Well I am truly enjoying this Christmas break, and that has been a wonderful surprise. I was so anxious about this holiday season, and it has been amazing - I've been feeling really good and positive and hopeful. Christmas day was a bit more stressful than may have been ideal - it was a harder day for my grandma (some days are better than others), so that was sad. However, it was still a wonderful day with my family and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I'm slowly becoming ok with change - well, maybe not ok with it, but at least able to face it and be optimistic about it. Traditions are nice, and I love them, but I'm realizing they don't have to be set in stone. If they were, new traditions would never get made.
As for presents, I can honestly say the best gifts I've received haven't been the material ones! The best gifts have been the times I've gotten to spend with friends who aren't always in town or who I just don't get to see very often, and even the material gifts I've gotten have been so thoughtful and meaningful. I've really enjoyed being able to give gifts as well. I love the feeling of knowing that someone appreciates the thought I put into whatever I bought or made for them. (I will say, though, getting the Keurig coffee maker I asked for was pretty freakin' awesome... I'm officially on my way to being a coffee addict!)
I'm looking forward to enjoying my last week of Christmas break... it seems to fly by so quickly after Christmas day. I've gotten to spend a lot of quality time with my parents this break and that's been amazing. I love them both so much, and I'm looking forward to another year of our family New Years Eve traditions of board games, appetizers and watching the festivities on television.
I will ask to those reading, for prayers for healing for my neck and shoulder, however. Starting Thursday morning I have had lots of pain in the left side of my neck and my left shoulder, and it has been coming and going ever since. Today has been the worst day by far, with me waking up at 5:30 wanting to cry and not being able to move at all without pain. It's been slowly easing off throughout the day, but I would like to be completely pain free as soon as possible. Also, I'd like to ask for prayer for my family and I - we may or may not be having some big decisions to make in the coming weeks, and we are seeking His guidance and trusting that what's meant to happen will happen. Thank you for your prayers :)
I hope every one has a wonderful and safe New Years to usher in 2013 - I'm very excited for the coming year and everything it holds for me, my family and friends.
♥
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Love You... Bunches and Bunches
So very thankful...
I plucked up the courage to finally go with my mom to visit my grandma in her assisted living home today, after weeks of finding reasons not to, because I was too nervous and afraid to be around her. I was pleasantly surprised with how well our trip went today! No, she's not as healthy as she was even six months ago, and yes, her dementia sometimes has me wondering what goes on inside her head - if she's still "in there" or not, and it can be sad that she doesn't have the same spark, the same sharp wit she used to - but she's still my grandma. She still loves me, and she still remembers who I am, which really is all that matters. Everything else is my problem, not hers. So today, getting to spend time with her and my mom at her hair and nail appointment, and at lunch, was truly a blessing. All I had to do was slow down long enough and take the time to pay attention and listen to be given reasons to smile. She loves me "bunches and bunches" in her words. And when I told her that I got straight A's this semester, just expecting a smile and an ok, she smiled and said ok... but then, after a pause, she grinned at me and said, "You got straight A's? That's wonderful!". That moment alone was reason enough for me to be glad that I took the time to visit her, instead of wasting my time at home feeling guilty.
In light of the events of last week, during a time when so many families are mourning, and don't have the opportunity to be with one another, I'm glad that I have so many opportunities to spend with my loved ones. I've passed up too many of those opportunities, and I'm thankful that I still have time to take advantage of the ones that occur. A lot of people don't have that opportunity - none of us know what tomorrow will bring, we don't know how many opportunities we will have to tell someone we love them, to sit with them and hold their hand, to share a joke and a laugh together. Subconsciously we are aware of this, but so often we still waste time, still put off visiting loved ones or calling them up - we think we're too busy, or whatever the case may be, and that we will always have another opportunity to make up for lost time. Especially during the hectic-ness of the holiday season - the parties, the shopping, the wrapping, etc. it's easy to put off what's really important. As we saw from last Friday's events, we don't always have the opportunity. Why in the world would you wait any longer to take time out of your schedule to spend time with someone you love, that you haven't seen or talked to in awhile?
