Category Archives: psychology

Be “Daring Greatly”

When certain friends recommend books, I know that I should order the book from the library. (I love my library!)

BUT when Ang recommends a book I know that I have to get my hands on it! I normally buy 2 or 3 books per year and when Ang recommended the book Daring Greatly I had it in my hands within the week via Amazon.

The subtitle of the book is “How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead”.

I am on chapter 3, but I have to share the excerpt I read yesterday while I jump up and down. Here it is:

“As I explained in the introduction, there are many tenets of Wholeheartedness, but at its very core is vulnerability and worthiness: facing uncertainty, exposure, and emotional risks, and knowing that I am enough.”

DID YOU READ THAT? Yes more encouragement that I am enough!!

I love God.

“Coincidences are God’s way of remaining anonymous!”

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Be a Dough Eater

This is a little post for my dear friend Ang, who would never, ever eat cookie dough!

I absolutely love cookie dough, even more than eating a baked cookie.

Yes, I do know that there is raw eggs in the dough, but I figure that certain people eat cupfuls of raw eggs, so it must be okay. At least I include a little butter, sugar, flour, and other things with my raw eggs.

My boys have learned to love to bake with me. I never really baked until I had children, well I never really cooked to tell you the truth! I heated things up.

Now, when I tell my boys that we are going to make cookies, muffins, popcorn they come running, grab their stokke chairs and push them up to the counter. Our middle guy CC is beside the fridge grabbing the milk, eggs, and butter and our big boy is beside the bowl getting ready to add the dry ingredients. It is an amazing time! They take turns mixing and, of course, when it is all done, they each take turns have a taste of the cookie dough. They take licks of the beaters, they sneak their fingers into the dough and they even get spoonfuls sometimes.

We were surprised the other day when our youngest, non-walking baby boy, climbed up, pushed his way between his two big brothers and reached for the dough.

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Yes, Ang, we start them young around here!

Be a Chauffeur

Due to an Achilles injury and subsequent surgery 3 weeks ago, my husband cannot drive. He can’t walk far due to his crutches. He is dependent on others for many things – carrying coffee, cereal, the baby and doing basic “blue” jobs around the house.

We have decided to move our family of five to a furnished basement suite closer to his work because he is unable to commute the 60kms to work. I will be his chauffeur!

Today, he had the privilege of having a buddy drive him around for the morning. Thanks Kurt I don’t think I am meant to be a professional chauffeur, so I appreciated the break.

 

 

Be Open

Today I am trying to be open!

Open to new possibilities with my family.

Open to new people and new places.

Open to moving my family of five 60 kilometers down the lake.

Last week, I had the most incredible moment of being open.

This thought gets me through today.

Today I want to cry, weep, pound my fists and dig my feet into my current soil.

Today I want to stay.

But last week I experienced the most glorious moment of openness. This moment propels me forward into the unknown.

Here was that moment:

Every morning I try to have a quiet time with My Father. To pray, write down what I am thankful for, to read His word and to know Him more. I love this time because it sets the tone for my day and makes more aware of certain things during the day. Last Thursday, I read a certain scripture and immediately a picture formed in my mind. (Take note, that I am not an artist nor a drawer, really my skill set is Kindergarten colouring!).

 

This is not the end of the story, though, because soon two little boys joined me at the table and share in the openness I received.

 

This all occurred before 7:30 in the morning. Not bad for a night hawk!

Be a Saturday Night Hair Styler

I have never really “done my hair”. Yes, I have had it cut, coloured and styled at the hair dresser, but besides perhaps adding some sort of hair product and blow drying my hair and perhaps even combing it, that’s all folks!

A couple of weeks ago, I got my hair cut from a wonderfully beautiful and young hairdresser. She spent 3 hours on my hair. Yes, 3 hours! 3 whole hours to myself reading magazines, chatting and I even got a nice hot cloth to wipe my hands and some beautiful cream to put on afterwards. Anyways… so in those three hours, she cut, shampooed, dried, straightened and styled my hair.

Last Saturday night I was inspired, I decided to relive the teenage years that I had heard about, doing your hair on a Saturday night. I had spent my teenage years playing sports or watching a video with a big group of friends. Hair styling never.

This was a first for me. Enjoy the fun!

Hmmmm….

 

Hey, what is going on?

 

 

Oh my, what did I do? Back to the regular Saturday night programming!

 

My oldest did walk in at one point and say, “Mommy you look beautiful!”. Thanks darling.

Be a Leaf Gatherer

You know that I love trees, but for the past two weeks, I have been secretly cursing our HUGE maple, walnut, cherry and two apricot trees because my husband is lying on the couch with a surgery attached Achilles tendon.

Guess who is raking all the leaves this year? Moi, me, meine! But not only is raking the leaves on my mind this year, I am also taking care of 3 children 5 and under as well as being the hands and driver for my crutch using, boot wearing husband!

I was overwhelmed with my leaves, until two magnificent women came into my life… today my 69 year old mom and our neighbour came over to rake up all the beautiful leaves… and yes they were beautiful again once they were all lined up and waiting for the next snowfall.

Whew!

Thanks fellow leaf gatherers. “Air hugs!” (As my oldest son calls them!)

Be a Tree Hugger

Every single place I have lived and loved has had fabulous trees! There is something about old gnarled trees with leaves floating along their branches. The beauty of how trees shelter us in the summer and then lose their leaves so that we can get more sun in the winter.

As humans, we try to make things “straight”. Our homes have 90 degree walls, our mattresses, coffee tables, shelves and chair have them too! We like things smooth and straight.

I often do this with my situations and relationships, I like them to go in a particular way, I don’t enjoy any rough edges. Sometimes, I feel very uncomfortable.

But, God created the things of this earth crooked, bend, gnarled and beautiful. I need to strive to be more like our trees in our backyard – knowing I am God’s creation, perhaps “imperfect” in the world’s eyes, but beautiful! I need to trust Him more.

Be a Morning Person?

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am not a morning person. My pattern has been work late, exercise in the evening, sleep in when I can… and when I say sleep in, I mean til 10am or later.

The birth of 3 children aged 5, 3 and 1, have slowly lead me to become a morning person. I now regularly wake up between 5am and 6am, depending on which boss boy needs me.

Don’t tell any of my immediate family members, hence we might bring on a heart attack, but I actually enjoy my mornings now.

The boys and I eat breakfast, look out the window at the birds/snow/leaves, play some lego and we hangout together at our extra large borrowed Ikea table.

I even get a little bible study in, where I can read, reflect, pray and be thankful. What a way to start a day!