On Sunday, after reading the book last year, I saw the movie version of The Christmas Box by Richard Paul Evans. A story about "parental love, healing and Christmas". The story is about the author, Richard and his family who move in with Mary, a widow, where in exchange for domestic help, Richard and his family will have use of "the South wing" of her home. As the story unfolds we see Richard so busy with work that he is spending only short amounts of time or missing out entirely on events with his young daughter. Mary notices and she begins a dialogue with Richard. In one conversation together, Mary asks Richard, "What was the first gift of Christmas?" A beautiful story unfolds from here and one that I hope you will read, especially if you are a parent who has ever lost a child. This story opened my eyes and helped me understand why for some, Christmas may be a difficult time of year and the importance of family.
Tuesday, I received a call from my brother, a friend of his from high school suffered the very unexpected and tragic death of his 5-year-old daughter. My heart broke for his friend, wife and young son. They have been on the hearts and in the thoughts of so many. There are no words to take away the pain in the loss of a child. The funeral is tomorrow and my heart is so heavy.
Social media provided a window to their suffering as well as the grief of those who knew them too. Many, many statements of sympathy, sorrow, anger, grief and overwhelming heartbreak. Many questioning their faith in God and questioning why and "how could God take this child from them."
At this time of year when a death occurs, happiness seems to be magnified everywhere...songs on the radio, decorations in the stores, Christmas trees and Holiday lights abound on every street...and SALES, SALES, SALES in every retail shop around. What we miss in all this noise is God. We push him to the background, make Him wait until the tree is up, presents are wrapped, cards sent and cookies are baked. We go full tilt in December "preparing" for Christmas and we wind up shutting Him out.
What gets lost, especially so easily in December, is that God is with us, every day, all day. He is with us all.the.time. He shares our sorrows and delights in our joys. We often forget that the first part. He shares our sorrows. As humans, we question where is God in our hurt and demand to know how He could let this terrible tragedy occur instead of turning to God and saying to Him, please take this hurt from me; please help heal me from all this unbearable mind-blowing suffering I feel as a result of this tragic loss. In our humanity, we blame Him as the reason for our pain instead of turning to Him as the source to remove it.
As the reality of this tragic loss settled in, more prayers for strength, grace, peace and hope were being shared. A friend of mine posted the following and it touched my heart, "Very difficult to understand their grief. We just have to keep blessing them." That is exactly it...keep blessing them. No matter how much pain, suffering or difficulty there is in a situation, keep blessing those in the midst of it. There are no perfect words to say to a parent going through the loss of a child (or to anyone going through a painful challenging personal situation) but there is action you can take....keep blessing them.
On December 14, 2012, at 11 am, I would like to ask that whoever has read this to just take a moment and be still. Lift this family in prayer as they say their final goodbyes to their precious little daughter. Hold them close in your heart, thoughts and prayers and stand together, whether it is right along side them or stand with them in spirit and just keep blessing them.
Thank you and with much love from my very grateful heart.
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Sunday, December 2, 2012
I Will Sing of the Mercies of the Lord Forever
Well, hello there!! Let's see, 2011 and now almost 2012 have come and gone and here I am again. The time away from my blog has been a time of restoration and growth and I would like to share what has transpired with you.
As the season of Advent began today, I want to express just how thankful I am for the church we belong to. It is made up of such wonderful people from the pastor and everyone in between right down to the youngest little ones. Echo Lake has been a source of peace, strength, comfort and direction for me and my family over these past few years. Most especially, I am blessed to have met some of the most real, friendly, God -loving spiritual sisters there, as well as, I have had the privilege of meeting some very inspirational women through Zumba. Whether these ladies know it or not, many times they have been a source of strength and encouragement for me - either through our Mom's group, our time away at retreats, reading their blogs written with such honesty and ownership of the choices they have made in their lives, good, bad or otherwise or just getting together to let off some steam in class. They have blessed me and inspired me to share my story below.
