Why this blog?

-
About a year ago, I felt the need to have a unified mission statement of some sort for my life. If you're a wife, mom, daughter, homemaker or have a career, it can sometimes feel like we have all these separate roles or compartments we live in with nothing to unify the part into a whole. Earlier this year, my youngest son left for college and I eagerly (with the occasional shed tear!) anticipated more free time to pursue hobbies and passions. I have a lot of interests: reading, writing, humor blogging, an Etsy business, faith and religion, motherhood, home décor...the list seems to get longer the older I get! This diverse list of interests left me feeling... scattered. As a follower of Christ, I know what direction I'm heading and the values that guide me, but I felt I needed to write down something, perhaps a mission statement of some sort, as a unifying, more specific mission for all the various roles and activities of my life. After several months of trying out various mission statements and philosophies, I settled on just one word. One word that unifies my purpose, that is central to who I am and what I have to offer to the world. That word is UPLIFT. To encourage, to lift up everyone in my sphere of influence with words, humor and compassion. As a guide to my word, I chose the Bible verse 1 Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. So that is what I hope to do with this blog. If anyone happens to stumble upon it, I hope they leave encouraged, whether with a quote, a bible verse, a story from my life, a beautiful photo, a word of wisdom or just something to make them giggle.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

We're All Just Doing the Best that We Can

-
Image
So many people use up every ounce of energy they have every single day just to make it through another day and do all the things those of us privileged with healthy bodies and minds do without thinking. Don't make the mistake of thinking your healthy body and mind are because you have done anything better than someone else. If you have a healthy body and mind and lots of energy, 90% of that is luck and good genes (despite what we like to think). Don't consider yourself better than anyone else. Consider yourself lucky, blessed. Understand that many people who survive another day do so with an exceeding amount of strength and courage. I have lived through seasons of vibrant health and seasons of struggles with my body and mind. I have had fierce battles with despression, anxiety and chronic fatigue. No one looking at me would have any idea of the battles I was fighting inside. I have felt judged by strangers, close friends and even family during these fighting seaso...
Read more

#Blessed??

-
Image
You've probably seen #blessed on t-shirts and mugs, instagram, facebook and twitter.  It's almost always in connection with a vacation photo, beautiful family photo or some victory over illness or work.  All of those are, of course, blessings.  God desires to give us every good gift.  I find it interesting, however, what Jesus says about who He considers to be blessed. If Jesus considers the people referenced in the Beatitudes as blessed, why don't we see posts with the #blessed when people post about losing a loved one (Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted) or those who are persecuted because of their faith,  or those who are poor in spirit because of a difficult trial? (Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven) I had to really think about #blessed this week as my family faced another Job moment.  Since my husband's stroke two months ago, one of the bright lights in our family has been my daughter's p...
Read more

When the Seas Roar

-
Image
Friday morning, March 15th 2019, I was laying in bed, determined not to get out of my warm cocoon until the last possible moment, when my son burst in the room, "An FMC nurse wants to talk to you."  It took a few seconds to register, but then the alarm went off in my head.  The voice on the other end of my phone sounded worried, "We have Jay in emergency.  It appears he is having a stroke.  We have given him clot busting medication and are having him life flighted to OSU.  If you leave now, you may be able to see him before they take off." I don't remember getting dressed but I ended up in the ER just moments before they whisked him off to the helicopter waiting for him on the roof of the hospital.   Thankfully, my son was home from college on Spring Break and could drive me the 45 minutes to the hospital.  I was greeted at OSU by a neuro surgeon.  "Jay has a clot in his brain.  He will have the best outcome if we go in and remove ...
Read more