“You Is”

~ Denise ~ 8 Comments

You is kind.

You is smart.

You is important.

Some of my favorite lines from the movie, The Help. (Kathryn Stockett)

I was reminded today of someone who made people feel that way when they talked to them.

Let me step back a moment first though.

I’ve recently started a part-time job, and one of the things that I’m trying to do is remember alot of new names and faces.  I was thinking about some of them this morning and also thinking about some of the little personal things that I already knew about them that is helping me remember and building that personal connection or relationship with them.

My community is expanding.

It is when we listen, share and learn something personal about the people around us that we can really learn to care and love each other.  The person who seems distant may be shy or have a relative in the hospital.  A seemingly imposing figure may just be a giant of a teddy bear.  How do we find this out?  By mainly taking the time to listen.

Too often when I’m busy, or when I’m “on a project” I can get so focused, I forget to listen.  I’m so engrossed with what I’m doing or what project I want to accomplish that I tune out what is happening around me.  I can get mired down in the details, particularly when there is a deadline, and focus so much on the details that anyone not working around me I can become critical of.  Sometimes I will tell the person, and sometimes I may not vocalize it, but I’m thinking it.  I’m talking about people doing their job, not just sliding by or passing the buck.

Working hard is okay, being judgemental isn’t.   As I’ve aged, matured I recognize the negative traits in me quicker.  I’m not proud of them, I’m just stating a truth.

Sigh.  Forgive me, Lord for my sins.  I’ll let you handle theirs.  Forgive my impatience.

I’m striving for a more balanced approach.  I’ve seen that example in Scripture, over and over.  (I must not be the only one that needs the constant reminder)  Jesus always took time to talk to people, made a personal connection with people.  Never too busy.

With this strived, balanced approach of being produtive and aware, I was thinking how could I show this to the people I have met?  Perhaps, asking one girl about her van that was in the shop, to show I was paying attention, or asking about the health of a loved one.

I started thinking, ‘I am never going to remember all this’.  (As mentioned, I’m maturing, i.e., mind can only hold so much).

I thought about someone in my life who had a knack for remembering names, details, it seemed about all the people she came in contact with.  I thought about my Aunt MaryAnn.

She had a way of making you feel special when you talked to her.  She remembered things about you.  You were important to her.  She asked questions.  She listened.

At her funeral, my cousin, Michael talked about her special gifts.  He said she had a way of always making you feel special, and when she talked to you and asked you questions, she really wanted to know about you and what was going on.  He said she was so interested in the lives of those she cared for and loved.  He talked about running into people that he hadn’t seen in a while who would know all about him and his family, because his Mom would have talked with them and was current with their families’ going’s on and vice versa.  (We are talking down to children and grandchildren!)

She was an encourager with her words.  You couldn’t stay down in the dumps.  She was a motivator, even during her battle with ovarian cancer.

My last, lengthly conversation with her was happy and bittersweet.  She wanted to know all about my family and how everyone was doing and what was going on.  She wanted to celebrate with me any accomplishments.  She had soothing words for family that is not around.  She had joyous words for loved ones around her.  She had peaceful, confident words for where she was going.  I was able to say goodbye, for now, and I love you.  Too often we don’t get that chance.

So, I’m thinking today about those around me.

Jesus feels the same way about them.  He feels the same way about me.  He feels the same way about you.

You is kind.

You is special.

You is important.

Fear

~ Denise ~ 8 Comments

Some people write their blogs and have the confidence to push the blue publish button without fear.

Some don’t.

Too often, I fall into the second group.  That is probably why I write in my journal more than I write here on my blog.

Fear of rejection.  Fear of ridicule.  Fear of my own failings.

Well, I’ve been thinking about fear.

It isn’t only in writing that fear rears it’s ugly head in my life.  I really don’t like writing that.  I like to think that I am a strong person.  Writing that sentence makes me feel weak.

I’ve thought about all the different areas that fear has influenced/influences me over the course of my life.

I’ve been a people pleaser, I’ve feared confrontation, I’ve feared ridicule for what I believe in and who I am.  I’ve feared getting hurt.  Fear of the unknown, I like a plan.

Some of those fears come back to haunt me now and then.  Sigh.

That is when I try to remind/question myself, ‘what is  at the root of my particular fear’?

When I get through the layers, and face it, for me it is a lack of trust.

I’m not trusting Him.

We’ve been walking through the book of Exodus on Sunday mornings at Sandhills Community Church.  (Podcasts are available on their webpage).

I am being reminded that we/I am like the Israelites.  They too had trouble with fear.  They too had trouble with trust.

Over and over God took the Israelites, or us  to dilemmas that they, or us  don’t know the answers for to see if we will call out to Him to provide.   For me it has been in areas of family relationships, health, finances and jobs.  Some of those He repeated, I obviously needed to learn something.   As He said to the Israelites, He is saying to me:  “Do you trust Me?”

