Mondays!!!

It never fails, the weekend is busy and when Monday morning rolls around cuddling under the warm blankets feels so much more important than getting up for work. You hit the snooze button so often that now you have exactly fifteen minutes to get out the door. There is nothing to make for lunch so you decide to rely on the snacks you have hidden at work and the vending machines.

Proverbs 20:4 Those too lazy to plow in the right season will have no food at the harvest.

In other words… Prepare yourself for success. Speaking of Youtube videos… one of my favorites is Kalyn Nicholson and her GYST (Get Your Shit Together)day. Basically it is a reset day. A day to just take care of the things that fall through the cracks during your work week. There are four categories to her GYST day- workout, beauty, work and chores. For me the work category would be getting ready for the work week.
Since my house is in construction shambles I am slowly getting to a point of total organization and then I could fully implement this in my life. For now, I will do what I can in the busyness of my life.

Tuesday morning update:

Up at 4:30, coffee turned on, board meeting minutes and agenda done, dressed, ate breakfast and blog post done all before work.

Success!!!

Board Member Search

Hello! My name is Mary Weeks and I am A Woman of Strength!

A Woman of Strength will provide a foundation of resources for Domestic Abuse Survivors to provide basic needs and a loving home for thier family.

As a start up we will provide awareness and fundraising events to build that foundation.

We are currently in the start up phase building our way to ultimately provide housing for these families who crave a safe living environment.

I am now accepting resumes for volunteer board members. Resumes are a formality because we are doing the Lord’s work and following His plan. If it is in your heart to apply then you are qualified in the eyes of the Lord.

We are looking for 6 members. 2 domestic abuse survivors looking to pave the way for others. We need some professionals to help us navigate the world of non profits. If you have any background in legal, real estate, finance or social work please make sure that is included in your resume. We are located in Buffalo/West Seneca, New York.

Please feel free to tell your story in your cover letter. My advisors and I will pray over every application and contact you for an interview.

From Mission to Ministry

Time Management

Hosea 10:12 “Sow with a view to righteousness, Reap in accordance with kindness; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the LORD Until He comes to rain righteousness on you.”

Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest but after Praising God and being thankful for all he provides.

Saturday my family gathered at church to witness my darling daughter confirm her relationship to God and our church. My husband, who has a very different relationship with God through nature, attended church for the occasion. He completely shocked me when he went to the communion rail for a blessing from the Bishop. The day took it’s toll spiritually and emotionally. We spent the rest of the day resting and enjoying family.

Sunday my girls and I attended our regular Sunday service that was followed by our Annual meeting. My newly confirmed daughter volunteered to be part of our church board and was unanimously voted in.

Life gets so busy we sometimes fly by the seat of our pants. No planning just running around trying to figure out how we will get everything done. Each day I fully plan to get everything done but sometimes …. We wake up really late on a Monday morning with nothing ready.
You run around sniffing all the clothes in the hamper hoping there is something salvageable to wear to work.
You walk downstairs praying that your husband set the coffee knowing he fell asleep during the movie you turned on at bedtime.
You rummage through the fridge for anything to take for lunch because you had no energy to go grocery shopping.
And…. after all that…. you miss the bus.

My morning was not that bad…. well I had clean clothes anyway but it was bad. I did plan out my first 3 days this week. My planner is not a thing of beauty, no stickers, no washi tape, I might color code my lists but basically it lists my appointments, due dates and amounts for my bills and my to do list.

I really would like to be that person who preplans meals, gets everything ready before the week starts but truthfully the weekend is sometimes more hectic than the work week.

Don’t get me wrong, sometimes I am that person and it makes me gloriously happy. I wonder sometimes how these busy people can be organized enough to get it all done then I suppose these are the people who probably have personal assistants. Just Kidding.

I will be working hard in the next two months to get organized and get to the point where manic Mondays are a thing of the past.

