I'm Not Better

I'm not better if I'm not recognized for my skills
or if I'm a someone in this world

I'm not better if I have a college degree or
if my schooling was from single-motherhood

I'm not better if I live in the Suburbs, or the City

I'm not better if my job pays well or if I'm
unemployed

I'm not better if my daughter gets into a fancy college or
if she goes to a community college

I'm not better if I'm fashionable or eat at trendy restaurants

I'm not better if my book gets published
I'm not better if I'm skinnier, or prettier

I'm not better if my house is clean or if I have
piles of laundry

I'm not better if I have a shiny big car or if I have
a junker

I'm not better if I've traveled the world,
or have never left my backyard

Learning In Opposites

In this world, we have attained so many cliche's it's ridiculous. I mean, The Lords Prayer can feel practically meaningless if you grew up with it not personally in a relationship with Jesus. I grew up that way, and that prayer was very empty for me.

I could list cliche's all the day long, but instead, I'm going to write about how learning in opposites might help us. Because I think what happens is that we use words or phrases over

and over and over and they can become "meaningless", and therefore lose their power.

For instance:

BE REAL WITH PEOPLE (you've heard this many a times) What then does it mean? Do we see people in our culture being REAL with one another? Are you, am I, being REAL with others?

It seems to me this is difficult to find, and I don't see it much lived out with people. Maybe I'm cynical, or in the wrong places.

TRY THIS: BE FAKE WITH PEOPLE. What does it mean to be FAKE? Analyze that for awhile, and then DO THE OPPOSITE of what your definition of FAKE is.

My goal here is to try to get us to see how we might not be living our lives to the FULLEST. Jesus said He came to give us ABUNDANT life! We aren't living that way unless we are actually LIVING OUT what we know and believe.

Maybe we'll get woken up to the point of a certain word bugging us, or we'll realize when we see a word, that "Gosh, ya, I get it, I want to be real with people, because after analyzing the word "Fake", I'm ready to be REAL."

Let's try another one:

JUST DO IT.

The opposite?

JUST DON'T DO IT. What if we analyzed and thought about not doing it, doesn't it feel negative? Doesn't it make you feel like wanting to do the opposite of "Just Don't Do It?!"

LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

The opposite?

yep, HATE ONE ANOTHER (I would run to the opposite of this one)!!!

PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH (or have your walk match your talk).

opposite?

DON'T PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH (in other words, talk talk talk all you want, but don't walk or live that way)

TELL THE TRUTH.

opposite?

you guessed it. LIE

If we stop and look at these opposites, and ask ourselves how much we are living our life to the fullest, what would YOUR answer be?

Let's all try to think of phrases and words in the opposite to drive home the idea that we MUST live our life to the FULLEST, and live it abundantly with purpose.

Miscellaneous Happenings

Here, it never fails; I fold laundry, pile it up on the Ottoman, and Nells dives in and makes himself comfortable!
I call this one "The Lion and The Lamb", it took Nells a long time to get use to Hazel; he wouldn't even let her touch him for a while-I mean, I sort of set this up, but hey, they are laying there together!
My friend Teresa has shared some new Authors with me that I had never heard of, one being Kierkegaard; he's nearly impossible to read, but she gave me this beginners edition!
My Dad and his wife Jan moved back home from Arizona after 8 years! They were living with my sister for a few weeks, and now they are staying with us for a bit. Here we are just chillin.

Madelynn's 8th Grade Spring Fling

Me and Madz in the front of our house.
Me and the girls. Last year we took one all together (not all the same girls), so this is like our 2nd Annual photo together from Spring Fling. I love it!
Here they are all together at their friend Bri's house; this is a good angle I think.
The three of us in front of our garage.
The four of them that got "ready" together. Madelynn, Abby, Kelsi, and Haley.

Madelynn's dress before she put it on. She is such a good girl. She got her dress at Forever 21, it was 22.50, and then got a new pair of tights for 3.50. The rest was my shoes, and my accessories.