The last time I posted, I was speaking of how getting laid off from work was truly a blessing in disguise...and it was...but like most people, my husband and I were living paycheck to paycheck and the decrease in my income brought what we thought we had "under control" right into the spotlight. You know like that blemish that appears smack dab in the middle of your face on picture day..front and center here I am...deal with it.
We refinanced our home during the housing bubble and had an adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM). Months before our loan was to go into the ARM, we attempted to refinance and we were declined. Coming to fruition was the outcome of our past decisions...not being financially prepared, not saving enough, unnecessary spending, decline in my husband's business and my lay off, late mortgage payments, and finally a notice of foreclosure and losing our home was the reality we were facing.
We got ourselves into this mess and we needed to get ourselves out....so we thought.
You see, God was working on us. We got so far into the "daily grind" and living for our needs and fell out of using the talents God blessed us with and serving others. Some of you know that my husband, Caleb, is a very talented artist. God blessed him at a young age artistically and he has been faithful, practicing daily. We have been together for 18 years and he has had this concept he has been creating and the last few years but never fully pursued. He has been receiving encouragement to get his work published and frankly, this was a huge part in pushing him forward. Also, at this time, I started back to working out. I met a trainer who told me I was naturally athletic (heh-lur, moi, with the knee injury...okay) and then I took a Zumba class and felt that I was home. Caleb and I needed to reconnect/connect to our talents, be obedient to God, keep moving forward to meet God half way (Anne best encouragement ever) and trust He would take care of the rest. Easy, right?!
So, being human, still having a part of us thinking we could fix this mess ourselves, we looked for ways to increase our income. We tried network marketing and failed. Not because network marketing does not work, but because that is not where we needed to be. We were desperate to get out of this mess and that desperation came across to a good deal of people we met and introduced our business too. We were too embarassed to confide in those closest to us in our business and personal life the real reason why we got involved, so how could they help us. We did get to meet some wonderful friends and spend time with people who were successful and top income earners. We certainly got an education in business and for that we are so thankful. It was clear, though, that this was not where we belonged.
The more we became obedient to what we needed to do, God showed up everywhere. The sermons at church seemed to be tailor made just for us (ha ha how many of us at ELBC feel that way each week amazes me). How I know the Spirit is working in my life is a topic will usually will fall in my path more than once and that cues me to pay attention. One week our sermon was on the parable of the Prodigal Son. That is how we felt..how could we have made such a mess of our finances and God still love us and welcome us back. We had taken the money from the jobs we had and not put it to the best use to the point where we were on the verge of losing our home. I lost it right there. I sat in the pew, crying and inside I kept asking God for what I wanted...not to lose our home and to have a second chance. (As an aside, I was raised Catholic/Protestant and showing any emotion during service was something I never experienced. Caleb, on the other hand was brought up Pentecostal so he was like oh, the Holy Spirit got a hold of her, cool.) Everything I was reading outside of church was telling me that as believers, God wants us to live in abundance. He does not want us stressed out, living paycheck to paycheck. He wants to provide what we need and more so that our cup runneth over. We were living in a financial hell...we didn't want to be there but more importantly, God does not want to see His children anywhere near hell of any kind. We had to accept that as believers in Christ, we needed to be accountable for our mistakes, repent, work hard and trust that God would provide. After many tear-filled nights that is what we did. We owned up to our mistakes, we asked for and received His forgiveness. We were welcomed home in God's arms and we have been blessed abundantly every day since then.
A job opening at a local store met Caleb's schedule and helped provide us with additional income, I had opportunities to pick up additional work from time to time as well. We were meeting people that helped propel us forward and were being sustained by God's faithfulness. Caleb began attending more Comic Cons, networking with artists and managers and gaining insight in the comic field. He had more people cross his path with serious connections in a short period of time...that is no accident. The Lord was directing it all and all Caleb had to do was follow His path. I was blessed to meet a great Zumba instructor, who is also my girls dance teacher. She has been a gift to me as a mentor and friend, encouraging and motivating and am so happy she is a part of my life and the girls' lives as well. I had opportunities to attend a wonderful Mom's group and 2 retreats through my church (the second one's topic..the Parable of the Prodigal Son...I cannot make this stuff up!) and through these retreats, I got to know my spiritual sisters even more.
