2015: Open

January 2, 2015 by · 15 Comments

door final
A year ago I chose Restore as my word for 2014.

I believed that God had a lot of healing and restoration for our family, and I chose that word knowing that we were probably looking at a pretty stretching year.

I was ready to be challenged, but I really had no idea that He would choose to bring us through what He did in order to bring that restoration.

I say bring…I should say that He is still bringING. We’re not done yet…we probably never will be.

And there are times I wish I hadn’t chosen that word…but I did, and He sure had a journey to take us on in the twelve months that made up 2014. I talked a lot about that in my last post…as in 1,200-plus-words, a lot. 😉

And now…we’re looking at 2015, and I’m even looking at it a day late.

Truthfully, for the second year in a row, I thought I would be focusing on a word like Create or Art or Do. Part of that is because my hands have been itching to get busy again. I got two new art books for Christmas, a journaling Bible, and tons of new, fun pens. I kind of can’t wait to get to it all. I’m teaching myself to do lettering, and I’m thinking it’s going to be awesome…though whether I am actually awesome at it is questionable. 😉

But let’s get back to how God ISN’T letting me make that my focus for the year. 😉

It’s not what He’s whispering to me…at all.

And so this post comes to you, courtesy of me finally bending to what I know He’s working on in my heart.

open door button final 32015: Open. Let me tell you a little about it.

The word Open came to me as I was thinking about the last year and praying through some things. 2014 was a hard year, and as easy as it often is to go back to those things that made it rough, I’m also aware that there are some things God is doing in my heart. I want to be open to them.

So, some goals for 2015.

Open my Bible.

Every day, first thing, even if it’s just for a few. Find something He wants me to dwell on, to think through, to pray over and apply. (And since we’re talking journaling Bibles, which are AWE. SOME., doodling and writing on the pages is totally included in this.) :)

Open my hands.

There are too many dreams I’ve held onto with tightly-clenched fists, determined that they would come true in my timing and in my way.

Haha. Really, Mel, you should know better by now…

But I am beginning to open my hands by giving you all a gift every Monday. (If you want it!) 😉 Starting this Monday I’ll be sharing my book with you here, chapter by chapter. It’s my way of telling my stories for the simple fact that I love to tell them. No strings attached, just words. (A LOT of them.) 😉

And…Open my heart. (This is a tough one.)

I’ve had this perfect plan in my head for so long, one that includes another baby of our own. Realistically? Well, I know it could happen. And it might, still. But I do believe that the words, my ship has sailed, came out of my mouth the other day in a conversation with my husband. I think God might be moving us into a new season of being open to something different.

While I was at Allume in October, God crossed my path with two incredible women, and through conversation and even a few tears, and through buying the cutest necklace (more on that one another day…) 😉 I learned about The Sparrow Project and Project 143.

I also came home wanting to host a child and possibly adopt.

But I also knew we needed to pray through some things before we decided anything. It’s a shocker, I know, but sometimes I run on emotions. Big ones. 😉

And yet, there was something different about this.

And I honestly didn’t have a clear picture of whether we should even look into it until just last week when the face of an eleven year-old boy popped up into my Facebook news feed. There was something about him, and I called Tobin into the room. As tears streamed down my cheeks, I showed him the picture and told him that I finally felt like now was the time. And maybe the most surprising thing to me was that my hubby didn’t disagree.

Because this is our chance to say, Yes. We’re open to this and whatever might come from it. 

This isn’t an announcement to the world that we’re adopting. A part of me wishes it was…there’s something about having a clear picture of whatever is coming. But the honest truth is that we don’t know. We don’t know if we’re meant to have another child in our family, and we don’t want to walk forward with that expectation as an absolute. Some of you know that we’ve been down this road once before, and it was heartbreaking. The decision to adopt is not something that should ever be chosen without an incredible amount of prayer and surrender.

And yet…we feel that God might be finally giving us a glimpse of what’s next. Will you pray with us?

And so that brings us to 2015 and the year of being Open…being open to whatever He has for us.

I really have no idea what it even looks like, but I love the whispers of Hope that are finding their way into my heart.

I love that I’m smiling more smiles and crying less tears as I type this.

I love looking forward to the new and exciting…and I want to completely embrace whatever He has for us, even if it might not be what I would have chosen.

