Friday Morning Inspiration

Just some randomness to get our morning off right!

Seek Christ...I promise that you will find Him if you go looking..

Never let anyone tell you that you are wasting time on your Pinterest Quote Board....

          ...tell them they are your daily affirmations..

If Lucy believes it, then it must be true..

(Wouldn't it be nice if all of the cartoons kids watched were like this? Even just some of them? And little girls wanted to grow up to influence social change & improve her community because Peanuts told her when she was growing up that SHE MADE the world better and that SHE WAS a positive force? I'm just saying...)

Stream of consciousness....

Girls: Never be offended when someone refers to you as an "Einstein." Smile, Say "Thank You" & then become a billionaire from your Internet Start-Up. Remember ladies, we were Geeks before Geeks were cool. 

(Anyways, computers will always do EXACTLY what us girls tell them to do... And you can speak to them in codes...They will never play games with you.. (unless of course you program them to..) They won't ask to borrow money; in fact, they will make it for you.. They will talk to you in any language you want, or will let you make up your own.. You know where they are at all times, courtesy of GPS.. They won't trade you in for a younger model.. (In fact, YOU can trade them in.. @ Best Buy.. for Store Credit.. ) They will look through pictures for hours with you & not complain..And if they won't cooperate, ctrl-alt-delete will shut them up. Every time. Plus, it is legal in every state to take a screwdriver to the sucker if it steps out of line! #truestory)

So the moral of this story is....

( and so grateful for the bad things...

makes the good things SO much BETTER!!)

Find other ways to look at things ---->

Or if you don't like something, 

then CHANGE it...

At any given time, there are no less than a million things that you can do to be a positive force..

    ...to make the world better...
  I'll even give you some to start with:

Yes.
You should be alarmed
 @:

-Big Tobacco's Propaganda

-Monsanto 

-GMO's

-Human & Sex Trafficking in your own community (It does, in fact, exist everywhere. Google it. Be informed.)

-Climate Change, especially Water pollution issues.

-Corporate & Consumer Greed, it's killing small businesses
-Bees. Yes, Bees. The decline in populations of honeybees specifically. They pollinate our food. No bees = no food. 

-McDonald's - unfair working conditions & wages to make food that is killing us.. how does that even make sense?

-PETA - Do some research, they are a barbaric & inhumane "non-profit" that makes money off of the very thing they say they stand for, killing & torture of animals...

You can pick one of my Social Protests, or make one up of your own! Just Act. Don't be a part of the majority.. Oftentimes, they are wrong...

Live your life doing something that you care about...

be the change... start a movement..any movement.. just start one!

Cute picture...Wonderful sentiment..Could be a bad idea in some zip codes....

Want to really fight "the man?"
Join CASAA.org & take on the largest, richest, & most powerful propaganda machine in American history. And save millions of lives in the process. It's a win:win. (P.S. If you still currently smoke cigarettes, I would love 5 minutes of your time to change your life. Seriously. 5 minutes. Just email/txt/comment/tweet/call me or even yell really loud..)

Start asking questions.. It doesn't matter what they are or who you ask.. Just get involved in something that makes a difference.

Remember to:

Love your sisters...

Even if they aren't your "sister." You can't pick your relatives but you can darn sure pick your family.

Seek Truth. Advocate for Justice. No Justice, No Peace.

Laugh @ everything.

Be a ripple.. Or butterfly wings.. Learn to Rock Boats..

Go Farm some Thistles.. Frequently.

And Graciously.

Be nice to strangers... 
Love people that don't like you.. 
Do something remarkable. Right NOW.
Spend less money on presents, and more time being present.. 
(Why yes, I did just come up with that on my own! Pretty clever, huh?)

Write random blogs @ 3 am just because you can..
Twitter..Tumbl..LinkIn..Pin stuff..Post pictures of everything beautiful you see.. StumbleUpon..DiggStuff.. 

Take as many selfies as your SD card will allow, 

(except, of course, if you are the leader of the free world and are attending the funeral of one of the most revered Activists & Freedom Fighters ever in the history of man, & it is being viewed by millions of people... I'm just saying.....)

 Smile because you can.. Smile because no matter what you are going through, there is someone going through something a million times worse, somewhere on this planet.. Smile because God gave woke you up this morning.. Smile because you have a warm bed, in a safe house, and maybe even a Christmas tree...

Some people are scared to smile.. Some people want to smile so bad on the inside but don't think they are

good enough... pretty enough... worthy enough.. 

Smile, because to God you ARE good enough.. you ARE pretty enough... you ARE worthy enough.. He has destined you for great things, Strategically Placed You to share His message. 

Even though I don't know where my map is leading me, or where I am going, I sure do know where I started... And that's the most important part of this whole journey so far..I've spent years trying to Find My Way Home, & I kind of feel like I'm finally in the vicinity....Or at least the right zip code.. :)

Have a good weekend!

Be good to each other.

You are an example to someone.

You are a shot of hope for someone.

Be a positive force like Lucy.

And don't forget, You ARE
 entirely responsible
for the energy that you bring into your space..

Love.

Sing me sweet and sleepy All the way back back home...

9:50pm 12/13........After working & travelling since 6:00am, I was desperately looking forward to climbing into my own bed. I was getting ready to crawl under my comforter &go to sleep last night but there was something that was bothering me. I couldn't pin point it as the past few days have been hectic. As I was just closing my eyes, I felt some papers crumpled under my pillow (still have no idea HOW they even got there) This was surreptitiously under my pillow. This is a very special moment digitally captured for, well, ever. I am grateful to my God for once again "strategically placing" this photo, as well as Meg herself, in my path.. Instead of going to sleep, I felt moved create this.......

