I don't care about fake nails, matching undergarments, perfect make up or hair... I'm a girl, but as I grow older, I fail to find satisfaction in perfection in any of those things. My mother has always been a woman who tries the very latest mascara, the best face lotions, or the latest nail polish colors. I find those things wearying. I get all of my mother's "cast offs" - those products that may have cost a fortune, but that didn't live up to the hype or my mother's expectations.
What makes a girl? I harken back to the day when, in the 50s or so - there were articles and books written about what it means or what it takes to be a good girl, or good wife. PFFFT! Those are hilarious and often are shared on social networks as fodder for laughter from today's woman. "Make your husband feel comfortable after his day at work" or "bring your man a drink and his slippers after he gets home." "Make sure you're your best when your man gets home - freshen your make up and hair to be sure you look your best." HA! I'm in sweatpants, slippers, and my hair knotted at the top of my head by the time he gets here. It's silly to think that these things make and break a marriage.
I don't, myself, trust in the bullshit that is spewed from the various women's magazines in today's world. Most of them at this point just highlight celebrities and what they're wearing, doing, saying, believing. It's ridiculous. I don't take part in these magazines or any other garbage spewed by the media. What I do take into consideration, is my own views, my friends, and the results I can actually see (sans photoshop!).
What makes a girl isn't the constant, ever present selfies on Facebook that I get SO VERY TIRED OF SEEING! I mean seriously... you're 45. Stop. You aren't going to wrangle a man based on the boob shots you post, no matter what you may believe. Good men don't get swayed by simple stupid selfies. Stop. It. Now. I'm one who sees true value in a person who believes in themselves, posts things that have substance, and show that substance in their daily lives. What do you show people that you can offer if all they see is stupid selfies, boob shots, drunken posts/photos, or the like? Be serious. You're an adult. Act like it.
Woman have needs that are more emotional than men. We need validation more... love more... feel more. We often express these needs via spoken word, or more subtle ways like being down in the mouth, not caring about our appearance, not reaching out to others. I speak from a different angle though, as a depressed person. I know the signs, but I also know the REAL ISSUES that come from being too down to accept any accolades. It's a line that men often don't see... they're simply not created that way most of the time. Don't turn your back on your man if he doesn't see your needs. It's up to you to articulate those needs, and demand them in order for you to be a healthy partner in life.
Just wanted to make those things clear. You're welcome.
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
Wednesday, March 23, 2016
Greater is He...
The last few days I've had a particular verse from the bible that has been on my heart. I've heard it several times when I start up my car for a journey, written on posts, and songs in my head. It's not something I focus on, but after a while, it started to be something often enough for me to write out.
"Greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world." Greater... more powerful... more careful... God is in me. God shows me things I wouldn't normally see. I reached out to a distant friend last week after finding a yankee candle in my stock. It's her favorite scent, and I was reminded of her when I found it. I wrote to her, telling her what I'd found, and that I was thinking of her. It happened to be that that particular day was the year anniversary of her losing her best friend suddenly to a heart attack. She was my friend too... only 43. We've lost quite a few classmates in the last couple of years. My distant friend had been part of my life since high school, and was an employer of mine when I couldn't find work. She reached out, and gave me work. I was in need and she helped me. I couldn't ask for more from a friend. She was hurting that day... remembering the loss. She, like me, doesn't have a lot of close friends to rely on, and our friend that was lost was so important.
He who is in me is greater than he who is in the world. We hear that often... it's a biblical promise. It's something we can rely on. God used me to relay that message to my hurting friend. God is greater than death, and wanted the promise of everlasting life to be reiterated to my friend in her time of sadness. That, and the fact that the following day was her deceased mother's birthday. She was in a low week, for sure. No one wants to feel the loss that comes from a parent passing, never mind a friend who has also left us. I believe God wanted to comfort my friend in her low point. I love being used in this way!
Being a conduit for the Lord is something I love in my faith. I know God is real, and that He holds us in His hands. There are days and times when we walk through darkness and feel alone, but He never leaves. It's our emotions that cloud His presence. Our own will that keeps us from focusing on Him and what He has for us. The days of a faith based person aren't promised to be easy... in fact they're said in the bible to be harder as a result of our faith. But, our end game is brighter. Our eternal joy is promised.
Greater is He! Be encouraged!
"Greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world." Greater... more powerful... more careful... God is in me. God shows me things I wouldn't normally see. I reached out to a distant friend last week after finding a yankee candle in my stock. It's her favorite scent, and I was reminded of her when I found it. I wrote to her, telling her what I'd found, and that I was thinking of her. It happened to be that that particular day was the year anniversary of her losing her best friend suddenly to a heart attack. She was my friend too... only 43. We've lost quite a few classmates in the last couple of years. My distant friend had been part of my life since high school, and was an employer of mine when I couldn't find work. She reached out, and gave me work. I was in need and she helped me. I couldn't ask for more from a friend. She was hurting that day... remembering the loss. She, like me, doesn't have a lot of close friends to rely on, and our friend that was lost was so important.
