Homegrown Hospitality

Unexpected Happiness

Right before New Years, we hooked the ol' Mallard up and went camping for a few FREEZING days.  I am a warm/summer camper so this was a new adventure for me and was excited (& also confused) on what we would do without the amenities of summer, like a pool, lake or river, but I packed up my markers, papers and blankets and we hit the road.

Just as we pulled up to our site, it started to pour but because we are campers, we were not shaken..infact, just as we finished running around setting up camp, we received a welcome gift:Us "adults" (that my sister and I) found it very easy to just sit in chairs (under EZups because it was raining)  and ask for campfires (after they thought they could move the fire ring closer to us)
Nope, it did not budge, but an "A" for effort Anyways...When it wasn't raining, we took hikes through the dry riverbed and Auntie Steph (that would be me) was probably the COOLEST AUNTIE EVER by breaking the law and passing over the signs that read CLOSEDSuch outlaws Trailblazers....look at how happy they are...sorry Jen!

Anyways..as mentioned in a previous post, we "looked" for heart rocks, which meant you did not really look for them, you just let them pop out at you and we all agreed how much more special it was when you come across something unexpected...and the fact that you don't always have to take what you find.  Sometimes it is just as special to leave it for the next person so that they can experience unexpected happiness.

Then I got an idea..

On our next hike, in between campfires and rain, before we left, I grabbed a handful of Sharpies and put them in my pocket and we headed out.After we "trail blazers" crawled into a drainage pipe to get a photo
I handed each one of them a Sharpie.  

Without any real "instructions" (and the simple explanation that this was not graffiti because we were writing one small word) I reminded them of our last conversation about how little things we see and find along the way can make us happy and I told them to think of "happy words"

That is all I said....and for the next 30 minutes or so (because it started to rain again) I felt an unexpected abundance of happiness because they just knew what to do...

and because we all felt very happy (because doing happy things makes you feel happy) I placed my camera on a piece of wood, set the timer and got a happy shot of Unexpected Happiness and then ran back to camp because it really started to rain!

Today, do something that will allow others to feel unexpected happiness.

Read Between the Lines

This is a long one...get comfortable.

In January of 2008, I made a decision, well, sorta like a declaration and said something out-loud..and well, after what I thought I was going do do 2008, I wrote this in October of 2008.

Fast forward several years, to late 2012, as my church, Saddleback started to talk about the twelve new churches in 12 countries. 

Oh boy, I opened my heart, my mind and my mouth and made another declaration, circled a box on a little white card and made a decision to start planning to "do something"...DUH, I should know...it isn't about my plans. I know that and just as I thought I was ready to commit to a "mission" and just as I thought I would start "planning" what I thought was going to do this year, "my plans" were diverted and things are shifting to HIS plans.

It started with a few emails, texts, conversations, prayers and truth cards that traveled to the Philippines with Melody...and from the day she left, it spiralled perfectly "in-control" and things have started to come together, not by my doing, but by HIS doing. I am not going into all of the details just yet because really, I don't have all the details yet.  I am still in the "give it all to God" and saying "yes" stage, praying for wisdom and direction but I will share this with you...Part one.

I am joining efforts with an amazing team of women and diving deep into the world wide epidemic of human trafficking in a way that is going to "gloriously ruin" me, just as Kay Warren wrote in her book, Dangerous Surrender.

Me?

I am just an ordinary girl and what in the world can I possibly do to help or change this human traffic crisis???  It is way out of my comfort zone, will be uncomfortable and likely disturbing and at the same time, I cannot stop thinking about it.

Me?..yes me.

You?..yes you.

We?..yes WE!

WE can do something by reminding rescued women how they matter, what they can do to create a living, that trusting, having faith and being brave is necessary and that they are loved.

Part one for me is helping to raise money for the She's Worth It Campaign that will go towards rescuing, teaching, empowering, educating and loving the girls that need to know that they matter, that they are capable, that they are worth it!