We started to prepare to find new housing just in case things didn't work out. We contacted a local realtor about a house we saw for rent. In the conversation, she asked why we were looking. So I swallowed hard and told her the truth. She then proceeded to tell me how financially ruined we were, how we would probably never recover from this until well into our 60s and to prepare ourselves for a bleak and difficult road because our credit would basically be in the toilet. As she was talking, I very clearly heard God say to me, now, are you going to continue to listen to her or are you ready to walk with Me? I knew immediately what I needed to do. I interrupted, her thanked her for her time and immediately hung up.
Finally, we found a program through the County we qualified for to get us out of the ARM...we applied and waited and waited. One day before Zumba, we reached out to where we sent our application (twice) and they lost it. I was so upset, but I left for Zumba class. It was a great Zumba class, one of those times where you know all the stress is gone...and I lost it..sweaty and sobbing in the parking lot, overwhelmed thinking that's it, we are done. I confided in my friend Jo Ann, (a woman I met through class and even got certified with her for instructing too) and what she said next stopped me. She personally knew the director of where we sent in our applications and could she contact him tomorrow on our behalf. My tears went from sorrow to joy!! God did not fail. A door was shut and He threw open a window. Her one phone call finally, finally, finally led us to working with someone and getting us out of our ARM and into a fixed rate mortgage. I had no reason to confide in her...He knew I needed to.
We got our second chance. God provided a way to keep us in our home. This has been the most humbling experience of my life. I have learned to be thankful for what I have and where I am exactly in the moment. I have learned that forgiveness is the key to life...forgive yourself for the mistakes you have made, forgive those who hurt you, forgive and step into freedom! Decide to be thankful for everything -- every.single.thing -- you have experienced in your life. Stop limiting God.
The depth of God's grace and forgiveness towards Caleb and I overwhelms me still. Through all of this here is what we learned:
Be accountable for your actions, repent, accept and give forgiveness.
Make the decision to be thankful for everything.
Stop limiting God.
God is real. He hears our cries. He answers our prayers. He wants to lavish us with His love. He is waiting for us to reach for His hand. He will catch you when you are falling. He is worthy of our praise. His Grace is enough.
I know this because I am living this. I know this because He did this for me and if He did it for me, He will do it for you too!
I would like to close with this quote below. Accept it, believe it, own it. Second chances are there because God loves us always.
"When you dwell on the fact that Almighty God breathed His life into you, approved you, equipped you and empowered you, then any thoughts of inferiority won't have a chance." Joel Osteen
May God's blessings and Peace be with you all from the depths of my very grateful heart.
As the season of Advent began today, I want to express just how thankful I am for the church we belong to. It is made up of such wonderful people from the pastor and everyone in between right down to the youngest little ones. Echo Lake has been a source of peace, strength, comfort and direction for me and my family over these past few years. Most especially, I am blessed to have met some of the most real, friendly, God -loving spiritual sisters there, as well as, I have had the privilege of meeting some very inspirational women through Zumba. Whether these ladies know it or not, many times they have been a source of strength and encouragement for me - either through our Mom's group, our time away at retreats, reading their blogs written with such honesty and ownership of the choices they have made in their lives, good, bad or otherwise or just getting together to let off some steam in class. They have blessed me and inspired me to share my story below.
The last time I posted, I was speaking of how getting laid off from work was truly a blessing in disguise...and it was...but like most people, my husband and I were living paycheck to paycheck and the decrease in my income brought what we thought we had "under control" right into the spotlight. You know like that blemish that appears smack dab in the middle of your face on picture day..front and center here I am...deal with it.
