I Don't Live There Anymore + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

 The other day, my dog Evee and I were tramping around in the hills of our local horse and hiking park, which goes miles into the hills and dells of my town. It's really a lovely place (except that the horses go off the maintained bark trails that are meant for horses, and go onto unmaintained animal and walking trails, destroying the delicate eco-growth, which makes it hard to keep a decent pair of walking shoes😫). So, other than that it's lovely.

It was earlier in the morning and that is the time when we run into groups of moms working out before school and work. They are chattering as they run or walk, full of pre-workout, caffeine or both. You can hear their excited banter from far away, signaling their energetic approach. 

And since I use the time as a peaceful, reflective time, I usually avoid running into such groups and take an alternate route. This morning was no different, I heard their approach, I took a different trail. But I still overheard a couple of sentences that one woman was telling her walking companion. It went like this: "....at least you know you did everything you could. You didn't do anything wrong. So going into it, you don't need to feel guilt......."

I thought it was so interesting that one woman was trying to make another friend try to feel better about something she was dealing with. I don't know if it resonated with the woman she was talking to, but it sure resonated with me. I applied what she said to myself and took it literally. It felt like she was saying those words to me.

How many times have I felt guilt, not because of what I did, but what someone was putting on me regardless of whether or not I deserved it? Regardless of whether or not I was trying my best, regardless of what was going on in my life. It's been so many times that I can't even count. And the thing is, I've internalized it. I've felt the burden of it. I have felt so bad and my sense of worth has been diminished.

Here I am, still trying to figure things out, trying to interpret some of my actions and where they came from. Somewhere deep within my unconscious being, a probable self-defense or coping mode had been activated. So embedded that I haven't even recognized it for what it really is.......until recently. I've come to understand what some people with strong personalities, who are close to me have done. They have set me up to be a scapegoat, someone to blame things on, someone to treat poorly because they have seen it done to me in the past. So even though I have done nothing wrong, they like to blame me for things. 

Some Books I've Loved This Year + #MyPostMonday Featuring The Week's Best Original Content

 This year I'm batting about the same, if I can describe it that way. Last year, according to my Amazon Prime Reading Insights, I read 18 books. This year I'm halfway through my 18th read. Will I complete 19 before the new year? Only time will tell! Here are 3 of my favorites this year. All of them I read on my kindle and all were from Amazon. 

Before I start, I need to let you know I have a favorite genre of book that I love to read. That genre would be historical fiction. I love historical fiction in that I feel that I am actually learning something while being immersed in a good story. Most good historical fiction authors do extensive research about the time period they are writing about, so that they can give a quite accurate view of what life was like within the time and events surrounding their story. I love it. The only thing in historical fiction I'm tired of reading about is Nazi Germany World War II. I've read so many books during that particular time and place that when I see another Nazi Germany WWII book, I generally bypass it for another choice. Whether that is fair or not, I'm not sure. There are probably great books still needing to be written about that period of time. But I feel like I want to broaden my knowledge in different places and times as well.

1. Along The Broken Bay by Flora J. Solomon 

Setting: WWII Pacific Island Occupation of Manila, Philippines

The story follows Gina, a military wife based in Manila, waiting for her husband as he fulfills his duties as an American Reserves officer during WWII. The island turns from being the "safest place in the Orient"  to being occupied by the Japanese and the citizens there being terrorized. Gina and her friends have to make hard and fast decisions about how they will navigate these new hostile circumstances. Only the most cunning and brave will survive. 

I loved the book because first of all, it gives a rendering of something other than WWII Nazi Germany! It gives one a good sense about how things were before the occupation in Manila (actually very Americanized and quite glamorous), how things were upon initial occupation, and how things descended into an unrecognizable state once occupation was complete. It felt authentic and at the same time, the plot was exciting and heart wrenching at the same time.  It shows how courageous the residents of Manila and the entire island of Luzon were and it made me imagine myself as a player in that dangerous arena. 

Quote: "Be very careful. Hate strips the vitality out of one's life. It consumes energy that can be channeled elsewhere."

  2. Lessons From A Hard Teacher by Marnie Spencer

Setting: Suburban Utah

This is an autobiography encompassing a period of about 6 years about an LDS woman who had the storybook life that she never knew she had, until she got an extremely aggressive form of cancer. But rather than take a bleak outlook on her life and try to live out what time was left to her, she decides to fight hard not just to live, but to live the best life she possibly can---loving, laughing, serving and being. She shares some incredible insights she learns on this journey. 

I loved the book because it shows the role that faith in a higher power has and the power and love it can render to those who dare surrender their own wants and the need to be in control at all times. I learned that investing in joy is not only for this life, but in the life to come. I learned to be grateful for little things. I learned that humor can take us a long way and that taking oneself too seriously is a real impediment to personal development. 

Quote: "With new insight, I saw that even in my own heart, there were dark corners I had never examined. I found myself struggling to accept my diagnosis, thinking. 'But I haven't done anything that would cause me to get cancer'. I realized that this kind of reasoning could only come from a prideful heart. Without being conscious of it, I had been wrongly judging people who had problems like cancer, assuming that they must have done something to deserve it. I know now that I was wrong."

