What we want most this Christmas

What can you do NOW? What do you control and what is your concern but out of your control?


These are things to ponder during these days of gatherings and special moments. Even good things can bring stress--the stress of self-imposed expectations
--threats on self of perfectionism.


KNOW that you are enough.
You. Are. Enough.
Even if you did nothing else but be you, 
you are enough.


BOW--Bend the knee to the One who made you and calls you by name.
He loves you.
He came for you.
He died for you.
He rose for you.
He's declared you good. Very good.

Rest in that knowing in gratitude.

ALLOW people to be exactly who they are. No more, no less.
This is harder said than done, but will decrease stress and promote inner peace in your soul.

Isn't that what we want most this Christmas? Without our health and peace, we have nothing.

Allow yourself space
--to think
--to dream
--to know you're loved
--to know you're enough

on this crazy spinning ball called earth.

Stop off for some moments of calm and 
bow
now 
and allow.

Blessings and thank you!!

Anne

Thanks for stopping by. Linking up late to Five Minute Friday with a tribe of writers each week at Kate Motaung's blog. Stop over there to see what others have written on the prompt, NOW.

It's time

It's time for more beauty and less chaos.
It's time to watch the birds
free, 
flying, 
flitting at the feeders
It's time to smile at the squirrel antics and stop scolding them for stealing the bird seed.

It's time to show compassion to animals and people.
Even people I disagree with.
Compassion and joy and enjoyment of all that is around me.


It's time to surround myself with 

calm
grace 
and 
freedom.

These have become my dearest friends.
Friends who encourage the best in me. Friends who gently guide me.
Friends who lead me to truth.

It's time to believe the truth about myself and others.
It's time to give myself the worthy messages I'm so deserving of.

If I don't celebrate my worth, who will?

If I don't celebrate and believe my worth, how am I capable of celebrating yours?

I am worthy of all good things.
I am worthy to be treated well.
I am important and my gifts are important and worthy to be shared.

And so are yours.

Let's celebrate beauty
let's celebrate worth
let's celebrate with love and compassion all that is good within us and in each other and the world.

We'll be so much better for it.

**********************************************************

Thanks for joining me today for Five Minute Friday! I'm joining with other wild and free writers over at Kate Motaung's blog. Come on over and check it out and even join in. We write for five minutes on the prompt of the week. This week's prompt is enjoy.

Blessings to you today,

Anne

Listening to the white

The branches bend and twist under the weight of the freshly fallen snow.

The frozen birdbath wears a top hat of white and each winter-dead twig is twice its size with heavy snow.

The bird feeder we just hung last week wears a thick layer of white frosting on the top, like an elegant wedding cake ready to be delivered.

Each little perch is covered with a blob of snow frosting that I hope Mr. Cardinal will just quickly flick away when he comes for breakfast.



Oh, I hope the wind doesn't come up for awhile. 

It's predicted. 

Heavy wind gusts that will threaten this haven of winter white today.

Even now, the wind comes in bursts and causes the snow covered branches to lose their white covering as an avalanche of snow falls, wind-beaten, to the ground to add another layer to the parked cars, sidewalks and streets.

The flakes that fall are small and delicate today, unlike the fat, heavy ones that splatted decidedly on our windshield last night.

How can such delicate, small flakes fall in such a way to make a winter landscape thick with beauty?

The white quiet beckons me to sit here at my window a while longer.

I'm safe and warm here.

I'm hidden from the cold, but wide open to what our neighborhood has transformed into today.

For when you need selective memory

I have this thing. 

This habit of remembering too much! I think a lot of people think of this as a positive trait. Yes, I want a great memory to remember things from my past that have brought me great joy. 

Like my wedding. Like the birth and childhood of each of my three beautiful children. Those are things that I don't ever want to forget. 

But, I seem to also have a keen memory for those things that I'd rather forget. 

Things that I need to forget. 

Things that are healthy for me to forget. 