We refinanced our home during the housing bubble and had an adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM). Months before our loan was to go into the ARM, we attempted to refinance and we were declined. Coming to fruition was the outcome of our past decisions...not being financially prepared, not saving enough, unnecessary spending, decline in my husband's business and my lay off, late mortgage payments, and finally a notice of foreclosure and losing our home was the reality we were facing.
We got ourselves into this mess and we needed to get ourselves out....so we thought.
You see, God was working on us. We got so far into the "daily grind" and living for our needs and fell out of using the talents God blessed us with and serving others. Some of you know that my husband, Caleb, is a very talented artist. God blessed him at a young age artistically and he has been faithful, practicing daily. We have been together for 18 years and he has had this concept he has been creating and the last few years but never fully pursued. He has been receiving encouragement to get his work published and frankly, this was a huge part in pushing him forward. Also, at this time, I started back to working out. I met a trainer who told me I was naturally athletic (heh-lur, moi, with the knee injury...okay) and then I took a Zumba class and felt that I was home. Caleb and I needed to reconnect/connect to our talents, be obedient to God, keep moving forward to meet God half way (Anne best encouragement ever) and trust He would take care of the rest. Easy, right?!
So, being human, still having a part of us thinking we could fix this mess ourselves, we looked for ways to increase our income. We tried network marketing and failed. Not because network marketing does not work, but because that is not where we needed to be. We were desperate to get out of this mess and that desperation came across to a good deal of people we met and introduced our business too. We were too embarassed to confide in those closest to us in our business and personal life the real reason why we got involved, so how could they help us. We did get to meet some wonderful friends and spend time with people who were successful and top income earners. We certainly got an education in business and for that we are so thankful. It was clear, though, that this was not where we belonged.
The more we became obedient to what we needed to do, God showed up everywhere. The sermons at church seemed to be tailor made just for us (ha ha how many of us at ELBC feel that way each week amazes me). How I know the Spirit is working in my life is a topic will usually will fall in my path more than once and that cues me to pay attention. One week our sermon was on the parable of the Prodigal Son. That is how we felt..how could we have made such a mess of our finances and God still love us and welcome us back. We had taken the money from the jobs we had and not put it to the best use to the point where we were on the verge of losing our home. I lost it right there. I sat in the pew, crying and inside I kept asking God for what I wanted...not to lose our home and to have a second chance. (As an aside, I was raised Catholic/Protestant and showing any emotion during service was something I never experienced. Caleb, on the other hand was brought up Pentecostal so he was like oh, the Holy Spirit got a hold of her, cool.) Everything I was reading outside of church was telling me that as believers, God wants us to live in abundance. He does not want us stressed out, living paycheck to paycheck. He wants to provide what we need and more so that our cup runneth over. We were living in a financial hell...we didn't want to be there but more importantly, God does not want to see His children anywhere near hell of any kind. We had to accept that as believers in Christ, we needed to be accountable for our mistakes, repent, work hard and trust that God would provide. After many tear-filled nights that is what we did. We owned up to our mistakes, we asked for and received His forgiveness. We were welcomed home in God's arms and we have been blessed abundantly every day since then.
A job opening at a local store met Caleb's schedule and helped provide us with additional income, I had opportunities to pick up additional work from time to time as well. We were meeting people that helped propel us forward and were being sustained by God's faithfulness. Caleb began attending more Comic Cons, networking with artists and managers and gaining insight in the comic field. He had more people cross his path with serious connections in a short period of time...that is no accident. The Lord was directing it all and all Caleb had to do was follow His path. I was blessed to meet a great Zumba instructor, who is also my girls dance teacher. She has been a gift to me as a mentor and friend, encouraging and motivating and am so happy she is a part of my life and the girls' lives as well. I had opportunities to attend a wonderful Mom's group and 2 retreats through my church (the second one's topic..the Parable of the Prodigal Son...I cannot make this stuff up!) and through these retreats, I got to know my spiritual sisters even more.