As the Israelites were afraid of the unknown then, so am I at times.

Are you facing any fears/Egyptians today?  If so, I’d like to encourage you to try what has helped me.

Recognize the fear, give it to Jesus and then you will find you are no longer afraid.  Is it always easy?  No.  Is it worth it.  Yes!  Too often it is after the dilemma that we look back and see the blessing.  That is one thing I have noticed in reading my journal.  You can go back and see the blessings.  So I would encourage you to trust, be still, so you don’t miss it.  Blessings to you gentle reader!  No fear for that “blue publish button!”  🙂

“Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid.  Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring today.  The Egyptians you see today you will never see again.  The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.”  Exodus 14:13-14

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”  Psalm 46: 10

“The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.”  Psalm 46:11

Blogging Community

~ Denise ~ 6 Comments

A while back I posted about the topic of  Community.  I wrote about the community of friends that we have met while feeding the homeless in Finlay Park.  This community has touched our lives just as much as we have hoped to help them.  It is a community that continues to exist, some members entering and exiting based upon what season they are in their lives, not shrinking though, ever growing.  What a blessing to be a part of!

There is another community that continues to grow around me that I’ve been blessed with.  That is my blogging community, one that continually surprises me by the depth of writing, the humor, splendid photography, encouragement, words of wisdom and just plain fun!

I am still trying to find time have a regular schedule of posting at least twice a week.  Somehow, either my journal pages don’t make it to the “publish” button or I’m off doing something else.   Still trying.  I can get distracted.  (I blame it on the meds, or menopause, or both.)

Where was I going with this…..

Oh, now I remember…….

So, I was surprised the other day when Sue over at Letters to Rosa nominated me for the Sisterhood Award!  What a treat!

However, it reminded me that I had neglected to properly thank and follow the “necessary protocol” for the Versatile Blogger award that Patrecia (a.k.a) Miss Whiplash awarded me.  What a ninny I have been for being so lax!

Now, as I have mentioned before I can be “a little” OCD about things.  When I can’t complete a “necessary checklist”  to the “proper specifications” I can have the tendency to procrastinate sort of let it go if not careful.

I like to think I am getting wiser as I get older, (at least that is what I tell anyone who will listen to me) – so I am not looking for the “necessary checklist” for the Versatile Blogger award and am just using the one for the Sisterhood Award, thus making the following changes:

Tell 7 things about yourself, nominate/recommend 7 bloggers.

Here are 7 bloggers to check out:

1.  I’m nominating Miss Whiplash for the Sisterhood Award.  Her blog title says it all “I’ve Been Thinking About“.  I like that so much that it is hard not to “borrow” it as a post title on a regular basis!  What a treat to read her posts!  She was one of the first bloggers that I really started following, and I’ve never been disappointed.

2 & 3.   I’m nominating Sue for the Versatile Blogger Award.  I’ve just recently started following her blogs.  She has two!  Check them both out, particularly if you like tails from Vermont and stories from family history.  You can find her at SueBahr.com and Letters to Rosa.

4.  Want to travel to far off places?  Have visual treats of color presented to you?  Stop by A Word in Your Ear and see what the Skinnywench has to show you!

5.  Need more?  Visit Patrick Latter Photographer at Canadian Hiking Photography for more gorgeous shots.

6.  A new blog I’ve started following is Being Fifty-Something.  If Sheryl didn’t have me at the title, she sure had me hooked at her “Why?” page.  But, I mean “Being Fifty-Something?”, is that not appropriate for me? (snort).  I’m nominating her for the Versatile Blogger Award.

7.  For some new bloggers on the scene I’m nominating Carmen and Grace for the Sisterhood Award.  They blog about sweet things…cupcakes, cookies, cakes, and books!  They are teaching the community that reading can be sweet.  You can find them at Reading & Sweeting.

If you want to check out more blogs, you can always check out my page; Bloggers I Follow.  I try to add to them as I add people that I follow.  There is no order of preference, just generally the order I started following them.

Now, for the 7 things about myself, in case you were wondering about all that…..

1.  I had Amish neighbors growing up.  When I was a child there was a sweet Amish lady named Lydia that help my Mom and even went with us on some of our family trips to Maine.

2.  My Great Grandmother taught me to play the piano when I was 5 on her upright piano.  I still remember the last song she taught me before she died.

3.  I have the piano stool from that upright piano.  My butt sits on it almost everyday at my vanity table.

4.  I almost drowned in our family pool pretending to be a mermaid.

5.  My favorite flowers are tulips, followed closely by lily of the valley.  Guess what my favorite Season is?

6.  My Mother wanted to call me Wendy, but my Dad thought I could get the nickname “Windy” for talking too much.  They chose Denise instead.  My school report cards had “talks too much” on them.   Apparently, the name selection didn’t effect the behavior.

