Camp!

We are just beginning our tent-camping adventures. I had bought most of our equipment 2 years ago, and I always keep an eye out at garage sales and thrift stores for camping goods. We hadn't been able to venture out yet with a move, a pregnancy, a new baby, financial strain, etc. So we decided that 2007 was the year to camp! I am now fully convinced that camping is good for the soul, good for the family, and also easy on the finances!

I would love to say that camping is simple, but it isn't. But I will say that camping leads you out to a life of simplicity even if just for a weekend. No phones or electronics for us. No electricity. Just all 6 of us sleeping together with cool breezes, chattering squirrels, rustic cooking, hand-washing dishes, fishing, playing games, exploring, and breathing deeply of nature and each other. All of us were definitely bit by the camping bug!

The biggest key to our weekend "success" was being prepared. I had a detailed packing list and had read several websites on camping with children and talked to several experienced campers. I kept food and cooking simple. We only went an hour away to a local state park so that we could get home easily if the going got too rough. In just a few weeks we will travel a little further away to enjoy this gem of a park.

It can be done! Even with four young children. And the relational and spiritual rewards are so worth the work. Here is an excerpt from my camping journal on our last morning:

It's hard to put into words the healing effect nature has on us. The Lord surrounds us with soothing beauty that calms and yet invigorates the soul. Living in nature should be a regular spiritual discipline...the creation magnifies the Lord, quiets our whole being, and calls forth in us strength, resourcefulness, courage, and creativity. It brings out the best and worst in us! It exposes the panic state I live in. It brings fear to the surface. Irritability and impatience spring out with the pressures of the unknowns. In yet as they come out, the Lord, through His creation, heals it and calms us down. The longer we are out here, the more at ease we become with each other, our surroundings, and the unpredictibility. We settle down into a natural and communal rhythm of living....then peace replaces panic. Trust instead of fear. And laughter, gentleness, and harmony reign over our previous relational short-fuses. The fruit of the Spirit is being found among the trees of the wild.

Look into your camping possibilities. State parks, family campgrounds, and even your own backyard can be the perfect environment to begin. The kids will love it. The memories will be some of their favorites. The benefits are numerous. And you will learn to relax, breathe more deeply, laugh at yourself, and find the Lord in new and surprising ways.

My Garden Loves Starbucks!

As I have been seeking to nurture my baby garden, I have begun composting and have been adding my used coffee grounds. As my dear Mike headed to Atlanta last week, he pulled off to grab a cup of Joe at Starbucks and was thrilled to find "grounds for my garden"! They had a basket in front of the shop filled with complimentary grounds for local gardeners...the bag my husband picked up for me was 6 pounds!

Support your local Starbucks' attempt to be mindful of their waste, to enrich our gardens, and for doing it for free!

Careful Unreasonableness

Oswald Chambers' famous book "My Utmost for His Highest" has followed me from high school, through college, overseas, through years of moves, and until now as a mama at home. Every morning when I read his insight, I am always pointed to Jesus. Don't you just love people like that? Today's entry was so good that I just had to share it with you!


"Behold the fowls of the air"..."Consider the lilies of the field" Matthew 6:26,28


Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow, they simply are! Think of the sea, the air, the sun, the stars and the moon--all these are, and what a ministration they exert. So often we mar God's designed influence through us by our self-conscious effort to be consistent and useful. Jesus says that there is only one way to develop spiritually, and that is by concentration on God. "Do not bother about being of use to others; believe on Me"--pay attention to the Source, and out of you will flow rivers of living water. We cannot get at the springs of our natural life by common sense, and Jesus is teaching that growth in spiritual life does not depend on our watching it, but on concentration on our Father in heaven. Our heavenly Father knows the circumstances we are in, and if we keep concentrated on Him we will grow spiritually as the lilies.
The people who influence us most are not those who buttonhole us and talk to us, but those who live their lives like the stars in the heaven and the lilies of the field, perfectly simply and unaffectedly. Those are the lives that mould us.
If you want to be of use to God, get rightly related to Jesus Christ and He will make you of use unconsciously every minute you live.

Three More Eco-BabySteps

In furthering my efforts to "reduce, reuse, recycle", I have stumbled upon 3 more little steps for you and I to consider in the realm of "reusing". Although these are small steps we can make, these choices can make a big impact!

