Where is your heart?

So, besides being good for recipes and craft ideas, Pinterest has been making me think lately. I read something on the site a few days ago that I can't get out of my head.
"If you want to know where you heart is, look to where you mind goes when it wanders."

That is really interesting. Where does my mind go when it wanders? Sometimes it goes to old friends or family, or to things I would rather be doing, often it goes to my to-do list at work and home. I find my self thinking about things that I want to get done whether it's dishes, laundry or sending an email to someone I have been thinking about lately. I will start thinking about music I like, my next work out or the silly thing Addison did. My mind wanders a lot and since I have been paying attention to where it goes I have been embarrassed at how little it wanders towards Christ instead of the mundane things. I would love to focus more on what He is telling me and what I should be hearing rather than what I should make for dinner.

I'm not exactly sure how to change that except to start making a more purposeful effort to focus more at times. I don't want faith and the things that God has made me passionate about and that He is pulling me towards to be the things that I go to the least.

I want to be proud of where my mind goes and where my heart is. I know it will still go to the everyday and the mundane things and I will frequently think about that my to do list but I don't want that to be my first thoughts and my focus.

Thanks pinterest!

Christmas Idea

So, I saw this post on pinterest a few weeks ago that said the 4 gifts that kids get for Christmas: something they want, something they need, something to wear and something to read.

I LOVE that idea. I could easily buy Addie tons of cool presents. I could make and get everyone else lots of presents too for that matter. I love to give people stuff that I think they will like. It makes me happy. But, I also think Christmas is way to much about "stuff" now.

I know that I don't really NEED much. Sure, there are things that I would like but as far as needs go, I don't need much. But, I also know that other people in my life enjoy buying presents as much as I do. Christmas has become about giving and joy and presents and I think that's ok as long as it doesn't get out of control. That's why I like this 4 present idea. Kids (or adults) can still make lists in those categories but it keeps things controlled and in perspective.

I want to make a conscious effort to be more deliberate about how I celebrate Christmas and make Jesus and celebrating that gift a bigger part of it. I want my some of my family traditions to be about helping others and giving back and not all about what we want. There is definitely room for other Christmas stuff - lights, trees, parties, Santa etc. But, I also want to be aware of the other side of it. I've been thinking about that more and more this year. I don't want Addison to grow up thinking about how much she can get each year and being upset if she doesn't get everything on her list. I want her to be thankful for presents and generous to others. I already see a lot of this in her now.

That's it for today! Hope everyone is having a great weekend.

Ninja Warrior -Please Read

I have posted before about my friend Nathan. Now let me tell you about his sister Amy. She is someone I have looked up to for a long time. We really got to know each other when I was going into the HS youth group and she had just graduated from it. We stayed in the same house in Minnesota for our youth group mission trip along with one of her good friends and my friend Kristen. We made a lot of memories that trip - we got stuck on the side of the road and sang VBS songs, we laughed until our stomachs hurt and we learned a lot about each other.

I learned that Amy fought to have her high school allow her to have a bible study on campus, that she marched to beat of her own drum and that she was not afraid to speak her mind. I also learned that she deeply loved Jesus and her family...and that she has MS.

The next summer is when I went to Africa and got very sick. Amy was a huge support to me even while she was away at college. Towards the end of that year we took a road trip to Houston together so I could go to a special clinic that dealt with headaches for a week. Amy hung with me in the hospital until my parents got there and even showed the nurse the best vein to use for my IV (she had lots of experience).

Amy has been pretty open about her journey with MS. she deals with weakness tremors,spasms and lesions on her spine and brain as well as other technical things i dont understand. her health has gone up and down with different medications and situations.

 Recently she has decided that she has had enough and that while she has full trust in God she is also going after a cure. I'm telling you - this woman amazes me. She has two blogs but the one that she recently started about this journey is called "Amy Goes Ninja on MS" - here is the link http://amygoesninja.wordpress.com/ Please read it and find out about her journey. She is also raising funds for a procedure that could rid her body of this illness - what a blessing that would be! Pass it along to anyone else that you think would be interested as well.

Like I said, she is someone that I have always respected and looked up to. When I started writing I mentioned her younger brother Nathan. Nathan passed away almost nine years ago. The Dodd family has been through a lot but they have stayed focused on Christ. I keep thinking that if Nathan were here he would be Amy's biggest cheerleader right now encouraging her to kick MS's butt...i am thankful that she is fighting this and that she is letting the people that know and love her support her financially and prayerfully.

The most wonderful time of the year???

It's really no secret that I love Christmas time and always have. Like, I obsessively love Christmas. I love making and buying presents for people. I love decorating the house. I love Christmas movies and baking and lights and Christmas trees.

The past few years though, I have noticed that I have not enjoyed it as much as I have in the past. I'm not sure if it's because I'm so busy that I'm too stressed to enjoy it or if it just all seems like a little more of a hassle or what. This year has been more fun since Addison is really starting to know about Santa and Christmas. I hope she grows up to love Christmas time too.

So, the other thing this has made me think of is that Christmas is about family and for the past year (or a little less I guess) I have really been wanting our family to grow and that is just not happening like I want it to and it seems to frustrate me more right now than usual. Christmas time is always hard on people who have experienced loss, grief, challenges etc.

At work we tell our foster parents to except the unexpected from the foster kids in their homes as they all deal with being away from family differently. Some of them have happy memories of holidays with their parents but some of them have memories of sad and scary holidays. The kids can be angry, apathetic, sad, or grateful and happy (or all of those things).

This time of year brings out so many different emotions and unfortunately I think sometimes we get caught up in the joyful-ness (not a bad thing) and forget about people around us who may be hurting: people who lost a family member this year, are going through a divorce, have health struggles etc. 

So - thanks for letting me ramble a little bit. Praying that everyone has a blessed Christmas and new year!