Considering the compassion of Jesus

 Good morning! This morning....considering the level to which Jesus had compassion on those that would otherwise be given over to destructive ways of life and may very well die without the fullness of life experience and breathed into their very bodies....that they would live a life of heavy grief and struggle....the compassion is SO deep.....the feeling so intense and against many ways and philosophies of higher thinking.....this compassion is what sets him and his life apart...and deemed as great, supernatural, unachievable, not exactly the way that most humans can see themselves accomplishing....but to even consider the depth of experience to choose such compassion....

#thankyouGod #depthofLove #oneanotherlove #itsNoteasy #butitis #allowLovefirst #thankyouJesus #divineexample

My big parenting tip... remind them of who they are...at the CORE of their being and character

 Good morning!

The "trend" in my newsfeed....parenting. "How to..." or "How it is hard...", And "milestones" ...LOTS of milestones....

I just wanted to say, I am there with you. AND I used to get a lot of "How do you do it? Your boys are so happy and friendly, and kind...." How did I do what? LOL I guess I did have a little secret....do you want to know what it is? I remind them of who they are...at the CORE of their being and character. This WHOLE time...from when they were babies to now as teens, (go by hormones people, numbers will mess you up ) I remind them that they chose this life to live and I am here to help them stay aligned in their journey. The "discipline" has changed, but I always come back to reminding them of their strength...and their intelligence...and their power in choice....and their impact on those around them....and I jump in the pit with them...I share what is relatable from my story...I jumped up and down when they would throw tantrums....I cried remembering how I was bullied and segregated....

Not only are they not alone in their struggles, but my "little girl self", after years of loneliness and struggle, is no longer alone. She has friends that can relate. They ask for "her" and ask "her" what it was like for her when she was their age. The other day, as we were cleaning, my oldest found a picture of her. The day after that, I found my pics with the youngest one of when I was his age. They already heard many of the stories (MANY) and now they have a face to put to those stories.

It's THOSE stories....where we felt or have put "shame" or insecurity into....those are your tools of connection....that's how we can build someone up...by sharing compassion for ourselves in those moments and then turning to extend that same compassion to those who are relating to it. As a parent, I stand with very little to no shame because I have used my "toolbox" in life to help build up those around me.

Yesterday, as my son felt like he was going to blow up with frustration...I shared a more direct story...about why I chose his middle name....I shared the situation I witnessed of a mother with her son...how she "blanketed" him with love...how she passed on this advice and wisdom of expression to me...and how the boy was at the same age that he is at now... and I knew, if the child in my belly at the time was to be a boy, this would be his middle name...I also shared the story about the man that that boy had become....and he cried. I held his face and I said "I see you". And we hugged. I dropped all defense....he was not my enemy... and I defaulted to reminding him.

Anyways, yeah parenting....it's a beautiful thing. Yeah, people-ing ...it's a beautiful thing. We could all use some reminding don't you think?

#thankyouGod #Lovefirst #oneanotherlove #sticktosimplicity #keepitbasic #letsremindeachother #wearenotalone #simpleandconsistent #compassionfortheWin

Crustless Chickpea pot pie (pictures)

Sorry Pi day, but not going to make a pie crust. #ChickpeaPotPie #crustless #aintgottimeforthat #justcook #savingtime #familytime

The power of silence

 

Many scriptures speak to being silent and being still. ....and unless you give yourself the space to experience it, you will never know how HUGE it really is....it's a big space to sit in 😉

This post is FULL of "Toilet talk"

 Good morning! Sorry but this post is FULL of "Toilet talk"

After a week of declaring I may have to resort to approaching our "home" toilet as public, it made me think how many people actually approach "throne time" in a stand-offish way.

So here is my current routine....open the door and inspect....grab hydrogen peroxide spray and spray down the seat....grab a "wod" of toilet paper and wipe it down. Okay, if this was public space, I squat....don't touch the seat, but the HP and wipe down still happens before I leave the stall (leave it better than I found it)....at home, it's before with the intention to sit and enjoy (with my feet up on the stool) a complete and smooth "process".

Now why am I sharing this? Because of the peace of mind and joy part. After cleaning what looked like a moment of haste, waste, shame, and a dash and run experience it made me realize that there may be HIGH levels of disgust and shame (along with a lack of mindful "attention" ) to a process that demands consistency, frequency, and mindfulness on our part. And THEN (as it tends to flow in my mind) how many others areas in life is that "just-get-it-over-with-and-RUN" attitude being applied? That we leave the mess of disgust, fear, and shame in a wake of stuff that will scream to be "cleaned up" later.... Are we not taking the time and careful focus to get it done and done right the first time without having to leave a pile of residue that we continue to feel is haunting us from the "bowels" of activity. That there is a bowl with a lid precariously teetering to reveal what we carelessly left behind in our hasteful use of energy?

I love my toilet time. It is routine, and I feel clean inside and out afterwards because I take the care to do so. And I HOPE that the same care is what I translate into other areas of my life. I am sure I may be leaving "dribbles" on the seat in areas I don't feel so strong or "achieved" in yet, but I hope I am not leaving a mess for others to "sit" in and that is why I will try to be MORE mindful to take my time, and wipe up the best I can.....after all, it is an all day every day experience....this thing called life

#thankyouGod #youmissed #itsOkay #cleanitup #becarefulnexttime #mindfulness #dailypractice #oneanotherlove