Bad things that have happened to me that I have no business rehashing. They may not even be tragic things. Just things that have caused the opposite of joy. 

Joy stealers.

Unfortunately, I have an uncanny ability for reviewing in my mind those things that have stolen my joy. 

Does this ever happen to anyone else?

Why can't my mind automatically go to the things that have caused happiness and joy instead? For me, this is tends to be work. 

It must be a weakness of mine, this tendency to dwell on the negatives of the past and worry that they'll happen again. 

Today, I choose to continue the purposeful journey to having selective memory.

I'm choosing to continue to carefully select the joyful, peace-filled memories.

The ones that make the corners of my mouth turn upward instead of downward. The ones that warm my heart and fill me with joy too deep for words. 

This is a journey, I realize. This is a process. It is a growing edge that I'll probably always have to work on. 

But, thank goodness, I don't have to take this journey alone. I am so grateful that the God of all peace resides inside and beside me. I have His constant and ever-present help. 

Today, I choose to remember. Joy.

"Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

I Thessalonians 5:23

Blessings to you friend,

~Anne

Linking up today with Coffee for Your Heart.

Seeing the sacred in sunrise

I am hard pressed to choose what I am. Am I a night owl, or an early bird? Usually, I'm up too late to be much of an early bird, so you can see my dilemma.

There is something sacred about early mornings when the day is fresh and the world has not yet caught it's breath.

The quiet is settled on the morning like a fog that hasn't yet lifted. If I've gotten enough sleep to actually be awake at this early hour, my thoughts speak loudly in the quiet. God can speak too. He speaks all the time, but this is when my ears can actually hear Him if I take the time to listen.

The dawn herself is decked out in glorious array at the beginning. Her colors are more vivid. It's like dawn is showing off and letting us know that there is more glory to come.

A couple of weeks ago, this sacredness of early morning sunrise hit me like it's hitting me today.

The beauty struck me.
The silence stopped me.

The thought that no matter what else life throws at me, no matter how many things change, the sun always rises, and even when it's not rising in my corner of the world, it's rising somewhere!

What a comforting thought!

Here's what I wrote that day:


Each morning, the sun gently kisses the earth and sky in your corner of the world. The sun is always shining somewhere!
Darkness lasts only for a night.

Then, the dawn comes.
It rises as surely as a breath, whether you will it to or not.
The dawn is programmed to rise. It's in the very nature of things that dawn comes.

Drink in the sun like a large glass of tea on a summer day.

Nourishing.

Healing.

Restoring.

Silence.

It beckons you to stop, look, listen to the beauty.

The dawn speaks every day.
Do you hear her?
She whispers.
She taps us on the shoulder and says,


"Remember yesterday? I was here upon your waking from slumber. I'm here today.

I'm here, as close as your breath is to your soul.
I promise to greet you every day you are on this earth.
This should give you security.
A foundational trust.
What was true yesterday, is true today.
I'm here.

Oh, you may not see the sun exactly the same every day.
Some days it is obscured by clouds.
But, rest assured my friend.
I'm here and I've brought Mr. Sun with me.

Every morning, in some part of this vast beautiful world, the sun shines.
The creator deemed it this way.

In this way, the cycle continues,

day after day,

week after week,

year after year,

sunrise to sunrise,

sunset to sunset

the circle of light continues on.

Stop.
Take time to be silent in my presence.
Listen to what I have to say.
Feel the warmth of my light on your face and be restored.
Carry my light with you throughout this day.

Carry and share.

The world needs my promised light, health, peace,
and yet there is so much hurry that I am often missed.

And much goes missing.

I am close to everyone on this earth.
To anyone who has breath in their lungs and pause in their soul."


Thanks for stopping by, friend!

Anne

Linking up with the lovely writers at Coffee for Your Heart and Three Word Wednesday today.

Thoughts on my brother and grief

Just last night my step-mother said through the phone, “I hope you never have to go through this.” She had just witnessed her second born pass into eternity after a long fight with cancer.

