God comes to Women

Have you ever noticed how in the scriptures men are always going up into the mountains to commune with god? Yet in the scriptures we hardly ever hear of women going to the mountains, and we know why—right? Because the women were too busy keeping life going; they couldn’t abandon babies, meals, homes, fires, gardens, and a thousand responsibilities to make the climb into the mountains!
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I was complaining about this to a friend the other day, saying that even as a modern woman I feel like I’m never “free” enough from my responsibilities, never in a quiet enough, or holy enough spot to have the type of communion I want with God. Her response floored me, “That is why God comes to women. Men have to climb the mountain to meet God, but God comes to women where ever they are.”
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I have been pondering on her words for weeks and have searched my scriptures to see that what she said is true. God does in deed come to women where they are, when they are doing their ordinary, everyday work. He meets them at the wells where they draw water for their families, in their homes, in their kitchens, in their gardens. He comes to them as they sit beside sickbeds, as they give birth, care for the elderly, and perform necessary mourning and burial rites.
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Even the women at the empty tomb, who were the first to witness Christ’s resurrection, were only there because they were doing the womanly chore of properly preparing Christ’s body for burial. In this seemingly mundane and ordinary task these women found themselves face to face with divinity.
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So if— like me—you ever start to bemoan the fact that you don’t have as much time to spend in the mountains with God as you would like. Remember, God comes to women. He knows where we are and the burdens we carry. He sees us, and if we open our eyes and our hearts we will see Him, even in the most ordinary places and in the most ordinary things.
.Happy Easter!
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He lives.

 

Don't leave anything for later

Don't leave anything for later.

Later, the coffee gets cold.

Later, you lose interest.

Later, the day turns into night.

Later, people grow up.

Later, people grow old.

Later, life goes by.

Later, you regret not doing something...

When you had the chance.

Life is a fleeting dance, a delicate balance of moments that unfold before us, never to return in quite the same way again.

Regret is a bitter pill to swallow, a weight that bears down upon the soul with the burden of missed chances and unspoken words.

So, let us not leave anything for later. Let us seize the moments as they come, with hearts open and arms outstretched to embrace the possibilities that lie before us. For in the end, it is not the things we did that we regret, but the things we left undone, the words left unspoken, the dreams left unfulfilled.

— Before the Coffee Gets Cold is a 2015 novel by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

Don't Ignor those who want to be part of your life.

Don’t ignore the efforts of someone who truly loves you and wants to be a part of your life. Don’t ignore the efforts of someone willing to listen. Don’t ignore the efforts of someone willing to show up when it matters most. 

Someone who checks in, calls, and genuinely
cares about how you’re doing. Don’t ignore the efforts of someone willing to push you and be honest with yourself. Who is willing to forgive, apologize, and work things out even when uncomfortable. 

Don’t ignore the efforts of someone trustworthy and don’t ignore the efforts of someone who enjoys your company and gives you room to be yourself. 

Don’t ignore the efforts of someone genuine. 

People like that are hard to find, and they won’t be around forever if you don’t return their efforts. 

So, appreciate. 

Reciprocate. 

Initiate. 

And love them for the treasure they are. 

This is luxury.

A good read… What is Luxury?

They made us believe that luxury was the rare, the expensive,

the exclusive. Everything that seemed unobtainable.

Now we realize that Luxury was those little things we didn't know how to value when we had them, and now that they're gone, we miss them so much.

Luxury is being healthy.

Luxury is not stepping into a hospital.

Luxury is being able to walk along the seashore.

Luxury is going out on the streets and breathing without a mask.

Luxury is meeting with your whole family, all your friends.

Smiles are Luxury.

Luxury is hugs and kisses.

Luxury is enjoying every sunrise.

Luxury is enjoying every sunset. 

Luxury is the privilege of loving and being alive.

All this is Luxury and we didn't know.

Always stay grateful for all the “luxuries
” in your life. No matter how small. 

