Music to energize

What is your favorite song that gives you energy?

That is the NaBloPoMo writing prompt for today. My answer? I don't know. I can't name just one song. I listen to Contemporary Christian and Country on a regular basis and there are lots of songs that uplift and energize me.

Lately I have been leaning more toward the Country music. I take spells like that, where I only want one type of music. I used to feel faintly guilty for my love of non christian music. Like if I wasn't listening to hymns I was headed straight to Hell.

Then last year I read "The Shack" (a really great book, by the way) and something in that book changed my attitude about my music choices. If you aren't familiar with the plot, it's about a man who has a visit with God in a shack in the middle of nowhere. (If you want more, read the book). At one point God is listening to something really funky and not at all "christian" and the man questions the choice. God explains that He/She (read the book!!) loves all types of music, because He/She looks past the words to see the heart of the musician.

Now, I'm not God and I can't see the heart of the musician, but I can listen carefully and look for the message in all types of music. I can listen with an open heart and let the music renew my spirit. And if it doesn't renew me or bring joy and energy, I turn it off. There are blessings to be found in all types of music, not just hymns or "christian" songs. You just have to look.

Sometimes it's the words that appeal to me (Thompson Square's "Glass", for instance) and sometimes it's the beat (Tim McGraw's "Truck Yeah"). So, I won't feel guilty about my music choices anymore. I'm not going to worry about being judged for being less than the perfect follower of Christ because someone else doesn't see what I see in a song (a silly thing to worry about, but I have).

Music is a beautiful gift from God. There are many types of music and many types of people who enjoy them. The important thing isn't what you listen to, but what you take from the experience. Are you being uplifted, energized, filled, and blessed? If the answer is no, then change it. Find the music that speaks to you, and fill your life with it.

A love note from our Father

In other news, if you missed yesterday's One Word announcement, click here to see what in the world I am talking about.

My word in Faithful. Last night I was thinking about my word as I waited for sleep to come and I realized there is a very practical area of my life that needs some faithful attention. My blood sugar. See, I am a type 2 diabetic, one who hasn't taken a blood sugar reading in at least 2 months. I hadn't even realized it had been so long! Now, before you panic, my sugar levels are pretty stable. But that doesn't mean I don't need to check. It's a tool to remind me to take care of myself, if I don't use it I slip into bad eating habits and my numbers creep up.

So, just to keep me honest and accountable, I will be adding a blood sugar reading to the end of my posts a few times a week. This is more for me than you, so feel free to ignore it! :)
Today's (fasting) # is 123. Given the late dinner and the carbs involved, I am very surprised it wasn't higher!

Okay, that's all for today! Now, let's go make it a great day!!

Sunday thoughts on resolutions, intentions, and One Word.....

It's the new year and I have spent the week reading a lot of blogs about resolutions. Some folks make them, some don't, but almost everyone agrees that resolutions are hard to stick to. In my reading rambles I stumbled across Susan over at Ripplespillers who doesn't make resolutions, she has "intentions". In her own words, here's why:

"Because that feels eminently more doable. They’re still goals, regardless of what I call them; and I’m still serious about tending them until they bloom in my life.
But there’s room for them to move, to grow, to change, to evolve. There’s space if I want to adjust them, expand them, or nudge them up a bit to add to them."

I like that. And her list of intentions for 2013 is really well thought out. Several of them resonate in my heart, they are definitely things I intend to spend more time on this year. Go read her post, I bet she will inspire you too.

As I continued my wanderings around cyberspace I found another concept I really like in place of resolutions. It is called One Word. The idea is to pick a word that represents what you want to achieve in the coming year.

I first read about the One Word over at Successfully Underachieving, where Elizabeth caught my attention with this statement about resolutions:

"Making resolutions for the year can be very helpful. Some are very competitive and so they get excited and invigorated during the new year because so many other people are setting their goals. For me, adding pressure to the mix just makes me want to retreat. I have to make my goals a little more flexible so as to not make my inner 3 year old decide she doesn't want to do them."

I definitely have an inner 3 year old who kicks and screams at being told what to do. It's why I don't make resolutions (or join dieting contests). So, the idea of a less structured focus on the New Year really appeals to me.

Elizabeth also provided a link to another post, Always Well Within, that I found had some very helpful guidelines for picking your word. I won't list them all here because I want to encourage you to go visit the page yourself, But here are the ones that helped me the most:

• Is there a quality you would like to grow in your life?
• Is there a quality that you would like to diminish?  If so, what’s the opposite?
• Can you encapsulate a goal for the year in one word?
• What do you want your year to look like?

I will tell you that Elizabeth's word is " Mindful". I came really close to making it my own word, but then I realized I was cheating because I wasn't putting in the effort to really think about it. So I did....

