Tag Archives: God

Nothing Really Goes As Planned – Part 2

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I started this blog because I felt I had so much to write about, and then a series of life events happened that left me with neither the time nor energy to write. I’d love to say I intend to write more, because I do, but I feel like I have been smacked over the head this year with the fact that nothing goes as planned.

I have had non-stop health issues this year. My kids have had health issues. Even between this post and now,  a huge new health issue came up that’s been consuming all of my time. My health knowledge has increased at least 10,000% this year. It has consumed my life, and none of this could have been foreseen.

God is in control. Everything that has happened is part of His plan.

Sometimes I think our hardships reveal our blessings. We’re grateful for all that we have. We’re grateful for the people who stick by us, and we’re even grateful for the people who don’t.  We appreciate everything that’s good that much more.

I was searching for a quote to add to this post and took a break to browse pinterest for a second. This pin was the first one that came up:

Train yourself to find the blessing in everything.
Source: I stole this from pinterest, presumably from fionachilds.com

It was meant to be. Until next time!

Everyday Blessings: January 2014

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"This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." ~ Psalm 118:24

Everyday Blessings is a monthly series about capturing the joy in each day. My goal is to share one thing I have been grateful for each day. The blessing I share may not be the biggest or most important thing that happened that day. The idea is to capture joy for all the little things that make life beautiful.

Here are my blessings for each day in January 2014:

  1. Ringing in the New Year with family.
  2. Was singing Jingle Bells with my oldest, and my 20-month-old started singing along. She couldn’t enunciate well, but she really knew it! It is such a gift to watch my kids grow and learn.
  3. A phone call with a loved one and trust in God’s plan.
  4. My kids are so adorable when they say goodnight to each other. Completely turns my heart to mush.
  5. We had guests attend church with us today.
  6. My 3-year-old is so enthusiastic when he dances. It makes me smile.
  7. Being able to comfort my little one, who has not been feeling well. Have to admit, I enjoyed the snuggles.
  8. Holding my favorite coffee mug and breathing in the warmth while enjoying the beauty of sun shining on snow.
  9. Breathing in the fresh, crisp air outside after being house-bound for three days due to a sick little one.
  10. I had a tough morning, and a stranger at the grocery store was really nice to me & the kids. You really never know when a just few kind words can lift someone up. They did for me on this day.
  11. Seeing my son have a lot of fun at a birthday party. The smile never left his face.
  12. Grateful to God for always listening and guiding.
  13. Grateful for the ability to give my kids some down time when they’re not feeling well. This time it was my oldest that was sick with a cold.
  14. I left my travel mug filled with coffee in the car while I was grocery shopping, and when we returned my car smelled like coffee. Love that smell! (Bonus: My mug is great at keeping coffee hot for a really long time!)
  15. It felt nice to able to help some people today.
  16. Sneezed in the bathroom, and then heard a knock on the door. It was my one-year-old bringing me a tissue. Too cute! (In case anyone is wondering how I ever managed to be in the bathroom by myself: Henry Hugglemonster. Another blessing. Double dipping today.)
  17. Putting on pants right out of the dryer. So warm!
  18. A much-needed Mom’s Night Out and a husband who was willing to put both kids to bed by himself.
  19. Family time and the sweetest kids ever.
  20. Ice cream.
  21. My son was upset at bedtime but still was able to come up with something to be thankful for today. Easily. Heart-warming. (Yes, he does everyday blessings, too.)
  22. Husband had an unexpected day off work and we decided to take the kids out for breakfast. Always good to have some bonus family time.
  23. Singing along to Billy Joel in the car.
  24. Love being able to pick up my little one easily with one arm. These days won’t last forever.
  25. I have two legs and I can run, even if those runs often don’t feel good lately.
  26. Really smart and helpful friends.
  27. The helpfulness of friends… again!
  28. Animal footprints in the snow.
  29. Google. It’s so nice to live in an age where information is so easily available.
  30. Sunshine, nice and bright.
  31. Warmer weather today was a nice relief from the cold month we’ve had.

