Category: gratitude

April already…

Published on by Mae @ RainydayinmayLeave a comment

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I’m thinking I need to work on how stressed out and consumed I’m getting at the end of the month… I am just not making my goals very well… Here it is, already the seventh and I’m just getting this to you. Sad.
Me–
– work on editing, rewriting and polishing my manuscript. Still. Forever. UGH.
– continue to try NEW things, all year. I’m not complaining…
– quality time with some of my most (absolute favoritestesestestestestestest) people.
– paying a visit to my favorite {cheap} decor store!
– baby snuggles… they are good for the soul.
 Us–
– Ginormous road trip across the middle of the country. 60 + hours of car karaoke, Smart Water, audio books and pit stops. *sigh*
– swimming! Lots of chlorine in our hair, fo’ sho!
– spending every day this month with showing my husband with love and gifts as we gently walk him through the last 40 days of his 39th year.
– eating at some of our favorite place, and doing some of our favorite things that Michigan just doesn’t have.
– A quick visit to Amanda’s. The best way to wrap up our trip, hands down!
Heart–
– I’m focussing on more intentional reading (less fluff) throughout the season of Lent.
– after Lent confession: I need some absolute fluff because my brain is feeling a bit fried and I am mega-behind on my book goals. (that Lent sacrifice has been a challenge!)
– journal more.
– Be more graceful.
Create–
– A surprise. I’ll keep you posted. Give me about a week, maybe a week and a half and I’ll let you know…
– Writing challenge project for my online writer’s group.
Reading–
– Jesus Feminist
– Bread & Wine by Shauna Niequist
– Tales from a Blue Bike
– Storyline By Donald Miller
Home–
– finding, DIYing or renovating a table for our bedroom. (still. No luck. I’m so picky!)
Health–
– regular gym workouts, post this trip…
– in the meantime, swimming and treadmill…
– Continuing with my fitbit flex. We had a bit of a rough patch, but I believe we’ve working things out.
– doing better on my water intake. I’ve slipped. (preferably, NOT while swimming. Ha!)
– get a massage!
Love–
– continuing with our intentional date challenge, hopefully managing one this month, which will put us a bit behind.
– Celebrating 20 years since I first married this amazing man who is my partner and incredible husband!
– Double dating with our two favorite people on the planet! We could eat tv dinners outside of a 7/11 and it would be fabulous, we’ve missed them so much! A year is far too long between get togethers with your life’s greatest assetts!
What about your April?

 

My Foodie Pen Pal spoiled me… the end…

Published on by Mae @ RainydayinmayLeave a comment

 

 

 

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I hadn’t taken part in a Foodie Pen Pals swap in a year and I have to say, I was definitely spoiled getting paired up with April over at April Mae Weekly! She put together such a GREAT box, full of really awesome treats that my whole family could love! I so appreciate her thoughtfulness… Thanks, April! You are a gem!

 

(on the unfortunate side of things, my iPhone bit the dust shortly there after so not only are these photos on the crummy side, but recovering them was a task.)

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Today I choose…

Published on by Mae @ Rainydayinmay8 Comments

I choose to love, not because I’m loved.

I choose to give, not because I receive.

I choose joy, even in the bitter, not as an insult to others whose bitter may break their hearts. My joy may be a matter of my own survival, my own lifeline.

I choose grief. Grief for the losses, grief for the sadness in the world around me.

I choose not to dwell on so much joy that I fail to see such grief, just as I choose not to dwell on such grief so that I fail to see the joy.

It’s easy, in this life of to-do lists and agendas, to embrace the smaller choices, like exactly how we want our cappuccino or which accessories we want to layer our apparel with. It’s easy, with so many decisions, to trick ourselves to believing we are empowered by these mini, irrelevant choices. Decaf soy, one pump of caramel, light foam. It becomes a part of us, these silly words spoken, that they boost our feathers as we speak them. As we generally drink our overpriced indulgence though, are we thinking of the joys in those very moments, the ones that matter beyond our lips? The barista who served with a smile? What about the instance when our detailed drink description wasn’t quite met? Are we handling those with love? When our breakfast order substitutions come back wrong and runny, do we still proudly embrace great choices?

I can honestly say my answer is no.

We’ve become a culture cloaked in the power of the mini-choice. Which tv shows to watch, of the hundreds. Which bands to love, which movies to see, where to have dinner, which books to read. We cling so tightly to all of these choices that we forget that these are all entertainment based luxuries and sometimes we (I) fail to embrace (or even acknowledge) the real decisions staring me in the face…

This post was written as a part of Five Minute Fridays, and I’m joining Liso-Jo’s link up as we all take five minutes to write using the same one word prompt.

