Revolution of Love

Revolution of Love

Do small things with great love.

31 Days of Gratitude (Day 18): Blessed Is She Workshops

It’s Day 18 of f the #write31days challenge and my 31 Days of Gratitude 2016 and I was supposed to post this in the morning but I had no time since I left early for a school field trip (more on that tomorrow) and after school we had appointments and errands and I got home with barely enough time to get dinner on the table. So it’s a late post today.

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What I was thankful for, however, was the Blessed Is She workshop I attended at home (with bare feet and my cozy clothes). It was given by Shannon of We, A Great Parade and I was so excited to hear it because I met her at the BIS team retreat and she is absolutely lovely (and I fell in love with her baby boy who I was eager to hold πŸ˜‰ ). Shannon spoke about “Finding Your Identity as Beloved” with the book of Hosea. The workshop was insightful and but there were also worksheets she could use to go deeper and I’m almost a little afraid to because I suspect there is more God wants to reveal to my heart. I’ll let you know how it goes. πŸ˜‰

I may be biased since I am a part of BIS but I have nothing to do with the workshops (besides attending them) but I think they are genius. It allows me to set time aside to watch and learn and pray without having to leave my home. And if I miss a workshop, I can go back and replay it as many times as I want. I am just so grateful for this opportunity and so thankful for the women who share their heart and their knowledge with us.

I know for some people the price is an issue ($15 a workshop) but you can get at least 12 workshops (more since most months have more than one workshop) plus the Advent journal and the Lenten journal for a year subscription of $99. I think that would be a great thing to add to your Christmas gift if you have a generous relative that wants to buy you something or a hubby that will donate your gift money to your BIS fund. Just saying… πŸ˜‰

So for the workshops, for the speakers, for a hubby that understands I am feeding the kids early and also chooses to wait to eat until I am done so we can have dinner together, I am truly thankful. πŸ™‚

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Oh, and by the way, the next workshop is scheduled for October 28! I hope to see you there. πŸ™‚

PS – You can follow RoL on Bloglovin, Feedly or another news feed. If you are a social media fan like me, we can stay in touch through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, GoodReads, Letterboxd, or Spotify, πŸ˜‰

 


31 Days of Gratitude (Day 17): Mother & Daughter Time

Hello, Monday. What are you doing here so soon? Today is Day 17 of the #write31days challenge and my 31 Days of Gratitude 2016.I have a busy week scheduled so the posts this week may be short and sweet.

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When I write on the blog about my kids, I’ll talk a lot about my boys because they are young and playful and they enjoy when I tell stories about them.

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I used to write about Bella a lot when she was little but now, at the age of 15, I give her more privacy and don’t speak about her as much. I am making an exception because today I am grateful for the time we have shared this past week. Now that she is in high school she has a different schedule than the boys. She enjoyed a week long Fall Break, which meant the two of us were alone without the guys in the family for eight hours every day. We had fun shopping for her Homecoming Dance dress, going out to lunch, volunteering for a school function, listening to her favorite artist (Shawn Mendes) and talking about different things in life. Sometimes it was trivial and had us laughing like crazy and some of it was deeper and touched my heart.

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It’s not often we get to have quiet time together so this week was really special. I am proud of the young woman Bella is becoming. She has such a good heart and a ready smile. And no matter how old she gets,Β  she will always be my baby.

For the girl who made me a mother, I am truly thankful. πŸ™‚

PS – You can follow RoL on Bloglovin, Feedly or another news feed. If you are a social media fan like me, we can stay in touch through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, GoodReads, Letterboxd, or Spotify, πŸ˜‰

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For more 31 Days of Gratitude, visit the homepage here.

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Want to join the writing challenge but are unable to write everyday? Join me for the Weekly Writing Challenge in October instead.