The priest came to his bedside to confirm my step-brother into the Catholic faith and it was indeed all about faith. The question was asked Greg,

“Do you believe that Jesus Christ died to forgive your sins?” Greg nodded. 

That is all he could do at this point. 

But, he nodded. 

What a wonderful thing that must have been for his mother, and his wife and his brother to see. 

I am so grateful to know that. 

It’s been a struggle this week for me here in Iowa, knowing that my brother was dying in Washington. My body has been acting up. 

In a way, I've needed to make peace with God, too. And, I've needed to make peace with me.

Oh what a twisted irony! Death pulls into focus what really matters. It makes all old outdated thoughts and emotions fade away into the distance, if we let it.

It makes us focus on what is real. 

What is right in front of us. 

The sorrow, the grief bring us together in our common humanity no matter how many miles and how much life has come between us. 

No matter how.

I had prayed and hoped that Greg would be healed in this life. 

But, God, as Sovereign as He is, has chosen to heal my brother's body and soul by taking Him straight through the pearly gates to Jesus’ face.

What a glorious sight he is having right now! The throne room! 

Too many people in my family have already gone to heaven, but really, should I mourn for them?

They are the ones that are experiencing the eternal life that this body longs for. That all earthly bodies long for. They are the ones seeing Jesus’ face and glorying in the communion of saints.

They are the ones with no pain and no tears and no sorrow.

They are really the blessed ones. The ones who have gone before us.

They have paved the way into eternity for us, the ones who are left behind to miss them.

We grieve, but we are not without hope. 

We grieve, 

but we know the Way. 

We also know the Way Maker 

and He has made the way for all of us to

 enter heaven with Him for all eternity.

(I Thessalonians 4:13, John 3:16)

Praise God for Jesus who took Greg’s (and our) place and paved the way to heaven for him!

Just yesterday morning I was remembering Greg as a six-year-old, hanging on to the saddle for dear life, as his Shetland pony, Christie, ran swiftly to the end of the field! 

And. He. Did. Not. Fall. Off!

Greg and Christie

And, then Greg's horse Apache. 

I can still hear Greg saying "Apache" in his little boy voice. 

Why do I remember such things as this? 

In the end, it is only the relationships that we have with people that really matter. 

This is the time for love. 

This is the time for grace.

This is the time for peace and remembering and good memories. 

This is the time for healing. 

God’s light is in each of us who will miss the son, the brother, the daddy. 

Who is to say that the Light does not shine brighter through sorrow and death.

I believe it can. I believe it does.

I do not grieve for my brother who has gone to heaven. 

But, I grieve for his mother, his sister, his wife, his children. 

May their sorrow not be without hope. 

May their sorrow not be without peace and joy.

May the memories we have of the son, the husband, the brother, and the daddy be so joyous and precious that it will take away a little bit of the pain of losing him. 

Teen age Greg and me being Wild and Crazy Guys!

May God’s grace be so thick upon all of us that we can feel the Presence. 

The Holy Presence of God Himself. 

Greg, thanks for the happy memories, dear brother.

You will be dearly missed.

I love you.

**********************

Linking up today with Coffee for Your Heart and Three Word Wednesday

On finishing well

I'm linking up with Holley Gerth today for Coffee for Your Heart, and also over at Beth's for Three Word Wednesday. Blessings on your Wednesday!



She's shown up for all seven small group times in a row. She doesn't live too far from the church, but the winter has not been friendly to drivers here in Iowa the past few weeks. This hasn't stopped her.

She steps into each group meeting with a charcoal gray Columbia coat, and fashionable black knee high boots.

And, she must be about eighty years young.

I wish I could have heard her whole story. You see, she always wore a smile and a certain dignity about her, even though there had been pain.

One of the pieces of her story contained a broken relationship.

She didn't leave it there. 

She pursed the brother who in his 70's hadn't spoken to her in decades. 