I love my family and I realize more and more the older I get how blessed I am by them. So in the course of this holiday season, while I'm finishing up paintings, wrapping presents, scheduling times to meet up with friends who are in town, leaving town, or visiting, going to Church services and Christmas parties, running errands and preparing for a new semester of school, I am making a promise to not put aside time with my family, to make them a priority, and to remind myself what's really important, this time and every time of the year.
♥
I plucked up the courage to finally go with my mom to visit my grandma in her assisted living home today, after weeks of finding reasons not to, because I was too nervous and afraid to be around her. I was pleasantly surprised with how well our trip went today! No, she's not as healthy as she was even six months ago, and yes, her dementia sometimes has me wondering what goes on inside her head - if she's still "in there" or not, and it can be sad that she doesn't have the same spark, the same sharp wit she used to - but she's still my grandma. She still loves me, and she still remembers who I am, which really is all that matters. Everything else is my problem, not hers. So today, getting to spend time with her and my mom at her hair and nail appointment, and at lunch, was truly a blessing. All I had to do was slow down long enough and take the time to pay attention and listen to be given reasons to smile. She loves me "bunches and bunches" in her words. And when I told her that I got straight A's this semester, just expecting a smile and an ok, she smiled and said ok... but then, after a pause, she grinned at me and said, "You got straight A's? That's wonderful!". That moment alone was reason enough for me to be glad that I took the time to visit her, instead of wasting my time at home feeling guilty.
In light of the events of last week, during a time when so many families are mourning, and don't have the opportunity to be with one another, I'm glad that I have so many opportunities to spend with my loved ones. I've passed up too many of those opportunities, and I'm thankful that I still have time to take advantage of the ones that occur. A lot of people don't have that opportunity - none of us know what tomorrow will bring, we don't know how many opportunities we will have to tell someone we love them, to sit with them and hold their hand, to share a joke and a laugh together. Subconsciously we are aware of this, but so often we still waste time, still put off visiting loved ones or calling them up - we think we're too busy, or whatever the case may be, and that we will always have another opportunity to make up for lost time. Especially during the hectic-ness of the holiday season - the parties, the shopping, the wrapping, etc. it's easy to put off what's really important. As we saw from last Friday's events, we don't always have the opportunity. Why in the world would you wait any longer to take time out of your schedule to spend time with someone you love, that you haven't seen or talked to in awhile?
I love my family and I realize more and more the older I get how blessed I am by them. So in the course of this holiday season, while I'm finishing up paintings, wrapping presents, scheduling times to meet up with friends who are in town, leaving town, or visiting, going to Church services and Christmas parties, running errands and preparing for a new semester of school, I am making a promise to not put aside time with my family, to make them a priority, and to remind myself what's really important, this time and every time of the year.
♥
Thursday, December 13, 2012
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!
I've been in a really positive place the last couple weeks, and I'm incredibly thankful. I know it has a lot to do with my being more focused and intentional in my quiet time with God, and, oddly enough, the situation at Summit has caused me to really push in closer to Him, even in the midst of a crappy situation. It's really starting to feel like the holiday season!
Today I got to feel like Santa! I took the toys our family bought for the City Life Club kids over to Erika's house today to be wrapped. Words can't describe how excited I am to participate in my first CLC Christmas party tomorrow... I have fallen in love with these kids, and I just want to see the joy on their faces when they open the gifts that they might not have received otherwise. I also drove down to the Zebra Coalition house with Ana, and we dropped off a few bags of donations for their Holiday Drive. It made me so happy to see how many donations they've already received, just after two days of the drive being open! We got the chance to chat with Dexter for a couple of minutes too. He is one of the sweetest men I've ever met. I hope I get the chance to go back with Ana next week to help start sorting out the donations. Any chance I get to volunteer with Zebra, I'm going to take.
