Dec 22, 2012 |
This morning I wanted to write a different post. The kind of post I share on Shell’s Pour Your Heart Out weekly sharing at Things I Can’t Say. That’s the kind of mood I was in.
Instead, I swallowed it. I got my Big Girl Panties on and mud kickin’ boots and boy howdy, did my outlook change!
As you’ve no doubt noticed, I’ve been on a writing vacation of sorts for a few days, and I intend to carry it on through the New Year. In the past four days, I’ve had a very productive business meeting (more on that in a few days!) with someone who I expect will become a very good friend and writing inspiration to me and Megan. I reconnected with the Second Family at the Bible Study’s potluck Christmas Party. Those are the moments I love… when the rest of the group leaves and Dot and I linger for another several hours. It’s been so long since I’ve had any time with them… it was the best Christmas gift they could have given us: the gift of their attentions.
As previously hinted, I restructured my Kickstarter campaign. I remade the video, and for only my second video-making foray, I’m rather proud of the results. I’m now offering better Backer Rewards. And I extended the end-date to February 1. It may seem lengthy, but with two weeks of holidays thrown at us just now, it will pass rather quickly.
I spent part of this afternoon wrapping the few presents for Mutti and Dot, and as we all ate lunch together, the winds ushered in dark clouds and the hint of precipitation. Even if it doesn’t rain, the winter gray makes it a better weekend. The wind is blowing through the fireplace and under the door… it feels quite like Little Women around here!
We’re cozied up with our tree lit, the wonderful scent of Yankee Candle’s Mountain Lodge burning on the hearth, and a stack of Christmas movies to be watched.
After a long, hard month… I’m taking time to relax and enjoy this moment.
And it finally feels like Christmas.
Be blessed, this week and always.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Oct 7, 2012 |
I recently had the opportunity to combine both my love of writing with my love for people. I shared a rough draft of my Study on the Ten Commandments with a dear friend who later told me Day Three really spoke to him.
After an introduction to the Study and to the Ten Commandments as a whole, Day Three introduces the reader to the First Commandment: “You shall have no other gods before me.” (NIV, Exodus 20:2). What my friend gleamed onto was a short message encouraging the reader to let go of all that distracts us from God.
God asks us to just be still. “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10, 11). The context here is God saving us from ourselves. He is all we truly need. We just need to turn down the other noise to hear Him completely.
I’m not advocating giving up your day job in order to spend hours meditating. I believe God gives us the ability to care for ourselves and those around us, and it’s our honor to do so in His name.
But there comes a time when we allow distractions to keep us busy, to stop us from facing those things we want to avoid. We often feel if we’re not exhausted at the end of each day, we’ve accomplished nothing worth noting.
Shhhh. I have a secret.
Are you listening?
It’s okay to take a breather.
In. Out. Deep in. Hold. Deep out. Relax.
It’s okay.
Sometimes it’s necessary to unplug and regroup. It’s important to just enjoy the quiet world around us and make our own Retreat. That quiet morning coffee? Bliss. After the kids go to bed? Nirvana. A quiet walk around the yard. A book in bed. Whatever you need to do to be still, do it.
Give yourself time to wind down from life’s busyness. Take a moment to prioritize your To-Do List. Just enjoy.
God is whispering to you. Are you listening above the noise?
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
[A Study on the Ten Commandments will be available in early 2013 through New Inklings Press.]
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
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Jan 18, 2012
I’m a little bored today. I’m feeling a bit drained and under the weather, so I don’t have enough energy to start the spring cleaning in the back room. That doesn’t stop my mind from planning how to get it all done in just one day. With the exception of buying new shelves, I can get it all done: reorganizing the closet, touch-up painting, and putting knick-knacks away to make room for books. I’m getting excited just thinking about it.
I’ve never really been an extremely patient person. But I’m learning to make use of the time at hand. I’m learning that it’s okay to say “Later!” and it’s okay to come up with a plan in the meantime. I’m also learning that it doesn’t do any good to be in a rush for Step One if I know for a fact that Step Two is a little down the road. It can also be a good thing to make sure there’s time between Steps, in case I want to make changes.
Let’s say I want to change around my room. If you’d asked me a month ago, I knew I wanted two bookshelves. I could have bought them before Christmas, and had them sitting in my garage just waiting to be put together and brought in. How stupid would I have felt, then, when last week I saw what I really need: two cube-units from Target. They’re fantastic! Each one has nine cubes in the unit, and you can customize it with fabric or straw baskets. How great is that? Not only is it a sectioned bookcase, but the open shelves will hold the items I want displayed while the bins hold the miscellaneous items I still need access to. See? Waiting on Step One to make sure I know where I want to be for Step Two.
And the Cookbook. The Cookbook! That great little booklet you all know I’ve been working on for quite a while now. I could have found a way to just print a basic recipe collection and had it out there a month or so ago. But I took the time to talk with a few people, and now it’s turning into a really great little cookbook. I’m so much happier with it now than I was even four weeks ago. And we’re still in the development stage! This time has also opened doors for other writings of mine to be published. When I thought Step Two was just printing the Cookbook, it turns out Step One turned me in an entirely different direction. Awesome!
It’s a new adventure for me, this Patience thing. But I’m really loving it. I’m so ready to start Step Two, but I’m not finished with Step One yet. So I get to slow down, think things through, evaluate, make informed decisions, and rest. In the end, I think that’s worth it.
How do you slow yourself down when all you want to do is plough ahead?
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
