We are Made For Dreaming

This craziness of the world has no hold on me.

I was reading in Daniel 3, about how Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused to worship a golden idol that the powerful King Nebuchadnezzar had built, and required them to worship, or else they would be thrown into a burning fiery furnace.  Well, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego responded by saying:

“If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king.  BUT if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods, nor worship the golden image which you have set up.”

Wow.  And I had SUCH an impression, that this is like a parallel of what fear (the spirit of fear) tells us to do – to bow down in fear, in panic, in doubt, in absolute terror of what’s going on in the world, then we need to shout out, NO WAY!  No, I’m standing my ground, I’m not backing down.  I’m not about to bow down in fear, I’m not about to give my ground up to you, not now, not in the future.  And even IF I lose my job.  And even IF I lose my health, fear, you will not take me over.  No matter what feelings you throw at me.

And just to tell the rest of the story, God did show up for them.   The King threw them into the fire, then exclaimed, “Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? … lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”  So God sure did show up for them.  But what really hit me with this story was the men’s full-on allegiance to God, how they chose to trust God above the fear of man and of death.  And it was a real encouragement to me to face this fear that is trying to surround us all, and look it in the eye and say no.  I’m a child of God, and no matter what happens, He will take care of me.  Nothing can take away the calm assurance that no matter what happens, I’m God’s child.  It’s who I am.

So that has given me a lot of peace and reminders that I needed! So that I can go about my day in as much a normal way as possible.  And of course, enjoy my little buddy, my boy, William… And big news!! He started walking!!! Whaaaa?!! haha.  To be honest, I was praying he would start walking before I headed back to work next week, and he has! Check it out if you want:

 

And, just to make you smile… here he is dancing 😉

 

 

Haha… God is faithful, so faithful to give us peace, love, joy, and calm in the midst of a storm.  Blessings to you all!

I’ve been thinking.. the world needs a lot of hope today.  I was reading

Isaiah 26:3-4
“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You: Because he trust sin You.  Trust you in the LORD for ever:  for in the LORD JE-HOVAH (the God who always was, always is, and always is to come, He is – the Self-Existing-One) is everlasting strength.”

So we can do this.  Go through this trial of isolation from society, this coronavirus-fear-epidemic.  Because God is good.  and He promises us:

2 Peter 1:2
“Grace and peace be multiplied to you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, according as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that has called us to glory and virtue.”

2 Timothy 1:7
” For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love, and of power, and of a sound mind.”

John 10:10
“The thief (the devil) comes not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy:  I (Jesus) am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.  I am the good shepherd:  the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep.”

Colossians 3:2
“set your affection (mind) on things above and not on things on the earth.”

I am praying for comfort and peace for all of us!  and on the upside, we are entering spring!!! So at least we can all go outside in our yards for some fresh air!

My encouragement for the day:

2 Corinthians 5:21 “For He has made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.”  Wow. So cool! If you study the Greek word, “righteousness” in the Strong’s Concordance, it means justified, innocent.  So we are made right.  In good standing. Legally.  When we accept Christ as our Saviour, we are all right.  Covered.  And fully accepted.  Approved.  Looked upon, and APPROVED! 😄
How exciting is that??!!! I’m made right.  Don’t have to win Him (God) over.  I’m already there.  I’ve arrived.  How many of us feel like we’re never enough. Never doing enough. Never quite right?  Well it’s all a lie. It’s a farce.  Because the Truth is, like I said, if we’ve accepted Christ, then we are enough.  Don’t need to do one step further in this life to be seen as ok, because we’re enough right here, right now.  It frees us to relax, and just be, and do what we love, explore what we’re passionate about, because it’s ok, even if we fail! Because we’re OK no matter what.

It’s Wednesday, and how did we get to the middle of the week so fast??!! Ha!  I’ve been at home with William yesterday, today, and the rest of the week because Steve’s using my car to drive to school (all dealerships are required by head office to send their mechanics to this four day course, so Steve’s doing that).  I feel a bit quarantined, but that’s ok.  I’ll make the best of it!

Here’s William, who got into Steve’s sock drawer AGAIN –  enthusiastically clinging to some socks as if it’s the best thing ever.

