Have you ever had one of those days where by 9:00 am you just want a do over? For me that is usually Monday. Mondays have always been a day that I want a do over. In my world Murphy's Law rules on Monday. When I worked in the Operating Room it was always a quirky day. If I made it through a Monday unscathed I counted myself as lucky, because I knew someplace in that community there was somebody that wasn't feeling the love. So what do you do when your day is spinning out of control? Today, believe it or not, I let it get the best of me. As I'm writing this I'm trying to think how I can spin a bad day and find some nugget of wisdom, and I don't know that I can. I guess the best thing to do is just acknowledge it, and move on. I know one thing, if you dwell on it and wallow in all the "bad juju" it will eat you up.
One way that I've learned to throw out a bad day is to exercise as soon as I get home from work. I get the dog pottied, change my clothes and off I go. Today was no exception, then when I'm done I recoup for a minute or two and fix myself a nice healthy dinner. Tonight's fare was grilled fish tacos. I made grilled white fish fillets that were marinated in my own concoction of lime juice, fresh herbs, a little chilli powder and some canola oil. I topped them with purple cabbage slaw that was drizzled with some of the marinade and fresh cut salsa. Delish! After dinner I played a couple of games of Mario Kart with my daughter. We laughed, we crashed, we fell of bridges and waterfalls and just had fun.
One of Those Days actually turned out ok. As we were leaving to get to Kaysie's martial arts class I looked up in the sky and there was the most beautiful rainbow! It was so bright that it looked three dimensional. A friend of ours lost her precious son back in March. He was an amazing artist and when we see rainbows we say "Sammy is painting the sky." He painted a good one this evening. That was the final touch - my day gone wrong was completely right. Tomorrow will be better because it will be a new day and after all, it's Tuesday!
Monday, April 30, 2012
Friday, April 27, 2012
Your Life Tribe
"We cannot choose the original family we are born into, but we can choose the 'life tribe' we create." ~ Terri Cole
I found this quote on my facebook feed today and it really struck me as a very true statement. We all are born into a family weather we like it or not. If we are lucky our family is our "life tribe." Sometimes our family turns out to be not quite what we need so we begin to bring in others who we deem worthy of membership in our "life tribe." Before long we look around and find that our "life tribe" is made up with precious people who know us inside and out, who love us in spite of our faults, and with who we can truly be ourselves. What a gift that is. I live far away from my biological family. I have many, many happy memories of my childhood. Family dinners at my grandmother's house, Christmases spent together, birthdays celebrated, back yard bar-b-ques and even a vacation or two to places like Disney World.
Since I moved to the West Coast I have begun to build my "life tribe" right alongside of my little family. I have friends from back home who are just as much a part of that tribe as if they were living right next door. We keep up through facebook and our friendships are still very strong. I have friends that I have known since my daughter came into my life through adoption. We waited, we boiled water and we celebrated each little girl that came to the US from her home in China. There are some members that I have worked with over the last 11 years in the operating room, and who still remain close to me, even though I have transitioned to a new position. Then there are some new friends. Our friendship is still young, but I feel like I have known these folks forever. To me that is a good sign. That tells me, that along with all the others, they are a precious gift from God. My tribe, to me, looks like a beautiful tapestry. There are old threads and new threads. Threads that are bright and some that are a little frayed, but all together, they make up a wonderful work of art. Of course, my immediate family forms the frame that holds the tapestry of my life all together.
I hope everyone reading has the chance to look around them and see who makes up their "life tribe." I know mine is an amazing sight, and I feel very lucky every time I look at it.
I found this quote on my facebook feed today and it really struck me as a very true statement. We all are born into a family weather we like it or not. If we are lucky our family is our "life tribe." Sometimes our family turns out to be not quite what we need so we begin to bring in others who we deem worthy of membership in our "life tribe." Before long we look around and find that our "life tribe" is made up with precious people who know us inside and out, who love us in spite of our faults, and with who we can truly be ourselves. What a gift that is. I live far away from my biological family. I have many, many happy memories of my childhood. Family dinners at my grandmother's house, Christmases spent together, birthdays celebrated, back yard bar-b-ques and even a vacation or two to places like Disney World.