The first is to STOP buying bottled water!
2.5 million of these are used in the U.S. every single hour! Many of us recycle plastic when we are at home, but we all use bottled water when we are out and about town. These bottles then always end up in public trash cans instead of recycling bins. They are probably the most non-recycled item we consume. Why not save money and the earth by just using your own water bottle filled at home before you leave?? I am going to purchase a Kleen Kanteen (with the added bonus of not having plastic leaching chemicals into my water!) and some cutie Sigg bottles for each of my children. Environmentally responsible, inexpensive, clutter-free, and good for your body!


Another way to "reuse" is to stop buying coffee filters. This is a small way to save paper and money! I just bought this for a few dollars...it makes life simpler and I love the feel of cotton cloth goods. Isn't it amazing that the most natural ways of doing things also save money, the planet, and are more aesthetically pleasing? Reusable coffee filters are a small choice that is so easy to make and just this morning I poured my leftover coffee grounds into a bucket to compost! Here is a link to a place where you can make the switch too!


Finally, we can work together to stop using so much paper gift wrap. These Wrapsacks are a great way to wrap a gift and each bag has a code that can be entered at their website so that you can track your bag around the world! How fun is that to see the giving adventures your nifty little bag makes?

These beautiful bags have given me the inspiration to make my own. If you have a sewing machine, why not spend an afternoon with a friend making your own beautiful cloth gift bags that others will love receiving and will love to give again?

Here's to reducing waste one small simple step at a time!

Hope for today

When anger fills your heart
When in your pain and hurt
You find the strength to stop
You bless instead of curse
When doubting floods your soul
When all things feel unjust
You open up your heart
You find a way to trust

That's a little stone that's a little mortar
That's a little seed that's a little water
In the hearts of the sons and daughters
This kingdom's coming

When fear engulfs your mind
Says you protect your own
You still extend your hand
You open up your home
When sorrow fills your life
When in your grief and pain
You choose again to rise
You choose to bless the name

That's a little stone that's a little mortar
That's a little seed that's a little water
In the hearts of the sons and daughters
This kingdom's coming

In the mundane tasks of living
In the pouring out and giving
In the waking up and trying
In the laying down and dying

That's a little stone that's a little mortar
That's a little seed that's a little water
In the hearts of the sons and daughters
This kingdom's coming

Kingdom Comes by Sara Groves

Celebrate!

May is our month of celebrations. My youngest child's birthday, my birthday, our anniversary, Mother's Day, my nephew's high school graduation, another nephew's birthday, my sister's birthday, and "end of the year" everything! For some that seems overwhelming, but for me, I love to celebrate each and every little thing.

Most of us are way too busy. So many good and wonderful things are swept aside in our busy-ness. We rush, push, speed, race, and live our lives "checking things off the list". In our frantic living we can miss out on entering into the joy and beauty of celebrations. Opportunities to celebrate are in abundance but in order to fully seize them, we need to slow down, live intentionally, and be purely present in each and every moment.

Celebration can be defined as "a joyful occasion for special festivities to mark some happy event" or "any joyous diversion". The Bible even commands us to "be joyful always"...in other words, you are being told to celebrate! Celebrations give us the opportunity to have joy, be thankful, encourage, love, give, serve, laugh, cry, hug. We need way more of this good stuff in our lives!

What are some everyday things we can celebrate?

• Our children's personalities and accomplishments (losing a tooth, learning to ride a bike, breaking a bad habit, their uniqueness, being kind/giving, overcoming a fear, learning to potty, participating in sports, etc)
• Our marriage
  
• Our friendships
• Sundays
• Family Milestones (birthdays, babies, anniversaries, etc)
  
• Being Healthy and Alive!
• The Incredible Gift of Creation
• A Job Change or promotion
• Our Hobbies/Interests/Loves
  
• God's tangible works in our lives (financial, personal character growth, protection from harm, salvation! and above all, His character)

What can celebrations look like?? Anything!

• Go out for ice cream!
• Sing!
• Invite friends to picnic in a park
  
• Family Game Night
• Host a bonfire night...share, roast marshmallows, sing
• Fireworks!
• Plant a tree!
  
• Date Nights...even to just get coffee (don't forget you can have a "date" at home after the children are asleep too! Music, candles, chocolate, a movie...)
• Fondue with friends!
  
