tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70414886833763528052024-03-05T18:22:28.927-05:00Light by MorningMolliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07807901179205365061noreply@blogger.comBlogger150125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7041488683376352805.post-36312835025010899112014-10-27T15:55:00.000-04:002014-10-27T15:55:24.048-04:00Dwelling on Sin Versus Reclaiming the Weeds<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I’ve been learning a lot about shame these past few months—mostly that shame and sin are often so intertwined, it’s difficult to peel apart and define the two beasts. This may seem obvious on the surface, but I promise you shame is more engrained in our culture and in our personal lives than we would ever want to admit. I’ve noticed the subtle knocking of shame, how it invites itself into the many layers of our lives, how it surrounds brokenness, even when we dwell on sin that has grieved us in the past. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">As Christians, we’re uncomfortable with dwelling on sin because we don’t want to throw a pity party, right? I’m especially thinking on past sin (sin that grieves us or sin we commit). What good can come from reflecting on pain and sin? For some reason, many Christians believe that regeneration should take away the effects of sin—either quickly or permanently—when in reality, there are thorns; there are weeds. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Dr. Dan B. Allender, author of <i>The Wounded Heart</i>, spoke into that dark place in my heart that was afraid to admit that some things still hurt—even through the work of the Holy Spirit. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">“Facing the reality of the Fall and beginning the process of reclaiming the land covered with weeds is the marvelous work of the God-ordained Kingdom gardener. It is labor eminently worthy of every believer to reclaim the parts of one’s soul that remain untilled and unproductive for bearing fruit. And the denial of the past hinders this work of reclamation.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">These words draw something out of me; they cause something to leap out of my heart: something unrecognizable . . . something emerging that is fragile but beautiful. It’s strange to feel this sort of tapping at my heart, to experience or outline God’s vague finger print on my life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">We experience many trials in this Christian life, and we are all suffering in one way or another—whether it’s illness, financial burdens, the loss of a loved one, being enslaved to something that is slowly chipping away at us, fear. . . . The different kinds of suffering are endless because we live in a broken, fallen world. And I don’t dwell on this to be morbid, I dig it up to remember that denial is not “putting it behind me” as a follower of Christ. As Dr. Allender puts it, “<b>‘Where was God?’ is a legitimate cry of the soul to understand what it means to trust God. </b>Irrespective of the answers, the question is not to be avoided. If God is trustworthy, He can be trusted without our efforts to distort or deny the past.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Often when we think of sin and how Jesus washed us white as snow, we cheapen forgiveness with the “forgive and forget” mentality. But forgetting—hiding the past—always involves denial, and “denial of the past is always denial of God. To forget your personal history is tantamount to trying to forget yourself and the journey that God has called you to live.” Yes, we are new creations in Christ, and no, sin does not have a hold on us, and praise be to God for this truth. <b>But living with the effects of sin is a reality in a broken world, and sometimes we have to sit in the weeds.</b> It often feels like I am juggling those dark areas of my soul that are full of weeds—the suffering—along with the joyful, fruitful parts. It’s uncomfortable to sit and wait, to struggle; it seems idiotic to be vulnerable enough to explore the deepest damage. Yet Dr. Allender warns those experiencing shame that the “first great enemy to lasting change is the propensity to turn our eyes away from the wound and pretend things are fine,” adding that “the work of restoration cannot begin until a problem is fully faced.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Our culture tells us to avoid the wounded heart—to create a little fence around it and to never assess the damage. But there is something freeing in Dr. Allender’s words. If we admit without shame that regeneration does not remove the effects of sin, we are free to face the damage without feeling like we are denying the gospel. We let Christ enter in! Our fragile, wounded hearts are safe in his hands, and better yet, we can trust that this good news is in fact true. <br />
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Last night, I sat with some friends and talked about a miraculous encounter in the Bible: when Mary Magdalene first witnesses the risen Jesus. It seems ludicrous<span style="background: white;"> </span>that someone so close to Jesus—someone who adored him and called him teacher—wouldn’t recognize the resurrection. It is only until Jesus says, “Mary,” that she believes (becoming the first ever Christian witness) that he in fact rose from the dead. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Why doesn’t she expect it? Jesus mentioned to his friends several times that he would conquer death. Tim Keller in <i>Encountering Jesus </i>suggests that <b>Mary, like all of us at some point, was looking for the wrong Jesus. For a dead Jesus.</b> But “He comes to her, gently works to open her heart. . . .” And that is why it is okay to sit in the weeds. We can inspect the damage and own our story because Jesus redeems it. He is alive and he gently calls our name, even in our grief. And do you know what Mary does in the presence of the risen savior? She cries out, “Teacher!” and tells the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!” Keller compares Mary’s conversion story—of hearing her own name on the lips of the risen Christ—with the words of Annie Dillard when she wrote, “I’d been my whole life a bell, but I never knew it until I was lifted up and rung.” And so my call for you, dear reader, is to lift the shroud of shame, as Dr. Allender urges, and to peer deeply into the wounded heart—knowing that Jesus is alive, knowing that he is enough. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07807901179205365061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7041488683376352805.post-53191890051319943102014-08-25T14:24:00.002-04:002014-08-25T14:28:10.800-04:00Vacation<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>A snapshot of the brewing storm, taken by my lovely sis-in-law, Lydia Grace.</i></span></div>
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</span> <span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">We are huddled on the condo porch overlooking the ocean and sky and everything in between. My skin is pink from the sun and my face hot from rubbing sunscreen under my eyes, which are also pink from splashing into chlorine, like the thin rim of watermelon. When I plummet into the clear glass water, I am breaking something, spilling out; I am calm and remembering</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">—</span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">perhaps nothing worth retelling, but a kind of rebirth that sounds like a million little hands clapping under water. I hear the popping sound; I squint and swim downward from the center of my belly. Deflating, I push off the slippery bottom to the surface of this sun-filtered water, this sun-drenched honey, just as a writhing fish pops on the line</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">—</span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">shimmering coins in the sun. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">And now I am here with them, rubbing my pink eyes. Some of us standing, some of us sitting, all of us listening to</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">—</span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">baffled by</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">—</span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">what should never escape us: the glory of God, the power of his mighty hand, cutting through a summer storm. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Summer storms at the beach are ghosts that demand to be reckoned with; but this one is different. I could hum on about the way it shakes us</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">—</span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">the fear that bubbles up when we remember just how human we are, the gushing sheets of rain that rip through the dark, billowing on rooftops and pavement, setting the street lamps on fire,</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 16.866666793823242px;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">as if each pelt against metal sparks and erupts: a fireworks display. I could recount how the music is sweet, how we are peeling back the edges of sky and ocean with each bolt that lights up our view, </span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">as if I would need to, when God himself is composing the flash of a photograph, reminding us where the tide and black blanket sky divide. But my words are short-lived, like the jellyfish in the sand, like the popping in my ears, the quiet pounding of feet on wet tile. We are listening to Simon and Garfunkel, the words <i>homeward bound</i> crackling in our ears, and that's when we know that it is all true and beautiful. </span></div>
Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07807901179205365061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7041488683376352805.post-87818835950682128932014-07-09T09:56:00.000-04:002014-07-09T10:02:06.740-04:00Mud and Water: A Two-Part Look at Praying Confidently<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Leave it to good old John Calvin to point me to Scripture that convicts and stirs my soul. This morning, in <i>365 Days With Calvin</i>, I am uncomfortably aware of my need to repent, yet again, of my critical spirit. But to understand my messed up heart, you have to enter into two thoughts I have about today's devotion and how they both unravel me. </span></div>
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</span> <b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">1. Asking While Abiding: Praying Confidently</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">John 15:7 states, "If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you." In my spiritual walk, you could say that these words have taken on new meaning at different phases of my life. Just as the leaves whither, change colors, fall and grow again, these words take root in my life and their weight changes when I am raw or when my heart is hardened. </span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The "slot machine" God</span></i></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I confess that as a new Christian -- and sometimes, even now -- I interpreted these words to mean that he is some sort of "slot machine" God, because why not? He said whatever I ask is mine, right? I suspect this tension exists for many Christians in this instant-gratification-seeking, materialistic, always-wanting-the-next-best-thing American culture. But these words do not become heavier when I want material things or when I am charmed by this life: I attach complicated feelings to these words when I want my way because it <i>seems </i>noble or perhaps <i>aligned </i>with the gospel. Sometimes, the things I ask of a slot machine God are not entirely selfish -- sometimes I want to heal the sick, a more stable future for my husband or my family, an outward solution to a stressful situation. That's when Calvin's words regarding John 15:7 are hard to swallow. Scripture tells us that, whatever those who are in Christ may need, there is a remedy provided for their poverty as soon as they ask it from God. He points out that this a very useful admonition, for the Lord often suffers us to hunger to train us to be earnest in prayer. But if we fly to him, we shall never lack what we ask for; rather, out of his inexhaustible abundance, he will supply us with everything that we need (1 Cor. 1:5). </span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The sap of the Holy Spirit</span></i></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Here's where it gets tricky: When he promises that he will grant whatever we wish, he does not give us permission to form wishes according to -- as Calvin puts it -- "our own fancy". He limits the wishes of his people to the rule of praying in a right manner, and that rule is subject to the good pleasure of God in all our affections. Calvin adds, "This is confirmation by the context in which the words stand; for he means that his people <i>will </i>or <i>desire </i>not riches, or honor, or anything of that nature, which the flesh foolishly desires, but the vital sap of the Holy Spirit, which enables them to bear fruit." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I love this perspective of the "sap of the Holy Spirit," because -- if I'm being honest here -- I do not always desire the sap that enables fruit. I want the fruit, and I want what <i>I </i>think is fruit in <i>my </i>life. Calvin reminds us that a Christian's prayer should ultimately be that God's will be done. Any petition that deviates from God's will is not appropriate. But what is God's will? He notes that the answer is found in these words: "If my words abide in you." With God's Word as our guide, we may pray in confidence, knowing that "it shall be done unto us." In saying, "If my words abide in you," Christ means that we must take root in him by faith; for as soon as we depart from the doctrine of the gospel, we seek Christ separately from himself. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">For me, there's a lot to reconcile here. Asking while abiding is such a fine line, and I tend to teeter on both sides: Placing my confidence in the slot machine God, expecting earthly blessings or him to give me what I deem as fruit; or placing my confidence in another contorted image of God -- the idea that earnest prayer is insufficient and unnecessary, because why would the Creator of the universe care enough about my petty problems? What a lie! We often buy into this lie during the most trying times, wondering how a loving God could allow so much pain. I am not going to pretend to know all the answers here, but I do know that God delights in his children, and he cares deeply for the details of our lives. "Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?" (Matthew 6:26) </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">2. Be the Doer, Not the Judge</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I don't think it's a coincidence that the call in Matthew 6 to <i>seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness</i> is linked to the words <i>do not be anxious</i>. I also don't think it's a coincidence that following Matthew 6 is a passage on judging others. I don't know what it is about anxiety and grasping onto this illusion of control, but there is some innate part of me as an anxious person that desperately tries to be a little god. Anxiety likes to sit on the throne of my heart and say, "I'm king here." It likes to say, "I'm in control." And guess what happens when you think you're in control of your own life? You become more than a little god -- you become a judge. Ta-da! Introducing my critical spirit. In Calvin's devotion this morning on asking while abiding, it is no surprise that the suggested further reading is James 4: a warning against worldliness and boasting about tomorrow. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The Greek word for devil means slanderer. Therefore, it's no surprise that his Word warns us: "Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?" (James 4:11-12)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">This passage truly wrecked me this morning. So often, in my unhealthy, anxiety-ridden state, I try to be a judge in my own life and others. My self-critical nature begins to seep out into my relationships, and suddenly I find myself being critical and judgmental of other people -- especially my brothers and sisters in Christ. I heard a man say that sometimes recognizing gossip is simply this: when you point out another person's sin in his or her absence. Sometimes, I confuse righteous anger with being a judge and not a doer of the law, which results in slandering other Christians and destroying fellowship. When I speak falsely against a fellow believer, I speak not only against the person but against the law of God. As a slanderer, I set myself above the law. . . and this is not okay. I want to <a href="http://lightbymorning.blogspot.com/2013/06/mud-and-water-repentance.html"><span style="color: #e06666;">bless and not curse</span></a>; I want to repent. I see my critical spirit becoming a stronghold yet again in my life, and I hope that by posting these words I can remember to desire the sap of the Holy Spirit, which enables fruit and cuts off bitterness. </span></div>
