Choices

Facing the music on the results of choices can be tough. ..especially bad choices. Or even worse, dealing with choices that others made that are affecting you. I tell my son all the time, issues you are dealing with now are results of the choices you made two weeks ago, two months ago, two years ago, what different choices are you making NOW that will result in outcomes in two weeks, two months, two years?

Everything is a choice. Who you call, who you ignore, what you eat, what you put away, what you spend, what you save, where you go, when you decide to stay home, what rules you break, what ones you obey, what you say, what you hold back, what bills you pay and what bills you put-off....

I hate to see cycles coming sometimes...you look up and you are in a familiar place ..and its not a good one. I mean you are still cordial, polite, smiling and hospitalable, but deep inside you know...something is coming...something is not right...I will not be able to hold back this storm...this time its coming and I will not be able to stop it. Actually, I don't want to stop it..come what may...lets just deal with it once and for all....and THAT too is a choice.

I've figured out that sometimes the "run" wears you out. Running from your past...running from your future, running from the phone, running from the mailbox, running from those that can help, running from the fallout of previous choices. At some point you need to stop running, and that is a choice. You need to just stop trying to juggle all the balls alone. Take your superman cape off for a minute and be honest. Be vulnerable, be humbled. I know most of you are saying you must BE crazy..I'm not. I just know that continuing to try to hold it all together when the dam is about to break can kill you. This time make a different choice. Let the chips fall where they may, sincerely turn it over to the only one that really knows all the right choices ~God.

Or, you can continue to do what you've always done in your family, your job, your marriage, your church, your friends, your home, your relationships...hold it all together by the skin of your teeth...but if you do...you'll continue to get what you've always had. If you want something different, DO something different-make a different choice. Ask for help!! I know "FOREIGN..."

Trust somebody, your spouse, friend, pastor or even if its nobody you can trust but God. But this time...don't go it alone...this time the stakes are higher and you may not make it back...trust me.. make a different choice. I'm working on doing the same.

Home; A peaceful place to be...

Not many people can say that about home...that's its peaceful. But I woke up this morning and the weather is finally breaking... I went out on our back upper deck and it was such a peaceful time. It wasn't quiet mind you, but peaceful. You could hear the rippling waters of the creek in our backyard. The chirpping of the birds and in the faint distance you could hear children making their way up the road to get the bus for school...but even though it wasn't silent it was peaceful. I had to take pictures, so on the days it gets a lil nuts, I will remember mornings like this and what mama says.."Trouble don't last always".

Alot of people ask me...oh my GOD I bet your house is loud all the time..and the answer is 93.4% of the time yes, the house is loud. The TV's are going, the computer is going. The kids are talking, laughing & screaming. The washer machine is humming the dryer is flipping. Cars are coming in and out of the driveway and doors are opening and closing constantly. The dishwasher is swishing and we have a revolving door of visitors that add tremendously to the volume level. But on a rare occasion-like this morning it wasn't loud at all. There was quiet...which has a new definition for me-The absence of chaos or unnecessary noise.

It was also peaceful. But peace is different from quiet...thus the term "PEACE & QUIET'. Peace is an inner decision and quiet is controlled by circumstances and volume. I had peace this morning, not because everything is perfect-Its not. It was not because we don't have issues to face or obstacles to overcome-We do. But for that moment I decided not to let all of that to forefront. I will have to eventually go back and get it (the issues, the obstacles etc..) and face them but for that moment I sat in my chair and chose peace....and it was an excellent choice.

The Rallying Cry for May-June ORGANIZE

In the book "3 Big Questions for a frantic family"...one of the BIG questions is "What is your "rallying cry"? What is the specific plan, purpose and procedures for your family for the next 3 months? Not the overall goal in life...just what is the focus right now. What can get everyone on the same page and headed in the same direction...for us lately it has been CLUTTER REMOVAL. You can't think clearly if you are surrounded by clutter, garbage and excess. In most cases of creativity..less is more. Our family is very creative and innovative...so the best way for me to nuture that, is to make sure that the atmosphere is readily conducive for thinking and ideas.

Sooooooo... we started with getting rid of old clothes and shoes and bringing them up and out to the living room. The pictures show the 1st phase of drop offs. By the way, as you will note Our living room is void of furniture right now...so its the best place to spread out, sort and organize things..(I have no idea what we'll do if we ever buy furniture...I really like that room)


Anyway... boy did the clothes start coming...clothes I hadn't seen since we moved there. Shoes that were missing shoestrings and had scuffed heels and toes. Some of the items were salvageable and in good enough shape to donate to worthy cause. So I dragged the laptop onto the living room floor (always the multitasker) and after sorting, and reviewing and listing...we had about 5 boxes and 3-4 large bags ready on the porch for pick-up.


Then I focused my attention to my bedroom. I wanted my dresser space cleared and the pseudo office area that John has the laptop set up in cleaned up and organized. I got those areas de-cluttered and my next project is the back closet off of the garage...UGH...I will have to look up some ideas for that area. Its my least favorite place in the house...