She offered him forgiveness and healing where there had been years of pain and alienation.

Where the bridge had been washed out but good, she built a new one.
She planted seeds of forgiveness and empathy in the garden of their relationship, and watered those with large buckets of understanding.

I could see the results of this forgiving and repairing and mending work in her eyes as she spoke.

I could see the peace that the courage to face her fears had brought her.

She wears the peace well.

I see no retirement here. 

I see no "sit-on-my-porch-and-rock-my-life-away" mentality.

She's vibrant, sparkling and very much alive. 

I want to be like her now.
I want to be like her then, in thirty years.

It's made me ask myself,

"How can I finish the race like she's finishing?"

Faith more than intact.
Forgiveness flourishing.
Peace like a river.
Joy bubbling over.
A burning desire to influence others and make a difference.

Thirty years from now, I want to be the sparkling woman who walks into the room bringing peace, joy and a wisdom beyond my years.

I want to be influencing.

I want to be living with passionate purpose.

I want to leave a legacy of beauty and hope for those who have crossed my path.

I'm sure when Nadine entered the room that first night of group, she had no idea that I would be sitting there. She didn't know that for seven straight weeks I would be watching her and hearing her and taking mental heart notes.

It was a very small thing, her deciding to attend the same group as I. But, her decision has made a lasting impression on me.

Thank you, Nadine.

Giving up the fight

I'm linking up with other lovely writers at Lisa Jo Baker's blog for Five Minute Friday. We are to write for five minutes straight, no edits. Just pure writing. Today's prompt is fight. Stop by Lisa's blog to see what others are writing!

********************

I’m giving up the fight.

I really am. 

I’m giving up the fight to be perfect. 

To be acceptable to everyone, in fact loved by all. 

I’m giving up on being someone I was never meant to be and doing things that I’m not cut out for.

I’m done fighting all alone the emotions that sometimes threaten to overtake my soul.

I’m done believing the lies the enemy hands out to me on a silver platter and says, 

“Here, have some of this that will make you whole.”

I’m done trying to fight the enemy alone.

I cannot. 

But, I forget. 

I forget that the all powerful one who came to this earth is right beside me. 

He promises to fight my battles. 

So, I’m giving up the fight.

I’m giving up the right to fight.

To fight for peace, calm and stillness.

I want these things, to be sure and I do have a right to them as a child of God.

But, I cannot fight for them alone.

I know that now.

After trying on my own to fight and losing a fighting battle.

He says,

 “Don’t fight. 

Be still. 

Let me fight the battles for you 

while you rest."

**************************

"The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm."

Exodus 14:14

Dare to Be: Five ways to make peace in your relationships {Day 20}

How do you make peace with someone who's wronged you or offended you?

I mentioned in this post to limit the time spent with people who are toxic to you. 

But, what if you have decided to limit your time with that person, or maybe you've moved on from them (such as a co-worker from a previous job). Maybe you've moved on physically, but mentally and emotionally they are still taking up residence in your mind and soul.

What do you do with that residue of hurt that's left over even after the I'm sorrys are said?

Sometimes there is residue left, like coffee grounds in the bottom of your cup.

It's important to be able to get rid of that residue, or in other words, to let go of the hurt and pain. 

To forgive.

Not forgiving someone is like drinking poison hoping the other person will die. 

Although there are not easy answers as to how to get rid of the hurt for good, there are some things I've learned in order to make peace in my heart. To rid myself of the reside of emotional pain, bitterness or anger. (yes, it's okay for us to say we get angry.)

Following are five ways I've found to be extremely helpful in making peace in relationships.


!. Ask God for help. 

Ask Him for his wisdom and strength to forgive and let go. Most times this is the only way I've been able to even begin the process of making peace. 

If any of you need wisdom, ask God for it. He will give it to you. God gives freely to everyone. He doesn’t find fault. 