Author Unknown

I'm too much and I know it!

I’m a lot. 

I am. 

I know I am. 

I’ve always known I am. 

I get over-the-top excited about mundane things. I get overly emotional too.  

I have ten thousand ideas flowing rapidly through my brain at any time.

I think fast. I speak fast. I type even faster. 

I sing at the top of my lungs whether I’m in church or sitting alone in my car. I think the world is falling, and then realize maybe I just haven’t had any sleep the last two nights, and I need a glass of water, and everything appears sunny again.

I send ten text messages in a row. And, oh yes, you’d better believe they are full of exclamation points and emojis. I plan girls’ trips at the drop of a hat. I work really hard to make everything magical. 

I apologize all the time. 

I talk way too much. 

I take up too much space. 

I dance anytime music is on—grocery store, car, bank, doesn’t matter. 

I build businesses and then new businesses and new businesses. 

I see clothes that I absolutely HAVE to have. I think every movie I’ve ever watched is the “best ever.” I like every song that comes on the radio, and I rave about them, and I research the lyrics and try to figure out the deeper meaning. I cry about situations, and then turn around with my next breath and flip the switch and find the ever-elusive silver lining. 

I’m a lot. 

I’m passionate. 

I rarely walk. 

If I’m going somewhere, I run. (Metaphorically-speaking, of course. If I’m literally running, something weird is up and everyone needs to be on the lookout.)

 When I’m chill, I’m chill. 

But when I’m not—I am not. 

I don’t tiptoe. I jump in without looking back. And I splash water everywhere. I have energy, and I like for energy to be given back to me. 

I used to hate this about myself. Everything I just mentioned made me blame myself, and question myself, and want to be by myself, and also somehow, made me want to be with everyone all the time. 

I used to think being too much was my worst quality. I thought it was the reason I was misunderstood and lonely. I thought it was my greatest setback. 

And so I quieted myself up. 

I played small. 

I bottled my excitement. 

I convinced myself to become less. 

But I was not made to be less. 

I give hard. I forgive hard. I work hard. I laugh hard. I cry hard. I mess up hard, but then I get back up and I keep on moving forward. 

I dream hard. I believe hard.

I live fiercely. And I love free. 

There is nothing wrong with that. 

There is nothing wrong with meeting someone and instantly clicking with them. There is nothing wrong with telling people how much you love them. There is nothing wrong with laughing and crying and feeling other people’s pain. 

If you’re an “a lot” person like I am. If you bounce around from place to place. If it takes a while for you to settle down, and you lie in bed at night wondering what in the world is wrong with you, and oh-my-gosh why did you say “you too” when the waiter told you to enjoy your meal. That’s such an odd thing to say. 

It’s okay. 

You’re okay. 

It’s going to be okay. 

Stop beating yourself up. Stop with the constant worrying that people won’t like you and start liking yourself. 

Cause, yeah, you’re a lot. 

You’re a lot of love. 

You’re a lot of joy. 

You’re a lot of beautiful. 

You’re a lot of real. 

You’re a lot of passionate. 

You’re a lot of empathetic. 

You’re a lot of what makes a good friend. 

And you’re also a lot of what this world needs. Don’t hide. Don’t shy away. Don’t back down. Don’t try to be someone else. Don’t shrug off your gifts. 

Don’t change. Ever. 

But do breathe, listen well when people talk and do at least try to be more on time. 

Love, 

Amy

If you have one friend.

It’s not about the numbers.

It’s not about having a bazillion friends.

If you can find even one friend who loves you for you, you are blessed.

If you can find even one friend that cheers for you with her whole heart, you are blessed.

If you can find even one friend who reminds you of who you are, when you’ve forgotten, you are blessed.

If you can find even one friend to laugh with till you cry, you are blessed. 

If you can find even one friend to do life with you in the messy, the hard, and the real, you are blessed. 

