Showing posts with label Faith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Faith. Show all posts

Monday, May 9, 2016

Motherhood..

Hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day yesterday! It was a great weekend of celebration and relaxation in our family. We are fortunate enough to live close to both my mother and mother in-law to be able to celebrate with both of them this past weekend. Growing up and celebrating Mother's Day has always been just like any other day of saying "thank you" to my mother for being my mom. I don't think I ever understood the importance of celebrating my mom and what it truly meant to be a mother until I myself became a mom.

Motherhood...there are so many words and feelings that stir inside when I think about what it means to be a mom. I'm no veteran to motherhood because I've only just begun, like 3.5 yrs. ago but in this short beginning so far, I've come to appreciate my mom so much more than ever before and realize that being a mother is the most difficult and joyous thing ever!



You see, I realize that as moms, we put so much of ourselves into being the best moms we can be for our kids. We sometimes have high expectations for ourselves and we can be our own worst critics, which is so true for me. We try the best that we can with what we have.

Lately, I've been finding inspiration and encouragement through my conversations with fellow moms around me and reading words written by other blogger moms. I wanted to share with you two of the blogs that I read this past week that gave me encouragement as a mother.

First, I loved reading Joanna Gaines' letter to moms. (If you haven't read her blog or seen her "Fixer Upper" show on HGTV, you have to check it out!) I loved her honesty and her words of encouragement in what she wrote. I loved the main points that she wrote about the different facets of motherhood: You are enough. Taking the time. The littlest things. After reading her letter to moms, all I could say out loud was "Amen sista!" Such an inspiration and a great reminder for me as a mom. I highly recommend reading what Joanna Gaines wrote!

Second, I loved reading the Small Seed blog post about "Embracing Grace in Motherhood: Ruth Simons". Several mom friends introduced me to Ruth Simons and her wonderful scriptural artwork that she posts on Instagram (@gracelaced). However, what's even more powerful and inspirational are her words in her blog. In this Small Seed blog post, I really loved the main points about embracing grace in motherhood: When we are serving our family, we are serving Christ. Get rid of the checklist. With God all things are possible. We become stronger as we rely on the strength of the Lord. Can I just say that I am so thankful for all these words of wisdom and inspiration!

It's hard to remember all these things when you're in the midst of a toddler tantrum or cleaning up poo smeared all over the crib. Yes, motherhood is hard and trying at times but it is the best gift that God has given me.  I'm trying my best to enjoy every moment of it because truth is, my two little girls are growing up and I (and my hubby) feel it's happening so fast. So on that note my friends...I leave you with this video and song by Nichole Nordeman "Slow Down".  It encapsulates the joys of being a mother and parent as well as the heartache of seeing your kids grow up right in front of you. **Disclaimer: you're gonna need a tissue or two. Thanks to my hubby Dave for sending this to me.** 

Monday, May 2, 2016

My Hopes and Desires...

I can't believe 2016 is almost halfway through, how are we in May already? Time seems to fly by so much quicker as you get older. Hence, time is precious and every minute counts. I've been thinking a lot lately about my hopes and desires. At the beginning of each year, a lot of people make New Years resolutions or goals. I use to do that too and those never panned out. For example: I'd make a resolution to exercise and workout (haha, yea right). Those of you who know me, I hardly exercise and there's absolutely no motivation for that.

Anyways, I began think about this whole New Years resolution/goal in a different way. What if I thought of it as hopes and desires? I mean, who said you had to make New Years resolutions/goals at the beginning of every new year? 

So in this season of life, these are some of my hopes and desires. These aren't set in concrete and of course as life continues, new ones will arise and these will evolve.  

In this sesason of life, I hope and desire:
  • to understand and practice what it means to REST in God's presence.
  • to be present to my kids and husband and serve them wholeheartedly
  • to build deeper friendships with my friends 
  • to serve the people around me with humility and a grateful heart 
  • to be more aware of the blessings that God provides in every situation
Short and not too complicated. It's always good to actually write these down because it makes it concrete versus being up in my head. What are your hopes and desires? Would love to hear from you guys!

Thursday, January 14, 2016

Goodbye 2015...

