Oh good grief! I've been a little lazy. I'm getting into this habit where I think of things to be greatful for at work, and then I can't write, and I forget, or I get to this "oh I'll do it in five minutes" an then five minutes never comes.
Number 66 is my favorite right now. Sometimes my prayers are really small, and for seemingly unimportant things, but I wonder if those are the ones that God uses to "nudge" me with. Often I'll pray for the rain to stop or slow down so I can get to work without getting drenched. He did this for me last week. The rain slowed enough for me to go wait for my ride to work and I didn't get drenched. Wednesday's night shift at work was rough. Everyone was cranky with each other and taking out their frustrations on each other. I prayed for this past nights shift to be better, and although the line didn't always run great, everyone was in a better mood. That's an answered prayer to me. It was a good night.
60. Revealing bible study homework
61. Awesome neighbour who drives me to do my groceries
62. Colorful ballpoint pens
63. Sharpies
64. Artistic friends
65. Back to school supplies
66. Answered prayer
67. Rides home from work
68. God's amazing provision
69. Cheese ragu
70. Peanut butter & mint chocolate oreos.
Friday 17 August 2012
Friday 3 August 2012
1000 gifts: Day 13
Whoops, I missed some time.
It's funny because today I'm not really in the mood to write this blog. I had an incredibly frustrating night at work, caused mainly by one bad apple who shall remain nameless. I don't know why I let it get to me so much, but it did. I was frustrated. Now, I have been searching things to be thankful for. For now, it's just a few, but here they are nonetheless
53. Awesome co workers
54. Crock pot
55. Drumstick McFlurry at 1am
56. Bible verse of the day
57. Chamomile tea
58. Melatonin
59. A full days sleep
So, my things are few. I'm not sure really how I feel about that. I feel like there should be more, but at the same time, I am starting to have trouble....finding inspiration I guess. Or maybe it's just that I'm letting my mood cloud my vision. Probably why I should really stay focused on the task at hand anyways.
Maybe I'll have some more when I get up...If you're joining me on this gratefulness journey, I hope you're doing better than I am. :)
It's funny because today I'm not really in the mood to write this blog. I had an incredibly frustrating night at work, caused mainly by one bad apple who shall remain nameless. I don't know why I let it get to me so much, but it did. I was frustrated. Now, I have been searching things to be thankful for. For now, it's just a few, but here they are nonetheless
53. Awesome co workers
54. Crock pot
55. Drumstick McFlurry at 1am
56. Bible verse of the day
57. Chamomile tea
58. Melatonin
59. A full days sleep
So, my things are few. I'm not sure really how I feel about that. I feel like there should be more, but at the same time, I am starting to have trouble....finding inspiration I guess. Or maybe it's just that I'm letting my mood cloud my vision. Probably why I should really stay focused on the task at hand anyways.
Maybe I'll have some more when I get up...If you're joining me on this gratefulness journey, I hope you're doing better than I am. :)
Sunday 29 July 2012
1000 gifts: Day 7 & Day 9
I started writing todays gifts, and I don't have many. I didn't actually want to even write them. I've been doing this study by Jennie Allen called "stuck" and without going into what this weeks homework was, I'll just say it was very convicting. I had a little cry, and I struggled through it. I've been thinking about my list, and feeling kind of guilty, because I thought I could do something at least every day. Then I thought that's next to impossible because when I work the night shift, I either work three days in a row of twelve hour shifts, or four days in a row. So when I'm working, usually all I do is (try to) sleep, and work. Not much room in between for the rest. Now I've been thinking, if I had a thing to be greatful for everything I have an excuse for, I'd be well on my way to finishing my 1000 gifts by now. That said, I am still plugging away, giving my best effort to keep my mind focused on my blessings and gifts, and less on the negative. I may still not post every single day, but I will give it my best efforts to do what I can.
A friend of mine also said, you're not necessarily meant to do 15 things or more in a day, but the point is to do just the act of being greatful, rather then being ungreatful. Imagine that eh, being totally ungreatful....
Day 7
44. Public transit
45. Friendly transit drivers
46. Thunder and rain
Day 9
47. Friendly cab drivers
48. Patio time at my besties
49. Friends who let you whine when they've been awake for 24+ hours
50. Worship music
51. Awesome preachers at church
That's it for now. How are you doing?
A friend of mine also said, you're not necessarily meant to do 15 things or more in a day, but the point is to do just the act of being greatful, rather then being ungreatful. Imagine that eh, being totally ungreatful....
Day 7
44. Public transit
45. Friendly transit drivers
46. Thunder and rain
Day 9
47. Friendly cab drivers
48. Patio time at my besties
49. Friends who let you whine when they've been awake for 24+ hours
50. Worship music
51. Awesome preachers at church
That's it for now. How are you doing?
