Tag: God knows your heart

Practice the Always

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Always holds big meaning to only have six letters.

I have a few things that I always do, like I’ll always drink in house cold brew, and always brush my teeth before leaving the house. If you don’t, you’ll run into someone you haven’t seen in years, and they’ll want to hug and stand around and laugh, so it’s best to have clean teeth.

I’m becoming more comfortable with empty spaces. What works for me is looking at an area full of stuff, and emptying it out completely. Wipe the surface down and only put back the meaningful. It’s funny but even after putting back what was meaningful one day, they begin to lose some of their meaning the next. I’m excited to see what our house looks like by the end of the year, or better yet, one year from now.

After framing some art and having a wall of it in my room, I removed one painting and put it in the kitchen where it belongs. That’s where it was originally, but I used it to fill an empty space. I’ve been looking at that empty space along my bedroom wall all week, and knew what I wanted to put there. It’s a page from a magazine that was in another frame, but I utilized that frame and laid this clipping aside.

When people see it, they scream, “Is that Justin Bieber?!!” He was just a kid in this photo, and you can’t see his face, but his name is underneath the quote. I have signs hanging throughout our home as reminders of what’s important, and this is of the utmost importance.

It says, “I always thank God for giving me this opportunity and blessing me with this talent.” ~ Justin Bieber

I bought a frame for it and filled in the empty space. This frame looked lighter in the store, so it’s probably going to be exchanged for another one, but it works for now. The word ‘always’ is what jumps out at me from this quote. We have all been given at least one gift and should be on the lookout for ample opportunity to use it. I’m guilty of not thanking God nearly enough for the opportunities He’s given me, but I’m willing to practice.

I see this photo as soon as I wake up in the morning, so at first light, let’s practice the always.

Queen of Everything

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After posting The Writing Robe, I reached out to my friend Jordan, and asked if she had a robe from Honest Cotton that I could try. She had two robes, and invited me to stop in anytime to try them on. 💖

To walk into Jordan’s studio is a treat for the senses. There’s low vibe music softly playing, and the temperature of the room is just right. You can smell the aroma of essential oils being used, and it makes you want to stand there and inhale deeply. Jordan specializes in Chinese medicine and owns Common Thread Wellness down the street from my home.

I tried on the robe in a khaki color and it felt great, but had to try on the other one in ecru, which is a candlelight color. This pale color amused me envisioning the short amount of time it would last after an explosion from the coffee bar, or the first time I sit in something on the bench outside, or when any of our three pets brushed by while wearing it.

This robe is plenty long. I’m 5’9″, and it tickles my ankles. There’s so much fabric to it, I have to roll up the sleeves to type. I love slipping it on first thing in the morning, and have it hanging on a hook near an A/C vent. It’s like enveloping yourself in chilled gauze. Walking through the house I can feel it flowing along behind me.

Honest Cotton Robe

Years ago my daughter came home with this little metal sign as a gift for me. She handed it to me with a grin, and it’s one of my favorite things. It’s hanging from a lamp that sits on my desk, as a much needed reminder on those difficult days. It says, “Queen of Everything!”

Strolling from my desk to the window scanning the front yard, lining up tasks in my head, I give the robe a tug and feel it resting on my shoulders. This robe makes one feel like Queen of Everything.

The featured photo is Jordan’s dog in studio. The mantra for her business is – ‘Connecting the common thread between body + mind + spirit.’ It’s not only used for her business, but how she lives her life.

It’s Own Time

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I bought a flat of impatient’s for the flower cart. It surprised the cashier when I sat the entire tray on the counter, and it surprised me too. I didn’t plan on planting many flowers this year, but plans change. The flower cart can hold a flat, or full tray, and they’re beautiful to see, but now I have 48 little impatient’s, patiently waiting to be planted. 😍

My God is sneaky. He knew I wouldn’t be able to look at an empty flower cart for long.

This week, I rearranged my bedroom, and moving the bed is always an adventure. It was pretty dusty under there, and I’ve written about it here. My daughter and I each have a long, rolling storage container for off season clothing under the bed. They had sat side by side with a small gap in between and captured all of the cat’s jingle balls. That’s a score!

Once the bed was moved, I had a semi empty wall. The artwork looked scattered, so I moved two pieces to fill the empty spaces. It all lined up perfectly, so I could see that was not my doing. On my best day I couldn’t do that, without scattering holes over the wall. This was seamless and took no effort. It’s like they’re resting on an invisible wall length shelf.

Local artist Rachel Brown. 💖

The wall of art gives an immediate feeling of calm and centered. I could add more art above this row, but that’s how it is with me. God lays it out perfectly, and I want to tweak it, but this time there’s nothing to tweak. And Dawn, when you read this you’ll know, the wall of art we spoke about in our letters, fell into place all in it’s own time.