We started to prepare to find new housing just in case things didn't work out. We contacted a local realtor about a house we saw for rent. In the conversation, she asked why we were looking. So I swallowed hard and told her the truth. She then proceeded to tell me how financially ruined we were, how we would probably never recover from this until well into our 60s and to prepare ourselves for a bleak and difficult road because our credit would basically be in the toilet. As she was talking, I very clearly heard God say to me, now, are you going to continue to listen to her or are you ready to walk with Me? I knew immediately what I needed to do. I interrupted, her thanked her for her time and immediately hung up.
Finally, we found a program through the County we qualified for to get us out of the ARM...we applied and waited and waited. One day before Zumba, we reached out to where we sent our application (twice) and they lost it. I was so upset, but I left for Zumba class. It was a great Zumba class, one of those times where you know all the stress is gone...and I lost it..sweaty and sobbing in the parking lot, overwhelmed thinking that's it, we are done. I confided in my friend Jo Ann, (a woman I met through class and even got certified with her for instructing too) and what she said next stopped me. She personally knew the director of where we sent in our applications and could she contact him tomorrow on our behalf. My tears went from sorrow to joy!! God did not fail. A door was shut and He threw open a window. Her one phone call finally, finally, finally led us to working with someone and getting us out of our ARM and into a fixed rate mortgage. I had no reason to confide in her...He knew I needed to.
We got our second chance. God provided a way to keep us in our home. This has been the most humbling experience of my life. I have learned to be thankful for what I have and where I am exactly in the moment. I have learned that forgiveness is the key to life...forgive yourself for the mistakes you have made, forgive those who hurt you, forgive and step into freedom! Decide to be thankful for everything -- every.single.thing -- you have experienced in your life. Stop limiting God.
The depth of God's grace and forgiveness towards Caleb and I overwhelms me still. Through all of this here is what we learned:
Be accountable for your actions, repent, accept and give forgiveness.
Make the decision to be thankful for everything.
Stop limiting God.
God is real. He hears our cries. He answers our prayers. He wants to lavish us with His love. He is waiting for us to reach for His hand. He will catch you when you are falling. He is worthy of our praise. His Grace is enough.
I know this because I am living this. I know this because He did this for me and if He did it for me, He will do it for you too!
I would like to close with this quote below. Accept it, believe it, own it. Second chances are there because God loves us always.
"When you dwell on the fact that Almighty God breathed His life into you, approved you, equipped you and empowered you, then any thoughts of inferiority won't have a chance." Joel Osteen
May God's blessings and Peace be with you all from the depths of my very grateful heart.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Can You Hear Me Now?
Have you ever read something in a book only to read or hear the same passage later on in the day or week? I must admit...I LOVE when that happens! Take the early part of last week, I had just posted my first blog and was thinking about how do I put into words the things that are transpiring for me, where do I go first, do people really want to read what I am writing? Ugh! I started jotting down notes here and there but nothing was really coming together, so, by mid week I stopped thinking about it and was just still. Then, on Thursday, the Lord sent me some directions when I read the following by Joyce Meyer, " If you are too consumed with your own plan and the way you think things should go, you won't hear God speak or recognize His promptings." Yes, this pretty much summed up my actions and thinking not just about the blog, but about my life as well.
For as long as I can remember I have always been overweight. I did not really understand the severity of it until I was 10 and my physician told me I was morbidly obese. In regards to my weight, my approach to it had pretty much remained in the state of my 10-year-old mind, frozen to believe being morbidly obese was who I am - we are all different sizes and shapes and God loves me the way I am right? Well, God has been prompting me about my weight for the last 30 years. This time, I finally heard him - not just with my ears, but I heard him in my heart and mind. After all, how am I going to live the life I am destined to have as His child, when I am so consumed with the way I think things should go, letting my negative thoughts have the power to override His promptings. Recipe for disaster!
While I never truly excelled in any particular sport, when I did participate in sports in grade school or high school, my teachers would let me know they noticed I was giving it my best and always encouraged me. I had fun, but playing sports did not fit the definition I was so busy telling myself who I was even at that young age..."I don't have time for sports, I need to study or I am not supposed to be athletic, I am the "chubby" one in the family." You get the picture.