James 1:5

2.  Pray for God to bless that person.

Even if you don't consider yourself a believer in God, wishing someone well in your heart doesn't leave much room for wishing them ill. This is not easy if you are still angry and hurt. But, seeing this as an intention really does help.


3. Send a card to the person who hurt you.

I once had a co-worker relationship that was very difficult for me. I ended up quitting the job because of it. But, even after I left, my soul was still holding on to the anger. Sending a card to this person seemed to release the grip of my hurt feelings a lot more. 


4. Give them a gift. 

I know this sounds outrageous. Because it is. It doesn't have to be a large gift, and you probably won't feel like doing it. But, I truly believe the power of the hurt is broken just that much more when we give a gift to someone who hurt us. It can even be anonymous and still work wonders for your own heart.


5. Write a good-by letter.

This is an unedited letter that you write to them, but for your own benefit only. You do NOT send this to them or give it to the one who's offended you. Just write down 
Dear _______________,

And then write all of your hurt feelings down. To them. Anything goes in this. This is solely to drain the negative energy or emotion from your body, soul and spirit. If you choose to, you can tear it up afterwards, or burn it as a sign of letting go.

Lots of times when we make the decision to forgive or make peace the feelings have to catch up. 

Letting go of hurt is a process. 

And, it will be a different process for each person and each situation. 

Just know, that if the feelings to forgive don't show up right away, it's okay. 

How about you? Do you find it hard to let go of hurts? To forgive? I'd love to hear what has helped you in the comments.

~Anne

Click on my button to see a list of all 31 Days posts! Thanks so much for stopping by!

no earthly explanation

Lord,

my heart is utterly full

yet weeping.

how can this be?

many are your thoughts toward me
many are your benefits for me
many are your gifts to me.

why would you even think of me?
why would you love me?

you have made me a little lower than the angels.
yes.
mind boggling, but true.


many days, with no seeming reason to sing,
I have a song in my heart
from you.

many times, in the quietness of my house,
but in the swirling busyness of my mind,
and the sheer laziness of my will,
there is peace.

your peace.

there is no earthly explanation.

Ironing as sanctuary

Ironing is a rare occasion for me. Other than these jeans, it rarely happens. But, every time I wash these great jeans I got at Goodwill, the fly needs to be ironed smooth so the zipper doesn't show. I know, details.

So, I pull the ironing board down from it's home behind the laundry room door. I take down the iron, too, and plug it in, and make sure it's on. I've learned that having it on is a bonus. While I wait for the iron to heat up, I fold clothes and towels that have buzzed me from the dryer then throw the washer load into the dryer and turn it on. 

I lay my jeans on the ironing board rather awkwardly to get at the fly right. I grab the iron, making sure not to touch the zipper with it because then it would be too hot to put on. As I run the iron across the fabric, I give it a puff of steam, just as an added surety that the fly will get smooth and stay that way. 

I had been struggling with a bit of anxiety off and on while getting ready. I had been trying to practice deep breathing. Telling myself to stay calm, that there was absolutely nothing to fear this morning in my own home. 

I noticed something as soon as I started ironing my jean's fly right there by the running dryer. I started to get calmer. Just automatically, my breathing relaxed and got deeper and more steady. I started to pay attention to the way my body felt in the surroundings of my laundry room. Warm running dryer, hot moist iron with warm steam rising to greet my face. The feel of the warm denim under my hand as I guided it for pressing. 

As I was standing there with warmth touching my face, I thought of my mother in law with all of the t-shirts she used to iron for her three boys and husband. Yes, I've mocked her for that. And it dawned on me. Ironing for her was probably her sanctuary. Her place to find peace in the midst of a hectic and busy household.And, why not? Hands gliding over the fabric that clothes each loved one. A heart to serve her family. A heart to serve God. 

Ironing felt like that for me today. A sanctuary of calm and delight. A place of simple joy. And, I felt God there. I actually ironed three more shirts to stay in that place longer.