Typing a Prayer

I always want a better relationship with my Heavenly Father. Sometimes, though, praying feels hard for me. I don't know why exactly. It just is. A couple of years ago I heard someone explain about how she types a prayer-or writes it with pen and paper; but she writes, and then listens. It would look something like this:
Me:
Them:

Who is "them?" Well, I believe in a loving Heavenly Father. If there is a father, there must be a mother. Together they had a son who is my older brother, Jesus Christ. And there is also the Holy Ghost. Now, I pray to Heavenly Father, but in the name of Jesus Christ (using His power on my behalf) I believe that my answers come from any of these mentioned individuals, or all of them collectively. I've done this exercise a few times. I like this because it feel more personal. By writing down my prayer, and what I feel my answer is I'm able to look back on what directions, council and comfort I was given.
Heavenly Father answers prayers, but first, the prayer must be offered. Answers do come.

I learned this on accident, because I typed a prayer on purpose.

The Eyes Have It

Masks. Love them or hate them, they are a new part of our society. I'm sure your'e familiar with the old adage, "the eyes are the window to the soul." Well, with mask wearing happening more often in public places, I hope you're keeping your "windows" open.
Masks cover roughly 2/3 of our faces. Sometimes our words are muffled and harder to hear and understand. We are now relying on our eyes to do much of our communicating. So smile under that mask! It truly makes a difference.

I learned this on accident because I wore a mask on purpose.

With Smile

Without smile

 Can you see the difference? Chins up, smiles on! (even under the mask)

A note to you, my friend

Well, this blog has definitely become what I didn't want it to become...a lost, forgotten piece of cyberspace.There have been many things that I have learned, especially during this time of world pandemic and I've been nudged, very gently, that I need to continue to write down and share the things that I learn.  For you? For a friend? For me? Probably mostly for me. But I cannot ignore it any longer. So, my intention now is to share with you several posts that I have been composing in my mind, and writing in journals, for quite some time.  They won't come in any particular order, not chronological, not by subject, but they will come.

And my hope is that you too will learn things on accident, as you read this blog on purpose.

~Gina

This is what cancer looks like

**Note**
This post was started MONTHS ago. I kind of forgot about it but after seeing it here on my "unfinished list" it felt like I needed to still publish it.  It isn't finished. I have yet to tell you about chemo, or the "after-party" But I didn't want this to stay here another day. I want to get out into cyberspace.

What do you think of when you see or hear the word "cancer?" Do you picture someone old or young? Do you picture a man or a woman? You might imagine someone sick for weeks with unexplained weight-loss or bruises or blotchy skin. Perhaps you yourself have experienced a lump in your breast or a tumor somewhere else on your body.

Isn't that the perfect shirt to wear to the day of your cancer surgery?

In Apr 2019 my husband turned 50. Upon having his annual doctors physical, the doc mentioned to my husband that it was now time for him to have a colonoscopy. Being the rule follower that he is, my husband was very compliant and on Oct 30, we took him to the hospital to have the procedure completed.
Following the procedure the attending doc came to the recovery room and, without any fanfare or tiptoeing, said, "You are the exact reason why we want people to have these screenings. We found a mass.  It looks like cancer."

Cancer? Did he say cancer? Yes, yes he did. We went home and waited for pathology tests to come back.

Nov. 1st-our 28th wedding anniversary. We went to SLC for little anniversary celebration for the weekend. That afternoon, at around 5:00 pm, we received a phone call from the doctor. The tumor tested positive. We heard the words "colon cancer" "surgery" "life expectancy." Not a tear free anniversary, I can tell you.

Nov 6th--Our first visit with the specialist. When he walked into the room, Andy and I had been talking and laughing. I think it took the surgeon off guard. He talked to us for a moment, asked, "So, how are you feeling." "Fine" Andy said. "I ran four miles this morning!" Dr. Kim proceeded to explain about the mass that was found. It wasn't confusing information but I think we were a little bit in shock. "So, what they found last week; it was cancer?" my husband asks. "Yes" replied Dr. Kim "Most definitely"

Nov 21--surgery day. According to Dr. Kim, this surgery went as well as it possibly could. Aprrox 4 inches of Andy's sigmoid colon were removed, the reattachment from A to B went flawlessly and Andy was out of the hospital just over 24 hours later. 24 lymph nodes were also removed.
Those were off to pathology for testing and we waited some more.

Post op. He was pretty loop for several hours. That was a lot of fun!