I am asking for 50, 75, 100...of my friends to donate $10.00 and also share the cause....because we are better together, and together, we can change the lives of many.

Thank you for your consideration. 

 

Online fundraising for Stephanie Ackerman fundraising for She's Worth it! at Razoo

What Can I Do?

A storm, a diagnosis, a grieving heart...whatever it might be, unfortunately, we live in a broken world full of disasters, death, distress, disappointment and discontent and bad things happen to good people all around us.  (Thanks alot, Adam!)

There are so many circumstances surrounding us and when we are on the outside looking in, the "What can I do besides in addition to praying?" feelings are overwhelming.  It is the question I have been asking myself and others alot lately. There has got to be more I can do, whether I am 3 feet or 3,000 miles away.

Personally, I am tired of hearing people complain about gas prices. We are lucky to have gas..

and politics...

We are lucky, blessed, whatever you want to call it, to have a choice.

So, again.."What Can I Do in addition to praying?" start by working together with others towards a common goal because

"..Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed" Ecc 4:9

We can lend a helping hand and a prayerful heart to those who need assistance. 

It is our job.

".. we must work, doing something useful with our own hands, that we may have something to share with those in need." Eph. 4:28 NIV

With great optimism, resilience and faith, ultimately we can help in turning the bad into good by getting up and doing something....

• Offer Your Physical Presence - Be there. Be Close.
• Offer Security - Open your doors to offer safety and protection.
• Offer Practical Assistance - Offer to prepare meals, run errands & make appointments.
• Give Emotional Support - Pray for them and with them..out-loud.
• Love One Another - "We belong to each other and each of us needs all the others"Romans 12:5
• Demonstrate hope & remind others that giving up is not an option.
  

My Creative Process

I know I have gone over this before, but I feel it is worth repeating...lucky you!

Personally, I cannot create something that doesn't have a specific "purpose" nor something that is not "me" nor something that I would not welcome into my own home.  I have to be authentic when I am creating something because if I am not, it is evident, at least me. I did the opposite for many many years (creating what others wanted to see) and in the process, lost sight of myself completely.  I hate admitting this because I brought this on myself (be careful what you wish for) and at one point, I thought I had lost that loving feeling for creating.  When I (finally) realized that I was upset, anxious and even crying over it...

I had had enough and had to stop in my tracks.  

COMPLETELY STOP

Happily, like any other lesson/journey in life (after the creative pit I had gotten myself into) I learned so much from it and praise the Lord, I am still standing. Now, do not get me wrong, those creative crash tests (mistakes) still happen but the way I handle them is much different.  For instance, it happened yesterday with the little Christmas teaser I posted.  I should have taken down the post because just moments after posting...I tore apart the entire project.

Welcome to my creative process.  Because I consider that I have a creative soul and am a brave girl, it is okay (it is for you, too.)

You might cringe but (man, there are alot of butts in this post!) it is just paper...just ink, maybe a canvas, a few embellishments, a HUGE mess well, and yes,  a little time, but ultimately, like anything else, if you don't feel something is "you" is "your best" or is something that reflects you...you can feel it, and it is not a happy feeling and can be unsettling.

Remember this from "The Seed"

The bright side of this is ( and most situations) is you can do it over. 

I believe it is called a Mulligan in the golfing world and I have a post somewhere about it...and hey, please don't look at it as "wasted time" because it isn't.  Look at it as a lesson, maybe a reminder and then make the change.  Incidentally, after my big creative crash yesterday, I created one of my most favorite mixed media projects ever and I am now writing a class on it, for both in-store and on-line.

Keep the faith and keep going..

Whoops.

I am weeks deep into a very intentional study on a book called Replenish by Lance Witt.  The book is written about spiritual leadership & soul health, well and burnout (and everything else in between) in regards to church leadership & ministry.  

