The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Test

Hat by Faith Connexion

We are tested every day on how we react, what we will say, and most importantly- what we will do.

I don't always write pretty.

Not until I sort through the ugly, anyways.

I believe it's the nasty stuff we go through that shape us into better people.

It is what it is and we learn a lesson from everything, and everyone.

The questions on my most recent test:

1) Will you 'cater to the client' to get the job?


Answer:
Yes

2) Will you change who you are to get that job?

Answer:
No

3) Will you take something positive away from it?

Always

Passed! 

100%!

(I cannot lie...I had a little help with this one...I had to pray, and I listened to the answer. I did my best. Then, I needed to ask again...and I listened to the answer again, it was louder and clearer so I didn't just listen this time...I followed.)

We learn from everyone around us, no one person is right or wrong.
 Just be yourself. Be strong and most importantly, have Faith!

I believe that the people, instead of pretty lies, should be told the truth, no matter how ugly it may be. What can we do, destiny hasn't been kind to us; but, with the help of God, we will prevail. 
        ~Alija Izetbegovic

21 Encouraging Thoughts
 By Leah Davies, M.Ed.


This list is by Leah Davies and was meant for counselors, teachers and parents for use with children.

 Leah Davies states that adults 'often use this as a way to cope with their problems' and that 'helpful thoughts are called positive self-talk'.

•   I am a good person no matter what anyone does or says.
•   It is okay to make mistakes because everyone does.
•   I do not give up; I keep trying.
•   I think about what is good in my life.
•   Everyone feels good and bad, now and then.
•   I can do it!
•   Money cannot buy happiness.
•   How I act is more important than how I look.
•   I am lovable.
•   When I smile, I feel better.
•   I can do many things well.
•   I cannot control what grown-ups (substitute  with 'others') do.
•   I am unique, one of a kind.
•   When I feel sad, I think of things I like about myself.
•   Each new day brings a chance to do better.
•   I think about my choices and then choose what is best for me.
•   I will change what I can and accept what I cannot change. (Remember the Serenity   Prayer)
•   I treat others the way I want to be treated.
•   I cannot change my family; I can only change myself.
•  What I learn today will help me in the future.
•  Believe in yourself! ( I added that one myself. )

Used by permission of the author, Leah Davies, and selected from the Kelly Bear website [http://www.kellybear.com/]. 2/02

 

How many times do weactually say these to ourselves every day?

No matter what the answer, we could stand say them some more...

Truly,

Amber

Time Is On Your Side

I used to think that time was my enemy. Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick….tock.

The seconds, minutes and hours continuously counting down…

It always seemed as if the clock next to me was forever pressuring me to make a decision, accomplish something or be somewhere.

I was constantly in a race with time to get to where I wanted to be; literally and figuratively.

But I’ve noticed that time can also work the opposite way as well.

When we are waiting in line for something, how many of us feel that time just doesn’t go by quick enough?

And how about when we’re in pain? Doesn’t it always feel like the moment will never pass?

I distinctly recall a time where I went through something like that.

I was sitting in my kitchen, crying my eyes out. I was still living in Connecticut and had recently divorced.

I had done it! I had divorced my husband. I had gone back to work after being a stay at home mom for two years. I had successfully made it through a one year battle to finish the legal part of the divorce and I was happy! So why was so petrified?

Because I felt like the clock of life was going too fast.

That night in my kitchen, five years ago, I panicked about now. It seems silly, but I really did fret about today. 

The divorce was final and I was free. But I heard the tick tock of the clock and worried about where I would be and what I would be doing in several years.

So, here I am; it is February of 2011 and it has been 5 years since my divorce and what I realized was that time was never my enemy…time was always my friend.

Time was a tool. Patience and faith was the key.

I am right where I am supposed to be. And I have been on a wonderful journey.

I successfully found work in Ohio, I relocated with my three children, I won custody, I’m writing again and now I’m getting married to the love of my life.

These are all good things… and none of which would have happened without time.

If I was hasty for results and too quick to arrive somewhere, I would have made lots of devastating mistakes.

