Rejoice - Punctuation - Reunion - Rest - Presence - Doing for Others - Music -Sport - Gifts from the heart -
(Technically, I DID start this blog entry yesterday (24th)..and life just happens)
"On the 12th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, 12 drummers drumming"
What do you suppose they were drumming about? Were they the marching band leading in the next big thing?
This is my 12th day of Christmas, and the 12 days have been joyous. It has been a good exercise for me in slowing down to really feel whats going on around me. I am the gal that will tel you I'm really relaxed and going with the flow, but then walking that walk is another exercise all together. Today, for my 12th day of Christmas, I want to celebrate the excitement of new beginnings.
I think this emotion follows everything we do with the holidays. We reunite with family and friends, we shop for a big party, we dress up, we gift exchange, we welcome tradition, we anticipate rest. We participate in so much during the holidays, and then we (sometimes quietly) look forward to the end...or the new beginning. So we celebrate a new year, and then off we go to the races...again.
Christmas for me, is a celebration of new beginnings. Sure, you can tell me Jesus wasn't really born on this day, and that a holiday like Christmas wasn't celebrated in December, or that many of our traditions are pagan in nature. I don't care. You don't like my gifts? Give them back. I choose to celebrate right now. I choose to celebrate the birth of Jesus. I choose to honor a tradition of Santa Clause. I choose to wake up and have coffee, and celebrate the sunshine on my face and the breathe in my lungs. I choose to be happy.
I look forward to every day I'm blessed with on this earth, and hope that I respect each one as a new beginning. The holidays are like the Superbowl of gratitude. Lumping Thanksgiving and Christmas together, sprinkled with New Years Day, and BAM...you've got closure to that calendar year and all the crazy that took place. We tell ourselves that we should use this time of year to reflect on all things past and learn from them and plan what we will do differently in the next calendar year. We read magazines and watch TV that tell us who to vote for, who to hate, what we should look like, or what we should eat, or where we should live and work, and we strive for this crap. Sorry... that's a whole 'nuther soapbox.
Regardless of where we find motivation, we typically use this time of year to reset and call a new year into play. We set new goals, we aim for improvement, we hope for better things and clarity along the way. Its gives us strength and excitement to start the new year. What will you do differently? How will you better serve your soul? How will you better support your neighbor? How will you better love your neighbor?
With the 12 days of Christmas, I celebrate new beginnings and the closure of the past year, and the hope and joy that come with the next year. I celebrate the eternal life I choose to believe in, and the hope this provides. I celebrate the excitement of new adventures, and the completion of others.
Rejoice Punctuation, and Reunion with Rest, while sharing Presence in Doing for Others and giving Gifts from the heart, and listening to Music in anticipation of New Beginning"
Merry Christmas Y'all
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Monday, December 23, 2013
Day 11 and no cash is required!
Day 11…we are so close!
I’ve made it a goal to share my joy with you during the 12 days of
Christmas. My joys; those ideas which
bring joy into my life at any given moment!
I’m trying to think back to where my head was when this
first started. Lee and I were in conversation about the real reason for the season of Christmas, and how (my
words) it often feels so commercial and stressful that many wont enjoy the time
with family and friends. We (can) just lose sight of the celebration! For this
purpose, I really, really enjoy Thanksgiving.
Zero expectations except to eat some bird, nap, eat more, watch a little
football, run around the yard with the kids, and eat some more.
Why can’t Christmas be the same? Why can’t we share gifts that have NOTHING to
do with Mr. Retailer? What can you GIFT
your loved ones that does NOT require fighting the lines or signing up for that
30-day free trial with Amazon Prime for the excellent shipping deals?
Please don’t misunderstand me; I really enjoy giving and receiving
gifts and sharing time with one another around the tree. I truly love seeing the excitement in the
eyes of children when they tear apart gifts. It can all be super joyous!!! Many find their joy in providing those same
gifts. My question stands. What can you GIFT your loved ones with, that
does not require shopping? What emotion
can you share? How can you contribute to their day, week, year? How would
something like this be a gift to YOU?
