I am a women who loves to write and I write because for so long I lived in darkness and never spoke about my life and now I want to share my life and my story with others to help and encourage them on this road we call life.
Do lazy days make you feel rested or unproductive?
I love lazy days because yes I feel more rested. I have a very busy job and my downtime is so important to me. I love being able to stay in my PJ’s with a pumpkin spice and sit and read a good book. I love doing puzzles or sit and watch a good movie. I love that there is no schedule so you can plan whatever you want to do.
My favorite is hanging out with friends at my favorite coffee shop catching up with life and sitting and watching the swirls on the lake at people paddle by. So the flip side of that is yes it can be very unproductive but that can wait. It can when it’s only you at home. Lazy days are the best.
This weekend it is Canadian Thanksgiving. I have so much to be thankful for. How I think about things changed when my friends and the place where we had called home was changed with hurricane Helene. First of all I’m so eternally grateful that they were all ok when so many weren’t. It’s still heartbreaking to me that there was so much devestation. This hit me hard.
I’m now thankful for the simplest of things. So much we take for granted but this opened my eyes. I’m thankful that I have amazing friends and family. Hang on to those you love. I’m thankful for people who helped shape me into who I am today. Who stood behind me and believed in me when I felt as though I didn’t know how.
I’m thankful for having faith and that I have in my Lord. I’m so grateful that I know Him and how with Him my life how much it is changed. I’m thankful for my church community even though sometimes it’s hard to be there.
I’m thankful for having the opportunity to be able to help children and be that trusting person in their lives. I’m thankful for having a dog that keeps me company often and makes me laugh with his silliness.
I’m thankful that even though life seemed too short that I had a best friend that shared so much about her life and that we shared many of the same passions. I miss her everyday but so glad she was able to be in my life. I love that I will see her again in heaven.
Don’t ever take your life for granted because as I see everyday its precious. Be thankful for those small things and so much to be thankful for this season.
I’m so thankful for this community for each of you who take time to read what I write and for the community. Thank you 😊
Anybody who knows me, knows that I hate conflict so much and I try to avoid it at all costs. This week I had to stand up for myself. What was being asked of me was something that I’ve fought very hard not to have to do. When I was demanded that I needed to do it. I stood on what I believed in and I told them that I was not supposed to be doing that and I didn’t want to do it, or that I liked it. I’ve never done that before, usually I just do what is expected of me whether it be right or wrong.
I’ve been learning how to set boundaries so that these things don’t happen in my life. I have noticed that when I set boundaries people around me are not happy at all. In fact it makes them push harder to get what they want. I don’t like been demanded to do things, there are nice ways to say things. To me it’s disrespectful and rude to do that to anyone. I certainly don’t like being treated like that.
Things didn’t get better so I reached out for help to see whether I had to do what was asked of me. I realized I had choices on what was happening so I moved forward with what was suggested to me. I realized that I need to stand on what I believe in no matter how hard it is for me, because if I don’t things will never change. In fact they seem to get worse.
I had zero choices as a kid and I just followed along good or bad and I never wanted to rock the boat. Now as an adult I have to stand on what I believe is the right thing to do. It’s a very hard thing for me , but it also is very empowering to stand in the gap for yourself and others. All I want is to be able to do what I love each day. Life never seems simple.
One of my strengths in life is standing up for others and speaking against things that are wrong. This is why I have these strong values. God gave me a heart that cares for others so much. It will be interesting to see how this all works out. Maybe another blog for another day. Until then don’t compromise on things that are put on you that are not ok. You deserve respect. 😊
This past Thursday hurricane Helene swept through Asheville, Black mountain , North Carolina. It destroyed many towns it is path and so many people lost their homes, their lives and everything they once new. Black mountain, North Carolina is where my husband and I used to live. We lived there for 4 years and this was our community. To see it completely destroyed in so many ways was horrifying. I reached out to many of my friends good friends who live so around there. Some I heard from others nothing. All I could do from afar was pray for them. Pray that they were ok and their loved ones.
Two weeks before the hurricane came through they had mass flooding in this area and already the creeks and rivers were high. The hurricane just made it a 100 times worse. It came with such force and so many roads were washed out and flooded and those who lived up higher they had massive mud slides.