He who is in me is greater than he who is in the world. We hear that often... it's a biblical promise. It's something we can rely on. God used me to relay that message to my hurting friend. God is greater than death, and wanted the promise of everlasting life to be reiterated to my friend in her time of sadness. That, and the fact that the following day was her deceased mother's birthday. She was in a low week, for sure. No one wants to feel the loss that comes from a parent passing, never mind a friend who has also left us. I believe God wanted to comfort my friend in her low point. I love being used in this way!
Being a conduit for the Lord is something I love in my faith. I know God is real, and that He holds us in His hands. There are days and times when we walk through darkness and feel alone, but He never leaves. It's our emotions that cloud His presence. Our own will that keeps us from focusing on Him and what He has for us. The days of a faith based person aren't promised to be easy... in fact they're said in the bible to be harder as a result of our faith. But, our end game is brighter. Our eternal joy is promised.
Greater is He! Be encouraged!
Wednesday, March 9, 2016
A Few of My Favorite Things...
Today I'm reveling in the warm air outside, yesterday too. The clouds aren't hampering my mood, which is awesome. When the weather is good, my mood is so much better! Here are a few of the things I enjoy while the weather is good to us:
The deck on the back of the house. It's 20' up off the ground, so it's perfect for the cats to be able to go out and enjoy the weather. I spend so much time out there during the spring, summer, and fall. It's a tragedy when I have to bring the furniture back in for the winter. The warm air swirling around us, the indoor plants swaying in the breeze... it's magical. If only I was less lazy and could bother to bring out a chair for myself. I end up sitting on the deck floor, playing with the cats, enjoying the sunshine...
The smell of spring in the air. It's such a blessing to have a day or two in March to sit, close my eyes, and breathe in the warm air. It makes life so much easier to take. Life inside is tough in the winter. I get so down. I have a standing relationship with the local tanning salon that I tend to visit more often when the weather breaks. It gets worse, I think, when there are days like this, and then there are rainy, snowy, cold days to deal with. New York weather has always been volatile and it helps to have a way to get out of the dooms and glooms of the weather. I don't often go, as I age... I feel bad enough about how I look, so tanning sits in the back of my mind as a bad alternative. Spray tans... they have their place, but I've never been one to choose that over the sun or the "fake and bake".
Watching things bloom and grow. You can't beat the thrill you get when you see the lovely flowers that bloom in the spring. It's such a buzz to see the forsythia, the snow lilies... Crocuses... it makes us feel as though the death is soon over. I can't tell you how amazing it is to see growth in our yard. It's again, magical. No matter the wind, clouds, sun... those little perennials are sure to show up, and make a day that much more tolerable.
As for my work life, it's way more volatile than the plant life. It depends on me - my mood - my commitment. I've been blessed with talent in the art world, but one cannot be human without wishing for more in areas I haven't been blessed with. Most recently I've had many dreams about elephants. Being a savior, mostly. I love the feelings I have in the midst of those dreams. I wish for myself the life of saving elephants... being a part of sanctuaries... being relevant in these things. It's tough to avoid feeling irrelevant when your dreams bring it right back into focus. I will, based on the promises I've had in my prayer life, be relevant to the survival of elephants in our world. I trust the Lord in these things, because He brings me my dreams. He made me this way. He knows my heart, the heart that He placed in me when I was made. I have no doubt that my dreams will be seen in the reality of my life, be it here or in eternity.
Being alone. It's not something that I say often, and I end up dealing with being alone a lot more than I anticipated several years ago, but being on my own is something that I enjoy most of the time. There are days, mind you, that I wish I had someone else in the house, namely Ben, but his work keeps that from being a reality. It has become an effort for me to live alone a lot of the time, since over a year ago when he spent 4 months in London. Meanwhile, I've adapted. I enjoy the quiet time... the time with just the cats. It may be something a lot of you may see as negative, but there are points in time where its necessary. I enjoy the quiet, being able to be myself... being able to focus on me, and on my home and animals. It can be refreshing honestly. Instead of seeing my lonely days as a detriment, I find myself able to focus on what needs to be done around the house, and for myself and my animals. I mop (which I hate to do), sweep, dust, organize, decorate, and spend time with my cats. It's a way of life that not most of my friends deal with, but it helps me. I know the Lord has given me this life for a reason, and I focus on those reasons. Getting ahead of chores, being aware of the cats needs, being able to deal with the taxes, the things we need to keep. Cleaning the house in order to have guests. We don't often have house guests, but we will have Ben's parents in April, and it helps for me to have the time I need to get things done. Order pillows... clean out the guest room, get a plumber here to fix the faucets... I'm sure other people may see these as quick and easy fixes, but these things take me a while to accomplish. Life gets in the way, and I'm grateful for the time I need to accomplish the things it takes to make my guests feel welcome and comfortable.