See, when we are patient, we give ourselves the necessary opportunities we require to become who we are meant to be... as well as where we are meant to arrive…

Our destiny if you will.

Time can help us in other ways too.

In every day events time can help tame a tongue, encourage us to think before we make a decision, and has proven to help us make smarter purchases (when we wait a week or two to buy something we can’t live without…we end up not buying it at all…because time taught us that we don’t really ‘need’ it).

Time can create stronger relationships and heal broken hearts.

Time is not against us, it's actually our friend.

So, the next occasion when you feel pressured by the tick tock of the nasty clock…look at it and smile.

Time is a Gift, Use it Wisely

Be thankful that you have that extra time to say you’re sorry, change your mind, grow as a person or fix a mistake.

Truly,

Amber

7 (Borrowed) Steps to Being Accountable for Your Life

Several of my friends are independent business women. They work hard at building their own businesses and they are consistently active in personal growth. I admire them and appreciate when they share with me things they're learning.

About a year ago, I received this list from one of them and I would like to share it with you.

The list has no title but 'You' are the main idea in each numbered point.

Read it and see what you think.

I suggest reading it out loud.

1. The Buck Stops Here

            I accept responsibility for my past

            I control my thoughts-I control my emotions

            I am responsible for my success

2. I Will Seek Wisdom
            I will become a humble servant to others
            I will look to open the door for someone

            I will listen to the counsel of wise men

            I will choose my friends with care

3.  I am a Person of Action

            I inspire others with my activity

            I am a leader-leading is doing-I must move forward

4.  I Have a Decided Heart

            I do not procrastinate. All my problems become smaller when I confront them

            I will not wait.
            I am passionate about my vision for the future
            My course has been charted. My destiny is assured.

5.  Today I Will Choose to Be Happy-I am the Possessor of a Grateful Spirit
            I will smile at every person I meet
            My smile has become my calling card
            My smile is the key to my emotional makeup
            I will greet each day with laughter

6.  I will Greet This Day with a Forgiving Spirit
            I have forgiven myself
            By forgiving myself, I ease the doubts, fears and frustration that have kept my past in the present
            From this day forward, my history will cease to control my destiny
            My life has just begun
            I will forgive those who criticizes me unjustly

7.  I Will Persist with Expectation
            I have faith in my future
            I do not look left or right, I look forward
            I can only persist
            Faith has no limits


Sometimes we have to look in the mirror for the answer.

            I will expect miracle in my life

            I focus on results

At times, we are where we are,
because we want to be- author unknown


Amber



Give Thanks, Part II

It’s my goal this week to write a blog a day about what I am thankful for. I have labeled each one in parts. I hope that you will join me every day in appreciating life’s many blessings.

Yesterday, I said I was grateful for the freedom to choose to have faith in God and the freedom to share it with family and friends.

Today is part II of Give Thanks, and I think you’ll like it ;)

Every person has that someone that has changed their lives. Someone that, without them, the world would make absolutely no sense what-so-ever. Someone who has changed their way of thinking, their point of views and their purpose.

I am blessed enough to have three of these.

They are my children.

Before them, it was all about me; my space, my clothes, my food, my time and my actions, which had no bearing on anyone but me.

There are certain things you learn  as a mother, sometimes sooner than if you are not a mom. Like new insights, a deeper empathy for others and a sense of priority and an overwhelming sense of selflessness (and yes, that is a word), some moms would call this guilt, ;) lol.

Besides my children, I would like to share some other things that I am grateful for (that I learned from my children) Some might seem random but I assure you, they are not.  And some might be so right on that you may sit in your chair and nod your head as you read.