Here’s to 2015. Let’s do this. :)

Photo Credits: William Murphy, Tim Green

Sig

Filed Under: adoption, adventures, barefoot, blessings, encouragement, family, goals, just life, remembering, Tobin, what I'm learning, where I am

2013: What to Read

January 2, 2013 by · Leave a Comment

Since I’m kind of in goal-setting mode, I thought I’d continue today. :)

Yesterday I shared more of my “life” goal for the year.

Here’s my intellectual/spiritual one. (More to come on both of those, though.)

As much time as I’ll spend writing words, I also want to put some good ones into my brain, too. What goes in must come out, right? I’ve got quite a few books on my list, and thanks to a Kindle gift card and some good prices for the new year, I’ve already got them all. (I just had to buy two of them, but hey…I’ll always take a good deal!)

Here they are…no particular order.

1. The “Do-What-You-Can” Plan: 21 Days to Making Any Area of Your Life Better. (Holley Gerth) I wrote about this one yesterday…I started it a few days ago, and boy, is it a good one. Holley has broken it up into 21 days…short chapters and good things to think about, pray through, and do on my way to my big goal. :) I really can’t recommend it enough, even if you’re not pushing toward a God-Sized Dream…at least yet. 😉

2. You’re Made For a God-Sized Dream: Opening the Door to All God Has for You. (Holley Gerth) I haven’t seen this one yet. It releases in March, but I’ll get to read it before because as part of the team, I get an advanced copy to read and review. :) I’m really, really looking forward to reading it. And, as a side note, I am so giddy that I get to call the author of these first two books my friend! :)

3. A Year of Biblical Womanhood: How a Liberated Woman Found Herself Sitting on Her Roof, Covering Her Head, and Calling Her Husband “Master”. (Rachel Held Evans) There are extremely mixed reviews on this one from just this side of the fence. I’ve read some of them, but if I’m being honest with you, the title alone made me itch to get my hands on it. I’ve started it, and so far, I’m enjoying it. I may not agree with everything in it, but I think there’s always a lesson to be learned somewhere. I’ll definitely let you know how it goes!

4. One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are. (Ann Voskamp) I have wanted to read this one for a long, long time. And today, as I was browsing, I saw that it was really on sale, so I eagerly snatched it up. I can’t wait! (P.S. There’s also a Bible study to go with the book…I’m hoping to do that this year, but we’ll see how time goes.)

5. Is it cheesy that I added the Bible? I’m saying no, and I’m not adding it to gloat that I’m planning to read it all, cover-to-cover, in a year either. I’m actually not…I had to do that once in college, (in about eight months, actually) and it became more of a chore than a hunger for Truth. While I may read the whole thing, I refuse to promise that now. The bottom line is that I want to grow closer to my Father through His Word.

I’m sure there will be a few less thought-provoking books thrown into the mix this year, too. I’m sort of a sucker for Sophie Kinsella’s books…she keeps me laughin’ like crazy! So when her newest one comes out…yeah. 😀

What about you? What’s on your reading list for 2013?

Sig

Filed Under: goals, God-Sized Dreams, just life, reading, where I am

2013: Dream

January 1, 2013 by · Leave a Comment

Happy 2013!

If you popped over for my list of 13 in 2013 ;), I hate to disappoint you, but there’s not one.

It isn’t that I don’t believe in setting goals or having things to work toward. There are plenty of things I’d like to see happen this year. I just didn’t write them all down.

At least yet.

I’m trying to find more balance this year…and I’ll admit that I’m definitely in process.

We all are…all the time, but for some reason I just feel like I’m really in process right now.

I’ve decided that’s a good thing. :)

2013 is the year I get to write my book. Honestly, I’ve already written a good portion of it, but this is the year where it goes somewhere. That is, if God wants it to. And so a lot of my spare time…you know those moments between chasing a toddler and painting with watercolors and sticking stickers and rocking baby dolls…will be spent with words.

I wrote my life statement for the God-Sized Dream Team today.

Hmmm…

It was no small task. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever spent so much time on one sentence. And between the scribbles and notes, I managed to come up with what I believe God is asking of me this year.

I believe God has created and called me to encourage and inspire others through words, stories, and lessons learned from the unexpected adventures that come from a journey of walking by faith.