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</span> <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;">I hope these words encourage you. They may seem harsh, but James 4 tells us to "Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you." True repentance is found in a broken and contrite heart. There is a time for mourning and a time for laughter. If you find yourself moved by Calvin's message as I did, I hope you will reflect on the hope of Christ and dwell on how our Father refines us. We must let his Word abide in us, together -- and without destructive, critical words to one another. </span></div>
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<br />Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07807901179205365061noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7041488683376352805.post-24424626628904941552014-06-13T21:02:00.000-04:002014-06-13T21:02:15.027-04:00Making it [life] count<div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Everything new blossoms in summer; we renew old aspirations, embrace new ideas and hobbies, and try to make room for what's coming -- which for us, in Florida, pretty much consists of sweaty walks to the farmer's market, afternoon rain storms, and travel plans. I have an ever growing TBR list and Aaron's fiddling with the mandolin; we are experimenting with fun new cocktail drinks and summer pasta salads. Despite the heat, I want summer to be a time for exploration and returning to a place of peace and curiosity. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I find myself caught between two (strong) emotions: fear of plunging into the unknown -- which truly is just around the corner -- and excitement for all of the changes and growth, particularly entrepreneurial growth. When I was <a href="http://lightbymorning.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-gap-by-ira-glass-and-why-i-cant.html"><span style="color: #e06666;">dreaming up my freelance business</span></a> last year, I knew there was so much to learn and do. It's overwhelming at times, but I'm learning to stop and appreciate each little moment as it comes, no matter how terrifying it can seem at first. I still feel like a middle schooler with a serious crush when I get editing inquiries: nervous butterflies in the best way. And when it all feels like too much, I stop, take a deep breath, and remember to cry out, <a href="http://lightbymorning.blogspot.com/2014/06/short-and-simple.html"><span style="color: #e06666;"><i>God, come get me.</i></span></a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">On my mental health journey these past few months, I finally discovered a name for one of the monsters I've been battling: Anxiety. The anxiety I struggle with reveals so much about my heart. I understand my need for emotional boundaries to protect my own health and Aaron's health, and my need to stop grasping after this <a href="http://lightbymorning.blogspot.com/2014/06/short-and-simple.html"><span style="color: #e06666;">illusion of control</span></a>. There's still a lot I need to dive into on this road to healing and freedom, and unfortunately, naming my anxiety doesn't make it go away. Some days I'm convinced I have all the answers I'll ever need, and other days I'm slapped in the face with the reality that my mental health story isn't about finding solutions as much as it is about <a href="http://lightbymorning.blogspot.com/2014/01/when-words-bring-healing.html"><span style="color: #e06666;">going through the process</span></a> and grieving or dealing with certain things along the way; my journey has more to do with allowing myself to sit in this space and becoming self-aware. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">If I had known I would be thinking this way or writing these words about "healing" and "self-actualization" a few months ago, I probably would have responded with cynicism. It's not that I necessarily bought into the negative stigma of mental illness, but I can be very self-critical and, admittedly, it all seemed kind of </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">hoax-y </i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">on the surface. I think that's partly why <a href="http://lightbymorning.blogspot.com/2014/03/coming-out-of-hiding.html"><span style="color: #e06666;">God put us where we are now, in Orlando</span></a>, surrounded by all of these awesome RTS students and counselors. The things I've learned from people here -- about myself, family, and community -- are things I will never forget.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">That said, right now, I'm in the business of making life count. I'm tired of anxiety owning me, of fearing what's around the corner. Sure, a lot of what I feel on a day to day basis is a healthy dose of nervousness mixed with excitement and feeling my way through the dark; but it's time to start enjoying moments in life. I don't want to be absent all the time because I'm consumed with work or thoughts about the future. So here's what I plan to focus on this summer -- a challenge, really -- to be present and generally <i>enjoy life</i> more:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #0b5394;">Reading (Together):</span> </i>I already mentioned my personal TBR list is growing, but what I'm most excited about as a reader is the nerdiness of reading <i>with </i>Aaron. Gah. I know, it's so geeky, but I don't care. We decided to tackle a series together, and I'm going to go ahead and say it: It's probably going to be <i>The Lord of the Rings</i>. Go ahead and judge me, but Aaron reading to me? It's dreamy, folks. DREAMY. I'm so looking forward to putting our phones away and getting lost in a good book together. We're already such an old couple; the next thing you know, I'll be telling you we like to play board games together (I mean . . . because we totally don't like board games or anything. . . . ahem.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #0b5394;">Limiting screen-time: </span></i>This goal totally ties in to the first on my list, but I am convinced that getting away from the computer, phone, and T.V. screens will help me to <i>be present</i>, especially in the evenings. When I am intentional about this, it totally frees up my time for reading, cooking, or spending quality time with A or friends. It's so hard to get me away from the screen, but once I unplug, it feels amazing. I already deactivated my Facebook and guess what? It helped me take that busy feeling down a notch. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #0b5394;">Repeating my new biz motto:</span> </i>Lately, my biggest temptation to be absent throughout my day/evenings is being consumed or overwhelmed by client-relationships and freelance projects. I'm constantly learning and there's always more I feel like I should be doing. That anxiety perpetuates, and I've realized I don't actually relax, even when I think I'm relaxing, because my mind is elsewhere. If I want to have a healthy work and life balance, this has to end. For me, the best approach to nip this in the bud is to adopt confidence and genuine enthusiasm for new editing projects. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Most of you know I live in Winter Park, home of the beloved <a href="http://riflepaperco.com/"><span style="color: #e06666;">Rifle Paper Company</span></a>. I watched a talk on <a href="http://creativemornings.com/talks/anna-bond/1"><span style="color: #e06666;">Creative Mornings</span></a> featuring Anna Rifle Bond, the creative director and co-owner of Rifle, on how the husband-and-wife duo started their stationary business. Something she said really resonated with me: They never said no to an opportunity. "One of Nathan's biggest things is never say that we're not ready," she said. Anna admitted that this motto often put them in tricky situations, but that ultimately it was worth it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Rather than freaking out about new things in my own business, I find myself repeating something Aaron said to me lately: "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." I want to leave the work anxiety behind and remember that there's no harm in striving after something, even if you fail. In a similar vein, when confronted with challenges in my personal life, my counselor recently reminded me of a quote by G.K. Chesterton: "Anything worth doing is worth doing badly." Now, I can't completely translate this particular advice to my professional life because I do want to uphold a standard of excellence as a freelancer, but Aaron's sentiment of <i>what do you have to lose? </i>is a push toward optimism and chasing worthwhile efforts.If it matters to me, it's worth pursuing. You miss 100% of the shots you don't take!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #0b5394;">Drink coffee with two hands:</span> </i>One of my favorite <span style="color: #e06666;"><a href="http://mymcmlife.com/"><span style="color: #e06666;">bloggers</span></a> </span>(who happens to be a fabulous foster mama) recently directed me toward another blogger's <a href="http://ashleyannphotography.com/blog/2014/04/04/coffee-with-two-hands/"><span style="color: #e06666;">challenge</span></a> to "drink coffee with two hands." The idea is simple: when we drink coffee with two hands, we slow down and savor the moment more. (Just another reason why <span style="color: #e06666;"><a href="http://lightbymorning.blogspot.com/2012/07/why-i-think-cup-of-coffee-can-stir.html"><span style="color: #e06666;">coffee</span></a> </span>saves lives here, people.) We reflect; we take the time to talk and think about what's going on around us. What a wonderful challenge to be intentional in the every day, small moments!</span></div>
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Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07807901179205365061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7041488683376352805.post-3389706752621778372014-06-09T09:33:00.000-04:002014-06-09T09:58:18.259-04:00Gifts to Remember<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Today I am reflecting on the gifts of forgiveness and repentance. It's easy to live in a state of frustration because of the tension that inevitably exists for redeemed, yet sinful people pursuing godliness in a broken world. We know that our best attempts are like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6); that we will not measure up; that we miss the mark, that we all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way (Isaiah 53:6). And yet we still have this glorious calling -- we are still adopted into the family of God and we are still encouraged to pursue godliness.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">"Train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe." (1 Timothy 4:7-10 ESV)</span> </span></blockquote>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">"His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted us to his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed for his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure. . ." (2 Peter 1:3-10 ESV)</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Ever since my college days, my friends and I have always insisted that with every good thing in life there is a fine line. Striving to make your calling and election sure can quickly lead to legalism; living in freedom and the knowledge that </span><i style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Christ lived the perfect life so we didn't have to </i><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-align: justify;">can quickly lead to laziness. This past Sunday, someone told me, "the doctrine of election is not a doctrine for slackers." This same person also told me that at its core, "worship is nothing more than sanctified remembering." We are called to remember our forgiveness in Christ because it stirs our hearts -- not toward a life of legalism, but a life of true heart transformation.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Whenever I think about living in this tension, I remember John's words: "My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father -- Jesus Christ, the Righteous One" (1 John 2:1). John understood that forgiveness does not dismiss our calling to obey the commands of God or to use our election as a license to sin, but to remember the "perfected" love of God. We must respond with a life of obedience. And when we sin (and John knows that we will, because we are still sinners), we must remember that Christ is our advocate. The Greek word for advocate is </span><i style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">parakletos, </i><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">a "helper," such as an attorney in a legal matter. When I read this passage in 1 John, I picture Jesus in a court room, standing on my behalf. We fall short of the glory of God. Every day. But we should not live in shame or dwell on the weight of our sin, just as we should not abandon our first love and forget the costly blood of Christ! We must dwell on the weight of his glory.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">As forgiven people, washed by the blood of Christ, we can walk freely and know -- in communion and love -- that he regenerates us by his Spirit. John Calvin wrote on the gifts of forgiveness and repentance, urging us to remember that repentance is just as much the gift of God as inheriting the heavenly kingdom. "As God freely pardons our sins and delivers us by his mercy from the condemnation of eternal death, so he also conforms us to his image so that we may live unto righteousness." He continues to point out that "As God freely adopts us as his children, so he regenerates us by his Spirit in order that our life may testify that we do not falsely address him as our Father. In like manner, Christ washes away our sins by his blood and reconciles our heavenly Father to us by the sacrifice of his death. . . . The sum of the gospel here is that God through his Son takes away our sins and admits us to fellowship with him, so that we, in denying ourselves and our own nature, may 'live soberly, righteously, and godly.'" Forgiveness and repentance are to be distinguished but never separated. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Today, I am in awe of Christ, who laid aside his crown for my soul, and for a God who does not leave anything up to me. Even repentance is a gift from him; by remembering what Christ has done, he stirs our hearts toward repentance. </span></span></div>