3. Life by Lu Yao (Translated by Chloe Estop)

Setting: Rural Mainland China

This book was fascinating to me because it captures what life was like in rural village life in the northern Shaanxi Province. It is written by a man who lived a similar life and who eventually became one of China's most published and awarded authors, although he didn't live to see it translated into English. The story focuses on a young man who wants to better himself and who makes hard decisions in order to propel him towards his goals. Some of those decisions affect his life forever. 

At first it was hard to accustom myself to the different names in the story. They were all similar yet slightly different and very foreign. Once I did, however, the story moved smoothly and showed how peasant life in China can be just as complicated as some of our own 1st World problems. Everything is relative and when immersed in the story, it is possible for you to feel as involved in these people's lives as much as anything in your own. Very well written and the translation over to English was wonderful and the nuances and descriptive passages were as if they had been written in our own language. Highly recommend! 

Quote: Happiness! You young people don't realize, but when I pick the fruit from my trees and give it to the children, my heart is so....happy! ....You're too young to understand, but when I plant a tree, I think about how when I die, later generations will pick fruit from that tree, and they'll say, 'This is one of the trees that old Deshun planted.' "

These are just 3 of the 18 books I read last year. I loved more than that. Maybe I will share a few more next week! Thanks for letting me share!

Today is "My Post Monday!", a curation of my picks of the week's best original content. It's all about posts from Crafts to Camping, Wellness to Wealth, Fashion to Food, and whatever else is on the brain!  I  open up with a post of my own and then follow it up with a linky of the week's top original blog posts! It's all about what the writer thinks, believes, and knows--in other words, they are active, writing blogs. If I happen to find a great original, non-sponsored post, I'll link it up and share it with you here and on Twitter via the #MyPostMonday hashtag!  I can miss some amazing posts, but I don't want to!  So, in addition, if you'd like to link up yourself, you can do that too!  I'll visit your site, comment, promote and publicize(Affiliate links welcome)

Philosophies Gained Through Twin Watching + #MyPostMonday Featuring The Week's Best Original Content

 "There they go, they're at it again....", I say to myself, as I try to intervene before too much damage is done. The two pre-teen boys in our classroom start to tussle violently, one of them receiving a solid punch in the face and withdraws, whimpering and defeated. He lays his head on his desk for an hour.

It happens so often that I can count on an incident every day with them. The difference with these two fighting and any other similar fight between non-related boys, is that with these two, everything seems to be forgotten within hours. 

The next thing I see is that they are laughing together at some private joke they have between themselves, that no one else will ever understand because it's the language of identical twins!

When one of them leaves the room for any prolonged amount of time and the remaining one doesn't know where the other one went, he becomes agitated and tries to leave the room to search for his brother. 

When one of them isn't able to get prizes from a rewards program because of his own negligence, the other one will step in and give his own prize to his left-out brother.

These boys haven't come from an abundant lifestyle, from what I can gather. They split time between their parents because of divorce, they don't have a lot in the way of clothing or extra "stuff". And of course they are in our classroom because of  some kind of learning disability. But they seem happier than most of the other kids, and their peals of laughter, mostly at inappropriate times, gladdens my heart for them. 

It has been really interesting and an education for me to be able to observe these 6th graders for as many hours as I do each day, in such close proximity. But despite the total closeness and kindred spirit type of bonding they enjoy, they do have definite differences. Some of them quite striking. 

They look so much alike that I'm sure early on the parents decided to let one of them have long hair while the other one wears his hair close to the head. It really helps to quickly identify them at school. Without that helpful hack, it would have been near impossible at the first of the year to tell them apart. 

I have learned to tell them apart and have noted a couple of significant differences! I have learned that one of them (Twin A) is more able to talk and be social with grown-ups. I like to talk to him because he is so interested in things and seems to have a genuine thirst for new information. At the same time he is more spontaneous than his brother. One day, I had about 10 of the students outside during a nice fall day for about 20 minutes. It was going just great....until Twin A suddenly pulled another boys pants down. The thing is, the other kid wasn't wearing any underwear! It was not cool at all! The rest of the day was spent sorting out what everyone did and didn't see, who might have been traumatized and would anyone be suspended? An incident like that requires a whole lotta paperwork. Yet. This is the one who, when given a reward like a bag of chips or candy, will go without so he can give it to his brother, after a fight in which he was trounced by said brother. 

The High Road + #MyPostMonday Featuring The Week's Best Original Content

I'm an off-season kind of gal. If it's a high traveled, well-attended, often frequented place, that is where I won't be. I crave the solitary. The less traveled. The undiscovered. 

I also think that civility is not a well-traveled road these days. The high road is not somewhere many people want to go. Maybe that's where I should be going. There's less traffic!