Since I moved to the West Coast I have begun to build my "life tribe" right alongside of my little family. I have friends from back home who are just as much a part of that tribe as if they were living right next door. We keep up through facebook and our friendships are still very strong. I have friends that I have known since my daughter came into my life through adoption. We waited, we boiled water and we celebrated each little girl that came to the US from her home in China. There are some members that I have worked with over the last 11 years in the operating room, and who still remain close to me, even though I have transitioned to a new position. Then there are some new friends. Our friendship is still young, but I feel like I have known these folks forever. To me that is a good sign. That tells me, that along with all the others, they are a precious gift from God. My tribe, to me, looks like a beautiful tapestry. There are old threads and new threads. Threads that are bright and some that are a little frayed, but all together, they make up a wonderful work of art. Of course, my immediate family forms the frame that holds the tapestry of my life all together.
I hope everyone reading has the chance to look around them and see who makes up their "life tribe." I know mine is an amazing sight, and I feel very lucky every time I look at it.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Spring into Beauty
What is your favorite part of Spring? For me it's planning what will grow in the containers on my porches, and searching out new ideas for making my outdoor space beautiful. Being a long time apartment dweller, my growing space is limited. I have learned over the years to make the most of my small spaces and limited sunlight. It almost always turns out beautifully. Last year I took a break as it wasn't a very good growing year. I bought my produce from the local Farmer's Market and called it good. I didn't have much luck with growing anything, not even flowers. I was so disappointed that I questioned even this year's container garden plans, but then as I was scrolling facebook I found a few fun ideas for making my little outside spaces look really nice, and on a trip to the Home Depot I found cool self-watering containers called "City Pickers" that pretty much sealed the garden in place.
These containers are the coolest thing. They come with everything except the plants and the dirt, and the best part is they are on wheels! No more lugging heavy containers from place to place on the porch! Yahoo! This coming weekend I will be visiting my favorite garden center to gather the needed dirt fertilizer, and cages for the tomatoes. I have my plants started, but they are still babies. The herbs on the other hand, well, they are ready for the great outdoors. If they spend much longer on my kitchen windowsill they might decide to take over! My spaghetti squash and pumpkins will be ready for the new containers though. They are just about on to their second leaves and have begun to vine. These containers, as I said are self watering, you fill them up every couple of days and they plants are able to drink as needed. For me that is huge. There are many nights in the summer where I am busy, busy being active and standing around watering is the last thing on my mind. So this is a wonderful option.
My other beautiful thing has been my flower baskets. I got this idea from facebook. I have a friend who is an avid gardner and Goodwill shopper. Where she finds the time I'll never know because she is BUSY. Anyhow, she posted some pictures of her beautiful flower baskets. She found the baskets at goodwill and planted flowers in them and they are beautiful!! So of course I tried it and it was so easy. I lined my baskets with a plastic grocery bag that I snipped drainage holes in and filled them with dirt and flowers - right now I have primroses and pansies in one and fuschias in the other out front. I gave one as a birthday gift which was a big hit and I'm planning on a couple more for mother's day gifts for my mom friends and my nail gal wants one for her salon! I've also found a copper tea kettle that I planted baby pansies in and an old speckle-ware coffee pot that I planted oregano in. It all looks awesome and my outside spaces will be that much more beautiful.
As far as ornamentation goes I'm in the process of building my second garden totem. The first one I made is a mother's day present for my mom. Shhh don't tell her! The second one is for one of my neighbors and Kaysie and I are going to build ours together. It's just a matter of finding some glassware that will sparkle in the sun and building it using a product called Gorilla Glue - that stuff is strong! A rebar from Home Depot or Lowes and there you go, instant beauty sparkling in the sunshine!
Those are my grand ideas that were borrowed from my facebook friends for making your outside spaces beautiful! My porches will be places of peace to curl up with a tall cool iced tea and a good book or a little knitting. I can't wait for that!