I realized that they were left without power, cell service, and no water. They say it will be weeks before water is restored. That’s why I didn’t hear from my friends . Each one reached out and told me they were ok, but so many people are not ok. My heart is broken for them because this was our home and yes you can rebuild and restore but you can’t replace family members.
Something I have seen and I had forgotten that when we lived in the South, Southern hospitality is amazing. People come together to help out even those they don’t know. People step up and come forward and help no matter what the cost is.
My friend sent me that Bible photo this morning As I was walking in a field near a friends house that was washed away, I walked upon this….. this Bible was laying there open just like this. Jesus is much bigger than any storm. That’s what the person said who posted this and yes she’s exactly right. When things like this happen it makes you hold onto your loved ones more and you often seek out God for your refuge.
Please continue to pray for those who live in and around the Asheville area. Not just this area but this hurricane was wide spread. This hit home hard for me. Thorough out it all I love how people see God working in and through the lives of so many people. ❤️
Last week I read in a newsletter from the ranch I love so much that a person I’ve gotten to know almost died on July 4th. It was extremely hard to read and wow her testimonial well it’s totally amazing. She had a massive heart attack and had to get her heart reset and had chest compressions on the way to the hospital. Wow that’s extremely scary. Before all that happened she told her husband to call the ranch and ask them to pray.
We know God hears our prayers and yes He doesn’t always answer them the way we want them. We do know that the power of prayer is amazing.
“The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” (James 5:14-16) “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.“
Not only did my friend get to the hospital she also had emergency surgery and suffered a heart attack. She was one of the lucky ones. Obviously her time on this earth is not done yet. For that I’m internally grateful. I hope that one day soon I can paddle down Sparks Lake with you again my friend.
Sparks Lake, Oregon
I’ve seen God do amazing things with prayer. I have another friend who had a brain aneurysm and was in a coma for a long time and she was not supposed to live and God brought her back and everyday she’s worked so hard to get her life back. She’s another woman that I admire. Not only in her faith but that she never gave up no matter how hard it was.
“Matthew 18:20 – There is power in joining together to pray and petition. Jesus even says that when we align our hearts in prayer, He is with us as we do it!“
“In Psalm 34:17-18, it says, “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” When we pour out our hearts to God in prayer, He listens and offers us His peace and comfort.”
There are so many promises in God’s word. I pray everytime I get a chance. I love driving to work and praying before I go to school. I still find things I’m grateful for and my biggest one this week was that my friend is still with us. Thank you Lord for hearing our prayers. I reached out to her and told her that I wish I had told her sooner that I love her.
Reach out to those you love and don’t take anything for granted because life is precious and should never be taken for granted. I’m in awe about what God does and continues to do in our lives. I’m truly blessed. ❤️
I started blogging at a time when I really wanted to write and I realized what I had to share was what needed to be said. I needed people to know that no matter what they have been through in their lives that there was always Hope out there.
I’ve written my memoirs on my blog because my story needed a voice. When your not allowed to speak out it up for what you’re going through, it’s so nice to write about things. I love blogging is like breathing for me.
I love reading what others write about and I love being part of this amazing blogging community. I think more people should write.
This is the last weekend before school starts for the year. I am looking forward to another year with an amazing teacher and seeing who will be in my kindergarten class this year. Last year was awesome. Such an amazing group of children and their families.
I’m looking forward to being back in a routine and being able to help the children in my classroom. I feel blessed to work where I do and I’m surrounded by amazing people. I don’t know what this year will bring but I will know soon enough. 😊
What daily habit do you do that improves your quality of life?
I get up everyday and write down all the things that I’m grateful for. It’s helped me have a better mindset and helps me know that I have so many blessings in my life. So when I feel stressed those blessings are things in my life that I can control. I can’t control things in my life that spin out of control. Then I’m able to rest easy and tackle whatever is put in front of me.
Even when things are difficult here and I’ve given them to God everyday, at 3am I seen to take them back from the Lord. I realized this week that instead of worrying about things I can’t change. Maybe I should put my efforts into something else. I started doing a study on Gratitude and I realized that everyday I need to start writing down what I’m grateful for.