Today is "My Post Monday!", a curation of my picks of the week's best original content. It's all about posts from Crafts to Camping, Wellness to Wealth, Fashion to Food, and whatever else is on the brain!  I  open up with a post of my own and then follow it up with a linky of the week's top original blog posts! It's all about what the writer thinks, believes, and knows--in other words, they are active, writing blogs. If I happen to find a great original, non-sponsored post, I'll link it up and share it with you here and on Twitter via the #MyPostMonday hashtag!  I can miss some amazing posts, but I don't want to!  So, in addition, if you'd like to link up yourself, you can do that too!  I'll visit your site, comment, promote and publicize(Affiliate links welcome)

Success Through Failure + #MyPostMonday Linky -The Week's Best Original Content

Wow, what a week, month, and year this has been. With no sign of it really ending anytime soon! The thing that I've seen, though, is that people are so resiliant, so ready to try, so anxious to be their best selves, so determined to be happy, come what may.

And I just marvel! Some examples that have moved me in recent days:

1) The mom who was told in her teens that because of a severe case of PCOS, she would likely never have children. She beat the odds with fertility treatment once, twice, and then, when she thought her chances of ever conceiving again were gone, due to the sudden cancellation of her infertility treatments because of Covid-19, in her moment of darkest despair, there it was---the two lines of the pregnancy test. In disbelief they took the test 4 times with different brands of pregnancy tests. Of course, the journey isn't done, she had to endure a painful surgery just to keep the baby in her womb in a hospital all alone. But she has courage, she is pulling through and has profound hope that she will be the mom of a miracle baby in a few months!

2) A young mom of 5 beautiful kids, wife of the high school football coach, successful social media personality, and owner of a successful dance studio, gets the devastating news that she has AML Leukemia. Cancer. Serious. Lethal . Robber of joy. As she shares with everyone her ups and downs in a hospital room where noone is allowed because of Covedf-19 restrictions, she bravely keeps going with her live online sharing sessions, where she not only inspires us, but tells us how incredibly blessed she is. She then starts dancing in her room and does a hospital patient fashion show. It's the craziest thing. It's like she is trying to make us feel better when she is the one enduring all that suffering. She is still on her cancer journey and you bet, I'm right there with her, rooting for her and hoping that she'll recover. Some days are complete failures for h er--her blood count numbers go down, her symptoms intensify, and her husband and children can't be there with her. On top of that, she recently lost her mother, who was her biggest fan, and support system. She swears that she feels her mom there, being her guardian angel, orchestrating the care she can't be there to give. She gives an example: Before she knew she had cancer, through her dance studio she was able to help a little girl named Indy Lew, who was diagnosed with....AML Leukemia, the same cancer she now has. Indy Lew's mom has come to the hospital several times to help her, care for her, and give her encouragement because now Indy Lew is now healed, in remission and doing great! I wish @thetiabeestokes every luck on her journey, because she has helped make ours so much better!

A New Narrative + #MyPostMonday Linky

Some people never change, and then some do! It's funny how some people I haven't seen in many years will reappear and somehow they are different than when I knew them back in the day.

For instance, one of my high school friends whom I knew quite well was so boy crazy! Everything she did was done to impress and snag a boy! I used to think, "Girl, get a grip. There is more to life than just boys!" Needless to say she met someone right out of high school, her prince charming, and got married. Unfortunately, it ended in divorce.

To know her now is to see her minus the boy crazy, self-absorbed personality she once had. Now, she is all about her children, her grandchildren and about making a better world around her. She is absolutely wonderful to be around. My thoughts about her are that she has really changed and has caught hold of the important things in life. I know she will again find love because she is a beautiful person. But it isn't the all-consuming passion of her life that it once was. She has broadened her scope.

Have I changed too? How have my experiences changed and shaped me? Do former acquaintances see a gentler, more compassionate person or do they see the same impulsive, crazy, moody person I once was?

What Queen Victoria Taught Us About Ourselves + #MyPostMonday Linky

One of my favorite T.V. shows is 'Victoria', shown in seasons, all about the life of Queen Victoria. I'm sure the show has been romanticized but all the same, it is highly historical and I have learned so much about the nuances of British aristocracy, the war, the Spanish flu, and the British government, to name a few things. Combined with the show, 'Downton Abbey', and the movie 'Pride And Prejudice', my love of all things historical British aristocracy runs deep!

The actress who plays Victoria, Jenna Coleman, seems to portray Victoria quite well physically, as she was in her younger years, very petite and with large blue eyes. But even more, she shows the vulnerability yet fierce determination of a teenage girl who has been put into the daunting position of being Queen of the most powerful nation in the world at the time.

Of course, Victoria had some training in the ways of royalty before being placed on the throne and had been groomed for awhile to be in that position. But even so, the patriarchy of the Parliament was overwhelming. She had to show all of those men that she could meet them head-on and contribute in a confident and intelligent manner.

At first the going was a bit rough, but as she observed with a keen eye, she picked up even more as time passed. Of course she had some great allies in Lord Melbourne, the Prime Minister and her husband, Prince Albert. They helped her navigate through those first few years. But she always held her place as the Queen and fiercely reserved her right to have the last say after weighing all options. In my opinion, she did an incredible job!

It Is In The Focus + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

One of the wisest men to ever live on the planet said that the joy we feel isn't because of circumstances in our lives, but rather, where our focus lies. 

