Then, I saw this…

Sarah is such a genuine, beautiful lady – so is Ellen. It’s so encouraging and inspiring when celebrities and corporations use their powers for good.

There is another Voice in my head. I wish it were louder. I wish it would shout. It doesn’t. This Voice is quiet and gentle and persistent. I never confuse it with my own. His name is Jesus. He speaks words like, “I will never leave you nor forsake you”, “nothing can separate you from my love”, “you are wonderfully made”,”you can because I will strengthen you”, “come to me, I will give you rest”, “as far as the East is from the West so I have forgiven you” and on and on His Word goes. His voice makes me feel afraid, too. But, the fear is different – it’s more like being vulnerable, softer, new, hopeful.

I despise the Barking Dogs but they are familiar and louder. They demand my attention. The Voice of Jesus is becoming more familiar over the years, too. But, I must choose to listen for His voice. I must resist the Growl. Fortunately Jesus’ Words are written down. Hearing His voice makes me thirsty for more. Someday I will be satisfied.

I heard this Tenth Avenue North song today and it encouraged me to listen to the Voice of Jesus. I hope it encourages you, too.

What do your voices say? Who do you listen to?

Em & Mark...I love them.

On Tuesday mornings I get to walk my youngest to school. It’s a pretty special time. I look forward to it.

On cooler days, we hold hands underneath my sweatshirt sleeve or share my coat pocket. I like walking with her on cold days best.

Today I learned that she would like to go to Alaska. Stay for a week and learn how to dogsled. How cool is that? Awesome.

Moments like these bring a sweet connection. They’re so simple but go down so deep.

How about you? How do you connect?

"The Dip" by Seth Godin

Feeling the fog brain today and general discouragement. I’m in the middle of big project for work and I think I’ve hit “the dip“. The “dip” is that place where I (we) decide to quit or push through. All stories that matter hit it at some point. I know I’m going to push through but for now…this evening…I will procrastinate and wallow. It’s funny because I’m really excited about the project. It will be a life changer for so many people…for teenagers. I wonder if the size of the dip is directly related to the potential impact of the project?

Ever feel that way?

(by the way, “The Dip” is an excellent, encouraging, quick read. I highly recommend it!)

Mom & Dad on their Wedding Day

My mom passed away in January, 2001. I still miss her and want to honor her today. She was an incredibly generous woman and always gave great gifts for birthdays and Christmas. The best gifts she gave, though, aren’t the kind you wrap up.

5 gifts my mom gave me:

1. She liked to have fun. My mom played. She really enjoyed laughing and was a bit of a jokester.
2. She saw past our faults. Though I’m sure my mistakes and those of my siblings grieved her, she forgave and looked beyond. She believed in us.
3. She tried new things. Mom was adventurous in learning new skills, going to school, building a career later in life and in traveling. She did all of this without the emotional support of my dad – that’s amazing to me. She was a strong, courageous woman.
4. She was proud of her kids & grandkids. She bragged about us and was proud to introduce us to others.
5. She liked her kids and really enjoyed spending time with us. I love that she wasn’t afraid of getting dirty or ruining her clothes. The fact that my dad wasn’t around didn’t stop her from taking us places. Some of my favorite memories with her are of going to Disneyland, South Lake Tahoe, camping or just playing games.

Today, I feel extra grateful for my mom. Writing this list has caused that. I wish I’d done this when she was alive. It would have really blessed her. Thank you, Mom!

Now your turn…what gifts has your mom given you? Have you told her?

Isn’t it great how Heimlich’s friends help him to realize his dream of flying?

At 3:40 this morning – not able to fall back asleep – I went online and watched this video. It challenged me. Watch it and then I’ll tell you why.

(a note to women: the video says it’s about men but it’s about women, too. Stay open.)

(if you can’t see the video, watch it here)

One of my struggles in life is with letting myself draw close to others – even with my family. I tend to fill my life with busyness. These days I’m seeing that often I do that as a way to stay distant.  To be fair (to me), part of that is personality. I’m part introvert and gain strength from distance and solitude.  The other part, though, is self-protection. I think self  protection at times (but not always) is a sin. It’s selfishly motivated to keep my heart feeling safe from others and even God. It doesn’t work and it’s a lie.

We were designed for relationship…intimate relationship. It’s in my DNA (it’s in your DNA) to have genuine, close relationships with God, other people (a trusted few), and with our own person. I don’t think it’s possible to grow, to become who we were made to be or to reach our potential apart from close healthy relationships with God, others and self. The more I distance myself, the more my heart stays hard in places…the more I stay stuck. I need these relationships to help me live a better story.

This video reminded me of that.

Who might you gather around you to inspire a life of significance?

Nic Askew, from the The Possibility of Men

>>find out more about this video…visit www.soulbiographies.com/2011/01/the-possibility-of-men

Your turn….what do you think of the video? What does it make you think about?

Art: Read about Vincent van Gogh from at least one source. I’ve been intrigued by this artist ever since I was a kid. That’s his “Starry Night Over the Rhone“ in the banner image above.  I saw it and many others by him when we traveled to France two summers ago. We also visited many of the locations where he actually painted. I want to learn more about him…to get “in his head” a bit.

Health: Drink at least 32 oz of water each day. I’m so busy during the day at work that I usually don’t drink enough water. This week I’ll fill up my 32 oz bottle and keep it on my desk. My sister jump started her weight loss by drinking more water – maybe I’ll do the same.

Stillness: Write my “morning pages” at least 4 days this week. In the Artist’ s Way and on her website, Julia Cameron says,

In order to retrieve your creativity, you need to find it. I ask you to do this by an apparently pointless process I call the morning pages…Morning Pages are three pages of longhand, stream of consciousness writing, done first thing in the morning. There is no wrong way to do Morning Pages– they are not high art. They are about anything and everything that crosses your mind– and they are for your eyes only.

I’m trying to keep it simple. I think the path to living a better story is taken by baby steps.

Be Art-Full.  Be Healthy.  Be Still.

Do you have any goals or hopes for this week?

I enjoy the beginning of the year. It’s like a fresh page full of possibility. I used to make resolutions but I’ve never been good at following through with them. That’s partly because I don’t like to feel pressured to do something and I naturally rebel againist rules. Resolutions feel like pressure and rules to me.

This year after reading about Chris Brogan’s 3 words, I felt inspired to choose 3 words to help focus my 2011. My 3 words for this year? Art. Health. Stillness.

• Art: Visiting Rome, Provence and Paris in 2009 gave me a new appreciation of art. I had never been so immersed in it and I felt more alive. This year, I want to learn about it and absorb it as much as I can. I feel like such a late bloomer in this area. It seems to me that art has a language. I want to learn that language. This year I hope to be more “art-full“.
• Health: I want to choose health not just physically but emotionally, spiritually, mentally and relationally as well. As I encounter daily opportunities, I want to ask myself, “In this situation, what is healthy?”.  I don’t think this will be black and white. In it’s purist sense, this is about boundaries.  I,  by the way, naturally rebel against bondaries, too. I know all too well, though,  that without them I’m like a goldfish out of the bowl – sucking air. So,  this year, I hope to be healthy.
• Stillness: Being still implies rest, quiet, meditation, prayer….stopping. I want less busyness and mindless distraction and more of just being. You’ve heard the line, “wherever you are, be there”. That’s what I’m going for this year and letting myself stop enough to feel pain and discomfort. That’s the path to healing and to the Healer. This year I hope to be still.

Be Art-Full.  Be Healthy.  Be Still.

What are your 3 words?

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