 

The Whispers…

Published on by Mae @ Rainydayinmay5 Comments

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Last week I was in two separate social settings where someone mentioned similar ideas: If you could only have today, those things which you were grateful for yesterday, what would you have? Ouch. I’m sure it’s a brilliant quote by someone, but I don’t know it. I’m sorry.

And you would think, since I had just heard it a couple of days before, that the second time around I would be owning it a bit more and feeling a tad less wounded, but sadly that wasn’t the case. Since, however, I’ve thought of little else.

Here’s the reality, up until those two instances, I figured myself a fairly grateful person. I keep my One Thousand Gifts journal, I try to take care of the things I have and not covet or wish for the things I don’t. I try to be mindfully appreciative of people, things, gestures and moments. All in all, though I’m imperfect and flawed (naturally) I figured myself not a complete imbecile in the gratitude realm of things.

Well, you know the rest of that story. Ouch. Twice… Because apparently I’m a slow learner.

Since my word for the year is NEW however, I’m thinking maybe it’s time I approach gratitude and being grateful for things in my life from a new angle. Perhaps I stop looking for the fireworks and listening for the thunder, and instead I start looking for the tiny, often invisible bits, while listening for the whispers…

While I’d love to share a grateful list here that included things like “the mortgage we really needed came through” or “that her cancer was cured”, but my life is composed of an infinity of smaller moments that aren’t as explosive in sides, but could be in relevance. These are no less miracles, no less blessings, their volume is just turned down.

The handmade Valentine left on my desk. 

homemade peanut butter ice cream. 

drips of melted snow, from the deck. 

four days of vibrant blue skies. 

the fragrance of fresh roses that fill my home. 

My husband’s eyes and how they light up when he’s surprised and feels loved. 

laughing at a bad movie. 

planning birthdays. 

real mail amidst the junk mail. 

fresh strawberries. 

every time he holds my hand. 

And sometimes, sometimes they may not look like gifts at first…

the angry words written. 

the denied insurance claim. 

the unexpected business trip. 

the diagnosis. 

the truth that you just don’t want to hear. 

the frustrating words spoken with someone who should be among your most beloved but you just feel like you cannot do it anymore. 

There are times when the baddest, darkest and worst moments in our lives can lead us to paths and moments that will become miracles and joys. As my sweet friend Stephanie inadvertently pointed out, this past weekend, “Sometimes you have to give up on people. Everyone in your life is meant to be there, but it doesn’t mean they’re meant to stay.” And that may not feel like  blessing to some, but for me it was. For me, where I was last week, I need that reminder that it’s ok to let myself off the hook. That sometimes people push themselves into a corner and we have no choice but to let them go and there’s nothing wrong with that, and for me, that is both a whisper and a firework.

My eyes, ears and heart are open, and I’m paying attention. It is never too late.

Today it’s-

Pancakes and coffee

lip glass 

a great talk with a friend 

uninterrupted time to write

ice packs

overhearing sweet conversations

puppy snuggles

What are your whispers?

Upon returning…

Published on by Mae @ Rainydayinmay8 Comments

My husband just got home, this weekend, from spending the last few weeks in Australia. He was there on business, but because of the nature of his business, his trip was also filled with lots of fun. Adding to the reality that he truly loves his job, it was pretty much the best sort of vacation ever. He would likely read this and argue that, no, he would rather his family be with him. While I think he believes this is true, he got to hang out with new friends and spend the whole of his free time bingeing on gross sci-fi movies or geeking out at super uninteresting attractions that he and his engineer friends find enthralling while his family, well, wouldn’t… Don’t get me wrong, he loves the vacations where his family is along for the adventure, BUT the trips down under are likely best reserved for he and his work mates.

I use the word mates because, while my husband can relocate pretty much anywhere and never have his accent reflect that geographical location (unlike myself or his daughters), it only takes him a matter of days in a new plays to pick up on their lingo. His first Skype with Gen, he accidentally referenced her mates instead of her friends. She hasn’t really let the slip go, and since he flew home there have been many other slip ups that make us chuckle (though I’ve never really been to Australia so for the life of me I can’t remember what they were.) He is having difficulty driving on the right side of the road and turning on the blinker rather than the windshield wipers, which makes for really fun trips when winds are howling outside and the snow is whipping about, but hey, it’s good for life to stay exciting. (also, we’re really hoping these things right themselves soon. This wasn’t his first trip down under, but we don’t recall such difficulties the last time. He’s now asking me to move there, something I’ve NO DESIRE to do… His work will take him there again and I fear the next time there may be no adjusting back. Ha!)

All in all, despite his completely wonky sleep schedule, his incessantly reminding me it’s cold here and that he just left 78 degree weather, and my having to surrender his pillow, slippers, favorite sweatshirt and side of the bed (all of which I stole the moment he left town) it’s just really wonderful to have my husband home. It’s hard to find anything wonderful about a Michigan winter laden weekend that comes close to topping that gift.