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Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07807901179205365061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7041488683376352805.post-1709914794858636902014-06-02T23:59:00.003-04:002014-06-02T23:59:32.279-04:00Short and Simple<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Sometimes I think the only way to escape that stagnant feeling in life is to hang on to old words or songs that grip you -- I mean really, fiercely grip you. During those busy seasons, it's terrifyingly easy to drudge through it all on autopilot, moving through the motions to pay your bills on time, stick to the plan, buy the right groceries, or live for that perfect weekend and moments of luxury in the midst of the mundane. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Some days we want it all and some days we want to let it all cave in and live unconventionally, but most of the time the driving force that propels us forward are kind words, surprising reactions to the raw truth, solitude and God's word coming alive on the page or from the mouth of a stranger in a room full of people . . . . however we experience it, there are little bits of life that wake us up. One of the reasons I love blogging is because I can go back and look at my mind wanderings and my fears . . . my moments of despair and my moments of great joy. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I see beginnings and endings on the page, I reimagine conversations that -- for whatever reason -- struck a chord with me or mornings that made everything new. I love looking back on the start of this blog three years ago and reading about how we <a href="http://lightbymorning.blogspot.com/2012/02/making-room.html"><span style="color: #e06666;">made room for Zoey</span></a>, the silly hound dog we were so nervous to invite into our family; the quiet moments I dreamed up as a <a href="http://lightbymorning.blogspot.com/2012/01/music.html"><span style="color: #e06666;">barista</span></a>; the day my life was turned upside down with the possibility of a move to <a href="http://lightbymorning.blogspot.com/2011/12/rivers-roads.html"><span style="color: #e06666;">Houston</span></a>; the <a href="http://lightbymorning.blogspot.com/2012/02/marriage-letters-opposites-attract.html"><span style="color: #e06666;">promises we make to each other</span></a> and the <a href="http://lightbymorning.blogspot.com/2012/09/a-letter-to-my-teenage-self.html"><span style="color: #e06666;">promises I make to myself</span></a>; the <a href="http://lightbymorning.blogspot.com/2012/06/dear-houston-today-is-hard.html"><span style="color: #e06666;">hard days</span></a> and the <a href="http://lightbymorning.blogspot.com/2012/08/one-year-of-marriage.html"><span style="color: #e06666;">joyful ones</span></a>; the <a href="http://lightbymorning.blogspot.com/2012/07/marriage-letters-if-ever-two-were-one.html"><span style="color: #e06666;">waiting days</span></a> and the <a href="http://lightbymorning.blogspot.com/2012/08/5-days.html"><span style="color: #e06666;">welcoming home</span></a>; <a href="http://lightbymorning.blogspot.com/2012/03/stories.html"><span style="color: #e06666;">the stories we tell ourselves</span></a>; the confessions of <a href="http://lightbymorning.blogspot.com/2013/02/five-minute-friday-confession-of-fear.html"><span style="color: #e06666;">fear</span></a>; the hunger for <a href="http://lightbymorning.blogspot.com/2013/01/on-vulnerability.html"><span style="color: #e06666;">vulnerability</span></a>; the <a href="http://lightbymorning.blogspot.com/2014/03/coming-out-of-hiding.html"><span style="color: #e06666;">soft spots</span></a> and the <a href="http://lightbymorning.blogspot.com/2011/12/meowrry-christmas_16.html"><span style="color: #e06666;">funny, imperfect</span></a> pieces of this life . . . . I could go on and on. No matter what I am facing, there are little words that I whisper (or shout) that are made for my current season of life.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Right now, my words are short and simple:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">God, come get me. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Hearing these words -- really hearing them -- brings joy and promise. It's time to let go of the illusion of control that I have, and it's okay not to know all of the answers. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I'm also listening to this song and writing the words on my heart:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Control</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The cut is deep, but never deep enough for me</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">It doesn't hurt enough to make me forget</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">One moment of relief is never long enough</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">To keep the voices in my head</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">From stealing my peace</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Oh, control</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">It's time, time to let you go</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Perfection has a price</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">But I cannot afford to live that life</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">It always ends the same; a fight I never win</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Oh, control, </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">It's time, time to let you go</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I'm letting go of the illusion </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I'm letting go of the confusion</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I can't carry it another step</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I close my eyes and take a breath</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I'm letting go, letting go</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">There were scars before my scars</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Love written ont he hands that hung the stars</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Hope living in the blood that was spilled for me</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">oh control, </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">It's time, time to let you go</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Control</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">It's time, time to let you go</span></div>
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Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07807901179205365061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7041488683376352805.post-81762133027694550632014-05-26T10:48:00.002-04:002014-05-26T10:48:58.691-04:00Making the Dream: Sarah of 'Les Petites Mains'<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBBtbm41o0V82B1BpGhpmc0uG95b9CKAGHBKg193Y5EMDKjTqlaJ54cB1x3b9OZgqX7yBi1eb6GXkymByL2hK3pBvvKJlsRYD1kDAHa2XdSnc05vM8bH4gmLAR-q4h5KQswyWEJV3GSDM/s1600/dolls4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBBtbm41o0V82B1BpGhpmc0uG95b9CKAGHBKg193Y5EMDKjTqlaJ54cB1x3b9OZgqX7yBi1eb6GXkymByL2hK3pBvvKJlsRYD1kDAHa2XdSnc05vM8bH4gmLAR-q4h5KQswyWEJV3GSDM/s1600/dolls4.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">all photos via Sarah from Les petites mains</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It's been a while, but I am finally featuring another talented creator who is </span><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="http://lightbymorning.blogspot.com/2013/10/making-dream-comfy-times.html"><span style="color: #e06666;">"making the dream."</span></a> </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">This drawn out series started with a desire to explore the histories and goals of those who are making their dreams through handmade goods and crafts. I became interested in seeking out artisans, creative entrepreneurs,and makers -- all to share more about their creative process and to inspire other aspiring makers.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;">One thing I've learned during this new series is that makers and creative small biz owners are busy, busy, busy . . . and that makes it really difficult to put the spotlight on them; they are always behind the scenes, creating. I love capturing different artisans fulfilling their creative, imaginative goals! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #444444;">I discovered Sarah's Etsy shop,</span> <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/lespetitesmainsS?ref=s2-header-shopname"><span style="color: #e06666;">"Les petites mains"</span></a> <span style="color: #444444;">while living in Houston -- where I was a professional day dreamer. :) I was beginning to learn how to sew, and I was fascinated by the handmade dolls niche and the detail that went into every creation. Because so many goods are manufactured in today's modern world, people tend to take many things for granted, especially products like dolls and toys. That's why I wanted to bring light to Sarah's shop. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">On her About page, Sarah mentions that her shop started with a desire to "slow the world we are living in." She needed to rediscover the pleasure of working with her hands at her own pace. Sarah has a passion for textiles and loves diving in to the richness and authenticity of colorful fabrics. "I decided to create beautiful, poetic objects for adults and children, to make them dream, play, and use their imagination," she writes.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">It was a pleasure to tap into Sarah's creative process and learn more about how her business started. I'm humbled that she took the time to answer some of my questions; Sarah is French, so she really went the distance to make this happen. :) Thanks, Sarah! So, without further ado: Meet Sarah of Les petites mains!</span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">1. How did you develop an interest in doll making, and how did your business come about?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="background-color: white;">I’ve always sewn; my mother started me at a young age. I think it really started when my cousin had her baby, a little boy named Paco. He was one of the first babies around me and I wanted to spoil him. I’ve looked around on the Internet and saw the creativity and the craze around handmade toys. It fascinated me. The little girl in me got me into making dolls, one [process] that I would have liked as a kid but with my new vision as a young woman. I loved the format, as I have a small workshop and a real obsession with fabrics; I keep a lot of them without being able to stop! I search for the prettiest, the softest, the richest…so dolls are ideal because I can use a whole variety without even doing the same thing twice. </span><span lang="EN-CA"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">2. On your Etsy page you mention your passion for textiles: the fabrics, colors, softness, authenticity, richness…. Can you tell us a little more about that? Where do you draw your inspiration behind your materials and creations?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Here again, I believe my mom has a lot to do with it. When we go out together, we don’t shop for clothes, but for textiles…. I have been raised to touch, admire and appreciate the richest textiles, the natural fibers. In my professional life, I am a make-up artist, so you can see that in all aspects of my life, the harmony of colors and textures are essential to me.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">My inspiration comes from the textile itself, the ribbons or other materials that I find. I mix them up; I get creative. I do look at blogs and pictures of children’s fashion. Certain details, a cut, or even some accessories on my dolls inspire me.</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7znFkSqupyz-wRS6A2z2s1OSjfFZxxGYAywdWvan8UEJdmWuiZs8iGiaMZ_07OrgUPs7gBDhxHkKdGJd9k97g_jwZ6ljdoE0N8J2ARyw_W5tapLyDL48CYjVxpzsyrsVRh8AXVGmhZwM/s1600/dolls2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7znFkSqupyz-wRS6A2z2s1OSjfFZxxGYAywdWvan8UEJdmWuiZs8iGiaMZ_07OrgUPs7gBDhxHkKdGJd9k97g_jwZ6ljdoE0N8J2ARyw_W5tapLyDL48CYjVxpzsyrsVRh8AXVGmhZwM/s1600/dolls2.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">3. Can you talk a little bit about your creative process and your workspace? What is a typical day like for you?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span lang="FR-CA">There was a time when I only did the bodies of the dolls: I trace, cut, sew, and pad them all. </span><span lang="EN-CA">This period isn’t the most creative and can be a little bit repetitive, but it lets me imagine and draw what I will do next. </span><span lang="FR-CA">I draw a lot, some quick sketches. </span><span lang="EN-CA">I often imagine some series of 4 to 5 dolls who will work well together, in harmony under some theme, like a season, a color, or a motif. </span><span lang="FR-CA">And then comes the time when I give them a color, a style and a soul! </span><span lang="EN-CA">I like to think that I’m making a gift for a special person everytime. </span><span lang="FR-CA"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-CA">My workplace is very small, in my own home, so I need to be very organised and clean. I am lucky to have very good natural light throughout the day, which is essential for my morale and for the pictures after the whole process </span><span lang="FR-CA">J</span>. I accumulate a lot of cute baskets, pincushions, and some small vintage luggages. I take a lot of time to make my workshop pretty and a nice place to live.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">An ideal day for me is a day when I have nothing else to do except sew and create. It’s a luxury when this happens, when I have some time on my hands and I can create. I feel like everything is possible.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #444444; font-size: small;">Another thing I appreciate is that I work alone, which is for me another luxury. I can choose what I create; I can start doing some blankets if I want to, than go back to my dolls. For example, these days, I do a lot of small dolls because I have tons of ideas for this format, but I will get back to the other size later. </span><span lang="FR-CA"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: small;">I have so many ideas; there is not limit! </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-CA">I believe that I am very lucky to own my shop. I can sell my creations and deliver some love for unique objects, handmade toys, all over the world. </span><span lang="FR-CA"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-CA">We are drowning in industrial objects, without any soul, and they are all looking alike and made in questionable industries. Even though we know all of this, we have to remember the good sides of technology, like the Internet, and how it allows people to choose some handmade products, all over the world! I feel like an old lady saying this, but none the less, it’s magic! In a past not so far behind, this wasn’t possible! </span><span lang="FR-CA"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">We could imagine that selling on the Internet is a little bit sterile and lacking in human contact, but I am very surprised to see the support and the gratification that I receive from my clients. I think that the fact that my dolls are handmade automatically brings that closeness, even on the Internet. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: small;">Of course, there are some challenges: fixing prices, managing my expenses, being organised, thinking of all the aspects of my business. My biggest challenge would be finding the time, because handmade is time consuming, so you have to love what you are doing without counting the time that you put into it, like we do in these modern days! </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-CA">Me, I really wanted to have everything perfect before opening my business, I wanted to control and anticipate everything. It’s a good thing to be a perfectionnist and be well organised but with this experience, what I have learned it that you need to be accept freedom and creativity and you can’t control it. </span><span lang="FR-CA">You need to have some freedom to create and sometimes, it takes a different way than what you were planning. It’s fun to see yourself grow. </span><span lang="EN-CA">There is risk when you create objects : you tend to start thinking like a businessman. We want to be profitable, efficient, strategic… It’s our world today who impose that stress on us and it’s important to stay focus on the essential : having fun while making something, on our own rythm. That’s what handmade is : the fun, slow and quality process which is impose by our hands </span><span lang="EN-GB">J</span><span lang="EN-GB">. </span><span lang="EN-CA">That does not mean giving away our creations. If we want to offer quality materials, quality work and respect our time schedule, the prices need to be proportional. </span><span lang="FR-CA"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-CA">One last thing, it’s true that you need a good dose of passion to put all these hours creating, but you need to take some time to go out, take a break, and close the door to the workshop so you can come back later. If you don’t, there is a chance that you can lose the passion and that is exhausting! It all depends on your personality. When you know your limits, you need to work around it and it’s like that around your life! </span><span lang="FR-CA">It’s a balancing act!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-CA">I do hope that my dolls are like a personal therapy against stress and the urgency of our world. Every doll I make requires some time and meticulousness, and it reminds me that I need to take things slow. I remind myself every time that the doll is not for me and it will be received or given to a person somewhere in the world and I find myself lucky to have that chance. </span><span lang="FR-CA">I put in some extra care </span><span lang="FR">so that it shows in my final product; and I send some joy, some beauty and a whole lot of imagination. </span><span lang="EN-CA">It’s an exchange between the maker and the receiver, a wonderful exchange! </span></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #444444;">Et Voila! </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #444444;">Thank you again, Sarah, for your dedication to the craft and for sharing your dreams with us! Friends, hop on over to </span><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/lespetitesmainsS?ref=s2-header-shopname"><span style="color: #e06666;">Les petites mains</span></a><span style="color: #222222;"> </span><span style="color: #444444;">and fall in love.</span></span></span></div>