As we get to the last few chapters, we are recognizing that the second 1/2 of the book really applies just as easily to life (and not just church leadership) and I may be quoting this book for awhile because as much as I have learned without the book, I am recognizing more truths as I get through the book...

I have slightly re-written the passage from page 94 changing the "we" to "I" and I have a hunch you  will totally get it:

Sound familiar or ring a bell?

SIMPLY COMPLICATED.

This was 100% me several years ago and sometimes, because of the crazy world of judgement, culture, opinions and random yuck we live in, well and really because Adam ate the apple (and blamed it on Eve) those tendencies try to rear its ugly self into my life..more often than I like.  

whoops.

Thanks, Adam.

fail.

human, duh.

It happens...

Way to go Eve.

When the whirling dervishness creeps up, I am able to recognize the symptoms because I have been there, done that.  I had to feel the fail to learn from it.

Note To Self:  Trying to do everything for everyone all the time instead of living for an audience of one is not a good idea.

Just sayin.

Out of My Hands

I had about 7 minutes.

I was in between a big airplane and a small one.  

Going from two pilots, a full crew and complimentary drinks twice in the flight to Snoopy flying a plane, one crew member and an aisle between seats that was to narrow to have a service cart go up and down when I got the call...

and another and another and another..and then a text, and another..and another.

I started to feel my knees buckle and for a brief 100th of a second thought "turn around and go home" even though it was a very minor "issue"..very minor.   For a twelve year old that doesn't like when his momma goes away from home, the minor issue probably seemed HUGE and because when I was twelve and I did not like when my momma went away, I knew what he was feeling.

DEEP BREATH...

Outside the window, Snoopy was up on a ladder starting to spin the propellers on the plane to get the engine started when the call came over the intercom bullhorn that it was time to board....

Me being me, being a mom that is now across the country from home, has a phone vibrating in her pocket and is watching snoopy wipe the dew off of the plane window that is the size of a small fish aquarium, I had to pull up my boot straps, take a deep breath, walk out onto the runway to climb that ladder to get to the plane and just get to my seat all-the-while trying to ignore the buzzing of the vibrating phone...shoot..I needed to turn off my phone so snoopy could fly the damn plane (sorry for the language).

I got to my seat, buckled in, shut my eyes and prayed it away.

PRAYED THROUGH IT and GAVE IT AWAY.

Moral and lesson of the story = There was nothing I could do, but exactly what I did which was all I could do.

Let it go and let GOD have it.  It was out of my hands..and into His, like a hot potato.

whew.

Little did I know that the above story would be exactly what I needed to go through to be able to turn it into art for the prompt that Courtney was going to send me..

Always know that something you are going through is for a reason. You have to "Go through it to grow though it", challenges lead to growth whether you are 12 or 40 something, and as the book "The Seed" quotes on page 98:

Give it to God...HE can handle it...and get going on what you are supposed to be doing.

Right Now.

Before I starting this post this morning or even knew what I was going to write about, I read Mel's newest blog post (and I suggest that after you are done here, you hightail it over there to be lulled by her amazing writing....) then I opened up "The Seed" to this highligted excerpt (remember, I told you I highlighted most of the book...) and knew what I was going to write about.

Don't miss what is all around you right now....because of the muck, the mess and the fear. Please open your eyes...

It was dark when I arrived in PA on Thursday night and this is the first thing I saw Friday morning as opened the curtains from my room in Pennsylvania.

Maybe you will understand it, or maybe you won't...but it made me gasp, I think my heart skipped a beat..and I KNEW I was right where I was supposed to be and had I buckled in fear, I would have missed this sight.  The dark sky, the bright barn, the rusted roof....the green life all around....Do not miss the life all around you right now.

All of the Above

WARNING: A LONG ONE...Grab some coffee, tea...or drink of choice.

We all have a specific "purpose" and several years ago, when I not only "heard" that, but took it SERIOUSLY did I "get it" (no, not "my purpose" but the entire scope of what it means)  

I was EXCITED to know WHAT my purpose was, because I never really "knew" what I wanted to "be" when I grew up besides a wife, a mom and a PTA member (hold your comments !!!!).