I find that when I step outside of myself, out of my own little box of pity parties, self-justifications, rationalizations and explanations as to why I should be feeling horrible, and instead focus on someone else and how they might be feeling, I find that I can feel joy and gratitude more readily.

Why is that? I feel that as a Christian woman, I have been taught to rely on Jesus Christ and his gift of the Atonement. It is a real and working entity that has such power, if I let it. He has given us teachings and examples in His life that are so powerful. If I truly follow those examples and teachings, I can access the power that He was teaching those who had eyes to see and ears to hear. 

National Working Parents Day + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

Today is "National Working Parents Day."

When you're a working parent, you really have very limited "me" time. 

Personal development goes down the tubes.

Any real time is spent with your kids

Any leftover time is spent with your spouse, or if you're single, doing what would have been your spouses share of the work done at home.

Sometimes the yard and home don't look like you've spent hours on it. Probably because you've chosen getting a few hours of sleep over taking care of the yard. I certainly get it!

My single friend is a teacher at a charter school and she has a son and two dogs at home. She is so talented and is always volunteering and helping others when she isn't working. You might guess what gets put at the last of the list...Her yard. It's not terrible, but it's not designer and manicured like some of the other homes around her. I sincerely hope that her neighbors take that into account and aren't talking about her behind her back! Maybe some of them even help her occasionally with her yard work. There's my optimistic and altruistic thinking coming out!

It takes an extremely special person to handle parenting and working full-time.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, around 61 percent of families with children have both parents working outside the home.

I would be happy to see more paid time-off for parents of school-age and younger children. Children are so vulnerable and society would be well-served to see parents who work have the option to do more parenting, especially when their children are crying out for it. 

At my job at a local Middle School, I have seen young teachers or staff members working, with a baby on the way. I've talked to some who are very unclear about what their work future will be. Our school district does provide paid leave for new moms and dads, but many have said that it isn't long enough. The standard leave is 6 weeks. One mom decided to ditch the job and stay home with her baby. Another mom, after having her baby, is back to work! It's all what they decide is best for their situation and how they can work with the benefits provided. 

I know that many feel guilt because they can't be there for some of those amazing milestones, like the assemblies, the award dinners, the many sports events. They sometimes also can't be there when their child is sick. They need to rely on pre-arranged plans or spur-of-the-moment favors. Some parents pay exorbitant child care fees because they don't want to entrust their children to just anyone. Because we've all heard the stories...

What I do know is that working parents are no slouches. Some of them go through extreme fatigue and pressure just to make sure they fulfill their job at work AND their full-time commitment to their families. To those who I see doing this, I am in awe and I salute you!

I love what Ann Landers said because it's so true!!! If we can remember and take comfort knowing that "It is not what you do for your children, but what you have taught them to do for themselves that will make them successful human beings", then we can be confident that we have done our very best and they will remember our good intentions and the hard work that we did for their best life! So,here's to you working parents! Thanks for all you do!

 Today is "My Post Monday!", a curation of the week's best original content. It's all about posts from Crafts to Camping, Wellness to Wealth, Fashion to Food, and whatever else is on the brain!  I  open up with a post of my own and then follow it up with a linky of the week's top original blog posts! It's all about what the writer thinks, believes, and knows--in other words, they are active, writing blogs. If I happen to find a great original, non-sponsored post, I'll link it up and share it with you here and on Twitter via the #MyPostMonday hashtag!  I can miss some amazing posts, but I don't want to!  So, in addition, if you'd like to link up yourself, you can do that too!  I'll visit your site, comment, promote and publicize(Affiliate links welcome) 

Both Beauty And Terror + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

Many Americans are living with the perspective that the glass is either half empty or half full. I'm not sure who gave this visual about how to look at life, but it's a classic U.S. philosophy. Of course, it teaches us that we should look at life positively rather than negatively. And it really is a great way to view life...in general. When you're in the midst, though, of something earth-shaking, life- changing, and extremely hard to go through, I'm not sure that the half-full glass visual is what we're going to automatically go to for inspiration, because sometimes life just sucks!

There's no way to sugar coat it, no way to view it for anything than what it is.  As humans we are conditioned to avoid pain and suffering at all costs. But a quick check of the headlines shows that we can't avoid it. Poverty, illness, addiction, corruption, hatred, natural and man made disasters surround us on all sides.

Image - Jana Herzogova

It is easy to look at that, become fearful, and not be willing to take any kind of risks for fear that something bad will happen to you! But what kind of life would that be? 

My choice has always been to live life, have experiences, and take the random consequences of my own actions. Sometimes my risks turned out well and I had amazing and fulfilling adventures. Other times, my choices turned out to be not-so-great and I had to live through the consequences. 

For example, no one forced me to go with a group of experienced 4-wheel riders on my first-ever ride on an ATV. I had lived through enough adventure to know that a possibly really fun time was in store. Unfortunately for me, that ride turned out to be short-lived, as I crashed into a sand mound at a higher speed than what I obviously was able to successfully maneuver. My helmet, which was incorrectly fastened onto my head in the first place, flew off. My head was propelled forward, and my face hit the metal steering column at the same speed I had been initially traveling, about 50 mph, Nose shattered, blood spurting, and me screaming in pain was the result. 

