SNOW-CAPPED MAJESTY

Habakkuk 3:6 He stood, and measured the earth: he beheld, and drove asunder the nations; and the everlasting mountains were scattered, the perpetual hills did bow: his ways are everlasting.

Can you imagine looking outside of your window each day and seeing this!?

Stunning. Breath-taking.Humbling.

Why am I not here again??

Quotespirational :)

"Feed your faith and your fears will starve to death"

Naturally, when I think of the word "feed", I think about eating food :). Nutritious foods like apples, oranges, bananas, carrots, cabbage, broccoli and other sorts of fruits and veggies come to mind. And sometimes, well, an appetizing plate of buffalo chicken fingers with celery and bleu cheese. YUM. :-P My favorite. If you have never had Cheesecake Factory's Buffalo Chicken wontons you are sincerely missing out.

But getting fed is not solely a physically act. Perhaps a more all-encompassing definition of "food"is the following found on dictionary.com:

n.-something that sustains or stimulates the mind or soul

Ideally, we shouldn't be relying only on food to receive nourishment. Our need for spiritual fulfillment and growth is just as important if not more so. Our thoughts and actions greatly influence our well-being. I am convinced that stress and fear are the chronic spirit-killers. Without realizing it, they steal much-needed energy DAILY and can leave us feeling empty, drained, weak and worst of all, immobilized. Hopeless.

Have you ever felt that way, like the weight of your fear is crashing down on you from all sides and angles and moving yourself feels impossible?

I challenge you to a challenge: FOr each discouraging/scary thought that you have, fight back with a word of encouragement and hope. Show the fear who's boss.

Oh, and praying doesn't hurt either :)

London/Paris

OUIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SOOO LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS WITH THESE GIRLS.....<3

Christmas Cheer: THE STAR OF DAVID

9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

Matthew 2:9-12

The Star of Bethlehem. During the Christmas Season, we most commonly see this used as a treetopper and rightfully so. This symbol of hope was used as a compass by the Magi as they travelled day and night to find the baby Jesus. They had nothing but a radiant beam of light and words of angels to go on. The fath it took to even begin the journey is both comforting & convicting, reminding us to never lose hope in His promises.

A shining promise of the birth of Christ, the star represents the light that was brought into a dark world. As I reflect on the Star of Bethlehem this season, I think about how light has been revealing the darkness in my life bit by bit. It's not always something we enjoy having pointed out. It can make us uncomfortable, emotional, and most importantly, humbled. It's also incredibly healing.

I encourage you to reflect on the light in your life-the blessings, the happy memories, the smells, sounds,and tastes of Christmas. Be moved by the celebration of the Holy birth and let it be a reminder of the places where God has brought darkness to light in your life.

Christmas Cheer: STOCKINGS!

The Christmas stocking tradition began with good ole Kris Kringle.

The tradition of the Christmas stockings began by a story told since ancient time about a kind noble man who had three daughters. The wife of the nobleman expired and the daughters and their father were left in a state of sorrow. The daughters had to do all the work in the house. When the daughters became young and eligible for marriage, the poor father could not afford to give the huge dowries to their husbands.

One evening the daughters, after washing their stockings hung them near the fire place to be dried. Santa Claus being moved by the plight of the daughters came in and put in three bags of gold one in each of the stocking hanging by the chimney. The next morning the family noticed the gold bags and the nobleman had enough for his daughter’s marriage. The daughters got married and they lived happily ever after. Since then children have been hanging Christmas stockings.

Christmas Cheer: CANDYCANE

Minty. Bold. Sentimental. It' the Candy Cane. No sweet treat reminds us of the Christmas season more than the candy cane.

For many of us, the candy cane brings back memories of our childhood Christmases. I always associate my first candy cane encounter with a moonlit sky, an anticipatory crowd and a gigantic, crimson-red fire truck. This describes the night of Black Friday in New Providence. Every year, an event called the Christmas Walk ( now most likely politically incorrect) takes place in our little NJ suburb. And every year, Santa comes, HO-HO-HO-ing his way into the center of town with his round, flubbery belly and velvety bag 'o'tricks.