So handsome, even dressed in hospital cotton!

Nov 28th--On this Thanksgiving day, our family walked a 5k together. Andy was just one week post surgery, but he walked the entire distance with us. It was a great day. We had much to be thankful for!

Lessons from Boston Marathon

I am a runner.
That phrase doesn't roll easily off my tongue. It has taken a long time for me to verbalize that; especially out loud, let alone on a blog! Why is it difficult for me to own up to this? Well, I don't fit a lot of the "typical" things about a runner; I am not "fast", I am not "small", I am not a "natural athlete".
So, what are some things that make me a runner:
I am determined
I am consistent
I work hard
I can move my legs and feet at a pace faster than I can walk
I watch the Boston Marathon


On Monday, Apr 16 2018, I spent a couple of hours watching The Boston Marathon on my little tablet. It is always so inspiring to watch. This year did not disappoint. The weather conditions were AWFUL! They were horrible for ANY occasion, let alone for an outdoor endurance sport. These runners slogged through torrential rain and wind. And the super fast runners still finished 26.2 in less time than it takes me to clean my bathroom. (I really don't like to clean my bathroom)

After the winner of the womens and mens races were announced, the professional coverage with commentators ended, what was left was the view from the finish line cam. I watched the view from that camera for over 30 minutes.
I was receiving text alerts about my friend Tammy who was running so I was partially watching the finish line, hoping to recognize her. As I watched though, I started noticing something;
Each person that crossed the finish line had their own personal victory. Many raised their arms over their head as they crossed.  Some nearly collapsed and were placed onto a wheelchair. Some held hands with the person they were with and hugged and kissed. I think all of them were relieved that it was over, elated that they had finished, and marveled at the experience and conditions they had just gone through to get to the finish line. They had finished! And in my experience from running, when you finish, you win!

It caused me to think of all of us and our personal race towards heaven.
When we cross the final finish line, we will likely have many of these same feeling. Because we worked hard, overcome many obstacles and "storms" that we didn't expect or plan for, and we've done something amazing.

I'm a runner because it teaches me so many important lessons about life and working hard.

I love learning these things on accident, because I do other things on purpose!

You Never Know

Have you ever had a thought come into your head and thought to do something a little out your normal pattern? Maybe to turn left instead or go straight. Maybe you thought to call a friend and then found out they were having a bad day and your call was just what they needed. While at the store, maybe you decided to buy an extra can of soup, and then discovered that your neighbor was sick and needed a meal, so you took them the soup. Maybe, just maybe, you've had a thought to go check ton your kids and then discovered that they were playing in peanut butter. No? Just me? Anyway, these little thoughts are known by different names; inspiration, prompting, conscious, Holy Spirit. For  the intent of this post, we'll call it light.

That light can come to us at any time. Usually its spontaneous and unexpected. We then have to decide what we are going to do with the light...use it and shine it on someone or something else, or ignore it, probably because it didn't shine bright enough.

Recently I had a conversation with someone who was in need of help; but help that I couldn't offer. I was over 2,000 miles away and truly unable to help this person at their time of need. Later that same day, I had a conversation with someone else who lives much closer to the first someone. The second someone actually knows the first someone and told me that they had a thought to go visit the first someone--but didn't.

Neither of the someones knew about each others conversations with me. When I learned that the second someone did not go and visit the first someone, even though they had the thought (light) to do so, I felt a little bit sad. The second someone said that the idea came, but it didn't stick around so they didn't think the idea was that important. (the light was there, but it wasn't very bright)

In the end, the first someone ended up getting help, but from a different source.

What this experience taught me is that you never know. You never know if the thought you get to visit, or buy that soup or make a call just might be the answer to someone else's prayer or hopeful wishing.

You never know.

Back to Basics

I've been using running as my main form of exercise for over six years now. For most of those six years I've run the majority of my miles all alone. I learned to like it that way. My "listening habits" have varied. Sometimes I listen to 80's music, sometimes it's show tunes. Other times it's a podcast. Much of the time I am simply listening to my breath and my own thoughts. During those first months of running, I learned to like listening to Christian pop music. Not for the tempo or beat, but for the uplifting lyrics. There's something therapeutic to me about positive, uplifting words pouring into my head while I am doing something that is hard but is building my mental and physical self.