My nose was shattered in multiple places, the skin totally peeled off the face, and unsightly, jagged cuts continued down to just above my mouth. 

I thought I was going to be a freak show for the rest of my life. But time has a way of healing, and most of the time no one even has a clue of the trauma my face went through 10 years ago. 

Granted, I've never gotten back onto a 4-wheeler again, which is probably a weakness on my part, but at least I can say that I've had the experience. 

I feel like I learned so much from just that one experience. I can take that with me and be able to empathize with many people who have gone through the same thing or even worse than what I went through. And I definitely have a sense of gratitude for a brain that wasn't damaged, a face that almost completely recovered, and a nose that is just a tad shorter than what it used to be! Not to mention, greater faith in the power of prayer and giving up control to God and letting Him decide what I might be able to learn through all of this. 

What have you decided to experience, regardless of the outcome and what did you learn as a result? 

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 Today is "My Post Monday!", a curation of the week's best original content. It's all about posts from Crafts to Camping, Wellness to Wealth, Fashion to Food, and whatever else is on the brain!  I  open up with a post of my own and then follow it up with a linky of the week's top original blog posts! It's all about what the writer thinks, believes, and knows--in other words, they are active, writing blogs. If I happen to find a great original, non-sponsored post, I'll link it up and share it with you here and on Twitter via the #MyPostMonday hashtag!  I can miss some amazing posts, but I don't want to!  So, in addition, if you'd like to link up yourself, you can do that too!  I'll visit your site, comment, promote and publicize(Affiliate links welcome)  

The Catalyst For Change + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

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This past week has been a little bit crazy because we had family from Oregon come to stay for a week while they settled their 2 sons into their college dwellings. Their sons are a several years apart. However, one just returned from an LDS mission and another one graduated a half year early and has decided to attend a year of college before heading out on his own mission, so they are both going to BYU (Go Cougs!) at the same time, as freshmen. 

This is the sister that I don't get to see too often because they have been really busy raising their family. In addition, she has worked part-time as a nurse and my brother-in-law is a psychologist with his own practice. But that all changed when they dropped off the boys. They will officially be empty-nesters! It was really great seeing them, even though I was heading off to school each morning, as I started work on the 22nd.

Among other things, we arranged for the family who lives around here to come visit and catch up on everything that has happened since they last saw them. I was so grateful for my Instant Pot and the fact that I had finally started using it earlier this summer. It had languished in my pantry since Christmas because I couldn't handle the quick release valve. It stressed me out about as much as a firecracker in my face, so I waited to work with it until I had less stress to deal with, after school got out. Now, it's the greatest thing I've ever done for the development of my meal prep skills. I can create amazing meals in such a little amount of time that I feel like I've been released from cooking prison! I never liked being tied down in the kitchen, cooking meals, while everyone else was visiting, or doing whatever they wanted. It just seemed unfair, albeit easier than trying to organize an assembly line of vegetable choppers, kettle stirrers, and errand runners. My ribs were to die for and my sauteed green beans were the bomb! Throw in a watermelon and some deli potato salad and you've got a dinner done in less than an hour!

Beautiful Interruption + #MyPostMonday Curating The Week's Best Original Content

Today my husband and I took the longest hike I've taken this summer! I hiked 9 miles total and I wasn't initially completely on board with it. But knowing how excited he is when I go with him and seeing the effort he went to in order to make sure that I would definitely be with him this morning as he carefully woke me up at 5 am, was something I couldn't turn down. (He even made me breakfast!)

We got to the trailhead at around 7 a.m. and due to it being MONDAY, no one was around. The destination was Lake Desolation. It doesn't sound too inviting, does it? Right now I'm suffering from a few maladies, all on my left side. The one that was bothering me today was my left achilles tendon. It has been injured in the past and has visible scar tissue built up. I've been doing some H.I.I.T. lately and my achilles doesn't like it. 

So we started out, with me baby-ing my poor achilles and not really sure what to expect, since I'd never been to Desolation Lake before. I was surprised that this was one of the prettiest and well kept trails I've been on. Sure, there were a few steep parts, but nothing I couldn't get up using some care and caution. 

We walked virtually the entire 4.5 miles to the lake without seeing a soul, until right at the end. There were 5 hikers that came up behind us and caught up to us right as we got to the lake. If you have been to the lakes in either Little or Big Cottonwood Canyons, this lake is a 5 on a scale of 1 to 10. But a 5 is gorgeous in comparison to most lakes. It's just that the alpine lakes here in the canyons are so beautiful and pristine and so spectacularly gorgeous. 

Seeing this lake for the first time, I could see that the extremely dry winter had taken its toll and the water level was way down. But "desolation" is not a word I would use to describe this lake. It was still absolutely beautiful! 

In another effort to keep our hikes fun for both of us, my husband got us a set of two-way radios to keep us connected, even if he wanted to hike up even further and summit a peak, which is not something I will be doing any time soon. He left me at the lake and we communicated through the radios for the rest of the time. 