He ascends into the air via the fire truck aerial apparatus, mouth relaxing into a knowing smile. Reaching down, he scoops 2 large handfuls of miniature red and white confections from his seemingly small sack. There is an uproar from the crowd as it begins raining candy canes. Cheers and clapping and shouting come from below as a sea of hands begin dancing in the air, palms open and ready to receive.

To me, that first candy cane meant the Christmas Season had OFFICIALLY begun. From that night until Santa made his 2nd appearance, the anticipation of Christmas Day had me on cloud 9....and 10, and 11. All the way up to infinity. I embraced the sights, scents, smells, and tastes of the most holly, jolly time of year.

I wonder...who thought up this unique, tasty treat in the first place? Is there a significance to the candy cane that goes beyond making our breath smell good and fingers super sticky?

The Legend of the Candy Cane

Many years ago, a candymaker wanted to make a candy at Christmas time that would serve as a witness to his Christian faith. He wanted to incorporate several symbols for the birth, ministry and death of Jesus.

He began with a stick of pure white hard candy. The white symbolized the virgin birth and the sinless life of Jesus.

He made the candy hard to symbolize the that Jesus is the solid rock and the foundation of the church. The firmness also represents the promises of God.

The candy maker made the candy in the form of a "J" to represent the name of Jesus, who came to earth as our Savior. He thought it could also represent the staff of Jesus, the Good Shepherd.

The candy maker then added red stripes. He used three small stripes to show the stripes of the scourging Jesus received, by which we are healed. The large red stripe was for the blood shed by Christ on the cross so that we could be forgiven and have the promise of eternal life.

The flavor of mint is similar to hyssop. In Old Testament times, hyssop was associated with purification and sacrifice. It was also used at the cross as they gave Jesus a drink of vinegar before He gave up the Ghost.

Oh Ann Taintor :)

....Thoughts?

Centered YOU (:-)

For all you fitness, movement-crazed people out there, I ask you to take a second and think about what the phrase "staying in shape" means to you. To me, it used to mean "workout hard six days a week so that I burn off all the beer and crap food I ate the previous day/week and then continue that same diet after my butt-kicking workout sesh at the gym".

Wow. My college days. Where the beer flowed like wine and I made sure to chase it with heavy, processed, oily food, my specialty being buffalo wings . While I still indulge those cravings every so often, I have realized that this harsh routine I was putting my body through just would not do anymore. After much reading, research and conversations with my highly informed, truthful acupressurist, i began to understand how the foods you eat affect your body especially while exercising. Going through a stressful period of my life and being riddled by anxiety added to the fact that my body was fighting itself. And the fuel I was consuming wasn't fuel at all. It was time to make a change that didn't involve amping up my reps on the shoulder press at the gym. This time, I would changed my eating habits.

Here is an Antioxidant chart I found on Pinterest, an e-Pinning board that allows you to post and share inpiration with others. It's a wonderful reference for those you looking to add healthy, restorative foods to your diet. Foods that we were meant to eat, that work with your body.


(HealthCastle.com) Antioxidants are substances or nutrients in our foods which can prevent or slow the oxidative damage to our body.





If you are looking to improve your wellness, think about more than just hitting the gym and going an extra 10 minutes on the treadmill. be congnizant too, of the foods you consume. Food can be your worst enemy or your best friend, your poison or your medicine.







.

Goes with yesterday's post...

See previous day's post. This is one of my faovrite pages from it.

Goodnight, never...?

Goodnight, Never...


http://mindshift.kqed.org/2011/11/goodnight-ipad/

What could be better than going to sleep by the light of the moon? Why, hitting the hay with radiant beams of digitalized screens dancing and surrounding your bed talking to you before, during and after you've fallen asleep of course! It's not enough to have a nice little, paper-bound childrens' book with a 2-D illustrated layout of a toddler's bedroom. No. That era of simplicity has ended. The time has come to embrace the ever-changing world of gadgets that frequent a young person's world. From IPads to Nooks, to LCDs and eBooks, the bedtime process has become infinitely more exciting yet exhausting.

