Friday, December 31, 2010

New Year, New Resolution

 New Year's Eve today. A time for reflection and resolutions. Most resolutions consist of a new diet or exercise program, self-improvement books, working towards a new car or home, usually things that are focused on ourselves. Not to say that trying to better ourselves is a bad thing, but maybe it would be more fulfilling if we try to help others instead of helping ourselves.

 This year I am proposing we resolve to make the lives of others better. Instead of focusing on our own outward appearance, how much we weigh, how much money we make, or the car we drive, let's try to focus on the needs of others. Who do we know who is struggling to pay bills, or feed their family?  How much time can we devote to helping others?

 So this year I am making a resolution to help others by making meals. Find out if there are families with a new baby or a single mom in the community who doesn't have the time or money to make a meal for their family that week. I am going to try once a month to share a meal with someone who needs help. A new year, and new kind of resolution.

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Back to Reality

 The past 2 weeks have been great. I had time off from work to visit family in Minnesota and Andy's family in Ohio. It was so good to see family and friends and to spend time with loved ones over Christmas. We spent 4 days in Minnesota with my family, and Andy's parents, then traveled to Ohio to visit Andy's parent's families. It was a very busy couple of weeks. Not a lot of time to ourselves, but it was good to see everyone there.

 Now it's back to reality. I went back to work today and I work doubles on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. So life is about to get busy once again. Andy does not go back to school until the 18th of January so in that time he will be looking for work and helping me with the household duties. :)

 I hope that the new year brings joy and peace to all, and that everyone had a Merry Christmas!

Monday, December 20, 2010

The Life of Christ

 I feel like around Christmas time we focus a lot on the birth of Christ as a means to an end. Which is the crucifixion and death of Christ for our salvation. I notice that we talk a lot about how the birth of Christ is important because He came to die for us. Now, I do believe that the death of Christ is a very important part of His birth, but we forget to focus on the life of Christ. We almost ignore the 33 years that Jesus spent on earth teaching His disciples how to live in His example when He was gone.

 This season is more than just a celebration of the birth of Christ. It is a celebration of the life that He lived  teaching us how to continue to live in love with each other, and yes, the death of Christ is important as well, but it is not the only reason to be thankful for Christ's birth. Christmas is about the birth of Christ, His life and teaching, and His victory over death for our salvation.  Let us not forget about the importance of the life of Christ that follows His birth. Let us celebrate this season with the birth and life of Christ in mind, because His life was just as important as His death.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Home for the Holidays

Yesterday afternoon Andy and I arrived in our hometown of Mankato, MN. It is so good to be home with family and friends. We got to se our neighbors and spend the evening with my family. We are looking forward to seeing everyone that we have been missing lately. It is good to be home for the holidays.

 This time is very important to the two of us. We are getting to spend time with each of our families, and hopefully all of our hometown friends. It has been difficult to get used to new surroundings and new friends without dearly missing everyone that we left here in MN. Thank God for this season of joy and fellowship with loved ones. For this time to remember His gift to us of Christ on earth, with the ones closest to us.

 I pray that everyone has a rich and blessed holiday. May we all enjoy the presence of the people around us and take time to pause and meditate on the importance of the season that is upon us. Merry Christmas!

Friday, December 17, 2010

the Holiday is Upon Us

 Christmas is just over a week away. I can't believe that another year has already come and gone. This time is so important to me because it is a time where I can reflect on the past year and focus on the new year that is fast approaching. I also get to take time to meditate on the gift of Christ coming to earth. This season is such a wonderful and joyous time, but we cannot forget why it is so important.

 I am trying to be more mindful about the reason behind this season. Though I still love the festivities and food and time with family and friends, I think the most important thing should be to remember Christ together, and to always be thankful for what we've been given.

 So the Holiday is upon us. Are we ready? Maybe. But ultimately as long as we are ready in our minds, that is the most important thing. If we are mentally prepared for this season of the Advent of Christ's birth and His time spent here on earth, everything else should fade into the background. Cheers to you this Holiday Season! Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas! May your time spent with loved ones be blessed and filled with joy. Peace & Love.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Sharing a Passion for Music

 My good friend Devon Russell spent the morning here with my husband and me. We shared a late breakfast, coffee, and music together. Devon is an extremely talented musician. She brought her guitar and she played and we sang Christmas songs together. It was so spiritually fulfilling and soothing to my soul to be able to share a passion that we both have for music. She has such a beautiful spirit and it fills my heart with joy to be around her.

 I want to be more intentional about music. I have a keyboard that I need to take out again. I want to order sheet music and re-learn to play the piano. I want to learn how to play guitar. Music is something that has always brought me so much joy and fulfillment and I feel empty when I go too long with out it. I truly experience God through music and sharing my passion with others who love music.

 So this is a special thank you to Devon for always being willing to share her passion for music with me.  It is heart-warming, soul quenching, and truly fulfilling to have someone like you in my life.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Control

 No matter how hard we try, we are never completely in control. We may feel like it sometimes, but life usually has a way of doing it's own thing. We're really just along for the ride. We are here to experience the twists and turns of this roller-coaster called life. Thank God we have family and friends to share the ride with us. And thank God that He is in control!

