12 Weeks Ago

It's hard to believe that it's been 12 weeks since I began my journey to a healthy lifestyle. I have been diligent and continue to make daily strides toward creating a body that is strong, healthy, and vibrant. As I've journeyed over the last 12 weeks I have discovered more about myself than I could ever imagine. Being selfish when it comes to taking time to better your life by exercising, eating right is actually okay. Over my life ( 46 years) I have gone through many changes and the one constant in that change is me. I am the journey, I am the catalyst for change I want to realize in my life. At the core of my existence is my relationship with God, for without him I can do nothing. So join me as I share this journey and the simple steps that I've taken over the past 12 weeks. My husband, my greatest supporter has been my cheerleader, my biggest fan, and of course a critic when I step away from my goals for health and wellness. Everyday I get to choose health and life. Thanks to Bilal Konte for his dedication to creating a life of health and wellness and not just a quick fix. Join me in my journey!

Taking Risk: Lessons I've Learned

I have the opportunity to be the mother of two healthly and active boys.  That's another way of saying that they are rambuncous, busy, extremely active, need to get out and explore, BOYS!  I love writing things in the nice professional way, but sometimes the accurate picture is what works best.  I share this with you, because yesterday we went to our local park at the Midwest City Welcome Center in Midwest City, and I watched them play in new ways at the park.

This is a ritual that we have at least two to three times a month, so I often wonder does it ever get boring, or will they find new ways to explore.  As a mom, and former preschool teacher I really believe in letting children experience play on their own, creating an environment, and then letting them go at it.  I intervene when necessary, making sure they make good safe choices, are mindful of those around them, and that they stay in the designated area.  Yesterday was the same.  I watched them play from the park bench, reading my book, A Thread of Truth by Marie Bostwick periodically looking up to see what they were in to.

Here's what I saw:

What's amazing is that just a few months ago, they worked at the same feats, with caution in their eyes, and not as much fearless confidence.  This is what drew me to the topic of risk-taking.  In researching risk, it means to venture upon; take or run the change of. to risk a fall in climbing, to risk a war.  Taking risk is necessary for mastery of skill and to see what the possibilities are in accomplishing the task we are given.

I am reminded of myself in high school and a defining moment presented by one of my teaching.  As a child, I always did what I knew I could accomplish, never venturing out to the new.  As a high school student, I ran for the student council secretary, because it 's a job no body ever wanted, and I knew I would win.  I was good at it, but still it wasn't a challenge.  After a span of time, doing what we know we can do, becomes daunting, because of the lack of risk and opportunities for learning.

So, given this history and my experience, let's issue a challenge for this month, to look at your life and the amount of risk-taking that is apparent.  Join me and let's try the following this month:

• Examine your life, in each role you walk in and identify what risk you take.
• In the role, ask yourself these questions: 
• Am I a risk-taker? If so, how is it evident?  
• When I take a risk, am I forced or is it a natural path I choose?
• What happens to me when I take a risk?
• Do I avoid risk-taking?  If so, why?
• Do I choose the safe path in my role as a wife, mother, worker, entrepreneur, leader(ask yourself the question based on your roles)?
• What are lessons I've learned as a risk-taker?
• How can I encourage risk-taking in others?

Share your responses in the comment section or on our facebook page link.

#take action

Streams of Life: Creating Order in an out of Balance world - The HOME

This post was conceived  a few months ago, and is full of practical life tips that are still relevant, so today I share it with each of you.  I have many days of great downloads into my life which connect of years of study and living.  These downloads will culminate as writings( blog post, books, and volumes of manuscripts) that capture the new road ahead. 

Here's my reflections for today:

1.  Many things draw my attention on a daily basis, they excite me to create and sometimes I admit they draw me off course. When I'm off course, I can hear myself asking, "Now what are you suppose to be doing?  When I approached a new hobby, job or task it was always the knowing who you are at your core, and creating a system around you to support the work.

"Surround yourself with people who have your same rhythm."  T. D. Jakes, #OprahLifeclass

Order in our lives cannot be established until we get back to the purpose for which we were created.  If we don't know why we exist, then everything else is fruitless and wasted time.  People spend their lives trying to fit in to plans, families, workplaces, communities because innately we know that we belong to something, and we have something to fulfill. 
The key to fitting in is knowing the questions to ask.

• Am I fitting in to a place of ease and comfort? 
• Am I forcing myself where I don't fit? 
• Do I have to make some adjustments to fit in? 
• Have I been in a place too long, so I've outgrown my fit?

How do you find your purpose? 
The purpose of anything is determined by the creator, or inventor of the thing.  For me, my Creator the most high God, formed me in his image and likeness to be just like him.  He created me as a creative being, with ideas, vision, ability, gifts, and talents.  If I need clarity on who I am or the work I should perform, my creator, God is the first stop for answering any questions I might have.  He orders my life, and my work, so if I'm out of order that's the first place to begin.

This month is my birth month, so I'm committing to writing everyday leading up to my birthday, November 21st.  Join me as I fulfill my purpose as a teacher, a writer, and an author.  Simple steps lead to great outcomes.  My simple step this month is to write....

Coming Soon!

November 1 - 7, 2014
Streams of Life:  Creating Order in an out of Balance world - The HOME

November 8 - 14. 2014
Streams of Life:  Creating Order in an out of Balance world.  - The WORKPLACE

November 15 - 21, 2014
Streams of Life:  Creating Order in an out of Balance world.  - The COMMUNITY

November 22 - 28, 2014
Streams of Life:  Creating Order in an out of Balance world.  = The CHURCH

Managing our Streams

Streams of Life

     As we wrap up the fourth month of 2013, settling down from New Year plans, organizing our year ahead, mapping out our goals and wrapping up loose ends that followed us from 2012, creating a new focus for the year and walking out the vision for our lives.   The first quarter of the year, is complete, so let's take a look at how to keep everything swimming up stream, and balancing our work, our passions and our lives.  

