Career Pivotal Point II

As my kids grew they had daycare and then before care and after care.  But once they got into middles school they would be coming home to an empty house unless I made other arrangements. Although I don't remember the exact time (because I didn't journal then), my guess is that my hope was to leave the working world when my son started middle school.  What happened instead though is that as the time kept slipping by my answer was always the same:  "In three more years I will quit."  However, if the same number of years remains your target time frame, the end time never comes.  So for me, time kept moving forward with no change.  As a result, my son started middle school and came home to an empty house.

In 2008 I had outpatient surgery for melanoma.  It was considered phase zero meaning it had not invaded the skin, but it did eventually give me a kick in the pants because a few months later my sister in law was diagnosed with end stage melanoma.  She died about 8 months later.  As her illness was progressing my mantra of "just three more years" became "you only have one life to live." Within a month of her death I gave my notice.  To this day I still can't believe I resigned, but man am I glad that I did!

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Now for the reflective questions which you can journal about or if you'd like to share your story, I'd love to hear from you and the community would love to hear from you!  Your comment could have a major impact on someone else; most likely it will be just the right thing at the right time for one of the readers. For me, God* wanted me to know that helping even just one person is wonderfully impactful.

Reflective questions:
1.  Is there something that you keep putting off?

2.  What does God* want you to know about this (ask directly, God, what do you want me to know?)

* I use the term God as a universal term.  You may decide that Great Spirit, Allah, Higher Power, etc. better suits you today.  It is not for me to decide.    

Career Pivotal Point I

     

In 2000 I was still working in Human Resources.  I had a love for recruiting people to places I enjoyed working.  It was still fulfilling, but the work was getting away from me because I had other demands.  I had two small children, endless resumes to look at, and constant turnover of staff who left with the experience I worked hard to give them.
In October that year I went to a conference where the keynote speaker was life coach Cheryl Richardson.  Her message contradicted the working world but was so much of what I wanted to hear.  She spoke about how we each needed to take time for our lives.  When I look back I think about the irony of the situation and I have to laugh.  Our companies sent us to this professional conference to hear a keynote speaker who said we should work less; indirectly, of course, but the message to me was loud and clear. Her question that so resonated with me was where and with whom did we spend the most time and would those people be at our death beds?  I worked in a hospital and my answer was even "no!"
For me, it didn't mean leaving the profession but one month later I did leave that employer to work for a company that had more resources which enabled me to work smarter.  I also signed up for Cheryl Richardson's electronic newsletter which gave me a checklist surrounding things like self-care and creating the life I wanted.
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Now for the reflective questions which you can journal about or if you'd like to share your story, I'd love to hear from you and the community would love to hear from you!  Your comment could have a major impact on someone else; most likely it will be just the right thing at the right time for one of the readers. For me, God* wanted me to know that helping even just one person is wonderfully impactful.

Reflective questions:
1.  Who do you spend the most time with?

2.  What does God* want you to know about this (ask directly, God, what do you want me to know?)

* I use the term God as a universal term.  You may decide that Great Spirit, Allah, Higher Power, etc. better suits you today.  It is not for me to decide.

A Longer Quicker Looking Back

Sometimes our lives are so full that we don't have time to journal.  When I am on vacation, a time one would expect to have time to journal, I often find that I skipped a day or two or even most of the week sometimes.  This is because I am busy living, enjoying my extended family and the joys that come from discovery, primarily from being in a new place.

If you haven't been journaling, don't despair.  You can either start journaling today, or if you want to look back over a longer period and get a lot of your history down in a short time, try something different.  Here's a method by Abigail Thomas that comes from her memoir What Comes Next and How to Like It.  She suggests picking a ten year period of your life and writing three word sentences to tell the story.  If you like this method you can do it for all the ten year periods of your life.  I have done 4 already and think I will go back and do it again at some point in order to compare them to each other.  This will be a powerful way to look back.  I can't wait for the Spirit* to move me to do it!
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Now for the reflective questions which you can journal about or if you'd like to share your story, I'd love to hear from you and the community would love to hear from you!  Your comment could have a major impact on someone else; most likely it will be just the right thing at the right time for one of the readers. For me, God* wanted me to know that helping even just one person is wonderfully impactful.

Reflective questions:
1.  Is there a ten year period of your life that you'd like to forget?