Recently, after a couple of tough wife and mom days, I needed to take a break from my "new normal" of running with a partner. I headed out all by myself, headphones in my ears and no real plan of how far I would run or when I would return. It was during this run that I felt a connection to where it all began for me. On this particular day I ran alone, which I haven't done for weeks, and I listened to gospel pop music, which I haven't done in years. I felt humbled and connected back to my Heavenly Father as I ran outside and listened to words in my ears about being a daughter of God, and how I want Him to see me as beautiful. One song in particular, "Glorious", touched me to my very core. I've been floundering, for what feels like months, trying to find my place. I am a wife, a mom, a daughter, a friend, but I've just felt like something has been missing and that I wasn't "doing it right." This song is a beautiful reminder that I can figure out my part if I keep trying and "listening". "Everyone plays a piece, and there are melodies in each one of us. It's glorious!"

I was so happy to learn this again, as I ran alone and with uplifting music, on purpose.

This is a view from my run. Who couldn't feel connected and peaceful with this?

Grateful List 2018

I've always been aware of being grateful, especially in our trials and suffering...that's harder, but still important.
The beginning of a new year often brings thoughts of creating new goals, resolutions, fresh starts, etc.
I've never been a huge goal setter, but I am a believer in setting intentions.
A few days ago I saw a video of a woman sharing the idea of writing down one thing, ONE THING, every day that you are grateful for. Being more specific than "a roof over my head", but really being grateful for something...even if the day has been "terrible and nothing good happened," there is still SOMETHING to be grateful for.
I've been thinking about this and am creating an intention to be grateful for one thing, every day in 2018. The biggest road block for me was where to write this list. I decided to do it here since this is a place I desire to be going more often anyway.

I realize that I will have to update this post every single day.
I realize that this post is for me, and not so much for you, the reader.
I hope that you may have a desire to be more grateful and that you can recognize the little things that come into your life and how they are meaningful to you.
I hope you, also, recognize blessings on accident, because you thought to be grateful on purpose,
because I'm sure that I will.

**Update: To prevent this single post from becoming F O R E V E R  L O N G, I've moved this post to a page; 
2018 Gratitude series. That is where the regular updates will appear.

Jan 1, 2018
--I am grateful for a husband who likes spending time with me, and WANTS to spend time with me. He isn't much of a talker, but likes to be with me. Even if we sit in silence, we are doing it together and that is enough.

Jan 2, 2018
--I am grateful for the ability to exercise...it helps me as much mentally as physically
--I am grateful that my daughter has brought home pizza from work twice in the past week. It has provided us with meals for lunch and dinners and has saved me from having to prepare dinner. And, it's delicious!
--I am grateful for hot chocolate! I almost always feel cold and sometimes when I cant stop shivering, a cup of hot chocolate warms me on the inside too.
--I am grateful for a husband who was willing to dance with me, even when he didn't really want to.
--I am grateful to be able to laugh with my husband. He's my favorite!

Jan 3, 2018
We woke up this morning to the news that our beloved prophet, and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Thomas S. Monson, passed away last  night. He was 90 years old. I've been thinking of him all day. I never met him, but I've still been impacted by him.
--I am grateful for this man who lived, led and loved with kindness, generosity and sincerity. I learned today that when he donated a white shirt to a thrift store, he first washed the shirt, pressed and folded it, and added a tie; out of respect for the person who would receive it.  I learned that when he used a public restroom, he always wiped down the counter and sink area with a paper towel, to show respect for the next person who would use it.
--I am grateful for the knowledge of who the next President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints will be. You can read about that process here. We know how this process works and I'm grateful that it will be met with peace, and acceptance.

It's been awhile

I mentioned in a previous post that blogging is hard. My original intentions were to post weekly, and I was determined to not become "that page" that went unattended for weeks and months.  But, alas, life has happened and it's been over two months since I last wrote anything here.

Due to reasons that don't really matter to you, I have been spending some time rereading some of my previous posts.  And you know what I learned? I like what I wrote! I was able to reconnect with feelings and emotions. I was able to remember the events as they happened, and when I wrote about them. I reminded myself that I LIKE writing and blogging.  It's it's own sort of therapy for me and provides a type of documentation that I am not getting anywhere else.

When I was younger, before I married, I used to be quite good at writing in a journal, nearly every day. But when my "real life" started (getting married and having kids), my history/record keeping ceased. I may not need to log every moment of every day, but I love recording and then rereading the little blips of life that have helped me to evolve and develop into the woman that I am becoming.

I learned this on accident, because I reread my blog on purpose!