We were at my parents' home looking through some old photographs and I came across one of me my junior year of college. The first thing I noticed was how happy I looked, I was fit and shocked I didn't remember looking like that...ever. When talking about it with my husband I remember telling him that was the time in college when I had all my PE classes back to back. One semester was 4 PE classes and 2 History classes. I remarked I don't remember feeling that fit and quite frankly why would I - while I changed what I was feeding my body and becoming more active to attain great health, I was not changing what I was feeding my mind. Guess what won out in the long run...negative thinking brought me full circle again. God did not give up on me! This time he used my husband who said to me, "you know, that picture is proof that you can do it. You can attain a healthy weight. You can if you know you can. I know you can but you need to really know and own that you can." I love my husband more than any words could ever tell.
I purposefully started to change what I was feeding my mind. Reading more self improvement books, attending church more regularly, reading the Bible, surrounding myself with positive people, people who have great health/training habits. I started to complain less and grow more grateful every day. God still was with me this whole time. He even trusted that I would get through this and blessed me with two daughters. Two beautiful daughters, who if I continued on my path, would mirror what they saw - their mom struggling with weight issues - and that was not okay with me. I had a long talk with God and said, thank you...thank you for not giving up on me and blessing me with this beautiful family. Thank you for blessing me with a husband who has stuck by me through it all. Please help me raise my daughters so they know Whose they are and all the abundance and blessings that await them. Thank you for never leaving me. I hear you God and I am no longer afraid to conquer this once and for all.
You know what happened next...I was blessed to be introduced to the most AMAZING people in my life to help me be successful. I met a personal trainer who has created a training program that was designed to become a habit naturally and not a chore. I was matched with another trainer on his team and in speaking with her she said to me, you are a natural athlete. I was floored...tensed up a bit at the words, but this time I didn't run from them - I thanked her. Five small words that held such freedom for me. I wrote them down and refer to them often. A group of women from church would meet to walk around a local school campus, I made it one time and had the great fortune to gain inspiration from a woman who solidified for me that I could do it. Two friends from high school who not only played organized sports, but excelled at them, wrote notes with tips to help me stay focused on attaining my fitness goal. I had become aware of a fitness challenge that incorporated a small daily dietary change along with eating healthy balanced meals and got on board with it. Most recently, I am attending a group exercise class, met some fabulous ladies and my instructor encouraged me to become certified in the course while I am still working on losing weight and not waiting until I reach my goal weight. I am contemplating a career change to personal training. I have the best cheerleaders in the world in my husband, daughters, family and friends. I reached out to God and he sent me an Army to support me every step of the way...yes, I have a grateful heart.
For as long as I can remember I have always been overweight. I did not really understand the severity of it until I was 10 and my physician told me I was morbidly obese. In regards to my weight, my approach to it had pretty much remained in the state of my 10-year-old mind, frozen to believe being morbidly obese was who I am - we are all different sizes and shapes and God loves me the way I am right? Well, God has been prompting me about my weight for the last 30 years. This time, I finally heard him - not just with my ears, but I heard him in my heart and mind. After all, how am I going to live the life I am destined to have as His child, when I am so consumed with the way I think things should go, letting my negative thoughts have the power to override His promptings. Recipe for disaster!
While I never truly excelled in any particular sport, when I did participate in sports in grade school or high school, my teachers would let me know they noticed I was giving it my best and always encouraged me. I had fun, but playing sports did not fit the definition I was so busy telling myself who I was even at that young age..."I don't have time for sports, I need to study or I am not supposed to be athletic, I am the "chubby" one in the family." You get the picture.
We were at my parents' home looking through some old photographs and I came across one of me my junior year of college. The first thing I noticed was how happy I looked, I was fit and shocked I didn't remember looking like that...ever. When talking about it with my husband I remember telling him that was the time in college when I had all my PE classes back to back. One semester was 4 PE classes and 2 History classes. I remarked I don't remember feeling that fit and quite frankly why would I - while I changed what I was feeding my body and becoming more active to attain great health, I was not changing what I was feeding my mind. Guess what won out in the long run...negative thinking brought me full circle again. God did not give up on me! This time he used my husband who said to me, "you know, that picture is proof that you can do it. You can attain a healthy weight. You can if you know you can. I know you can but you need to really know and own that you can." I love my husband more than any words could ever tell.
