Autumn

And just like that, Fall has arrived. 

Changes

Today feels like Fall has arrived. The air is crisp with rain falling on and off and the fog is drooped off the tree tops. Some of the leaves are beginning to change, as well. 

Some changes in life are beyond our control, while other changes, we choose. Change is inevitable. Many of the most difficult changes are when they come out of nowhere and slam into us, unexpectedly.  

How do you handle change? Do you run from it, embrace it, or push through and figure it out as you go? Personally, I do all three. This week we were faced with that unexpected, knock the breath out of us change. It's been difficult. It isn't anything personal, but happened to someone we know and who is a mentor to us. My reaction was shock, anger, sadness, and wanting to help wherever I could. 

Change is inevitable, but how we choose to handle it is a choice. Even if we feel anger, how we respond in that anger is the key. 

Ecclesiastes 3 says this about change: 

For everything that happens in life—there is a season, a right time for everything under heaven:

2     A time to be born, a time to die;
        a time to plant, a time to collect the harvest;
3     A time to kill, a time to heal;
        a time to tear down, a time to build up;
4     A time to cry, a time to laugh;
        a time to mourn, a time to dance;
5     A time to scatter stones, a time to pile them up;
        a time for a warm embrace, a time for keeping your distance;
6     A time to search, a time to give up as lost;
        a time to keep, a time to throw out;
7     A time to tear apart, a time to bind together;
        a time to be quiet, a time to speak up;
8     A time to love, a time to hate;
        a time to go to war, a time to make peace.

Reconnecting

It's been awhile since I have written, blogged, or even really gone out and spent a day with my camera. Writing and photography are things I enjoy and ways I express myself, work through things, release stress, process life, so when I haven't done much of either, frustration sets in. We were created to be creative. When I'm not, I seem to forget to connect to the things I enjoy most, I don't take time to see the beauty in life, and I get much more stressed. I need to take time to back to what I enjoy, things that I'm passionate about. I have missed writing. A lot. It has been awhile since I have put pen to paper or fingers to the keyboard. 

What do you find therapeutic? How do you creatively express yourself? Have you done it lately? If not, I challenge you to go to your creative outlet and take time to reconnect to it, and connect with yourself. 

Learning To Rest

Why is it in our society we see rest and quietness as something wrong, or temporary? We treat rest more like a privilege than a necessity.

Do you get so busy that you forget to enjoy life? I recently went on a weeks vacation, and although I was busy sightseeing and going, it was a different type of busy. I was with my husband, my loved ones, seeing the beauty. For those who know me or who have followed my blog, you know that photography is my way to disconnect, to connect with our Creator and see the beauty He has created. It's been months since I intentionally picked up my camera, actually close to a year. I have not had my 'photo days' where I grab the dog and the camera and just go take photos. I will admit that because of busyness and lack of rest, my creativity has taken a vacation, and I was just breezing through the day, not seeing the sunsets, the flowers, the beauty. I do not want to live that type of life. It's not truly living if you are not experiencing life.

Rest is more than a nap. Rest is more than an hour massage or a day off. Sometimes we feel guilty that we haven't rested so we 'schedule' a couple hours of rest, and it becomes just like all of our other commitments we have on our to do list. Our rest becomes a task to accomplish and we become more and more exhausted.

I know many who have told me they had to become sick, to become well. They had to be knocked down with chronic illness, probably caused by too much busyness and not enough rest, to find out how important true, real rest is for all of us. Through these journeys, they have also found out that wealth and success as the world sees it are not what matters in life. The love and laughter of family and friends is what matters. Relationships matter. Rest matters. Real rest.

Chronic busyness causes chronic stress which causes chronic illness. I know. I have recently been diagnosed with one. Yet, I am struggling to prioritize my life to get well. My doctor has given me a warning to slow down, yet I keep going, I keep doing, I keep striving for worldly applause and success. The more I strive for these things, the worse my health is, and the worse I feel. A couple days ago, God made a loud point and made me so dizzy and fatigued, I could not do anything else but rest. I slept. I sat out under our big twisted willow tree and listened to the birds, the sound of the wind, neighbor kids laughing, hummingbirds buzzing over my head, and silence.

We get busy and we forget to pay attention to our life, to our loved ones, to our faith, and to our health. We don't see the beauty, we just get in a mode of doing, not living.  We stare at computer and phone screens, thinking we are connected but instead we are deeply disconnected from life and relationships.

I have been rudely awakened to the importance of rest and real relationships through my body having a revolt against my busyness. While I am not thrilled to be dealing with a chronic illness right now, I am thankful that I have been awakened to the life I was living and what it has been doing to my body.

I am in a new season. A season of restoring my health, reconnecting with God, learning to be still, knowing that rest is healthy not bad, and getting intentionally connected with friends and family face to face...these are what matter in life. These are the things that leave a legacy, not busyness.

