These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things

Further Introduction:
Just to enhance my introduction a bit I thought I’d give this small glimpse into my ever-evolving list of favorite things. I find it extremely comforting to carry this list with me wherever I may roam.  It’s comforting to reminisce over the things in the list and to add to it as life happens. Counting my blessings and being reminded of the beauty in the world can sometimes pull me out of one of my dark moments.

Coffee
Cats
Dogs
Potter County PA
Scary Movies
Anne Lammot
Pajamas
Robert Plant
Journals
Reiki
Incense
Wine Colored Things
Rosaries
Keaton Henson
BBC
Biscotti
Sara Groves
Blankets
Moonstruck
Tea Pots
Elizabeth Arden
Steampunk
Creek Walking
Folklore Coffee Shop
Used Bookshops
Moonlight Swims
Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwiches
The Catholic Mass
Gail Carriger
Herbs
Vampire Weekend
Public Radio
Rudolph Steiner

Waldorf Education

One of my most favorite things in life is hiking with my family.  My portfolio includes literally hundreds of nature photographs I’ve taken over many years.  I’ve added just a little sample to this post.  Pretty pictures also tend to have that healing effect on me, hence my addiction to sites such as Pinterest and Tumblr!

Never Too Late for Grace

Grace:
**The free an unmerited favor of God as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings.**
More often than not I have a difficult time convincing myself that I am deserving of anything good that comes to me. I am a sinner. I identify with that label. What I’m trying to change is my acceptance of this thing called Grace that is offered to me by the Lord through Jesus Christ every day of my life. Most days I go about my routine giving no thought to the possibility of Grace. It just seems unattainable, doesn’t seem to apply to me. I feel broken and unrepairable. The overwhelming scope of what needs to be fixed and forgiven in my life is insurmountable. That knowledge keeps me stuck in “just getting by” for as long as I am here on this earth. I don’t wake up early.  I don’t put on clothes and makeup.  I don’t go outside unless I absolutely have to.  I don’t focus. I don’t fight.
Or rather… I didn’t.  Something inside of me sort of lit up a few weeks ago.  Something said “This is not who you were meant to be.” All of these traumas and mistakes and failures give you something to go on.  Something to teach.They give you something to rise above.  Something to fight against or fight for. How many people have been broken and healed and come out with a story to tell?  How many people have inspired through overwhelming odds? Who says you can’t start over at 40 years old? How many people of all ages have received God’s Grace and started over? I read and hear about it all the time.  I saturate my life with these kinds of stories.  I believe it for others. Believing it for myself is where I have remained stuck up until this point.
It is not 24 hour a day, 7 day a week transformation by any means. But it is a small whisper in my soul that is persistent; that I can hear when I get quiet and listen. I wonder how many others are out there that have to put a reminder in their calendar for a half an hour of quiet time.  I actually need to hear that alarm every day and read those words to remain steadfast. And when I get that reminder, I need to go to another room, put in my Kari Jobe CD’s, open my bible, and process.  This is the key, I think.  To envelope your thoughts and your words, your heart and your soul in the knowledge of Jesus and the Grace that you have not earned, but are freely given! Ephesians 2:8 brings this process into my heart.  There is nothing that I can do to earn this.  No amount of self-loathing or self-berating is going to make it more likely that I will receive this gift, for it is not my doing, but God’s.
Ephesians 2:8… For by Grace you have been saved through faith and this is not your doing; it is the gift of God.
Today I would just like to extend my appreciation and adoration to a couple of women and their blogs that have given enormous encouragement toward “staying in the Word”.  They are:

Time Warp Wife
<a href=”http://www.time-warp-wife.blogspot.com/”><img border=”0″ src=”http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v715/DarlenetSchacht/button.png?t=1290190269″></a&gt;

Rachel Wojo
http://rachelwojo.com/

Kari Jobe - Here

Blogging in 2014

What you should know about me… I’m a Pinterest Addict! That distinction carries with it both positive and negative connotations.  Yes, I spend way too much time online whether it be on my home computer or on my smart phone.  I am forever searching and reading; typing and editing.  Pinterest has made it possible for me to locate and follow a large variety of fabulous blogs all over the web! It’s thrilling to read a post and find yourself in someone else’s words.  I feel like I’m making a connection in a sense, just by commenting on a post.  That being said, I decided I wanted to try my hand at reaching out in 2014.  I wanted to put a little of myself out there and lend my voice to issues I hold dear.
So onto my introduction.  Aside from the self-confessed social media addiction, I am a wife and a mom struggling to find balance in a world fraught with obstacles and demands.  I have been married for almost five years.  I have a 15-year-old daughter whose daily struggles have prompted me to reach out to other mom’s for suggestions and guidance.  I’m in the job search market and have been for almost two years.  That, in and of itself, is debilitating at times.  I’m also looking for ways to make homemaking a priority but also make it less daunting at the same time.  When I do find work I will still need to find the time to make my house a home.
I struggle with depression and anxiety as well as with Type 1 Diabetes and a host of other medical complications.  I struggle to find time, indeed, sometimes I struggle with just wanting to make time.  There is a host of addiction issues in my past that I am trying to cope with “One Day at a Time.”
I am looking for that relationship with God that seems to be so prevalent and comforting with people whose blogs I follow.  I know that this is where my energy needs to be focused first and foremost if I am to find resolution in any of these other areas.  Routines needs to be developed. Examples need to be followed.  I figure the blogging platform may be my best at reaching out and seeking community.  I would love to see myself grow as a result of this endeavor.
I know that there are relationships to be formed and answers to be found. Community is where I believe it will start.  Thanks for taking the time to read this and I look forward to this blogging adventure and what I may become.