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Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07807901179205365061noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7041488683376352805.post-56049973481404097052014-05-08T10:26:00.001-04:002014-05-08T10:28:34.365-04:00Choosing Peace and Not Neglect (And a Glorious Understanding of Life Eternal)<div style="text-align: justify;">
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</span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">In the Christian life, I am convinced there is something that ties us all together, despite our unique callings, sufferings, and life choices: </span><b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">When the Spirit draws us near, we cannot resist the call </b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">-- whether at 3 in the morning at a Waffle House, late in the evening circled around a community of other Christ-followers, or alone in your quiet house, sipping coffee as the light pours in like honey. When He pricks our hearts, He can fill us with emotion; dread or joy bubbles up -- a numbing or a hurt, an intense serenity or resilience can well up in the most trying of circumstances. Sometimes it comes in waves or showers of blessing, restoration, hope... hours pouring over His Word or long, drawn-out evenings spent in prayer. Sometimes He whispers so quietly we barely notice it at all, except for a few small moments we stop to take a couple of deep breaths. No matter how He draws us near or why, </span><b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">the Holy Spirit has a way of wooing us</b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">, reminding us of our first love, and tending to our hurt, even if we don't see God's purpose in sight or trust ourselves in His hands. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I'm beginning to see how God softens the hearts of man, and how He chooses to reveal Himself in moments we do not realize are "<b>molding moments</b>" -- slowly refining us according to His divine purpose and His promise to never leave us. Sometimes I will realize I've been sleep-walking through life, unaware of just how much I need His living water, until He wakes me up to comfort a friend in mourning or a friend expectantly waiting in the patience of faith. Suddenly, I am entirely aware of myself, aware that God is using me like an instrument in the lives of His children to wake them up too. He does the same for me in the lives of other people, and He calls us to Himself so we can pray, "<b>Fall afresh on me. Come wake me from my sleep.</b>" There is something so compelling and victorious about a God who wakes us up and draws us near, allowing us to play a part in building for eternity -- as if we are flying high above ground, looking down at ourselves, because no soul has any right to claim where he or she shall be put. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Lately, I have found myself fighting back as He wakes me from my sleep, time and time again, feeling the hurt and sting of my own abandonment to my first love. I feel the heaviness of living intentionally, because it is unnatural to recognize prayer and faith at the core of my being. If you've been reading this blog for some time, you know (however obscurely) that this is<a href="http://lightbymorning.blogspot.com/2014/01/when-words-bring-healing.html"><span style="color: #e06666;"> a year of healing </span></a>for me, and in many ways, I am shocked at how true it is -- in more ways than I ever dared to imagine. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">But recently, I have tried the pause button on this whole healing process. I don't know if it's from exhaustion or fear of what I'll discover, but I somehow convinced (and deceived) myself into thinking that real rest follows this neglect -- neglect of all the hard things, neglect of Christ, wooing me back to Himself. A counselor friend once told me that a healing journey is a lot like re-breaking a leg -- "S<b>ome people are more content to hobble around in their pain on a bad leg than to go through the painful process of re-breaking, which is necessary for the leg to truly heal properly</b>," she said. The process of restoration involves letting in the hurt and feeling the weight of that brokenness more profoundly than you would ever want to, but it's well worth it in the end. We cope as best as we can with our brokenness, and this -- perhaps the most -- is what continues to break my heart. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">But God does not leave us in our brokenness. <b>Take heart</b>, if you are reading this, and you are waiting for the patience of faith. Here is a passage from My Utmost for His Highest (May 8th) that the Spirit pressed on my heart this morning, to woo me and to wake another dear friend: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>"Patience is more than endurance. A saint's life is in the hands of God like a bow and arrow in the hands of an archer. God is aiming at something the saint cannot see, and He stretches and strains, and every now and again the saint says -- 'I cannot stand any more.' God does not heed, He goes on stretching till His purpose is in sight, then He lets fly. Trust yourself in God's hands..."</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The devotion continues to map out the true reason we cannot resist the Holy Spirit, and a clearer picture of life eternal</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;">, for <i>"God has ventured all in Jesus Christ to save us, now He wants us to venture our all in abandoned confidence in Him. There are spots where that faith has not worked in us as yet, places untouched by the life of God. There were none of those spots in Jesus Christ's life, and there are to be none in ours. 'This is life eternal, that they might know Thee.' <b>The real meaning of eternal life is a life that can face anything it has to face without wavering. If we take this view, life becomes one great romance, a glorious opportunity for seeing marvelous things all the time.</b>"</i></span></div>
Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07807901179205365061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7041488683376352805.post-89284746227456058622014-04-16T16:13:00.000-04:002014-04-16T16:13:01.665-04:00Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: Growing a Freelance Biz Baby<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Well, the secret is out: I'm officially celebrating the beginnings of <a href="http://www.mohrediting.com/">Mohr Editing</a>, an editorial freelance business that I am over the moon about. It feels a little strange writing about it, and even stranger talking about it. Nevertheless, "courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen," as Brené Brown puts it in <i>Daring Greatly.</i> I'm learning that none of this is easy, but the rewards of launching a business I am passionate about far outweigh the challenges. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuUn1QulX3SSDKebf5J2nCWjFuTKukDx0EN77H29v-aitMw1PF_i1HCNacMle_JLtplhePX9aeb1HRu5c3r6xI3MgN_cgw201MWKJ6O9fgijVNack1bdlj-N1LDAs3BQksD3eu3CfIRZM/s1600/ME_Logo_FullColor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #444444;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuUn1QulX3SSDKebf5J2nCWjFuTKukDx0EN77H29v-aitMw1PF_i1HCNacMle_JLtplhePX9aeb1HRu5c3r6xI3MgN_cgw201MWKJ6O9fgijVNack1bdlj-N1LDAs3BQksD3eu3CfIRZM/s1600/ME_Logo_FullColor.jpg" height="200" width="180" /></span></a><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I never dreamed something like this could happen in my wildest imaginations; and to be quite honest with you, I still have my doubts. There's something terrifying about having to believe in yourself to push forward. Sometimes it's overwhelming to think about where I want to be in one year<span style="line-height: 16.866666793823242px;">, five years, ten years... but I know any successful freelancer takes baby steps, especially in the beginning. </span>So far, everything feels right. I am so blessed to have a husband who schemes and dreams with me.... having Aaron by my side has been absolutely essential to chase any of my dreams. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I'm thankful to be able to grow at a pace we're both comfortable with and to have access to the wisdom and resources I've been given. This is<span style="line-height: 115%;">—without a shadow of a doubt</span><span style="line-height: 115%;">—a season of learning (in more ways than one). I'm enjoying my editing classes and getting acquainted with professional editors through a number of awesome associations. Honestly, I've been blown away by how God is leading me toward this direction. There are days when I don't feel "enough" and other days when I feel like I could conquer anything. Throughout the doubts, there are tiny moments in which He gently nudges me to keep moving forward. I've received a lot of encouragement from professional freelance editors over the past few months. That means the world to me.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">In the midst of excitement, fear of failure, and a whole mix of other emotions, I know the Lord is my strength and my song. I am clinging to Scripture and powerful words of affirmation that happen to find me at the right time. Here's another piece of truth from </span>Brené Brown's <i>Daring Greatly. </i>I hope it encourages you to unlock your vulnerability, creativity, and potential. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>“Wholeheartedness. 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.” </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span style="color: #444444;">Thanks for joining in with me on this adventure! If you want more editor talk, follow me on Twitter: </span><span style="color: #e06666;"><a href="https://twitter.com/mohrediting" style="color: #e06666;">@mohrediting</a> </span><span style="color: #444444;">or follow my professional</span><span style="color: #e06666;"> <a href="http://www.mohrediting.com/blog/"><span style="color: #e06666;">blog</span></a></span><span style="color: #444444;">. It's all so exciting. Happy Wednesday!</span></span></span></div>
Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07807901179205365061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7041488683376352805.post-81824134204719160172014-03-24T12:14:00.000-04:002014-03-24T16:41:28.260-04:00(Coming Out of Hiding)<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Dear Orlando, </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 16px;">You know something? Sometimes I weep because I know you are so so good for me. Sometimes I am speechless because the Lord brought us to you and I never knew how wonderful it could be to spend time here -- to open myself up to your beauty and a positive experience that was so different from our last move. You are nothing like I imagined. Sometimes I think God has a sense of humor, because I waltzed into this city thinking it would be a piece of cake to spend some time here in this "temporary" place and then move on to our real home. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-size: small;">I'm guilty of unpacking all of our boxes except the one that really matters; the fragile heart and all it hides. Forget the good old fashioned bubble wrap; I thought the best way to keep my heart safe from you was to never unpack it, to hide it away and make sure no one got to it -- not here, anyway. It was reserved for a different city. You see, there was a scribbled word written in permanent marker that said RALEIGH, and I made sure you knew it. Don't get too comfortable with me, sunshine state. Don't try to win me over, okay? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">And then something happened I never expected. I faced challenges I never knew I could face, and everything was new and scary and Aaron and I had to forge a new path, but we couldn't do it alone like we planned. Why is it that when you plan to "do it alone" it never works out? Again, God really has a sense of humor. I started 2014 with a mission to cling to my <a href="http://lightbymorning.blogspot.com/2014/01/when-words-bring-healing.html">New Year theme</a>: Be brave. Be constantly surprised by all the good that can happen. Look for the beauty in the process. And you know what happened, Orlando? YOU happened. God is pouring blessing after blessing over me, and I cannot believe the beauty that abounds. See that? I was -- and still constantly am -- surprised by all the good that is unfolding. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Suddenly, I could appreciate the scary things: the challenges I am facing both mentally and physically, the unknowns of my professional life, the many ways we have to let go to let something new in. I found myself returning to this hidden heart, unwrapping it, and dusting it off. I wanted to share it with you, Orlando, but I had to take baby steps. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">And then we started growing in Lake Baldwin Church and God really made me feel exposed. I began to see a counselor for different things, which is scary if you've never done that before. I was pursued by friends and families, and one friend in particular sat down with me for coffee and said, "I want to go through this journey with you" even though she didn't know me. She wanted Aaron and me to be a part of her life, her kids' lives, her family's life. And that wasn't something I had to piece together; she <i>told </i>me that. I have never been sought after in this way, and it changed everything. Suddenly I was scared my heart would break because it was used more than I intended here, but I realized I was waking up and making roots. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">I unpacked this heart and put it on display like it was my favorite piece of artwork in my home, and you know what happens when you put your heart on display? You sit and have a beer with your landlord around a fire pit. You explore new neighborhoods and actually let your mind daydream about buying a home there. You volunteer to play the ukulele with twos and three-year-olds in church. You babysit your friend's dog when she goes away for the weekend. You drink coffee with your friend at 2 in the afternoon while she does laundry and puts her kid to sleep. You go to baby showers and weekly farmers markets and you stand around a familiar kitchen while your husband and friends brew beer. You laugh and embrace the crazy weather and you tell people the inmost fears and desires of your heart because you <i>want </i>to be known. You have beautiful talks walking brick streets under mossy trees. When you put your heart on display, you pass it across the table at a potlock dinner with friends and say, "What do you think? Do you think this part here can be fixed?" Because you want to share the good and the ugly. You stop pretending.... you really, really do. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Now I'm not saying that handing your heart over is always a bed of roses; no matter how much I love you, Orlando, you're still a transient city, just like Houston. You make it hard on the people who love you because people will always leave. I'm also not saying I can predict the future or that we'll watch our babies grow up here. I don't know where we'll be in one year, two years, five years, or 13 years, but none of that matters. I want to live here, now, and really live here, even if it costs me heartache down the road. You make us want to stay, despite how transient you are. People we love may leave us or we may leave ourselves, but you're worth the risk... and that is the best surprise of all. </span></span></div>
Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07807901179205365061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7041488683376352805.post-88847666790093410262014-02-24T15:04:00.000-05:002014-02-24T15:04:28.610-05:00The Gap by Ira Glass -- And Why I Can't Doubt Myself<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Currently? I am resurfacing --feeling my way through the night and finding my grip. I am hiding, or perhaps knocked off my feet, waiting for the sun to rise, and I know it will. When it does, I will surprise myself and take a breath because I am waiting at the edge of something beautiful. This is a growing season -- a learning season. I take it all in, along with the insecurities and the doubts, and I am ready to create. So far, this year is exhausting because I am desperately trying to cling to what I know and expand those walls a little more. Learning something can be both exciting and disheartening, especially if you are relentless at making what you are learning your identity. I'm trying to find the boundaries here. I'm ready to hold my ground and take in this view, because I have climbed and fallen. It's time to trudge on, to move forward. In need of inspiration, these words from Ira Glass found me at the perfect time. I hope they encourage you as well.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Happy Monday. xo</span></div>