Insert screeching breaks....

Ummm...It is not like you stand in line, wait your turn and then be handed a slip of paper that tells you what your Purpose is and, "Duh"...it's not really what "we want to be"... (I thought I had to figure it out...)

 

NOPE.

Our individual purpose is "what we were created to be" and up until a handful of years ago, did I REALLY get it...and I had to "grow through" what I had to go through* to understand it all and now I get it. I mean, I got it...

My Purpose, that is...

and here is the thing, everyone else around you may be able to "see" it and "know it" and even tell you what "it", your purpose is, but until you REALLY get it, you don't...

Oh, I hope I have not lost you because here it is:

I am starting to feel, think and see things differently than I really ever have before and with that, I have to say...

It's not about scrapbooking...(duh)

or doodling.. (eek!)

or making things from paper..(drat!)

or baking things from dough and batter..(whatttt????)

or stitching things from felt...(gulp!)

or painting, stamping or really anything thing else....It, MY PURPOSE is about inspiring, influencing, teaching, reminding and loving all of the above and creating a community around it.

Insert falling confetti, letting colorful balloons fly, blowing party horns, clicking heels like a leprechaun, lighting fireworks..

It only took 42.75 years to figure it out..now I have 42.75 years, give or take, to work it. 

 

Thank YOU for being part of my PURPOSE!

amen.

Practice:Process

It is Saturday, January 21..5:15am...it is raining, it is quiet...everyone is asleep (even coco) and I am working, thinking, listening, doodling, reading, absorbing and something just clicked...a big click....I want to shout..LOUD...but I can't...because it is 5:15 and it would mess up my quiet and for sure wake up the dog, and then he would whine for a bone, and then it would just go a tad downhill from there...so for now... lucky you..you get my silent shout!

Fastfoward...7:30 am

Dog is awake...so is the Valentine..still raining, coffee pot empty...still raining...thoughts down...dreams spoken...doodle doodled and just so you know....I am getting it..seeing more of the big picture

and along with that...YOU are a HUGE part of my process...

So thank you! 

"Buck the System"

I know that the world is broken, that people are a total wreck and messed up, that we are in a recession, that we are all tired, sometimes just want to give up, that it is going to get a little bit worse before it starts to get better (yippee..aren't you glad you stopped here!) and that your frustration with the issues at hand might even make you want to exchange a letter or two in the title of today's post to read something else....

I KNOW and UNDERSTAND ALL OF THIS so please do not misunderstand me and think that I am unaware, uninformed,  live in a bubble or think that a cute little Hello Kitty band-aid doodled over the globe is going to make things better. I am not and I don't, plus we live in a "boy" house...no Hello Kitty here...

But really, what are you going to do???

Give up?

Give in?

Throw in the ol' towel?

If you are still reading, I would, however, like you to understand me and the "steam behind my engine." That when the times get tough, I feel myself get tougher, stronger (insert "the eye of the Tiger" Rocky song) and I get really motivated to "buck the system" (whatever that means) without stopping and sitting in protest, yelling and screaming, (okay, I do cry a little, but not for that long,)  All those things do is take up time and energy and shoot, I have two very active boys and a husband that need love, food and clean clothes. No time for a protest on "who's fault it is"

If you want to blame someone, blame Adam and Eve..they started it all. (okay, that would really make a GREAT protest sign)

I just wanted you to know that I do understand and did not want you to misunderstand me by thinking that if you just use a little decoupage and cover up the crap in life, the economic problems and basic brokenness of the world with patterned paper, edge it with glitter, add a few eyelets to the top and tie a string through them, that it will make everything just disappear...

It won't

BUT (there it is again)

I refuse to just sit, stew, pout, fuss, cry and point fingers. 

I choose to remind myself and others.

" Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Galatians 6:9(TNIV)