31 Days of Gratitude (Day 14): Five Minute Friday – Mail

Good morning, lovelies! Today is Day 14 of #write31days challenge and my 31 Days of Gratitude 2016. We are so close hitting the half way point! Kudos to my fellow bloggers who are still typing away. Kudos to the readers who are still sticking around because, let’s face it, those are a lot of posts to read! But the writing exercise has been good for me and here’s to hoping I survive the second half. πŸ™‚

The other day I was reading through the blogs that linked up for the Weekly Writing Challenge and Chris from Campfires and Cleats was talking about Five Minute Friday. I have heard about it but never participated, until today. Chris inspired me to give it a try! The rule is to write 5-minutes straight about the topic of the day, more specifically, as the blog states, “This is meant to be a free write, which means: no editing, no over-thinking, no worrying about perfect grammar or punctuation. Just write.”Β  This ought to be interesting. πŸ˜‰ Okay, setting the timer and go…

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Today is my first 5 Minutes Friday. Yay! I clicked over and saw that the theme for today is “Mail.” What?? Anyone that knows me also knows that I love snail mail and that I have a note card collection that would rival any Hallmark store! Wait, do they even have Hallmark stores anymore?

My love of mail and writing letters started when I was a little girl and and had my first pen pal. The thrill of finding a letter in the mail rivals many joys in this world. As I grew older, I realized that receiving mail was only half the fun. Actually writing a letter and sending it to someone else was even more enticing. I realized that while I sometimes stumbled on my words and was not sure how to express myself, once I took pen to paper to fingers to the keyboard, my thoughts would untangle and the feelings I had in my heart would slowly be revealed. Whether it was a note to a friend or a letter apologizing to my mom, I could express myself in a way I could not with my mouth.

Later in life, those letters to a friend became letters to a future husband. We met online and while we emailed and end eventually phoned one another, we also took the time to sit down and write letters to one another. We revealed an inner part of ourselves to each other than others had not seen. I still have those letter tied up with a ribbon in my treasure box. And every holiday or birthday that comes around I walk into the kitchen and find a love letter waiting for me and letting me know that 17 years later, I am still the love of his life.

That’s what mail is to me, more than just words scrawled on a piece of paper. It is an envelope of love given to a friend, a relative or someone you love. Or it is an act of kindness to a stranger – a military person overseas, a sick child in a hospital or an elderly person sitting alone in a nursing home.

Today I am grateful for the people who have sat down and written me letter. As my thanks, today I will sit down and pen a note to a friend. πŸ™‚

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Whew, I did it. I only went over ten seconds to wrap up the last sentence. That was fun but it will kill me not to rewrite and add to what I wrote, although I will at least clean up the typos. A good lesson in humility. πŸ˜‰

Have a great Friday! Don’t forget today is the last day to link-up for Weekly Writing in October. (If you are doing 31 Days, just add your favorite post.) The new link-up for Week 3 will be up tomorrow morning.

PS – You can follow RoL on Bloglovin, Feedly or another news feed. If you are a social media fan like me, we can stay in touch through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, GoodReads, Letterboxd, or Spotify, πŸ˜‰

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Today I am linking up with Kate for Five Minute Friday: Mail

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For more 31 Days of Gratitude, visit the homepage here.

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Want to join the writing challenge but are unable to write everyday? Join me for the Weekly Writing Challenge in October instead.

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31 Days of Gratitude (Day 13): Throwback Thursday – Leaving the Bubble and Seeing God’s Beauty in the Mess

The #write31days challenge continues. It’s Day 13 of my 31 Days of Gratitude 2016. In a new tradition, I’ll be having Throwback Thursdays and reposting past posts. Here is one I originally posted in October two years ago.

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Last weekend we spent the day at a friend’s ranch/farm, which was about an hour out of town, for a birthday party. I have to admit that when Brian and I get invitations from friends our first response is – can we get out of it? Well, maybe it’s not that bad but these days we are more prone to stay home than to venture out.

This used to be the little schoolhouse.

However, lately I have been feeling like we need to get out of our little “bubble’ more often and spend time with other families. And not just families that believe exactly the way we do, but those who differ in their faith. We all share a common love for our kids and are trying to raise them within a moral compass but we don’t necessarily see eye to eye on certain things. Finding common ground and learning to be respectful of our differences, without necessarily changing our own beliefs, is not always easy. However, it is essential to learn how to interact and live peacefully amongst our neighbors (or even family members.)

Cotton candy and popcorn. What more could you ask for?

