compassion

Compassion.

I've lived my whole life thinking that compassion was the sad feeling you get in your heart when someone is suffering, when your very soul cracks a little at the hardships of another.  Ah, what a caring soul you are, to feel so deeply the heartaches not your own.

Honestly though, that's just barely scratching the surface of what compassion actually is.

The kind of compassion I described, the sad feeling, that's not even compassion, it's a sad feeling.  Anyone can have a sad feeling.  Sad feelings are a dime a dozen.  But sad feelings don't get things done.  Compassion does.

Compassion is a verb.  The dictionary doesn't know this.  But the dictionary also doesn't know that love is a verb as well.  To the dictionary these are nouns.  Flat, basic, things.  But a verb is movement.  Action.  Just as much as love is not love without action, compassion is not compassion without action.

Compassion demands action.  To have compassion is to be moved with compassion.

In the Bible, God is the first to show compassion.  His people, those people that he loves, turned from Him (as we tend to do).  As creator of their very lives He could have just wiped them out.  He breathed life into man, He could very well breathe it right back out.  But God had compassion on them and he showed them mercy.

And He continues to show mercy.  Day by day.  Hour by hour.  Minute by minute.  The only reason you or I are breathing at this very moment is because God is filling our lungs with breathe.  Your heart beats at God's command.  That is compassion.

Jesus was a master of compassion.  Compassion was his jam.  And it was a standard he modeled for us to follow.

As a lover of people Jesus noticed things.  He noticed brokenness whether it be an ailment or a heart matter.  He would see a need, compassion would stir inside of him, and he would take action.  He healed blindness, lameness, and disease.  He cleansed people of demon possessions.  He brought the dead back to life.  That is compassion, my friend. That is getting something done.

God showed us compassion, Jesus modeled it in his life, and we are told to continue it.

"My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth."

I John 3:18

 

"And of some have compassion, making a difference."  Jude 22

 

 

I have read Jude 22 before but I never got it till know.  Make a difference.  Allow your heart to be moved.  And do something.

                                    Do something.

                                                 Do s-o-m-e-t-h-i-n-g.

When you are moved with compassion, it is an opportunity to do something .  It is an invitation to make a difference.  Be so moved by compassion that you can't rest until something changes.

"By compassion we make others' misery our own, and so,

by relieving them, we relieve ourselves also." 

-Thomas Brown Sr.

Anytime you are moved with compassion, pray that you will know how to be a blessing in that particular circumstance.

So long as you can sweeten another's pain, life is not in vain.

-Helen Keller

 

living well in my skin

I can be critical.  Sizing someone up, passing judgment, and moving on.  Women can be quite competitive with each other, if you didn't already know that.  Maybe it's our animalistic nature.  Maybe it's just ugliness in our hearts.

As we compare ourselves to those around us we can either measure up or we can fall short.  But whose measuring stick are we using?  Who are we to decide if we're better or worse, prettier or uglier, more successful or not? 

As my years progress I learn this lesson more deeply.  I've become a woman comfortable in my own skin.  Some days this is easier than others.  Some days I can accept my flaws and imperfections as beautiful and unique and wonderful and other days I just can't.  It is a daily journey, this one of accepting.

In learning to accept myself, I learn to accept those around me.  It's not ok to view the women in my life as competition.  Rather, they are to be viewed as beautiful human beings that have beautiful things to offer.  They have shadows much like myself, strengths and weaknesses, but we can come alongside each other and learn from each other.

So in thinking about this topic I listed in my notebook all the beautiful women I know and the qualities they possess that I admire, that make them stand out in my mind.  I feel so blessed that I get to intermingle with individuals such as this.

Here are some of the qualities that I get to be surrounded by:

1. genuine compassion
2. calm serenity
3. enthusiasm for life
4. great value in friendships
5. quiet strength
6. confidence
7. bravery
8. serenity
9. strong
10. fervor
11. passion
12. hospitality
13. love for others
14. grace
15. wisdom
16. love for God
17. using talents for God
18. timeless beauty
19. childlike enthusiasm
20. honesty
21. purity

Are you jealous of the greatness in my life?  Don't be.  You might be one of them.  Chances are, you are.

To live well in your own skin there are some things that are important to take note of.  And because I love myself some lists, I have a list to share.  I came across a list somewhere in the depths of Pinterest.  It was my recipe when making the list I'm sharing here.  A dash of this, a sprinkle of that, it's my blog, I get to do that.

Live Well

~Become comfortable with silence.  Every quiet void does not have to be filled with conversation or noise.  Just accept the silence.

~Become comfortable in your own company (without the crutch of technology).  Just be you, with you.  You can be pretty cool if you give yourself a chance.

~Treat yourself with respect.

~Speak with confidence.  Sometimes this means not speaking at all.  But knowing when to speak and doing so with confidence, speaks volumes.

