Friday Favorites!

Hello Friday evening Favorites!

Today was the first day back in the office since Monday & I started a praise journal in a gift from my consecration to write 5 praises a day on work days. This is a practice that Life Coach DT challenged my group with when I took her e-course over a year ago. It is amazing how this changes one outlook on life. Seriously, just being in the office made me happier today. Set aside that I had felt a little cabin-fever the last couple of days being at home!

This year my new One Word 365 is HEART! I'm sorta excited about this word because it connects to so many pieces of life, but especially with my life long best friend as she has seen SO many hearts since her Grandy's death.

I chose the word HEART not only because of the love many of us had for Grandy, but because it seemed like a healthy (OneWord365 2014) challenge to stretch my heart & mind around where my heart is in each day & how my heart is being used & how it is being shared & how it is being affected. In the world of chakras I most often think/speak/act through my throat & my heart third with my navel in second. I act out of voice & gut. So this is a challenge to continue my holistically healthy approach to life to be in tune with heart.

Tuesday Tea Time!

Happy Tuesday!

I hope you're week is going well so far. Recently I've had a run around with a few medical ventures & somehow still learning to best manage my time so that I'm living the holistically healthy life I prefer & thrive from when I am living one.

Oy, what an adventure!

Trust me, I know lots about time management & lists & calendars. It is a continuing lesson learning to say "no" & be ok with it...So that the lists stay realistic & the calendars don't become so scribbled on they're unable to be read. Though the overly scribbled calendars do start to become an art piece month by month!

Taking time to sit back & sip my tea is something that will always fit into my schedule. I read once that women in their 30s need stop counting the unaccomplished & be happy with what they can do & what they actually get around to doing. Coming from a society that defines individuals by what they do, this is of utmost importance for that holistic healthy living.

Hey, ya know what, this week is also my 22nd cancerversary! More reason to breath deep & count one's blessings. Do things that bring joy to others & to you. Do things that help you share your inner light with others who need it to fuel their inner light. Together your lights will shine bright. 

One Word 365: Health Update and BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!

Hello! It has been a while since I have checked in with my One Word 365 choice for 2014. This year has simply breezed by. It's mind boggling to know how much has happened in the last 9 months of life. And because I thrive by being in community that cares & listens to & for one another I want to share with you an update!

Today the sun is shining & it is rather warm outside. So there's no denying the need for a walk or two with the dog & possibly even a bike ride. While I love this time of year & all the changing colors, I also know that the cold white & gray colors of Winter are not too far off for this part of the world & bike rides will be impossible & walks potentially a little less enjoyable.

That aside though, recently I find myself filled with immeasurable gratitude. My time of living in the seemingly never ending state of limbo that I have been in for many months now is over. Praise be to God!

By the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit I have been called to serve as Coordinator of Youth and Family Ministries by the good people of St. Thomas Lutheran Church.

Thus I am in the joyous throws of planning a worship service to include my consecration as Diaconal Minister in the ELCA. While it is a whirlwind of information & change, I wouldn't want it any other way. Through the joyous throws the Holy Spirit is affirming & reaffirming my call to this roster & service of ministry. Some times it's funny when you're made to do something that isn't the most enjoyable for you on a typical basis - like worship planning - but on this special basis it turns into a world of fun & imagination & affirmation of the knowledge one holds.

My immeasurable gratitude is for all that have been a part of my journey to get to this point & for all that continue in this piece of my journey with me. So thank you - as simple as that sounds - thank you with all my heart for supporting me & praying for God's lead to be my way of living.

Sunday Snippits: good, bad, & awesome!

GOOD: The plank challenge continues! To push myself more since I was already including planking in my routine before the challenge I do 30 extra seconds on top of what's asked of participants for the day. September is already half way over, say what?! Here in Northern MI there's no denying that Summer is closing or has closed & Fall is upon us. There's even murmurings of snow before the end of the month. Let's pray that those are simply murmurings! While I love the freedom of sandals weather, I also welcome the opportunity to wear scarfs & boots & cozy up under old loved quilts. This week our day off adventure even allowed me to wear my puffy vest. It was refreshing to do some hiking near to home in the cooler weather. MG even got to come with & have her first experience with a snout-full of sand. We all can learn lessons on happiness & allowing our curiosity to lead us on great adventures from this puppy!

BAD: My mom took a trip this past week & banged herself up good. Thankfully no bones were broken, but she got quite the shiner that will last her for a while. Being nearly an entire state away I've only been able to check in on her via phone. Thankfully my cousins were able to respond to her need to be taken for stitches. There's nothing quite like communication through text messages & social media to share something like this (Thanks Mom, you goof!)

AWESOME: Having reason to use my old lap quilts from cancer camp. As a kid I used to go to Camp Watcha Wanna Do every summer & each year we would get to pick out a lap quilt to use in our cabins. The sweet thing was it was generally too warm being IN in June to need them but now they are perfect for sitting around the fire or just getting some fresh air on the front porch early in the day.

WORD: Psalm 103 & thinking about what this actually looks like when one believes it with all that they are & lives it with all that they are.

coming up: ROAD TRIP! This week I am on the road visiting friends & family.

