A New Week

"Give me understanding, and I will keep your law, and obey it with all my heart.
Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight.
Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain.
Turn my eyes away from worthless things;
preserve my life according to Your word."
- Psalm 119: 34-37

I often require some degree of understanding before feeling satisfied or comfortable. My faith is sometimes contingent upon my level of understanding; thus, my level of trust fluctuates as my level of understanding changes: understanding of a situation, understanding of a consequence or outcome, understanding of a particular event or circumstance. In other words, if my understanding of something is greater, my "faith" is also greater, and visa versa. And that is not faith in God at all; that is faith in my own human knowledge and understanding. My obedience of, and faith in, the Word of God should not be dependent upon my own understanding.

In order even to begin to grasp the greatness of the Almighty, I must turn my eyes from things of this world. My heart must be focused solely on Christ. And that cannot happen when I am in the way. When my focus is on me, it cannot be on Christ also. When my focus is on Christ, my life will change. My relationships will change. My work and work ethic will change. When I focus on Christ, my actions toward others will be like those of Christ. My words will be encouraging and truthful, as Christ is. And I will love others with the same love that Christ loves me. But this cannot happen while I am pursuing my own happiness; my own selfish gain. My life must change. I must be willing to sacrifice my comfort, my home, my pride, my concerns. I must be able to let go of myself in surrender to the Lord. Until this happens, my heart cannot be turned away from this world and toward the statues of Christ.

Anything that is not of God, anything that is not for the glory of His Kingdom, is worthless. Everything is a lesser thing compared to Him.

My heart breaks when I reflect upon the many worthless things that distract me from Christ each day: What will I wear? What will I eat for lunch? When will I finish a particular assignment or task? How long will I have to stay at Ms. So-and- so's house that I hate going to so much because it smells awful and she does not clean up after her animals? What will I do with my free time this weekend? When is the next time I get paid? These things are so trivial. And they all focus on one thing; they all focus on me.

As I go into a new week, I am going to begin praying for a new focus: a focus on Christ. I simply do not matter all that much. Nothing in my life matters as much as my relationship with my Savior. Nothing is worth hurting that relationship. There is no circumstance or event that is more important than that relationship. There is nothing important enough to interfere with my time with Him.

Passing the Time

Today was just one of those days... Not a bad day, but one of those days when I am fairly certain that all forty-something of my clients collaborated in an effort to completely avoid me. Not one person I called today bothered to call me back. I usually have the opposite problem: a select few clients call over and over and over again, multiple times a day, sometimes for specific reasons, but most often, just to chat. No one must have been feeling very chatty today. I spent the day staring longingly at my telephone willing it to ring.

In my desperation, I turned to blog hopping. This was a temptation that I managed to resist for hours before finally giving in. But, really, my sanity depended on it. I was at my wit's end. Not to mention, I had fallen behind since the weekend anyway. :)

So, here are a few of my favorite finds:

Joy the Baker's wedding cake endeavor is hilariously entertaining. And, I do not know how she does it, but somehow, it is educational as well. She spent the entire week planning and preparing this cake, and that week was not spent in vain! The finished product looks absolutely splendid! The best part? She provides such clear, detailed instructions that I now feel empowered! Her step-by-step instructions, which she provides starting from the very beginning of the LONG process, and continuing all the way to the very end, are easy to read, funny to read, and actually incredibly helpful (say I, who have yet to actually attempt a wedding cake on my own).


Seleta, from Simply Seleta, takes readers through her journey of revamping her foyer. The end result is incredible! I am in awe of how someone can be so creative and so organized as to creative a space that is totally livable, practical, and functional... and adorable at the same time! Everything has its proper place, and each proper place is stunning. My favorite thing? The hanging wall pocket unit, which is actually two units, so if you are decorating and organizing on a smaller scale, you have the option of just having two pockets versus four.

And this picture just makes me happy. For me, a popsicle is a happy memory: a memory of summer, of childhood, of simplicity. When I was a little girl, my mom kept freezer pops in the freezer all summer 'round... And my sister and I ate them by the dozens. My favorite flavors were the pink and the blue. My least favorite were the purple and orange. I used to try to save all the juice for last, so that I could drink it when I got to the end of the popsicle.

from here

On the Prowl

I posted this picture a while back, but I am mentioning it again now in order to let it be known that I am searching high and low for this picture.

Starting...

Now.

Andrew is moving into our new apartment on July first. And I have the PERFECT place for this picture.

There is a breaker box in the kitchen. Yes, it is a complete eyesore, but it will be incredibly easy to cover up with any piece of artwork, a calender, a chalkboard, etc. The possibilities are endless.

While I have a few ideas for what I would like to put there (since I am fairly certain Andrew does not care one iota), Audrey is definitely my first choice.

After a brief internet search, I was able to find this picture here, at Owens Archive, available in different sizes. But I am not yet ready to give up hope that I can find it elsewhere for a more affordable price... I will be tearing the flea market apart next weekend in my valiant effort to find Audrey and put her in my kitchen!



I will leave you with this, which would also be appropriate in a kitchen:

Happy FATHERS' DAY

The first time I came across this website, I was incredibly touched. The photographs are gorgeous; the words of the writer are even more so. Please look at this when you have time to truly reflect, to think upon your own life, and upon that of your father.

There are so many different kinds of dads: Good ones, bad ones, quiet ones, loud ones, silly ones, serious ones, athletic ones, bookish ones, old ones, young ones, ones that leave, ones that stick around, ones that are alcoholics, ones that are in prison, ones that attend every birthday party and softball game their children ever have, ones that plan every birthday party their children ever have, ones that coach every softball game their children ever play, ones that never make it to the softball games because they are too busy working, ones that never make it to any softball games because they live states away, ones that never make it to any softball games because they are serving our country overseas, ones that are unemployed, ones that are homeless. The list could continue.