~Tactfully walk away from conversations that are going nowhere.

~Celebrate each year you are given rather than hating getting older.  Revel in your wiser self.

~Find a career or a passion that you fall madly in love with.

~Stop trying to impress others.  Let them love you for what you have to offer naturally or let them not.

~Be an insatiable sponge for knowledge.  Read, watch documentaries, study, observe.

~Never speak negatively about yourself to others.

~Give of your time and talents, not to gain recognition, but because you have something to contribute.

~Maintain an air of mystery.  It is important to be open and honest but there are some details that it's ok to keep private.

~Revel in imperfection.  Confidence comes in owning your unique look, talent, age, and personality.

~Stop apologizing.  While if, indeed, you wish to apologize, do so then move forward.

~Feed the fire of passion that fuels action.  Strive toward excellence.

When you are comfortable in your own skin you are free to live wonderful moments, see opportunities, and experience relationships that were stifled before.  You will have a self built on authenticity and that's a beautiful possession.

live well

The sun is warming my head.  I can't see the computer screen for the glare but to sit here in the warmth makes it worth it.  My Charlie dog is laying beside me, soaking up his own patch of sunshine.  It really is turning spring here.  Many trees are in full pink bloom and the daffodils have returned.  It's still too early to plant the garden as we are still getting frost in the early mornings.

My husband was able to go crabbing yesterday with the owner of the restaurant where I work.  He had a great day on the water, in the sunshine, doing a stinky, messy job.  He brought home some crab and cooked them up last night.  We'll eat them tomorrow along with some fresh mussels.

I'm so thankful for the people in our life.  The good ones have a way of proving themselves over time with consistency, perseverance, and honesty.  I love that.  I love friends and family that will tell it like it is, never veiling their heart, and not shying away from my shadows.  They make me want to be better, live better, do better.

My love affair with coffee has been very strained since my coffee fast a couple weeks back.  The taste has changed for me.  Do I dare say I almost prefer the taste of unsweetened green tea to that of my beloved Folgers?  One coffee drink I have been able to drink is the delicious Honey Latte that my husband has made for me (organic clover honey, steamed milk, espresso shots).  I look forward to trying this with some locally made lavender honey.  Doesn't that just sound yummy?

While this sunshine is tempting me to curl up and take a nap in it's warm rays, I have things to do.  Schoolwork correcting, chicken salad making, dishwasher emptying.  Later, I'm riding my bike down to Starbucks for a date with myself.  I'm going to take along my Bible and spend some time studying.  After that, I'll ride over to the middle school where my Blake has a wrestling meet.  And this evening we have church (I will not be riding there as it is 20 miles away).

Enjoy the day!

help the rifle team!!

Our eldest son was able to go to Phoenix, Arizona last week with his rifle team to compete in the Navy Regionals.  The big blessing of this trip was that it was paid for by his high school.  Plane tickets, hotel rooms, rental cars.  Paid.  Awesome right?

Well, the team did so well (2nd in the region!!!) that they earned a place at Navy Nationals in Ohio in March!!

Here's where it gets sticky.

The Arizona trip was expensive and while the school willingly paid for it, they are not so willing to pay for another trip.

The thing is, the team has earned a place at Navy Nationals, CMP Regionals, and US Nationals all within the next 4 months.

Truth be told, we need some help.

Right now we have a fundraiser on Go Fund Me that has earned a bit of money.

If you can help at all, it would be so appreciated.

 

Go Fund Me

And, if you have any good fundraising ideas, I'd love to hear them.  We're going to have to do some serious footwork over here to get this team to these competitions.

Thank you friends and family!!

I quit coffee

A couple of weeks ago I was very sick.  I remember laying in bed certain that I was dying, rating how I felt on a scale of 1-10.  With 10 being normal and 1 being dead, I hovered between 2 and 3.  It was awful and horrible and took me a week to fully recover.  Please, no sympathy because that's not where this is headed. 

What I wanted to say is that while I was sick my body also dealt with caffeine withdrawals for the two days that I could not eat or drink a thing.  I inadvertently detoxed.  The headache lasted 2 days and was excruciating.  The mental fog lasted 4 days (although some of that had to be attributed to the lack of sustenance in general).

As I recovered I decided to stretch out my unintentional caffeine fast for awhile to see what effects it would have.  Since I'd already survived through the worst of it, it was worth a little experimentation.

My main source of caffeine is coffee.  I would typically drink 2 - 3 cups per day.  I like hot tea as well and would normally have a cup every other day or so.  I'm not much of a soda drinker, maybe one a week, if that.  So, for 15 days I steered clear of all of it. 

Things I thought I might see:

• increased mental focus
• more restful sleep
• weight loss
• clearer skin
• mood changes

After 15 days this is what I saw:

Nothing.