At this time in my life, I feel that sentence best depicts the purpose of my book.

God gave me (us) an experience like no other when He opened the door for us to spend five years in Indonesia. That doesn’t make our experience, or our lives for that matter, any better than anyone’s, but those years did leave me with a few things.

Perspective.

Insight.

Heart lessons.

Laughter.

Deeper love.

…and more.

And my purpose in writing is to share some of what He taught me through the grit and the grace that abounded during those years.

And still continues today.

In trying to choose a word for 2013, I went through several.

I thought I was going to choose Rooted, a word that God continually seems to bring to my mind and my heart.

In the end, though, I chose Dream.

God has given me an incredibly opportunity to really pursue the dream of writing a book this year. He’s given me amazing friends and prayer support and a team of women who are each pursuing a dream as well.

Today is the first day of 2013, and again, as I do each day, I am giving my dream to God. I can plan all I want, write all I want, submit my book to as many publishers as I want…but in the end?

What happens is up to Him.

I trust Him and I’m blessed beyond words for the opportunity to

DREAM.

Will you come along for the journey?

And, today, my sweet friend, Holley Gerth, launched an e-book called The “Do-What-You-Can” Plan: 21 Days to Making Any Area of Your Life Better. It’s fantastic…I’m going through it right now. And today…JUST TODAY…the Kindle version is free! Head on over here for your free copy!


Sig

Filed Under: adventures, barefoot, blessings, encouragement, goals, God-Sized Dreams, Indonesia, just life, what I'm learning, where I am, writing

Those 12

December 31, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

This post should probably be otherwise titled, That Post When I Reflect Too Much.

However, I want you to actually read it. 😉

Exactly 364 days ago, I set some goals, which you can read here. (Or you can just scroll down, too.)

Time to see how I did! (And to look forward to all that 2013 holds…which I very much hope includes some brown and tan paint over some purple walls. Do I get bonus points for choosing the colors at least?)

Spoiler…oops. Sorry about that. 😉

Here we go!

1. Start…and finish…the canvas painting for Maelie’s room. Check. No drama here. I just painted it one Sunday afternoon, hung it on her wall that night, and that was that. :)

2. Redecorate our front living room. (The purple needs to go! Soon.) Well, friends, the purple still needs to go. We actually bought the paint in October, but between life and more life, the living room is still an unfortunate shade of purple.

3. Start an Etsy store so I can sell my jewelry. Ok, so I’m not selling jewelry. But selling hats on Etsy counts, right? 😉 

4. Take some kind of lessons…guitar, voice, djembe…still deciding, but leaning toward djembe. I went with guitar and started in April. It’s good…am learning a lot and even played a real bar chord, though it wasn’t pretty. :) 

5. Complete a marathon. (Edit…1/2 marathon.) Didn’t happen. Though a half marathon is on the list for this May, and then we’ll see. I don’t have any plans to run a full marathon yet…to be honest, though I love running, four hours straight of running does not really sound even remotely enjoyable. I think I need my marathon-running friends to give me a little push here. :)

6. Run a 5k in less than 30 minutes. This actually happened several times during the year, which was a boost. I broke 30 for the first time in May and am now running my regular 5k around 28:00 flat, give or take. My fastest clocked one was around 27:15…factor in a few stops for cars that don’t yield to pedestrians (or runners). I’ll take it. :) Would still love to hit the 26’s…we’ll see. :)

7. Continue blogging at least three times a week once January 24th has passed. Yep, got that one covered. :)

8. (Re)Learn how to sew and make a bag out of some of my Indonesian batik I still have. Nope. I thought about pulling out the sewing machine several times but never actually did it. I love to teach myself new things, but sewing scares me.

9. Finish the rough draft of my book, Lessons From Indo: On Life, Love, and Squatty Potties, and submit it to at least one publisher. Am late on this one, but the plan is to be done by May. Extremely grateful for the chance to be part of the God-Sized Dream Team…these women are such an encouragement as I navigate something that is really new. It’s one thing to write a blog…it’s a completely foreign place to write a book. Really praying it will happen in 2013!