Back to Basics

Weight loss Wednesday

For the third post in my series to work on my weight loss goals. For the last 12 weeks or so I have been doing weights and measurements. I keep track of them on a free printable I found online. I have also been drinking my water. I found a 2 quart container with a screw top that I can take to work with my thermal cup. This makes it easy to always stay hydrated at work. I also take healthy snacks and lunches to keep me on track. I keep protein bars, breakfast bars and snack size chocolates in my locker. The bars I use for breakfast on days that I am running late. The candy is my weakness; I allow myself 2 per day and truthfully I haven’t even had one in about 2 weeks. If I were to keep the candy at home either I would eat it all in one sitting or the kids would make it slowly disappear.

My goal for this quarter was to lose 15 pounds and I am halfway there. I am looking into a workout schedule but I will be easing into that due to health reasons and time constraints.

I am a little worried about the possibility of a plateau in my weight loss efforts but I think if I slowly add some workouts it should keep the results coming.

Until next week, let us know your wins this week or your struggles.

****I actually had this written to be posted Wednesday but didn’t get it posted so better late than never I guess.****

A Fisher of Men

An Epiphany is a moment of sudden insight and understanding. If I allow my heart to remain open I have an Epiphany most Sundays at church. Either a song, verse or word from the pastor invokes a moment of clarity in my day to day purpose.

On this Sunday, we read Mark 1:14-20. We learn of the first followers of Jesus. Four fishermen who left thier nets, thier families, thier jobs to follow Jesus and become fishers of men. A few years ago our Sunday School learned this lesson and the next week went on a walk-a-thon. As we passed the creek in our neighborhood the children noticed some men fishing on it’s banks. One child asked if those men were fishers of men. At that moment I think I told them that they could be. At this moment in my faith journey my answer is a resounding YES!!!! Why? If the sight of men fishing at the creek brings our children to the word of God, to a lesson learned at least a week prior then yes! That visualization provided by God, makes that man a fisher of God even if he has never set foot in church or even knows his image was used in the teaching of children.

When we pay it forward, we are bringing people closer to God as they thank God for your generous support. We may not pay for a strangers coffee in the name of God but the Holy Spirit sets it upon your heart to do the work of God and a ripple has started.

We may post encouragement and support on social media and not realize who we are touching. If we let the light and love of God lead the way, you will touch others even if you aren’t aware of it.

Five days ago my Uncle passed away. It was an unexpected passing and it left a hole in the hearts of many. I wandered around for two days wondering what I will learn from his legacy. In June he will have celebrated his 18th birthday for the 50th time. He was young at heart, loved life and lived it to the fullest. My mother once described him as a gypsy because he didn’t like to stay in the same place for a long time. I believe he was a fisher of men because he touched so many people in his Journey.

Grief is a complicated matter. After wandering for 2 days my eyes were opened. I was reminded that I need to focus more on my purpose and stop just existing. My quarterly goals are just sitting in a file in my phone and I am doing nothing to achieve them. That stops here. My absent existence will be arrested and I will begin living my purpose daily, I will be the fisher of men I was created to be.

How have you been a fisher of men this week?

Renewal

Psalm 121

¹   I lift up my eyes to the hills; *
from where is my help to come?
²   My help comes from the LORD, *
the maker of heaven and earth.
³   He will not let your foot be moved *
and he who watches over you will not fall asleep.
⁴   Behold, he who keeps watch over Israel *
shall neither slumber nor sleep;
⁵   The LORD himself watches over you; *
the LORD is your shade at your right hand,
⁶   So that the sun shall not strike you by day, *
nor the moon by night.
⁷   The LORD shall preserve you from all evil; *
it is he who shall keep you safe.
⁸   The LORD shall watch over your going out and your coming in, *
from this time forth for evermore.

It has been awhile since my last post. Quick update – my husband is less than a week from major surgery and my sweet Alexander fought hard for 8 long days before his lungs gave in. He is now my sweet Angel. For the past month, I have been doing everything in my power to hold everyone else up. The other day, I actually wondered why I wasn’t grieving. This morning, however, I realized that I am sinking fast. It was like a slap in the face. The realization that my depression is back in full force.

How is it that I should be helping everyone else through the crisis our lives have become when I can’t even take hold of my own emotions? My dear friend and her Keep Pushing motto must have been on board also because she revived a page that helped me greatly. I was thinking of her this morning also because if anyone can help get me on the path I need it would be her. She has done this all before.