In the end, we had a great time. The party was so fun and the kids absolutely loved all the carnival games and bouncy house and looking at all the different farm animals. (Although John-Paul inherited his mother’s dislike of certain smells and did not want to stand near the “stinky cows.”) I loved talking to the other moms and Brian was in awe over the little ranch chapel that our friend’s mom built. He already has plans to remodel our current outdoor shed into something similar. πŸ˜‰

I also thought it was funny that this was my second time in one week to spend time at a farm. As I mentioned earlier, I am a city girl and not used to being around horses and cattle and other live stock. I’m not keen on all the flies everywhere but something about this ranch just took my breath away. You could see the hard work and dedication that was involved in maintaining it. Although it looked different from scenes of the ocean or the forests, there was an undeniable beauty in the land. At one point I wandered around with my camera and took a few shots. As my feet kicked up the dirt and the sun beat down on my back, there was a sense of God’s presence in the simple beauty to be found. A beauty I had not appreciated before.

 

My attitude reminded me of a stranger coming into our home and hearing the boys yelling and playing, seeing the Legos and the toys on the floor, seeing the crayon marks on the walls, stains in the carpet and the dishes in the sink and thinking, “How can they live in all this noise? How can they continually keep cleaning up after all these kids? I’d hate it.” But if they looked deeper they’d see that beyond the noise and the mess, there are giggles and laughter. There are sweet kisses and tight hugs. There are acts of kindness and reflections of God’s love. Sometimes you just have to dig a little deeper to see the beauty in the mess.

 

Being at the ranch today not only opened my eyes to the simple beauty in front of me but opened my heart to welcoming in other people and enjoy their companionship. Those are not things I would have learned had I just stayed home. For that, I am very grateful.

PS – You can follow RoL on Bloglovin, Feedly or another news feed. If you are a social media fan like me, we can stay in touch through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, GoodReads, Letterboxd, or Spotify, πŸ˜‰

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For more 31 Days of Gratitude, visit the homepage here.

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Want to join the writing challenge but are unable to write everyday? Join me for the Weekly Writing Challenge in October instead.


31 Days of Gratitude (Day 12): The Fruits of the Spirit

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It’s Day 12 of the #write31days challenge. My topic is 31 Days of Gratitude. You can see my previous Gratitude posts here.

Want to join the writing challenge but are unable to write everyday? Join me for the Weekly Writing Challenge in October instead.

Now for today’s post…

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Today was my turn to write the daily devotional for Blessed Is She. Here is a snippet:

Saint Paul is not one to mince words. He just lays out the fact that the β€œworks of the flesh” will keep us away from the Kingdom of Godβ€”immorality, impurity, hatred, jealousy, acts of selfishness, etc. There was a time in my life when I was not living as I ought and was giving into my passions and desires. When I finally hit bottom, I called out to God. I distinctly remember kneeling at the foot of my bed sobbing because I hated what I had become and wanted nothing more than to leave that old life behind and embrace a new life in Christ.

The next day I woke up feeling a shift within me but I also realized that living a life of Christ was more than just avoiding these sins. Saint Paul emphasized that now that we live in the Spirit, we also follow the Spirit. We become a new person that embodies the fruits of the Spiritβ€”love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. That is a tall order! I don’t know about you, but all these fruits do not come naturally to me.

Read the rest of the devotion here.

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It’s funny that when I was writing this devotion, I received in the mail this gorgeous hand painted fruits of the Holy Spirit canvas from Welcome Bee.com. I ordered it because I wanted to have a physical reminder of the fruits that should be present in my life as a Christian. Some of these fruits come easier to me (like kindness) but others are a lot tougher for me (I’m looking at you, patience!) I hung this up in my kitchen to remind me during the toil of the day that my actions and attitude should reflect the Spirit of God.

So today I am grateful for the the opportunities to grow in virtue, even if I don’t particularly like working on things like patience!

I am also thankful for the artists at Welcome Bee for sharing their talent and promoting the faith with it. πŸ™‚

What are you grateful for today?

 

PS – You can follow RoL on Bloglovin, Feedly or another news feed. If you are a social media fan like me, we can stay in touch through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, GoodReads, Letterboxd, or Spotify, πŸ˜‰

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