I am ready for some much needed structure in my life!

I love being busy and having purpose, truly i do, but I have not done a good job with structure this summer. Can anyone relate to this?? I feel like my days go so fast, almost stolen, and my to-do list just gets longer. You would think that after our vacation I would be refreshed, but to be honest, I’m just not. I’ve felt like all i’ve done is try and play catch up after being gone and I spent the week before we left getting ready to go!

So to settle my spirit I’m gonna do 2 things…

#1 set some goals- there i said it now I’ll have to do it. I will be sharing my goals with you in the weeks to come and what works for me and what doesn’t.

#2 take a walk through my garden and just escape for the moment. Some call this the Scarlet O’Hara syndrome but i call it a breath of much needed fresh air.

The things that nurture my soul are…

Spending time outdoors, enjoying nature

Spending time with loved ones.

Building my relationship with God and His church.

Creating my artwork.

Making a difference.

Just being good to myself by exercising and eating right.

Boy, a little prespective can go a long way. I guess all the things I have to do today are just not that important.

I would love to know what you do to nurture your soul?

You know how you have those secret wishes inside of yourself?? They’re just dying to come out, but we just shove them down.

Excuses, excuses and mine sound something like this…

impossible
not the right time
not good enough
impossible
who would care
impossible

Have you been there?

I thought I would throw caution to the wind and just throw mine out there.

Run a ECO-LODGE in Costa Rica that is totally self reliant and contained.

Work with disadvantaged youth teaching art.

When i say disadvantaged I mean handicapped in anyway; emotionally, physically, or/and financially. Art is such an expression of who we are inside and when we let that out is becomes very therapeutic.

Plus, I think all artist are a little wounded anyway, we could relate. Let’s face it, we’ve all been wounded some how, some where.

Win the lottery and travel the world with my family and two dogs!

Is this too much to ask!

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Those are my secret dreams and I’ve only said them out loud two times. Somehow sharing them with you puts me in that wonderfully vulnerable place that I’m learning to feel good in.

My prayer for you today is that you look inside and get familiar with your secret dreams…

And then share them with the world.

On my walk the other morning I spotted this snail and something prompted me to watch it for a few minutes. Expecting it to move slowly…’at a snail’s pace’…I was pleasantly surprised to see how far it traveled in just a few minutes.

I couldn’t help but think of my own journey. I often times feel like I’m moving at a ‘snail’s pace’ and get frustrated, discouraged. But when I really stop to think of where I was a year ago i realize that I’ve been coming along nicely. Maybe not at the speed my pride would like, but at the speed our Father would like. When you walk with Christ, you have the time to move like that because you know He has you right where He wants you to be.

How do we “Take Joy”, when life does all it can to steal it from us? Do you ever feel like the happier you become the more disdain people show? What is this and why?

The story goes something like this…
I was in the store, looking over the produce, when an older women came over to pick over the bananas. I smiled and she turned away, wouldn’t make eye contact. I must admit it kinda stung, but hey, smiles are free and I have more, so no worries. Moving along I started down the isles of the store minding my own business, but trying to connect with the other shoppers using eye contact and a simple smile. People we literally turning away like I had 3 eyes!! I rubbed my nose wondering if something was hanging from it. No nothing there. What was happening, I was simply looking to share a smile. I honestly started to feel angry and frustrated. It was in my opinion at the moment ‘just bad manners, rude!’.
Discouraged I finally made it up to the check-out lines, they were all full, probably 5 people in each line. Except for this one line completely open there stood this women behind the register with a BIG smile on here face. I looked around to see if #1 the line was truly open and #2 was anyone else moving towards it? Looking at the register attendant, she waved me over.
“Hi, how are you today?” she asked. “Oh, I’m ok, thanks”I said expecting that to be the end, but she pressed on. “Just ok?” again with the smile. I smiled back. She continued with small talk, but the sheer joy and love inside her soon became blatantly apparent. Surprised by her true joy i looked her over. What was it?? There was nothing to indicate she had anything else that others didn’t have except her Kroger name tag and that Big Smile. Suddenly I blurted out “Are you a Christian?” You could see the question startled her. Oh no, the smile was gone and she had a look of shock on her face. “How did you know?” she asked grabbing her bare neck, I suppose to feel for a cross. “I can see the Holy Spirit seeping right out of you” I said, now it was I with the big smile. Tears immediately sprang to her eyes and she said “that’s my prayer ever day of my life, that others see God through me”. Then, I kid you not, true story, we started hugging each other, in tears right over the check out line. Wow, it was truly an exchange i’ll never forget. I look for that lady every time I go to Kroger and I never see her. Was she an angel?? Maybe.
I went to that store looking for a smile and some groceries, and I left with a hug from the Holy Spirit.
No more frustration or anger, just Joy!! Always choose JOY or you just might miss a hug from God himself.
🙂