“For everything God created is good, and nothing is too be rejected, if it is received with Thanksgiving; because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.”
1 Tim 4:4-5
I love that every good thing is a gift from God. Something that I never want to take for granted. It’s a very humbling thing to know that God delights in us with his gifts.
Life as we know it, is full of ups and downs and how are we going to deal with them. God has always provided for me and as soon as I shifted my mindset to gratitude, I realized that I’m so blessed with many things in my life.
Today I thanked God for providing me with food and clothing and a roof over my head. For community I have lots of it all around me. For the opportunity to sit and read the word and worship. Many people I know have health issues, I thanked him for my health. Thank you Lord for the sun this morning and the rain. For the quiet mornings to be able to hear the birds outside my window.
When you put all of this into perspective then I realized that I don’t need to worry about things I can’t control. Blessings are all around us everyday we just need to stop and look at them and think about our lives. I’m so glad that I can be grateful everyday and I want to continue this. It’s an amazing way to start our days .
What are your grateful for today, even if your having a tough day? Next time you feel like your world is too hard or tough think about what you have to be grateful for. ❤️
Yesterday I celebrated 7 years of sobriety. For a long time no matter what I did I could not keep my sobriety. I had no idea why. Something would happen and I would find myself back in addiction again. It was so frustrating and the shame I felt from relapses was horrible. Shame is horrible because it makes you feel like your no good and that maybe you deserve what is happening to you. I used to think that well my dad used to tell me that I was stupid and that I would never amount to anything. So now this must be true because I can’t break the cycle of this.
I would pray and beg God to take this away but it would never stay for me. I hated myself so much. I also felt like I had a black heart because I hated my dad and Step mom for all the abuse and how they treated my brother and I . I wished they would just die.
One day I was brushing teeth and I felt God tell me that my heart was black and that’s why I was caught in the cycle of addiction. That was the root of it. Really God because I had no idea how to get out of this. I was filled with hate and if I didn’t get past this, then I would not succeed in sobriety.
I was visiting my good friend, her and her husband own a ranch in Oregon. They rescue horses and team them up with children. It’s my home away from home. It was during Christmas that I went to visit. I needed time away. My friend and I went for a walk. She calls it the wilderness. At Christmas it is often very cold and snowy. This day it was really nice and sunny. The sun beat down on our faces and it was quite warm. We were in the high desert so it’s a higher altitude then what I’m used to. I live at sea level. I started to get a headache. We stopped and knelt in the sand surrounded by Sage bushes.
My friend started praying and I asked God where was He when I was growing up. As a child I called out to Him but he never came. Why??? My friend asked me what I was seeing and I was back in my bedroom. Crying because I was not allowed out. The room was dark and I was alone and shared. She asked me what else I saw , at first I saw nothing then I saw a light. She asked me where it was and I realized it was behind me. Then I saw the Lord He was holding me. So everytime I called out to Him as a child He was with me.
Even now thinking about that tears me up. I was not alone. That’s how I survived because the Lord was with me. Then my friend prayed and asked me to look at my dad and stepmom and that I needed to forgive them for what they had done to me. My heart had softened because now I knew I was not alone. I love how God works in our hearts.
I prayed and asked God for the strength to forgive them because I had held hate in my heart for so long. Then the tears came and I felt like they never would stop. I forgave then for everything for all the abuse, how they talked to me, all the times they hurt me or left me alone so I was hurt by others. Everything came out. I had forgotten I was kneeling in the dust. When I was done I got up and I felt a whole lot lighter. My friend said I was like a new person. For the first time in a very long time my heart felt lighter. It was not dark or filled with hate.
Ever since that day 7 years ago my life has been different. I no longer feel that hate and I have reached out to my family and I communicate with some of them. I sometimes even pray for them. When those chains were broken then so were the chains of addiction. I’ve been free ever since. God is good so good. I now feel love in my heart and God’s given me a huge passion for others especially children who have gone through similar things that I have.
If your stuck in addiction or something you don’t want to do anymore. I would pray and ask God what are the chains that tie you to this thing. Find out the root cause. You don’t have to suffer in silence. Find someone you trust to help you. Isn’t it time to start living your best life. You are loved so much even if you don’t think you are. ❤️
Beauty from Ashes. 