From the post, ‘Just Say Yes.‘ Artist ~ Mrs. M

Be a Dreamer

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One of the most difficult parts of dating over fifty is finding a dreamer. Most men are semi-retired, already retired, or looking forward to retirement. They want to travel in an RV, or on a motorcycle, but here’s an update. You don’t have to wait to travel. It’s available at any time.

I have big dreams for my life, but sometimes I wonder if they’re big enough. As humans, we tend to dream attainable dreams. Things we know with some hard work and planning, they’ll come to fruition. My dreams are merely stepping stones to a greater plan, and that plan is a mystery.

We’ll use writing as an example. I don’t want to be famous, but I do want to write, and God can use my willingness to write in a big way. That’s the scary part. What is His plan?

Maybe you think you’re too old for dreams, or they were a part of your youth, but I’m not buying it. As long as there’s breath in our bodies, we still have a purpose. Don’t give up on your dreams, because if you woke up to a new day, your dreams are still in you. Be a dreamer.

To Be Bothered

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I’ve been told, “Life isn’t a fairytale”, but I live like mine is. The people who are a part of my life see it. Every now and then, I watch a romantic movie to be reminded of the love I know is out there, because I’ve lived it.

I may have recently watched the Nicholas Sparks movie, ‘The Choice’. The kind of love portrayed in this movie is rare and not for the faint of heart. It’s difficult to find someone willing to fight for this kind of love. When they wrap their arms around you and hold you tight, your entire world falls apart and lands at your feet, but the pieces pull back together better than before.

I work a lot, so the man will need to insert themselves into my life and not be afraid to take up space. I know he’s there because I’ve had the kind of love described here. The kind that when you spend time together, you could write for days because your heart is so full it wants to spill all over the keys.

Back to the movie, they are neighbors and bother one another to no end. He plays music loudly while she’s trying to think and gives him hell for it. In one scene, he starts walking slowly toward her, and she’s becoming uncomfortable that he’s walking so determined and with intention. Once he reaches her and they’re standing nose to nose he says, “You bother me.”

The other day a man called, and I didn’t hear my phone ring. I sent him a text, telling him I was sorry to have missed his call, but he’s welcome to call back. He said, “Well, I don’t want to bother you.” To get to the fairytale, I want to be bothered.

I Am Second

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“Did you write today?”

“Yes.”

“Then you’re a writer today.” Julia Cameron ~ The Right to Write

In a recent staff meeting with the Zen Habits Team, it was suggested for each of us to go through one of Leo’s courses like a student would. I chose his ‘Beautiful Mornings’ course. I love waking up early and seeing the first light of day, but to do that and feel rested, I needed to reel in my bedtime.

In the course Leo’s asks that we implement something into our morning to make it more beautiful. There’s a book that’s been laying on my bedside table for years. You can tell by the cover it’s been well used, and the pages aren’t as bright, white as they once were, but it’s been laying there waiting to be used some more frequently. I’ve re-inserted it into my morning and praying over my adult children.

Most mornings I wake up and my mind begins rolling through the day, but last year I promised myself I’d ‘watch the day unfold‘. Being in need of more practice, I’m sticking with it this year. There’s one thing I feel the need to do before anything else, (even coffee), and that is to spend time with God.

No matter how the day unfolds, or what I see on my plate, by putting Him first I’m trusting His plan instead of mine. When it comes down to it lovely, the only reminder I need today is, I am second.

Credits:

Julia Cameron~The Right to Write

Stormie Omartian~The Power of Praying for Your Adult Children

The Right Time

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I’ve not found the right time exists to do anything worthwhile. Sometimes we get caught up waiting for the right time, but that’s a long, unproductive wait. My quality of writing can reflect my mood, so I like to ensure I’m in a good headspace before clicking the publish button.

God, I will take care of the quantity. You take care of the quality.

Julia Cameron ~ The Sound of Paper

My friend and I continue to Marco Polo every week. She’s a writer as well, but we have different styles. We share this one secret to sitting down and enjoying what we write, and I’m here to share it with you. Write before work.

It sounds easy, but I’m dedicated to my work, so it doesn’t take long for the inner critic to start in on me not to write. I’ll have nonsense thoughts similar to, “You’ve got so much work on your plate today, and need to do that first”, or “You have people looking for you that need your help.” The inner critic will make any daily activity seem more pertinent than writing.

My friend and I’ve found if we dive into our work/job before writing, we won’t write that day. I can force myself to write after work, but it’s not fun, and it usually gets trashed. Writing should be fun, so I write before work.

Photo by Wilhelm Gunkel on Unsplash

If you go to work early, try getting up a bit earlier to write. There’s no need to agree with our thoughts that we don’t have the time when we can make the time. Plan on it and create some space to write. By taking time, you’re inviting it to be the right time.

Here’s more tips from Barb on how she writes:

The Right to Write, The Blank Page, The Bottom of the Page, and Watch Your Time