hope – Beautiful Remade

Well now that my son’s birthday is over, I can get down to the business of Christmasing. I can’t get over the fact that my baby boy turned 16 this year. Time goes by too quickly.

Christmas has always been a magical time for me. I love the lights, the trees, the presents, the people, the food and yes even Santa Claus.

The production of such an event takes time and effort. The decorating, the shopping, the preparing, the ribbons and bows. To be honest as fun as it is on Christmas morning, the stress of getting it all right has been a bit much to handle at times. If I am completely honest it still is to an extent.

So today, now that Fred has had a happy birthday, I turn my heart to preparing Christmas. Making my list, checking it twice, hoping to find the gift that’s just right.

I love gifting, I love hospitality. I love preparing Christmas breakfast, an old family tradition. I love the love.

The Love of course is the main focus. The road to the cross, the lowly manger where my savior was born, the revelation that my heavenly Father cares and wants a personal relationship with me, His brutal death in my place on a cross, and His resurrection and promise that He will go ahead to prepare a place for me in heaven.

The Love ❤, the heart of Christmas. How easy it is for it to get swallowed up in the hustle and bustle, the processing of ribbons and bows. Consumed by the crowds and the loud and rush and the stress and the mess.

Today I prepare for Christmas. Making my list. Checking it twice. But one more thing, checking my heart, have I been naughty or nice.

Today I prepare for Christmas, search my heart Lord, turn it fully back to you. Prepare us for the greatest gift us humans ever knew.

May the still peace of Christmas be with you as we prepare this week.

Surprising bursts of beautiful colour!

By: Just myself October 5, 2021October 5, 2021

Blog#building the life you want, blessing, faith, hopeLeave a Comment

I have got to admit, although you may already know, I struggled through this summer. Because I struggled, and let my peace slip slowly away, I am tired.

What I have learned though, through this journey in life, is that when you are low, the Lord will send encouragement. Resources to lift you up, and encourage one more step.

Sometimes they seem to show up when it almost feels too late. It might be a brief encounter that flashes some heavenly light, but then leaves you wondering, “did I see that”.

Summer is over, though the beautiful weather lingers on, as a blessing to complete all the chores that have been left undone.

God is still good, His joy renews my strength. I may be tired, but I am not defeated. In His mercy and grace I will push on!

If you feel tired and weary, may my Lord grant you peace and rest, may He renew your strength, and raise you up, may His love fill you and be the energy you thrive upon.

The Canadian Affect

By: Just myself March 10, 2021

Blogcanadian, hope, life, promise, weatherLeave a Comment

You may be Canadian if the first warm sunny day of March can totally change your mood, and lift you up out of the doldrums of life.

Yesterday was it! A game changing day. A day were the temperatures soared to +6C, the snow was melting, the sun was shining, the air was fresh.

The pure pleasure of hard work in the sunshine, with just a sweater on left me sore, but satisfied. Sleep was sounder last night, energy is greater today.

Who could of foretold of the impact that one day of warm sunshine could have.

An almost perfect day. Warm, no bugs.

Now to get through the season of ice and puddles.

Today promises to be warmer than yesterday and sunny mostly. It isn’t even supposed to freeze up overnight. Of course I never count on what the weatherman says, they get payed even when they are completely wrong.

I feel like a race horse at the starting line on days like this, our business relies heavily on good weather and we have had a late cold snap recently. So off I go to work hard, to soak up the sweet rays of promise of renewal and growth, and bask in the glory of spring being in the air!

SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL

By: Just myself January 1, 2021

Blogbeauty, hope, new year resolution, peace, shiningLeave a Comment

Like waking up to a clean, fresh, snowfall, with out a track or defect, January 1st makes it’s appearance and humans unite in a new sense of hope and anticipation.

I really tried not to get sucked up into the new year thingy this year, but I can’t seem to help myself.

