blessings

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One thankful girl

Happy Thanksgiving!

It’s hard to believe 2015 is almost over.

It’s hard to believe that I’ve accomplished so much this year. 

Blogging everyday, learning sign language, running a half marathon, and going to Rhema?

Wow. I am a truly thankful. 

Here’s few other things I’m thankful for:

  1. My family. I have a big family and it only keeps growing. I’m an aunt now and we’ve added a lot of cousins. 
  2. My friends. I’m thankful for my friends who’re actually more like family. They’ve been with me through everything. I’m also thankful for new friends. The Lord continues to send the most amazing people into my life. 
  3. My job. I have a great job. It’s been nothing but a blessing since day one. 
  4. Reading. I’m really close to my goal of 50 books. The gift of reading is something that I do not take lightly. 

I can go on and on…

How about you?

What are you thankful for this year?

Take some time to write it out. 

Talk about it with your family over dinner.

 Praise God for being the giver of all these precious gifts. 

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The opportunities in your reality

Did you ever watch The Brady Bunch movie?

It was a spoof from the ’90s that was not that great, but made me laugh nonetheless. In it, Mike Brady gave Bobby some great advice:

“Wherever you go, there you are.”

I’ve seen this “advice” plastered all over novelty items. (I also googled the saying and found out it’s the title of a meditation book. Go figure.) What a goofy thing to say, right? We all know that…..or do we?

Recently, I was part of a conversation where a friend said, “Do you know what I could be doing?” and then went on for about 10 minutes about a job he could have.

I told this friend,  “You’re right and I agree. But here you are, so what are you going to do?”

There’s nothing wrong with dreaming or wanting to better yourself. Just remember that improvement starts right where you are. The weaknesses we possess do not magically disappear with a new opportunity.

The more I listened to my friend, the more I understood that the root of the problem was not feeling appreciated. Maybe an elevated position, a better job would do the trick. These people would appreciate me. These people see my true potential.

Once again, there’s truth in these thoughts. There’s nothing wrong with getting praised and honored for good work. Just be careful that praise and accolades aren’t the primary motivators. Applause is momentary–and it’s fickle too.

Motivation really is everything.

What are you looking to gain from an opportunity?

Be honest.

Answering this one question will show you the motivations of your heart.

Like I said earlier, the messy parts of ourselves–the things we want to leave behind–won’t disappear. You can’t just move on and not leave the new address.

Look around. There’s a lot to learn, a lot to do right, where you are now. Don’t be afraid to dream, but don’t ignore the opportunities in your current reality either.

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Birthday Wishes to a Great Friend

bffl faveI’m going to do something completely cheesy today.

This blog post is dedicated to my friend, Bethany Fletcher, in honor of her birthday.

We met in college and became friends instantly….NOT!

In fact, I remember the time she told me that the first time we hung out in a big group she went to her room and cried. She also used to lock the door on her side of our Jack and Jill style bathroom suite.

Eventually, though, she and I realized (and began to appreciate) all of the individual qualities that make us both awesome. christmas friends

Bethany taught me about many things, but for some I am eternally grateful:

  1. Fashion–thanks for helping me get past dressing like a granny.
  2. Music–my previous musical tastes involved a lot of Reba and Patsy Cline. I’m still their number one fan, but my musical taste has broadened–a lot.
  3. Blogging–if it wasn’t for Bethany, I would not be a blog lover today.
  4. Encouragement–this chick has walked with me and encouraged me through some pretty dark times. She’s also slapped me back into reality, but it’s always followed by a hug.
  5. Jesus–Bethany’s friendship with our Savior is out of this world. Seriously. I’ve always looked to her example in how to live, love, and serve Jesus.

Bethany, I hope you’re okay with me dedicating a whole blog post to you. It’s just that you know I’m horrible at sending out cards…..but I do want you to know that I am thankful for your friendship.

bffl pumpkinHappy Birthday, BFFL!

I hope that your 26th year is awesome.

Know that my thoughts and prayers are always with you and, of course, Mr. Fletcher.

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The voice that leads you

Praying with strangers can be scary. 

“Lord, are you sure about this?”

The prompting of the Holy Spirit, though, is strong. 