Desolation Lake

This turned out to be one of the most enjoyable hikes I've had yet. There were a variety of reasons that made it so fun, but how tragic if I had rolled over and said that I didn't want to go this morning! I could have used any number of reasons to NOT go--my achilles was bothering me, I have so much to do before school starts up again, I've already been on the minimum number of hikes I said I would do this summer, I have goals that need to be met, etc. etc. 

But I know that interruptions happen, and this interruption happened to be a beautiful one. I learned that goals can still be met, even though they might happen in a different order than you originally planned!

Image - Betsy Kasper

Today is "My Post Monday!", a curation of the week's best original content. It's all about posts from Crafts to Camping, Wellness to Wealth, Fashion to Food, and whatever else is on the brain!  I  open up with a post of my own and then follow it up with a linky of the week's top original blog posts! It's all about what the writer thinks, believes, and knows--in other words, they are active, writing blogs. If I happen to find a great original, non-sponsored post, I'll link it up and share it with you here and on Twitter via the #MyPostMonday hashtag!  I can miss some amazing posts, but I don't want to!  So, in addition, if you'd like to link up yourself, you can do that too!  I'll visit your site, comment, promote and publicize(Affiliate links welcome) 

Of Most Importance + #MyPostMonday Curating The Week's Best Original Content

I love feeling healthy and energetic! I do a few things daily to make sure I stay feeling that way. It's something I conscientiously work towards on a daily basis. 

Another thing I hold dear and work hard to keep is my relationship with my kids. They are gone and on their own--definitely not mama's boys. So sometimes it's up to me to keep the communication going and the home fires burning. I work on that as well because it's really important to me.

And of course, marriage is definitely something one needs to keep working on, unless you plan on letting it dwindle into a series of auto-pilot conversations and mundane schedules. Apparently my husband thinks it's important too, because he takes part in the maintenance of our relationship too, especially when food is involved! We've been married for 18 years now! It seems like just yesterday that we decided to not delay things and to just go for it, 4 months after we met.

Image - Gina Herbert

The above are some of the more obvious things that a lot of people might agree are important and worth fighting to keep. But there are some less obvious things that I find are just as important to keep.

One of them is something I have taken for granted all my life but am now starting to wonder if I really should have...the freedom of religion.  

A religious person shares a common belief that there is "a right and wrong in human behavior that has been established by a Supreme Being." (Dallin H. Oaks) That person may be a member of any given number of religions, but that one belief, at least, is held in common. 

Religion is good for society because it has been found that, in general, religious individuals have better family lives, stronger marriages, less substance abuse and crime, higher educational levels, a greater willingness to volunteer and donate to charities, better work habits, longer lives, better health, greater income, and higher levels of well-being and happiness. These are all things that, as a whole, will benefit society! *See Sources below

Unfortunately, protections afforded to freedom of religion and belief are often weak, unheeded, and attacked. Powerful pressures attempt to restrain religious freedom, even in countries that historically protected it most vigorously. These pressures seem to be gaining ground in many countries. 
*See Sources below

I am saddened when I see the historical tradition of public prayer, giving public credence to God, historical edifices referencing divinity, and individuals wanting to publicly display their heartfelt belief in God attacked and belittled. 

When someone is censored when moved to say what they truly believe, how can they claim freedom of speech? And the same with freedom of press and freedom of assembly. When they can't write what they believe or assemble to speak about what they believe, how can the claim of "freedom" be made?

Amazingly, in 2013, approximately 5.5 billion people--77 percent of the world's population--lived in countries with high or very high restrictions on religious liberty, up from 68 percent just six years earlier. *See Sources Below

"Sadly, religion is often countercultural and thus unpopular. For this reason, religious freedom, even where it is generally supported in principle, is often vigorously opposed in practice." (D. Todd Christofferson) 

What We Can Do

This is a freedom I have decided is too valuable to lose and I would like to do more to help protect this inalienable right here in my own country. If you are also of a mind to protect religious freedom, here are some things we can do to fight for that cause:

1) When we hear of someone being unfairly treated because of demonstrating or vocalizing their religious beliefs, find out the source and write a letter in support of the person who was treated unfairly.

2) Openly state our support of religious freedom and religion in general.

3) Don't openly criticize others of their differing religious beliefs . They have the same right as we do to practice their beliefs. We need to unite rather than be divided in this important freedom.

4) Don't be critical of those who profess no religious beliefs. No one should be compelled to be religious.

5) Write to our elected officials and make it known that we are supportive of religious freedom.

If more of us speak out and stand up for what was granted us when the U.S. was founded, we can preserve that important freedom. It is important and worth fighting for to keep!
*Sources

Today is "My Post Monday!", a curation of the week's best original content. It's all about posts from Crafts to Camping, Wellness to Wealth, Fashion to Food, and whatever else is on the brain!  I  open up with a post of my own and then follow it up with a linky of the week's top original blog posts! It's all about what the writer thinks, believes, and knows--in other words, they are active, writing blogs. If I happen to find a great original, non-sponsored post, I'll link it up and share it with you here and on Twitter via the #MyPostMonday hashtag!  I can miss some amazing posts, but I don't want to!  So, in addition, if you'd like to link up yourself, you can do that too!  I'll visit your site, comment, promote and publicize(Affiliate links welcome) 

One More Healing Step + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

I must tell you about a wonderful day I experienced not too long ago in a little resort/retirement town called Midway! I was invited to be part of a council associated with something called 'Tribalry', a company dedicated to bringing like-minded, similarly motivated, and professionally associated people together to find common ground and to help build friendships and business connections. 

