What do I want?

I've read a few great posts on (in)courage recently. Today's on How Can I Grow Closer to God? and one a while back titled Asleep on the Job, have both hit very close to reality, or perhaps nailed it. If you need a little nudge, either on of them could do the trick!

Thinking

Blog bunny-trailing, from this post at Daisy Yellow to this post about leaving a legacy, has added fuel to the mental fire that has been kindling the past several months. What have I done with this life God has given me - the first 40 years of it? There are many ways I could have been a better steward of the gifts and resources. What will I do with it now, in the midst of this mid-course correction, as I have come to see this whole move and career change. What kind of legacy do I want to work toward leaving from this point forward?

Last night I read a brief article (in The Homeschool Court Report) in memory of Sono Harris, home-educating mother of seven, including Josh Harris, author of I Kissed Dating Goodbye, and Alex and Brett Harris, authors of Do Hard Things (which sounds like a good read, when time permits). The title alone was thought-provoking: "A Life Well Lived". Could that phrase be used to speak of my own life?

Or I think of that line at the end of Second Hand Lions, where the young man speaks of his great uncles and says, "Yes, they really lived." Am I really living? Or am I going through the motions?

I know the answers to some of these questions and know some changes are in order. There may still be time to leave the kind of legacy God would want me to. I know there have been times when I was headed in the right direction and either slacked off, or was side-tracked by many things, that have led to less than God's best. Isn't it great to have a fresh start? The beginning of a new year feels that way. And God says His mercies are new every morning, so if we give each day to Him, we have an opportunity to start over and live our best for Him, every morning!

One Word for 2011

Welllllll....

I wrote this all out last night, then looked up my post from last year for "one word" and had written almost exactly the same thing. LOL! I am completely LOSING IT. Yes, I am. And obviously, I need to repeat this word this year, as it didn't stick with me or have the impact it was intended to last year. Though I must say, Jesus has really been making my need for Him more well-known through all the turmoil of the past 5 or 6 months. I am so laughing at myself this morning! In spite of that, I'm sticking with Him as my one word choice for the year, and hoping for greater things (and an improved memory). How appropriate that in the book of John in the Bible, he is referred to as The Logos, or the Word.

Choosing one word to focus on for the year seems to be growing in popularity and spreading across blog world. This is my fourth year to participate (love, action, and JESUS, were previously chosen) and I started doing so from reading Ali Edwards' blog. This was also my project for the first day of Art Journal Every Day.

A summer devotional challenge for homeschool moms

Does anyone else struggle to stay consistent in spending time with the Lord during the summer? The lack of a consistent daily schedule, travel that involves the whole family sleeping together in one room, and more, leads to a great lack in this area for me. So when this opportunity showed up in my inbox, I decided it might be good to give it a go. Would you like to join me?

(If you aren't already a member of The Homeschool Lounge, you will need to join to participate.)

Life, blogging, simplifying, prioritizing

I just read (skimmed) a post titled "To Be More Joyful: Simplify Your Life". This is something I have known for years, but struggle to do. From at least the time I subscribed to FLYLady for a while (at least 6 years ago or more), to the occasional book or article on the topic, there are frequent reminders of this in my life. Hopefully there will be an opportunity for me to study this article and the corresponding links more carefully, as the lack of simplicity, or at least prioritizing, in my life, is causing my brain to be on overload and to lose various items of information like a sieve. One activity we jumped into, and I do think will be valuable in the future is a local 4-H club. But it got off to a late start and for us to complete the projects in time is going to be stressful, if not impossible. So that is my first area to drop, that will be one less plate to try and keep spinning for the next two months. And we can still enter projects in the county fair open show if we want, but with less strings attached to doing so. Simplicity would also be greatly enhanced by cutting back further on computer time. (I have cut back significantly on Facebook time - increasing privacy concerns, plus a growing boredom with it - helped. But replaced some of that wasted time with reading blogs, which can be inspiring, but also adds to my brain overload as all the fun projects I want to try pile up from blog to blog!)

Though the Christian faith is not a part of this article on "balance", the idea communicated in it is one that has floated around in my brain a bit in a much more fragmented form recently. Isn't it so that those who accomplish great things are often more "unbalanced" believers as well? We just finished reading the biography of Mary Slessor - definitely an unbalanced life that was so effective and had such an impact. (This was one of our school books this year, and though I've read many missionary biographies, I had never learned about this woman. The kids enjoyed this book.)

And here's a short, but thoughtful post on "relaxing vs. refreshing". What truly refreshes you? This is a list I need to make, and will try to share when possible.

Yesterday as part of the sermon on Jonah 2, we were challenged to write our own Psalm, which I would like to do as well.