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Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07807901179205365061noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7041488683376352805.post-41888048340239360432014-02-01T20:18:00.002-05:002014-05-05T12:07:33.415-04:00My Whole30 Experience <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Enjoying my first mocha latte since whole30!</i> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Why, hello! A and I made it to the end of whole30 and we feel ah-mazing. It was seriously such an accomplishment for us foodies who like to devour everything delicious in sight. My whole30 experience was a lot different than I thought it would be </span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">—</span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> but I honestly would do it over again (and probably will at some point). January was such a loooooong, crazy month for us; A traveled a lot, my mom came to visit, and I juggled work, a few classes I have been interested in, and was forced to slow down and pay attention to my health a little more. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">This past month was spent reflecting on some future goals, naming some fears, reading some deliciously wonderful books until my eyes hurt, and then painfully realizing that my eyes were going to continue to hurt (and twitch) because I lost my reading glasses. Not the best timing to lose those guys when I have so many books on my to-read list. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">BUT, I lost them in the coolest way possible: sitting on top of my car at night on the side of the highway at Port Canaveral, about 12-miles away from the launch pad of NASA's Atlas V rocket. My nerdy husband and I were freezing until we saw that yellow glow rise; it was like a ball of fire bursting through the clear night sky and you could hear the rumble </span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">—</span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> oh, you could hear the rumble! It was magic. When you watch something that looks like fire take a satellite into space that will orbit at 22,300-miles, you instantly forget that you're cold. In fact, you feel quite small. I'm guessing that's when I became careless with my eyeglasses.... I remember trying to take it all in, removing my glasses from my face as if I could feel the rumble and warmth. Yes, I suppose that's as good a time as any to lose something. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">We've been trying to be mindful this month, especially when it comes to food. Whole30 helped us to appreciate the natural sweetness in REAL food, opening our eyes along the way.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">A few personal disappointments of committing to the whole30 challenge? </span></div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">My skin never </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">really </i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">cleared up like I hoped... but I had some major stressors this month</span></span></li>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> I never felt like I had tons and tons of energy. I was hoping to become an early riser and feel more energized throughout the day, but it just didn't happen. My theory is that I didn't eat enough protein during breakfast. I'm never really hungry in the morning, so I have to force myself to eat something. This </span><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/chloe-phillips/dietitian-healthy-eating_b_4672334.html" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">article</a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> in the </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Huffington Post </i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">talks about the importance of breakfast, adding that your metabolism is like a log fire: if you don't put anything on it in the morning, it's going to be a measly flame burning very little calories during the day - plus energy lulls will resort in cravings for high calorie foods. I desperately want to be a breakfast lover - and I think I will get creative with non-paleo meals <span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">—</span> but I was getting so tired of eggs. I should have taken </span><a href="http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/2012/11/05/silky-gingered-zucchini-soup/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Mel's advice </a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> and eaten more soups, or anything out of the ordinary. *sigh.* Oh well, I tried.</span></span></li>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The $$$ - Oh my gracious, we spent so much money on meats and organic foods. I'm not saying it wasn't worth it, and we will most likely continue to spend a little extra to keep our health a priority, but it still stings.</span></span></li>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Difficulty traveling.... I didn't have to experience this, but A was miserable traveling with these food constraints. </span></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">A few personal perks of committing to the whole30 challenge?</span></div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A better understanding of my relationship with food and why I stress-eat or eat emotionally</span></span></li>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Nipping day-long/night-long snacking in the bud. This was a hard one, especially because I work from home, but a success!</span></span></li>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Lost cravings (for the most part <span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">—</span> hey, if I think about Krispy Kreme donuts, I'm only human!)</span></span></li>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Enriched love for mindful eating and meals at the table with my love. </span></span></li>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">An overall positive cooking experience. It was fun experimenting with Aaron in the kitchen. Who knew sunflower butter and coconut aminos could be so good?!</span></span></li>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">We finally caved and bought a crock-pot. I am eternally grateful for this - three words: Italian pork roast.</span></span></li>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I lost more than 7 pounds. I wasn't trying to lose weight, but two weeks in I had a doctor's appointment that confirmed I had already lost this much, so there's no telling how much I lost the following two weeks. I'm convinced it's making me a better and stronger runner!</span></span></li>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I learned about my lactose intolerance, which is actually dreadfully sad and not a perk, but at least I know. </span></span></li>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A rekindled love for fruit. When you are on whole30, fruit is like crack. I'm serious, if you aren't a "fruit person" now, just wait until you try a mango or pineapple during this program. Mmmm. I discovered a love for blueberries too and I'm never going back. I seriously think I will continue to prefer fruit over junk food. </span></span></li>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Knowledge of what's actually IN the food I eat, and how food corporations traffic addiction and call it "cravability." This is a profound understanding that I learned through the Whole30 recommended reading: It Starts With Food. During my month, a friend also showed me this illustrated short video featuring famous foodie and author, </span><a href="http://michaelpollan.com/press-kit/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Michael Pollan</a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">, and it really says it all</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">:</span></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">All in all, the perks far out-weighed any possible disappointments, and I have seen how whole30 has completely transformed my family and friends. What a journey! I can honestly say this program changed my life, even if I stray from the "paleo path" every now and then (which I intend to do; cocktails on Park Ave are calling my name). Happy weekend, friends!</span></div>
Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07807901179205365061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7041488683376352805.post-48984850308592454862014-01-22T15:40:00.002-05:002014-05-05T12:03:21.130-04:00(Redemptive narrative is a lot like falling in love)<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Dreaming about this. </span></i></div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b></span> <span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>An Ode to Story</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Sometimes you are here with me, and I dream you up out of my conscious mind, as if the gears are turning to put together old bones. Nothing makes sense until it does, and then we're flying, together, promising never to leave anything behind. And sometimes you return slowly, seamlessly making yourself known beyond the sleep and hum of everyday life. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I meet you in other worlds, in other people, in the eyes of my dog and I can't quite place you until I'm in this closed off space </span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">— </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">alone. You steal what's left but it doesn't feel like stealing; it feels sweet and worthy because you remember the good with the hurt. You weave together what's forgotten and moments that make us hollow or whole. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">You are a time traveler who revisits our dying days and our vibrant ones, and you make it easier to sleep when we don't know the difference. Sometimes you are stubborn and I cannot recall your words. But you always forgive and you always tell the truth. You are resilient. You make it all worth living even when it's not or even when it feels too far away to tell, because that's how narrative begins and that's how it will always end. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">You spin together splendor behind what our eyes can see, and it points to one rich truth, one ruthlessly magnificent detail in which planets and atoms revolve around. You are the sound of the bells I follow that lead to redemption. With eyes open or closed, you unfold it all.</span></div>
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</script>Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07807901179205365061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7041488683376352805.post-49344421804648366092014-01-06T10:14:00.000-05:002014-05-05T12:05:34.256-04:00When Words Bring Healing<div style="text-align: justify;">
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</span> <span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I'm not one to be convinced in the word "mantra" or a single word or phrase for the New Year in place of resolutions, but I am slowly realizing how vastly courageous people can be to name their wounds so easily. I'm not talking about the goals to focus on travel or cooking</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">—</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">not that these are too lofty or not lofty enough </span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">— </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">they simply challenge other parts of our lives, and not necessarily the deep-rooted issues and hidden places of our hearts. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">What I am talking about are the words people all over the Internet have boldly declared to be overarching themes for 2014 </span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">— </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">even simple words, like "simplify/alive/brave/rest." I find this trend to be striking and odd; why would you label an entire year of your life </span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">— </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">that you have not lived yet </span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">— </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">to a goal cut in slivers or one specific feeling? Dwelling on this concept gave me a new understanding that I am just beginning to sift through. These one-word-one-phrase goals may be intangible in some ways, but I commend the person who recognizes that the ability to <i>truly </i>rest or live life abundantly is just out of his or her grasp; it points to raw need and the understanding that <b>when we peel away these layers, we are all battling something</b>.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">People often come into our lives briefly to shed insight that </span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">—</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> for some reason or another </span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">—</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> we need in the moment or present season. Their words are nourishing somehow or they prick our hearts to lead us to where true nourishment can be found. Sometimes these people slip under the radar because they come and go so quickly or because the only time you even notice them is when they are so outside of your world that their observations or advice strike a chord. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I am always startled by these pure interactions; it's as if I stopped believing in shared human experiences until I am suddenly shocked back to life with a richer understanding that blood flows in both of our veins. I guess it's the classic "feel good feeling" that is best described by the Beatles: "<b>We're all one, and life flows on within you and without you</b>." I am awake to the thought that human relationships </span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">—</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> or encounters </span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">—</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> are much more complex than I remember, and the feeling is like a flood or a forties movie flashback where the picture gets all swimmy and begins to echo. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The other day, someone I barely know told me that I was peeling away the layers, uncovering a sense of compassion and confidence that I was indeed on a journey without turning back. She told me that process is good. I think the main reason it resonates with me is because I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that 2014 will be marked by processes and progress. I think I was uneasy about the hurdles that will inevitably exist, but her words comforted me and showed me there is beauty in process. This thought came hand-in-hand with freedom. Our God loves processes, doesn't He? Transformation is an integral part of the Christian life. Transformation is even imperative in the secular world: Everything we do in life to meet our goals and strengthen are weaknesses requires transformation. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I may not confidently declare a word or phrase for 2014 and post it all over my house or Facebook, but I am lifting a still, small voice in the hidden places of my heart like water from a well. I am whispering words that need to mark my everyday life: <b>Bravery. Beauty in the process. Surprise </b></span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">—</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b> particularly surprising myself of all that can be good.</b> Rather than clinging to fear and self-defeat, I want to be led toward healing and confidence that the Holy One is a mysterious provider and protector.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> I want to look back at 2014 and know that the fear reigning in my life no longer has a hold on me. I know the process of triumphing over fear and anxiety is one that never really goes away in this life because of sin, just as sanctification occurs throughout the Christian life and we never fully "arrive" or reach the fullness of godliness. But the scriptures tell us that we, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being <b>transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another </b>[2 Corinthians 3:18]. If that doesn't capture the beauty of process, I don't know what does. </span></div>