These containers are the coolest thing. They come with everything except the plants and the dirt, and the best part is they are on wheels! No more lugging heavy containers from place to place on the porch! Yahoo! This coming weekend I will be visiting my favorite garden center to gather the needed dirt fertilizer, and cages for the tomatoes. I have my plants started, but they are still babies. The herbs on the other hand, well, they are ready for the great outdoors. If they spend much longer on my kitchen windowsill they might decide to take over! My spaghetti squash and pumpkins will be ready for the new containers though. They are just about on to their second leaves and have begun to vine. These containers, as I said are self watering, you fill them up every couple of days and they plants are able to drink as needed. For me that is huge. There are many nights in the summer where I am busy, busy being active and standing around watering is the last thing on my mind. So this is a wonderful option.
My other beautiful thing has been my flower baskets. I got this idea from facebook. I have a friend who is an avid gardner and Goodwill shopper. Where she finds the time I'll never know because she is BUSY. Anyhow, she posted some pictures of her beautiful flower baskets. She found the baskets at goodwill and planted flowers in them and they are beautiful!! So of course I tried it and it was so easy. I lined my baskets with a plastic grocery bag that I snipped drainage holes in and filled them with dirt and flowers - right now I have primroses and pansies in one and fuschias in the other out front. I gave one as a birthday gift which was a big hit and I'm planning on a couple more for mother's day gifts for my mom friends and my nail gal wants one for her salon! I've also found a copper tea kettle that I planted baby pansies in and an old speckle-ware coffee pot that I planted oregano in. It all looks awesome and my outside spaces will be that much more beautiful.
As far as ornamentation goes I'm in the process of building my second garden totem. The first one I made is a mother's day present for my mom. Shhh don't tell her! The second one is for one of my neighbors and Kaysie and I are going to build ours together. It's just a matter of finding some glassware that will sparkle in the sun and building it using a product called Gorilla Glue - that stuff is strong! A rebar from Home Depot or Lowes and there you go, instant beauty sparkling in the sunshine!
Those are my grand ideas that were borrowed from my facebook friends for making your outside spaces beautiful! My porches will be places of peace to curl up with a tall cool iced tea and a good book or a little knitting. I can't wait for that!
Monday, April 2, 2012
A Purpose Driven Path
Back in the fall I began an incredible spiritual journey. I wanted to know what my purpose in this life was. When I started this journey I felt spiritually empty. Don't get me wrong, I had a crazy good job. One I had prayed for for years. It was a divine gift to help me begin a better life for my little family and myself. At the time I felt like I wanted to know more. I wanted the rest of the story. God has always been present in my life. He has been willing to answer my prayers in His time, and He certainly has grabbed me from the brink of disaster on more than one occasion. I thought it was time I quit being so selfish and start to return all the kindnesses that the Lord had sent my way. I was living the life of a "taker" and I longed to be a "giver." For about two months I took my time and worked my way through The Purpose Driven Life, by Rev. Rick Warren. I also read One Simple Act by Debbie Macomber at the same time. The two seemed to go together really well. I began to see a clear path for my life. My attitude and countenance changed and it made all the difference.
Shortly after Christmas another wonderful opportunity was passed my way, and I took full advantage of it. I knew I wanted to take a mission trip someplace, but I wasn't sure how it would all play out. I stumbled upon an organization called Point Hope. They are a voice for forgotten children both in this country and in Ghana West Africa. It's founder is nationally syndicated radio personality Delilah - the Queen of Sappy Love Songs. Turns out, their headquarters are local to me - sort of. Bremerton, WA about an hour west of Seattle as the crow flies. Anyhow, after a few emails I decided to take Kaysie and pay them a visit. I wanted to volunteer and ask questions about Africa and working on a volunteer basis here. They have a wonderful event called Teenista where they pamper teenage girls in foster care for a day. They encourage them, love on them and hold them up. They want the girls to know they are not defined by their circumstances. I tried to volunteer for their event last Christmas, but I couldn't get off of work. This year, some of my friends and I are hosting one here in Portland and the folks at Point Hope are so excited as am I.