Ironically, well at first glance anyway, my “theme” last year was ‘restoration’. You would possibly think how in the world would someone have gotten restored in such a “backwards year as 2020”. But I woke up this morning with a sense of such peace. I really think it started yesterday with a conversation with my friend Tammy, were out of my mouth I spoke the words, “I am not going to strive so hard to be noticed. I used to feel invisible, so I would volunteer, work really hard, and still feel overlooked, unappreciated and invisible.” She spoke back her welcomed words of wisdom. And then I declared “I am not going to do this anymore, I am just going to be. No more striving, I am going to open myself, and be who I am created to be.”

Well that’s enough about the past, time to step into today!

This morning while basking in this surprising peace, and praying, my theme for this year came to me, “beauty“.

What is beauty anyway? Where does it come from? Does it have to be that much work or can we simplify it? Has our perception of beauty been tainted in any areas? If so, how do we heal those areas?

I see beauty all around me, but it has taken ‘decades’ to see beauty in myself. It is so easy to taint that beauty by our words and actions.

It may take all year to explore this topic, it is so large. But I know GOD made beautiful things for OUR enjoyment and pleasure. I am very ready to enjoy!

1 Peter 3:3-4 “Do not let my adornment be ‘merely’ outward-arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel- rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.”

People of God please note the word “merely” in this verse. God did not say hide your external beauty, which sometimes seems to become a thing for faithful women especially. But he did instruct us on our spirit.

A gentle and quiet spirit is also NOT the spirit of a “door mat”, you can still voice opinions and thoughts, and STAND for justice, and mercy in GRACE. Gentle and quiet is a peace, from God, that knows HE is at work making everything work together for the good of those that love HIM.

Who wants to join me this year in rediscovering beauty? Health, fitness, hair, makeup, style, and knowledge of who we are…. beauty around us, beauty within us, beauty shining through us.

I am all in on this journey!

Being Religious!

By: Just myself October 7, 2020

Bloghope, love, religious, spiritual1 Comment

A few weeks ago I was told that I was not liked because I was “too religious” . I really spent way too much time fighting with these accusations. And trying to wrap my mind around them.

You see in my own mind “being religious” was people who followed a lot of dogma and traditions, were married to a organized religious denomination and followed all of the man made rules. They looked down on anyone that did not believe what they believed or in the very least tried to make others believe their beliefs. And honestly if this IS religious, I don’t want to be this.

I AM FREE! I don’t particularly believe in any traditions, don’t get me wrong some traditions can feel soothing, or up lifting, or comfortable. But because I do religiously take things too deeply to heart and spend far too much time worrying about them handing away my freedom at a great cost to me. I looked up the definition of religious. This was one of the adjectives listed: “(of a belief or practice) forming part of someone’s thought about or worship of a divine being.”he has strong religious convictions” . Wow surprise I am religious after all!

I do believe in a divine creator being. I know that ” I am fearfully and wonderfully made” Psalm 139:14.

I had never considered myself religious, with the exception of a brief time that I jumped onto a “bible thumping rules mode”, before being tamed back to a child of God, loved and treated as such with mercy and grace.

I had considered myself “spiritual” for a long time. I thought this because being spiritual to me was more about the movement of my spirit, as apposed to religious which in my mind had been twisted to be more about the body and how well I could control it to follow rules and traditions.

Being spiritual was to me being lead or directed by the spirit that is given me, not without control but as a willing participant in whatever action. It is a relationship I have with my creator. It is a deep knowledge to a point where it is so deeply known it’s difficult to explain. It’s knowing that there is a God and I matter to him, and because of that love He has for me, I then have surplus to pass on or give to others. It’s about having the ultimate friend to confide in and trust, that will warn you when you are heading into danger and hold you when you fall. It’s about freedom to enjoy life and the living of it. It is about hope and joy and mercy and dreams. It’s about amazement and wonder. Being spiritual is who I am and I can no longer control the fact that I am spiritual I just am. Trying not to be would be like plucking out my own eye, I could not do it.

So am I religious, oh yes thank you, I AM, it is my DNA. I will not apologize for who I AM! Don’t like it you are free also, you are free to walk away.