family

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BFFs and such

One of my best friends lives in Canada. She’s actually more like my sister, which is awesome because I always wanted a big sister growing up. 

You know the cliche that friends are the family that you choose?

I wholeheartedly believe it to be true because I have a small group of friends who have become my family. 

We’ve weathered many storms together and I know who to call whenever I need prayer. 

If you’ve followed this blog for a while, you know my personal stance on the idea of doing life alone:Just don’t do it!

We need family. 

We need friends. 

We need a community. 

The Bible says that loners rage against all sound wisdom. 

I’m so blessed to have great friends. The Lord has always put people on my path to encourage me and challenge me towards spiritual growth. 

Friendship matters. And all of the cliches and warnings from your elders are true. 

You really do become like the people you hang around. 

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No glory hogs allowed 

Taking all the glory for yourself is selfish. 

And no one likes a glory hog…

I was watching Cake Wars today and not one chef thanked the other people who helped him or her throughout the competition.

You can’t go through life alone. 

We all are surrounded by a network of people who help us accomplish great things. 

Maybe you’re a business owner with cutting edge ideas. 

Maybe you’re a manager navigating the employees beneath you and the corporate officials above you. 

Whatever the situation maybe, teamwork is crucial. And too often the people who are helping get no credit for their work. 

Look at what I did!

See how great my work on this project turned out?

Meanwhile, all the other workers are catching their breath from going nonstop to ensure your success. 

Don’t forget to thank  your helpers and encouragers. 

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If left alone

An object at rest tends to stay at rest and an object in motion tends to stay in motion unless acted upon by an unbalanced force. 

Newton’s First Law of Motion can teach us a lot about our habits and thought life. 

Another way of defining this law is: An object will keep doing what it’s doing if left alone. 

Aren’t we all the same way?

  • I would eat cheeseburgers everyday if left alone. 
  • I would be a negative person if left alone. 
  • I would still be scared of my own shadow if left alone. 

Wallowing in the past and running toward destruction are both unhealthy responses that lead to nowhere. 

Why is it so hard to get unstuck?

Why is it so hard to go in a different direction?

Newton’s Laws of Motion talk about much more than physics. 

  • Stepping on the scale again was my unbalanced force. 
  • Missing out on deeper, more meaningful relationships was my unbalanced force. 
  • Waking up at 24 and having a mile long wish list of dreams was my unbalanced force. 

Imagine a game of pool.
Nothing would change if  the cue ball (the unbalanced force) didn’t crash into the other balls. 

The best way to get moving again or to change directions is to be hit with an unbalanced force. 

Change is scary, but staying stuck is even scarier. 

And to think no one likes physics…

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Take a deep breath

Do not let your to-do list rob you of joy. 

I’ve said this 50,000 times today while hyperventilating….

There is a list of small things that need to get done between now and my move. 

There are also a lot of people who are more important than my to-do list. 

I do not want to be so task oriented that I am not enjoying my time with friends and family. 

So, I’m going to take several deep breaths and prioritize….and I won’t need a brown paper bag to do so. 

I say all of this to encourage you to not be bullied by your to-do list.

Don’t allow anyone or anything to steal your joy. 

Life is way too short for that kind of nonsense. 

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A sense of satisfaction

I spent most of today soaking wet. 

My personal days are all used up, but the work is done. 

Things have been taken to Goodwill and the dump. 

The gutters are cleaned out. (This happened in the pouring rain by the way.)

But it’s all done!!!!

The only thing left to do is to put together a few bookshelves and get the Reading Room in order. 

Pushing through when you feel out of steam is the only way to get projects finished. 

Then you’re left with an amazing sense of accomplishment. 

I know this is the only thing I’ve talked about since Christmas. 

Bear with me, okay?

Our family is still sending up shouts of victory. I’ll talk about something different tomorrow. 

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Mission Accomplished

 We did it!!!!
Our garage is cleaned up.
Well, one side of the garage is cleaned up, but this is a noteworthy accomplishment. 

All of us worked together to tackle this monster of a project that’s been hanging over our heads for a year. 

Tomorrow dad and I will go to the dump and to Goodwill and to pick up a new dryer (our friends Chad and Megan are giving us their old one).

I’m calling this weekend a success.

It was long and tiring, but that’s okay. Not every weekend is supposed to be like a beach vacation. 

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Christmas memories

Today I ate a Christmas burrito. 

My dad came up with the concept as a fun way to eat leftovers. 

Well, he learned about the English’s version called Bubble and Squeak from our friends, the Vospers. 

The idea of putting it in a tortilla was his own. 

We spent the day packing and purging after a small basement flood on Christmas night. (It came a bad storm that afternoon, which led to an overflow of water on our property.)

No worries, though, because it’s all been cleaned up now. Nothing major was lost to water damage. 

As tiring as the process has been, I’ve enjoyed working with my family and being around our house. 

My favorite part of the day was when my dad found an old journal from his 6th grade year. We read the entries aloud at lunchtime.

Let’s just say that my dad’s always been a funny guy. The journal was filled with pictures, misspelled words, and all the cuteness that comes with childhood. 

I’m not an overly sentimental, let’s keep everything kind of person, but finding this journal has me thinking:

We ought to keep some things from every part of our life. It’ll make for some great conversations later. 

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Christmas Cowboy

Christmas 2015 was a lot of fun! 

Today’s been a whirlwind, so I’ll keep it brief and share a cute picture:

  Here’s a cowboy playing his guitar. 
Courage hadn’t stopped playing it since we gave it to him this morning. 

Our family is blessed beyond measure and we all had a good time eating and opening presents. 

The new year will be here in less than a week!

2016 here we come!

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Christmas Eve Adventures

I didn’t make it into any pictures, but my Christmas Eve was awesome. 

The Kennedy/Neely Christmas parties were a success!

Opening presents with my cousins was fun because they picked out their own gifts for everyone this year. It’s cool to see the people they are becoming. 

My cousin Mathew celebrated his first Christmas as a father and I love his fiancé Kristen. He picked a winner for sure!

I pray that you have a wonderful time with your friends and family over the next few days. 

Merry Christmas!

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The gift of empathy

7-christmas-tree-backgroundI bumped into a bad memory last night. It happens from time to time….

I allowed myself to think back to the people involved, the events of the evening, and the décor of the room.

The emotions were strong and I found myself gasping for breath. I was choking–trapped–in the moment and all I wanted to do was run out the door.

I’m sharing this story with you because I learned something in the process:

You can deconstruct the past, face the truth, and then move on.

The reason people remain stuck in the past is that they never learn how to see it from a place of freedom.

I am free from the pain, shame, and guilt of my past. (Notice that I didn’t say sadness of my past. It’s not possible to remove the sadness.)

With time and a year of counseling, I stopped seeing my past as a bully that’s holding my present hostage and casting a shadow over my future.

I can now face up to the memories instead of running from them.

Christmas will be here in 3 days and Facebook posts are already warning us to be sensitive to the hurts and pains of others.

No one can have a good Christmas (and don’t even think of sharing your joy online) because hurting people will be scrolling through their newsfeeds.

This kind of attitude is detrimental.

Even if everyone didn’t share about their holidays, there would still be hurt in the world.

There is nothing sympathetic about making others feel guilty. Likewise, there is nothing empathetic about walking around on eggshells.

Why don’t we comfort our hurting friends and family?

Take hold of their hands, give them a hug, and sit with them through the tears.

This is genuine empathy and it leads to healing.

There’s no magic formula for grief and sadness, but genuine empathy is the greatest gift you can give this Christmas.