MomEncouragement

Hi precious mamas. Today I'm sharing from a private Facebook group post. I recently started this group for coaching in Intentional Growth and Wellness. If you like what you read here and are interested in joining a community of mutual encouragement, support and equipping, the link is below. Fear. Just reading the word can induce fear and anxiety. Fear is described in the online dictionary as "an unpleasant emotion caused by the BELIEF (my emphasis) that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat." It is followed by an example that mentions "irrational" fear. Our fears are often irrational. Our fears are often not logical or reasonable, but are the result of a lack of clear thinking. Unfounded. Baseless. So why do we let fear stop us in our tracks? What is it that we're so scared of? We tend to stay stuck out of fear, letting it run the narrative in the background of our minds, while not even addressing it. Fear causes us to stick wi...

Hello, precious mamas! Yes, it's been a while. Much has changed since I last wrote to you. The pandemic continued throwing a wrench in the gears of our lives; I've lost a beloved aunt and mamaw; our youngest graduated, moved out, and got engaged; and I became more involved in ministry. We've been wedding planning, coaching/parenting our young adult children, working, grieving, and so much more. However, you have been on my heart throughout the process, and I am learning the skills I need to be better on the tech side of things. I hope to revive this blog to be a blessing to you, dear mama.  As I am learning how to navigate building this blog to be better over the course of the next several weeks/months, I'm reposting my monthly Women's Ministry blogs from our church website. I've added a tab at the top, "Women's Ministry Blog," where you can go to find more of what I've been writing over the past couple of years. Look for the Women's Minist...

Heavy. That's how I feel, right now, mentally, emotionally, and even physically. Weighed down by so much emotion, so much loss in our community. Topical Storm Fred came through the mountains of Western NC and left in its wake a level of destruction I've never seen in my lifetime. Homes, businesses and schools either destroyed or left in ruin. Lives lost and impacted in ways never imagined. I've seen the beauty of community coming together, mucking out the mud, clearing roads, rebuilding bridges, and coming together to feed and shelter rescue workers and those displaced from their homes. And this beautiful community will work together to rebuild. Yet this heaviness sits upon me.  Heaviness from this catastrophe, and a pre-existing heaviness from this season of life and all it carries. And that is where I sit in this moment. Recognizing that which I cannot control, and that which I can. I can control my response. I can volunteer. I can help coordinate volunteers. ...

I've spent so much of my life comparing. Comparing myself to those around me. Comparing my life to theirs. Comparing looks, resources, talents, gifts, jobs...  The list goes on.  Always resulting in a feeling of lack. Lack of faith. Lack of hope. Lack of joy. Lack of beauty. Lack of success.  The list goes on. This is the abyss where we reside when we constantly compare ourselves to others. Mark Twain's wisdom reminds us, "Comparison is the death of joy." I've been a living testament to that statement for longer than I'd like to admit. But what if... What if we understood we're more alike than we realize? What if that person I'm putting on a pedestal isn't so different after all? What if we took the time to stop with the pretenses and assumptions, and simply listen to that person? Maybe even ask a few questions... Last week I emceed at a women's event for the first time in a crowd of over 100 women. This normally would have been a v...

I'm so grateful for this family, the reason I can call myself a mom, and for my mom, who taught me what it is to be a woman and mom who makes a difference, in ways both big and, more often, quite small.  I miss her terribly. We do our best to raise our children with loving care, to equip them with what they'll need to thrive and make their own difference in the world, all while doing our best to lead by example.  However, in our quest to be the best moms we can be, we serve them best when they see our hard days, our struggles and frustrations, and how we deal with those, just as much, if not more than, the rare triumphant days when we feel like a supermom. They need to see the mess and chaos of working toward life goals, and learn perseverance, dedication, grace, faith, hope, the value of community, the wisdom of others, and the importance of self-care, as we work through what life throws at us.  This is what equips them to thrive when they leave the nest. It'...

Thoughts.  They take up the space in our minds, so often on autoplay we don't even realize it. Thoughts can be consuming, all-encompassing, even prophetic, if we allow them to be. They are seeds, and given enough nourishment, they lead to a harvest. What will your harvest look like? What thoughts are you nourishing? Are your thoughts positive and encouraging, even, and especially toward yourself? Or are they more of the self-defeating type thoughts, that too easily creep into our psyche? I encourage you to be vigilant about capturing the thoughts that are in your mind. Take each one captive and ask yourself if that thought is one that will build you up, challenge you to grow, or help you become physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually healthier. If the answer to that question is yes, nourish that seed with all your might! Water it. Give it sunlight. Open it to the fresh air. Focus your energies toward that thought, and baby step your way to make it become your ...