What needs to change for you today to restore healthy rest, to connect with people face to face, to be still, to see the beauty that surrounds you every day? Make the changes and truly live the life you have been given. It is a gift.

Tulip Fields

Last week, I was able to go to the tulip fields in Washington State. I have wanted to visit them for a long time, and finally had a chance. Many of the tulips were done blooming, but I was still able to take in much of the beauty. 

What Are You Chasing?

We all chase something. 

My dog chases her tail. She also chases cats that wander in her yard, and she loves to chase balls and sticks.

Some people chase the impossible dream, other people chase careers, love, money, beauty, approval, popularity, perfection. 

Lately with all the rain and cold weather we have had, I've felt like chasing the sun. 

What you chase, defines you, shows your priorities in life. What you chase shows a lot about who you are and what you value. 

If we forfeit what we are passionate about to chase money, we succeed at something that doesn't really matter. If we chase perfection, we miss the opportunity to learn from our mistakes, reset, and enjoy life.

If we are always running, chasing a life that we weren't designed for, then we miss the life we were designed to live, the purpose and plan that God set in our hearts and we are never truly content or happy, so we continue to chase things that do not matter. We always want more, instead of experiencing joy and peace. 

What are you chasing today? Do you need to stop chasing, and allow a time of quiet to overwhelm you, reset your life, readjust your focus? Do you need to pursue the things you know you care about and are passionate about, even if pursuing them will not bring you the earthly wealth you may seek? Do you need to set aside your OCD and perfection driven life to just live, love, and find joy in your family, your friends, and just be? Do you need to stop chasing the life of someone else, whether it's their looks or their lifestyle and just be thankful for who you are and what you have? 

We can all improve our life, no doubt about it, and we should, but when we spend all of our time chasing things that take all of our time, or are not our life calling, or make us pull away from what truly matters, then our lives need to take a course adjustment. 

Checking In

It has been a long time since I have intentionally sat down to write. I most definitely miss it. I hope to write more often, so please check back. 

Life has changed a lot since I last posted. My pup is now almost two. She is a non-ending ball of energy.  But, we love her and try to keep up with her. 

A few updates: 

I switched jobs a couple months ago. 

My hubby is back in school, and working full time.

I still love photography, just don't get as much time to get out and take photos.  When I do get out with my camera, I seem to make up for lost time!! 

Life is busy. But, we try to take time to intentionally slow down and enjoy. Today, we hiked and enjoyed a beautiful waterfall, wildflowers, each other, and creation for two hours. It was a much needed hike next to the roaring water to help us unwind, breathe, disconnect, and remember that God is in control in this crazy world we live in.  Our bodies and souls need time to breathe, to relax, to be present, to enjoy the outdoors, to intentionally connect face to face with those in our lives, to get some exercise, and to laugh. 

Screen Disease

The other day, my husband and I were grabbing a coffee, sitting in the sun, and having a conversation. At the table next to us were two parents, with three children under the age of 9. Mom and dad were both staring at their phones, never speaking a word. No words, just staring at screens. The two older kids tried to talk to mom and dad about going for a bike ride or playing at the park, but they would not return their conversation. The youngest girl, probably 2, was deeply sucked in to a tablet, neck bent way over, not even knowing their was a real life around her. Not only is that sad that this little one is already addicted to the tablet, but it's a horrible thing for her body, her neck. My chiropractor told me he is seeing extremely high amounts of bulging discs in kids, all because of too much screen time. Those discs will affect them for the rest of their life. 

I see this scenario played out all the time. It's sad. It's an addiction, just like drugs, porn, alcohol. People are addicted to their phones and are making their kids the same way. Yes, I have a phone and tablet, and yes, I spend time on them, but I also intentionally put them away, and spend time with REAL people, face to face. 

Are you willing to reclaim your life, to really live life? THIS LIFE ISN'T A DRESS REHEARSAL! This is it. Once a day, a moment is gone, it's gone. Those moments you missed with your loved ones because you were staring at a screen can never be recaptured. At the end of your life, do you think you will look back and be happy how much time you spent staring at Facebook, Pinterest, Pokemon, Instagram, gaming, instead of sharing life and conversations with people, your loved ones, your friends, your family? 

Take time this weekend to disconnect. Fly a kite, go for a bike ride, build a fort, go fishing, watch a sunset, take a nap, have a water fight, laugh, go on a picnic, actually have a real face to face conversation with someone, go camping, shut the devices off and recapture your life! Your life will be much less stressed because you intentionally disconnect. I guarantee, nothing earth shattering will happen on FB that you will miss! However, if you don't look up, shut down, you are missing the beauty in creation around you, you are missing talking and laughing with your friends and family. This life is all there is on this side of eternity, don't waste it! 