Yesterday, I got a bunch of cleaning done which felt good, and had coffee with an amazing sweet friend. So it was a good day.  Today I’ll work on a few things, but also get some reading done that I’ve been wanting to do for a while.

Also, an update on my knees and running!  I did go to osteopathy 3 weeks ago, and it was a game changer.  I felt so encouraged that my goal of running a marathon again felt like it got a little closer! My osteo lady is amazing, so knowledgeable about how the body works.  She gave me two strengthening exercises to do… Apparently the root issue is my core and glutes are weak, so I need to strengthen them.  I’ve been doing those exercises almost every day.  I also added doing 50 burpees a day (I saw some people on YouTube that were doing 50/day for 30 days and it got me excited to try it to get in some cardio).  My knees were feeling great, but they’re starting to not feel good again, so I’m wondering if the burpees are the culprit.  Going to ask my osteopath at my next appointment.  So I haven’t given up on my marathon goal!  It’s just might take a while for me to get there, as I’m not comfortable to run yet!  Taking care of our bodies, LISTENING to them is so MUCH more important than achieving a goal.  I’m reminding myself of that, so that even if I can’t get to this goal, it’s ok!

Another fun dream of mine that I’ve added to my repertoire is being able to do a handstand!  I don’t know if anyone’s ever heard of calisthenics, but it’s body weight exercises that you can do almost anywhere.  Handstands are one of the common moves.  I’m following a youtube tutorial: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHGDWU64Ii8

(oh what would we do without platforms like Youtube! Ha!)  which gives you step by step instructions on how to get there.  So you progress from a handstand with your knees on a bench or bed to a full handstand.  My goal is to get to a full handstand by end of May.  I need a good amount of time because my upper body strength has never been a real focus, so I need time to build up the strength slowly and SAFELY.  I’ll try to get my husband to take pictures as I progress and share with you.  So far I can hold the handstand on my knees for two minutes.

Random picture of William waking up happy from his afternoon nap today…. always nice 🙂  

And the beautiful view/weather today… 

Hope everyone is enjoying their day today!

Tell me / comment below, if you want:

-What you’re up to today
-what are some fun ways you are motivating yourself to exercise
-favourite part of today!
I had a neighbour drop by and we had a nice, impromptu visit!

The times when you don’t feel like dreaming, the times when you feel like a failure. Days like these happen. So instead of dwelling there, we need to step up anyway, and walk forward, do something productive. You’ll feel better for it. That’s how my day was yesterday. Didn’t seem to be able to complete anything, as William was fussier than usual, and didn’t nap much. But the act of even attempting to do something helped. And to keep putting one step in front of the other. And also letting go a bit, relaxing, and just focusing on spending time with him was good. I think babies are much more like us adults than we think. There are some days that they are just having a hard time, and need extra (quality) time with us.

Today I’m thinking about the scripture 1 Corinthians 2:16 “For who has known the mind of the LORD That he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ” I was thinking about this, and realized… if I have the mind of Christ, that means I can think like Him. Therefore I can act like Christ. He was Fearless, anointed, bold to do what God called Him to do. Is that not what we are called to be? Fearless, knowing our anointing, and just doing what we feel God has called us to do? 🙂 Happiest of happy days. I think we are so much more content, when we realize our place, our authority (to really live this life FULLY, because it’s what God’s given us! Not backing down, or running away when fear comes along. I think God’s told us to dream bigger and do what we dream of doing, because God gave us those dreams to begin with. An incredible opportunity. We get to step out and act it (our dream) out, and above all, love God and love other people as we do them. That is our purpose in this world I believe.

Like I said in my most recent post, I am dreaming to run another marathon. I don’t have one in particular I’ve signed up for yet, but I’m thinking sometime in September or October this year. With this goal in mind, it’s forcing me to deal with my knees, which I’ve had issues with for quite a while – runner’s knee. It’s gotten so bad in fact, that last week when I went for a 4.5 km run, I felt pain pretty much the whole time. You’re probably wondering what business I have in running a marathon if I can’t run 5 km without pain? Well, as most momma’s tend to do, I tend to put my physical health as a last priority. And with making this lofty and exciting goal, I now need to prioritize dealing with my knees. So this Thursday, I have an osteopathy appointment to re-align things, and they will give me stretches to do on my own time, which I am committed to doing to get better! I may even go to a sports physiotherapist as well, because I know I have a lot of work to do (it hurts just walking sometimes, and especially going up and down stairs). Also, a friend of mine suggested taking Glucosamine, which helps with your joints. I’m praying that all of this helps, and worst case scenario, even if I can’t run, I’ll know how to better take care of myself and can at least do walking with no pain!

