{Five Minute Friday | Present}

 It's Five Minute Friday. That means unplanned, unedited, straight-from-the-heart-to-the-paper writing. Yep, you just write whatever comes out based on a word you're given. If you have five minutes, you should give it a try!  Find out how here.

This week the prompt is {PRESENT}. 

Ready? GO. 

As a momma, this one is big. Watching your littles grow as fast as a weed, right before your eyes, teaches us a lot about being present. And besides, who doesn't savor those warm, fuzzy feelings that come when you are present, in the moment. I sure do! Sure, busy mom life is hard. But, I've learned something. Being present, fully present, is worth every bit of effort it takes. Here's why.

1. It teaches you to see. When you are present, things you otherwise overlook catch your attention. The details of the moment shift from ordinary to remarkable. Imagine putting on a new pair of glasses you never knew you needed. It's like that! You see more clearly and learn to appreciate your moments more deeply. You learn what's important and what's not so important. Sometimes, the remedy for a tired, overworked mind is wrapped up in the simplest of things.

2.  Being present cultivates gratitude. Y'all know how I feel about gratitude, right? Gratitude is a big deal. When you practice gratitude, you interact and engage with your world differently. You understand you have one shot at this moment, and you aren't guaranteed the next. When you get that,  you find the value in being present, and you don't want to waste a single moment.

So, go for it. Open your eyes wide, take in the remarkable details of your moment, and be thankful that it's yours.

STOP.

{Peppermint or Lavender?}

When a friend of mine introduced me to Améo essential oils, I thought I might grab a bottle or two to use in a hot bath. You know, just every now and then. I was, ahem, clueless. Now, I am an avid oil user. I know, I'm a little late to the game. But, no matter! 

Who knew all the things you could do with essential oils! Really, there are miles of possibilities. In the name of full disclosure, I am an Améo independent distributor. So, there are links in this post that will take you to my website where you can learn more about the brand or even purchase some of your own. I am partial to these oils, even though I’ve tried other brands, because all Améo Essential Oils are extensively tested for quality, purity, and usability. They truly are of the highest quality and potency. Best oils out there, hands down. Our family sees the benefits day in and day out. 

Here are two of my favorite go-to Améo essential oils. If you only have one oil in  your home,  make it one of these!

1. Peppermint Oil  I haven’t come across a person yet who doesn’t love the distinct, stimulating scent of this oil. It’s fresh and vibrant. I’ve used peppermint oil to ease nausea, clear up congestion, and relieve stress. Tension headaches don’t stand a chance against the powerhouse that is peppermint oil. You can mix it with fractionated coconut oil and use it to cool a sunburn. Mix it with true lavender and rosemary and rub it on sore, tired muscles. And, it’s AWESOME in a hot bath. Oh, yes. I’ve even used it in non-toxic homemade cleaning solutions and scent clean laundry by adding a few drops onto my woolen dryer balls. And, it’s perfect in DIY sugar scrubs. This gem of an oil can be found in various, strategic places throughout my home. I love it. And it’s a great place to start if you’re just dabbling. 

2. True Lavender Another familiar favorite for sure. This oil is as versatile as it is lovely. It blends well with just about any other oil out there, which is nice. It’s a soothing oil and eases tension. I use it at bedtime on my neck, shoulders, and wrists to promote relaxation and sleep. That’s after I’ve added it to a warm bath, of course! I also love this oil for dry, irritated, or chapped skin. I use it on my kiddos diluted in fractionated coconut oil and it soothes and cools itchy eczema skin. I love this oil in my homemade, non-toxic cleaners, in DIY room freshener, and again in the laundry room alongside my peppermint oil and woolen dryer balls. Oh, and my favorite use is in the kids’ bathroom. I put a few drops on the inside of the toilet paper roll to fight odors and freshen up the air in that room! Sneaky, I know. It’s just one of those oils that makes you feel better. And, because of it’s versatility, it’s also a great starter oil for the newbies of the essential oil world. I always, always keep this oil on hand. I love mixing it with my peppermint oil and diffusing it throughout the house! Imagine that! 