While I was thinking I stumbled upon a few other blogs on the subject of choosing one word for 2013. Two of them really stood out for me:

Kerry over at smiffbib (which is one of the very first blogs I ever put in my reading list) chose the word "Palpable". I really like that word and she explains her thoughts for it's choice so well:

" I want to be real… Involved… acknowledged… hands on… I don’t want to be invisible"

I think that is something most of us can relate to. Kerry closed her post with this:

"I hope this New Year brings you so much Joy that it is Palpable!"

Palpable Joy! How beautiful is that?!?!

So far I have Mindful and Palpable, both great words. But not my word. I will tell you my word in a minute, but I have one more word to share with you. I found this one over at Periphery, where Tangled Lou choose "Space". The scifi geek in me quickly added the words "the final frontier" before I hushed her and kept reading. I'm glad I did because Lou had some great thoughts on her word. I will give you just a few, but really, don't be lazy; go read her post for yourself. You won't regret it!

"Space: between breaths, between tasks, between thoughts. Relish the rhythm of things
 Space: room. Space to grow, space to learn, space to achieve, space to fail, space to try again. For myself and for others.
 Space: for myself. Not selfish-get-away-from-me space but the kind of space where regeneration takes place before I get to the get-off-me-right-now point."

Lou made me look at space in a new way. I plan to bookmark her post and reread it throughout the year to remind myself of all the things space can be and how important it is.
Now we have Mindful, Palpable, and Space. All great words (intentions), given with a fresh perspective that made me stop and think. So, what is my word? Really, it wasn't too hard for me to come up with. It was right in front of me the whole time. Can you guess?

My word is Faithful.

Button made by Melanie at Only a Breath

 When I stopped to give it a moments thought, the answer was pretty obvious.

• Is there a quality you would like to grow in your life? Faithfulness
• Is there a quality that you would like to diminish? Fear/anxiety If so, what’s the opposite? Faith
• Can you encapsulate a goal for the year in one word? Faithful
• What do you want your year to look like? I want to look back and see that I have followed the path God placed before me. That I have been faithful and He has worked through that faithfulness. I want God to work miracles in me and through me to touch the lives of those I love. I want to be faithful to myself and my beliefs, but open to growing and learning from others. That is my intention for 2013, in one word.

My search for my word was a long and winding road that lead me right back to why I started this blog in the first place, to grow my faith and share my journey. I suppose I could have found my word without ever leaving my own corner of the blogosphere, but I would have missed out on so much! Susan, Elizabeth, Kerry, and Lou gave me some wonderful things to consider. They gave me new direction and inspired me. And that is what blogging is all about, sharing your journey in the hopes that someone else may find something of value in your words. Ladies, I have to say, Mission accomplished!  

I don't know where my word is going to take me in the coming months, but I am looking forward to the journey. I hope you are too. I hope maybe what I have shared today will inspire you in some new way. 

Whether we call them resolutions, intentions, or one word, the idea of new beginnings and fresh starts is a good one. God promises us new mercies every morning. A clean slate every day. I plan to embrace that in 2013! 

Oh, and if you are interested in getting a one word button like mine (with your own word) go visit Melanie over at Only a Breath for instructions on how to get yours! Thank you Melanie for my button, I love it!! :)

 

 

It's raining and I'm rambling

It's raining here in my little Texas town. It started yesterday morning and it's been pretty consistent ever since. I'm not complaining, mind you. I love the rain. I love the cozy feeling of snuggling up on the couch and reading a book or catching up on my shows to the sounds of raindrops on the roof.

Other than the rain, there isn't much going on here. I was feeling bad yesterday (some kind of stomach bug I am guessing) but other than feeling a bit wrung out I am good to go today. To bad the only place I really have to go is the grocery store, we are out of milk.

So, I've been participating in NaBloPoMo this past week, in case you haven't noticed (where were you? I missed you!). The first time I did NaBloPoMo was last November. That time I didn't really follow the writing prompts. I told myself that this time I would use them. It's a challenge, let me tell you. This month is all about energy, which is not a subject I consider myself well antiquated with. But I am trying....I should get points for that. :)

The problem is really that the topic doesn't do much to inspire me. Probably because I am, at heart, a very unenergetic person. I am in fact quite lazy (I have told you this, right?). I don't think I was always like this, though I honestly can't remember for sure. My adult life has pretty much centered around things I had to do, tasks that had to be accomplished. I suppose that is true for most adults. We do what we have to. There hasn't been a lot of time, energy, or desire for much outside of those tasks for a long time. But I am trying to change that.

That's part of what this blog is about. Changing my days, doing something outside my "usual". Challenging myself a bit. Which is why I am trying to stick to the prompts. I just hope (and pray) that I can find something inspiring to say about each one. Otherwise you might stop coming by to visit and I would be really lonely.

That's about all I have for today. Actually, I want to go because I want to work on tomorrow's post, which I am really excited about. It's been writing itself in the back of my head all week, I just haven't taken the time to type it up. I hope I can do it justice!

I hope you have a beautiful day, wherever you are. God Bless!

Just a little something to brighten up our day!

At what time of day do you feel the most energetic and productive?