What do you do to record your personal and family history?

Choices are important

One spring morning, while on a run, I noticed a large caterpillar crossing the road.  I was running on the left side of the street, and it was crossing from right to left.  How brave of that caterpillar to have left the safety of his grass and leaves and flowers to trudge across the barren, hot wasteland of the black topped road.  It didn't get run over, or stepped on, and knew where it was heading. (I'm sure his instinct told him exactly where to go...and why)  I thought for a split second about picking him up and "helping' him finish this part of his journey.  Then flashed through my mind the images of stories I've heard how it is actually detrimental to the strength and survival of the creature trying to get where it needs to be, to "help them."  The simple act of me picking up the caterpillar and removing him from his course and then placing him on a new section of a path would have been disorienting to this creature, at best.

 I thought for a second, as I was trudging along, how I would feel if someone came and plucked me up, in mid stride, and placed me on another part of the road further ahead.  Would I feel helped? No! I would have felt gipped out of the effort that I was putting in.  I would have felt a little put out that someone thought they knew better than I about what I could handle.  Just because, to you, I may have looked like I was struggling to get my breath or fighting for every step, doesn't mean that I was not capable of getting myself down the road, thank-you very much!

Awhile later, nearing the end of my run, I saw a man mowing his lawn using a riding mower. "Wouldn't it be fun" I thought, "if I could jump on and ride a little ways with him on that mower?"  Not because I couldn't finish my run, I just thought a ride on that tractor seemed like fun.

I instantly flashed back to that caterpillar.  What was the difference between someone else picking me up and putting me on a different place on the road an me riding on the mower? Both would have relieved me of some effort. One was MY CHOICE.  The other, was not.

How important are the choices that we make?  Is my instinct telling me where to go...and why? Am I following that natural instinct or allowing others to direct my path and influence my choices? I will continue to ponder these questions for a long time.

I learned this on accident, because I thought about that caterpillar on purpose.

A little PSA

Today's post is truly from the heart, and without a lot of forethought. It's a lesson I learned on accident, not particularly happy, not one that I wanted, nor do I want to continue to have in my life; I'm afraid of dogs.  Specifically, dogs not on leashes, away from their homes.
A year ago, while running, I was on a very rural road.  While running IN THE STREET but in front of homes, three little, yappy dogs came toward me.  I ran. They chased me and one of them grabbed my left calf and bit me. It was a decent bite and while I was not punctured by the teeth, skin was broken and deep bruising occurred.  What I didn't expect was that this lingering fear would still be with me.  When a dog is out in their yard, they have every right to bark at me.  I will not enter your space, but that dog better not enter mine.  On several occasions since then I have been chased by loose dogs.  This sends my heart rate into levels so high, its like it's trying to reach to sun!
It's happend twice in my new neighborhood.  These chases were done by dogs, not on leashes, but with their owner.  I'm going to shout so you'll hear me. "YOU MAY THINK YOUR DOG WON'T BITE, BUT I DON'T!"
I don't want to be afraid of your dog.  I really don't.  We even had a "great dog experiment" and owned a dog for four years. However, it seems that, sometimes, dog owners/lovers care more about the freedom and happiness of their dog than the safety of others.  Most dogs are not biters. But from owning a very active black lab, I know that the great game of most dogs is to chase people. It is so fun for them! But, for an innocent person who is running for fitness, or a child riding their bike or walking/playing on the sidewalk, suddenly being chased by a dog is not fun at all.
So, consider this a little PSA: Keep your dog on a leash.  It'll save everyone a little heartache. Your dog won't run to chase me, "accidentally" bite me or someone else, and I won't call animal control on you.

By the way, I did call animal control on the dogs who bit me last year.  They were not up to date on their vaccinations and had to be quarantined for three days.  The dogs were also repeat offenders.  I will feel bad for you if your dog gets taken away, or if you have to pay hundreds of dollars in fines, but I will feel devastated if any HUMAN gets hurt because your dog was not restrained.

Maybe this will be something you can learn on purpose because I was bitten by a dog on accident.