After several conversations and some pretty cool twists of fate I'm traveling to Ghana in October with these good folks for a medical mission trip. There's an MD general practitioner going at the same time. Looks like we'll be a team. To me this is so exciting! I know once I go I'll want to go back again and again. It's been life changing all ready and I haven't even left the west coast yet. I've been a nurse for 17 years this June. 16 of those years I spent in the operating room, preparing for this very time of my life. Most people say that they never get to do the things they've dreamed of their whole life. I decided to be a do-er and a giver at the same time. My grand plan (and I'm pretty sure it's God's too) for the rest of my years working and probably into retirement is to use my skills as a nurse however I can. I want the forgotten children of this world to know that they are loved by somebody, and their circumstances do NOT define who they are.
I would encourage any one who reads my blog to pick up the book The Purpose Driven Life and read it. When you are done think about it, pray about what you've read and figure out what path your life should take. Our time here on this earth is short, and as my dad says, "you only go around once in this life so you better make the most of it." I received an incredible gift a few weeks ago. I got a glimpse of the puzzle pieces of my life and how they all fit perfectly together. It was like watching a movie. I had a hard time for a couple of days wrapping my brain around it all, but what came out of it all was that I was on the right path and that I needed to continue moving forward. I know changes are on the horizon for my life, and I couldn't be happier. I hope all of you someday know that same feeling of terrifying excitement as you step out into the perfect plan of your life and living your dreams. Don't wait or put it off any longer! Step out in faith THIS week. What are you waiting for? The world is waiting.
Shortly after Christmas another wonderful opportunity was passed my way, and I took full advantage of it. I knew I wanted to take a mission trip someplace, but I wasn't sure how it would all play out. I stumbled upon an organization called Point Hope. They are a voice for forgotten children both in this country and in Ghana West Africa. It's founder is nationally syndicated radio personality Delilah - the Queen of Sappy Love Songs. Turns out, their headquarters are local to me - sort of. Bremerton, WA about an hour west of Seattle as the crow flies. Anyhow, after a few emails I decided to take Kaysie and pay them a visit. I wanted to volunteer and ask questions about Africa and working on a volunteer basis here. They have a wonderful event called Teenista where they pamper teenage girls in foster care for a day. They encourage them, love on them and hold them up. They want the girls to know they are not defined by their circumstances. I tried to volunteer for their event last Christmas, but I couldn't get off of work. This year, some of my friends and I are hosting one here in Portland and the folks at Point Hope are so excited as am I.
After several conversations and some pretty cool twists of fate I'm traveling to Ghana in October with these good folks for a medical mission trip. There's an MD general practitioner going at the same time. Looks like we'll be a team. To me this is so exciting! I know once I go I'll want to go back again and again. It's been life changing all ready and I haven't even left the west coast yet. I've been a nurse for 17 years this June. 16 of those years I spent in the operating room, preparing for this very time of my life. Most people say that they never get to do the things they've dreamed of their whole life. I decided to be a do-er and a giver at the same time. My grand plan (and I'm pretty sure it's God's too) for the rest of my years working and probably into retirement is to use my skills as a nurse however I can. I want the forgotten children of this world to know that they are loved by somebody, and their circumstances do NOT define who they are.
I would encourage any one who reads my blog to pick up the book The Purpose Driven Life and read it. When you are done think about it, pray about what you've read and figure out what path your life should take. Our time here on this earth is short, and as my dad says, "you only go around once in this life so you better make the most of it." I received an incredible gift a few weeks ago. I got a glimpse of the puzzle pieces of my life and how they all fit perfectly together. It was like watching a movie. I had a hard time for a couple of days wrapping my brain around it all, but what came out of it all was that I was on the right path and that I needed to continue moving forward. I know changes are on the horizon for my life, and I couldn't be happier. I hope all of you someday know that same feeling of terrifying excitement as you step out into the perfect plan of your life and living your dreams. Don't wait or put it off any longer! Step out in faith THIS week. What are you waiting for? The world is waiting.
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