The Existence Of Hope

hope,

living with hope is like living

one

day

at

a

time

hope,

it's like waiting for brand new things to happen,

things untouched, unseen, unimagined

hope,

it puts faith into use

hope,

it helps us accept reality, so we can move toward a different one

hope,

is living open ended, not close minded

realizing there is beauty in

what could be; not shutting down in fear,

it's reaching out to the possibility

and pondering something new when the current has failed

or brought us disappointment

hope,

it's not getting tangled up or choking over concerns

it's facing them as a sojourner and exploring them with new eyes

hope,

it's an ever finding new found freedom

Back to the Source

Each day there is a new challenge. Whether it's pretty simple, to pretty complex. It could be work issues, it could be relationship issues. It could be car trouble, bills that can't get paid, or health issues; which can all be minor to extreme.

Sometimes these issues come in seasons. For others they are more often. Either way, we all deal with challenges, problems, "the blues", and adversity in some way, shape or form.

I won't write about how long my adversity has been going on, or what it all has entailed. I've done that before. But each day is anew, and each day it seems like I try to "figure" out how to deal with it. If it's any of the things listed above, it seems like the search starts on how to fix it or take care of it, and although that is ok with certain things, like taking action to pay our bills or taking measures to take care of our health, that goes without saying. But I am referring to more of our "state" in regard to these things. I've written since the 4th grade; poems and articles and short stories, I could not live a day without writing! And I know I've touched on this over and over, but as I lay here icing and heating my back, back and forth, I remember the funk I woke up in on Monday morning, and it's now Tuesday morning--and the funk hasn't left.

I start searching for answers and think of how I can get out of this--what can I do? I look for solutions, and yes, there are things I CAN do to help, but it will always go back to you know who-Jesus.

I put myself through the torture of looking, searching and wondering how I'm gonna get outta this rut, and all along, it's the same way out of it. It's always at the Cross. Why do I search and think for days or weeks on how to get out of the blues, or whatever you want to call it, when all along there is ONE answer? My human-ness I guess. My want or will to fix things myself, or search for something that isn't so obvious (God). As aware of Him as I am throughout my days, I still have quite the ability to push Him comfortably out of sight(and mind). As much as I love Him and live my life FOR Him, I am still human and battle that daily.

So as familiar as we all are with the saying, "Look No Further", well, let's put it into action regardless of our situation, or how painful life can be.

We need to get ourselves in front of Jesus, here are some tangible ways to be renewed, receive His peace (that surpasses ALL understanding), seek Wisdom, and to maintain Spiritual "evenness" as I like to call it:

*Get into the Word. If you grew up with the Bible, try reading The Message, or buying a Epistle that is remixed by a different Author, so it feels fresh and new to you. Read a Chapter at a time, and then do a devotional with it, or at least journal a bit after reading.

*Pray. Like the Book, "Practicing The Presence of God" we want to learn to create and cultivate new habits, and having God in our awareness round the clock! This takes TIME. We have to MAKE TIME. I never ever no matter what by into people saying, "I don't have time." OH yes you do, MAKE IT. Keeping our Spirits and selves aligned with the Lord's is something we have to do on a moment by moment basis. In our thoughts, words and deeds, we offer these up continually so more and more we look like Jesus. How can we possibly ever look like Him if we aren't offering ourselves to Him, or talking to Him, which is all prayer is.

*Quiet time. Whether you take a bath in candle light (like I did yesterday:), or you go in an area of your house and just get quiet. You can either pray for the whole time specifically, or you can be silent. Just take even 20 minutes to get by yourself with God. And even if you just sit there, just get quiet.

*Worship. Whether it's in your car as you are commuting, or in the house; listening to worship music to worship God can calm anyone's Spirit and re-center us and get us in God's presence.