2.  What does God* want you to know about this (ask directly, God, what do you want me to know?)

* I use the term God as a universal term.  You may decide that Great Spirit, Allah, Higher Power, etc. better suits you today.  It is not for me to decide.

Gratitude List Detailing Others

Another thing I uncovered recently from looking back in my journals is a call to alter my gratitude list practice and make it more about the details around the people I encounter.  I hadn't done that yet and that journal entry was about a year ago (hence the value of looking back at older journals).  My original practice with gratitude lists is to simply name the people, places and activities of the day before for which I am grateful.  I think that this new call is to write about the why I am thankful for others.  I can start with the people I encountered the day before and see where it takes me.  I expect that this has to do with what I've been working on for a while now; specifically, it's the not judging others thing.  I think the result will be to see through another lens, the lens that reveals why God* loves the people I encounter.  

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Now for the reflective questions which you can journal about or if you'd like to share your story, I'd love to hear from you and the community would love to hear from you!  Your comment could have a major impact on someone else; most likely it will be just the right thing at the right time for one of the readers. For me, God* wanted me to know that helping even just one person is wonderfully impactful.

Reflective questions:
1.  When is the last time you looked back and examined your life?  (If you haven't kept a journal you can simply start by making a list of the people, places and things that were important during a specific period)

2.  What does God* want you to know about this (ask directly, God, what do you want me to know?)

* I use the term God as a universal term.  You may decide that Great Spirit, Allah, Higher Power, etc. better suits you today.  It is not for me to decide.

Giddy as a School girl (God is in our Enthusiasm)

This past weekend I participated in a 24 hour silent retreat.  I have done them a few times before.  I never know what the outcome will be but I always know that the time will be productive.  This time was no different but I was more excited than usual, you might even say I felt giddy as a school girl.

I think it's because I am so enthusiastic about things I have been creating lately.  The woman who provided spiritual direction at the retreat told me that my enthusiasm is tangible, also pointing out that the word enthusiasm consists of the root word "theos".  When I looked it up the listing showed a second root word "en" meaning in.  As a result, enthusiasm means "God within."  No wonder I felt giddy!!!!!  - - http://avp.byu.edu/wp-content/documents/notes/godwithin.pdf

At the silent retreat I spent some time looking back in old journals (I have been journaling for about 7 years now so I have a few).  These journals include gratitude lists of things I was thankful for from the day before.  When I reviewed one of the lists which generally has at least 30 items I decided I could write a poem based on it.  When I finished, it gave me a heady feeling.  I went on to write two more poems.

The thing is, if we give ourselves the freedom to follow what our heart desires, interesting things happen.
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Now for the reflective questions which you can journal about or if you'd like to share your story, I'd love to hear from you and the community would love to hear from you!  Your comment could have a major impact on someone else; most likely it will be just the right thing at the right time for one of the readers. For me, God* wanted me to know that helping even just one person is wonderfully impactful.

Reflective questions:
1.  Have you ever put yourself in a position where you could fail but you were still enthusiastic enough to try?

2.  Can you think of a time when something clicked and you felt giddy?

3.  What does God* want you to know about this (ask directly, God, what do you want me to know?)

* I use the term God as a universal term.  You may decide that Great Spirit, Allah, Higher Power, etc. better suits you today.  It is not for me to decide.

What Were You Meant to Be?

I have been a crafter almost my whole life.  It's in my DNA.  My grandma did it, my aunts do it - floral arrangements, ornaments, etc.   Lately I have moved to taking art classes here and there and it has led me to consider pursuing an additional modality to practice; that is, art therapy.  In doing the research I found a book called Becoming a Profession:  The History of Art Therapy in Britain.  The interesting thing is that the author has the same name as my mother.  Maybe it is in my DNA, maybe I am on the right track with this art therapy thing?
At this stage in my life however, moving in a direction that would require me to hold multiple licenses seems daunting.  It's made me take a step back and look at my makeup.  Many times I've been frustrated because I didn't know what I wanted to be when I grew up.  But God* knows me so well and knows that I would not like to be cornered in to any one thing.  I really don't like to be tied down.  So then what's a person to do?