So what are you readers up to today? Any goals or dreams you’re working on? Comment below if you want!

Today I am baking some bread (bread machine, not by hand lol), will do a 10 minute workout, file some files away in our filing cabinet (they are still in boxes from when we moved here 10 months ago!), listening to a financial podcast by Patrice Washington (see below), and starting to prep for some good friends from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania who are coming up with their two boys to visit, not this weekend but the next!

Have a great Tuesday you all!

So here’s another one of my dreams… To run another marathon again. I ran a marathon back in 2012 or 2014… Can’t remember which year it was exactly, but one of my proudest accomplishments! It was made so doable by the amazing group of running friends that did it with me. Running through pain (as in sore pain, not the kind of pain where you should stop!) is so much easier with conversation to distract you. Since then, I’ve done a few half marathons and such, but last couple of years have only been 10km-ish, and I miss the gratification and sense of accomplishment I used to get from tackling a difficult distance.

I am dreaming of doing this, knowing that to run another marathon is like having another part time job (I consider being a stay at home mom as a full time job!!). It’s a big commitment. So I’m considering all of the angles of making it happen. I’m also being very aware that I may only be able to do 15km-1/2 marathon because of the state of my knees. But I’m shooting for the marathon, because I think you gotta dream big. And it’ll motivate me to really take this seriously, and get consistent therapy for my knees (I’m going to osteopathy in 2 weeks, and may try physiotherapy also).

So which marathon should I run? Comment below if you have any suggestions!

And let me know if you have any goals for the new year!

Hope you are all enjoying your holidays! Tell me what you’re doing today!

-Stephen, William and I are on our way to one last family Christmas lunch, and Willam’s having a nap! Looking forward to good food and good company!

Wow. What a little time away can do for the soul! This morning I just HAD to get away. Those moments where I actually NEED a break from little Willam, and my identity of being a mom. It’s not like Willam was being fussy at all, it’s just that I needed some alone time. Me time. Go where I would not be able to hear him if he cried, or whatever. I just needed space. Call it hormonal or whatever, but I needed it! Lol.

So I went to our local coffee shop, coffee culture, and I sat with a book and a couple notebooks to read and to write, and it was beautiful. A beautiful moment in time, where I didn’t feel needed, or known by anyone in the direct vicinity! And I read and I wrote my heart out, and felt all the frustrations of the week, and I laid it all down on the page. And when I came to the conclusion of my time away, and drank that last sip of coffee, I felt renewed. And I would be ok, and able to be a mom again 😊.

Such satisfaction. I don’t know how mom’s of more kids do it, but I pray they get a break too. Sometimes it’s all we need. Even just a short break to recharge, to renew, to remember who we are a part from our family!

Thank you God for coffee shops!!!! Haha!!!

And by the way, that coffee was the best coffee EVER!!! Organic blend with some cream = LOVE.

Willam’s down for a nap, and now I’m enjoying a tangerine and reading a cool article by Joyce Meyer…

It’s a good kick in the pants!

Tell me that you’re doing this snowy Saturday!

“For God, so LOVED the world (all of us…that’s a lot of love), that He gave His one and only begotten son, that whosoever believes on Him, will not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). I love that. Amazing. I was loved even before I loved. Incredible.

This beautiful life. It’s so easy for me to get caught up in the nitty gritty of my “to do’s”, when it’s not that complicated. It’s really not supposed to be that complicated.

John 10:10-11 says “The thief (the devil) comes only to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they (the world) might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.”

I know I’ve talked about that verse before, but I feel like it is a theme for me for the last few months, and I think will go into the new year also. I’ve been meditating on it, and there’s so much more to learn from it. It reminds me that God has such good plans for me. That this life is about ENJOYMENT of the good good life He’s given us. That He has joy for us, even in the hard moments. It reminds me to wake up and really smell those roses, (or the fresh crisp wintery mornings like today 😉 ).