What are you grateful for today?

The Cure for Do-too-much-itis

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"If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans." ~ Woody Allen

Life never really quite works out the way we plan, does it? I have noticed that every time my to-do list gets ambitious, I end up humbled. The beginning of 2014 has been no exception.

The holidays have wound down, and the past couple weeks were what should have been the return to regularly scheduled life. Well, regularly scheduled life, with backlog. You know how it goes. Some things get neglected due to holiday plans, and there’s catching up to be done. Oh, and then throw in all of those New Year goals in addition to the things you normally do in a week, and… the to-do list fills up!

I had plans to hit the ground running the Monday after the holidays were over, but God had other plans for us.

My daughter got sick, and we had to take a break for a few days. Just as my daughter started feeling better, my son got sick, and we had to take a break again.

Though I had so many good intentions of doing more and doing better, I had to stop, look at what was before me, and surrender to it. That happens all the time, doesn’t it? We get carried away making plans, and roadblocks get thrown in our way.

In hindsight, I had a case of do-too-much-itis, and these roadblocks made me reevaluate my priorities.

My family’s illnesses made it impossible to accomplish all that I wanted to get done. I had to narrow my focus and just do what was absolutely necessary. Even then, I still could not get everything done myself and had to ask for help. (Confession time: It really went more like — got in over my head, panicked, and then asked for help at the last minute. I definitely need to do better at recognizing when I am going to need help.)

So 2014 has not started out as planned. I tried to reflect and pray and learn some lessons. Overall, it was not a big deal that we were slowed down for a couple weeks, and we are lucky that these roadblocks were just temporary. Now we are back to regularly scheduled life and can plug away at the backlog. (Knock on wood.) I am sure I will have more cases of do-too-much-itis in the future.. that’s one lesson I will probably never learn.

Do you ever suffer from do-too-much-itis? How do you handle it when roadblocks get put in your way and you can’t get everything done?

—

The above explains why I haven’t been writing much. It was nothing earth-shattering; just life getting in the way.

I just wanted to thank everyone who has been so positive and encouraging since I have started writing here. I have even had a few people request that I write about certain topics. I am working on them!

Ringing in the New Year: 2014

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Well, the New Year is upon us again. I’ve been thinking a lot about the past year and all that has changed for me.

"There are years that ask questions and years that answer." ~ Zora Neale Hurston

I just love that quote by Zora Neale Hurston, and I think about it with every changing year. While there were some questions this year, overall I believe there were more answers, and for that I am grateful.

Reflections

In February, I resigned from my job to become a full-time stay at home mom. It was a huge and difficult decision that I agonized over. Staying home was the path I felt I needed to take for the good of my family, but it was not at all easy to decide to take a break from my career. I do think it was the best choice, but I still regret my inability to be in two places at once. (Darn it!)

A lot of other things changed as well. I started running again and ran a half-marathon in October. I found a groove with taking care of the kids and have thoroughly enjoyed every minute of time I’ve had with them. I spent more time outside than I have since I was a kid. I made some new friends. I started reading more. We joined a new (to us) church and have gone (almost) every Sunday. We continued to make improvements in eating healthier.

There were a couple of challenging things about this past year also. This isn’t the right time to write about them, but I felt the need to acknowledge that not everything has been sunshine and rainbows. But God gives us challenges to help us grow, right? I am learning everyday.

The Coming Year

I have never been one for making “resolutions,” but I do have a number of goals I am working on. Initially I made a list of about 25 goals to share in this post, but I think I will keep them to myself for right now and share them in pieces over time.

All of my goals for the coming year can be summed up in 2 words anyway: Do Better.

Everyday I strive to be a better mother, wife, friend, and person. Everyday I pray for God to show me the way.

"He guides the humble in what is right, and teaches them his way." ~ Psalm 25:9

Happy New Year to all! May your year be filled with many blessings!