Ah, remember the days when the nightime agenda went a little something like this: take a bath, brush your teeth, curl with and listen to a story, lights out. Things are pretty much the same, I guess, except that they're not. The most important part of the bedtime process, "lights out", is no longer the norm. Moonlit solace. Turning off the world. Being able to fully embrace and enjoy the nighttime quietude. How can we achieve any state of calm with the constantly invasive nature of hand-held, portable electronics?

Simple. Turn.Them.OFF. :)

Nature.

"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse"

~Romans 1:20

windows.

thesmells.thesights.thesounds.
These are all things that windows make possible.

I read a descriptive essay today involving a window and one of my most favorite places ever...the beach. The boy began his writing piece by stating that windows remind him of the third-story of the family beach house in LBI. Every summer, he and his family head down the shore for the summer. And the first place this little man heads for is that quiet, window-filled room overlooking the ocean. Everything about the view appeals to his senses: the blue-green shade of the ocean, the gentle breeze that easily makes its way through the window...the smell of salt, the sounds of seagulls squwaking(sp?) and waves crashing onto the sand.

sighh, how I am reminded of summer and the welcomed simplicity it brings. There is nothing like a cool blue sea to put me at ease. Be still, says the ocean, be still.

When I have a beach house to call my own, I will make certain it has a window with a view of the ocean...a serene, blue-green, salty body of water that renews the soul, calming the winds that too often stir up tiny storms inside us.

Toss your worries out to sea,
Don't let them take away calm "me".
Put them in a jar sealed tight,
and send them out into the watery night.

Happy Monday :)

Good things are on the brink of happening as well as not-so-good things. Like they say, gotta take the bad with the good. Encountering both on a daily basis cannot be avoided.

Wonderful. Eye-opening. Inspiring. Three words that well describe my experience at King of Kings Church in Basking Ridge yesterday. If you have never been to a Pentecost Church and feel that you've never experienced the Spirit at work, than may I suggest you try this one out! If your faith has bene wavering lately, or if you feel like it's comparable to that of a mustard seed (Matthew 17:20), think about what YOU can do NOW to strengthen it. Test the waters.

As for the not-so-good things going on, prayers for friends and families are needed right now. Bad is outweighing the good. His love is needed even more right now.

Enjoy the week <3

June 3....my lucky number?

this year has been quite the rollercoaster...ups and downs, twists and turns, screams and shouts. The fun has ceased to end.

I recently finished a book that so perfectly, concisely expressed what I have been trying to say about my experience the past year or so..."Growing hurts". This line was said by a young boy who was experiencing physical growing pains. After waking up at midnight, he comes to his mother's bed and simply expresses how he feels at that moment.

CHildren have it down pat, don't they? As adults, we think that they are too young to understand, to vocalize how they feel in a mature sense. When it comes down to it though, we are all human with basic needs, wants and aches. Whho's to say that the wisdom of a child is immature and too simplistic? In fact, it is in many ways, opposite. There's no "beating around the bush" or complicating aches and pains with excuses or maybes.

The next time you feel like being complicated when someone asks, "How you doin'?" (and yes, feel free to insert the Joey from Friends voice), think about simplifying. Be honest, Be real, Be you.

Cause I got a couple dents in my fender, got a couple rips in my jeans...

Sooo it has been awhile. Michelle got another job, one that she was at first anxious abput but now is liking the addition to her life. Having a few different means of income makes for a more varied, interesting and social life :-) In addition to the extra cash, she is happier over all and enjoying things.

It's funny the things that make us happy, joyful. It's sometimes the stuff you LEAST expect to fulfill you...a job that you didn't expect, new people you meet, a sunny day. What new, unexpected things have made your day, or life, lately?

