Holiday thoughts & being truly thankful

Tis' the season

It's the time of year everyone is feeling thankful

we all know we should really feel this way all year, right?!

I read many lessons on that all over my social media feeds,

why do 30 days of thankfulness shouldn't we be thankful all year?

Yes, we should.

However there is nothing wrong with feeling a bit more greatful/thankful

Thanksgiving is our American excuse we need for kinship time.

 

The holidays can be the best/worst times of the year

See those you wanna see/ See those you don't want to see

Pretend smile at those you don't want to see

Trust me

We all have been there

I'm raising my glass to having a joyful holiday this year no matter what

if you stand in my way I will only happily push you aside 

for more wine or Turkey ;)

Once Turkey Day is done then the shopping begins

It's out of control in this country I know

My Mother knows how I feel about this

The 2 of us when together are really like Lucy & Ethel

real people {strangers} overhear our conversations

and bust out in laughter

Picture us shopping earlier this year I say: 'I'm so sick of buying toys

 for  Christmas, I'm just over it! They have so many, they don't take care of them'

My Mom: 'But that's what Christmas is all about'

Store associate:  *Outright laughter

Me: Poor Jesus

 But really.. I'm sick of Christmas, it's stressful & really Poor Jesus!

I kind of wish I could go back and never have wanted a single frivolous

gift I got in my life as a child or teen. You see I feel I was put on this earth to only 

want so much and really that's not much of anything.

My mom use to say I'd survive off 2 things when I was younger and one

was the nasty habit of smoking

I look around the world and see so much poverty. 

Just this past week there has 

been an Iraq vet out at a local est.

It's hard to think about that on holiday's

It's hard to think of so much under the tree in one home 

yet another man/child/family goes unfed

I feel selfish

I'm not here to make anyone feel selfish

for me though

I'm deciding to make a budget for each year & I'm finding a way to 

get the most out of what I have, savings wherever I can.

I've also decided that Christ is entering this Holiday more than ever

I'm going to bring him with me everywhere I go

he's going to help me make that fake smile into something real & heartwarming

he's going to lift me up above and beyond the worldly

stress of the 'must have' things

Think about it & have a blessed Holiday

From my home/heart to yours

<3<3 Stace

 

Heart Joy && keeping up with life.

  It's getting super chilly out, right? Oh man I wasn't ready for this but here it is.

   In the winter *anything below 40 degrees I'll wear my hats and scarfs sometimes I even fall asleep in both, which I don't recommend with a scarf. Shamelessly, here I am today..lol ;)

  I haven't blogged as much as I said I would this year but hey.. I'm a mom. That is my 

eternal excuse for everything. 'Don't mind my messy morning hair, I'm a mom.'

'I forgot school got out early today.. It's my 'mom brain'!' I could go on for days really, I love it & let me say THANK GOD for best friends/wonderful assistants that save your life when you do actually forget school was out early.. Whew! :p

It's good, it's life, it's ever changing, moving quickly the days are so fast sometimes I can't even keep up! I wake up, sneak into my girls' room lay on the bottom bunk with my youngest as she pretends she is not there {every single day} by covering herself completely with the blanket & my morning is made!

In the last 2 years of running this part-time moving into full time business 

{which I love every second of}

I've learned so many wonderful things about myself.

I've had moments that were trying as a Mom and business lady, and as a human being. Moments I need to separate

or learn some sort of balance. 

WOW!

It  can just get so flat out insane. 

It was the moment, I decided and in this you all can see my humanity. I promised myself this. 

"you are going to see things, you are going to have things happen that are going to drain the ever-loving life out of you...... And for what? these 'things' are of no use to your heart or you in general. these things attack your very soul, your very being & steal away what very precious joy, & woman you have it! You are unique, you are precious in the eyes of God, your family & your friends"

For me this promise to myself was not possible without the Holy Spirit.

He molded my heart after troubled times, he showed me the truth & made it more than obvious. The spirit tells me 'Stacey, your heart will be bittered by any of these things you allow to control you 'So Simply DON'T, RUN! Run like 
I told Joseph to run, turn your back to it & RUN!

Oh JOY!

My life, my love, my heart is so much better

Of course there are times of weakness of course my days are sometimes few when I don't stomp my feet and ask, 'why? someone needs to listen to me and someone needs to see what I see and feel what I feel'. Someone certainly has to understand.

                    Then there are moments my little ladies come up behind me as I plug away, marketing, editing,ordering, or especially {fixing a tech issue} that's probably the worst over-stressed Mommy moment there is. I feel it. It sucks. I am sometimes able to pull myself out of that moment, back away from my desk and Just be, & sometimes I am not and it          

 only adds to my stress that they now need me too. 

But I need to be with my children who are tugging at my heart for love and affection.  

There was a point this summer where I just lost it. On the road traveling almost

Every. Single. Weekend 

Just me, James Taylor & a few others in the CD player, most of which belonged to my Dad before he passed. James is great for making you really think about life, love, relationships && things gone. My favorite is actually his cover of >> Yesterday<< that's the exact one. 

It's like somehow my Dad knew these things to leave me to make me think.

Dwell on what I could regret if I don't toughen up & move along.

Don't regret yesterday! Live today and make it count.

Spend time, spend your love, your life on those 

who bring your heart joy!
But not in a selfish way either, do it to where you are breaking 
away and turning away from those things that do not allow growth.

 Make sure to take time to do things that matter for others.

Smile brightly at the person driving bitterly down the road next to you pay it forward to the person behind you at your local coffee shop. 
Be that wonderful you, you are!

Until Next Time,

Stace B