Friday Favorites: One Word 365!

This One 365: healthy updates has become one of my favorite things to share. In the midst of the ups & downs in life I am constantly taken back to something I learned many years ago through the ministries of Spoke Folk, PMS check-ins. Yes, that's right, Physical Mental Spiritual check-ins. When my brain starts whirling & I'm overwhelmed for better or worse PMS check-ins with myself & others help me to be honest to where I am in the moment.

Physically: I'm having sympathy pains for a friend recently diagnosed with cancer & going through tests. I'm missing cycling & yearning to take a yoga class. Camp food is decent, but it is not what I would normally eat at home so that creates some other interesting physical changes.

Mental: Mentally I've been lingering in the over joyed portion of the feelings wheel. Just the other day I celebrated 3 wonderful years of being married to my best friend & as you can see from the photo it turned out to be a beautiful day. The people that showed their support & love for us either through cards, phone calls, & Facebook was over the top & wonderful. We wouldn't be the couple or individuals that we are without all yall in our lives. And then on the opposite spectrum my heart is aching, literally, for my friend & all those with unknown health roads ahead. In reality, I acknowledge that includes all of us, but many of us don't know of the health concerns yet to come.

Spiritual: The Holy Spirit, she's my favorite! Yes, I said it. Recently I haven't found or taken time to do my daily dose of drawing or journaling or blogging or writing poetry, but there is no doubt in any piece of me that the Spirit is acting in, through, & around me pushing & pulling me into each day with deep breathes reminding me where I come from & giving me hope in what is yet to come.

SO there ya have it. My PMS check-in as of late. My job is great & I'm constantly learning something new & working with new people & learning pieces of their stories. My call to being the church in the world through Diaconal Ministry couldn't be a better fit for my outgoing relational community driven self.

What's your PMS?

Tuesday Tea Time!

Credit given to SuperStock

It's Tuesday Tea Time & I hope you're still going strong from the the rejuvenation of the weekend. Ok, let's be real, not all of us had a rejuvenating weekend or even much of a weekend, but none the less, I hope there's time for Tea on Tuesday!

So far today I drug myself out of a groggy state that a rainy night & morning seems to always leave me in & have started laundry & made a mental list of the things that I absolutely do not want to skip over today. Obviously one of those things is Tuesday Tea Time!

In the midst of that I spent easily a half hour, if not more, waiting for my tea to cool down so I could drink it. I don't know how coffee drinkers do it! It seems that they always drink their coffee before tea drinkers. Part of this cool down process has to do with the mug I'm using. It is very well insulated, but it also has to do with the fact that I almost always drink black tea in the morning. According to my electric tea kettle, the temperature for black tea water is 212 degrees Fahrenheit.

The struggle is when you need that zing of a bit of caffeine to pull you fully out of the state of grog, but have to be to work or class or whatever before you're able to put the jolt into your system. Yes, I realize this is a mental thing & maybe a touch of addiction. There are other things we can do to help with this state of grog. In fact I often do a bit of yoga each morning.

So much of life it seems we wait. We wait as little kids to be older kids. We wait at doctors' offices & stop lights. We wait for the end of the school year & warmer weather. We wait for our dream job. We wait for that e-mail or possibly even that letter in the mail from that special someone that simply warms your heart & makes your day because they're thinking about you. We wait for birth & we wait for death. We wait.

Today as you wait, for your tea, the end of the work or school day, the sun to come out, the voice of God to scream clarity into your life, the love of your life to notice you, your motivation to show it's face again, that still small voice to be heard, for somebody else to sort your laundry, or that phone call that you can't miss, know that you're never waiting alone. EVER! We all wait together even when it's for different pieces of life.

Together we wait. Remember to use sunscreen, drink lots of water (& tea), breath deep, & smile.

One Word 365: Healthy

So I've tried to do a bit of weaving in my healthy updates with my regular blog postings, but today deserves its own post.

Spring is finally showing its damp & sunny self! This is very good for the soul after a long cold snowy snowy winter. However, my soul is a mixture of emotions & feelings right now.

This particular season of Lent has been heavy on the side of death. End of life, no matter the age, is hard to grasp for those of us left living. This week marked the 5th person in a circle of my life who died. He was just a year behind me in school & his sister a year ahead. We were all friends through church & living in a small town. I can't quite put my mind around the pain his family is living with right now, but my heart is heavy & sad for them & his friends. Be sure to tell those you love that you love them whenever you have the chance & I hope you take this chance weekly if not daily.

Then there's the pieces of light & happiness & hope. Today I enjoyed tea with two of TE's daughter's & friends. The best part was watching TO (TE's daughter) lead a cute Pinterest art project with her not quite one year old daughter. She painted little CO's feet to press onto the pallet for flower leaves & her hands for petals. Her best friend since first grade was there too & lead the project with her little one who's 2 years old. It was just a sweet piece of my day that I'm thankful for. I also am thankful for the random phone convos with family members & my life long friends as of late. Oh & the joy of hosting, I really love sharing the simple peaces of hospitality with others. Plus hosting a small group from church meant a good reason to make a batch of my favorite chewie cookies & this time (only the second time I've tried making them) they were a success! *The first time they were a bit like eating a cookie brick*

And some of the hope comes from conversations around upcoming jobs. I love working in ministry specifically focused on senior high youth & older. This Summer I get to hone in on my passion & test my skills with Bible studies & the many adventures of being at camp. Yes I'll miss my husband & puppy while I'm gone, but what am I if not my own person?

