MomEncouragement

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...