Remember it isn’t about having a lot, it’s about having the real deal. 

Do it Now.

The way you live your life.

Imagine being in your 80s and you catch yourself thinking about your life. 

 
How you never took that trip to go swimming in the ocean on a beautiful summer day because you didn't like the way you looked in your swimsuit. 

Or realizing you never laughed until you couldn’t breathe because your teeth weren’t straight enough. 

Or how you never embraced the sun on the beach because of the stretch marks on your stomach. 

You never allowed yourself to let go and have fun because the pressure to look perfect consumed you. 

Just imagine being at the end of your life and realizing you’ve hidden yourself away from the fear of being real. 

Just think about all the years you wasted hating yourself.

 

And all this time you were perfect exactly the way you were. 

Take my advice and cherish every single day you have left, because tomorrow is never promised. 

~ Cody Bret

Great Advice for People Pleasers

Reminders your people-pleasing self may need tonight: 

1. Nobody is mad at you. 

2. And if they are mad at you and you can’t think of anything you’ve done wrong, it’s not on you to read their mind and figure it out. You’re magic, but you’re not a magic 8 ball. 

3. Boundaries are healthy. 

4. Sometimes people will be disappointed in your decisions, or your words, or need to do what’s best for you and your family. It’s okay. Let them be disappointed. 

5. You aren’t a bad person. 

6. You in fact, won’t die if you tell someone no. 

7. Be kind. Be loving and gracious and good to people. But it’s not a sin to be unliked. 

8. Don’t change who you are to make other people more comfortable. 

9. If you apologize constantly—even when you don’t do anything wrong—you water down your “I’m sorry.” Are you really sorry or are you simply trying to smooth things over?” Make your apologies mean something. 

10. You’re okay. 

good thoughts for the week ahead

This week I will…

- Be intentional with the way I spend my time. 

- Focus on who is choosing me, wanting me, and
befriending me instead of worrying about who isn’t. 

- Actively search for joy in small moments. 

- Be kind every time I get the chance. 

- Be gentle with myself and with others. We are all human. 

- Remember that some things, some words and some people don’t require an emotional reaction from me. I can simply let it float away and move on with my life. 

- Put down my phone more and scroll less. 

- Refuse to feel guilty for finding pleasure in mundane things—a book, a game of pickleball, a phone call with a friend, a pumpkin spice latte…Life isn’t constantly about achieving this or that. Sometimes it’s about pure enjoyment. 

- Check on people I care about that I haven’t heard from in a while. 

- Work to forgive that person (whether they apologize or not). 

- Be in control of myself—my words, my actions, how I treat those around me and let the rest of it, rest. 

- Have pure intentions, but I will not people please. It’s okay if they don’t like me. 

- Try to carve out a little time with at least one person who is good for my soul. 

- Touch some grass. 

Love, 

Me

word for the year: Intentional

Be INTENTIONALLY good to them. 

To the ones who show up. 

To the ones who let you be yourself. 

To the ones who speak truth. 

To the ones who care. 

To the ones who support. 

To the ones who encourage. 

To the ones who hold you accountable. 

To the ones who help you be a better mother, a better wife, a better human in general. 

To the ones with integrity. 

To the ones who are authentic. 

To the ones who make you feel safe. 

To the ones who bring you joy. 

To the ones who don’t constantly make it about them. 

To the ones who choose peace over drama. 

To the ones who are willing to talk things out. 

To the ones who make life a little easier. 

Be INTENTIONALLY good to them. 

Be intentional about the way you give. 

Be intentional about the way you speak. 

Be intentional with the way you appreciate. 

Be intentional with the energy and the time you spend. 

Be intentional with the way you pour into them. 

Be intentional about the way you choose them.

Be intentional about the way you love. 

Because good friendships don’t happen on accident. They’re built on purpose, with purpose and for a purpose, so be INTENTIONALLY good to them. 

Love, 

Amy