Running into the wind

On a late winter day in February, I went for my morning run. It was a bit dreary; clouds everywhere and the wind was blowing.  I grew up in Utah and there we had an east wind that would blow so strongly. But it always came from the same direction...the east.  I've heard runners tell tales about having the wind at your back to sort of push you along and make your effort easier.  In the South it seems that when the wind blows, it comes from all directions.  So I may be running into the wind and then I turn a corner and I'm still running into the wind.  I may change directions again and, still, into the wind! Thanks, South!  Well, on this blustery day, I wanted to give up.  The wind was blowing any and every way it wanted and I was cold! However, I'm consistent in the fact that when I set out to complete a run, I give it my best.  Even if it's 45 minutes in the cold wind, I will finish!
I don't know exactly when, but maybe 35 minutes into the workout the wind finally took a break and the sun came out.  I felt my attitude change and I suddenly felt like I could run forever! I'm sure the actual air temperature didn't change much but my attitude and perspective surely did.  I realized: when we are experiencing trials, problems and challenges in our life, we tend to feel like the cold wind is blowing and we want to quit. But when the "sun shines" and we are given a break from the extra burdens for awhile, we feel as if we could go on forever.

Many years ago I was boarding an airplane on a rainy, dreary day.  As the plane took off and went higher in altitude we broke through the clouds and darkness and it was a glorious, bright sunny day.  I learned then that it is always a beautiful day somewhere, so I may as well enjoy it, where ever I am.
Problems come, trials exist, stuff happens! If we view these experience through the lens of a sunny day we can endure much, much longer.

I learned this on accident, because I ran in cold wind on purpose.

Inspiration and the amazing box of awesomeness

Inspiration--

1-Supply the inspiration for, fill with revolutionary ideas.

2-Product of creativity and work. A sudden intuition

What inspires you? A piece of artwork? A beautiful song? Nature? Another person? Have you ever thought, and realized, that YOU inspire others?

My daughter is dyslexic and works weekly with a tutor.  One of the tools they use is a spell checker; or, as my daughter calls it, "the amazing box of awesomeness." This device allows my daughter to input letters and insert a question mark when she isn't 100% sure of the spelling.  The device then gives my daughter the correct spelling of the word.  It's pure awesomeness for her.  My daughter told this to her tutor who LOVED it and now refers to the spell checker as "the amazing box of awesomeness" to encourage other kids who struggle with using the spell checker.

I am a runner.  I've been inspired by others which encouraged me to work hard.  I never thought that what I am doing would be a source of inspiration to other people.  During half marathon training, as I would post pics or experiences I had while running, people would tell me that I inspired them to start exercising.  Me?!

In whatever it is you do, people are watching and paying attention. When you do what you do with joy, enthusiasm and positivity, (like the amazing box of awesomeness) you will inspire someone else, and they will improve and inspire someone.  It's part of the fantastic circle of life. 

What does your amazing box of awesomeness look like?

Uplifting, spiritual thoughts

Twice a year, in April and October, I am uplifted and fed spiritually by leaders from my church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  I love these weekends because I am gifted so much enlightenment, such as:

"Families are the best way to teach and pass on moral virtues."
"The best technology cannot be a substitute for revelation."
"Knowledge does not reduce pain."
"Repentance is not a punishment, it is a PRIVILEGE!"
"The happiness of our spouse is more important than our own pleasures."
"Children are great imitators.  Give them something great to imitate."
"Fear rarely has the power to change our hearts."
"God will always bless us for our loyalty, but rarely shows us his timetable."
"Those that are the hardest to love need love the most."

I learned these nuggets, and many more, on accident. Because I listened to General Conference on purpose.

*If you would like to watch any or all of the messages, you may do so by clicking here.

Heart full of friends

moving stinks. Really, it is not the most fun I've ever had. The effort to pack and clean is just, well, exhausting. Then there is the emotional roller coaster--happy for new adventures, sad to leave friends, excited for the new house, crying because you listened to that song that reminds you of where you've been living.
People don't like saying "goodbye". It feels final, as if you will never see the person again. We say "good bye" when we hang up the phone. Why is it so much harder when we move? No idea.

While all of this moving and change can be hard physically, emotionally and sentimentally, it helps me to see how blessed I am in my life. I have lived in beautiful places. I have met many wonderful people. The thing that I do love about moving is that it means I get to collect more friends. I love bringing people into my circle, and I love been pulled into theirs. I adore crossing paths with someone in this life, even if our paths have only crossed for a few months. Knowing these people makes my life richer and happier. And my heart is full!

There is  a saying that goes something like, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."  My kids and I recently completed an over 2,000 mile drive across this country. We attended our new congregation on Sunday and I realized that these are new people that will be brought into my circle and I will be brought into theirs. My life's path will begin new crossroads and a new chapter is being written. And my heart is full!

