Wednesday's Printable Words | Listen

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Listening, it requires more of us. Focus. Intentionality. Respect. The first key to healthy communication. I am still in the learning process.

Wednesday's Printable Words | Laugh Love Be True

Oh, Hey! It's been awhile since I last posted a Printable. I've been inspired by my sweet girl friends lately. This message has repeated itself over and over in the past few days or more, being spoken by the people around me, Instagram posts, and I even saw it yesterday at work. I hope this light of truth and positivity ignites your soul. Much Love.

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Sisterhood Stories: Receiving & Giving Love

PART I

Have you ever seen the movie Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood? I love this movie for many reasons. There is so much dysfunction in it. Even though it's Hollywood, the themes of the movie are real life. I enjoy the storyline that flashes back and forth from present to past.
There is a line between Sidda, played by Sandra Bullock, and Shep, played by the late James Garner. This line has stayed with me...


Sidda: Daddy, did you get loved enough?

'Shep' Walker: What's enough? My question is, did you?

It provokes a lot of thought, right? Are you loved enough? Do you love enough? What IS enough?


Love.
Love is a powerful & beautiful experience. There are many facets to love. Just as each individual is unique in their hearts and minds, the needs are different as well. I read this book years ago called, The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts. It was so profound to me to learn that there are 5 basic ways that we give & receive love and how different they are. This book helps you understand the languages and to know which ones are dominant in you. Love is a language we all speak; we just speak it differently; we also interpret it differently.

The 5 Love Languages:

Words of Affirmation (Saying or hearing affirming words, like "I love you", "You are special to me", "You look so beautiful/handsome", "You did such a great job", "I believe in you")

Acts of Service (Doing acts or having acts done for you, like taking out the garbage, filling up the gas tank, doing the dishes, or making dinner)

Receiving Gifts (Gifts like cards or whatever you think the other may want or need)

Quality Time (Spending time with the person you love, setting time aside for a date, reading together, watching a movie, taking a walk, or just sitting over a cup of tea and talking)

Physical Touch (Kissing, hugging, holding hands, patting/scratching the back)

These are some examples of ways that we show love and receive love; there are more, of course. These are how we express heartfelt commitment to our mates, to our children and other loved ones. Dr. Gary Chapman, the author, explains in such detail, with real life examples, how each one works within the person who possess a certain type of love or love-need. What a wealth of insight! This information can seriously foster a close, intentional relationship or mend a broken one. Understanding the 5 basic love languages is the start. The desire is the next step. I enjoyed reading this book and also the Love Language book that is dedicated to the love relationship with your child, which is something I'll write about in PART II.

I've attached a downloadable printable "Love is Life"

Download 8x10 printable here.



This blog post is part of a blog circle called Sisterhood Stories. Please visit the next sister, Kay.

Sisterhood Stories | Felt Hearts

This story is a bit belated, but it's a good one.

I worked the morning shift on Valentine's Day. The first few hours of the store opening were a little slow. I've worked at this store for almost a year, so regular guests look familiar and I even know some by name. There is a young gentleman who comes in to get his morning coffee. On this particular day he brought his 19 month old son, Sebastian. What a sweet little boy he is...and so smiley. I noticed that Sebastian was holding a brown paper bag. I watched him walking up and down around the coffee shop as his dad was prompting him to give whatever was in this bag to me. Sebastian was acting shy. He would come over to me, smile, and then run back to his dad. He repeated this several times. It made me laugh. I squatted down at his level and held out my arms. Sebastian proceeded to run toward me and he gave me this pink felt heart. This made me smile. I thanked him and asked if I could have a hug. Sebastian came in for a hug and I cuddled him for a little. It was such a sweet moment. His dad then asked him to go onto the next lady who was standing next to me. I watched as this toddler handed out all these felt hearts to the ladies that were working that morning. Such a kind gesture and one that will stay with me. Sharing love is beautiful thing!

This post is part of a blog circle. Please click to the next sister. 

Lent | No Complaining

Happy Lent! 