 I have a busy week this week. It was supposed to start this afternoon with work at 3:00pm.. but what do ya know, I got sick last night and am still not better. Thanks life! Hopefully I'll be able to continue with my week as it was originally planned tomorrow, but only God knows if that'll happen.

 Now, this isn't to say that we have no control what-so-ever with what happens in our lives, after all God gave us free will to make our own decisions, but ultimately, we don't know the future, so we have to learn to roll with the punches and make decisions as they present themselves.

 So relax, and just live life the way it comes! Don't stress about things that we can't control, just be responsible with the decisions we make about the things we can control.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Nothing to Blog About

 So it's been a few days since I've blogged. I just haven't really had anything interesting to write about. So this is just me letting you know that I'd fallen off the blogging wagon. But to get back to it, I'm just going to talk a bit about the last few days.

 I've picked back up a bit on painting. I'm trying to make paintings as gifts for people for Christmas this year. It's been nice to get back to doing the things I used to do a lot more often. I'm working on a few different paintings at the moment. Hopefully I'll be able to finish them in the next couple of weeks.

 Andy and I are going home to MN for a couple days and then we are traveling to OH to visit Andy's family. Christmas should be interesting this year, and for the next few years anyway. Andy's parents have decided to move to Alaska so now with my family in MN, and his in Alaska, it is going to be more difficult to figure out spending time with everyone. But we'll make it work.

 So yeah, now that I'm done blogging about nothing, hopefully you'll hear from me again soon when I have something more interesting to say.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Life is What You Make of it

  I have been doing a lot of thinking lately about life. Mainly, where is my life going? What is my life going to amount to? Once you fall into a routine it can get boring and seem mundane, so how do we keep the excitement? 

 As I was working this evening I thought to myself, "Well, this is my life right now, and I'm only going to get out of it what I want to put into it." So I'm trying to be more mindful of the way I think about things. Every day that I go to work, I am going to have fun with it, and not dread it. Every time laundry day comes around, I am going to enjoy it, and same goes for the dishes, and grocery shopping. Because what it comes down to is this; living in the moment, and appreciating the time we spend doing things can make life so much more enjoyable. If we spend all our time dreading every little thing we don't really feel like doing, we lose so much precious time in negative thought, when we could spend that time being happy that we are physically capable of working, and doing laundry, and dishes. So I'm going to do my best from now on to have a positive attitude about everything that I do, because a joyful heart is good medicine! 

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Fitting In

 I have just finished my first week serving on my own at Brio Tuscan Grille. It has been fun, but challenging. I worked a double yesterday, Friday, which ended up being a total of 11 hours. I made a good amount of money, but my body hates me right now. The money is nice, and now that I'm getting used to the job itself, the only thing I'm really worried about still is fitting in.

 This usually isn't very hard for me. I tend to just get along with most people I meet. It helps that most of the people I work with are very nice and willing to help out and answer questions. I've made a few friends, I think, but I still hope that I can get adjusted to the people there and continue to get along.

 Part of it is that I have a personality with a need to please people. I want people to be happy, and I want people to like me. So I think I put a lot of pressure on myself to make sure that people are going to like me, when really all I have to do is be myself and be nice to people, which usually does the trick.

 I just want to continue to make friends, get along with other employees, and find a place at Brio where I fit in.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Politics: Why do they Effect Christianity?

 Okay, a recent post of my husband's on Facebook has gotten quite the reaction from a few people. He simply stated that he doesn't understand how some people can watch Glen Beck. A few people reacted because they "love" Glen Beck. For those of you who don't know, Glen is a strong republican who has a show on Fox news where he spends a lot of time talking about how America is quickly approaching it's downfall, like the Roman Empire, because we're losing our Capitalist society. Now, I am not going to get into my thoughts on Glen Beck because frankly, I don't want to deal with the drama that comes a long with politics. I think there are valid points on both the Democratic, and the Republican side. My point in this is to express my disappointment that we as Christians feel the need to get involved to the extent of hurting our brothers and sisters, just because they may not view polotics the same way we do.

 Jesus pushed so strongly against the idea of polotics and the government on His time here on earth. He wanted nothing to do with them, because the government is always going to be corrupt, and it is of this world. Christ calls us to be detached from the things of this world, so then why are we all so wrapped up in them? This is not to say that we need to completely remove ourselves from all political involvement, just that it should not be our main focus as Christians. It's not about who's a Republican, and who's a Democrat. It's about who is a follower of Christ, and I do not think one's political views should weigh so heavily on their Christianity. Jesus did not call Himself a Republican, so why do some churches claim that the Christian political stance should be that of the Republican party? Jesus did not call Himself Democrat either, so the same goes for the Democratic Christians.

 This is just something that was laid heavy on my heart this morning. I felt the need to express my concern that we Christians are letting the dirt and mess of politics seep into the purity of our relationship with Christ and His children, our brothers and sisters. Let us be mindful and careful of the things we say to one another in the name of Republican or Democrat, and focus more on the words that come out of our mouths as members of the Christian Party.