Moving Forward

Today marks the beginning of advent for Christians, a theme of Hope. I was reminded today how important that message is as it brings themes of patience, love, understanding, and faith. We were reminded by our leader this morning about the story of Zacharias (name meaning “Yahweh remembers”)  and Elisabeth (meaning “God's oath”), both characters in the introduction to the Christmas story and strong examples of this message. It is a story of light appearing in a dark circumstance as Zacharias and Elisabeth were seen as leaders without child, and that was seen, and sometimes still viewed by some, as being a punishment from God.  Late in life they were blessed, prayers answered as they had a child, John, who became a blessing to many people. The message of Christmas begins as a story of hope. As a 42 year old mother of two teenage boys whose parents are divorced, I often feel my family is broken and look around to see so many teenagers from broken homes.  Divo...

During spring break of 2016,  I decided to go on a solo hiking trip to connect with myself in the Big Bend area. The experience was wonderful as I was able to meet new people, conquer a few fears, and mediate on both personal and professional goals. The experience helped me to begin to connect with my authentic self. At that time, I was in dissertation phase. For those who have not experienced dissertation, it involves a lot of pressure. The experience helped me take a break, which inspired me to persevere with data analysis and writing. I made a pact with myself to take it easy and go on a solo trip each year to  celebrate me. Taking it Easy Can Bring Positive Change Taking it easy is a struggle. Females of my generation were told that we could do anything and everything at the same time. I bought into this lie and forgot that we only have 24 hours in a day. How we choose to give of ourselves can really impact our health. In reality, we cannot be everything to everyo...

Over the course of a year, I have had to come to terms with a few hard truths. I looked up, and myself and my phenomenal kids began entering a new stage.  Both sons,  now teenagers, have expressed missing their father to many, and we both so miss our family and friends in Erath County. I completed a PhD. and I now know that I have some very big research initiatives to pursue. The hard truth was evident; this isn't working. But then again, the last four years has been nothing but a series of events in which I have had to learn to let go. Leaving a small town was extremely hard on us, and the pain of letting go was and is still very raw and real.  A hole in our heart is still a very BIG issue. My kids have only known life on a very large historical nursery located in the center of  Texas. We have had a few obstacles in our path and we were fortunate to have some new experiences. I am grateful to the people I met along the way. They helped us through a very hard tim...

This weekend we were challenged to consider the advantages of waiting. Often I find myself criticizing the youth of today and their need for "instant" gratification. However, I am so guilty of the same actions and of not taking time to wait. One of our pastors today was so accurate when he reminded us that we have a lot to learn from the art of waiting. We do live in a culture that lives "on demand", In fact, the great leaders of our world are often called to wait. I think of Nelson Mandela, who continued to choose to learn from his mistakes, sacrificed, and is a prime example to me on the art of waiting. Today we were given the example of Joseph, the great dreamer, forced to wait in prison for 12 years for a crime of which he was innocent, before becoming a leader and fulfilling his purpose in life. We were posed with the following question. What is the opportunity cost to getting what we want, when we want it? I have recently realized that I tend to run...

During 2016, I completed my PhD and checked off a huge career milestone. There are so many people I am grateful to, encouraging me to the finish line. I am sure I will blog more about this later this month. I can now get my life back. Wait a minute.... Life has drastically changed. What will I do now? I now have time to actually take care of myself. Practicing unconditional love toward myself is very hard. It is hard for me to not look toward others for strength. However, this year I am committed to learning how to practice extreme self care, focusing attention to spiritual growth, health, and home. I want to create a healthier balanced life, a new start, and leverage resources to live a creative, joyful, peaceful and abundant life. To kick this off, I have entered a 5K on Saturday, thanks to the encouragement of a good friend. Other friends are helping me by suggesting recipes, possible fitness centers, books, and I even had someone suggest that I subscribe to Dawn Jackson Blatne...