So, I'm not Catholic, but I do respect the thought and tradition of practicing Lent. The whole point is to give up something, to sacrifice something for 40 days & 40 nights in reverence and respect for the reason for the Easter Season. In the past, I have given up chocolate, eating meat and/or drinking any kind of alcohol. These things that I sacrificed were mainly diet choices that I ended up always introducing back into my diet after Lent was over. This time, I wanted to make a lasting change that I would not want to introduce back into my life. I want to sacrifice something that will be challenging, but ultimately something that would make me a better person. 

Complaining can come off as comedic sometimes, especially when people announce that they are "venting" or declare the ever familiar "end rant" on their status updates for social media. I realized that complaining really takes a toll on my loved ones and on my sphere of influence. After reading this article from The Positivity Solution, I was motivated to take on this challenge for Lent in hopes that it would become a new "good habit" and a lasting change for my life. The article titled Stop Complaining explains the difference between venting and complaining and also details the disadvantages of complaining and the benefits of stopping. It is definitely worth the read, in my opinion. Also, the video at the end of the article is hilarious and will definitely put mindless habitual complaining into perspective.

Oh, and then there's this reminder:

Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.

Philippians 2:14-15

So, here I go...Day 1.

Sisterhood Stories | Pink Pigs

Two days ago, at work, I came across a guest in the store who was all decked out in pig themed attire. He was an older gentleman. He wore a knitted scarf with a pink pig on it, gloves with pigs on them, a knitted hat with a pig on it, and the hat was adorned with various pig pins, like winged pigs, pig faces, etc. I smiled and offered to help him. Curious about these pigs, I spoke directly to the gentleman and said, "Hello Sir. I see you like pigs, can you tell me about them?" He smiled back at me saying that pigs brought him luck and always have brought him luck. He continued to tell me very enthusiastically that pigs made him quite happy and that in some cultures pigs, like China and Germany, were a symbol of good luck. The gentleman proceeded to dig in his pocket and excavated 3 miniature pink pigs. He handed them to me and exclaimed that he hoped these 3 pigs would bring me much luck and that they would remind me never to build my house from straw. I accepted these pigs as I thanked the man for his gift and advice. 

This is my first post of 2015 with Sisterhood Stories blog circle. Please click below to visit the next sister. 

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The Mina Project

Two Sundays ago my church handed each attendant over the age of 13 an envelope with money in it. The denomination ranged for each envelope, but the message was the same for all. How will you use your time, talent, treasure to make a difference in the world? 

Before I explain why I am selling a 2015 calendar of my skyscapes, let me introduce you to the Parable of the 10 Minas. A nobleman travelled to a far off place, but before he departed, he gave 10 of his servants 10 minas to do business and make money until he returned back home. When he did return home he summoned his servants to see how they invested their 10 minas. One servant made double, another made half, and another made nothing, hiding his mina because he was afraid of the nobleman. The one who made the most was given the better reward. The one who made nothing in addition to what was given to him had his mina taken away and given to the servant who made the most profit for the nobleman. 

The mina is a symbol of the gifts and talents that God gave us. We are to use our gifts and talents for good, to invest in God's Kingdom, to give and share God's love. 

So, I have this money in an envelope that I'm supposed to invest so that, ideally, it will multiply. Appropriately, with the money I received from my church for The Mina Project I've purchased 10 wall calendars featuring my skyscapes I captured throughout the year. They will arrive at my doorstep any day now. The profit I make from The Mina Project is going to a non-profit charity here in Raleigh, called Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina, which is a division of Feeding America. This food bank serves to fight hunger in 13 counties in the central/eastern area of North Carolina. My hope is that my "Mina" will feed those who so desperately need sustenance. 

If you'd like to take part in this with me by purchasing a Colors of the Sky 2015 wall calendar, please click the link below. It will redirect you to checkout with PayPal. thank you for taking the time to read this and thank you for your support. Even if you chose not to give to this cause, I hope you will find a cause to contribute to as the season of giving is upon us. May God Bless you!