But a dad is a dad.

And a dad is to be cherished... No matter what stage of life he is in,
no matter what physical condition he is in, and no matter what state of mind he is in.

"Honor your father and mother- which is the first commandment with a promise-"
Ephesians 6:2

Words for the Weekend

Courtesy of several sweet souls who gave me money recently for my birthday, I took myself purse shopping today. Only minutes into my purse search, I began to have a difficult time focusing just on purses. My eyes were darting to racks of clothing that I did not need; my feet began walking automatically to the shoe section. And I found myself doubly tempted, because everything seemed to be on sale.

At first, I was baffled by my spastic movements, and my grabbing hands. Then I realized something: Until today, I had not been shopping for anything non-wedding-related in months. Reason being? An unaccommodating budget, both time-wise, and money-wise. Even my perpetual window shopping had gone by the wayside!

I have always considered myself to be fairly stylish; however, I have fallen behind! In the midst of adjust to a new job, getting used to having bills to pay, and planning a wedding, I have forgotten some of the things I used to love.

Scrapbooking. (I am disgustingly behind...)

Reading. (I used to read chapter after chapter after chapter before falling asleep each night; now I am lucky to make it through a paragraph or two before drifting off to dreamland!)

from here

Shopping. (Which generally consists of people watching, browsing, trying on, brainstorming, and leaving on the rack outside the dressing room.)

Goodwill (or any thrift store) hunting. (One of my favorite stress relievers!)

Cleaning. (I so enjoy the feeling of knowing where everything is and exactly what condition it is in!)

Closet Shopping (Sadly enough, I have been rolling out of bed in the mornings and throwing things mindlessly on my body, only paying attention to whether I am appropriately covered).

And, something I would really like to invest more time into? Blogging... I would really like to get good at it!



This picture comes from one of my favorite blogs. Each time I read one of Emily's posts, I feel like she is giving me a little peek into the window of her life. And if you know me, you know how much I adore listening to, knowing about, and watching, people and things which I have no business listening to, knowing about, or watching! Emily makes a living doing what she loves to do: blogging, taking pictures, shopping, traveling, and living her life.

I love my job. But there are days when I cannot help but think I would rather be doing something else: something creative; something that inspires me; something colorful; something that inspires others; something hands on.

But then I look at pictures, and meet people, like this:

from here

And I suddenly remember why it is that I do what I do.

The last years of a person's life are precious. Those last moments can be so sweet.

Social work is creative and hands-on in its own way. Social workers bring to light possibilities that people did not know existed. They make referrals. They make connections. They make changes. They make time. They make room. They make allowances. They make notes. They make phone calls. They make a difference. So in its own way, social work is a creative entity.

By the way, you can click here to see the purse I finally decided on. :)

The Silent Servant

Acrostic: noun. a poem, word puzzle, or other composition in which certain letters in each line form a word, or words.

Acrostics are great. They are quick, but still effective. They are short and to the point, but still cover all the bases. They are easy to write, as well as easy to read. They are the poem for those of us who cannot write poetry, and they are the poem for those of us who do not have the attentions spans or intelligence necessary to adequately read and understand a "real" poem!

Thus, I often utilize acrostics when I do not quite feel up to writing actual sentences of thoughts; when even the idea of writing a complete paragraph makes me literally want to sob; when it has been a long week and I really just want to go to sleep, but I have that one little thing I feel like must be said before my mind can rest at ease. Times such as these are what acrostics were made for. These times are their chances to shine!

So, thank you, Acrostic. You have allowed me to write, and to still get some sleep. You have allowed me to write, get some sleep, and not wake up with eyes that are puffy from crying over horribly disconnected paragraphs. You have allowed me to effectively express feelings and thoughts without spending hours pouring over pen and paper. In some instances, you have allowed me to effectively express feelings and thoughts without actually writing even one complete sentence.

You have served me well, in spite of often being overlooked or forgotten. For your humble service to the literary world, and for your humble service to me, I thank you.

P.S- Along with my thank-you, I would like to extend to you an apology. I apologize for my complete misuse of you, and for my ignorance of how to employ you correctly. Maybe one day I will learn how to write you in the proper manner; for that is the manner in which you deserve to be written. But until that day comes, thank you for your understanding.

This picture, from Real Simple, has virtually nothing to do with this post; I just liked it, and thought you might too!

LOVEly Birthday!

Today is the love of my life's twenty-second birthday.

So, as seems to be tradition, I am including an acrostic that describes all (or, at least some) of the ways that Andrew expresses his love to me each and every day.

Accepts me.

Notices my strengths, as well as my struggles.

Dreams my dreams with me, no matter how silly or outlandish they may be.

Realizes my potential.

Encourages me toward that potential.

Walks alongside me when things are tricky, just as he does when they are simple.

The list could continue, if only Andrew's name were longer, because he shows his love to me in so many ways. I pray each day that God will reveal to me new ways that I can demonstrate to Andrew my love for him.

I was happy before I met Andrew; I am even happier now that I know him. I am extra- happy to be alive, because it means being alive with him!

My life was rich before Andrew was in it; it is even richer now. He enhances my life just by being a part of it.

I am so glad Andrew was born on this day twenty-two years ago (although any other day would have perfectly acceptable as well). And I will be thankful for each and every year from here on out that I am able to give him a Happy Birthday card... I hope I get to write him one each year for the next hundred years! I am so excited for the years that lie ahead of us; no matter how many or few they may be. I know that my love for him will grow with every birthday that passes.

"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a NEW thing!!!" - Isaiah 43:18,19