Tuesday 24 July 2012
1000 gifts: day 6
So I fell off the wagon. I got into this "okay I'll do it in 5 minutes" phase, and the 5 minutes never came. I also started to feel like maybe my things I was greatful for were trivial. Some of the things I have seem text book..."grace...mercy...forgiveness" ...but at the same time, maybe not so much. Without those things, I would just be a sinner, walking around through this life motionless, like a zombie so to speak. I do have a LOT to be thankful for.
32. Chocolate
33. My bible
34. Acrylic paint
35. Coffee cans
36. Grace
37. Mercy
38. Forgiveness
39. Room darkening curtains
40. Hardwood floors
41. Mouthwash
42. Swiffer mop
43. Homemade gifts
This might take a while....I'm not sure even if anyone reads my blog. So maybe no one notices if I'm not posting for a few days? I'm not sure. It's kind of fun, but at the same time I look forward to the day where instead of looking for things to be greatful for, the greatfulness for God's awesome creations just comes naturally
32. Chocolate
33. My bible
34. Acrylic paint
35. Coffee cans
36. Grace
37. Mercy
38. Forgiveness
39. Room darkening curtains
40. Hardwood floors
41. Mouthwash
42. Swiffer mop
43. Homemade gifts
This might take a while....I'm not sure even if anyone reads my blog. So maybe no one notices if I'm not posting for a few days? I'm not sure. It's kind of fun, but at the same time I look forward to the day where instead of looking for things to be greatful for, the greatfulness for God's awesome creations just comes naturally
Friday 20 July 2012
1000 gifts: Day 2
I feel like I'm having a little trouble finding things to be greatful for today. Maybe I'm not in the right mindset. I'm not sure. I've got some though, and I'm trying so that's what counts, right? I'm still plugging away, so here's todays results. How are you doing so far?
15. Fish and chips night at work
16. Comfy warm bed
17. Ear plugs
18. Hot shower
19. Skype
20. Flavoured coffee creamer
21. Homemade strawberry jam
22. Bacon
23. Lip balm
24. Hair dye
25. Hair straightener
26. Hair spray
27. iPod
28. Chocolate Milk
Okay, so I came up with a few more after I paused for a bit. That's it for today. :-)
15. Fish and chips night at work
16. Comfy warm bed
17. Ear plugs
18. Hot shower
19. Skype
20. Flavoured coffee creamer
21. Homemade strawberry jam
22. Bacon
23. Lip balm
24. Hair dye
25. Hair straightener
26. Hair spray
27. iPod
28. Chocolate Milk
Okay, so I came up with a few more after I paused for a bit. That's it for today. :-)
Thursday 19 July 2012
1000 Gifts: A project
I was given a challenge on Tuesday. A challenge to draw close to God, and find the good in everyday life. An attempt to, when all we seem to be able to focus on is the negativity in our lives, in the things that go or are going wrong to find the blessings God has given us. To change our way of thinking.
The book 1000 gifts by Ann tells her story, and she does just that. I don't know much about the book as I've yet to read it, but regardless, with or without reading the book I know this is something I need to do. So, I'm hoping if there is anyone out there that reads my blog, you will come along with me in doing this. 1000 blessings. 1000 things to be thankful for. I can't wait to see how it turns out!
My goal is to write something every day, as much or as little as possible, and see when my mind changes. Will you join me?
1. Eye mask to help me sleep during the day.
2. My big air conditioner
3. Kitty snuggles in the morning
4. Lavendar sprays for sleeping
5. Coffee
6. Ball point pens
7. My blender
8. Ice cream
9. Glasses
10. Contacts
11. Sunglasses
12. Cell phone/text messaging
13. My church family
14. My best friend Trish
14 things on day one. I'm not sure if that's good or not. I'm SURE it will become easier the closer I get to 1000 and I'm going to want to go well past the 1000 things. This is going to be fun!
The book 1000 gifts by Ann tells her story, and she does just that. I don't know much about the book as I've yet to read it, but regardless, with or without reading the book I know this is something I need to do. So, I'm hoping if there is anyone out there that reads my blog, you will come along with me in doing this. 1000 blessings. 1000 things to be thankful for. I can't wait to see how it turns out!
My goal is to write something every day, as much or as little as possible, and see when my mind changes. Will you join me?
1. Eye mask to help me sleep during the day.
2. My big air conditioner
3. Kitty snuggles in the morning
4. Lavendar sprays for sleeping
5. Coffee
6. Ball point pens
7. My blender
8. Ice cream
9. Glasses
10. Contacts
11. Sunglasses
12. Cell phone/text messaging
13. My church family
14. My best friend Trish
14 things on day one. I'm not sure if that's good or not. I'm SURE it will become easier the closer I get to 1000 and I'm going to want to go well past the 1000 things. This is going to be fun!
