IT'S A NEW DAY!

Beginning week three…

Here I am again…staying up way too late knowing that in the morning I will be so tired. I keep doing the same thing over and over. I believe some have coined that as “insanity”. Yep, that’s it alright!

It was quite a successful unraveling day! I feel very accomplished in all that I did today! (Cleaning, cooking and creating!)  It’s great to think about how much I got done. The only part of that is, that I had to take a day off of work to get everything finished! I wish I had this much time everyday, to work on and complete the many things like I did today, but that just doesn’t happen. Some of you are so good at accomplishing so many different things in one day, but me? I need two weekends per week to get the things done that I need doing! (Oh…two weekends per week…isn’t that a lovely thought?)

In Unravelling we’re talking about reflections. Who we see ourselves as, who others see us as, who we WISH ourselves and others saw us as, and who we like the best! I happen to like who I see, for the most part, but there are definitely things I wish I could change/add. So that’s what it’s all about, and I suppose each of you have the same sort of thought about yourself. I’ve never met anybody who actually LOVED  (noticed that’s highlighted AND underlined!) everything about themselves, but I have met a few people who pretty much disliked everything about themselves. Most of those people just needed a little encouragement and some “see that glass half full” talk and they pulled themselves out of their funk! 

We talked about mirrors and shiny things that cause us to see “ourselves” and it is fun to see different interpretations of the assignment to “capture your reflection” photographically.  Mirrors are just the most obvious thing we might think of, but there are many, many ways to see your reflection. Think about it!

I am mostly thankful today. I would not be glorifying God if I did not love my life…what He has done and continues to do. I even love that I can say “I love my life”!

Since it is after midnight, it is technically June 14th. I am keenly aware of the date because it is the anniversary of the day my mom died. Thirty-five years ago today. It was a Monday. Sunny and warm with a bright blue sky and big white puffy clouds. I will never forget that day. A day that started out as an almost “perfect” summer day, but quickly turned into a sad and sorrowful one. It took me many years to be joyful in spite of not having my parents…especially those “big” days like my wedding day, the birth of my children, then their weddings, etc. But when you truly understand that this world is just a small part of our existence, and that passing through it is just a split second of time comparatively, then it is easy to be joyful knowing that THIS is NOT all that we are given. While I’ve wished over and over again that my mom and dad were still here, I know there is a much bigger picture and that there are many people who have passed through my life that I will see once again. And that’s an exciting thought to me.

In this life I just want to be the person God created me to be. I don’t believe you can simply “live your life” passively from day to day, and achieve what God desires of us! I believe that God wants us to seek out that which He has planned for us and that it is a lifetime of living  “on purpose” that finally brings us to that place. I’m excited! I’m looking! I’m seeking! I’m studying the Word!

And for now I’m unraveling. Just to try to sort things out!

 

Lesson for today:

Mirrors never lie…

UNRAVELLING…ATTEMPT

So, I just finished my second week “Unravelling” and already I’m behind. This week’s photo project was to take “reflections” of yourself…mirrors, glass windows, shiny bumpers, water, car mirrors, where ever you could get a reflection. It sounded simple enough, but I’ve struggled with it all week! I did not think it would be that difficult.

The purpose is to pay attention to yourself, and to see what others see when they look at you. And maybe that’s my problem? I don’t want others to see me! I don’t like taking pictures of myself, or have others take them of me, and there are very few pictures of myself that exist in this whole world! And even fewer that I like!

Anyway, I am becoming more and more aware of the areas of my life that I need to pay some attention to, and my “reflection” is one of them.

It isn’t the physical reflection so much, as how do I see myself? Do I see myself as others see me? Is the person I see in my reflection the same person as you see when you look at me? Those are thoughts that I’m working on this week, and perhaps trying to make some (positive) changes in my thinking.

Taken awhile ago…but this will have to do since I have not taken my “reflection” pictures yet. I’ll be working on it this weekend!

 

THIS OLD FARM

There is something about photographing an old farm that I just love. The worn wood, the fun bright reds and the exposed gray, weathered wood. Throw in a couple animals and a piece of machinery and I’m just in hog heaven! (No pun intended!)

I don’t remember where this (below) farm is,  and if Brian were not already up in bed I would ask him…he remembers all of these things! But we went by it again a couple days ago, and he reminded me that we had been there once before, stopped, and was invited in by one of the ladies who lived there. They have a small flower garden in back of their property where they hold small weddings. It is quite lovely and I did remember being there a couple years ago. We didn’t go back to the little “wedding garden” this time, but I did snap a few pictures of the farm.

Maybe I was supposed to live on a farm and I missed my calling?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unravelling

My first week of unravelling is coming to an end! It’s been a great week for me; one that has helped me to remember to appreciate all the little things I might otherwise take for granted. Some of these things are:

1. A visit from a friend of more than 20 years. “Sara” was just a little girl (2 years) when she and her dad moved in to our neighborhood. She became friends with my (then) little girls and even though she moved 100 miles from here when she was just 15 we are still in touch with each other and love it when we get to visit! Sometimes we go to visit with her…like several months ago when my daughter and I attended Sara’s baby shower! And sometimes she comes here to visit, like last week when she came to her brother’s high school graduation. She spent the night here with her two children and it made me happy to think about how close we still are and how wonderful her life has become!

This is Sara’s daughter, Tilly.

2. I am so blessed by my church…which also happens to be my place of employment. (A double blessing!) This week our youth ministry opened their new jr. high youth building. I am so proud when I think of the effort and prayer and thought that went in to the development of this building and ministry. There are so many young students that find Breakthrough Ministries a safe and welcoming place in an otherwise harsh and mixed up world. Amazing!

Breakthrough West – ROL Jr. High Ministry

3. I love trying new things, being creative, finding new ways to bring excitement to my life! And when those things actually “turn out” it is even more fun! I’ve been thinking about these “cake pops” ever since I had one at Starbucks one day, and was truly delighted to find a recipe. So I gave it a try (after pondering it for weeks and weeks!) and I was delighted at the outcome! I wish I had not been quite so unsure of myself (fear of failure), or I would have made them weeks ago!

4. Some mornings I wake up early (for no apparent reason!) and while it is usually difficult for me to get up (I am NOT an early morning riser), this morning I got up anyway. The first thing I did was look out my bedroom window, and noticed the orange sky. I grabbed my camera, hopped in the car and tried to capture that morning’s sunrise. Another success for me. It was so beautiful.

5. This week my husband and I took a little day trip scouring the country side, just looking for an opportunity to see something “new”. While we both grew up in this area (Central Minnesota) we both still enjoy and appreciate the beauty that this “land of 10,000 lakes” has to offer. I am thankful that I never tire of it’s beauty, and in spite of it’s long, cold winters, Minnesota truly is a wonderful place to live.

 

Well, that was my week. Unravelling is helping to make me more intentional about everything I do. Not just to appreciate the things I have, but to really consider what my life would be like without all of those things. And then, my intention is to give what I can, and help others enjoy everything about their own lives.

Dear Unravelling: where are we headed next?

 

 

 

LiveJournal Tags: Unravelling