Man, Sarah starts talking today and the first thing I think of is

Just Around The Riverbend.

"First we have to believe,

and THEN we believe."

-G. C. Lichtenberg

 

Sarah is on point today.

Listen up.

Start Quote

 As the season of Believing seems to wind down for the rest of the world,

please let me gently make something very clear.

Many dreams still wait in the wings.

Many aspirations are just within our grasp 

if we keep stretching.

Many hungers need nourishment.

Many yearnings must be acknowledged, 

so that they can be fulfilled.

 Many authentic sparks must be fanned before 

Passion performs her perfect work in you.

Throw another log on the fire.

This is not the day you quit.

This is not the day you cry.

This is the day you stare down every naysayer in your life 

who doesn't get it yet. 

Because you do. 

Finally.

And now you know that faith is the substance of things hoped for, 

the evidence of things not seen.

This is the day you shout, "I Believe!"

Keep on shouting it until you're hoarse.

No more muttering under your breath.

Do you know what happens every time a child says,

"I don't believe in fairies!"

A fairy falls down dead.

Do you know what happens every time a woman says,

"I don't believe. It's taking too long!"

The woman falls down dead.

Inside.

Where it counts.

But it just might take another forty years 

before they get around to burying you. 

And do you know what they'll say as your ashes are scattered?

"I don't think I can ever remember a time when she was truly happy."

And they'll be right.

This is NOT the time you stop believing.

You simply can't afford the luxury of skepticism.

And what must you believe with every breath, until you do believe?

How about the mystical alchemy of style and Spirit. 

In the past a woman's spirituality has been separated from her lifestyle. 

But now you know this doesn't make any sense.

Never did.

Never will. 

Now you know that the union of Authentic Style and Spirit 

creates a woman of Substance.

You.

So keep on believing that you have the passion, intelligence, brilliance, creativity, wisdom, clarity, depth, and savvy to find that quiet center of solace, serenity, and strength necessary to create and sustain an authentic life.

Every day is the prayer.

An authentic life is the most personal form of worship.

When you start believing, you'll discover that 

all things are really possible. 

Clap. 

Clap once again.

But let's really hear it this time!

 

Wow! That's better! 

Why, it's so loud, it'll wake up the dead.

Good for you. 

End Quote

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Gratitude Journal

***

1) Robbie and I got to sleep in. It was amazing.

2) Meeting our new neighbors, they are super nice.

3) Giving away some of my mom's super yummy Christmas cookies and candies. It makes me happy to spread the love.

4) Robbie is super handy, it's seriously impressive.

5) And this, I'm grateful for this. All the time I got to spend with him today, and how productive we were.

 It was super dark in the garage, and Robbie added more light so we can see!

 We actually fit a whole lot of stuff in his little car.

 I started setting up for our open house, and I decided I wanted to go ahead and take the time to unwrap every piece and put them up for a little while. Maybe I'll put them away...in February...

Before

 

After!

 

Tada!!!

Look at all that storage space!  

And we're not even done. But we can't sleep in tomorrow, too much to do, too little time, and power tools are breaking so Home Depot bright and early.

December 26th - Many Lives

I love this quote.

Sarah starts today by talking about The Natural. 

I remember reading the book in school, but it was a long time ago.

Basically this guy's life that he had planned goes to crap, 

and his friend says to him

"I believe we have two lives. 

The life we learn with and the life we live after that." 

I totally agree, and yet I think two is limiting.

Have I ever told you about my what my plans for life were?

I was never going to get married because I didn't think anyone would ever love me, so I was going to be a fabulously wealthy physical therapist who had cats and all the neighborhood children would love and adore and come over for cookies.

Well, that plan went to heck when I met Robbie and got married. 

Plan A, not going to happen.

Next I decided that I was going to go to CSUSF to get my DR because I wanted to make something of myself, and Robbie could get a business job in SF easy. Well as I was applying for grad schools, I just kept getting this awful feeling in my gut that I wasn't supposed to apply. Not just to certain schools, I wasn't supposed to apply at all. So I prayed and asked God what He wanted me to do, and he told me. I was supposed to graduate and start making babies. It took me awhile to come around to this new plan, because Plan A hadn't worked, and now Plan B was out the window too. 