Any day can be day 1. Today is my day 1. No more excuses. No more blaming others. No more blaming my circumstances. No more putting myself on the back burner. I cannot take care of others if I do not take care of myself. I need to get my workouts in each day in order to charge my batteries for that day. There is a direct correlation between physical fitness and mental healing. Many of my past blog posts document my link between nature walks and mental recharging.

Now, I need to take that indoors for the winter. I have taken many steps today to get on the right track. I will stay there. Not only for myself but for my husband and my children as well.

Just Breathe

Psalm 31:1-3
In you, LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness. Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me. Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me.

Eight very long days ago my husband and I sat in the doctor’s office for more than four hours learning more about bladder cancer than we had in the year and a half since his diagnosis. We left with 4 new appointments for testing and presurgery clearance. The truth has come down that after fighting for this long we will proceed with the bladder removal.

The next day our beautiful daughter gave birth to Alexander the warrior seventeen weeks early. In this corner, the warrior weighing in at almost one pound three ounces and in the other corner the fight of his tiny little life.

I’m not going to lie; with three kids at home, an angry cancer patient for a husband and a pregnant step-daughter on bed rest 24 miles away who needs help with dishes, housework and a over active two year old boy life was never dull.

This week, however, was certainly everything but dull. Our stress level has been shot through the roof and I even forgot about a church meeting the other night.

I trust in the Lord. I know the strength of our family. I know the strength of the prayer chains my Alex is a part of right now. I have no doubt he will grow to be a happy healthy child, teenager and adult.

I know my husband will rock this surgery and the long recovery to follow. Not only do we trust in the Lord but we stand by each other in sickness and health. I cannot imagine life without him.

So, for now I breathe. I breathe in the word of the Lord and I breathe out negativity. I breathe in the kind words of family and friends and breathe out the occasional meltdown (we all get them). I breathe in silence and breathe out the noise of anxiety. Because I not only believe in the Lord but I believe his word.

Faithfully Friday

Remember today that God loves you so much He sent His Son to pay the price for you. Everything He does is for your good. John 3:16

There are times in our lives that we feel unloved. We feel like we could disappear and no one would notice. That is simply untrue; you touch someone’s heart. You have parents that love you or you have friends that check up on you.

Take inventory of your day. Who is there with you? How would they react if you called with a problem. The world may seem bleak but basic human empathy is still in great supply. Call your friend, tell him or her that you need help chances are you will hear, “whatever you need”

I may not know you personally but email me, message me through the blog or check me out on Facebook and I will do my best to help anyone in need.

Live today and everyday like it is a gift from God because it is. How are you going to thank God for his gifts today?

Your emotions are YOURS!!!! Only you control them. If you allow other peoples words and actions to control your feelings, you will feel alone in this world. Not everyone in the world is going to like you and that is ok. Get to know the person God created you to be. Love who you are and live your life on purpose for the purpose in which you were created.

Faithfully Friday

Last night I was in the midst of my first edit for my soon to be released book. I was sitting on the porch, the child I was babysitting had left a half hour before, there was a TON of traffic, and all of a sudden I heard it.

It was like the lone sunbeam on a cloudy day that warms your heart. Through all the noise, distractions and deep concentration was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard. The church bells began to play a song I knew very well. “On Eagle’s Wings” seemed to float through the barking dogs, over the traffic sounds and make it’s way into my subconcience.

All of a sudden, four different people weighed heavily on my mind and I prayed for them.

Then these words came through me;

I prayed for you today…

I see the pain you are in and I prayed for you.
I know you don’t particularly believe in the power of prayer but I prayed anyway because I want to see your pain taken away.

I see the fight you are fighting and even though you may not think your struggle is noticed by God, it is, so I prayed for you because I know where his path can take you.

I see the pain you are in and even though you think God is punishing you, he’s not, He is crying right along side you hoping the Drs will order the correct tests, so I prayed for you and your Drs. today.

I see the pain your child’s troubles are causing you. Remember He is there with you as you fight all these battles. I prayed for you today because we all fight to fix our childrens troubles just as God stays with us until we are ready to invite HIM back into our lives.

I prayed for you today!

Today, I pray for these 4 people and for anyone who finds comfort in my words.

How can I pray for you today?