Category: Personal

A Mini Christmas Break

I got two whole days off work so I started a sweater. I love this pattern and wish I had more time off so I could finish and wear it for New Years. You can find pattern information here.

August had a wonderful first Christmas! She loved running through wrapping paper and playing with her new toys! I still can’t put into words how much we love having this snuggly ball of sunshine in our home and as a part of our family. It is nearly impossible to be sad when she is licking your face and bunny hop running around in the living room.

Christmas was good, Brad and I kept gifts pretty simple following the four gift rule something to read and something to wear, one thing you want and one thing you need. The kids had lots to unwrap from family and had a lot of fun.

Ellie received a lot of fun things to wear and decorate their own room with. E is living their best life, doing really well in school, has a significant other, and is writing a novel.

Emily was gifted a keyboard so she can take her music mobil, this will be fun when our extended family has jam sessions. She is getting better and better all the time. Em is also doing great in school and doesn’t have or want a significant other!

Enjoying the wait

In this time of bustle and hurry, I have been playing this Advent Affirmation we were introduced to at church on repeat. It is a great reminder to slow down and enjoy the wait. To enjoy the small things, the everyday things, the ordinary things. It is a reminder to slow down and remember why we are here and who we are. It is a reminder to have patience, to listen, and to pray. Not just now in this season of waiting, but all year long.

Advent Affirmation:

We believe in God the Father, creator of heaven and earth.
The one who is full of patience,
who is not afraid of silence,
who does not need to fill each moment with activity and noise.
The one who is beyond bluster and flurry,
and who does not jostle for attention.

We believe in God the Son, Savior of creation,
who slipped into Bethlehem one night, mostly unnoticed,
who lived thirty years without headlines or hurry,
who frequently took time alone with his patient Father,
who waited for the right time to become the suffering servant,
who stood quietly before the noise of his accusers,
whose silence overpowered their words,
who died, then rose again on a quiet Sunday morning.

We believe in God the Holy Spirit,
who strengthens, empowers, renews and refreshes,
sometimes arriving with obvious power,
sometimes with the quiet breath of a whisper.

We believe in one God
who patiently waits for us,
and who longs for us to do the same.

Dave Hopwood, Engage Worship

Rhythm

“Everything in the universe has a rhythm, everything dances. ”  Maya Angelou

I’ve been thinking about rhythm, since finishing school I have been searching for a new balance in life. I am so used to going 100 miles an hour headlong into a pages long to do list that I am struggling to find a new rhythm to life. One thing I have embraced is saying the Rosary at least a few times a week. I know…growing up in a Catholic environment we should say the Rosary daily, but I am not a Catholic, I am a Baptist. I do, however, find comfort and a great deal of meaning in the prayers that make up the Rosary (a post for another day perhaps).

Since I have started praying the Rosary on my daily walks I have noticed it has calmed my soul and made me less anxious. I know on a basic level that praying always calms me, but I think that the rhythmic nature to the Rosary allows me to meditate in the words and to really let the words sink into my heart and mind. The rhythm sets a cadence to my day ahead and to my schedule for events to come. I am finding peace in this practice.

Rhythm doesn’t have to be in the form of prayer. A daily rhythm is anything intentional that adds flow to your day. Any rhythm can increase productivity and help you focus as you flow from task to task.

Habakkuk in 2019

“His coming is as brilliant as the sunrise. Rays of light flash from his hands, where his awesome power is hidden.” Habakkuk 3:4

I’ve been reading through Habakkuk this week preparing for Sunday school. It really spoke to my heart. It seems very applicable to my feelings and hopes today.

My lament: There is so much wicked behavior that surrounds us in the world, from politicians and leaders who are not truthful to temptations in life to take shortcuts. I can’t read the news without my blood pressure rising a few points, people are suffering around the globe being ripped from their homes and as refugees not being welcomed with open arms. Climate change has impacted fire season endangering lives, homes, and nature. Nepotism and ignorance is running rampant. Global human rights are horrifying.

My Prayer:
I have heard all about you, Lord.
    I am filled with awe by your amazing works.
In this time of our deep need,
    help us again as you did in years gone by.
And in your anger,
    remember your mercy. ” Habakkuk 3:2

I am reminded that even though situations change with time, human behavior does not. Evils will always exist, they take on different shapes, sizes, and forms. God wants us to lament, he wants us to share our worries, our concerns, and our pain. In our relationship with God we can pray and know that He is truly our light. Through the rough seas he is our guiding light that will show us the way back to Him in the darkness. We must only trust, love, and obey Him and he will provide salvation.

Finding God Through a Lens

As I prepare for the upcoming spiritual retreat, 48 hours of which will be spent in silence and relative solitude I am once again thinking of how I personally see God in my daily life. I see Him at work in my children, in my home, and in nature. I instincly know He is here surrounding me in all things and in every person I encounter, yet I don’t take the time to stop and listen as much as I should. This weekend at the retreat I will have the opportunity to slow down and really observe the God around me.

I have a few books to take with me and my journal to write in, but I have been really trying to figure out how to force myself to slow down and to really appreciate the God in nature while at the Abbey. The most absolute for me is photography. I was trained as a film purest. I love creating photographs that do not need editing or manipulation and shooting on film is a love language that speaks to my soul.

I have packed my camera and just one roll of film. 12 exposures in 48 hours to sooth my soul and let the God in through nature, patience, and the practice of slow creativity.