Monday 16 July 2012
I was a witness
Sunday July 15, 2012 is a day that will forever be etched in my brain. God's amazing and awesome works are shown in many things we see, do and experience every single day, but I was awe-struck by what transpired this day.
Freedom House church normally has it's worship service in the lower level of the market square mall. This particular Sunday they forewent their usual worship service, and offered a "free" baptism service in Harmony Square. Anyone could be baptized, except for babies..as long as they understood what it meant. If you understood that Jesus is your savior and that He died on the cross for your sins and mine. If you knew that you needed and wanted a relationship with Jesus you could be baptized. Amazing!
They started with a short worship service (amazing job by their worship team), and had two pools set up behind for the baptisms. The rest of the afternoon was pure amazing. People that chose Jesus and chose to be baptized that day were so many, and from so many walks of life. There were young people, old people, there were families. There were different nationalities, there were SO many broken people. My 10 year old nephew (well - he's my best friends youngest - I've made him my nephew because I say so) decided that day he was ready to be baptized.
I cried. I cried because I was so proud of him for the leap of faith he took, he's so young! I cried when I watched some of the people who were quite obviously broken get baptized. I know that there is healing, hope and a future for them, with Jesus alongside to walk with them! I cried when I watched a man and woman get baptized. They were both differently-abled, he did much of his commuting in a scooter, and she did much of hers in a wheelchair. She was on oxygen. She got up out of her chair and got in the pool and was baptized. Praise the Lord! A woman was baptized who waited 30 years to be baptized. She'd been told she wasn't allowed to, and so she waited 30 years for this very day. Hallelujah!
It was an amazing day, this particular Sunday. Not often do I feel like a very spiritual person, or do I feel God's presence. I always know He's there, and I've been blessed beyond what I can imagine by him, I just don't always feel it, or recognize it until later. I felt God's presence yesterday. He was definitely there. Probably at least (or more then) 100 people were led to Jesus and baptized. That is so beyond awesome.
What an awesome way to both end and begin a week...
Freedom House church normally has it's worship service in the lower level of the market square mall. This particular Sunday they forewent their usual worship service, and offered a "free" baptism service in Harmony Square. Anyone could be baptized, except for babies..as long as they understood what it meant. If you understood that Jesus is your savior and that He died on the cross for your sins and mine. If you knew that you needed and wanted a relationship with Jesus you could be baptized. Amazing!
They started with a short worship service (amazing job by their worship team), and had two pools set up behind for the baptisms. The rest of the afternoon was pure amazing. People that chose Jesus and chose to be baptized that day were so many, and from so many walks of life. There were young people, old people, there were families. There were different nationalities, there were SO many broken people. My 10 year old nephew (well - he's my best friends youngest - I've made him my nephew because I say so) decided that day he was ready to be baptized.
I cried. I cried because I was so proud of him for the leap of faith he took, he's so young! I cried when I watched some of the people who were quite obviously broken get baptized. I know that there is healing, hope and a future for them, with Jesus alongside to walk with them! I cried when I watched a man and woman get baptized. They were both differently-abled, he did much of his commuting in a scooter, and she did much of hers in a wheelchair. She was on oxygen. She got up out of her chair and got in the pool and was baptized. Praise the Lord! A woman was baptized who waited 30 years to be baptized. She'd been told she wasn't allowed to, and so she waited 30 years for this very day. Hallelujah!
It was an amazing day, this particular Sunday. Not often do I feel like a very spiritual person, or do I feel God's presence. I always know He's there, and I've been blessed beyond what I can imagine by him, I just don't always feel it, or recognize it until later. I felt God's presence yesterday. He was definitely there. Probably at least (or more then) 100 people were led to Jesus and baptized. That is so beyond awesome.
What an awesome way to both end and begin a week...
Friday 10 February 2012
All By Myself
I signed up for a creative writing course in the fall, which was suppose to start on January 13th. The course started, without me in it. Since I've been unemployed, I needed the money, I dropped out so I could get the money back. A couple of weeks ago, I decided that if I wasn't going to be able to take the course, I'd attempt to teach myself. I went to the library, and checked out half a dozen books on creative writing, fiction writing, and even one on writing my memoir.
One area of this book I'm reading through now, it kind of is striking a chord with me. Funny as it sounds, but it's about journaling (not blogging), but I suppose in a way my journal does have some ideas in it. A lot of it is song lyrics, but I think the song lyrics speak to what my life was like at the time, or how it reflected on my personal life. Some of the lyrics were pretty dark and depressing it sounds like, but I never thought about it. I bought this book a bunch of years ago. I went shopping, and spent all kinds of money I shouldn't of spent for my birthday. It's a real nice book, not just a cheap spiral note book, it has a spine and everything. Not all of it is just song lyrics, there are some story ideas, and maybe a couple lame paragraphs where I was whining about how much I thought my life sucked. Really, my life has always been pretty great, I was just at a really dark point where I felt lost and alone I guess. I wouldn't change a thing about my past or my present now.