Image - Craig Jensen

I'm here to tell you that these people know how to do it! They had us gather in a big meeting hall, with tables seating 5 - 6. We gathered in our various tribes--health and wellness, bloggers, baby boomers, PR, financial planners, moms, event planners, etc. We were then told to tell a little bit about ourselves in about 2 minutes. We got to hear stories about everyone and it was a great time! We spent a lot of time talking, listening, and taking notes for the whole course of the morning and afternoon, just getting to know people and making connections! I felt like it was going pretty well and I heard lots of great stories, but then something happened. I took the next step, became vulnerable, and revealed more of myself than I ever thought I would. There was a group of women at one of my tables whom I had learned a little bit about previously and I instinctively felt that we all had experienced something similar in our lives. But not only that, we had managed to deal with those experiences in similar ways. I found myself admiring and being drawn to what they had learned. I found myself being inspired by their experiences. (Names changed to protect indentity)

Each one of these lovely ladies had experienced a great loss of one kind or another. But each one had managed to come back with grace and strength, and had adapted to their losses creatively and even profitably! Briefly, here are their stories:

Sarah unexpectedly had a stroke that paralyzed the entire right side of her body. She was left without the ability to care for herself or to even speak. Gradually, and with a lot of work, she was able to get back a lot of what she lost. Ultimately she did have to give up skills that had formerly been easy for her. But she was so grateful to be able to have what she has now and is very accepting of her limitations and is so positive that people around her are lifted by her gentle spirit. She is also very skilled at crochet!

Cindy loved dancing as a girl and young adult. She was looking towards becoming a dance major, graduating in dance and dancing professionally. She lived and breathed dance. But tragedy struck when she was involved in a serious car accident that rendered her immobile and unable to move, much less dance. She never regained her ability to dance. With the evaporation of her dream, she had to find other interests that were within her abilities. She found that she was good at writing. She developed her skill and is a  published author of at least several books. She is a public speaker. She makes beautiful jewelry and she is a traveler. She also is a Life Counselor who is very generous with her hints and tips. I took one of her tips to heart to make my own professional and personal life richer and more meaningful!

Bethany's world was her husband and family. Married to the love of her life for many years, he unexpectedly betrayed her and ruined their marriage. It ended in divorce. He then stole her intellectual property and used it for his own financial gain, giving her nothing in return. She has had to pick up the pieces of her own identity, which was so intertwined with her marriage and what that represented. It hasn't been easy and she has been tempted to take the path of bitterness and revenge. But instead she has chosen to be positive, build from the ground up, and state her intentions of growth. She is adamant that she wants to be married again and is positive that there is love waiting for her at some point, even though she isn't young anymore. She is so positive and upbeat and faces the world with dignity, courage and hope! I know that her positive vibes will attract what she is seeking!

When I started learning about these women, my guard was let down and I started to feel trust in them. That is a strange emotion for me. My own life's experiences have not been ones to foster that particular trait. Trust doesn't come free with me. I realize that not everyone can relate to where I have come from, a divorcee whose husband not only unexpectedly left her, but took everything, including her precious children and was successful in keeping them despite many and repeated efforts and finances to gain them back. I was taken by surprise, destitute, broken, and unable to navigate the curve balls dealt out to me.Thus I was never able to raise them as a true mother, and the role of "mom" was taken from me. Even my own family looked at me like I was some kind of failure for many years, ostracizing  and criticizing me. So why should I expect anyone to believe or relate to my story?  I eventually was able to rebuild my life, re-connect with my sons, and become identified as something more than a "birth mom". 

When I realized that these women experienced loss that completely took away their former identities, and yet they were able to rebuild, it was so empowering! I felt such a sense of healing. They could understand me because they had lived through similar experiences. I'm thankful that I was able to experience yet another step in my lifelong recovery from the one trauma that could have destroyed me personally forever, but didn't!
This certainly isn't a sponsored post, but I can tell you that this controlled and empowering experience was life-changing for me. If you hear about 'Tribalry', you should definitely check it out! 

 Today is "My Post Monday!", a curation of the week's best original content. It's all about posts from Crafts to Camping, Wellness to Wealth, Fashion to Food, and whatever else is on the brain!  I  open up with a post of my own and then follow it up with a linky of the week's top original blog posts! It's all about what the writer thinks, believes, and knows--in other words, they are active, writing blogs. If I happen to find a great original, non-sponsored post, I'll link it up and share it with you here and on Twitter via the #MyPostMonday hashtag!  I can miss some amazing posts, but I don't want to!  So, in addition, if you'd like to link up yourself, you can do that too!  I'll visit your site, comment, promote and publicize(Affiliate links welcome) 

Who Would I Be If I Stayed? + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

I go to work from 9 - 2 everyday to play---play with the most joyous, alive, innocent, mischievous, honest, and savage individuals ever. They are a group of  12 - 14 Middle School Mild/Moderate Special Education students. They belie the title of Special Ed. With totally normal appearance, gestures, clothing, and interests, they transcend any labels people may put on them. They come to school and continue the transition from child to eventual adult. They won't stay this way, but while they are in this stage, I'm so lucky to be able to "play" with them, all in the name of work! They are not quite out of childhood, yet halfway into adulthood. It's so funny to see them act like they are the most knowledgable of experts on any given subject, but then one minute later do something hilariously childish. 