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</script>Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07807901179205365061noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7041488683376352805.post-72881917666869624102014-01-03T09:14:00.002-05:002014-01-03T09:37:45.571-05:00Whole30 Week 1<a href="http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/menu.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/menu.jpg"></a><br>
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/2013/12/29/whole30-2014-week-1-meal-plan/"><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The Clothes Make the Girl</span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br>
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Remember when I said the New Year was going to hit me with changes? All I can say is oh my golly are we in for a wild ride. I really feel like these changes are either going to make us crumble or completely transform our lives -- starting with Whole30. January 2nd was a crazy day. All of my "measurable goals" were put into action and everything sped up sooner than I expected. Aaron and I were talking yesterday about how this is the year of health for us, which is definitely challenging because it means we're going to spend a lot more and save a lot less. We're trying to keep the grand scheme of things in perspective and know that ultimately these health changes are only going to improve our lives in big ways. I found out yesterday I have a minimally invasive surgery this coming week -- and while all I've wanted to do is stress eat -- I know that my clean eating habits for the month will help with the recovery process and that the surgery will benefit my health, even if I am a baby about it. Talk about kicking things into high gear. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br>
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">We're being cliche "New Year people" with our Whole30 commitment, and I am sure day one is far from difficult because we are still enthusiastic with the highs of New Year's resolutions... but I know there will be a downward slope and depleted motivation (and cash). I'm beyond glad my friends -- and husband -- are doing it with me; Aaron is, without a doubt, the best dreamer and creative foodie you would want in a husband and roomie, and he makes our limited paleo diet a culinary exploration. For real, he is one awesome human. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br>
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Anyway, I wanted to share with my non-paleo readers what this health plan is all about. I am new to paleo and in no way count myself as a paleo eater, but Whole30 has definitely introduced the appealing aspects to the lifestyle. People say my cravings for cheese and pasta will go away, but that is a knee-slapper. Y'all don't even know. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br>
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>Yo, Paleo/Whole30, I'm really happy for you, I'mma let you finish, but dairy has some of the best tastes of all time. </b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br>
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Too bad dairy doesn't feel the same way about me, because I'm fairly certain I have lactose intolerance. Anyway, here is the premise of Whole30:</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br>
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">There are certain foods (like sugar, dairy, grains and legumes) that could be having a negative impact on your health and fitness without you even realizing it. To learn how these foods are really affecting you, you have to strip your diet completely and cut out, as the <a href="http://whole30.com/step-one/">Whole30 site</a> states: "</span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;"><i>all the psychologically unhealthy, hormone-unbalancing, gut-disrupting, inflammatory food groups for a full 30 days... </i></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;"><i>Push the “reset” button with your metabolism, systemic inflammation, and the downstream effects of the food choices you’ve been making. Learn once and for all how the foods you’ve been eating are actually affecting your day to day life, and your long term health</i>."</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;"><br>
</span></span> <span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;">++ </span></span><br>
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</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 21.99652862548828px;">Foods you can eat? <b>Real food. </b></span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Eat meat, seafood, eggs, a lot of vegetables, some fruit and an abundance of good fats from fruits, oils, nuts and seeds. Eat foods with very few ingredients, all pronounceable ingredients or -- if you can -- no ingredients listed at all because they’re totally natural and unprocessed. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br>
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 22px;">For 30 days, you avoid sugar of any kind, alcohol (even for cooking), grains, legumes, white potatoes, carrageenan, MSG or sulfites and even paleo-ifying baked goods, desserts and junk foods. The last and final rule is that you are not allowed to step on a scale or take any body measurements for the duration of the program. I love that Whole30 is all about getting healthy with the added benefit of losing weight. For me, I am not doing the program to lose weight... but I AM tired of people giving me flack for abiding by strict food guidelines just because I am skinny. Can't skinny girls be healthy too? </span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 21.99652862548828px;"><br>
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</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 21.99652862548828px;">Aaron and I would be lost without Mel from <a href="http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/">The Clothes Make the Girl</a>. She is a blogger and author of the beloved paleo cook book, Well Fed and Well Fed 2. A few days ago she blogged a <a href="http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/2013/12/29/whole30-2014-week-1-meal-plan/">Whole30 2014 Week 1 Meal Plan</a> that included a shopping list, a number of awesome meals and a cookup that we attempted last night. Her cookup plans are basically for brave souls who want to cook ALL of their meals at once for the better part of a week, making the transition away from sugar and cravings a little easier... not to mention she gets super creative. We are eternally grateful for that <a href="http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/2009/07/21/sunshine-sauce/">Sunshine sauce</a> recipe, Mel. Kudos on that one!</span></span><br>
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</span></span> <span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21.99652862548828px;"><span style="font-size: small;">Her cookups are not for the faint of heart, but we are relieved to stock up on the goodies she outlined for us. Plus, her plans make our fridge look healthy, organized and ready to go.</span> </span></span><br>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUWY3RpHhqKKP1uvBc-PpF9Oqx5uRQ6V5eke7071dE3XWELsNd6Cj7h5KqCBA1bApN-Zz-x7i7IdEybkj6TTmwrufHfZEKHgskfrP2saRHnNB29DzLjF7SeXksHiZac0VJhdP4GLS0WCg/s1600/DSC_0743.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUWY3RpHhqKKP1uvBc-PpF9Oqx5uRQ6V5eke7071dE3XWELsNd6Cj7h5KqCBA1bApN-Zz-x7i7IdEybkj6TTmwrufHfZEKHgskfrP2saRHnNB29DzLjF7SeXksHiZac0VJhdP4GLS0WCg/s640/DSC_0743.JPG" width="640"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br>
</div><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 21.99652862548828px;">Anyway, if you are eating clean for Whole30, I would love to hear some of your favorite tips and recipes. I'm sure I won't consistently share my Whole30 revelations on here, as I am sure I will want to "kill all the things" soon enough, including focused blogging time. I will be drained, according to this: </span></span><br>
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</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.whole9life.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/timeline-header.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.whole9life.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/timeline-header.png" width="640"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br>
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">So in the mean time, I wish you luck on your journey to good health. If I say some grumpy things to you, I'm sorry... it's the sugar-deprivation talking... or the pain meds. :) Here's to 2014!</span></div><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 21.99652862548828px;"><br>
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</script>Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07807901179205365061noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7041488683376352805.post-53952235155489082982013-12-31T12:39:00.000-05:002013-12-31T12:50:40.317-05:00The Stampede of Resolutions<div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhKvrMhkKWJj6d_S7BeebCOZot1iPyWFJaDCOEGcnGW-0EUAaO-gZyArfewfzEw8H0Xa56__YcIXxxoCl4RJceN-4fM2IQgH81Mtjert1Frvhbba7Et_HjnqdhuJ_4vZvzSVlxn1W_NVk/s640/DSC_0457%5B1%5D.JPG" width="640" /><i style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Our lovely neighborhood</span></i></div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I hope your Christmas was merry + bright <3. The Turbevilles had a full December dressed in travel and Christmas cheer with loved ones. It was hard to say goodbye to our loves, but I am gearing up for 2014 in the nerdiest ways possible. To be honest, I was never a "resolutions" kind of gal, but over the years -- and I blame this on my goal-driven hubby -- I've come to embrace the tradition, acknowledging that short-term and long-term goals can be very good. Actually, I feel that <b>2014 is "my year"</b> in a lot of ways (who am I?) and I have to check myself to make sure I don't get carried away. It's easy to consume thoughts of the New Year + new beginnings, putting more important and present things on the back burner. In that sense, I need to tread lightly, but honestly, I feel ready to run like my girl Katniss Everdeen... except out of giddiness and not terror? Here's to another failed Hunger Games reference. </span></div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Anyway, I was hesitant to say my resolutions or even write them down, because they are all so monumentally huge. I didn't want to be the goon who resolves to 1,000 dramatic life-change commitments and then goes on a Pinterest-killing spree, but guess what? I felt like the biggest sucker of them all. But once I defined my goals and charted my course to accomplish them, (really, who am I?) I realized that while my goals are big, they are not lofty; my resolutions are measurable and realistic. In fact, I feel like they are necessary somehow, as if I had no choice in the matter because life throws you some winding roads now and then. Rather than dragging my feet to dig up some goals, I am welcoming a stampede of changes that will be here come hell or high water. My motivations are merging with life's obstacles and opportunities, and I can either move pitifully to barely keep afloat or say "cheers!" and ride the waves. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #444444;"><br />
</span></span> <span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #444444;">One of my reluctantly made (short-term) goals is to complete </span><a href="http://www.whole9life.com/category/whole-30/"><span style="color: #e06666;">Whole30</span></a><span style="color: #444444;"> -- a "short-term nutritional reset program" designed to help you restore a </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; letter-spacing: 0.10000000149011612px; line-height: 22.5px;">healthy metabolism, heal your digestive tract, calm systemic inflammation and put an end to unhealthy cravings, habits, and relationships with food. I love the concept of Whole30, which is based on the Paleo diet, because it evaluates the psychological component and discourages people from obsessing over the number on the scale. My mom, sister and her fiance talked Aaron and me into the program and we successfully talked two or three of our couple friends into it to add to our awesome support system. Now we can all geek out together and share recipes on Google docs! A and I are not concerned with weight loss, but we have been increasingly frustrated with what we learn about processed foods and how certain foods make us feel. </span></span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://whole9life.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/ISWF-Cover-Header-Food4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://whole9life.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/ISWF-Cover-Header-Food4.jpg" width="640" /><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;">Whole9Life</span></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.10000000149011612px; line-height: 22.5px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">We're excited to do Whole30 so we can wake up energized, sleep better and potentially target some food allergies or sensitivities. I am reading through "It Starts With Food" to sustain motivation and it is already blowing my mind. Overall, we want to improve our health and this seems like a great way to do it. I'm sure I will share some recipes on the blog. Are you doing Whole30 or do you participate in the "Paleo lifestyle?" If so, keep me in the loop and share some of your meals, won't you?</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.10000000149011612px; line-height: 22.5px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span> <span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.10000000149011612px; line-height: 22.5px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: small;">Oh, and while you're here, you might enjoy my </span><a href="http://lightbymorning.blogspot.com/2011/12/fresh-wineskins.html"><span style="color: #e06666; font-size: small;">2011 New Year's resolution</span></a><span style="color: #444444; font-size: small;">. It is still (very much so) my top resolution this year and a wonderful reminder to keep me in check.</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span> <span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In light of the stampede of trials and blessings, cheers! Happy New Year!</span></span></div><!--3-->Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07807901179205365061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7041488683376352805.post-45004066185825043982013-12-02T10:01:00.001-05:002013-12-02T15:26:45.099-05:00Preparing for Christmas<div class="content-box-blue"><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">"Master of both the light and the darkness, send your Holy Spirit upon our preparations for Christmas. We who have so much to do seek quiet spaces to hear your voice each day. We who are anxious over many things look forward to your coming among us. We who are blessed in so many ways long for the complete joy of your kingdom. We whose hearts are heavy seek the joy of your presence. We are your people, walking in darkness, yet seeking the light. To you we say, 'Come, Lord Jesus!' Amen." -- A Prayer of Henri J.M. Nouwen</span></blockquote></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">As you prepare for Christmas shopping, resolutions to "do better" and decorations to be comfortable and full of Christmas cheer, do not forget that our merciful God is always with us, always coming. Remember that this is a season of waiting - not merely in expectation of Christ's nativity, which has already happened - but also for His second coming to rule, judge and save. We pray for His kingdom come. There is Christmas cheer and joy in this season, as we have much to be thankful for, but there is also a longing and lament that helps us prepare for Jesus' coming -- an honest reflection and confession that we cannot clean ourselves up. We are in great need of a savior. And what a savior we have been given! What follows this longing is Christmastide -- full of light, joy and celebration.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">In the midst of Christmas clutter and setting your own goals in preparation for the new year, I hope you set aside time to be quiet and full. Walk your dog late at night to get some fresh, cold air in your lungs. Sit around a fire with friends and tell them layers of your life they do not know about. Watch the sunrise and be reminded that His mercies are new every morning. Meet someone new at a bar, park or coffee shop and wish them a Merry Christmas. Go caroling. Drive to the ocean and remember His expansive love, boundless grace and recount His promises to you. Remember that He came into the muck and mess of our world to restore His people to Himself, and that before He flung the entire world into existence, He knew when He would enter it, and when He would leave it. Come thou long expected Jesus! Come, Emmanuel.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">And while you pray for a prepared heart this Christmas season, enjoy this incredible cover of Little Drummer Boy by Pentatonix. :) I promise it will put you in the Christmas spirit. </span></div><br />