“Okay, here I go…”

At least, that’s how it’s always been with me. And it happened again today. 

I stopped and helped a lady put her car tag on in the Taco Bell parking lot. 

Nothing really special about that deed. It took less than 2 minutes. She was excited because it was a new car. I listened to her tale and met her grandkids. 

Then it happened. 

“Pray with her and bless her new car.” I heard the Holy Spirit loud and clear. 

So I did. 

Velma (the lady) was very thankful for my prayer. I found out she was a pastor who had a lot of car trouble last year. This car was provision from God. 

Wow. God used me to confirm His blessing in her life. 

And all because I was willing to get over my nervousness. 

I think we need to pray more for people when we’re with them. Writing down there requests and praying later is awesome and necessary. 

However, there’s something special that happens when we pray together for that need. 

I know that it’s weird,  especially if they’re strangers.

We have a great helper in the Holy Spirit. He won’t let you down. If he leads you to do something, listen. 

There are many miracles and blessings that are missed when you don’t trust the Holy Spirit’s prompting. 

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to miss an opportunity to serve God and help others see him more clearly. 

Be bold, my friends, in following the Holy Spirit’s prompting and mighty things will happen. 

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All I need is a cup of coffee and a little perspective

I used to be a chipper morning person. My grumpier self told her to get lost.

My younger siblings do not care.

They are loud and boisterous and excited about the day–even if they don’t know what day it is.

“Audra, what day is it?” Caleb asks.

“It’s Tuesday,” I reply.

His response is normally something like:

“Yay! That means we get to ________” or “What are we going to do today?”

Maybe us grumpy adults should be more easily excitable.

We tend to see each day from a more practical, soul sucking point of view. I don’t think we mean to, though, but it’s easy to fall in line with our work hating, wish-it-was-the-weekend culture.

Last night my little brother–in his childlike wisdom–prayed the most beautiful blessing over our dinner.

“Dear God,

Thanks for having us today.

Thank you for dinner and this time with my family.”

Amen.”

Caleb thanked God for letting us live.

And the thunderbolt of conviction struck my heart….

IMG_1692Every breath, every day comes from God. Begrudging my life and all the things I “have to do” is a slap in God’s face.

I understand that we all have hardships and bad days, but our worst day–especially if you live in the West–is someone else’s best day.

The minor inconveniences of our life will not affect whether we live or die. With that in mind, you and I have very little to complain about.

This is not meant to be a guilt trip.

Just call it a good, old fashioned reality check.

Sure, you’re not a morning person but you can be a thankful–yet quiet–non-morning person.

Sure, money is tight but you have food, water, and shelter. A cancelled Netflix account or a month without cable will not kill you.

Perspective has a way of making us honest.

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Thankfully overwhelmed

We all face busy days. 

The first of the month is especially busy for me. I have customers coming in and out of my office all day–on top of a pile of paperwork from the previous month to complete. 

Plus, today I was juggling getting my car to the shop. (There was a lot of moving parts to coordinate.)

On days like today, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. 

I know I was…

Not allowing temporary inconveniences to derail you from the bigger picture can be difficult. 

I encourage you to take a breath and count your blessings. 

You and I have a LOT to be thankful for. 

It’ll help you when the phone rings and a customer walks in and your boss wants you to dictate a letter–right now. 

Even in those moments, remember your blessings. 

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A clean perspective 

Today’s post will be short and sweet because I’m tired. 

I spent the day cleaning house with my family. We wanted the house to look nice when my stepmom and sisters arrive home this Tuesday. 

We had a lot to do but my battle plan worked! 

Okay, it wasn’t really a battle plan…it was only a list. The list, though, held me accountable. 

The little people were a great help too!

Caleb and Selah put all their toys away. 

Courage did a great job of unfolding clothes and taking toys back out of the toy box. His cuteness was a nice distraction from the tediousness, so we forgave him each time. 

Cleaning house isn’t glamorous but I was reminded today of my family’s many, many blessings. 

We have nothing to complain about and God has given us more than we need. 

(I spent all day cleaning up that more, which is how I know.)

So, yeah, cleaning house isn’t always fun, but it’s good to keep things in perspective: I have a house to clean. I have food to eat. 

I’d say I have it made….