Plan C, barefoot and pregnant for literally 2 years, stay home and raise my kids until they're all in school, and then go back and get my doctorate for physical therapy part time. Hopefully by the time they're in high school I can graduate and start working part time. When the kids are all out of the house, on missions, married, going to college, whatever it is, maybe I'll work full time...

Or maybe there will be a new plan.

I learned very early on something that I think everyone needs to learn.

The best plans can be ruined by real life in a single second.

You have to learn to roll with the punches, love and live with what life throws at you because it is going to throw a lot of crap your way, and know that your plans are going to change over and over again. 

That is real life. 

We have many lives to live, and we get to choose which ones to live because we get to choose our attitude about them.  

Please don't despair over plans and lives you can't or haven't lived.

Love the ones you have lived, and the life you're living. 

***
Gratitude Journal

***

1) Time off from the kids! I love them but oh my goodness I need some uninterrupted sleep and no crying or whining for a day or two.

2)  Projects! Merry Christmas to me! First project up: the laundry room. So much space, so much underused potential, about to be fixed. At least the top half. The bottom half will have to come later. Not enough time, not enough money.

 The cupboards we took out. See the laundry in places it shouldn't be?

 Where the cupboards were, and where we're going to put baskets and a shelf. Eventually, this counter will be a sink with washboard and small counter, with better shelving underneath and a curtain to cover it up.

 

And on this side we're going to have the mother of all shelves, a drying rack on the wall, more shelves, and a better lighting fixture.

 And this is why we're maximizing the space in the laundry room, because this is ridiculous. Laundry has overtaken my house!

 And this is one of the reasons we wanted to do this project when the kids weren't home.

3) Taco night.

4) Little things that I try not to take for granted, like hot water and showers, a washer and dryer so I can do laundry at all hours and with little effort. And take a shower whenever the heck I want. And having a wonderful mother and father. And a very very smart, handy, and loving husband.

5) Christmas cards from my best friend.

 

December 25th - Christmas

"If, as Herod, we fill our lives with things, and again with things;

if we consider ourselves so unimportant 

that we must fill every moment of our lives with action, 

when will we have the time to make the long, slow journey 

across the desert as did the Magi?

Or sit and watch the stars as did the shepherds?

Or brood over the coming of the child as did Mary?

For each one of us, there is a desert to travel.

A star to discover.

And a being within ourselves to bring to life."

- Author Unknown

This is the very first quote that Sarah found for her book.

Start Quote

"Oh, would that Christmas lasted the whole year through, 

as it ought." Charles Dickens lamented. 

"Would that the spirit of Christmas could live within our hearts 

every day of the year."

But what is the Christmas spirit? 

Perhaps the Christmas spirit, like the nature of the Beloved, 

is meant to be a Holy Mystery. 

Perhaps the Christmas spirit is our souls' knowledge that things, 

no matter how beautiful, are only things; 

that we were created, not always to do, but sometimes simply to be.

Perhaps the Christmas spirit is a loving reminder that we must 

make time for the long, slow journey across the desert; 

we must take time to discover our star; 

we must honor the time necessary to brood over the coming of 

the authentic women we were created by Love to become. 

It has been said many times that our lives are gifts from God

- that what we do with them is our gift in return.

Today is the perfect day to remember this.

So this is my Christmas wish for both of us:

that behind the toys, tinsel, carols, cards, and convivial chaos,

there will come a moment of quiet reflection and peace.

That is may be truly said of each of us that we know how to keep Christmas well...

Merry Christmas! and God bless us, God bless us every one!

End Quote

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Gratitude Journal

***

1) We were up early enough to see the amazing sunrise.

2) I got some really wonderful gifts for Christmas. I'm feeling very blessed, and very  loved.

 My dad got me my favorite nativity, the one my mom has. It is the only nativity I've ever loved.

Shelby drew a bird for me a long time ago, and I wanted it painted so that I could actually put it up. My cousin is the most talented artist I know, and I asked her if she would do me a favor and paint it for me. She gave it to me for Christmas. And it is so beautiful.

3) Good food.

4) Good family.

5) Sitting curled up in a blanket on the couch, next to the fire, reading The Chronicles of Narnia.