Last night I spent a few minutes writing out the things we ARE doing this summer, followed by a list of the things I would like to do this summer. While the travels we do in the summer are always good and time well-spent, there is a corresponding trade off of activities that there aren't time for as a result, or not as much time as there could be for, such as planning our school year.

What I am reading right now and a birthday idea

First I wanted to quickly share the link to a blog post about how one woman celebrated her birthday by performing one "random act of kindness" for every year of her life on that day. I liked all the ideas they had of ways to bless others. In studying 2 Corinthians through the book Lord, Give Me a Heart for You, one week is devoted to the ministry of giving, as Paul was giving instructions in that area to the Corinthians. They (and others) were giving to help out other believers who had a need, i.e. their giving was not random. It's interesting to learn what was taught about giving in that New Testament context, as compared to "tithing" which is frequently spoken of.

Geoff recently picked this book up at the library and we both have read/are reading it. It is an interesting read and educational. I never thought about this man having a family and how his actions affected/affect them. It also gives more insights into the religious culture of that area of the world, and will improve your geography knowledge as well.

In a spring mood!

It snowed several more inches again today. As a matter of fact, it sounds like the snowplow is in the 'hood right now. Perhaps the abundance of snow we've had this year has been the primary factor in my strong desire to make it seem a little "springy" inside our home. The daffodils and other bulbs (bulb flowers are my absolute favorite - calla lilys, tulips, hyacinths, crocus - they're all wonderful) are still buried under a few feet or more of snow.

Decorating is not my forte, partly due to my frugality and extreme practicality. But I have just felt the need for something fresh and light. The kids and I picked these silk flowers up (half off, of course!) this week.They found a home in a recycled container that had originally held those reeds that sit in scented oil and infuse the air. And harking back to the post about taking pictures and telling the story of things that are important to you... I have unfortunately lost track of the origins of the doily in the pictures above, which ultimately, is not a big deal. It seems like we received a few from Geoff's family (or perhaps mine?) that might have been made by a family member, and I also have some that I purchased the summer we spent in Albania many years ago (for mere pennies from this sweet woman who had made them) and they have unfortunately gotten all mixed up and things I never thought I'd forget, I have.

On a more serious note, the sermon this morning was on John 19 and the death of Jesus. We also learned of the sudden, unexpected death of a young mom acquaintance this morning, and it has been on my mind all day. We do not know when God has planned for us to go, and it has been a wake up call to me to live with a more eternal mindset. If it was my turn to go "home", what would I want to have said, done, etc., with and for my husband, children, parents, extended family, and friends. Thinking of the possibility of death is a good reminder to really live. My heart has been heavy as well, thinking of the three young children and the husband, an acquaintance of Geoff's since his college days, and their loss. And though it is hard to comprehend, God is still good, all of the time.

One Word 2010

If one were judging by this blog, it would appear that I had dropped off the face of the earth! But no, life was just full with Christmas gatherings, creations, travels, gatherings, creations, etc., and there was no time left for this!

For the past two years, in following along with this blog, I have picked a word to focus on for the year. While it hasn't had a tremendously significant impact on my life, having a simple focus in that way has been helpful, even though I don't necessarily think of the word every single day.

Here are my chosen words from the past:

2008: Love

2009: Action

And now, for 2010, the word, which is really a person, is:

JESUS

And while He should be the focus every moment of every day of every year of my life (I have not chosen this the past two years because it seems that it should be so obvious and natural), the distractions of the world we live in lull and charm me away from the one who has rescued me from the consequences of my own sin and loves me more than anyone else. Hopefully you will hear more from me on this topic on a regular basis.

Advent

The period of advent began on Sunday and we are reading Jotham's Journey again this year.It is the first in a trilogy of books and the second one, Bartholomew's Passage, has recently been re-released and is available now. The kids all wanted to read Jotham again, so we will read this one next year (or keep going after advent is over?).

Last January, these Little Pet Shop and My Little Pony advent calendars were on clearance for a steal. (Unfortunately there was nothing particularly masculine available at that time, so we found a chocolate advent calender for G.) The girls were delighted (and that is a mild adjective to describe their reaction), when we pulled them out this evening. B repeatedly said, "Thank you Mommy! I like it so much! Thank you so much for giving it to me!" To be honest, in the end though, I was kind of sad that I gave them to them, as I could immediately see how it took away from the true meaning of Christmas and the simpler, purer pleasure of our real advent calendar. So, lesson learned. We won't do that again, and will now need to work harder this month to keep the focus on Christ. But for now, two little girls are dancing around the house with excitement!

Grateful

Being more thankful is a quality I've wanted to work on now and then.

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." I Thessalonians 5:16 & 17

Kirsten at About Memories & More pointed out another blog doing 26 days of gratitude.