10. Continue developing discipline in my life by spending time in God’s Word each day…whether two minutes or two hours. This one could be a post all on it’s own. I’m not sure why I even set this goal because for me, it was unattainable. Don’t misunderstand me…I love my Father and His Word. But, honestly, I didn’t read the Bible every day. I don’t know if that makes me a bad Christian or just an honest one. Maybe I’ll hash this one out more later. :)

11. Guest write for another blog at least once. (The Patch doesn’t count.) I didn’t pursue this one like I should have…I found myself most content just writing at my own place and linking up other places, which provided some new bloggy friends. To me, that’s worth it. :) But I do have a guest post coming out next month on (in)courage…not sure of the date but will let you all know when it’s up! This one, in particular, was really a blessing because one of the editors wrote and asked me if they could use something I’d written. I must be doing something right. Thank you, God. :)

12. Go on an actual vacation with Tobin (and no Mae) to celebrate our 10th. We stomped our feet (well, not really) through Marbella, Spain; Tangier, Morocco; and Paris, France. It was a crazy adventure, as all trips we take together seem to be. We missed Maelie, but it was good time to spend together, and we had a really memorable time. Spain gave us our time to relax, Morocco was an insanely crazy adventure that left me dying to go back and explore more, and Paris was a dream come true, complete with bread. (We even kissed under the Eiffel Tower!) 

It was a wonderful 2012, though not everything turned out as I had first pictured. In many ways, it was better.

Here’s to a wonderful 2013!

Blessings to each of you, and thanks for being part of my barefoot journey!

God is so Good.

Sig

Filed Under: adventures, blessings, family, goals, just life, Maelie, remembering, running, Tobin, travel, what I'm learning, where I am, writing

Collisions

December 30, 2012 by · 2 Comments

Is it bad to tell you that for the last week writing has been about the last thing I’ve wanted to do?

I especially felt guilty about that as I’d read the blogs of friends…they were all so inspiring and beautiful as each writer managed to take something profound from the birth of Jesus and apply it to life now.

I mean, it’s Christmas, after all. That’s when bloggers are supposed to pull out their best writing.

Not me.

And I suppose it’s not that way for everyone. It’s just how I feel. How I felt as I labored, literally, over each word in the last week, trying to pull beautiful out of seemingly nowhere.

And as I opened my laptop tonight, part of me just wanted to go to bed and do some more non-writing.

Which, I guess, is the opposite of writing.

Which makes me a genius for figuring that out? 😉

At any rate, yeah.

Life is just a strange collision right now.

In some ways, that’s not a diversion from the normal of life. There are always ups and downs, joys and sorrows, things that make me laugh and others that make me cry, times of being surrounded and times of loneliness.

I usually have no problem processing those things, but for some reason, it feels almost impossible to scribble out anything worth reading lately.

That’s why I post pictures like this one. Hey, when you have a cute little princess dancing for the camera, who needs words? 😉

But if I’m being honest, life is a mix of crazy confusion and big blessing right now.

I’m supposed to be in the thick of book-writing right now, and instead I’m wading through a swamp of doubt and fear and insecurity.

To be blunt…it sucks.

Not only does it just suck…but it’s suckING me down, slowly.

I’m questioning purpose, the right to dream, and if I’ve actually got what it takes to follow through. It’s discouraging, at-times depressing, and just feels…wrong.

It feels wrong to be even feeling those things when there are so many blessings surrounding me.

Because there really are.

Friends, family, community, church, sisters and dreamers…all good things. And there are so many more.

I know I am blessed, but I am also reminded that any journey toward a goal isn’t without challenges.

Most of you know that I’m writing a book with the goal of being finished by May. (I’m shooting for much sooner, but well see. :)) I could use prayer.

Prayer for focus…that I will keep my eyes on what I’ve set out to accomplish. And that I’ll keep them on my Father and what He’s asking me to do.

Prayer for balance…because I’m still a wife and mommy, and those two titles take precedence over “writer” each and every moment, as they should.

Prayer for wisdom…that God will guide my words and help me to speak Truth without being culturally offensive. (This is a big fear of mine because some of my writing deals with life in another culture.)

Prayer for love…that each word will be just that.

Thanks for reading my collision of words tonight. Blessings to you all as you close out 2012…can you believe it?! Time just zips by.