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</script>Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07807901179205365061noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7041488683376352805.post-34908177467715255662013-11-27T07:30:00.000-05:002013-11-27T07:30:01.001-05:00Thanksgiving: Counting My Blessings<br />
<div class="content-box-blue"><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">"Eucharist [Thanksgiving] is the state of the perfect man. Eucharist is the life of paradise. Eucharist is the only full and real response of man to God's creation, redemption, and gift of heaven." -- Alexander Schmemann</span></blockquote></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr5xpU8s6D4EZBhP-nA8Zh8g6z9n0GKJlsUNsVPlH9rSs0-8dJKtxwHL9b9cw95qS1hlHadxyKWQxYYfOSPkNDZa0r6vXXiR3j-8f8UIhLcpjvsbQMMHtq9Dsnbi-4sI5RdIVhHthKdWg/s1600/DSC_0352%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr5xpU8s6D4EZBhP-nA8Zh8g6z9n0GKJlsUNsVPlH9rSs0-8dJKtxwHL9b9cw95qS1hlHadxyKWQxYYfOSPkNDZa0r6vXXiR3j-8f8UIhLcpjvsbQMMHtq9Dsnbi-4sI5RdIVhHthKdWg/s640/DSC_0352%255B1%255D.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Happy Thanksgiving Day Eve, friends! I hope your day is full of laughter and family an</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">d that you eat so much turkey tomorrow that you have to wear sweat pants for the rest of the weekend. Mmm. My aunt once said it's not a good Thanksgiving unless you're groaning around on the floor in agony (and .. thanks?), which we intend to do. I'm pretty nervous because we're somehow going to be making a turkey, ham, three different casseroles and two pies in our small, dinky (endearingly so) little kitchen with one oven. :) But I am thrilled to celebrate my 25th birthday on Friday with my twin by my side. We haven't been able to celebrate together on our birthdays in quite some time, and I am certainly thankful to be with my family for the big 2-5. </span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">We're preparing for this holiday - I have to confess - a little more frantically than I would have liked. I guess that's what happens when a day is set apart to be recognized as a holiday of thanks and giving; the stress of preparation gets in the way of what it's really all about. I feel like November has been a whirlwind and December only looks more chaotic. In the midst of sweet potato casserole recipes and beautiful Thanksgiving table decorations exploding on the Internet, I can't say I have seen too many reflections on all there is to be thankful for. It's easy to get caught up in the rush of it all, especially since Thanksgiving is late this year. Christmas music and decorations seem to be creeping in all around - and I get it. It's easy to skip to Christmas - at least for me it is. Aaron and I are blessed beyond measure to enjoy so much travel (and family!) time, but I am looking forward to some normalcy. Nevertheless, we're going to eat our hearts out and be thankful, thankful, thankful. </span></div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>What do you have to be thankful for?</b> Lately, I am humbled on all sides because of the blessings he has lavished upon me. I'm thankful for my husband, who loves the worst and best of me, my whole family and how the Lord has given us plenty of time to be together, my job and the flexibility to scale back on hours, the wild dreams I have to pursue some literary goals (and the support from my loved ones who egg me on in my wild dreams to pursue literary goals), being in a fairly new home that we love already with a church community that we've grown to love, good health and so so much more. </span></div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">More than all of it, I am thankful for the one who gives good gifts. All of the blessings in my life do not compare to the greatness of a God who loved me so much that he sent his son to conquer death to bring me in to his family, all for his own glory. That I am known and loved by a righteous God - and that I get to be an instrument in his story of redemption - are true gifts to be thankful for, and my heart will sing thanks and praise for eternity. <b>When we've been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun, we've no less days to sing God's praise then when we'd first begun</b>. </span></div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Yes, there is much to be thankful for. Just in the last few weeks I have been reminded of this. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieYqv9rt5eLjZ7GrLm0eXdijhOZ82WxZw2IEhGFGBE-4FIdTHo133xjm0VeBYT8SIEbZkbXK3lUsrTFnwpY8mwN150xaXA3rLd-1xMKjDJ8dDaU3LkSuemIN8xKB8CGjYwimCwhH-JX-g/s1600/vscocam_1385523559.716137.IMG_4732.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieYqv9rt5eLjZ7GrLm0eXdijhOZ82WxZw2IEhGFGBE-4FIdTHo133xjm0VeBYT8SIEbZkbXK3lUsrTFnwpY8mwN150xaXA3rLd-1xMKjDJ8dDaU3LkSuemIN8xKB8CGjYwimCwhH-JX-g/s640/vscocam_1385523559.716137.IMG_4732.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>First, I am thankful for Rebekah, my sister-in-law, and her husband, Brad, and the perfectly-perfect Ezra James Shillinglaw. It was such a blessing to lay eyes on this little fella, and Aaron and I cannot wait to spoil this kid. Seriously, so much love for such a tiny, sweet thing. What a rich Thanksgiving it will be for his new mom + dad. We love them a lot.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix-30WSqbtoiCetnHRhLLojuU9sqKkgs2s__iAK4ZeX_vOOtbJgxYyy0958M1pJ53OudA-Pug6aGya3aIO4cRT5o2a7_Dhk3l1c0ws6wRJukVWND2Zax-GjjCVWd04XwAqvNYuIx40_6w/s1600/DSC_0335%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix-30WSqbtoiCetnHRhLLojuU9sqKkgs2s__iAK4ZeX_vOOtbJgxYyy0958M1pJ53OudA-Pug6aGya3aIO4cRT5o2a7_Dhk3l1c0ws6wRJukVWND2Zax-GjjCVWd04XwAqvNYuIx40_6w/s640/DSC_0335%5B1%5D.JPG" width="640" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I'm thankful to have watched the leaves change in my hometown. </span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg53zH89191da6RyszAHAFaITmMTnQ7mYQzseDRWyP_y9OIsxKXMIkYwKYz8bUtCkwTd1w-ptbdlaL3FiDrLeFKVrkifj5wqoV7BeTIus-NJCI6WxiSLF_GJkFaBg1ENMGqeFyv8CV5sts/s640/DSC_0342%5B1%5D.JPG" width="640" /><i style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I'm thankful that I got to explore childhood again in </span></i><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a href="http://lightbymorning.blogspot.com/2013/11/dreams-of-pinehurst.htmlhttp://lightbymorning.blogspot.com/2013/11/dreams-of-pinehurst.html">Pinehurst</a> with my parents and sister. I'm also thankful for nostalgic parents who think it's fun to visit all the houses you once lived in. Taking pictures of our old stomping grounds? Not creepy at all!</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOfCfsFmD6kLbw7sGSL-A6sRypkGdP7myFjiKC0Y-ZtU9erT_THfyrwqI_bwdgIqa9ohi3QMcIHYpomZ6RqhfLxFQT1GWUO_ey4Sc8uzdUQKHxquEACAHxr5SNCyW7bLBYJmFHNPUosbo/s1600/DSC_0311%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOfCfsFmD6kLbw7sGSL-A6sRypkGdP7myFjiKC0Y-ZtU9erT_THfyrwqI_bwdgIqa9ohi3QMcIHYpomZ6RqhfLxFQT1GWUO_ey4Sc8uzdUQKHxquEACAHxr5SNCyW7bLBYJmFHNPUosbo/s640/DSC_0311%5B1%5D.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjckNd2j2Sj34HEnpgwmLzHO1u1_iP63HLuGFULRX9_ri1HTTmEooONXe4zlCJAyOmZ7tyEui6dZFDc3wtmIYqPOdP6k5wxH7XabvnkKg-9ZB8xq0E4ZzVLDh2IDDIwVFG8wNF1r-XjrbA/s1600/DSC_0361%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1"><span style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjckNd2j2Sj34HEnpgwmLzHO1u1_iP63HLuGFULRX9_ri1HTTmEooONXe4zlCJAyOmZ7tyEui6dZFDc3wtmIYqPOdP6k5wxH7XabvnkKg-9ZB8xq0E4ZzVLDh2IDDIwVFG8wNF1r-XjrbA/s640/DSC_0361%5B1%5D.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i><span style="color: #444444;">Like this one. We actually drove up these 10-acres of wood just to reminisce. I wrote a</span> <a href="http://lightbymorning.blogspot.com/2011/11/thanksgiving-1998.html"><span style="color: #e06666;">Thanksgiving memory post</span></a> <span style="color: #444444;">a few years back about this sweet home. You should check it out if you want to know what 11-year-old me was thankful for on Thanksgiving Day. </span></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: small;"><b><br />
</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>Happy Thanksgiving. May you rest, eat and be merry! </b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
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</script>Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07807901179205365061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7041488683376352805.post-29782872329899980222013-11-15T17:22:00.000-05:002013-11-15T17:45:15.972-05:00Love for the East End Market<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #444444;">One of my favorite discoveries since our move to </span><a href="http://lightbymorning.blogspot.com/2013/06/dear-orlando-were-coming-for-you.html"><span style="color: #e06666;">Orlando</span></a><span style="color: #444444;"> has been the </span><a href="http://eastendmkt.com/"><span style="color: #e06666;">East End Market in Audubon Park </span></a><span style="color: #444444;">-- a neighborhood market and cultural food hub inspired by Central Florida's local farmers and food artisans. Not only does the East End Market serve as a place of commerce, it also serves as a thriving community dedicated to educating local Floridians on how to engage with the food system, the local economy and how to better understand the significance of their relationship with food. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The independently-owned businesses also make great use out of the working market garden, cultivating not only the local food and culture, but a shared space for creativity and collaboration.The Audubon Park Garden District of Orlando is certainly a hoppin' place, full of incredible entrepreneurs, tradespeople, artists and chefs. Aaron and I are crushing hard on this place and its vision to flourish a vibrant food culture as the center of community life. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">When we visited for the first time, we were thrilled to try </span><a href="http://lineageroasting.com/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="color: #e06666;">Lineage</span></a><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">, a fairly new roasting company aiming to change the world of craft coffee, one cup at a time. Their coffee was EXCELLENT; I've had dreams about it ever since. (Those natural blueberry flavors, gah!) But really, if you are ever in the neighborhood and don't stop for a dreamy po</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">ur over, you should be slapped silly -- it's that good. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #444444;">We also had fun dabbling in Porch Therapy, a lovely biz that sells decorative plants among other sweet finds, and we ended up buying a beautiful succulent plant (what else?) that looks like it was made for our </span><a href="http://lightbymorning.blogspot.com/2013/09/diy-shelving-unit-book-shelf.html"><span style="color: #e06666;">book shelf</span></a></span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: small;">. All in all, it was a successful trip to the Market -- although, I am not walking out of there again without some cheese and wine, that is for sure.</span> </span></span></span><br />
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</script>Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07807901179205365061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7041488683376352805.post-55721043187989602512013-11-12T13:13:00.000-05:002013-11-12T13:13:13.924-05:00Dreams of Pinehurst<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1jkaP7pl4nhDpTpwRzpOaO0-axLmbmzYGfIg3sSwSz1zOJuLLqRJHQ35ikasTMw0gBtG9m1N-zRXkK8_NlBhAAub6buQ8_OsjFeSTMYTM6HHkk0LREsVLyrEmQfpe0L3A4EVhsMtahwo/s1600/DSC_0296.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1jkaP7pl4nhDpTpwRzpOaO0-axLmbmzYGfIg3sSwSz1zOJuLLqRJHQ35ikasTMw0gBtG9m1N-zRXkK8_NlBhAAub6buQ8_OsjFeSTMYTM6HHkk0LREsVLyrEmQfpe0L3A4EVhsMtahwo/s640/DSC_0296.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Today, I look outside of my sister's house and see leaves covering the ground, crisp North Carolina air and a fresh cup of coffee in my hands. I am flooded with blessings, and my heart is full because I know just how rich it is to be given plenty of time to rest and count quiet days. Two sleepy dogs rest beside me, and I know in this moment that He is faithful even when I am not. </span></div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">It's a strange feeling to be given so much free time, to be honest. It feels a little awkward, but in the best way. I'm not embarrassed to tell you I spent about five minutes this morning listening to early Jazz and dancing in my pajamas facing Hannah's sliding glass door. I couldn't stop those dogs' tails from wagging even if I wanted to; I think they liked that I looked like I was going a little bit crazy. </span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A few days ago I decided that I needed to scale back my full-time job to a part-time gig for a few reasons. It was difficult and I didn't want to admit that I needed this, but I definitely did and I'm so glad this transition is happening. I'm already beginning to sense fear of the unknown surfacing a little bit, but I think it's good for me. The timing is perfect too; I am currently in Pinehurst with my sister this week and will be in Charlotte next week to see our sweet nephew, Ezra James, for the first time. We are beyond blessed and cannot wait to snuggle baby E with lots of love! I was a little nervous about all of our traveling in November and December, but - thankfully - I think it's going to be more low-key than I anticipated. </span></span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It's strange being in Pinehurst. When I walk past a street sign I get flashbacks of swimming pools that aren't there anymore, trick-or-treating in dark streets, selling the newspaper on the corner of my dad's office and eating messy ice cream cones (unsuccessfully, because of my rubber band braces). It's astounding to think about the years I spent here and how the smallest moments can come flooding back to your mind. There are new traffic circles, buildings and restaurants, and in a way, I feel like a time traveler. All of this nostalgia makes me feel warm and a little sad at the same time. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span> <span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">More than anything though, I am reminded that I had a pretty damn good childhood. I think the reason it's so surreal to be back here is because my parents moved when I was in college, and I really haven't been back much since. Pinehurst will forever be like this strange, far away dream for me... but I think of it fondly. :) Anyway, I hope your week is full of rest, a little bit of pajama-dancing and recognizing the rich blessings in your life. </span></span></div><br />
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Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07807901179205365061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7041488683376352805.post-9825081728760493652013-11-08T23:49:00.002-05:002013-11-08T23:49:32.930-05:00Adventures at the Dog Park<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">TGIF, guys! This Sunday afternoon my lovely dog and I will be traveling to North Carolina to visit my sister for a week. Aaron is doing some traveling so I spontaneously decided to make a trip for me, too. I'm not psyched about driving the whole way by myself, but I have an excellent travel companion. :) Because I'll be a zombie in the car for 10 hours (OK - let's hope I'm a little more attentive than a zombie...) I plan to spend my Saturday reading, writing, doing an embarrassingly large load of laundry and hopefully not too much else. There are a lot of changes in my future, so I'm trying to slow life down just a bit in the mean time. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">+++</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I just smiled thinking about my efforts to "slow life down," because as I write these words, a sleeping hound dog is curled by my side. Life was far from slow today when I tried to include her on my run for the first time ever. Yikes. This dog was meant to run, y'all. But apparently she was also meant to sniff every bush she walks by. Let's just say the run was not as peaceful as it could have been (and that I almost died a few times from this insanely awkward and clumsy pup!) Even though she has no intentions of slowing life down out in the world, we love this crazy mutt. We've been extra nostalgic lately of our sweet pup and how she has <a href="http://lightbymorning.blogspot.com/2012/02/making-room.html"><span style="color: #e06666;">changed our lives</span></a> for the better. In honor of Zoey's 2nd birthday a few days ago, enjoy these hilarious photos I snatched at the dog park.</span></div>