Revel in the beauty of the warm weather. Spend time outside, and enjoy the warm air across your face. Go barefoot! I love being barefoot on the deck, and outside when it's possible. It makes you feel like you're in touch with the world... like you're alive! Enjoy it! It's worth the time to spend outside. Take a breath, deep and refreshing! You will be made new!
The deck on the back of the house. It's 20' up off the ground, so it's perfect for the cats to be able to go out and enjoy the weather. I spend so much time out there during the spring, summer, and fall. It's a tragedy when I have to bring the furniture back in for the winter. The warm air swirling around us, the indoor plants swaying in the breeze... it's magical. If only I was less lazy and could bother to bring out a chair for myself. I end up sitting on the deck floor, playing with the cats, enjoying the sunshine...
The smell of spring in the air. It's such a blessing to have a day or two in March to sit, close my eyes, and breathe in the warm air. It makes life so much easier to take. Life inside is tough in the winter. I get so down. I have a standing relationship with the local tanning salon that I tend to visit more often when the weather breaks. It gets worse, I think, when there are days like this, and then there are rainy, snowy, cold days to deal with. New York weather has always been volatile and it helps to have a way to get out of the dooms and glooms of the weather. I don't often go, as I age... I feel bad enough about how I look, so tanning sits in the back of my mind as a bad alternative. Spray tans... they have their place, but I've never been one to choose that over the sun or the "fake and bake".
Watching things bloom and grow. You can't beat the thrill you get when you see the lovely flowers that bloom in the spring. It's such a buzz to see the forsythia, the snow lilies... Crocuses... it makes us feel as though the death is soon over. I can't tell you how amazing it is to see growth in our yard. It's again, magical. No matter the wind, clouds, sun... those little perennials are sure to show up, and make a day that much more tolerable.
As for my work life, it's way more volatile than the plant life. It depends on me - my mood - my commitment. I've been blessed with talent in the art world, but one cannot be human without wishing for more in areas I haven't been blessed with. Most recently I've had many dreams about elephants. Being a savior, mostly. I love the feelings I have in the midst of those dreams. I wish for myself the life of saving elephants... being a part of sanctuaries... being relevant in these things. It's tough to avoid feeling irrelevant when your dreams bring it right back into focus. I will, based on the promises I've had in my prayer life, be relevant to the survival of elephants in our world. I trust the Lord in these things, because He brings me my dreams. He made me this way. He knows my heart, the heart that He placed in me when I was made. I have no doubt that my dreams will be seen in the reality of my life, be it here or in eternity.
Being alone. It's not something that I say often, and I end up dealing with being alone a lot more than I anticipated several years ago, but being on my own is something that I enjoy most of the time. There are days, mind you, that I wish I had someone else in the house, namely Ben, but his work keeps that from being a reality. It has become an effort for me to live alone a lot of the time, since over a year ago when he spent 4 months in London. Meanwhile, I've adapted. I enjoy the quiet time... the time with just the cats. It may be something a lot of you may see as negative, but there are points in time where its necessary. I enjoy the quiet, being able to be myself... being able to focus on me, and on my home and animals. It can be refreshing honestly. Instead of seeing my lonely days as a detriment, I find myself able to focus on what needs to be done around the house, and for myself and my animals. I mop (which I hate to do), sweep, dust, organize, decorate, and spend time with my cats. It's a way of life that not most of my friends deal with, but it helps me. I know the Lord has given me this life for a reason, and I focus on those reasons. Getting ahead of chores, being aware of the cats needs, being able to deal with the taxes, the things we need to keep. Cleaning the house in order to have guests. We don't often have house guests, but we will have Ben's parents in April, and it helps for me to have the time I need to get things done. Order pillows... clean out the guest room, get a plumber here to fix the faucets... I'm sure other people may see these as quick and easy fixes, but these things take me a while to accomplish. Life gets in the way, and I'm grateful for the time I need to accomplish the things it takes to make my guests feel welcome and comfortable.
Revel in the beauty of the warm weather. Spend time outside, and enjoy the warm air across your face. Go barefoot! I love being barefoot on the deck, and outside when it's possible. It makes you feel like you're in touch with the world... like you're alive! Enjoy it! It's worth the time to spend outside. Take a breath, deep and refreshing! You will be made new!
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