Sunsets

I was recently designing some backgrounds to use in multimedia presentations.  A friend of ours was close by and watching. He said "Once you have seen one or two sunsets, you have seen them all. There isn't any point in capturing a photo of a sunset more than twice."  I looked at him, eyebrows raised, and said "You obviously don't watch sunsets! Each sunset is different, a new Masterpiece from our Creator." He laughed and said he obviously didn't look at the world like I did. I joked back and said obviously not, maybe you should begin! We laughed over it, but there is a  lot of truth in examining how we see the world. 

A few weeks ago, I was so busy, I didn't stop to see the cloud formations, the birds, the sunsets, or anything but work. I was grumpy. I realized I needed to grab my camera and go capture some creation. I took an hour. That hour deeply refreshed my soul. I slowed down, took in the beauty of a lake, the mountains, geese, old barns, and I took time to breathe. I needed that time. 

Back to my sunset discussion. Each sunset is unique. Beautiful. Breathtaking. 

Do you stop long enough to notice? Do you put down your phone long enough to see it?  

Take time to see the beauty. Take time to breathe it  in. Each moment of beauty, each sunset, is a gift. 

Rooted

It was approaching the beginning 2016, and my husband and I decided to do the one word challenge this year.  MY ONE WORD website  One word. Just one word for the year to strive for, live by. One word to transform your life. I prayed about that one word for 10 days. Nothing. I had ideas. As a matter of fact, I have a full page of words I wrote down, but when I went to implement them as my one word for 2016, it felt like God was saying "Nope, that is not the word." Word after word, each a no. I am not a person who likes to wait, so waiting for 10 days felt like a very long time, and I was at a point of thinking maybe I wasn't supposed to have ONE WORD this year.  

Our church is starting a new campus and on day 10 of praying and searching for that word, we were setting up for our second preview service. The day had been so busy with tech set up, I honestly hadn't thought of my word all day. At the end of a very long, but wonderful day, I pulled up the YouVersion Bible app to read a verse our pastor was referencing. 

 As I went to read the screen of my phone, my eyes went up two verses. I hadn't really read any words, but my eyes went to one word. It was as if God made it bolder and expanded it, and said there it is! Rooted. Rooted? But that isn't the word I had thought. I mean I thought my word would be hope, or be present, or patience....Rooted?  I stood and stared at it for a few seconds and said to God, so this is my word? There wasn't any doubt at all. I knew I had my word for the year. Why rooted? I don't know, but there is a reason. 

This is the verse:

“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

Ephesians 3:16-19

I was in a study three years back on Colossians, and Colossians 2:6-7 is a key verse, as well. 

"And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow Him. Let your roots grow down into Him, and let your lives be built on Him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught and you will overflow with thankfulness."

A couple years ago was the first time I did the One Word challenge. My word was overcome. Overcome I did. I overcame lifetime fears, hang ups, habits, and attitudes that weighed me down. I walked across a swinging bridge which is a couple hundred feet above a roaring river. I do not like heights, particularly above water and roaring water doesn't help! To increase that fear, add in a bridge made of planks, that swings, that is only wide enough for one person. It took awhile, but I made it. Twice. I overcame a huge fear.  The fear of that task was just one of many things God had me overcome that year. It was a year of deep transformation and victory over things that had me stuck. 

How about you? Do you have a one word? It's not too late to pray about it, and see where that journey takes you over the rest of the year. It's a great way to begin fresh and renew a portion of who you are, how you view life. We all need new beginnings, and they are available to us every day. We just have to take the first step to transform our lives. 

Please read my friends pages:

Captured Bits of Beauty

What Marty Sees

Pollywog Creek

A Night of Reflecting

Tonight my mind is flooded with memories of loved ones who are not with us any longer.  Apparently, exhaustion makes ones mind wander. I have been putting in very long hours at work, preparing for Christmas services, and have more to go. I know it will be worth it, but tonight I am a very weary soul. I am also a weepy soul. I saw a photo of almond bark, of all things, and thought of my Gram. She made 3-4 treats a year out of that stuff so the photo made me think of her. Since then, my mind has gone to all my grandparents, my father-in-law, dear friends and family members, and our dog Maddie who left us in April, and I am remembering and reflecting, and shedding tears. I think of friends who have lost both parents since Summer and how their Christmas will be this year. I think of those who have lost their children this year, and how they must be overwhelmed with grief. "It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year" came on the radio tonight and I thought how while it is because of Jesus and the gift of His life and love to us, it is also a lonely time of year for many. 

So, be there for others. Look at them, notice them, offer a smile, a helping hand, a listening ear. You don't know what is going on inside that person's soul or what they are facing. Kindness goes a long way, however. Be kind. Be loving. Give the gift of a smile. You never know how your kindness will touch or affect someone. If you know a single parent, give them a hand by either watching their kids, giving them a gift card, or lifting their load in some way. If you know older people who are alone, go spend some time with them, touch their hands, look them in the eye, and listen. If you know someone who has lost a loved one this year, just let them know  you are thinking of them. 

Spread love. Give. Be present. 

And if you need a reminder of what Christmas is all about, here is a reminder: