Category: Life

Thankful Thursday (episode 3)

So I did a little better this week with remembering to record the things that I’m thankful for. 🙂 That’s a blessing in and of itself! The reminders from the app (the Five Minute Journal) helped a little…but it always seems like when I receive a reminder, I’m busy at that moment and can’t record my thoughts. So right now – before I forget, I’m going to change the times of my reminders so that hopefully they will come when I’m free to write in the app.

The nice thing about the app is that it has positive quotes for each day that pop up when you open the app, and it also has the ability to add a photo to each entry. The quotes are good because they give me a little boost for my day, and I like adding photos to my entries because it helps me be able to look back and remember each day more fully.

So here are some of the things I am grateful for from this past week!

  1. God got me through the work week
  2. A car that gets me where I need to go
  3. The sensation of sliding under the cool bed-sheets at night
  4. I got a drink from Starbucks for 50 cents
  5. Being able to sleep in (even if I did sleep too late)
  6. Sparkling apple cider with dinner
  7. A nice time at Barnes and Noble (coffee, sweets, and books…with my Hubby)
  8. Strength for work, even though I didn’t sleep well the night before
  9. Comfort food (we had a sausage, cheese, and rigatoni bake for dinner)
  10. A nice time talking with friends after handbell practice
  11. That we have a yard for our dog (Daisy) to run around in
  12. A dishwasher – I have less dishes to wash by hand
  13. That my memory may be getting a little better
  14. For the cool breeze against my skin when I took Daisy for a walk
  15. That there was enough work available for me to complete my full shift
  16. That I was able to read a book and munch on popcorn in the evening
  17. Free Wawa coffee!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this episode of Thankful Thursday. ❤ Please feel free to share in the comments some of the things that YOU are grateful for from this past week! 😀

Photo Credit: Toa Heftiba

When Things Come Unravelled

What causes me to unravel?

That’s a great question! And a question that I have never really asked myself before. So now is as good a time as ever! 🙂 Here are some things that induce a melt-down…or a mini-meltdown.

  1. Situations where I’m among a large crowd of people (okay, so even a semi-large crowd is difficult for me). This causes me a lot of anxiety.
  2. When I’ve lost something and have looked everywhere I can think of for it, but still can’t find it.
  3. Incorrect grammar. Okay, so maybe it doesn’t cause me to unravel, as I know I use incorrect grammar myself sometimes. But it bugs me. 😉
  4. Not getting enough sleep. It’s so hard to face the day when you tossed and turned the night before.
  5. Not “matching.” If I’m wearing black pants, I need to wear black shoes and carry a black purse to match.
  6. Something not being finished. Whether it be a thought, a blog post I’m writing, a conversation, a task I was working on…it bothers me to not have things completed.
  7. Hot and humid weather. Ugh! I’m a mild weather kind of girl – I like the Spring and the Fall. But when it’s hot and muggy and sweat is rolling down my back? Yeah, I’m done.
  8. When someone I love is hurting. This is a big one. I can’t stand it when a family member or friend is experiencing a really difficult time. Especially when I can’t do much to help!
  9. Decisions. Big or small, I struggle with them all.
  10. When I do something that I shouldn’t have done…like sleep all morning. I tend to beat myself up and it spirals downward.

So those are some of the things that cause me to unravel. What causes YOU to unravel? And what (or who) helps to bring you back to sanity?

I’m grateful for a God and for family and friends who point me back in the right direction. ❤

Live Like You’re Loved

“Live like you know you’re valuable
Like you know the one that holds your soul
Cause mercy has called you by your name
Don’t be afraid to live in that grace

I’m tellin’ you somethin’
This God we believe in
Yeah, He changed everything
No more guilt! No more shame!
He took all that away
Gave us a reason to sing

So go ahead and live like you’re loved
It’s okay to act like you’ve been set free
His love has made you more than enough
So go ahead and be who He made you to be

And live like you’re loved.”

~ Hawk Nelson, “Live Like You’re Loved”

I have a difficult time with living like I’m loved. I know in my heart that God loves me and that I am valuable to Him, but sometimes my mind likes to cause me to doubt this fact. It’s those thoughts that creep in unawares, telling me that I haven’t lived perfectly so God must be mad at me…or that I’m being “proud” by thinking I did a good job at something…or that I didn’t do as well as [insert name here], so I must be lacking in some way.

Do you ever have a problem with this?

I think it started when I was very young, and I didn’t feel like I was loved by a member of my family. I would seek that love, that tenderness, and that affection through my performance – whether it be in school or somewhere else. I would try my best to get straight A’s on my report card, to win first place at the Science Fair, or to excel at any number of tasks, with the hope of gaining the love that I so longed for.

But God tells me – and YOU – that He doesn’t love us based on our performance. He loves us because He created us, and created us in His image. We are His children. Jesus showed us how much we are worth to Him by giving his life to cleanse us from our sins.

We have value!

So even though it won’t happen overnight, I would like to re-vamp the way that I perceive myself. I want to see myself the way God sees me: as worthy, as loved, as valuable, as priceless, as unique, as….enough.

I want to “live like I’m loved!” Will you join me? ❤

Photo Credit: Julia Caesar