I don’t know if any of you have read Ann Voskamp’s 1000 Gifts blog, but she really helped me enjoy life better, but getting into the habit of writing a thankful list, which I do most days. It actually helped me rotate my eyes from anxiety to focusing on the good things in life. Cuz we miss them if we don’t take note of it… at least I do. We are so blessed each day!

Today’s list:
1) the horizon. (apparently when you look at the horizon, it gives you the same dopamine that exercise does!!! per Haley Williams on “Kindled” Podcast #22)

2) chocolate cookies! – and coffee of course.

3) fresh bread out of the bread machine

4) the ability to write
5) William’s ever adventurous, and curious little self

6) Grace to not always have to have the “To Do” list done, or even close to being done 🙂

I was going to post this blog this morning, but didn’t get a chance to complete it till now, so I’ll tell you what I’ve been up to today, instead of what I’m planning on doing! Ha!

Today I rearranged Willam’s room… We had to move his crib to the other wall (he used to be where the book case is) his room isn’t very warm at night, so we figured moving him to an inside wall will help, plus the use of an oil heater in his room!!

And while I did that, Willam was playing with a flattened cardboard box… Easy entertainment!

I got some house cleaning done (like to try to do it on Fridays so that we can enjoy a clean house on the weekend)!

And then did a workout while William did the army crawl around the room!

So…tell me…. (comment below)!

• What brings you joy? What draws you into the moment, a place where you can get lost in it (where you are present, and not thinking about the next thing)? For me, it’s a good book (favourites are fiction and a motivational memoir/self-help), writing creatively, and running. Not one of us is a photocopy, so tell me what you like!
• Tell me your thankful list for today.
• Tell me what you are doing/did today. At work? Home with the kids? Sleeping? ha.

Oh Saturdays, how I love thee! A day to rest and read and dream, and recover from the week. Ha!

Last night William woke up many many times, and even when he was sleeping, he was crying in his sleep, poor guy. He’s been teething, has a nasty cold on top of it, and is sneezing all over the place (sorry that sounds disgusting), so he’s just generally not been a happy kid. So both my husband and I are tired. #parentlife. Thankfully kids aren’t sick all of the time!!!

But it’s a glorious bright sunny day, and I’m loving it. I’m reading one of my favourite author’s novels called “The Golden Tresses of the Dead”.

Author is Alan Bradley, and if you have not picked up his books, please go get one! I first picked up one of his books in audio form at the library, and I fell in love with the quick wit and have savoured many a line in them. Some books have such delicious ways of putting words together that I get tingles of satisfaction as I read. It’s a therapeutic experience from the struggles in daily life. So I’m always grateful to Mr. Bradley for the charm and wit of his novels.

The rest of my day will probably look like cuddling lots with our sweet boy, and listening to my newest favourite podcast, “Kindled” (she talks about juggling life as a mother and work, often talking to other women entrepreneurs about their experience).

My husband, Stephen is doing random errands today, so he’ll join us at home later to relax with us (or help with a crying baby)! Willam just woke up and so far looks pretty happy!  Naps do wonders.

So everyone, let me know what you’re doing with your Saturday! 

Any favourite authors or podcasts???   I’d love to check out some of your favourite things. 

Until then, have a great Saturday, and I look forward to sending out another post soon.

 

Joyce Meyer says “you’re not free if you’re living to please other people, and your’e not free if you’re constantly doing things you really don’t want to do, and your heart’s not in it”.

For so long I’ve lived like that. Feeding off the enjoyment, the buffet of people’s ready opinion, approval of how hard I worked. Being fueled by their respect, when in fact, I should only be following my heart, and what I think God has created me to do. But it is not easy. It is a button for me, that gets pushed, causing me anxiety when I think about letting someone down at work and with family too, but mostly with work.

I want to act in God’s liberty, and when I feel the anxiety come, to try to derail me, I am choosing to stand fast, and cling to God’s approval and leading.

I am always so fascinated by people’s inspiring stories of living life differently. Of taking the chance, stepping out into something their heart is in, instead of the regular, the norm. I think too many of us miss stepping out of the boat into the fire, to test our experience, or inexperience.

This morning I was reading Psalm 100, and it is easily one of my favourite chapters in the Bible. I want to commit it to memory.

“Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all you lands (nations).
Serve the LORD with gladness: come before His presence with singing.
Know you that the LORD He is God: it is He that has made us, and not we ourselves;
we are His people,
and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
and into His courts with praise:
be thankful to Him,
and BLESS His name.
For the LORD is good;
His mercy is everlasting;
and His truth endures to all generations.”

“Know you that the LORD is God: it is He that has made us, and not we ourselves” Wow, that is so humbling, in the most encouraging way!! It makes me laugh, knowing we aren’t on our own. We aren’t in this alone. We don’t have to figure out ourselves or our purpose on our own. Because we are made. Created by our Creator. And He’s in charge, not us.

“We are His people” – this is our identity. For all of us who struggle with our identity, there it is.

“and the sheep of His pasture” – we are like sheep, which are followers of their shepherd. So we are in His care. And we are in His pasture. His domain. His kingdom. His world. We have a place in His world, in His rest. Pastures are a place of rest, of repose. We all crave a place of rest in our souls, of belonging, of nurturing. Of healing and peace. And it’s there, in His Words (the Bible). It is the beginning and it is the end of all, above all. It is the power and authority over all.

“..for the LORD is Good.” Truth. He is good. Even when the world says He isn’t, He surely is.

“His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endures to all generations.” – Promise for our kid(s). He doesn’t go out of style.

So that’s it for this morning! Baby William has been having a record nap, but I think he’s up now, raring to go!

I think we’ll go out for some errands and maybe pick up a coffee (for me, not William)!

Happy Thursday everyone, hope your week is going well. I think we all feel like the week is almost over when we get this far. Yay for Fridays!

PS. This kid is always trying to get my phone!!!

Today has been an oddball day. Last night I had a whole list of things to accomplish in my schedule book. But started out really tired this morning (getting up in the night with a baby will do that), so when baby went down for a nap, I did to. Felt so much better after, and the cuppa tea sure helped too! That being said, I haven’t got very far on that list, doing random things here and there, trying to also spend quality time with little W., and it’s already early afternoon!Today I am mainly organizing. Going through my office space and finally filing paper where they should go in their respective folders! It’s been way over-due, and not so exciting, but necessary (as you can see in the picture below). I actually like organizing once I get started, so it’s not so bad. If I start! Ha! I’ve never been great at immediately dealing with paperwork as soon as it enters my home (when I worked outside the home in a law firm, I had a system, and was pretty good at it, but home is another story), and I’ve been thinking, I better hone this skill at home before W. is in school, because that will just be all kinds of crazy paper and projects that I’ll need to organize. Hard to imagine him in school.But today feels like a dreaming day, forever and away from real life! I was listening to a Joyce Meyer podcast, and she was saying that if someone isn’t happy, they need to first, change their attitude, but secondly have a big dream that they’re working towards, and that just rang true with me! As I’ve said before on my blog, the point of writing here, has been to stretch myself. Of dreaming bigger and wider than I’ve allowed myself to before, and to not let fear get in the way. Cuz we really all just have one life, ya know?!! One of my biggest dreams, and fears was of writing in a public space! I have actually dreamt of writing for over 10 years, and I’m a little embarrassed to admit it’s taken me this long, but better late than never. I’m so glad I started this blog. It’s so rewarding to look back at previous posts, and have a kind of documentary going on.Okay, just have to hit pause for a second and drink in my amazing coffeeee! Baby W. is down for another nap (all you mothers out there, code for TIME FOR ME!! Ha), so I have time to really enjoy it, undisturbed. And you know when you make a REALLY good cup of coffee, it just hits the spot, and is just that much more delicious! Which reminds me of a girl’s youtube channel I follow, called “Story of this Life”. She’s a mother of three, and she and her husband record all kinds of silly things that happen in the life of being parents. Oh man, it gets me laughing, and reminds me to lighten up a little more, and enjoy the small, every-day moments. But you seriously gotta check her channel out, it’s well worth it. My favourite one is the “1st Pregnancy vs. the REST”. Ha! I laugh just thinking about it. Makes my day. Here’s the link for it:https://youtu.be/5OXKMUsv_NMWell, my baby’s up, so I better go, but I’ll catch you all later. Hope you’re having a great Tuesday!