This stage of life only lasts but a year or two. Some people say that it is the hardest stage to raise, as a parent. And I'd have to agree. But I'm not a parent. I'm an educator! I get to take them as they are, make helpful suggestions, even dole out consequences. But mostly, I support them in their hopes, their dreams, their likes and dislikes. I suggest other options. I suggest alternative ways to look at things. I even play devil's advocate. Of course, ultimately, my peers and I let them decide what they are going to do. Some of them will end up being successful and holding down a job and raising a family. Some of them, unfortunately, will not be so lucky. Some of them may even end up homeless. That breaks my heart, because I know they are trying so hard to make a success out of life. And they have so much energy and optimism. 

That same energy and optimism make the most enthusiastic and well-meaning of adults tired. That's why after 5 hours, I am done playing, relieved to leave and do my other jobs consisting of wife, mom, pet-owner, errand-runner, home maintenance worker, gardener, blogger, and elderly care-giver. 

Image - Celeste Camomile

 The end of the school year is fast approaching and I think of the oldest students in our class. They will be moving on to high school, leaving this stage of their lives behind. I realize that although I have developed a fondness and special bond with them, I may never see some of them again. It reminds me of the exchange between Wonder Woman and her mother, Hypolyta. Hypolyta says, "You know that if you choose to leave, you may never return." Wonder Woman replies, "But who would I be if I stay?" 

So it is with my friends. Their journey needs to continue. They can't stay. And I may not know where that journey eventually leads them. But I'll know that when our paths met, we laughed, smiled, played, and learned. And they gave richness to my life, without even knowing they did.

Today is "My Post Monday!", a curation of the week's best original content. It's all about posts from Crafts to Camping, Wellness to Wealth, Fashion to Food, and whatever else is on the brain!  I  open up with a post of my own and then follow it up with a linky of the week's top original blog posts! It's all about what the writer thinks, believes, and knows--in other words, they are active, writing blogs. If I happen to find a great original, non-sponsored post, I'll link it up and share it with you here and on Twitter via the #MyPostMonday hashtag!  I can miss some amazing posts, but I don't want to!  So, in addition, if you'd like to link up yourself, you can do that too!  I'll visit your site, comment, promote and publicize! (Affiliate links welcome!)      

What Lies Within + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

I'm finally seeing spring flowers pushing their way out of the barren winter soil. It is so heartening and encouraging to see that! Here they are, after being dead all winter long, or at least looking like it, laying dormant in the ground. And lo, and behold, here they come, all fancy and frilly, looking like nothing could ever fade them. But, these earliest blooms will be gone before a few weeks are past. That's OK, I don't think any flower is any more welcomed than the earliest spring crocuses. Just something about them...

And here I am, here after yet another winter. I'm sure it beat me down and I am showing a few more signs of wear and tear, if only subtly. But that's OK, I'm tough and I've seen a lot of things. You know what is amazing? Every time something beat me down, I just got back up and dusted myself off. I was told I was a "Saturday's Warrior". I didn't even know what that even meant, except that Saturday is the 7th day of the week, according to the Gregorian Calendar. So does that mean I'm the last before the end? End of what? And warrior? Where is my training? I know that I need to take self-defense at some point, although if some predator were to accost me on my walks, they would be surprised. I carry a taser, excuse me, I was told it's a stun gun! Shhhh.....Whatever....it felt very empowering at the time. But years have gone by since I was told I'm a Saturday's Warrior. Are we still on Saturday? 

I feel like these little spring flowers are warriors of a sort. They fight to be able to be the first to come back each year and herald the appearance of a glorious spring! What an amazing and important job they have! And you know what? They do it really well! 

I'm going to take a lesson and do the job that I feel I need to do. Come back every time I am down, and stand up and be as beautiful, bold, and joyous as God intended and wants me to be! Because I am heralding something too. The end of one stage in my life, and the beginning of something new!!! 

 Today is "My Post Monday!", a curation of the week's best original content. It's all about posts from Crafts to Camping, Wellness to Wealth, Fashion to Food, and whatever else is on the brain!  I  open up with a post of my own and then follow it up with a linky of the week's top original blog posts! It's all about what the writer thinks, believes, and knows--in other words, they are active, writing blogs. If I happen to find a great original, non-sponsored post, I'll link it up and share it with you here and on Twitter via the #MyPostMonday hashtag!  I can miss some amazing posts, but I don't want to!  So, in addition, if you'd like to link up yourself, you can do that too!  I'll visit your site, comment, promote and publicize! (Affiliate links welcome!)