is amazing to me how much our thoughts and feelings are tied to what we want others to think about us.  The validation we strive for in life begins at such an early age. First with our parents. Then teachers. Then peers. Our husbands. Our co-workers and our bosses.  True acceptance needs only to come from within. What we believe about ourselves is what matters.  Everything else doesn't matter. 

I am good with the thought that I am who validates me as a human.  I live to please God, my creator.  See your inner beauty and let that picture transform you from within.  Let go of the outside influence of what others say you are.  The only thing that matters is you inner validation and acceptance of yourself.

May you find your peace and love from within.

Day 55 - Trust

I am in the home stretch of my job transition. I have put my trust in God that all things will work according to his plans. It is times like these that puts everything in perspective as to why I have chosen to step back in career.  We were on day 4 of inventory. Normally we are up and running by now on the job.  

We must continually ask the question what direction Lord. Then wait for His guidance.  It is easy to try to tell God where you want to go and expect God to deliver.  It is much harder to wait for God to give His direction. I suppose there are many who will never understand my reasons to step back.  Especially in the work force where it's all about the climb to the corporate top.  Once at the top you hang on for dear life to stay up there. Then the mountain keeps getting higher, steeper, and harder to climb. I enjoyed the challenge but know I am not to stay up there and miss all that God wants me to do.

Peace...

Psalm 105:4 Search for the Lord and his strength.Always seek his presence. 

Day 54- Choir Concert

Nicole had her first middle school choir concert.  They were very good.  And I got to attend.  I was suppose to be finishing the physical inventory but things got delayed so it worked out for me to attend.  This is what life is about. Family and being with family. We are very blessed with the children we have. 

Make sure you let your children know how special they are. They grow up so fast.