Day 11, and Christmas Day is just around the corner of the
calendar. ...and then what? What will
you do to carry the season with you? What will you carry in your heart that
reminds you of the joy you felt this season? Did you feel joy this season?
As you’re marking tasks off the lists this week (Grocery shopping-check;
Laundry-check; Read Rachel’s ramblings-check; wrap 20 gifts in different
wrapping paper with the hand- made name tags and imported ribbons-check),
remember to give yourself a gift as well. Remember to allow yourself the gift
of joy. Give yourself permission to experience this emotion. Find joy in your day, in every
hour, in each home, at each stop light, with each shopper, with every passing
car. Smile. Waive. Hug. Gift the world
with YOUR joy!
On the 11th day of Christmas, my true love gave
to me…gifts from the heart.
Sunday, December 22, 2013
On the 10th Day of Christmas; Blue 42, Brown 22, HIKE!
On the 10th day of Christmas, the joy I share with you is the joy sports!
Today we will get to see my Denver Broncos play the Houston Texans. I could insert a little smack talk here, but we’ll stay on point. This may feel a little out of the ordinary with the 9 prior days of Christmas, but I think it blends nicely.
Today we will get to see my Denver Broncos play the Houston Texans. I could insert a little smack talk here, but we’ll stay on point. This may feel a little out of the ordinary with the 9 prior days of Christmas, but I think it blends nicely.
This morning I woke up conflicted about what my joy was today. When I finally slowed down to actually connect and feel what I’m excited about, I realized it didn’t have much to do with Christmas, except it does! My football team has flown all the way down to Texas to visit me and give me the gift of a football game in my backyard! We’ll, not MY backyard, but close enough that I’ll jump the neighbor’s fence and play in their backyard.
It IS like a Christmas gift to me, and this will be Lee’s first NFL game. Bonus!! What’s the big deal? I really enjoy becoming lost in sporting events. Not lost in the arena, ‘can’t find my mommy, please call for help’ kinda lost, but the lost that comes about when you enjoy something enough that you are able to tune the rest of the world out.
I’ve always been an athlete and life tried to slow that down, and I have some, but the passion remains. When conversations about politics, religion and rules start up, I walk away. You really have to earn my trust in order for me to even think about chatting with you on those topics. That said, you don’t have to know me at all and I’ll scream Go Broncos! Right at cha’.
Much like any cause, team, even that we may be excited for, we want to share the joy. For some, that may be the topics I stay away from, but for many, something like a football game may be the joy they need to escape the craze of a shopping lists on December 24th, or a family dinner that involves conversations about the ballot box, or maybe the gazillion voices in one’s on noggin’.
So there ya go… a little bit different, but MY joy none the less. The joy of sports with those like me!
From Houston this morning, GO BRONCOS!!
From Houston this morning, GO BRONCOS!!
Saturday, December 21, 2013
On the 9th day of Christmas do you need a hug?
Rejoice - Punctuation - Reunion - Rest - Presence - Doing for Others - Music -
"Rejoice Punctuation, and Reunion with Rest, while sharing Presence in doing for Others and listening to Music"
"On the 9th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, the gift of sharing life with youuuuuuu."
I am very much aware that not everyone has someone to share with. The way I see it, there are those who are either physically alone on this planet, those who are mentally alone on this planet, or spiritually alone. To have vacancy in any of these areas, can really be defeating. Sometimes that goes unnoticed.
Wow, that's a heavy start to day 9! Not my words, but mine to share. Day 9 and I am waking up to a house full of family. We have a day full of family time (with family and family of friends). Tonight we will enjoy family. Tomorrow I will enjoy family..and football..and family again. My family is large. You are my family too. Family is everywhere, and thank God for that.
This Christmas season, I have been most excited for this single week. Not for any one day, or person, or event, but for what will be a week of relaxing, enjoying all the prep work that has been done, and simply savoring time with family and friends. You have NO idea when it will be your last visit with that eccentric aunt, or the over loud cousin who forgets he's inside, or the neighbor who just wont clean up that one thing on the yard, or the sibling who still resents the sweater you gifted last winter, or the parent who loves you so much they don't know when to stop checking on your grocery list.