Happy New Year everyone! Yes I'm a bit late but heck it's still January and I think it's still okay to wish everyone a Happy New Year. =)

So, is it just me or is it because I'm getting older that I think each year passes by more quickly than the last? I feel like 2015 whizzed by! Yes, it's almost midnight now and I'm here again reflecting. For some reason, I like to blog super late at night when I should be sleeping. If ya'll don't know me, I'm more of a "night owl" than a "morning get up and go" person. Okay, back to reflecting...2015 was another year of changes. Here are some of the changes that happened:

1. Took a leave of absence from teaching (crazy but the best decision I've ever made)
2. Became a SAHM (stay at home mom) - best and hardest job ever BUT loving every minute
3. Oldest daughter J started preschool and youngest daughter M is now full-time at home with me
4. Began serving in my church (moms ministry and kids community)  - totally stoked that I have the "margin" to serve and enjoying it.
5. Living on one income - Scary at first but God has truly provided for our family.

Okay..now for some reflections of things I've learned/observed in 2015 (in no particular order of importance):

1. God. His love never ceases. He knows what's best for me and I'm learning again and again to release my "control" of my life and give it all to Him.

2.  Desire to know God more. Ever since I left teaching, I've had the time and energy to want to spend time in reading His Word and really digging deeper into who GOD is.

3. Relationships with friends are something that I cherish. I realized this year that I really do cherish all my friendships but I haven't been great at keeping in touch with everyone. =(  I've realized that it's important to have that "community" of people walking alongside you through life. It's kinda lonely when you do it alone. I am thankful for all of you who are in my life now. Let's get together sometime!

4. Family is important. Despite arguments or drama that can happen in any family, I truly cherish all the people that are in my family (immediate and extended). I am grateful to have them in my life and that my girls will grow up with so many cousins, uncles, aunties and their grandparents.

5. I LOVE BEING A MOM!! I feel very blessed and grateful that God gifted me J and M. They are the best gift ever and I am so very lucky to be their mom.

6. I love spending time with Dave (hubby) because really with 2 kids and everything else in life, it's hard finding quality time to spend with your spouse. I realized we have to be really intentional about making the time for each other, so that our marriage continues to grow stronger.

7. Social Media is addicting and a time-sucker. Period. (Facebook/Pinterest/Instagram, etc.)

That's all I've got for now on my life in 2015. Thanks 2015 for yet another memorable year. 2016...I wonder what God has in store for me in 2016. Do I have any resolutions or goals yet? Hmmm..I guess you'll have to wait and see if I'll be writing a blog post on that! ;)


Wednesday, September 16, 2015

For the Love of Community - Jen Hatmaker

Been really pondering what it means to be in community with others around me. Getting to and creating that depth in a friendship/relationship takes time. As I was perusing my Facebook feed I came upon this video that someone from our church shared and I just love how Jen Hatmaker describes how community begins. I love how she says "it just takes a table or a porch and food...just invite others around a table...conversation can just start with talk about trashy TV but eventually as you gather together more and more, the conversations itself become more meaningful and you begin to share your heart.." <3 this. Thank you Lord for speaking through this video.  Thought I'd share this as well with you all.





Monday, September 14, 2015

Being in Community...

Our church has been focusing a lot on discovering what it means to be "in community" with others around us through Scripture. I guess I wanted to share my thoughts and hopes because I really appreciate this journey that my church is going through during this season. 

First off, I really appreciate being in Community with others, no matter who you are or what you believe. I firmly believe that God has placed each individual in our lives for a reason. So for that, I am so grateful and blessed to have such wonderful friends and family.

After today's sermon from our pastor, he challenged us to think about our relationships/friendships and how can we move from a notion of  being "friendly" to having deeper relationships/friendships with each other. So that brings the question of what does it mean by having a deeper relationship with others. Well, my hope is that by being in community with others, I would be able to share freely my  joys, hopes, fears, and struggles, listen to others with a heart of grace, mercy, love, laugh together through life's joyous moments, and cry together during our most difficult times. I know for me at least, it's sometimes hard to "open" up and share life's deepest moments (happy or sad) because I feel insecure about what others might think. But as I've been learning how to share with others, it's been amazing to hear others share their lives with me as well! 

I guess this topic of "community" has been really hitting home for me because of my recent life change in being a SAHM (stay at home mom). I've come to realize that being a SAHM can be lonely at times even though it's the most rewarding job ever! So I am grateful to the community of friends that God has placed in my life (I know I said this earlier above, but had to say it again!). With that said, I am really looking forward to what God brings in this season of life in terms of community and the relationships that I already have with all of my friends and family. What does being in community with others mean to you?