Don't throw out your writing. This is something I've heard time and time again. Lately, all I wanna do is throw out anything I begin. Or, I'll write a few sentences or maybe a paragraph and then scratch it because its "dumb". Guess I won't be doing that anymore. Soon my computer will be crowded with really bad writings :-) I have some "fan-fic" type stories that I still have, but they're so unbelievably bad and unbelievable, it'd really be both embarassing to both myself and the person I subjected to, to read them. One of them is so long, it could be a novel. It's way too long to be a short story, and just long enough to be a small novel maybe. Only if it weren't so terribly lame. Sometimes it is fun to go back and re-read though. If nothing else, they're good for a laugh. For my eyes only.
Some of these books I've been looking at have a lot of good information. Story structure, ideas, characters, tons of stuff. Though I don't have any ideas yet, I'm excited to go through these books some more, and see what's in store for my creative future. I can't wait for my mind to be as open as it once was, only brilliantly. It's really time to get my award-winning novel going here!
One area of this book I'm reading through now, it kind of is striking a chord with me. Funny as it sounds, but it's about journaling (not blogging), but I suppose in a way my journal does have some ideas in it. A lot of it is song lyrics, but I think the song lyrics speak to what my life was like at the time, or how it reflected on my personal life. Some of the lyrics were pretty dark and depressing it sounds like, but I never thought about it. I bought this book a bunch of years ago. I went shopping, and spent all kinds of money I shouldn't of spent for my birthday. It's a real nice book, not just a cheap spiral note book, it has a spine and everything. Not all of it is just song lyrics, there are some story ideas, and maybe a couple lame paragraphs where I was whining about how much I thought my life sucked. Really, my life has always been pretty great, I was just at a really dark point where I felt lost and alone I guess. I wouldn't change a thing about my past or my present now.
Don't throw out your writing. This is something I've heard time and time again. Lately, all I wanna do is throw out anything I begin. Or, I'll write a few sentences or maybe a paragraph and then scratch it because its "dumb". Guess I won't be doing that anymore. Soon my computer will be crowded with really bad writings :-) I have some "fan-fic" type stories that I still have, but they're so unbelievably bad and unbelievable, it'd really be both embarassing to both myself and the person I subjected to, to read them. One of them is so long, it could be a novel. It's way too long to be a short story, and just long enough to be a small novel maybe. Only if it weren't so terribly lame. Sometimes it is fun to go back and re-read though. If nothing else, they're good for a laugh. For my eyes only.
Some of these books I've been looking at have a lot of good information. Story structure, ideas, characters, tons of stuff. Though I don't have any ideas yet, I'm excited to go through these books some more, and see what's in store for my creative future. I can't wait for my mind to be as open as it once was, only brilliantly. It's really time to get my award-winning novel going here!
Monday 16 January 2012
Anyone out there??
I haven't written in a little while. I guess I've sort of been overwhelmed with life lately. I got fired from my job on December 5th. They said I wasn't good enough, I didn't have enough initiative or drive. You can't really fix something if you don't know it's broken. I really didn't know anything was wrong until suddenly it was my last day and I was being ushered out the door. My head is still spinning.
I've been talking to God about this a lot lately, and every time I wonder how much He listens, I think maybe I should be doing less talking and more listening. He has a habit of showing up for me every time I need Him though, and has taught and is teaching me lessons throughout all of this. Still, it's very stressful.
My dad and step-mom have been great throughout all of this too. They're constantly checking in on me, whether it be a phone call or an email, or whatever. They've always been pretty supportive. My step-mom recently suggested I start writing the novel I've been wanting to write. Perhaps the story of my life? I've been stewing over this for a few days now, trying to figure out how, and where to start. I have no idea really. I mean, I kind of do, but it's more like a cable TV with no reception and nothing but static up in my head. There's too much going on. I have a few ideas, so I'm hoping that once I start writing things down or whatever, I'll be able to turn it into something brilliant.
Here's hoping...
I've been talking to God about this a lot lately, and every time I wonder how much He listens, I think maybe I should be doing less talking and more listening. He has a habit of showing up for me every time I need Him though, and has taught and is teaching me lessons throughout all of this. Still, it's very stressful.
My dad and step-mom have been great throughout all of this too. They're constantly checking in on me, whether it be a phone call or an email, or whatever. They've always been pretty supportive. My step-mom recently suggested I start writing the novel I've been wanting to write. Perhaps the story of my life? I've been stewing over this for a few days now, trying to figure out how, and where to start. I have no idea really. I mean, I kind of do, but it's more like a cable TV with no reception and nothing but static up in my head. There's too much going on. I have a few ideas, so I'm hoping that once I start writing things down or whatever, I'll be able to turn it into something brilliant.
Here's hoping...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)