Love this quote I found today…maybe it will add some inspiration to your day, too. :)

Sig

Filed Under: adventures, being mommy, blessings, encouragement, family, friends, goals, God-Sized Dreams, just life, Maelie, prayer, Tobin, what I'm learning, where I am, writing

Without a Connection

July 22, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

Tobin, Maelie and I spent the last few days up in small-town, out-in-the-middle-of-nowhere, Wisconsin.

The pros: fun people, games, good talks, (way too much) good food, coffee, beautiful house and location, laughs, new friends and old, too, 15-2 Brew…the list could really go on. Lotsa good. :)

The cons: not enough bathrooms, flies, an over-abundance of indoor taxidermy, and almost. zero. internet. 

For about a day, I thought a few of us, Miss Blogger Extraordinaire included, might die. Or at least suffer mentally. (I really hate to miss blogging, especially when I haven’t mentally prepared to actually NOT do it. I know I’m strange…get over it.) 😉

Eventually I had to wrap my mind around the idea that we WEREN’T going to have internet, that if I HAD to get in touch with someone, I’d have to call or text (cell reception was also extremely iffy…did I mention that?), and that if I NEEDED to blog, I’d just have to wait.

You know, that thing I do So. Extremely. Well.

Eventually I (and a lot of other people) had to get over the fact that, for the most part, life outside would have to wait.

I found myself thinking about it less and less by Friday (even though I did have time to blog during the window we actually HAD a connection), and time was spent doing a lot of other things that were more fun. Cribbage playing, catch-up talks, cookie-devouring, horseshoe games (though I just watched), bocce ball, a late-night in-law chat (but there were out-laws there, too. ;))

It was SO good…kinda to the point where I thought, hmmm…what if I try to use the internet less?

Like, a LOT less?

I honestly don’t know what that looks like. As it stands, I’m currently organizing a 5k with someone who’s in another time zone, so I can’t stay disconnected completely. But all that facebooking that I think is so necessary?

I’m thinkin’ not.

In fact, I’m gonna try something…like staying off the internet in the mornings. That’s the chunk of my day that is concentrated most on Mae. I wonder what life will look like if I focus fully on her instead of dividing my attention between her and whatever thoughts are begging to be blogged or the magnetic pull online life seems to have on me.

I don’t know how it’s gonna go.

Really.

And I’m not making promises…just talking aloud. :)

But I do know that I’ve got a daughter to love on, and if I let her, she can easily fill up my mornings. Not to mention, our summer days are ticking down quickly, and I’ve still got coffee to drink and friends to chat it up with while Maelie entertains us.

I’m not sure the blog will see less of me in the weeks to come.

But my daughter will definitely see MORE of me.

Because there are other connections I’d like to make besides the internet.

Sig

Filed Under: being mommy, blessings, family, goals, just life, Maelie, travel, where I am, writing

12 in 2012

January 1, 2012 by · 3 Comments

Happy New Year, friends!

And, welcome to my version of a bucket list…12 challenges I have for myself to complete during the year 2012.

Some are fun, some are easier than others, and some could kill me. (But…relax. If I die, at least you’ll have my wonderful blog to remember me by.

;))

My goal with thi

s?

Is to LIVE.

To live fully the life He has blessed me with. To be myself…including the crazy…and to stretch myself to limits I didn’t think were possible.

This list is not to be followed in any particular order…just to be completed by December 31, 2012.

We’ll have to see how it goes. I make zero promises. :)

By December 31, 2012, I hope to:

1. Start…and finish…the canvas painting for Maelie’s room.
2. Redecorate our front living room. (The purple needs to go! Soon.)
3. Start an Etsy store so I can sell my jewelry.


4. Take some kind of lessons…guitar, voice, djembe… still deciding, but leaning toward djembe.

:)
5. Complete a marathon.
6. Run a 5k in less than 30 m

inutes.
7. Continue blogging at least three times a week once January 24th has passed.


8. (Re)Learn how to sew and make a bag out of some of my Indonesian batik I still have.
9. Finish the rough draft of my book, Lessons From Indo: On Life, Love, and Squatty Potties, and submit it to at least one publisher.


10. Continue developing discipline in my life by spending time in God’s Word each day…whether two minutes or two hours.


11. Guest write for another blog at least once.

(The Patch doesn’t count. :))
12. Go on an actual vacation with Tobin (and no Mae) to celebrate our 10th.