I purposefully started to change what I was feeding my mind. Reading more self improvement books, attending church more regularly, reading the Bible, surrounding myself with positive people, people who have great health/training habits. I started to complain less and grow more grateful every day. God still was with me this whole time. He even trusted that I would get through this and blessed me with two daughters. Two beautiful daughters, who if I continued on my path, would mirror what they saw - their mom struggling with weight issues - and that was not okay with me. I had a long talk with God and said, thank you...thank you for not giving up on me and blessing me with this beautiful family. Thank you for blessing me with a husband who has stuck by me through it all. Please help me raise my daughters so they know Whose they are and all the abundance and blessings that await them. Thank you for never leaving me. I hear you God and I am no longer afraid to conquer this once and for all.
You know what happened next...I was blessed to be introduced to the most AMAZING people in my life to help me be successful. I met a personal trainer who has created a training program that was designed to become a habit naturally and not a chore. I was matched with another trainer on his team and in speaking with her she said to me, you are a natural athlete. I was floored...tensed up a bit at the words, but this time I didn't run from them - I thanked her. Five small words that held such freedom for me. I wrote them down and refer to them often. A group of women from church would meet to walk around a local school campus, I made it one time and had the great fortune to gain inspiration from a woman who solidified for me that I could do it. Two friends from high school who not only played organized sports, but excelled at them, wrote notes with tips to help me stay focused on attaining my fitness goal. I had become aware of a fitness challenge that incorporated a small daily dietary change along with eating healthy balanced meals and got on board with it. Most recently, I am attending a group exercise class, met some fabulous ladies and my instructor encouraged me to become certified in the course while I am still working on losing weight and not waiting until I reach my goal weight. I am contemplating a career change to personal training. I have the best cheerleaders in the world in my husband, daughters, family and friends. I reached out to God and he sent me an Army to support me every step of the way...yes, I have a grateful heart.
Monday, September 5, 2011
A Blessing in Disguise
My 40th birthday was in March of this year. This was an event I was ready to embrace - I had the love of my husband, my kids, my family and friends, a full time job - no complaints. Then, I received the news that I would be laid off effective March 6...my birthday was weeks away, and the excitement I had now faded a bit. In hindsight, though, my life had been in a bit of a rut, Monday-Friday get up work, spend a few hours with my husband and kids, some nights return to work for a few more hours and then go to bed and start all over again. Frankly, I was surviving, not living and being laid off truly was a blessing in disguise. I felt like God had blessed me with a "reset" button and my life could go anywhere I wanted...the question now was what did I want to do? I sent out my resumes, took a few online job tests and then exhaled. It was time to find what I was passionate about. It was time to live the life God wanted for me. Never once was I afraid, because I knew God had more in store for me than I could ever imagine. "For I know the plans I have for you", declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11.
This brings us to today. I am working again, now part time and pursuing a dream that I had been running from for some time, I'll expand on this over the coming weeks. Thank you for reading my blog. Remember to look for your blessings in disguise and always have a grateful heart.
This brings us to today. I am working again, now part time and pursuing a dream that I had been running from for some time, I'll expand on this over the coming weeks. Thank you for reading my blog. Remember to look for your blessings in disguise and always have a grateful heart.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Welcome!
Hello and welcome to my blog, A Grateful Heart. The goal of my blog is to share my gratitude for the people and events that have helped shaped my life. I turned 40 six months ago and was briefly laid off. In that time, I have been blessed with the love and support of family and friends and a new passion to discover what talents God has bestowed to me and how I can share those gifts with others. I look forward to having you on this journey with me. May your life be abundant in blessings and love always.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)