What about you? Do you have a favorite essential oil? What’s your favorite way to use it? I’d love to hear! 

{#RealLife | No. 5}

Some weeks it feels like we do life with the Dora the Explorer theme song playing in the background. Everybody sing! "Come on vámonos! Everybody let’s go! Come on let’s get to it! I know that we can do it!” We are in constant motion juggling school schedules, sports schedules, playdates, chores, errands, dinner, and precious family time. It’s madness. “Let’s go!” “Hurry up!” “Where are your shoes!?” “Let’s not be late!” “I hate to be late!” When it’s really bad, we get to the end of the week and wonder how in the world we got there with our heads still attached to our bodies and all our limbs in place. Kind of like when you mindlessly drive that familiar route from one place to another and the trip is kind of hazy in your mind’s eye. Yeah, there’s a lot of that too when the madness is upon us. Once we come to the other side we can see the trail of a hot mess behind us. You know, when you have that many balls in the air sometimes you drop one or two. Last week, was one of these whirlwind weeks for us and I looked in the back of Luna (that’s our mom van) and could see the evidence.

This one hurts a bit. It really does. Don't judge. It doesn't always look like this, I promise.

Yes. There it is. Evidence of a mad, hurried, overcrowded week. Right in the floor of the car. It looks like that because we likely spent ALOT of time in that space getting from one place to the other. Usually, we clean it out every evening so there’s a place for our feet the next morning. Yeah. Not so much last week. 

While I don’t recommend ordering your life to include constant madness and overcrowded schedules, we are growing together as a family because it teaches us some valuable lessons. We have to be intentional in making plans and arranging schedules. There’s a plan. On a whiteboard. We know what our non-negotiables are, the things that always win space on the schedule. That teaches us that it’s ok to say no to other things and gives us the chance to practice that. We have to pull together, pitch in, and make it work. All of us, even the littlest one. We’re figuring out how to actively look for ways we can contribute above and beyond — even if it means cleaning up someone else’s mess or helping the little one find her shoes. And sometimes, we even do it without complaining. Thankfully, Luna will get cleaned up and there will be place for the kiddos’ feet. It’ll just take each of us grabbing an armful of stuff to get that done. And, it’ll be faster than leaving it for one person. Yeah. Two are better than one and three are even better than two. That’s it. That’s what we’re learning. 

This momma is learning to find the teachable moments even in the midst of the madness and mess.  

{Worship | What's that mean anyway?}

So, when I say worship where does your mind go? Music? The twenty minutes before the sermon on Sunday morning? Does it stir up any weird feelings? Have you ever tried to define the word worship? I have. Several times. I’ve written pages and pages to define it. Once I was asked to sum up my ideal of worship in one short phrase. Boy, was that a tough assignment, but here’s what I came up with: No Greater Love, No Greater Privilege. Yeah, that about sums it up. Let me explain. God demonstrated great and lavish love and because of that I am extended the privilege of worship. I am so grateful for that lavish love and for the invitation to worship. There have been seasons of my life when worship was the key to lifting me out of the pit I was buried in. It has been the thing that helped me put one foot in front of the other while walking through painful moments. That’s because worship reminds us of who God is. I can't imagine a better way to spend space on this blog than writing about those kinds of things, the kind that remind us who God is. See, the invitation to worship is one of the greatest privileges extended to man, and worship matters for all of us. It's what we were actually created to do. To worship Him. To live in His presence. To know Him. To reflect His glory. It’s all about Him, really. So, let’s start there, because it's the only appropriate starting point for any conversation on worship. God. 