I'm going to attempt to join in on this but it is getting to be a very full time of year (as mentioned in previous post...), so we'll see.

To start off with A... America, art, and Ann, my grandma.

Sailing into 40

It's still about half a year away, but the slide into "40" is underway for me. The number doesn't bother me, and there is a sense of expectation building as this milestone birthday draws near. Among other things, it is catching my attention and causing me to stop and think about certain things a little more.

Living intentionally, and self-discipline
Separate sections for each of these ideas would have been appropriate, but they seem to go hand-in-hand and almost be inseparable, at least for me.

For some time, it feels as I have just been "getting by" in life. Long-range goal-setting is not one of my greater strengths, and yet seeing the children grow older without my being as purposeful in parenting them as I could be, and realizing the lack of growth/purpose/vision in my own life, sometimes catches my breath. Someone asked us this weekend what our goals were as parents for our family and I was humbled that we didn't really have any that we could verbalize specifically. (Of course we hope our children will choose Christ and desire to serve/follow/obey him all of their lives, and we probably do have goals for them subconsciously, but could definitely stand to be more intentional in this area.) So one thing that is on my mind is taking greater care in this area (and I don't mean being more serious - I am far too serious as it is - just more eternally minded). "Se we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." - 2 Corinthians 4:18

There is also a greater need for self-discipline, which I am reminded of often in many different ways. For example, today while trying to finish off the remaining hours of continuing education that must be done by the end of the month, I read articles about diabetes, high cholesterol, and osteoporosis, which are all health problems that I could be at risk for either due to genetics, or lack of caring for my body well. It seemed like a barrage of reminders that this is an area of self-discipline I not only need to develop for my own long-term health benefits, but also as a model to our children. There is the daily reminder of the reflection of my less-than-ideal health choices by them, as well, such as cravings for sugar and lack of motivation for exercise.

Besides these greater, more significant needs and areas of life to consider, there are lesser things on my mind, such as a desire to read more, do more personal journaling, and making more opportunities to minister to others.

Perhaps it is time to dust off my "word for the year" again - ACTION - and put it to use!

Something to think about...

(You'll need to pause the "playlist" on the right hand side of my blog page to watch and hear this.)

Letter to Zac from NewSpring Production on Vimeo.

There's a good post on the importance of teaching children to serve here.

Another inspiring blog to check out

Sally Clarkson has written several books, primarily directed towards home schoolers, and the ones that I have read, are so encouraging and inspiring. For a few months now, a friend has been sharing tidbits she has gleaned from Sally's blog and today was the first time I thought of it while at the computer and tracked it down. I was blessed just in skimming the first post here on friendships and making time for them. Hopefully there will be 5 minutes to read it later today, (though not likely).

Due to a variety of circumstances, it is likely that I will be even scarcer than usual around here for a while... Maybe not, but probably. :)

Looking for a faith challenge?

Really great post that I'd highly recommend on truly being the body, here.

a few deeper thoughts

time and attitudes
This week is spring break for the public schools around here. We are still doing school most of the week because we are taking a few days off next week and when my family comes for a visit in May. The blessing of that is having all of our regular activities - violin lessons, AWANA, etc. - cancelled for the week.

But it just occurred to me that our schedule is like a hole in the sand at the water's edge. You dig and dig and for maybe a few seconds the hole will look empty, but it is going to fill up with water immediately. You may take a walk down the beach, and as you come back, see the hole, but when you get close enough, can see that it is full.

That is how our schedule this week has turned out. A few weeks ago it looked like it would be a relatively low-key, relaxing week (school and life go more smoothly when we have less activities to work around), but as it came around, we have filled it up with quite a bit and in the end, have had as much or more going on than usual. Good things, as the majority of the "fill" has been time with people, which we have a hard time squeezing in to our normal routine, but not the laid back, quality- school and family time, kind of week I had envisioned ahead of time.

On top of this, someone's attitude has been terrible because they don't care for "school" (truth be told, this person doesn't care much for anything that involves any effort or work) and are unwilling to deal with the concept of taking days off here and there instead of one whole week at a time. (I fear if we were to do this, it would be very difficult for ANY of us - myself included - to get back in gear when it was over.) This attitude has been greatly accentuated by several late nights in a row.

second "deep" thought...
My Utmost for His Highest is my favorite devotional book. The whole book is available online in various forms. Here is one site. The reading from yesterday, March 18, really hit me (which actually happens on an almost daily basis) and the comment that stood our to me the most was this: "Am I forming the mind of Christ, Who never spoke from His right to Himself, but maintained an inner watchfulness whereby He continually submitted His spirit to His Father?"

Do I ever NOT speak from my right to myself??? (sigh)