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</script>Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07807901179205365061noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7041488683376352805.post-35898514126298903292013-11-07T09:52:00.002-05:002013-11-07T09:53:51.246-05:00Tiny Kitchens (And Tiny Houses)<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Some of you may know this about me, but I've recently been obsessing over tiny houses and love to see innovative, small kitchens. Aaron has always been intrigued by the idea of living unconventionally and minimally on what you need, but only recently has this tiny living concept caught my interest. We're enthralled by the simplistic, minimalist lifestyle that refuses to go along with the pulse of our consumerist-driven culture, which is that more possessions will make you happy. In fact, the idea that we can live on less has been freeing in a lot of ways, although we haven't abandoned our home and television just yet :). We're not running toward a tiny house on wheels just yet, especially not with our three animals (yikes!) but it has been eye opening to learn about these incredible tiny dwellers and how their decisions to live smaller have allowed them to live more abundantly <i>and </i>help the environment. When we moved from Houston to Orlando, we were actually <i>excited </i>to try and squeeze all of our belongings into a 900 sq. ft. home -- and to most tiny dwellers, even 900 sq. ft is too uncomfortably roomy! But we're happy to get rid of some of the excess, nonetheless. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">While we love living a tad smaller, it's definitely a challenge to try to work around a tiny kitchen. Until we have our own place (we're currently renting) there is not much we can do other than the magnetic knife-holders and a lot of hooks and organizers; but we've made it work and love our little kitchen. We may get a small island from IKEA, but we're not sure just yet if there is room. Aaron will be building us a kitchen nook table in the near future, so I'll keep you posted on that DIY project. But in the mean time, check out </span><a href="http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="color: #e06666;">Tumbleweed Tiny House Company</span></a><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> and watch the teaser to the Tiny documentary below. I'm betting I can make a believer out of you (or you may just think I am crazy, and that's OK). Since I have (obviously) been pinning adorably tiny and quaint kitchens on Pinterest, here are some of my favorite finds. If you have any amazing organizational tips for small kitchens, don't leave a sister hangin.' I am not a type A person, and organization scares me, y'all -- it's kind of my downfall and why I am just a "closet minimalist." :) But hey, I'm trying. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">1.<a href="http://www.abeachcottage.com/2010/04/beach-cottage-kitchen-mini-makeover.html"><span style="color: #e06666;">A Beach Cottage</span></a> // 2. <a href="http://www.cococozy.com/2010/07/before-after-turquoise-takes-over-in.html"><span style="color: #e06666;">COCOCOZY</span></a> // 3. <a href="http://www.decorartsnow.com/2010/06/11/june-11-2010-foodie-friday-sauteed-shrimp-with-arugula-and-tomatoes/"><span style="color: #e06666;">Decor Arts Now</span></a><span style="color: #e06666;"> </span>// 4. <a href="http://www.idesignarch.com/rustic-modern-tiny-house-for-tall-people/"><span style="color: #e06666;">iDesignArch</span></a></span></div>
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</script>Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07807901179205365061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7041488683376352805.post-52203146348586763072013-11-05T07:30:00.000-05:002013-11-07T09:05:44.930-05:00Writing + Composting<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Did you know writing requires composting? I smiled when I read this little excerpt from Natalie Goldberg's book, because we have recently started composting for the first time. I like to think the decisions we make to cultivate something good in our lives inspire other decisions and other areas of life. Composting is new to us, but we are inspired by the beautiful idea of turning what's thrown away into something rich. And guess what? Now I can use this concept in my writing.</span></div><blockquote class="tr_bq"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 17px;">"Our senses by themselves are dumb. They take in experience, but they need the richness of sifting for a while through our consciousness and through our whole bodies. I call this ‘composting.’ Our bodies are garbage heaps: we collect experience, and from the decomposition of the thrown-out eggshells, spinach leaves, coffee grinds, and old steak bones of our minds come nitrogen, heat and very fertile soil. Out of this fertile soil bloom our poems and stories. But this does not come all at once. It takes time. Continue to turn over and over the organic details of your life until some of them fall through the garbage of discursive thoughts to the solid ground of black soil.”</span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> [</span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Excerpt from Natalie Goldberg's "Writing Down The Bones"]</span></span></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Some of you writers may know that this month is #NaNoWriMo, or in other words, National Novel Writing Month. Hundreds of thousands of people on all parts of the writing spectrum commit to make themselves creative and miserable at the same time, writing 50,000 words in 30 days. It's a commitment that stems from the idea that the world needs your novel, and that you can - and should - get your ideas on paper for that story you've been turning over in your head for months or even years. Most people who write a novel in a month will tell you that the 50,000 words are pretty awful by the time you finish, and that your first draft is much more of a skeleton of a manuscript than an actual novel. Nevertheless, there are inspiring stories of people who publish their NaNo novels 15 or so drafts later, or several years later. A big chunk of the writer community celebrates this initiative because it gets people writing; it teaches the value of creative writing every day, and it inspires people to get better at their writing through daily practice. How inspired would you be to continue working on a 250 page manuscript, even if the writing was pretty "eh." I'd like to think that no matter how your manuscript turns out, 50,000 words is something to be proud of. Then the revisions come!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Anyway, I thought about starting this month for like a nano second (see what I did there?) but decided that powering through this month was not the best idea. It was hard to say no, especially when there are so many inspiring accountability partners out there (writing buddies), but there are countless things going on this month that need to be a priority, including lots of travel. Sometimes you have to learn how to say no for your own health, marriage, sanity and whatever else is important to you. That being said, I still think it's an excellent idea and it has definitely motivated me to make my own writing deadlines. As a writer by trade, I can pump out 7,000 words a day, so I know it's possible. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Even though I'm not participating this month, there's something magical about November and I thoroughly enjoy the daily word counts popping up all over the Internet. Even though I will not be writing a 50,000 word manuscript this month, I'm excited to at least have a story in the mix for the future and I plan to push myself a little harder with my creative writing (even if it's not 1,667 words a day), cheering on my other writer friends at the side lines!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Are you participating in NaNoWriMo this month? If so, you're my hero and you can do it! </span></div><script type="text/javascript">
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</script>Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07807901179205365061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7041488683376352805.post-32583998564706275842013-11-04T07:30:00.000-05:002013-11-05T07:54:05.538-05:00CURRENTLY Loving<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Here it is, folks... my favorite time of the year. November is full of thanks and giving, birthdays and - this year - the birth of my new nephew. We're absolutely on cloud nine waiting for him to come. Since October came and went so fast, I thought I might share a few things I'm currently loving:</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Living around the block from </span><a href="http://the%20rifle%20paper%20co./" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="color: #e06666;">The Rifle Paper Co.</span></a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Journaling my heart out and writing fun hand-written notes (because of Rifle)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A Thousand Mornings by Mary Oliver</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Watching classic movies. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Learning my passions and inspirations via the blogging world.</span></li>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It's true; living next to Rifle is dangerous and fun, but mostly, it's helped me be a little more creative. Mary Oliver's words are ten times better on an airplane, and A finally decided enough was enough after talking about how much I live under a rock when it comes to movies. He made me a movie list, and so far I have LOVED watching all of the Star Wars movies, The Big Lebowski and the Matrix -- all for the first time. I'm learning what I'm passionate about and what I want to learn more about through my obsession with Feedly... browsing blog after blog from writers I admire in the online community.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> After categorizing my favorite blogs on Feedly, it's fun to recognize where my heart is or what interests me: The Christian faith, marriage, writing, design, foster care (one day) and health + fitness. It's also fun to live vicariously through others on Feedly, like through my sub group: The van life, which is full of outdoor enthusiasts traveling America in their vans. It really makes me want to buy a VW vanagon, y'all. So anyway, November is already full of dreaming and that's how we like it over here. What's on your "currently" list?</span></span><br />
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</script>Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07807901179205365061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7041488683376352805.post-73493360723320953532013-10-31T07:30:00.000-04:002013-10-31T08:26:38.618-04:00Stories We Claim<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI6c4MyV0SGoFKs0Q12xH5_5bQovLKSYIj2H1eCrVFXjw5x1ewjKAh61TaB-a8mSk-ZpJ9vgso0-eFj47igF7614K1yR2v84X7XnkuvDKT_pJBcY3xO13jjTXl8huWad9QDIyEbVwHkl0/s1600/John+Anholt+Family+1891.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="490" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI6c4MyV0SGoFKs0Q12xH5_5bQovLKSYIj2H1eCrVFXjw5x1ewjKAh61TaB-a8mSk-ZpJ9vgso0-eFj47igF7614K1yR2v84X7XnkuvDKT_pJBcY3xO13jjTXl8huWad9QDIyEbVwHkl0/s640/John+Anholt+Family+1891.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>A snapshot: part of my family tree. The Anholt family, 1891. </i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #444444;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #444444;">Stories we claim + stories that claim us. I love when nostalgic moments kind of bump into you and then you realize it's more than a little love tap. I read inspiring words about </span><a href="http://www.christinarosalie.com/family-stories-the-ones-we-claim-and-the-ones-that-claim-us/#comment-33517"><span style="color: #e06666;">family stories</span></a><span style="color: #444444;"> right after I discovered a pile of old poems and papers from my college days. This old poem I wrote went hand-in-hand with Christina's words, sprouting an interest in story telling and how family history unravels. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I have always been intrigued by the passing of memories and how they can change shape, even for those who did not live them. Christina expounds on this craving for family stories in a fierce and lovely way, writing that, perhaps, it is "proof that artists live some part of their lives circling the secret of their calling before their way." She is also bewildered by the stories her mother tells, "like lost stitches in the tapestry of her lineage." Her words were sweet to me today, and they inspired me to reflect on one of my old wrinkled-paper poems: little vignettes and family stitches. I hope -- like Christina's stories -- they inspire you to reflect on your own family's memoir-moments. </span></span></div><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">++++</span></blockquote><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>Family History (And Words Sometimes Told)</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I want to be there,</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Where the weeds grow long</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">and the fields are gray;</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">listening to you teaching</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">to the cattle, driving through the Badlands, </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">where the grasshoppers don't stop growing. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I want to be there,</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">when she bought that teapot in Vienna; </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">once not so rusted and</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">beautiful in its time</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">like she was when she fed the hobos</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">chicken dumplings on fourth of July</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">on that front step.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I want to be there, </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">when you cut off all of your hair </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">to remind yourself it did not matter</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">and then spent 20 years alone </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">on an airplane with napkin notes</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">and old phone numbers. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I want to be there, </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">when you sold what you had</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">to pump gas in Wisconsin --</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">living with that Jewish girl, Mutta, </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">who always looked pretty in pictures. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Or when you hitchhiked through wherever </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">or when your father fell asleep</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">under that bridge; </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">when you learned to paint in jail;</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">when you heard we landed on the moon in some bar</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">in Milwaukee.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I want to be there, </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Where ancient past weaves through your veins</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">and names make up your DNA </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">and memories are more than ripped pages, </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">cassette tapes and</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">faces you don't remember.</span><br />
<br />
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</script>Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07807901179205365061noreply@blogger.com0