Grace and Strength

In keeping with my current ponderings about grace, strength, light and New Year's resolutions, today I looked up at my calendar and was challenged by this month's verse:

"Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus." 2 Timothy 2:1

For some reason this hit me really hard this morning. I often think of strength as being overpowering and grace as being gentle. To see those two words side by side, complementing one another, has made my head spin in a way that will require me to sit with it for awhile. Be strong. In grace.

As I continue to reflect on last year and what I want this year to look like I have thought a lot (alot) about the My One Word challenge. While it is spiritual in nature, I think it could be applied secularly as well: How do you want to grow? What kind of person do you want to be by 2012's end? How would implementing one word change your relationships?

Passion... Grace... Intention.... these are words I'm mulling over.

What one word would you choose to guide your actions and what kind of person would that word shape you into?

Stronger

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who are we to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so other people won’t feel insecure around you… And as we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” ~ Marianne Williamson

2011: Life is Good

I'm a little late on this annual tradition (three days!). I have been having so much fun with family and friends I haven't really sat down to reflect on 2011. Something I'll have more time for this evening, me thinks. 2011 brought many good things and was a far cry from 2010. Without further ado...

2011: The Survey

Was 2011 good for you? Yes, life was good.

What was your favorite moment of the year? Honestly, it may have been holding my dear friend's newborn. That is the moment that sticks out and I still get teary eyed thinking about it. Life is a blessing.

What was your worst moment of the year? It was pretty upsetting when I realized I'd spent all weekend taking pictures with a broken camera that didn't have a memory card. But the worst was gett the call from my brother after he'd just gotten home from the ER.

Where were you when 2011 began? At the Hall's house.

Who were you with? The Monday Night Posse

Where were you when 2011 ended? Snuggled in the guest bed sound asleep.

Did you keep your new years resolution of 2011? To live boldly. To be intentional in my actions, be present in every moment, and stand my ground. I didn't live as boldly or as intentionally as I would have liked, but I was more present.

Do you have a new year's resolution for 2012?  I want to live intentionally. That is, do what I say I'm going to do, be consistenet in word and deed, and cherish the moment. 2012 will be bringing many life changes and I want to soak them all up.

Did you fall in love in 2011? Every. single. day.

Did you make any new friends in 2011? A few.

What was your favorite month of 2011? August

Why this month? August was an awesome month for outdoor activities (hiking, Cascade Lakes Relay, Hood to Coast, etc) and lots of family time.

Did you travel outside of the country in 2011? No, I still need to renew my passport. Maybe 2012 will be the year I actually make it to Canada?

How many different places did you travel to in 2011? I don't know that I even got on a plane in 2011. Weird.

Did you miss anybody in the past year? Missed my brother, so glad those days are over.

What was your favorite movie that you saw in 2011? How to Train Your Dragon

What was your favorite song from 2011? "Raise Your Glass" by Pink or "I Love You This Big" by Scotty

How many concerts or plays did you see in 2011? Hmmm... everything I thought I'd seen I apparently saw last year. So perhaps none.

Did you have a favorite concert in 2011? Voices of Hope concert at The Grotto. I always love singing at The Grotto.

What was your favorite book in 2011?
Did you do anything you are ashamed of this year? Nope.

What was the biggest lie you told in 2011? "I'm doing better."

Did you treat somebody badly in 2011? No.
Did somebody treat you badly in 2011? Yes, but we worked it out.

What was your proudest moment of 2011? Accepting the job at Adventist Medical Center Foundation.

What was your most embarrassing moment of 2011? Possibly when my brother took his pants off during karaoke.

If you could go back to any moment of 2011 and change something, what would it be? The thing I would like to have changed was my sister and my best friend's wedding being on the same day in different (not close) cities. Not something I could change, but it is the thing I would have liked changed.

Where did you work in 2011? LifeWorks NW and AMC Foundation

Favorite TV shows(s) of 2011? Big Bang Theory, Grimm, and Once Upon a Time

Favorite Band(s) of 2011? The Band Perry

Favorite Food in 2011? Honey Lavender or Copa Mista gelato

Favorite Drink in 2011? Vanilla Chai Tea

Favorite Place in 2011? Bend

Favorite person(s) to be with in 2011? Jason, Aunt Deb, Dad, and Heather

Favorite person(s) to talk to in 2011? Aunt Deb, Bobby, Grandma+pa

Favorite trip in 2011? Anniversary weekend in Bend

Favorite stores in 2011? Stash Tea Warehouse

Hardest thing you had to go through in 2011? Starting depression medication was a tough decision, but one I'm glad I made.

Most exciting moment(s) in 2011? Getting chickens. New babies. Seeing family. Christmas. Planning a trip to Disney World/Disney Princess Half Marathon with Leslie. Little brother being discharged from the Marine Corp... lots of excitement.