I would like you to meet my Sister For Life, Meg. 

With her goofy smile, love of all things Grateful Dead & her loving personality, we became fast friends when we met in 2007. 

Meg Chrisman tragically passed away December 9th, 2013.

We are all so very sad & miss you Meg.

click here to hear 

                                      Meg & the Women talk about Home...

Meg & I both loved books written by Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison. We shared all 3 of her books back & forth and thought she had an incredible way of explaining what some of us go through when dealing with mental illnesses, specifically manic-depressive or bi-polar disorder:

“There is a particular kind of pain, elation, loneliness, and terror involved in this kind of madness. When you're high it's tremendous. The ideas and feelings are fast and frequent like shooting stars, and you follow them until you find better and brighter ones. Shyness goes, the right words and gestures are suddenly there, the power to captivate others a felt certainty. There are interests found in uninteresting people. Sensuality is pervasive and the desire to seduce and be seduced irresistible. Feelings of ease, intensity, power, well-being, financial omnipotence, and euphoria pervade one's marrow. But, somewhere, this changes. The fast ideas are far too fast, and there are far too many; overwhelming confusion replaces clarity. Memory goes. Humor and absorption on friends' faces are replaced by fear and concern. Everything previously moving with the grain is now against-- you are irritable, angry, frightened, uncontrollable, and enmeshed totally in the blackest caves of the mind. You never knew those caves were there. It will never end, for madness carves its own reality.”

Kathryn Redfield Jamison

Meg & I will always share some very special bonds. We related in an intellectual & mental way that I rarely experience. I watched & learned from her as she carefully held and soothed my godson when he was an infant. Meg had a very special relationship with him for the first few years of his life, and also with his little sister. She taught me how to be gentle and nurturing; how to be patient with fussy babies.. 

Meg "GOT" me. Period. We had many conversations that

I could never have with anyone else. Meg loved unconditionally

She did not judge. She was humble & sought Christ more and

more everyday.She shared the goodness of God with others & I

believe she tried very hard to do the right thing as best that she could.

Meg was a graduate of Magdalene. She was a special mother. She was a sister, a daughter, an aunt, and godmother. But most of all, Meg was love. She always would have a tight hug & peck on the cheek for those she saw along the way..

  However, my friend Meg struggled, as we all do, with her own demons. She had an unquiet mind... A mind touched by fire.. She fought them very hard, but I think that God wanted her to come on home so that she didn't have to fight her own thoughts, her own internal being, anymore.... I know in my heart the Meg is at peace now, her mind is quiet once again. My prayers are with her family, as well as everyone in our community. It is especially hard to lose another sister.

-Kristin

Fare you well my honey

Fare you well my only true one

All the birds that were singing

Have flown except you alone

Going to leave this broke-down palace

On my hands and my knees I will roll roll roll

Make myself a bed by the waterside

In my time, in my time, I will roll roll roll

In a bed, in a bed

By the waterside I will lay my head

Listen to the river sing sweet songs

To rock my soul

River gonna take me

Sing me sweet and sleepy

Sing me sweet and sleepy

All the way back back home

It's a far gone lullaby

Sung many years ago

Mama, Mama, many worlds I've come

Since I first left home

Going home, going home

By the waterside I will rest my bones

Listen to the river sing sweet songs

To rock my soul

Going to plant a weeping willow

On the banks green edge it will grow grow grow

Sing a lullaby beside the water

Lovers come and go, the river roll roll roll

Fare you well, fare you well

I love you more than words can tell

Listen to the river sing sweet songs

To rock my soul

Grateful Dead... Brokedown Palace

I wrote this & blogged it for myself & others that love her. I welcome anyone to add pictures, comments, stories, links... Meg was very special to many of us & I know that I will always remember my dear, sweet, gracious & humble friend & sister, Meg..

My starting point...

What is God doing around the world and around me?  Where is He at work?

What is the prominent need in the above answer?

What am I uniquely equipped and positioned to accomplish?  How might God use my position, talents, and experiences to accomplish HIS plan?

Am I serving God’s purposes or have I lost my way and serving my desires?  

#1

I have started several different blogs over the past couple of years. I have made beautiful templates with equally stunning html codes, forms, and fonts. I have researched and reviewed every "How To Start A Blog" article on the Internet. (Literally, *all* of them.) I have created some cute and clever Blog names, titles, descriptions & domain names. I have even read other blogs to see how I should do mine. I've written a dozen articles to post, all with accompanying pictures. However, that is as far as I have gotten. Something was always holding me back: not enough time, not the right title, didn't like the content, wanted a different domain name, or a myriad of other different reasons. I come across the most amazing, interesting, fascinating, surprising and beautiful things in my every day life and I'll think, "Wow, I would put this on my blog if I ever published one!" Well, as of today, no more! I am going to write, post, tag and create with wild abandon. I believe that the healing and the power of the process is in the journey, not in the destination. So welcome to my blog, aptly named because I 100% know and believe that God has strategically placed me where I am in life, for reasons that will be revealed at some point. And I welcome you! Thanks for stopping by. :)  Stay tuned for more wonderful musings, ideas, and downright cool content.