7.  I like your comments.  I do, I really do.  I really appreciate all of you stopping by and reading and commenting on my blog!  Thanks for the encouragement!  I’ll try to answer questions left in comments in future posts or reply to your comments.  Thanks again!

Autumn…Sights and Smells

~ Denise ~ 8 Comments

When I think of Autumn I think of two things.

Leaves and apples.

I am drawn to the different colors that I see being painted across the trees and landscape.  I have vivid memories of white birch trees in the New England states, their aged and peeling bark shooting up to the sky, while orange tinged yellow leaves hung on to branches or playfully danced across the back country road while I hung out in the back of our family station wagon driving home from a trip to Maine.

I remember the colors sweeping the hillsides and mountains in the distance, like giant bouquets of yellow, red and green.

I remember pressing leaves between wax paper as a child.  The redder the better!

I remember years later, pressing leaves with my children.  Sigh.

Then I remember the crisp, clean scent of apples.

The smell of a big batch of apples cooking down for applesauce.

My mom’s rosy applesauce.

I’d help her make applesauce.  Somewhere I have her handwritten recipe, even though I don’t really need it.  It is one of those recipes that is a memory ingrained.  I can smell a good, fresh, apple and I can remember making it.  And, also want some.  🙂

Especially, if it is Fall.

I’m the only one who eats applesauce in the house anymore.  So, I don’t need to make that much.

I had a few apples that I had left from a trip to the grocery store.  Not too many, but just enough.

Cooked them up today.  Made a batch.

Ah, what a sweet smell…..and a rosy sight.

Painting a good feeling….

~ Denise ~ 20 Comments

When I was in High School I couldn’t wait until I could pick the electives I really wanted.  It wasn’t too hard to choose.  We had a three “tracks”.  College, Business, Vo-Tech.   I knew I wasn’t going to college.  Isn’t wasn’t something I ever considered.  Growing up, college was never discussed as an option.  My parent’s didn’t encourage it, in fact the Watchtower Society spoke against it, and it was considered a disfellowshipping offense.   It was assumed that I was going to get married and stay home, or possibly work outside of the home.  My sister was a secretary at an engineering consulting firm, and my parents seemed okay with that, so I figured I’d take business courses too and maybe do something like that.  (For a brief time I had secret dreams of being an airline stewardess, or actress/model to go and see places.  Oh, well I guess that isn’t a secret anymore is it.)  🙂

My electives involved various business classes, Accounting, German and my personal favorites of art classes and wood shop.  I also tried my hand in drama and music.  I looked forward to my art class every day.  When I was able to, I had art class daily, and shop class daily.   It was in the art class that I tried various mediums.  I was fascinated at the projects that my art teacher worked on.  Once she constructed a miniature house in the classroom (remember my fondness for miniatures?)  Not once did I think about going to an art school, or becoming an art teacher.    Please don’t think I’m saying that in a bitter way.  It’s just a fact.  It didn’t cross my mind.  It wasn’t an option that had ever been discussed or promoted in my home.  It was just the way it was.  At that time in my life, I accepted it.

I loved art class.  I loved to paint.  Particularly with oils and watercolors.

However, somewhere along the way I stopped painting until the end of last year.

We are talking a long hiatus.  Ahem, a real long time……over thirty  years.  Oh, my, I am getting old!  🙂

Anyway, Craig presented me with a gift certificate for watercolor classes last Christmas.

Well, let me tell you….my, how the quality of the paints and the paper changed from when I painted last!  I’ve learned new things too!  What a treat it has been to pick up a paintbrush again!   The class rekindled the creative spark that I had put on the back-burner for far too long, or had let others discourage.

So now I am painting again.

Thanks again, Honey, for the classes, and the continued encouragement!

I hope you don’t mind if I kind of “toot my own horn”, okay, I’ll say it, “brag”….. but I’ve just taken two pictures for entry in the State Fair!

Here is what they looked like before framing.

Yep, they took two of them!

That was a good feeling.

Seasonal Update

~ Denise ~ 5 Comments

Spring and Fall are my favorite Seasons.

Spring being the favorite, but Fall comes in a close second.

I usually feel like I need to clean out or clean up things.

So, I was feeling like I needed to spruce up the ‘ole Blog Page.  Freshen it up a bit.

Thought a little more why I started this “whole blogging thing” in the first place.   I originally started this blog with the intention I would share my life story with my kids…..you know, some sort of way I could write down things that happened in my life, why they don’t see some of their extended family, some sad, or funny stories, and yes, even the dysfunction……you, know, stuff like that.

Well, I’d thought they be interested.

(Ha, I honestly don’t even know if they read it!)

But you know what?

Somewhere along the way, I realized it didn’t matter if they read it or not.

I write because I like to write.

So, I updated the pages, updated the look a little.  Hope you like it, and thanks for stopping by!