• Decorating the dinner table with linens, candles, flowers
• A Special Dessert
• A Potluck Dinner with people you want to get to know better
  
• Take your spouse to a bed and breakfast for a night
• Send a friend a card (a real one in the mail!) or better yet, a care package!
• A Praise Party! Have friends over for a night of sharing/recounting the Lord's goodness
• Encouragment Dinner...every one share one thing that they love about each one at the table
• Decorating the house with fresh goods from nature...flowering branches, pine cones, seashells, flowers, fruits, vegetables, grasses
• Little "love notes" given to recognize recent accomplishments
• Tell jokes with your children
  
• Remember birthdays with handmade cards or notes
  
• Paint pottery to commemorate an event
• Host a blessing-way for a pregnant friend
• Go with girlfriends for a spa pedicure
  
• Bridal showers and baby showers...focus more on the person than the gifts!
• Give a child a flower
• Turn up the music!
  
• A personalized gift for a friend "just because"
• Host a dance...have a blast with friends swingin' in the backyard to country tunes, Big Band, etc. We are far too self-conscious when it comes to this! Let loose!
  

These are just a few ideas off the top of my head...big and small. Keep it simple and spontaneous. The point is to begin to live life celebratory!! Think of each day, each relationship, and each gift as a cause to celebrate the Lord, life, people, health, happiness....celebrating regularly lifts our hearts and spirits and recognizes the beautiful gift of life. Life is so short and fleeting...we will never regret taking the little moments and turning them into an opportunity for shared joy!

Don't wait for others to make the celebration happen...tomorrow is the day for you to make it happen for your family, friends or even acquaintances! Invite others into the celebrating life and cultivate a community that celebrates together.

Let the "joyous diversions" begin!!

Bloom Where You're Planted

May is a month of blossoming. All around us the flowers are making their grand entrances into our gardens, roadsides, and onto our kitchen tables. The world around us becomes alive with color!

So often in my life I am looking to the past...maybe with nostalgia of how "big" my life used to seem...or with pain and regret of some of the terrible choices I have made...or with anger at others for how they have hurt me....the "might have beens".

Then the next morning I wake up dreaming of the future. Big plans, inspiring ideals, lofty dreams and goals. Or dreams that are scary and fearful...all those "what ifs" that tempt me to hunker down and hide. Will I die before my children grow up? What if something bad happens to one of them? Will my marriage stand the test of time? All harsh questions that lead me away from the trust in the love and goodness of God.

So today on my 34th birthday I resolve to simply "bloom where I am planted". I want to enjoy living in the present moment of where God has me. To plant seeds, grow and flower in my current place...in this particular home as a wife, mother, daughter, sister, and friend. I want to stop obsessing about the future...where Mike's job will take him...where my children are heading...health, money, relationships. I want to stop the pattern of habitually looking backwards which causes me to sit and stew and stagnate. Learning to simply let go.

Walking with Jesus daily is where I want to live. Following His will for my life in the moment. Eating my daily portion of bread that He gives. And as I eat and drink with Him, I will bear fruit and bloom. A life filled with color, sweet aromas, and joy/inspiration for all those around me.

Bloom where you are planted!

Gifts from the Sea

I have been vacationing this past week at Holden Beach in North Carolina and have come home refreshed, renewed, and with my own "gifts from the sea" that I received this week.

My first gift was the being without cell phone or computer and minimal TV. Being cut-off from the outside world allowed for a huge sense of peace, rest, and transcendence. Life became more simple....instead of searching the web, I searched the beach for seashells and sand dollars. Instead of talking on the phone, I talked to my husband, mother, sisters, and children. Instead of watching TV, we played many games including "Apples to Apples", Scrabble, Bingo, and Dutch Blitz. Being unplugged brought me into a greater sense of the beauty of realness and being fully present in the moment.

Another gift of being by the sea was living "time less". I didn't wear a watch or look at the time on my cell phone so I became more intuitive with how I measured the activities in my day. I ate when I felt hungry instead of the normal "time to eat". I went to bed when I was sleepy instead of my typical 10:30 pm schedule. I knew it was time to come in from the beach when the sun would begin to lower in the sky. "Beach time" released an instinctual rhythm for daily living instead of a forced regiment of schedule. Anxiety melted away and in its place I received rest.

Being with family was by far the most extravagant gift I was given. Face to face and living together day to day made me realize how lonely life can be and how much we need to see, hear, and touch others as a way of life. I can get caught up in computerland or bookland or my home and miss out on living well with others. I get focused on living well independently and recognized this week just how thirsty I was for others. Nothing can take the place of face-to-face connection. It really can't.

These gifts taught me to quiet down my daily living by reducing electronic consumption, by choosing one day a week to live "time less" (probably Saturdays) to reduce anxiety and to enjoy listening even more to my intuition, and to make greater strides in being with those that I care about in "real time".

Simple gifts from the sea that will profoundly change my life.
Thank you, Lord....my Creator of the Sea.