The greatest thing I noticed in my experiment was that I only felt deprived, and not even deprived of caffeine.  I missed having coffee with my husband, chatting and sharing a warm cup.  I missed that steaming mug of fresh brewed coffee in the morning. 

I learned that for me, coffee is a pleasure of life.

I learned that, after surviving the terrible detox headache and fogginess, I no longer need coffee to function.

From this point I tread forward carefully.  Knowing that I'm "clean" and no longer addicted to caffeine feels like quite an achievement.  But it's something that has to be guarded.  I'll enjoy the occasional cup of fresh, hot coffee.  If my husband or a friend invites me out for a coffee date, I'll accept and enjoy it wholly.  But I'll be mindful and aware.

And now on with life.

adventures

Adventure #1...   At the beginning of the year my husband left his job.   He worked for the company since before our kids were born.  We had great benefits.  Retirement package.  Security.  But the work was extremely physically demanding and only growing more so as the company changed and management focused on dollar signs rather than people.  He was tired of missing our son's football games because the boss wouldn't let him leave.  We desired to recapture our time and invest it how we saw fit.

My husband is now stepping into the world of real estate.  He's been working really hard over the past few months to gain the education needed for this line of work.  We have a great support system already.  I have every faith in my husband's abilities and am just so proud of everything he has accomplished already.

Adventure #2...  This is not really our adventure as much as our eldest son's.  Next week we will put our son on a plane to Phoenix, Arizona where he will compete in the Western Regional Finals for marksmanship in the NJROTC (Navy Junior Reserve Office Training Corp).  In April, we will put him on another plane to Utah for a competition.  In June, we will put him on another plane to Alabama where he will compete in NATIONALS.

We are hoping to join him in Alabama.  We aren't really the traveling type.  I have not been on a plane in 20 years.  I'm serious.  My husband has never flown.  Still serious.  And my boys have yet to fly.  So, we're due for some adventure. 

The team is doing a fundraiser on Go Fund Me.  They are raising money for airline tickets, hotel rooms, chaperones, rental cars, that kind of thing.  If you're able to help get these kids (my son included!) to Utah and Alabama, hop over to the website where you can donate securely.

Adventure #3...  I'm in the middle of registering our youngest son into the high school.  How does this happen?!  Right now he's still homeschooling (doing splendidly, might I add).  He's wrestling with the middle school and has his first match next week.

So, while life is one adventure after another, I just keep breathing.  I do things that are less adventurous like make homemade granola bars and drink green tea.  I practice head stands and watch my chickens, waiting for the next adventure.

currently

 

Listening... I'm chillin' with my puppy dog, listening to Josh Vietti.  His rendition of "Hallelujah" could possibly be my most favorite of all time.  Goosebumps.  Every time.

Eating...  Since it is Sunday evening we'll be having our traditional "Sunday night sandwiches".  Today we're having salami, aged white cheddar, and focaccia bread.

Drinking...  French pressed coffee

Wearing...  My newest comfy shirt.  A perfect mix of gray and lace - my faves.

Feeling...  Over the last little while I've made some changes for the better, health-wise.  I've been more proactive and purposeful.  Without getting into too many details here,  I can tell you, I feel the difference.  It's not always easy but it's always good.

Strength doesn't come from what you can do, it comes from overcoming the things you once thought you couldn't.

~~~~~~~~~~ 

 

You must do the thing you think you cannot do.  -Eleanor Roosevelt

Weather...  Our weather has been flirting with Spring.  Some bulbs have already begun to wake up.  My husband dug out my extended garden space this past week!!  THANK YOU!  Now the chickens are doing their share of the work by tilling and fertilizing the soil. 

Looking forward...  This weekend we're off to a couples' conference.  A ferry trip, a hotel stay, some time with like-minded Christian couples, and quality time with my husband.  Yay!

Enjoying...  Extra time with my husband.  He's been home for two weeks now.  HOME.  We're smack dab in the middle of a career change and that change has meant that for now, he's home.  He's able to be involved in our day to day goings on.  He washes dishes and supplies fresh coffee.  I'm totally getting the best end of this deal.

Reading...  Brushed By Feathers - A Year of Birdwatching in the West by, Frances Wood
Just a fun fact, the author lives on the same island as me!

Thinking...  Sometimes I have such a struggle writing this blog.  I enjoy it immensely, love writing, that is.  The struggle comes in knowing the mixed audience that reads what I write.  I don't have anything to hide, no ghosts in the closet, but there are some things that can be divulged in some company and shouldn't be divulged otherwise.  I always tell my husband that a lady always keeps some things mysterious.  And here, in such a public place, there is a lot that needs to be kept a mystery.  So, there's a fine line, a balance in being open and honest but also guarded.  That balance is sometimes so difficult that I just want to give up on the whole blog.  But then, someone that I didn't even know reads my blog will say something, a little encouragement, a word that says "keep going because what you said was just what I needed to hear".  And that's just what I need to hear.

A quote to share...