Worship begins and ends with God. In the beginning God created, and He initiated worship when He spoke the world into existence. Everything was created by Him and for Him. But, here’s the thing: God did not create out of necessity; He created out of desire. Did you get that? He created us because He wanted relationship with us, and worship is born out of that relationship. A.W. Tozer explained it this way, “God who does not need anything nevertheless desires the adoration and worship of His created children.” That’s it. Worship, at it’s core, is about the relationship between God and His people. Worship cannot happen apart from relationship. It just can’t. Scripture paints a clear picture of God’s plan of redemption and salvation. It’s a plan where relationship and worship are inextricably woven together. True to His character, God started the whole thing before the foundations of the world. We didn’t have to do a thing. 

God created you because He wanted to. I’m talking about the Creator of the Universe. The One who wrapped the night sky with a starry blanket. The One who knows your name. The One who knows the number of hairs on your head. He wanted to create you. He loves you. Let that sink in. 

Looking back in Scripture, we see God’s intention in the Garden of Eden.  Adam and Eve had fellowship with God, meaning they spent time in His presence. Every provision was made so that they could know Him and worship Him. We also see the same intention with Moses and the Children of Israel. God spoke to Moses as a man speaks to a friend. In His first meeting with Moses, He established His purpose for the nation of Israel when He said, “When you have brought my people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.” And again when He said, “Let them make me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them.” He didn’t stop there! God reminded Moses of His plan again when He said, “Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God. They will know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of Egypt so that I might dwell among them.” So, what does any of that have to do with us? God’s intention for His people (all people) has been the same from the beginning — it hasn’t changed.

See, we were created for worship. This is not new information. Yet, I wonder if we overlook the implications of that truth. What does that really mean? Does it mean we were created to simply gather each week and sing a few songs before the pastor teaches? Absolutely not. Being created for worship means being created for relationship with the Creator.  We were all born with a God-given desire to worship. But here’s the thing: We were also created with the capacity to choose. What I’m saying is that the choice is not whether we will worship; rather, the choice becomes about who or what we worship. Every person walking the planet will worship something or someone.  It’s true. Just like the sun was created to give warmth and light, human kind was created to worship. And, God is the only worthy recipient of that worship. 

Worship is who we are before God every moment, every day. We have to be intentional. We have to worship Him actively and on purpose. Thankfully, He’s given us some instruction through Paul in Romans 12. 

So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. (The MSG)

Yeah. What if we do that. 

{Letters to My Daughter | No. 5}

Sweet girl, it’s been quite a whirl wind the past couple of weeks. Your first volleyball tournament of the new club season, your first winter ball, your first letter from a college volleyball coach - and all in the span of a few days. Listen, I know it can be overwhelming and exciting and sometimes even a little exhausting. So, here are a two things I want you to remember. 

1. Make sure you take time to pause and be grateful. Remember that the Creator of the Universe is weaving this beautiful story of your life in perfect detail. Sometimes, it’s helpful to take a look back at these moments and see how the Lord is working things out on your behalf. He knew exactly when you’d get that first letter about collegiate volleyball; He knew exactly how beautiful you’d look in your ball gown and which friends to surround you with; He knew exactly what needed to happen on the court during your tournament to help you continue to grow as a person and a player. He knows how to grow you into the very best version of yourself, and His timing is always perfect. Always, always take the time to thank Him for being concerned with the details of your life and invite Him to continue working His plan. He loves you more than you can begin to fathom. Don't miss an opportunity to thank Him for what He's doing! 

2. I want you to remember that WHO YOU ARE is what makes you a priceless treasure, a masterpiece. Your worth and value isn’t tied to what you do or how you perform. Yes, please keep it classy. I know that you will because that’s who you are. You’re that girl. We love you for who you are. God loves for who you are. There’s not one single thing you could do to earn more love and affection — you’ve got it. Unconditionally. Just because you are you. And by the way, you are fabulous. 

We love you sweet, brave, beautiful girl. We are so grateful that we get to be part of your story.

Keep growing. 

XO