(This might make me cry…)

Wish me luck!

Sig

Filed Under: adventures, goals, just life, running, where I am, writing

Breakthrough

July 24, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

So I’ve talked for ages about actually making a bucket list.

:)

Have I done it

?

No. Mostly because I am a huge procrastinator carefully thinking it over.

😉

If I could write one at this moment, it would probably include a mix of traveling, music, and writing, although I can’t pinpoint exactly what I would put on that list… most things, anyway.

Except for the one of the things I’ve wanted to do for years.

Write a book.

I’ve actually written one already, but I’m nowhere near happy enough with it to actually put it in the hands of strangers.

Plus, life changed a lot in the seven years since I wrote it. I’ ve gone back and forth about how I could possibly write a book about Indonesia, and ha

ve always had doubts.

There are already way too many travel books out there, I’m not the most educated person when it comes to Indonesian culture, and who would want

to read about my life? And, really, the list could go on.

But today I had a breakthrough…I think. :)

I can’t wait to tell you more about it…I hope. :)

But the idea I have…I love. :)

So, now I’m off to write in the land of non-blogging.

Wish me luck!

Sig

Filed Under: goals, Indonesia, writing

Random Dreams

May 28, 2011 by · 1 Comment

In keeping with the random Saturday tradition, today I’ m going to let

myself dream. Feel free to come along for the ride.

:)

I could start off my random with a rant of sorts…how I dream that maybe the residents of this house could be in GOOD moods today, but that does not seem like a possibility.

Maybe it’s the wea

ther? All I know is that we all woke up cranky. I tried to make it better, but nothing really helped. Thankfully we don’t have to see any one

today. (And thankfully, the girl is down for her second…and hopefully long…nap of the day.)

End of the Day Edit: Maelie took an incredible afternoon nap, and when she woke up, we were all happier.

Definitely a much better ending to the day…Hallelujah! 😀

So I’m a dreamer, as those of you who know me well are aware.

I’ve had some run-ins with people who aren’t dreamers…and are more dream-squashers. While I don’t necessarily dis like people

like that, sometimes they bug me.

I told my husband the other day, I’d rather dream and get my heart broken than never dream at all.

I think that’s pretty profound, though I am rarely that.

So, I bring you some of my latest and biggest dreams. (Yeah, I know they won’t all happen, but a girl can dream, right?)

First off, I’ve always wanted to see Europe. Really, see it. Some of the places on my list besides the standard London and Paris? Istanbul, Athens, and Budapest. (I love history.) Some of you know that we have actually been to Europe… for three days.

On our way home from South Africa in 2004, we took a short stopover there because our flight was insanely cheaper if we stopped for a few days.

(And spent the money we saved seeing

the best of Amsterdam. And…ahem…eating our way through it!) Yeah, I want to see Europe.

But beyond travel…’cause, really, we all want to see the world, right?

I dream of writing/publishing a book. I love the blog and will keep it going probably until I die, but I really dream of seeing that cover with my name on it. I actually wrote a book several years ago, but after living overseas and realizing how far off my perspective actually was, I have never done anything with it. No, you may not see it. (Cause I know you’re thinkin’ about asking!) I’m not even sure what I’d write about. Any thoughts?

Another thing I’d like to do

? Completely redecorate my house (once I own it…yeah, still waiting). Included in that redecorating? Knocking out a wall that divides our two “living rooms”, completely making over our bedroom, and doing one room completely Indonesian. (I actually have some fun ideas for that one…again, I just need to own the house.)

One of my biggest professional dreams is to blog a Compassion trip. Every year Compassion sponsors several trips, and they take bloggers with them. Oh, how much I would love that. I have no doubt that it would completely break my heart in half to experience some of the heartaches that come with a trip like that, but I also think it would change my life.

That’s one of those dreams that I keep locked away in a corner of my heart, hoping that someday it might happen. (I guess it’s not locked up anymore since you all know about it now! ;))

Another dream I have that’s a little less tangible…to live fully for Christ. That’s a hard one. I think as a Christian, I struggle in giving it all…there are always things I want to keep back for myself, those little things that, if released, would give me so much freedom. But it takes strength…and I’m weak. I sometimes wonder what that life would look like…and realize that dream isn’t so far out of reach.