Today, tomorrow, next Wednesday, could be the very last moment you have to share this life with that person. What have you learned from them? What have they taught you about yourself? What have you SHARED with them? Have you maintained a safe distance and strong walls around your heart so they do not have the chance to get close? Have you allowed your own vulnerability and flaws to be a topic of discussion? Nooooo....why would we go that far??
Why would we go so far as to share life with someone to the point that you are not afraid to start the conversation with a hug, which leads to a responding squeeze, which leads to a feeling of hope, then joy, then conversation about the meal which leads to the discussion about plans that day, then memories about the past experiences and hopes for the future and fears that come with that, then current struggles, current hopes, current joys, current feelings about life....why would we do that?
Why wouldn't we do that? What good reason do you have to NOT share life with a certain person? We don't share with everyone the same way, but we can share elements of our world, with various people. If you aren't surrounded by that kind of family (again, blood, marriage, friend...all count), then you need new people, and I"ll be the first in line to give you that hug.
I share the joy of ...whats do we call this... sharing life with others
"Rejoice Punctuation, and Reunion with Rest, while sharing Presence in doing for Others and listening to Music"
"On the 9th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, the gift of sharing life with youuuuuuu."
I am very much aware that not everyone has someone to share with. The way I see it, there are those who are either physically alone on this planet, those who are mentally alone on this planet, or spiritually alone. To have vacancy in any of these areas, can really be defeating. Sometimes that goes unnoticed.
Wow, that's a heavy start to day 9! Not my words, but mine to share. Day 9 and I am waking up to a house full of family. We have a day full of family time (with family and family of friends). Tonight we will enjoy family. Tomorrow I will enjoy family..and football..and family again. My family is large. You are my family too. Family is everywhere, and thank God for that.
This Christmas season, I have been most excited for this single week. Not for any one day, or person, or event, but for what will be a week of relaxing, enjoying all the prep work that has been done, and simply savoring time with family and friends. You have NO idea when it will be your last visit with that eccentric aunt, or the over loud cousin who forgets he's inside, or the neighbor who just wont clean up that one thing on the yard, or the sibling who still resents the sweater you gifted last winter, or the parent who loves you so much they don't know when to stop checking on your grocery list.
Today, tomorrow, next Wednesday, could be the very last moment you have to share this life with that person. What have you learned from them? What have they taught you about yourself? What have you SHARED with them? Have you maintained a safe distance and strong walls around your heart so they do not have the chance to get close? Have you allowed your own vulnerability and flaws to be a topic of discussion? Nooooo....why would we go that far??
Why would we go so far as to share life with someone to the point that you are not afraid to start the conversation with a hug, which leads to a responding squeeze, which leads to a feeling of hope, then joy, then conversation about the meal which leads to the discussion about plans that day, then memories about the past experiences and hopes for the future and fears that come with that, then current struggles, current hopes, current joys, current feelings about life....why would we do that?
Why wouldn't we do that? What good reason do you have to NOT share life with a certain person? We don't share with everyone the same way, but we can share elements of our world, with various people. If you aren't surrounded by that kind of family (again, blood, marriage, friend...all count), then you need new people, and I"ll be the first in line to give you that hug.
I share the joy of ...whats do we call this... sharing life with others
Friday, December 20, 2013
Day 8 - Tune in!
Rejoice - Punctuation - Reunion - Rest - Presence - Doing for Others - Anticipation
"Rejoice Punctuation, and Reunion with Rest, while Anticipating sharing your Presence in doing for Others" ...this will be fun
Day 8! Based on my scientific research, there are 4 more days before Christmas. I'm not counting the day of...I mean today plus 4, which lands us on the 24. The red carpet walk, before the party. This year, the holidays have felt different. There is no single reason why. I can tell you many reasons..but not all today. Actually, I started the season in a humbug mood, especially when I saw 'Santa' for sale in the stores, before my jack-o-lantern was lit. That just ticks me off. Dear Mr. Retailer...stop it.
