Bloom Where You are Planted

Bloom where you are planted - 

seems easy, right?

I married my sweetheart the day after

our High School graduation.

7 months later, we started a new military life in NM.

Our first Christmas was the beginning of a new life as a Military wife.

I had to learn one thing - 

Bloom where you are planted!

I grew to absolutely love our NM life.

Balloon Festivals - Old town -

Indian Fry Bread sold on the side of the road -

camping trips

in the Jemez Mountains

and SO many more beautiful memories were made.

11 years there -

Also where our son was born

I was thriving and blooming! 

Soon, it was time to uproot our lives and move again.

We were transferred from our home in NM to Hawaii.

*I know, how could Hawaii be bad, right? Bear with me*

I had a 4 year old that I was moving across an ocean

to a new life for four years.

I must admit -

that could also apply to his momma! 

I felt like a scared 4 year old -

my son however was super excited to live by the ocean! 

I had to learn to embrace our new world once again.

While talking to a friend from church -

she wisely told me to

"Bloom where you are planted"

Even my son's school lesson after that meeting was a story

about a flower that was not happy with where it lived.

It really was a shift in my world.

Hawaii was by far the best of all the places we lived.

My son and husband loved the sun and the water -

I watched them while in the shade...

but I embraced the world we now lived in.

Four years later - it was time to move again -

time to embrace another new world.

Hawaii to Texas -

now if there was ever a polar opposite -

that move sure was!

I remember it being so blisteringly hot -

we'd sometimes wait until 10pm to go to the park!

The sunsets - the 4H events - the homeschooling adventure- lifelong friends -

buying our first home -

the lasting memories we'd carry forever.

I was pushed and I was pulled and

not always in a great way...

I again learned to bloom where I was planted!

5 years comes - and we're getting ready to retire.

20 years actually went really fast!

However, Evil crashed into our worlds on  9-11 

Such a terrible way to see lives lost and forever changed!!

Our country needed their military forces strong

so, we waited until they let my hubby retire.

Nearly a year later-

we were headed back home- 

back to where our lives first began.

Rocky Mountains again - yay!!

I knew I'd be okay - but my teenage son?

I wasn't so sure he'd embrace the new life

He wasn't embracing the move at all!

It was a struggle at first -

I focused on making his world okay.

Eventually he soared -

found new friends and HE bloomed.

This was 15 years ago that we came back 'home'

You know Miranda Lambert's song 

'The House that Built Me'?

I think of that often since we came back 'home'

Family and Friends have come and gone

Sometimes you can go home again -

but it's not what it was 20 years later -

or even 35 years later for that matter!!

I was thinking about all this today

If I allow it - discontentment can creep in -

I won't allow it!

If I allow it - disappointment can creep in -

I won't allow it!

If I allow it - fear and doubt can creep in -

I won't allow it!

My husband has worked hard
for the last 36 years to ensure
we were well taken care of -

He does a fabulous job.

Our comfort and joy has always been
his first priority.

When I start speaking discontentment words
and doubting the next step...

I make sure and let him know it's not a 'lack'

it's just a feeling I fight even now.

I know first hand -

Feelings will trip you up EVERY time!

I refuse to let those feelings rule!

 I WILL allow....

Joy

that I still have my wonderful life.

Joy

that I am blessed  when I think of all my life has given me.

Contentment

that I am not alone in any of my adventures.

Contentment

in the knowing that once again....

I WILL

bloom where I am planted!!

Fail Often

Fail Often

Inside each of us, there is an element of fear.

Fear of failing.

Each individual will have a different view of what failure is to them.

Each person has a different perspective of failure in their life.

Mine lately has been fear of criticism.

Not criticism of my life, or my home, or even my husband.

The criticism I speak of is from those who criticize for a living.

I love poetry 

I love to write about how I see the world

I love writing on my blog (although I've not for some time).

I have the awesome privilege of attending a writers conference.

I have read each of the speakers bio's

I've checked into their world of writing.

It's different from mine.

I have second guessed whether I should go to a conference of writers.

Am I a writer?

Am I good enough?

Am I enough?

Self doubt leads to a fear of failing - many times before you ever actually begin.