As I write this blog, I am listening to one of my new fav artist finds, francesca battistelli. Aside from having an awesome name, she's got some nice pipes and uplifting lyrics i think we can all relate to, especially when looking at our laundry list of falls, cuts, and bruises from the past. Here is one of her songs that really speaks to me that I'd like to share with you, Free to be Me. God Bless<3

Cause I got a couple dents in my fender, got a couple rips in my jeans
Tryin' to fit the pieces together but perfection is my enemy
And on my own I'm so clumsy but on your shoulders I can see
I'm free to be me

Quotable Quotes

To live in the past or future is easy. To live in the present is like threading a needle.

~Walker Percy

To stumble upon such wisdom, such truth...doesn't happen every day. When we reflect, it's the combination of both past and future experiences: take what you learned in the past to modify how you are in the future. You may think about this in the present moment, but why not enjoy the moment at that moment? Hmm...much easier said than done. And threading a needle doesn't sound like fun to me.

Read this in a book.

Thought it was worth thinking about.

What do you think? Thought-provoking?
How often do we think about how our past thoughts and future thoughts and let them distract us and determine our now?

Waitin' on a sunny Sunday...

...and finally it's here! How long have we been waiting for a gorgeous, sun-filled glorious Sunday, the day of rest, the lazy day. Thank goodness spring is upon us. This day is just what I needed. I sat outside today for wayyy to long and probably will look like a lobster by tonight. I was, of course, making up for the lack of serotonin NOT provided by mother nature this winter, mainly in Feb. After roasting, I went for am amazing 5-miler with iPOD in tow. The most perfect, appropriate song came on mid-run, Waitin' on a Sunny Day by Bruce. As I ran along to the familiar tune and took in my surroundings, I wished I could bottle that moment. Those are times that make life memorable and make me feel most alive. God Bless Today.

Waitin' on a Sunny Day (hope this works :)...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAxm_GSM7L4

I like to begin each day with a quote...

I first spotted this one on a mug while venturing out to Barnes and Noble with a dear friend. I decided to forgo purchasing the mug and went for the less expensive periwinkle-colored magnet. Looking for inspiration when you are at the end of your rope? Read ME.

"Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it turned into a butterfly"

~Anonymous

Just Keep Swimming...

n. Protection of oneself from harm or destruction. The instinct for individual preservation; the innate desire to stay.

Self-preservation. As I ponder its meaning, I am reminded of one of my favorite characters from Finding Nemo and her long-standing mantra: "Just Keep Swimming". In the midst of a long, laborious journey involving sharp-toothed sharks, totally radical turtles and a neurotic Papa Fish, Dory, voiced by Ellen, is the emblem of hope. Despite her perpetual forgetfulness and lack of "withitness" (a term coined by elementary-school teachers), she never gives up during both the good times AND the bad. She does her best to protect herself and possesses an "innate desire to stay". How beautiful. An INNATE DESIRE to STAY.

Whether you are walking, running, working, sleeping or swimming, recall your potential impact. You may not know why you want to stay or what for, but there is a reason. A purpose. A use for you. Maybe you are still struggling with figuring out what's next and want answers NOW. Who wouldn't want to know where they will be tomorrow, in a month, in a year? And more importantly who they will be. But isn't it also exciting to not know? The element of surprise is asked to get out the way when we are solely focused on planning, maintaining, preserving. Time for a change of perspective, my friends

So Why Not (SWN):

*Welcome surprise
*Practice patience
*Enjoy NOW

DIALOGUE THAT I LOVE <3
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Dory: Hey there, Mr. Grumpy Gills. When life gets you down do you wanna know what you've gotta do?
Marlin: No I don't wanna know.
Dory: [singing] Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming. What do we do? We swim, swim.
Marlin: Dory, no singing.
Dory: [continuing] Ha, ha, ha, ha, ho. I love to swim. When you want to swim you want to swim.