Moving may not be the most fun because of the work involved, but it is the best way to fill your heart full of friends.

I learned this on accident, because I chose to have a positive attitude about moving, on purpose.

Running is my therapy

Changes in life can bring a lot of stress.  They also can be a time of reflection. Our family is undergoing changes which are bringing a bit of both.

My husband took a new job in a new state and that has left me and three kids to sell a house and prepare to move over 2,000 miles away.  That can be stressful.  We've lived in our current home and area only 18 months; pretty short on the home-owner scale. During those 18 months we've had a love/hate relationship with the home and area. We didn't want to leave our previous home of nine years, the home we have been living in was configured so differently, it took months to adjust. It took longer than we would have liked to make friends and build relationships here.

Have I mentioned that change does not come easily to me? When I felt that this move was going to happen, my first instinct was to reject it and "brace for impact." I talked to a dear friend who told me that I could choose to embrace change. If the change is going to happen, then I can choose how I respond to it.

Some people don't like to listen to music when they run. They say they like the time to think and have their head clear.  Me? I do my deeper thinking and pondering when I'm listening to good music.  The words pouring directly into my head seem to have more meaning.  A song I can sing the words to, without thinking, suddenly takes on a new message when I am concentrating on those words and the story behind it.  Usually during a run I do not listen to music or anything. However, when I'm going to be gone longer than an hour, the earbuds go in and the music goes on.  My music of choice is a mixture of 80's, country and Christian. Ecclectic!

On this particular run I was thinking about the upcoming move and reflecting on the experiences we've had here.  We had lived here about a year when my husband and I felt that change was in the air and it was time to look for a new job move closer to family. It wasn't long after that decision was made that I started to really fall in love with where I live; the house, the neighborhood, the people, everything. About 45 minutes into the run, I hear the words, "It must have been love. But it's all over now." Tears. "It must have been good, but I lost it somehow." Sobbing. I wondered if I had wasted 12 months of living here by not loving it sooner. Then I realized that I had grown to love something and I know we are always better off for loving...even if it takes longer than expected.

Two songs later, Garth Brooks begins crooning to me. "I'll never reach my destination, if I never try..." "Don't you sit upon the shoreline and say you're satisfied but choose to chance the rapids and dare to dance the tide...There's bound to be rough waters and I know I'll take some falls. With the good Lord as my captain I can make it through them all."  Now I was REALLY crying. I thought about how my husband and I really have embraced this move.  We chose what job we wanted, we chose where we wanted to move to. We were dreamers!

The final 10 minutes of my run I stopped the music and took out the ear buds. I listened to the birds singing.  I noticed the leaves starting to bud on the trees and I avoided puddles left from the recent rain. I reflected on how much I have loved where I live, and how grateful I was to have spent 75 minutes saying "goodbye" to this neighborhood and part of the country that has been my home.

Running was therapy for me on this day, and running with music was inspirational and healing to my soul.  I learned this on accident, because I listened to music on purpose.

Blogging is hard

Everyone, it seems, has a blog these days.  I never aspired to be a blogger.  I've never really considered myself a writer. I've had experiences in my life that I enjoy talking about, and writing them down helps to cement them in my memory.
But choosing to be a BLOGGER, now that feels like pressure and that I better be funny and smart and clever. And punctual.  My original intention was to publish one new post a week.  I did well the first month because I wrote several posts on one day and I scheduled them to publish on the weeks that I wanted them.  (I love technology for this purpose!)
Then, life started happening, I got behind on my posts, I began to wonder if anyone was really reading, and thinking that no one would notice if I didn't write another word.  It's challenging to put my thoughts into words that are coherent and flowing for someone else who isn't in my brain.

And I realized, blogging is HARD. I learned this on accident because I choose to blog on purpose.

Put the SOCIAL back into social network

Today's happy accident is brought to you by...my birthday; And social media. Social networks these days are a funny mix of political posts and food videos.  Maybe they should be renamed "opinion networks."

First, I want to share some definitions that I found for the word "social":
relating to, devoted to, or characterized by friendly companionship or relations:
seeking or enjoying the companionship of others; friendly; sociable;
living or disposed to live in companionship with others or in a community, rather than  in isolation:
The last one I really like. People need other people! While many of us feel anti-social at times, we really do need other people to be part of our lives, to at least a small degree.