*Write. Sometimes when I pray I can get distracted, even if I pray outloud, which helps sometimes. But if I write a prayer out or cry out on paper, it helps a lot! God is with us in ALL things, so it doesn't matter how we "get it out." God will show up if you are seeking Him.

*Be patient. It might not "feel" like you are making progress right away in receiving peace or Wisdom, but you will. When and if we are truly drawing near to God, HE WILL draw near to us. He will show up. Just don't stop seeking. He will reveal Himself to you.

*Look at His creation. There is so much beauty around. Even the SOUNDS of beauty! Especially with Spring on it's way. Get out and walk, or listen for the birds. Or look at flowers and trees. Or bodies of Water!

Just don't let go of God in the midst. It's so easy to get lost in our own lives and our own selves, and then we end up looking for other solutions to our problems. But the One solution will never change, it will always quench and always feed. WE just have to go to IT.

Barefoot with a cause!

www.tomsshoes.com

It will be a challenge, but I am up for it! Join me!

A Long Overdue Shout Out

My daughter and I were at Target today, and for days she's been talking about the Hannah Montana Movie that is coming out this coming weekend. Then she started talking about the Soundtrack to the Movie.

The fact that my daughter is 14, and STILL loves Hannah Montana makes my day!!! SO I bought her the Album because it's like I'm trying to hold on to any glimpse of "little girl-ness" that I can. And then it reminded me again and again, over and over. She is the only one I got.

Which is A LOT--but, it has been a struggle after getting married, to not have a child with my Husband, and not being able to give him any of his own. I won't see any other child go through growing up--when I'm done with Madelynn, I'm done. And then it hit me, and I was overcome with sadness, but then reminded of how wonderful my Husband, Kevin has been for 7 years in the aspect of me not being able to have children. I mean, he probably thought he'd graduate College, and marry (which he did), then have kids, like most men.

Not once, not once in my time with Kevin has he ever been anything less than SUPPORTIVE and wonderful and patient and understanding, and loving regarding the whole matter.

He has only even told me ONCE I think that yes, he would have liked his own child, but maybe ONCE.

He has never blamed me, or shamed me, or been upset with me about it. I need to recognize that, ya know. I could dwell in it and feel awful like I have in the past, but I can't sit in that guilt. Or say, "I wish."

So as I watch my daughters last technically 4 years in my presence, and I think about the sadness, and the thought of a life "without" Madelynn, and wish there might be another child, and a child for my Husband, I will instead focus on the precious gift of support and love through the years from him as we've dealt with not being able to have a child together.

(and the little glimpse's of madelynn still being "little", like liking Hannah Montana:}

His support deserves a BIG SHOUT OUT! GO KEVIN!

Lois, Gina and Coffee

This is me and my good friend Lois at my house. I had her over after lunch out for coffee. We looked at Art Books, played with the Dogs, and talked about when she was my age.

Lois is an Artist, as most of you know, and when she was 16, she sold a lot of her Paintings to the Oscar Meyer family (yes the hotdogs). Her son is currently looking for these paintings so she can have an Exhibit.

She believes to this day that Georgia O'Keefe stole "all her glory."

I sure hope one day Lois gets the recognition she deserves, and that she lives to see it!

Bruises

What color are your marks?

from whom did they come?

and are they healing?

I have bruises

in all colors and sizes

and they aren't from the Almighty

I am marked, up and down

inside and out

the sources are too grand to list

but their existence is ever present

They come in the form of:

fear

self-doubt

self hate

loneliness

selfishness

defense

inadequacy

lust

judgemental- ism

and worst of all

separation from God

Bruises take time to heal

even if gone on the surface

they still are bothersome

underneath

Wherever you have bruising

let the Almighty step in

to lessen your marks--

to lighten their color--

to make smaller their size--

inviting Jesus in

will heal

over time

one

bruise

at

a

time.