Ana and I also got to have good conversations about Les Miserables, Once Upon a Time and Walking Dead, among other things.
I'm in the process of pulling together my Christmas gifts for friends and family, and I have to say while it can be stressful sometimes, especially when you have friends like Charlie who are really hard to figure out what to get/make, this is my favorite part of the Christmas season. I love trying to figure out something personal and thoughtful that the person will know is meant specifically for them. I love seeing the happiness that it brings to the people I care about. The older I get, the more I care about what I give than what I receive, and really that's the way it should be - not just at Christmastime, but year round! If we could always have "the Holiday Spirit" even in the heat of the summer, I think we'd all be a lot nicer to one another.
I'm looking forward to inducting Megan into the world of White Christmas tomorrow, it's my all time favorite holiday movie, and she's never seen it! The closer it gets to Christmas the more joyful I find myself becoming, which is really amazing, considering that before Thanksgiving I was dreading the holidays this year. It's all because of Him, and I am so incredibly thankful.
Today I got to feel like Santa! I took the toys our family bought for the City Life Club kids over to Erika's house today to be wrapped. Words can't describe how excited I am to participate in my first CLC Christmas party tomorrow... I have fallen in love with these kids, and I just want to see the joy on their faces when they open the gifts that they might not have received otherwise. I also drove down to the Zebra Coalition house with Ana, and we dropped off a few bags of donations for their Holiday Drive. It made me so happy to see how many donations they've already received, just after two days of the drive being open! We got the chance to chat with Dexter for a couple of minutes too. He is one of the sweetest men I've ever met. I hope I get the chance to go back with Ana next week to help start sorting out the donations. Any chance I get to volunteer with Zebra, I'm going to take.
Ana and I also got to have good conversations about Les Miserables, Once Upon a Time and Walking Dead, among other things.
I'm in the process of pulling together my Christmas gifts for friends and family, and I have to say while it can be stressful sometimes, especially when you have friends like Charlie who are really hard to figure out what to get/make, this is my favorite part of the Christmas season. I love trying to figure out something personal and thoughtful that the person will know is meant specifically for them. I love seeing the happiness that it brings to the people I care about. The older I get, the more I care about what I give than what I receive, and really that's the way it should be - not just at Christmastime, but year round! If we could always have "the Holiday Spirit" even in the heat of the summer, I think we'd all be a lot nicer to one another.
I'm looking forward to inducting Megan into the world of White Christmas tomorrow, it's my all time favorite holiday movie, and she's never seen it! The closer it gets to Christmas the more joyful I find myself becoming, which is really amazing, considering that before Thanksgiving I was dreading the holidays this year. It's all because of Him, and I am so incredibly thankful.
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Finally! An Update!
It's been forever since I posted, because, lets be honest - I'm awful at sticking to things I start. Also, the end of this semester has been pretty crazy. A lot has happened both good and bad, and I won't even try to recap everything. The most important things are:
- Zebra Coalition's new house is open, and I'm excited to see what the future holds for me as a volunteer at Zebra
- My church (Summit) is in a time of hurt and healing due to the senior pastor resigning due to an affair he's been having over the past year, and other allegations.
- The semester is OVER! And I'm pretty sure I've managed straight A's for the first time since I got to college
- I highly recommend the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series by Stieg Larsson; I just finished the final book, and am now moving on to tackling Victor Hugo's Les Miserables
- I've really missed painting
- I realize more and more every day how blessed I am by my parents, and by my community at Wesley. God's put a lot of awesome people in my life.
- and finally, it's almost CHRISTMAS!
That barely skims the surface of everything that is going on in my head right now, but it will have to do! I am very excited to see what God has planned for me over the next month, and as the new year begins. I feel really positive, and think that 2013 is going to be a super awesome year.
I'm hoping to update more regularly, but I won't make any promises... I will do my best, though!
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