For me it's been about recognizing that I can be fulfilled by simply living, gravitating to things that I love.  What often happens is that I can do pieces of something but not the whole thing and that is enough.  For example, I think I could have been a bed & breakfast owner, but I don't have the right situation for that.  However, I love to have house guests and when I do I enjoy the planning, ensuring that I have all the right ingredients for a hospitable stay.
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Now for the reflective questions which you can journal about or if you'd like to share your story, I'd love to hear from you and the community would love to hear from you!  Your comment could have a major impact on someone else; most likely it will be just the right thing at the right time for one of the readers. For me, God* wanted me to know that helping even just one person is wonderfully impactful.

Reflective questions:
1.  Are you feeling lost in your pursuits (of career, of status - marital, financial, etc.)?

2.  What does God* want you to know about this (ask directly, God, what do you want me to know?)

* I use the term God as a universal term.  You may decide that Great Spirit, Allah, Higher Power, etc. better suits you today.  It is not for me to decide.

Having Safety Net Easier than Trusting in God

When I think about making money, it is hard to put God into this part of my life.  I would prefer to focus on having a safety net than to trust in the abundance of God.  As a thinking, reasoning being it seems irrational to think that God gets involved in concrete matters like cash and non-concrete matters like the future value of money.  As a result, it most often feels easier to focus on saving and saving and saving, with the end result of denying myself things that would make a difference in my life now, allowing me to live abundantly NOW.  So what do I do about this conflict?  It depends on the day. Sometimes I am fearful and retract from the world.  Other times I throw myself into the sacred space of daily living, knowing God is joyful watching me in it, purchasing art supplies or going to a concert. Maybe at some point I will recognize from my past experiences that God is my safety net.
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Now for the reflective questions which you can journal about or if you'd like to share your story, I'd love to hear from you and the community would love to hear from you!  Your comment could have a major impact on someone else; most likely it will be just the right thing at the right time for one of the readers. For me, God* wanted me to know that helping even just one person is wonderfully impactful.

Reflective questions:
1.  Do you buy things that make God joyful?

2.  What does God* want you to know about this (ask directly, God, what do you want me to know?)

* I use the term God as a universal term.  You may decide that Great Spirit, Allah, Higher Power, etc. better suits you today.  It is not for me to decide.

Trusting the Here and Now

A year ago my husband bought a trailor hitch.  It was his sense that we would need it some day.  I would say that the Spirit* moved him.  Others might say but it's not very economical, getting something you don't need right now and might not ever use.  But it makes sense to both of us because it matches our hopes and dreams.... to be able to pull our kayaks after it becomes to difficult to hoist them on the roof....to rent a camper....to be in community, helping our family and friends when they move.  We can't know for sure what the future holds for us and this trailor hitch. We just need to trust that we are not going to figure it out at this time.

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Now for the reflective questions which you can journal about or if you'd like to share your story, I'd love to hear from you and the community would love to hear from you!  Your comment could have a major impact on someone else; most likely it will be just the right thing at the right time for one of the readers. For me, God* wanted me to know that helping even just one person is wonderfully impactful.

Reflective questions:
1.  Are you spending all your time worrying about the future?

2.  Is there room for the Spirit* to move you?

3.  What does God* want you to know about this (ask directly, God, what do you want me to know?)

* I use the term God as a universal term.  You may decide that Great Spirit, Allah, Higher Power, etc. better suits you today.  It is not for me to decide.

Yielding to Others, A Gracious Gift

On October 10, 2016 my grandmother Ruth would have been 100 years old.  Ruth was from a religious family and two of her four brothers became ministers.  Today this faith is known as the United Church of Christ.  

The amazing thing about Ruth is that she married for love in the first half of the twentieth century which was not always possible.  A perfect "match" was still everything - same upbringing, same background - but Ruth married outside her religion.  Furthermore, she yielded to my grandfather's family and agreed to raise her children in his faith.

When I think of my grandma I think of someone with a gentle spirit who lived a life of loving and accepting others.  She was open to whomever we brought to her table.
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Now for the reflective questions which you can journal about or if you'd like to share your story, I'd love to hear from you and the community would love to hear from you!  Your comment could have a major impact on someone else; most likely it will be just the right thing at the right time for one of the readers. For me, God* wanted me to know that helping even just one person is wonderfully impactful.

Reflective questions:
1.  Thanksgiving is coming.  Are all welcome to your table?

2.  What does God* want you to know about this (ask directly, God, what do you want me to know?)


* I use the term God as a universal term.  You may decide that Great Spirit, Allah, Higher Power, etc. better suits you today.  It is not for me to decide.