Self doubt can derail even the most talented writer.

Will someone see the value in what I am passionate about?

Will someone see me, hear me, like me?

Yes, these all go through my mind.

I wonder......do published authors still have those thoughts?

I am eager to experience all that will be offered to me.

I want to soak it all in and meet some new friends.

I am looking forward to learning how to present my work

 I am excited (and yes a bit scared) to meet publishers, authors, writers and more!

As the days dwindle down 

and the moment gets closer that I will leave for a few days to learn..

Learn how to write better

Learn how to talk to others who write

Learn how to present myself to a publisher

I'm ready to let go of the

Fear of Failing.

Speaking of failure -

I saw this great video that Will Smith put out.

It made me think that the Fear of Failing 

isn't such a bad thing.

If you don't fail early - you won't learn what not to do next time.

If you don't fail often - you won't understand the successes in life.

If you don't fail for ward - you will continue not try to do better.

Failure -
It's like the saying....

Practice makes perfect, right?

Failure is a valuable part of living a successful life - 

I'm ready to fail early,

I'm ready to fail often,

I'm ready to fail forward!

Are you?

Hurdles of Life

Hurdles of Life

I was never a great athlete.

When it was time to do hurdles - I cringed!

I was afraid...

 I couldn't do it

 I would fall flat on my face

Everyone was watching me

That I would look stupid

I might actually do okay.

Back then....

I was able to do it

I DID fall flat on my face

Everyone WAS watching me

I definitely looked stupid

I really did do okay!

Now....

Life still seems like those school hurdles.

I still feel like I can't do it

I still fall flat on my face

I still have people watching me

I still have moments that I look stupid

I am still actually doing okay.

The hurdles of life as an adult....

Some days I am able to do it - 

Some days I am not capable of coherent thought!

Some days, it still hurts when I fail and fall flat on my face!

I know that I am Still being watched - 

both by those who want my success

and 

by those who want me to continue to fail

The hurdles of life still makes me feel stupid

 but then I resolve to learn and choose a

smart path - a smarter attitude.

Attitude goes hand in hand with hurdles.

It's not always what is going on that breaks you down

it is mostly how you approach the hurdle.

If you approach a life hurdle 

expecting that you can't - then you won't

expecting that you'll fall flat on your face - you will

expecting that people are waiting for your failure 

you won't expect them to want your success!

If you approach a life hurdle

thinking that whatever you do will be stupid 

you will not try to learn how to act and believe smarter.

If you approach a life hurdle

Expecting that you're going to do okay

You'll slowly see the hurdles of life

melting away.

Yes, there are going to be bad days.

There are going to be very sad and mad days.

There are going to be bruises and bumps along the way.

You can't expect every day to be without a struggle.

What you CAN Do?

Get back up and keep trying!

BELIEVE!!

I love this video!!

https://youtu.be/g-jwWYX7Jlo?si=L9P8Kuc7T9C02K8L

Untangled Life

Untangled Life

Christmas has come and gone.

It was time to take down the outside lights while it was not frigid!

I took each one and laid them in a bundle on the garage floor.

It was getting colder as evening grew, so I moved everything inside.

We've always bound the lights end to end

and then wrap the bundle around with the cord and connect plugs.

So neat and tidy!

When wrapping the lights - it gets hard

when you are holding 50 in your hand

and not letting go so that you can wrap them.

Holding on so tightly

making sure you don't let go -

made me think of 'holding on' in life. 

I had quite a pile when I was done wrapping them.

While I was wrapping them up

the thoughts continued to grow

about life and about writing this blog post.

During this time as my hands got tired,

I thought about how the lights can reflect life.

There are bright bulbs, dim bulbs

and even broken ones.

How in life does this relate?

We all have parts of our lives that keep us 'bright',

We all have parts of our lives that make us go 'dim'

We all have parts that especially make us feel 'broken'

Many string lights go out when a bulb is burned out 

or even when it gets broken - the whole string won't work.

Life is like this.....sometimes we feel like quitting

sometimes we feel that our light has gone down

maybe even almost extinguished.

We tend to feel 'tangled'

I had a longer string that took longer to work with
It was a mess!
Twisted, tangled, interwoven and knotted.