Written and tried and true by Gina L. M. Norman

One Of The Best Inventions Ever!

www.menastil.co.uk/faq.htm

If you are suffering from major cramps during your time of month, this is the product for you! It is ALL natural, pain reliever.

You simply rub it all over your belly and let it do it's work; and the smell is a huge bonus--I love it!

Check it out!

Arizona Trip to See Dad

This is San Xaviar Indian Reservation, and this beautiful Mission Church is on their land. 

Favorite Peanut Butter

http://www.scojuice.com

Santa Cruz Organic, Dark Roasted

Sea buckthorn

Sea buckthorn, whose Latin name Hippophae Rhamnoides translates to "horse light," is suggested to have been used originally to give horses a shiny coat and help improve their eyesight, in turn "giving light."

Even further, sea buckthorn is scientifically reputed to have a superrich cocktail of antioxidants and human health benefits. The coral-red, edible berries of this summer green shrub are made up of juice and oil.

It's golden-red pulp and seed oil is rich in unsaturated fatty acids, carotenoids (provitamin A), and Vitamin E. This nutrient rich composition helps protect the skin from UV radiation and free-radical damage associated with signs of aging. What's more, it possesses antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, and the easily absorbed oils support the buildup of the skin's lipid layers. 

Juice from the sea buckthorn berries contains among the highest amounts of beta-carotene and vitamins C and E of any fruit or vegetable, including oranges and lemons (for Vitamin C), and sunflower seeds and almonds (for Vitamin E).

"I'm not a Waitress!"

I served Communion today at Church. I go to a non-denominational Church, so the way we serve Communion is a little different. We pass the trays isle by isle, with 2 of us serving on each side, then grabbing the trays from that row once they've gone through. 

I served at both services, and the early service was not as full as it usually is, so there were a lot of empty spots; some rows only having a few people sitting in them. As I started a new row, there was a Husband and Wife together, with her Husband on the end, right by me. But in between the two of them were like 10 or more empty seats, and then 2 or 3 people at the other end of their row. Get the picture?

Well, when I went to hand the Husband the tray with the wine, he took it from me, and (they are to pass the tray down, each person, to the end of the row), as he held it I heard his wife whisper, "Take one for me (meaning a little cup), come on, grab me one, " (in a demanding tone),and he must not have heard her or just didn't listen, so he passed the tray to her for her to take her own, and she totally says to him, complaining in a tiny rant, "Ugh, I'm not a Waitress!"  I could not believe my ears. The only thing that kept me from judging her was that I started to pray for her asap.

I'm not writing this to expose this woman's poor attitude or issues, we all have em. And I'm not here to say, "Can you believe that?"

I wish I could talk with her and find out what is so wrong; I mean who knows!? I just beg to differ with her. Because actually, we are all Waitresses if we are in Christ!

Another name for a Waitress is, Server, right? Well the whole New Testament is about serving! Serving God and others! 

So if you find your heart in the condition as this woman--to not want to get up and pass the tray to the person 10 seats from her--just remind yourself through God's Word, and prayer, and discipline, that we are all called to be serving, and running rag-ed for the Lord; and if we are not, we have got to check in with God and find out why. 

Are we working for the Lord throughout the day? Throughout the week? I am not just talking about our paying jobs. We need to be running around like a Waitress/er does during her/his busiest times of their shift!  Sometimes sweating, and running, and being bothered, and irritated, and annoyed, or tired. If the Lord is alive in our hearts and we are abiding with Him, we will WANT to serve Him, and serving Him is automatically serving others.  Servers at Restaurants get their hands dirty sometimes--they deal with crabby people probably a lot of times. Their feet probably hurt at the end of the day.  They get exhausted.  They break a sweat.

We have to make sacrifices! Whether it's time away from the TV, or the Computer or even our Family. 

LOOK for ways to serve; the possibilities are ENDless. So I submit to you, we are all Waitresses!!! And I pray that the Lord or someone in this woman's life, shows her this someday.