Yesterday evening I took a quick stroll down my road.  As I approached the end of the road, I heard the babbling flow of a nearby stream, and a chorus of peep frogs ushering in sping. I almost missed the moment in my rush to get back to my evening responsibilities. But the peepers were calling, and I've been known to pull over from driving and roll down the windows just to hear them. It's a calming sound that soothes my soul, and brings hope-filled anticipation for the rebirth brought by spring. I forced myself to stop, close my eyes, take a few deep breaths, and soak it in.  I thought of our moms' group and our current study of rest. What does it say about us, when we have to resort to studying rest in order to justify its place in our lives?  Why is rest foreign and elusive to us? In all honesty, my evening stroll was more out of necessity than proactive self-care. After a doctor's visit and some tests, I've relearned a vital lesson. I need to slow dow...

Do the dreams and goals you aspire to seem overwhelming at times? Mine sure have, and I made the mistake for far too long of allowing that to cripple me, to remain stuck. The mistake of letting the voices of fear, uncertainty, insecurity and doubt creep in and take over my dreams, convincing me I'd never be enough, do enough, or have enough to make any of it happen. I finally said enough is enough and booted the bullies in my head to the curb! I wish I could say it happened instantly, but once those voices dig in, they don't let go easily. It's a process that requires a commitment to take those thoughts as they arise and change the perspective. For instance, instead of asking "am I good enough," ask "am I doing my best?" And don't play the comparison game. We are all uniquely created, with varying gifts and abilities that make each of us an individual. What a boring world it would be if we were all the same. Be honest with yourself and ch...

I almost didn't save a life today. I woke up with a pounding headache. Rather than pop a pain reliever, I thought I'd take a nice morning walk in an effort to clear my head. Then I had the brilliant idea to kill two birds with one stone by multitasking. I got out my phone to return a few messages and check the news, all while increasing my step count for the day.  Efficient, right? As I walked past the overgrown brambles, proud of my ability to check more things off my ever-growing list, I almost didn't hear the quiet, yet frantic rustling of wings. I pocketed my phone and stood there for a moment.  Listening.  Searching.  There, in the brambles, a beautiful goldfinch was clinging to life, with one foot hooked around a fence wire and the other caught up in weeds. I felt so sorry for the little fella, stuck there like he was. I imagined him, like me at times, full of fear and anxiety. A slight touch to the weeds was all it took, and the precio...

Two days, sixteen hours, until a new year. A symbol of new beginnings, especially after the year 2020 has thrown at us. However... A new beginning is given to us each and every day.  New Year's resolutions are often big and lofty. Too often, some give up on those goals before the calendar turns to February. But what if we were more forgiving of ourselves, and what if we allowed ourselves to celebrate the smaller victories of renewal each and every day? What if I woke up this morning, and said I'm going to do better than I did yesterday, when I ate too much of the Christmas candy... And told myself, it's okay that you ate too much Christmas candy, as long as you don't make it a habit. What if I woke up this morning and said I'm going to get more movement into my days... And told myself, it's okay that you laid on the couch for several days after Christmas, just reading or watching movies. It's okay that you allowed your body to rest after some seasonal chaos....

Shortly after the pandemic began, and we were sheltering in place, I found it necessary to keep up with what day it was on the whiteboard.  As the days trundled by, I began writing inspirational messages for my family (which I used to do on the bathroom mirror, but that got kind of messy after showers😂🙄🤦🏼‍♀️). The messages are for me as well.  We all need hope and encouragement. I'm sharing today's message of hope from hindsight and in foresight. From hindsight, in that my experience has proven this to be wise and trusted advice over and over again.  Yes, even the multitude of times I've fallen and failed. Those are the stepping stones that led to greater things. To move forward, to grow, sometimes we have to take chances in life. Saying "yes" to a job you want, but are uncertain of your abilities. Saying "yes" to a serious relationship, when your heart is laid bare.  Or maybe it's saying "no" to something toxic in your life, and settin...

Image by  Dean Moriarty  from  Pixabay   If you're a mom, you've probably been there. In public, with your newly potty trained child... who just happens to be dancing the potty dance.  You get to the bathroom and the line stretches for miles, or so it seems in your current predicament. Excuse me, ma'am, would you mind if we go in front of you? I don't think he's going to be able to hold it much longer.  If the women in front of you have a shred of decency, they'll allow you to skip line. But that's your kid. It's so much easier to ask for help for their benefit. (Well, indirectly it's for your benefit too, since you probably don't want to clean up the aftermath.) But what about for you, mama? After having children, and adding, ahem , a few years beyond that, the flood gates don't work as well as they used to.  Did you know there's actually physical therapy for that ? I was standing in line with my eyeballs floating. Did I ask to skip li...

When I began this post almost 2 weeks ago, a few things came up that delayed finishing it. I now see God's timing in the delay of a post about the value and power of community. While this story isn't headline busting news like we're currently seeing, I truly believe it's the collective acts of loving kindness, big and small, that will lead to true change in the world. This post doesn't specifically address the situation at hand, but I believe its underlying message has a place in the healing process. We're all people of worth. Let us be kind to one another. *********************************************************************************** Our lawnmower broke, again. My husband is a jack-of-all-trades, so he can usually fix it, but we have to order the parts because it's so old. With shipping being slow due to the pandemic, it'll be at least a couple of weeks before the parts arrive. As I write this, one of our neighbors, from a trio of men I have dubbe...