I like to think I am not a morning person, probably because I like to sleep in until my internal alarm clock goes off. But is I am being really honest, First thing in the morning is when I feel most productive. I have developed the routine of getting up and turning on the computer, then I get a Diet Dr. Pepper and sit down to write.

I'm still yawning, but my brain is getting wound up for the day ahead. And with a little caffeine in me, I am ready to face whatever comes!

Disclaimer: I wrote all the above on New Year's day, getting a jump start on NaBloPoMo. Good thing too, because today I feel really bad and not at all energetic. I was up and down all night with nausea, which is just about the only thing that can keep me awake. So, I am going back to bed.

some words of encouragement. I need them.

P.S. I'm still looking for folks to send some happy snail mail to. If you are interested,click here for the form!

What is your favorite way to recharge when you feel drained of energy?

When I feel drained, I sleep. And I sleep a lot. More than I think is healthy. For years it has been my preferred method for dealing with stress. Upset me and I won't stay up all night plotting revenge or arguing with you, I will sleep.

I have pretty severe sleep apnea, and it went undiagnosed for at least a year because I slept through it. My brain kept me moving all night to keep me breathing, but I never woke up. As a child I slept through a tornado right outside my bedroom window. As an adult I slept through a hurricane.

But, you know, I am not sure I would say sleep is my favorite way to recharge. My default, yeah. But my favorite? No, I think that would have to be reading and writing. Writing is still pretty new to me, and nothing gives a bigger thrill than seeing those page views go up! Now, reading has been with me for as long as I can remember. I loved having stories read to me as a child, and once I figured out reading for myself, I was never without something to occupy me.

Over the years, I have gradually spent less and less time reading. Discovering the blogosphere has changed that. It has inspired me and renewed my enthusiasm for reading. I haven't really set any firm resolutions in place for 2013, but I would like to read more. That seems to be a worthwhile goal. One that will recharge and inspire me in new ways.

While I am thinking about it, I want to share with you a great novella I just finished. It is called Carson's Love and is a beautiful story of love and remembering what's really important in life. Here is a link, I highly recommend it!

Hey, don't forget to stop over at my "Thursday Thankfulness" page to see what I am thankful for today! :-)

This post is in response to today's NaBloPoMo writing prompt! 

Which daily tasks take up the most of your energy?

That's the NaBloPoMo writing prompt for today. My answer, work. It feel like it consumes my whole day. If I'm not getting ready for work, driving to work, working, driving home, or preparing for the next day, I'm sleeping.

I've said it before, I love my job. Completely. So, I'm not complaining, not really. Just trying to answer the question as honestly as possible. And now I find I am out of words on the subject.....

Now what?

Oh! I can tell you about the post I wrote for the Falling Skies blog! You can find it here. I submitted it over the weekend and then tried to be patient while I waited to see if it made the cut. I am terrible at patience!! But I got up this morning and there it was!

I have mentioned in earlier posts that I am a huge scifi fan (fiction TV fan in general). Falling Skies is my current science fiction favorite. It is a summer series, so there are no new episodes now, which has led those of us who are impatiently waiting to start picking apart previous seasons and making wish lists (demands) and posting them online! :-)

I really enjoy writing about the show, stretching myself a little in new areas, and sharing my interests with other like minded souls.And it's pretty cool to see yourself in print on another blog too!

Okay, I guess that's all for now. I gotta go get ready for work. I hope everyone has a beautiful and blessed day!

Let's go be beautiful, shall we? 

From where do you draw your energy?

From so many places.

First and foremost, I draw energy from my relationship with God. And when I neglect that relationship it shows. I become a poor reflection of His grace and love, snappish and brooding. Not a lot of fun to be around. Funny thing, it took me years to work out the correlation between my attitude and my walk with Him. I guess I'm a bit dense!

Next, I would have to say my sweet hubby gives me energy. I love my time with him, time to just be myself with no walls or restrictions on my silliness. He supports me, even when he doesn't really understand me. And that energizes me and prepares me to face a world that really has no clue what they are in for!

My furbabies. I love cats. And we have a bunch (don't judge me, we never had kids, so they are our children). I love watching them play and zip around the house. They lift my spirits and love me unconditionally (as long as there is food, water, and fresh litter). What could be more energizing?

My friends and family make the list too. The people who accept me and love me just for being me, and all the craziness that entails. 

Lastly, and most surprising to me, is writing. I know, I know, I write a blog. It shouldn't surprise me to realize I like it and draw energy from it. But until last summer I had never considered writing anything more than a short post on Facebook or a note to my hubby. The idea for this blog sprang fully formed into my mind. A gift from God, I see now. A new way for me to grow. I am excited to see where it (He) takes me this year.

So, I have to ask, where do you draw your energy from?

Let's make today the best it can be!

**I almost forgot! If you want to receive some Snail Mail Love from me, fill out this form. If you have no clue what in the world I am talking about click here to read about it!