Physically, the healthy word has not been paired with good things around here lately. There's been head & chest colds & stomach viruses & back problems. All this I stick out my tongue to, do yoga, meditate in the Word, & pray.

and the healthiest thing I've done as of late is remembered to take many a deep breaths throughout each day to acknowledge the life that I am given & the life that I am living & all that I am capable of thanks be to God.

Friday Favorites!

I know I know, most of you who follow me have prolly seeen enough Michi photos to last a life time. This past week though there was so much good that fit into Fridays I had to include this photo simply because it says "Happy Day!"

The first day of Spring, the slightly warmer temps, the adventure back to MI from hoosierland, the delicious turkey burgers we made last night, the changing ministry opportunities, & the connections I continue to make with friends new & old. All are favorites!

May your Friday be filled with many favorites too!

Friday Favorites AND One Word 365 Update!

I share Friday Favorites with a heavy heart today. Today we are figuring out how to celebrate the life of our friend TE. I blogged about tea with TE back in November (celebrate her joy for life & people here). Sadly, yesterday afternoon TE's time on earth was ended & she fully joined God in heaven. Her mantra through all of her treatments & adventure with cancer was "God in, Cancer out!"

While it's not what anybody wanted, God is in & cancer is out. This picture that reads "With Brave Wings She Flies" is TE's current profile picture on FB. Naturally people are sharing lovely memories of who they knew TE to be.

I wrote in my November Friday Favorite that she is my inspiration. Even in her passing into a life that is whole with the Spirit staring her in the face, she continues to inspire.

And "with brave wings, she flies."

Sunday Snippits: One Word 365 Update

What?! No GOOD, BAD, & UGLY?

I'm multitasking!

When I chose my One Word as healthy, I meant it in a holistic way, but with a special emphasis in the emotional department.

Hi, I am a forever optimist who struggles sitting with people - including myself - in the gray times of life.

There's SO much life to be lived that I don't see the point in living in the gray times more than than the clear sparkly times. However, as I've mentioned recently, I am living in a time of limbo. I'm working a couple of different jobs & applying for others & praying for what path I should follow. I can't escape the gray.

This forever optimism comes from a lot of gray in my childhood. I like to see people happy so I figure if I share a smile then it can hide the gray.

It doesn't fix the gray, but it makes me feel good.

Thus why on the usual Sunday Snippits, I ALWAYS have a LOT more to say for the GOOD than I do for the bad or ugly.

Living healthy is hard, but beautiful!

One Word 365: Healthy

Here's the first of those random healthy updates I said I'd be posting.

The number one way I've been finding helpful with being completely healthy is posting things (FB, Twitter, & Instagram) that bring a smile to my face & hope that they do the same for others.

January is always a month of ups & downs. The snow is pretty, the sun makes it sparkle some days, & then there are endless days in a row that are nothing but gray & icy & snowy & make you wish winter was over last week.

I also made myself & Z take a vitamin D pill today. Hoping that would boost our smiles from the inside out.

Plus I've been making myself take the puppy on walks, even if only to the mailbox & around the drive-way. Fresh air, no matter how cold, is always good for the mind, but be sure to bundle up appropriately!

Physically: Zumba instructing keeps me accountable to taking care of my body.
Mentally: Goofy mostly with a healthy dose of worry & fear about the unknowns.
Spiritually: Frustrated, but happy with the surprises.

What's your OneWord365?

Healthy Living

To hold myself accountable to living into my One Word for 2014 I will randomly be posting healthy related happenings. 

Today's HEALTHY happenings included: Zumba prep (my first class is 1/8!), sat with scripture from Hebrews, attended a funeral, walked the puppy, played with a puzzle with Z, enjoyed one of my favorite holiday movies, sent a couple cards, & prepped for my weekend with Youth Encounter.

Physically, Mentally, & Spiritually Healthy

What's your healthy status?

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

A New Year & I'm back full of Life, Spirit, & Sparkle to share with anybody who wants to receive the goodness of sharing.

My friend over at Thirsty Nerdy Cats did this One Word things a year ago & my friend TU at Praying on the Prairie is doing it this year. I figured I should join in the fun.

Plus, 2014 is weird year for Z & I. We don't have any known major changes or life transitions that will happen this year. Ok, so I turn 30 this year & we'll have our puppy fixed & we'll be doing continuing ed & vacation in MO & CO at different points. But nothing quite as big as finishing a degree program or knowing we have to move.

With this year being a year of anticipation of the unknowns, my word is

HEALTHY.

When thinking about what I hoped out of 2014, I thought to myself, "I want to be healthy in a holistic sorta way. Physically, Mentally, & Spiritually." AND because I'm a 2 on the Enneagram, I want to help others be healthy too.

Stay tuned for more on being holistically healthy.

What's your One Word?