I love vintage post cards; I use to collect them. This one is from www.shilohpostcards.com

We got out for some fresh winter air yesterday! It was actually 47 degrees, which is like a heat wave for us.

We were around The St.Paul Winter Carnival, and the kids went Ice Skating, and we looked at a bunch of melting Ice Sculptures!

Nells had a blast too.

A Few Christmas Photos

this is me and my sis

                                                  Kevin thought this new hat/neck warmer was cool
                                             Madelynn had her eye on these bottoms for months!

Madelynn and I on New Year's

The College Analogy

My journey and walk with Christ can be looked at the same way I would look at a class that a Professor is teaching at College.
How does taking a class at College work?
-You have a Teacher
-You have a major
-You have to learn/study
-You have to take what you learn/study and USE it in life
-You have to gain new skills/polish up what you know/change with the times/generations

In class we can listen and pay close attention, and study and be hungry for more everyday, and be eager to learn--which in the long run we'll be great Doctors, or whatever major we are studying. OR we can slack off, not really pay attention, or study--or really immerse ourselves, and become terrible in our field. We won't really be able to be all that our Professor's were trying to help us become. Even if we didn't get the greatest grades, that would be OK--we are human, we aren't perfect. But we could still be learning and evolving along the way if with stick with it, everyday, and are ready to keep learning and studying--so we are prepared for live that major out in our lives.

I think this is a really good analogy for our walks in this Christian life. The same will happen or not happen depending on how good of students we are in God's Word. What is Jesus, our Teacher trying to teach us? What is our "Major?" Are we focusing on what He is teaching us through the Bible? Are we immersing ourselves in the Word by reading it everyday, like going to class? Are we then mediating on it, or studying it, through prayer and contemplation? If we are, we would be prepared to live out in the world, and live how He has taught us to. We will be equipped in dealing with others, and dealing with relationships, ministry, all the things that the New Testament has to say. Just like in class at college, if we keep at it everyday, eager to learn, and we study and practice, we will be able to live it out. Not perfectly, but like Paul says "Know why you have the hope that you have, and be prepared to answer".
If we don't do these things in College or in our walks with Jesus, then what will happen? The subject will grow further away from us, because we won't give it the time it needs from us. We won't really learn much if we slack off in class, or don't take the time to study for a "test". We will separate ourselves from our Teacher, because the Teacher is going to let us choose what we are "into" and what we want to learn etc. . . If we aren't putting our all into the class, the Teacher isn't going to force us, so we will be more and more isolated.

EVEN after getting your College degree you must continue your education to be relevant in your job. I mean think if a Doctor got his degree but never learned anything new. Or a teacher or even a hairdresser! I know Hairdresser's that admit they can't do "up do's" because of how they change through the years, they change with the times, and they have to train and prepare for the current year. Generations change, and there are different crowds, different ways of doing things. So as Christ Followers, we have to stay relevant to our culture, and the people in it. Take my daughter's generation for instance; I have to be adaptable to teach her and her friends. So I have to polish up on what I know and how I can make that real for her if I am going to share Christ with her in any way, whether it's through teaching, serving, or whatever.

An Accountant must learn the new tax laws, lawyers, dentists. Like when you get your degree, "New Life In Christ" , the learning can't stop there... if we don't continue our education/growth/seeking.. we will not be relevant to our career.. major etc..

What kind of student are you going to be? Will you be a Scholar? Or a slacker? What will you do with what you learn? Will what you learn and submerse yourself into stand up to getting you out into the "real" world? Your Teacher is patient, and loving, and wants you to immerse yourself---it's hard work, it takes time, it takes discipline; sometimes it's discouraging, sometimes there are difficulties involved, it's not always easy.
But the life you will be able to live out will far out way what it takes to "get there." What we study and practice will come to full bloom if we stick with it.

Written by Gina L. Norman
Credits to Amy Kehn