I had a birthday last week. I'm not ashamed to tell you that I celebrated the completion of my 46th trip around the sun. (sounds kind of impressive, right?) I also share a birthday with my youngest child, a boy. He turned 12.This child of mine does not yet belong to any "opinion networks". He has an email account. He's 12. He doesn't even NEED email but it keeps him in touch with some long distance friends.  Which brings me to my point.  Social networks are supposed to be social!

Because of my said birthday, I was the recipient of many thoughtful birthday wishes. Now, some people don't like to post their birthday on social media, and they don't like receiving the "obligatory" "Happy Birthday" from people that maybe wouldn't ordinarily go out of their way to give a birthday wish. I am not one of those people.  While I don't always give a birthday shout out to someone when I am "reminded", I loved reading the posts from friends who took time out of their day to type out a little birthday wish to me.  It might seem like no big deal, but they really did think about me! They saw that it was my birthday, made a choice to click on my name, continued with that choice and wrote "Happy Birthday, Gina!" or some other variation on that theme.  And it really means a lot! Really. I wanted to reply to each one, so I took some time to do that.  And I wanted each reply to be special too--not a cut and paste job.  And here is when the magic happened.  As I replied, my friends started to reply back. And we were, get this, social! We exchanged niceties and I felt connected to them. Some of these people I have not seen for well over 15 years. It took me a couple of hours to get all of the replies done, but as a new comment would come in I would smile and enjoy a few more minutes with that person. Over the years, social media has been hijacked into political messages, political correctness, business promoting and cat videos. I believe that social media has a great power to bring people together and even to keep them connected, if that power is used for that purpose. Something I learned on accident, because I chose to be social on purpose.

I invite you to take a few minutes today and be social on your social media. Interact with someone. Write them a hello, or wish someone a happy birthday.  It'll bring a smile to you and your network.

Me and the birthday boy trying this selfie thing. 

It's the response that counts

What kind of trials do you experience? Maybe it's an unhealthy habit that plagues you. Perhaps someone you know is dealing with an addiction and it's poisoning your relationship. Maybe it's unemployment or underemployment.  You might be dealing with chronically ill children or aging parents.  Maybe a loved one has hurt you deeply, or you are having a faith crisis, or you are moving  Maybe you face depression.  Maybe it's a trial of how to get your business going, and keep it going.  Maybe your hard trial for today is getting the laundry and dishes done, or making sure that all of the people that live in your house are fed, clothed and safely back in bed at the end of the day.

Whatever we face, whatever our challenge is, it's not really the challenge, or "the trial" that's the issue.  IT'S HOW WE RESPOND to the trial.  Do we meet each hurdle and obstacle with frustration, anger and resentment? Or, do we embrace it as an opportunity to learn, grow and an acknowledgement that we have been entrusted with the responsibility to see ourselves through to the other side of this hurdle?

Getting through these trial usually requires some sort of plan, right? How will I get that laundry done? When will I make dinner? How can I show my loved one that I care for them? How can I loose excess weight or tone and strengthen muscles?

If we respond to these trials with the attitude that we are stronger than we think, and that we can overcome; if we stay on "THE PLAN", there will come a day that we become what we are striving to become, and accomplish.  We are meant to have JOY in our lives.  There is a scripture I love that says "If thou art sorrowful, call on the Lord thy God...that your soul may be joyful." Focusing on joy brings peace into our lives. Focus on Joy.  It's the response that counts!

I learned this on accident, because I want to be joyful on purpose!

No Less Seviceable

Do you find yourself comparing your actions to those of others? Do you feel that your day to day, run of the mill tasks just don't measure up to those of Fred and Sally that live on the other side of the fence? (Or the other side of social media?)

During a church lesson recently I learned that even my daily events like dishes, cleaning, teaching my children right and wrong and supporting my husband do not make me any less serviceable than the actions of those people that, on a daily basis, enforce laws, help the sick, or make million dollar deals.  Our tasks are different.  Our responsibilities in this world are not comparable, but the effect we can have on the world is the same...positive.

A wise man once said, "Not all of us are going to be...catching the acclaim of our colleagues all day every day.  Most of us will be quiet, relatively unknown folks who come and go and do our work without fanfare.  To those of you who may find that (thought) lonely or frightening or just spectacular, I say, you are "no less serviceable" than the most spectacular of your associates.  You, too, are part of God's army." --Howard W. Hunter


No less serviceable.  Something I learned on accident, because I went to church on purpose.