It just takes Mel letting go a little. Working on that. :)

Just a few things I’d love to see happen.

What about you?

What do you dream of?

Sig

Filed Under: adventures, goals, random, where I am, writing

Filterizing

February 20, 2011 by · 1 Comment

Yeah, I know I made up that word

.

Warning: This got really, really long. :) And, oh… it is FULL of my opinions today, so you can take

it or leave it. Seriously…you’ve been warned.

A few years ago I had my students memorize James 3. I let them choose the chapter they memorized, under certain criteria, and I believe it won the class vote because of the length.

Hey, they were 5th graders. :) I memorized it with them, and what I didn’t tell them? How much I learned from it…and how completely convicting it was. (If you’re not familiar with the chapter, go ahead and read it.

I’m not going to post it here…you can look it up.) Basically it deals with controlling your tongue, which was actually a very good topic for us to talk about in 5th grade…it provided some excellent conversations.

And the kids just thought they were getting a short chapter to memorize…haha!

No matter how “old” I get, I have to constantly keep my tongue in check…and keep a filter on my words, whether I’m speaking, facebooking, or blogging.

And that can be hard.

A confession.

Daily…and I do mean Every Single Day…I laugh at the status updates of people on Facebook who seemingly have no filter on the things they share with the world.

Maybe that’s not the nicest thing…very possibly, it’s the writer in me that finds it both funny and absurd.

I’m just that way…I need to make sure that before I send something into public cyberworld that I check over what I’m sharing and that I keep what needs to be private…just that, private.

That’s why I surprised myself yesterday when I completely contradicted every standard I’ve ever held myself to in terms of blogging, and I wrote an article without checking it over.

GASP!

I. always. proofread.

And I almost always take things out because I feel like I’m sharing either too much or unnecessary information.

Or too much unnecessary information? :)

Thankfully, there were no grammar errors, which is a HUGE pet peeve of mine. That’s pretty uncommon for me, though, because I tend to read over each sentence before moving on to the next one. However…

I did use the word, fart.

Really, Mel, did you want to use that word?

I am fully aware that in some circles, that word is not entirely appropriate. That, and it’s just not professional, which…well, I walk a fine line between professionalism and having a good time when I write, anyway. So it wasn’t that I was worried about what people would think of me.

Other than the fact that I used the word, fart.

I find it slightly comical now, and truthfully, I could go back and change it.

I could, but I won’t.

At the time, I w as in

a silly mood. (I would have had to be to write an entire post about Whoopie Pies.

:)) The word fit my mood at the time, even if it caused me to shake my head and roll my eyes today.

Whatever…it’s me.

And when I put my thoughts and emotions out there every single day, there are bound to be days that I wish I had not said something or used a certain word. We all wish we could take back things

we say.

But no matter what, I am bound and determined to use a filter on my words as much as possible, even though I will slip up now

and then.

So back to why I think so many Facebook status updates are completely ridiculous.

If I’m so dying to share that I just had a bagel or that my dog stepped on my foot, I’ll sms a friend. Or call my husband…I’m sure he’ll totally appreciate the distraction in his day just to know that Sammy has possibly dislocated my little toe.

I just don’t understand when I open up my home page and see six posts in a row from someone…just had breakfast; new post (2 minutes later)…leaving for my job; 3 minutes later…stuck in traffic…

And don’t even GET me going on people who update their status while they’re driving. That’s another post for

another day.

The point is…filter, my friends. Share once in awhile…even a few times a day is good…but I don’t need every detail of your lives. If you want to share that much, get a blog or something. :)

I read an article recently on the ten things you should never do on Facebook…and a lot of them have to do with status updates and how the things you are sharing now could hurt your future. (I’m not going to link to it because I don’t endorse some of the language used.

However…if you want to read it, google it. It’ll come up.)

It made me think twice, and I’m pretty sure you will, too.

So if anyone was offended by my use of a certain word yesterday, I am truly sorry.

It wasn’t meant to be that way, and the purpose of my blog is not

to step on toes.

Filterize my mouth…and my life. That’s my new goal.

Want to make it yours, too

?

Sig

Filed Under: goals, what I'm learning, writing
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