How often do these words describe our feelings?

In reference to the Christmas lights outside - 

when everything is plugged in and working - 

it looks very pretty!
Sometimes, even when there is a dim, broken or burned out light
you would never know this if you were looking from a distance.
Life is like this as well.

As I worked to untangle the lights - 

I thought about the things that are 'tangled' in my life right now.

Much of what is going on isn't as easy as finding a knot 

and working it out until it's a straight line again.

Frustration sets in at moments as well.

I don't want to live a tangled life -

I don't want to live a dim life - 
I don't want to live a broken life -

I don't want to live a dark life - 
I want to live an
Untangled Life!

I want my light to shine out to others

I want to be their light when theirs has dimmed.
I love seeing that spark that comes when someone knows you believe in them.
I love seeing the smile when you encourage another.

Living an untangled life takes effort
Living an untangled life takes heart
Living an untangled life takes time

Effort - Heart - Time
All three elements allow you to live
the
Untangled Life!

Tune out the Static

Tune out the Static

I went looking for a picture of static.

I found instead a picture from my past.

How many times did you watch TV until the end

of broadcast hours

and this signal came up and the sound of static

was on the station so you turned off the TV

and finally just went to bed?

Nowadays - we are 'on' ALL the time

During our constant 'on time' we still experience 'static'

we don't seem to have end of broadcast hours.

Static can come into your life in the form of

what others think about you

Static can come into your life in the form of

what others say about you

Static can come into your life in the form of

what YOU think about yourself

Static can come into your life in the form of

what YOU say to yourself.

Thinking about static also reminds me of dryer sheets

Those little sheets of wonder will make sure that your clothes

don't stick together in the dryer.

When heat is applied without the dryer sheet

you find a clump of clothing that crackles and pops as you try to get the items separated.

I remember as a kid,

I would rub my feet really fast on the carpet and then I would 'shock' anyone I touched.

Life is the same way. 

Static in our lives can either cling to us or it can just be noise going on in our heads or around us

Even worse -

we start to tune in to the 'static'.

I want to live a life that always has softeners

I don't want to allow static to cling
I want to tune out the static

around me.

I don't want the mucky waters that hides the strife and sorrows to cling to me forever.

How can we ensure that we always

tune out the static?

I think of our old dial radio on the headboard.

The other night, we heard voices

 but we couldn't figure out for a moment

where they came from until we realized that it was the radio.

This radio has a bad tuner dial so that

every time you touch it - static and popping happens

until you move it carefully to tune in the radio
past the static.

Think about your life

What do you need to 'tune out'?

What static do you need to release or purge?

What needs replaced deep within your mind?

What needs replaced deep within your soul?

What static is clinging to you that you want to release?

What can you do to soften your world?

One thing I have been doing is
'unplugging' more and more

I even uninstalled Facebook off my phone.
I haven't bought into Snap Chat.
I don't have Instagram.
I only occasionally use Twitter or Pinterest.
There seems to be an abundance of
'static' creators in the world today.

I have learned a balance once again
I write more
I read more
I love to cross stitch creations I give to others.

I also take drives with my husband to the mountains.

This is a picture we took at the top of a cliff overlook

Funny thing about most areas in the mountains

No cell service!

It allows me to decompress

To tune out the static

To just enjoy time away from life

 From things that are clinging to me.

I strongly urge you to do this once in awhile.

It is soothing to the soul.

When you can't hear anything but the birds

and sometimes nothing at all

it's amazing how easy it is to

Tune out the Static!

Finding Your Blessings

FINDING YOUR BLESSINGS

HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT ABOUT ACTIVELY SEEKING YOUR BLESSINGS?

AS A CHILD IN SUNDAY SCHOOL, YOU MIGHT HAVE SUNG THIS SONG:

"COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS, NAME THEM ONE BY ONE..."

I HAVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT BLESSINGS LATELY.

THANKSGIVING IS USUALLY WHEN WE DO THIS 

BUT I AM TALKING ABOUT DAILY REMEMBERING 

WHAT YOU ARE BLESSED WITH.....

BEING GRATEFUL FOR EVERY MOMENT.

THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS HAVEN'T EXACTLY BEEN THE EASIEST.

SITUATIONS THAT I NEVER EXPECTED CAME AT ME HARD.

LOSING PEOPLE THAT I NEVER KNEW WERE GOING TO BE GONE 

BEFORE I WAS READY TO SAY GOODBYE. FRIENDSHIPS THAT CHANGED AND DISSOLVED. LOVED ONES THAT WERE IMPORTANT. 

LOSING THESE ARE ALWAYS HARD ON THE HEART, AND TAKE TIME TO HEAL FROM. TIME TO REGROUP. TIME TO MOVE FORWARD AGAIN.

LIFE CHANGING WHEN I REALLY JUST WANTED TIME TO STAND STILL.

ALSO KNOWING THAT GOING BACKWARDS WAS NOT AN OPTION!

SADLY, OUR HOME OF 15 YEARS HAS HAD IT'S OWN SHARE OF TRIALS AS WELL.

HAVING DISCUSSIONS AND HAVING TO MAKE DECISIONS TO REPAIR OR MOVE ON.

I REALIZED THAT IT WAS WHEN I HAD STARTED TO FEEL THE DISCONTENT CREEP IN.

ALLOWING THAT DISCONTENTMENT TO GROW WAS NOT A GOOD THING!

DISCONTENTMENT WILL DEFINITELY MOVE OUT ALL THOUGHTS OF THE BLESSINGS!

WHEN WE MOVED BACK TO COLORADO IN 2002,

WE SEARCHED AND SEARCHED FOR THE 'PERFECT' HOUSE.

EVENTUALLY THOUGH, YOU HAVE TO BE CONTENT WITH 'ALMOST PERFECT'

ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU HAVE TO MAKE A QUICK DECISION.

EVERYTHING ON YOUR 'WANT' LIST WILL NOT ALWAYS BE MET.

IN THE THE LAST 15 YEARS THOUGH, OUR HOME HAS CHANGED - 

EITHER FROM OUR WORK APPLIED OR FROM JUST AGE IN GENERAL.

THE MANY TREES WE LOVED CAME TO THE END OF THEIR CYCLES AND HAD TO BE REMOVED.  IT CHANGED THE DYNAMICS OF WHY OUR YARD WAS LIKE A BEAUTIFUL PARK.  WE HAVE MANY MEMORIES OF TIMES WHEN OTHERS ENJOYED OUR HOME AS WELL.

I THINK THAT IS WHEN IT ALL STARTED TO CHANGE FOR ME.

FINDING YOUR BLESSINGS ISN'T ALWAYS EASY AND SOMETIMES THAT DISCONTENT SNEAKS UP ON YOU.

SOMETIMES YOU NO LONGER SEE THE BEAUTY IN THE CLOUDS

SOMETIMES THE TRIALS SEEM TO OUTWEIGH THE JEWELS.

THE OTHER NIGHT I REALIZED THAT NOW I CAN SEE THE STARS - THERE ARE SO MANY! ITS QUIET, CALM AND SO VERY BEAUTIFUL

BUT I HAD TO LOOK UP TO FIND THEM!

I HAD TO STOP LOOKING AT WHAT ALL WAS WRONG AND START SEEKING MY BLESSINGS! 

THINKING ABOUT BLESSINGS - SOMETIMES THOSE COME AFTER HARD WORK

WHAT ABOUT THE DIAMOND? WITHOUT HEAT AND PRESSURE -A DIAMOND 

WOULDN'T FORM. 

IN LIFE - WITHOUT HEAT AND A WHOLE LOT OF PRESSURE - 

WOULD WE REALLY GROW? WOULD WE REALLY REMEMBER ALL OUR BLESSINGS?

TODAY I WAS REMINDED THAT THE BLESSINGS MIGHT BE DIFFERENT BUT BLESSINGS THEY ARE ALL THE SAME!

SO, AS BID YOU ADIEU 

I HOPE YOU WILL ACTIVELY SEEK YOUR OWN BLESSINGS

THEY REALLY WILL CHANGE YOUR HEART! THEY MIGHT EVEN CHANGE A DARK CLOUD INTO A BRILLIANTLY FILLED STARLIT NIGHT!!