Either way, join me in Giving Thanks to the three biggest blessings life could have handed me, as well as some of the lessons that came with… and that I could never do without…

1.       Fragile: Handle with Care

2.       Listen, and don’t speak

3.       Hug, A LOT!

4.       Say you’re sorry

5.       Laugh at your mistakes

6.       Be spontaneous

7.       Doing nothing can be a good thing

8.       It’s okay to dress down for Holiday Pictures (and they might even come out better because everyone is really comfy;)

9.       Always travel with: tissues, a sweater, a map, snacks and a book

10.   Just because I can, doesn’t mean I should

11.   Decorate for the Holidays, A LOT!

12.   No one will die if we don’t serve a vegetable with dinner

13.   Have Fun!

Here are thirteen lessons that I have learned from my children.  There’s more, believe me, but this is a great little list to share with you for today.

I give thanks that my life has been blessed with their gifts, their giggles and their teachings ;) I admire them. They are strong, bright and have happy, loving attitudes.

Life would never be the same without them. I would never be the same had they never come into my life.

Who in your life has made a significant impact on you and the way you live and think?

Whether they are still with you or not, give thanks that you have or had them at one time or another, and that they grace or graced your presence with their love and their lessons; they deserve a thank you.

Some people come into our lives and quickly go away...
Some stay for awhile and leave footprints on our hearts...
And we are never, ever the same..."
-- Unknown

2 of these pix were taken at Lake Metro Farm Parks on Tatum's Birthday this year, and the girls were photographed at a park in Willowick this summer.

Thank you, Taylor, Tatum & Justice, you are my sunshine. I never knew I could love another, like I love you.

And I never imagined that someone could change my life like you have.

Love,

Momma

Give Thanks, Part I

Last week, at church rehearsal, we prayed just prior to starting practice for an upcoming Christmas performance. The person leading the group said that he was thankful for the freedom to pray openly, at church and at home. Pointing out that as U.S. citizens, we are afforded the freedom to express our faith openly.

It was an eye opener. I have always had the freedom to have faith in God, and share it with others, but not always have I chosen to do so.

As a human being, we all have the ability to lose our way, and I did. I have before, fallen of the wagon, so to speak, regarding my relationship with God.

There are times when I did not go to church for long periods, and did not pray. A bible was nowhere to be found, and I really thought I’d had enough of hearing radio stations playing God’s messages.

I figured, that if things were going this badly in my life, God was definitely not here with me, and that if he was, I would not be feeling this terrible or be struggling this horribly.

So, I exercised my freedom to choose not to keep my faith.

Time passed.

And, as fate would have it, I began to tumble farther and farther down the hole of hardship and troubles, unitl I finally decided that I probably didn’t have much to lose, and maybe should go back and try again---"He had faith in me before; maybe He'd have faith in me again” …and vice versa.

It took a long time, but eventually, I was back on board! And even though I didn’t know if He was on board with me yet, I worked hard to return to my faith and believe that He still loved me and would guide me again.

Then I waited for a sign. And I waited.  And I waited.   AND I WAITED.
And nothing happened. And I got pretty tired of waiting…
Unfortunately, I have to say…..things actually got worse before they got better...

The bottom just fell out of everything, and I was hopeless. I just couldn’t take it anymore and I wanted it all to stop. I felt that I had lost faith all over again….

And then, as the saying goes… I decided to let go and let God. I gave it all up to God and let go of what I could not do alone. I gave up what I worried about, what I could not understand and what I hated. I gave it all to Him and He took it!

I had an overwhelming feeling of calm that day, and I have ever since.


I know, now, that during my darkest moments of loneliest days, as a little girl, as a struggling teenager, as a hurting wife and then later on as a single divorced mother, He was there.
He was always there. He had faith in me, and it was I who chose not to have faith in Him.

God has blessed my life, in so many ways, with family, health, motherhood and choices. He has blessed me with more than I think I deserve at times, and He continues to bless me.

I am so humble and so grateful.

We have walked several more difficult paths since God and I got back on our path together and I am accepting now, that life will never be without some sort of suffering or sacrifice, and I understand why.

His plan does not include a free ride, or a map of the ride, because all the experiences and events that He and I will be encountering together are going to be happening to me so that I can become what more of the person He created to be, and that the only real free I have in my life is the freedom to choose….and….

 I choose Faith.

What are you grateful for this week?

Please exercise your freedom to choose and then please share it with others.

Thank you.

Amber