     My recent attention has been devoted to watching interactions of people, and noting how they deal with all of the roles and responsibilities that flood their daily lives.  I've paid attention to details that I use to overlook.  Things like how we process change, how we change or stay the same during transitions in life, how children change our outlook on life depending on their developmental stage, how parents evolve through each stage of parenthood, how our past influences our present, how we become extensions of our elders and carry out their legacy without even realizing on whose shoulders we are standing.  

     So this begins, a new series called the Streams of Life:  Creating Order in an out of Balance world.  

   Our life work begins with who we are and how we influence the world around us.  I'm a strong believer that each person was created to fulfill a mission in life that was ordained from the beginning of time by our Creator, God.  The whole purpose for life is to find that direct alignment of our destiny to the daily walk we have on earth.    It sounds like a difficult task, but it's really pretty simple when we apply principles that guide our daily decisions.  So stay tune, for the series, and be sure to share it with friends, so that we enlarge our circle of friends.  #AnOrderedLife

One Little Word 2013: CREATE

This year I am choosing my third word for the One Little Word, class with Ali Edwards on Big Picture Scrapbooking.

 As I looked at my words from the past two years, it made me think of the reasons behind the words. In 2010 my word was a phrase, Consider This! It captured for me, the introspect of the year and what it would entail. Consider this, was to look at other peoples point of view. It really came from my dad, because it was a year of reflection on him, and all he instilled in us. To really look at life and people from the other mans perspective, instead of just my own. it was powerful.

In 2011' my first year, I just focused on the word, no class.  I adopted " consider this" as a frame for how I viewed the world and the people I interact with daily.  It transformed my mindset, and helped me to move beyond motive and behavior and get to know the story behind people's behavior.

 My word for 2012 was GROW. I had no idea of how such a simple word would be a catalyst of change in my life and what I considered opportunities to GROW. It taught me to trust myself, because I am really focused and guiding my processes, even when it doesn't feel good. When I say I'm guiding it, its God directing and me following.

This year, 2013 the word is CREATE.  According to Merriam Webster Dictionary To create means

1

: to bring into existence created

 the heaven and the earth — Genesis 1:1

2

a : to invest with a new form, office, or rank created

 a lieutenant

b : to produce or bring about by a course of action or behaviorcreated a terrible fuss;create new jobs

3

: cause, occasion create

s high food prices>

4

a : to produce through imaginative skill <create a painting>

b : design <creates dresses>

intransitive verb

1

: to make or bring into existence something new

2

: to set up a scoring opportunity in basketball <create off the dribble>

All I can think, is wow!   This is what I'm inviting into my life in 2013 with this one little word.  It's going to be an amazing, supercalifragalistic year!  Yes, that's from Mary Poppins, so I've dated my era.

As I type, in Starbucks, Al Green is playing  in the background, Love and Happiness.   Grooving to Al Green, typing my thoughts, fulfilling my goal to write daily, it doesnt get better than that.  Here's some of the lyrrics:
Love and happiness, Love and happiness, you be good to me, I'll be good to you.  We'll be together.  That sounds like relationship to me.  An exchange, a committment.  What better starting point to creation.  It began with the Creator, creating with a thought, that came into existence.  It all begins with a thought purposing our lives.

So here's what I will create in 2013:
Create Relationhips
Create Art Media
Create Through Song
Create a Vision for Families
Create a Network of Support
Create Tranquility
Create Health
Create Mindfulness
Create Workshops

A Book of Days

As I embark on the New Year of 2013, I am making a committment to write everyday.  As I write, my thoughts, joys, hopes and dreams I will unfold the books that lie in wait in me.  Many volumes about my life work of serving Christ to the fullest, being true in relationships, motherhood, entreprenureship, and life in the fullest measure.

This evening, as I continued reflection on the past year and began to fix my mind on my approach to work, I cleared off my sidetable, where I often sit, to read or drink coffee in the living room with my family.  The space is deemed, "Momma's Chair", by my eldest son.  The book that drew my eyes was my "Days from the Heat of the Home" journal by Susan Branch.  In it I record memories of days throughout the year.  More days are recorded in the month of January, than any other month. Good intentions, are often made, but the busyness of our life, crowd out the intentions.

My post for January 1, 2009, said this

Simple Joys List

1.  Seeing Ramsey & Jason play & laugh together.

2.  A clean house and fresh smells.

3.  A cup of tea, scones & lemon curd.

4.  Hearing my dad laugh.

5.  Doing anything with my sisters and mom.

6.  Being with the Thomas' :)

The significance of this list, are the changes in my life since 2009.  We've since had another child, so I get to hear both sons interacting with their dad and it gives me even greater joy.  

My dad, Albert Sanders, passed away in February 2011, so this is going on two years, that I haven't heard him laugh, but the memory still makes me smile, and pictures help me to remember the laugh and the smile.  

My time with the Thomas' is most memorable.  They are my pastors, my friends, my leaders.  In 2011 they also moved to Florida, so our Sunday dinners, downtime with family, are memories that keep me smiling still.  

I am a writer and love to journal as well.  In 2013 being intentional about the process and dedicated to  putting in the time, will open new doors and arenas.  So on this first day of the year, I begin my ritual of reflection.  

So here's my plan of Intentionality and Mindfulness for the Year:

• Begin the day in praise and thanksgiving!  
• Morning devotion, before leaving the house.   
• Stretches and 30 minutes of exercise daily.
• Writing Daily.