I'm pretty sure I spent less time this year looking for sales, coupons, lines, etc. We considered what we wanted to buy, made a list, checked it twice, then fought the internet traffic for a place in line, only to check out with great ease. ...and thanks in part of Momma-elf in the GA workshop, who agreed to wrap some of these quick online purchases, upon arrival.
Point, click, shop. A few in-store purchases were made too, but we were focused. That is NOT easy in Bed, Bath, and Beyond. I will give you a reason why I need to stop and consider each and every booklight, pop up speaker thingy, and eye mask. Not to mention those large plastic cups with your fav sports team. I do NOT need one (have them!), but feel a need to look for our teams every time I walk buy...I mean by.
I could go on..but my point is that our shopping was easy, and basically done. Stress reduced! The house has been cleaned well enough and we are ready for family and friends to visit. The tactical planning has paid off in spades. So is planning my joy? No...although is DOES make me happy. I am a planner to a fault sometimes.
My joy is the music! *WHAM* That just happened. What the heck, lost my stream of thought....?
I've made a point to listen to one of my fav radio stations this season, and really listened to the Christmas songs. Rather than letting those songs aggravate me, in the car, in the house, at the grocery store, in the store parking lots (really, Mr. Retailer was blaring...I mean sharing...tunes into the parking lot!), I chose to enjoy them. I chose to enjoy the music of the season, and it has been an excellent side kick while staring at webpage to compare deals. I sing loudly and off tune, in the car, in the house, and at work. Actually less singing, more whistling at work. Fa la la la la, la la, la la
SO, find a station, tune in, and lighten up! The prep work has been done, you've walked the red carpet...now lets relax and start to really appreciate the holiday, the wonderful people around us, the accomplishments of the past year, the struggles we've over come, and the excitement of new things ahead.
"Rejoice Punctuation, and Reunion with Rest, while Anticipating sharing your Presence in doing for Others" ...this will be fun
Day 8! Based on my scientific research, there are 4 more days before Christmas. I'm not counting the day of...I mean today plus 4, which lands us on the 24. The red carpet walk, before the party. This year, the holidays have felt different. There is no single reason why. I can tell you many reasons..but not all today. Actually, I started the season in a humbug mood, especially when I saw 'Santa' for sale in the stores, before my jack-o-lantern was lit. That just ticks me off. Dear Mr. Retailer...stop it.
I'm pretty sure I spent less time this year looking for sales, coupons, lines, etc. We considered what we wanted to buy, made a list, checked it twice, then fought the internet traffic for a place in line, only to check out with great ease. ...and thanks in part of Momma-elf in the GA workshop, who agreed to wrap some of these quick online purchases, upon arrival.
Point, click, shop. A few in-store purchases were made too, but we were focused. That is NOT easy in Bed, Bath, and Beyond. I will give you a reason why I need to stop and consider each and every booklight, pop up speaker thingy, and eye mask. Not to mention those large plastic cups with your fav sports team. I do NOT need one (have them!), but feel a need to look for our teams every time I walk buy...I mean by.
I could go on..but my point is that our shopping was easy, and basically done. Stress reduced! The house has been cleaned well enough and we are ready for family and friends to visit. The tactical planning has paid off in spades. So is planning my joy? No...although is DOES make me happy. I am a planner to a fault sometimes.
My joy is the music! *WHAM* That just happened. What the heck, lost my stream of thought....?
I've made a point to listen to one of my fav radio stations this season, and really listened to the Christmas songs. Rather than letting those songs aggravate me, in the car, in the house, at the grocery store, in the store parking lots (really, Mr. Retailer was blaring...I mean sharing...tunes into the parking lot!), I chose to enjoy them. I chose to enjoy the music of the season, and it has been an excellent side kick while staring at webpage to compare deals. I sing loudly and off tune, in the car, in the house, and at work. Actually less singing, more whistling at work. Fa la la la la, la la, la la
SO, find a station, tune in, and lighten up! The prep work has been done, you've walked the red carpet...now lets relax and start to really appreciate the holiday, the wonderful people around us, the accomplishments of the past year, the struggles we've over come, and the excitement of new things ahead.
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