Funniest moment(s) in 2011? I need to remember these better. Probably when I fell through the snow with one leg while we were hiking around the Strawberry Wilderness and yelled, "Hey, I found the trail!" Or my going away cake from LifeWorks NW.

Wishing you the most blessed 2012!



Four Happy Years - September 2011 - Bend, OR



The Work of Christmas

When the song of the angels is stilled,

when the star in the sky is gone,

when the kings and princes are home,

when the shepherds are back with the flocks,

then the work of Christmas begins:

... to find the lost,

to heal those broken in spirit,

to feed the hungry,

to release the oppressed,

to rebuild the nations,

to bring peace among all peoples,

to make a little music with the heart…

And to radiate the Light of Christ,

every day, in every way,

in all that we do and in all that we say.

Then the work of Christmas begins.

-- Howard Thurman, adapted

 

Wishing you the Merriest of Christmases and a blessed New Year.

May we do the work of Christmas all year long.

Welcome Winter

This morning I saw a moon sliver, framed by birch silhouettes, in the most stunningly clear, crisp, inky blue winter sky. We rounded the corner and the magic was lost, but the image is burned in my head. It echoed Silent Night to me and reminded me to slow down and bask in the wonder of the holiday.

To Do Now or Later: Traditions

I'm a sucker for traditions. Yours... mine... those of people I've never met, doesn't matter. I enjoy reading about traditions and then figuring out how to incorporate them into my own if it's feasible to do so.

For the last seven years, one of our traditions has been to alternate holidays with our families: Thanksgiving in Baker, Christmas in San Diego, then the following year Thanksgiving in San Diego, Christmas in Baker, repeat. This has worked out really well and we always know what to do, where we're going, and what to expect when we get there.

This year, however, the family unanimously decided it would be best if we stayed in Oregon for Christmas and come to visit later when flights are more reasonable. While it's nice to not have to make travel plans or cry over plane tickets and ridiculous surcharges, I am feeling a bit lost. This has led to many conversations about making our own traditions.

While we have incorporated some of our families' traditions - I am making the Bentley brisket for the Monday Night Posse Christmas party on Monday and always fill stockings to overflowing in true Henshaw fashion, for example - we have not really made our own as a couple.

That's not to say there aren't things we do every year - like get a tree as soon as our schedule and finances allow, watch ELF, and buy a picture frame ornament to mark a moment in the last year (something we've been doing since 2006, the year before we married). We just don't have anything that's really ours.

It's a little late this year, but we are talking about traditions we want to establish now and then can modify or add to when we have children. This came out of a conversation in which I said something to the effect of, "I have lots of traditions, we just can't do them until we have little people," and Jason replied, "Stop trying to write me out of this! I want to be part too!"

I was a bit convicted by that statement. I am one who gets quite annoyed when people say, "When we have kids we'll x, y, z," or, "We're not going to do that until we by a house..." (within reason, of course there are some things you can't do until an earlier requirement has been filled), meanwhile life is happening now and they are missing it waiting for the next thing.

When we have children, they'll be around for 20 years; the time we have now is ours and I want to spend it making beautiful memories with my husband. That'll make Christmases with babies all the more sweet.

What are your traditions?

As long as I'm at AMC, this may well become a tradition.

Winter Reflections

Look not mournfully into the past.

It comes not back again.

Wisely improve the present.

It is thine.

Go forth to meet the shadowy future, without fear. 

~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow ~

The red, gold, green, and white has come out of their boxes. Christmas music has been my companion for three weeks and the chill is in the air. Amidst the joyous chaos that is the holiday season, I find myself reflecting more and more on this last year and all the changes in store for us in the coming year. As a culture, we tend to think of January 1 as a clean slate, though it's not really true: it's merely a continuation of whatever we set in motion the year before.

Two years have passed since I had my meltdown. A year ago I was a barely functioning exoskeleton. The contrast between this year and last at this time is stark and beautiful. I am overwhelmed by the love and encouragement I received from those dearest to me and my heart overpours with gratitude for those who came alongside us and helped bear the load - emotionally, physically, and financially. I am so blessed. We are so blessed.

I feel such hope for the next year. More intense than the hope I felt while surrounded by the Monday Night Posse on New Year's Eve and more real. Does that even make sense? I'm not paralyzed by fear - I'm excited!

As we spend time with our family and friends in the coming weeks, sharing meals, exchanging gifts, playing games, and generally enjoying each other's company I want to have in the forefront of my mind the central purpose of the holiday I celebrate - the simple, beautiful gift that was given to mankind - and the gift I was given this year that will not end when the clock strikes Midnight on January 1.