Be INSPIRED!!!

I'm the recipient of a daily inspirational report from a gentleman by the name of Jeff Young. Jeff is a Single Dad. And he's lived with Lou Gherig's Disease since the 80's. If anyone knows anything about Lou Gherig's, you know that the prognosis is not good. To beat all odds and live not just a few months or a few years, but YEARS AND YEARS beyond an original diagnosis...is amazing and inspiring all by itself. Add single parenthood to the mix and you've truly got yourself a super hero. I'm grateful for the reality check that lands in my email box every day.

Here is today's message:

"Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability." - John Wooden

John Wooden coached the UCLA men’s basketball team to ten national titles, including seven in a row between 1967 and 1973. Yet, he never implored his team to beat another team. Coach Wooden believed that the scoreboard was irrelevant to whether or not you won or lost. He told his players that only they would know whether or not they had won, because winning was determined by whether or not they had given everything they had to give. He told them there was no honor in outscoring another team simply because the other team was lousy or because they got lucky. Likewise, there was no shame in coming up short on the scoreboard if you had given it your all.

Be very careful when comparing yourself to others, because disappointment via unrealistic expectations is often the seedbed of failure. Can we get over the notion that life is supposed to be fair? It’s not fair, and it is never going to be fair. Because everyone plays the game of life with advantages and disadvantages others do not have, we must begin measuring our success based upon our own abilities. What would you do with someone else’s ability? Not a damn thing if you’re not already utilizing the ability that you already have. Regardless of where you are in life, start disciplining yourself to give your all in all that you do and you won’t be there for long.

To sign up for Jeff's Inspirational Quotation for Today, send an e-mail to warriors-on@friendsofjeff.com or use the automated link on the website (www.friendsofjeff.com).

Even in the limited state of his body, his brain and spirit are alive and well and still setting goals. He has a goal now of adding 10,000 readers to his email distribution. Let's all gather and push him over his goal! I encourage you to copy and post to your blog so all of your readers may be inspired, as well!

Today's goal status: Readers Added Wednesday 2, Total 3,157, To Reach Next Goal 6,843

Let's all be Friends of Jeff! :O)

Advent Conspiracy

In the current economic climate, there are a lot of people who will struggle more than usual through this holiday season. I personally, have no money to contribute to gift giving of the standard variety this year. Rather than being discouraged, though, I’ve opened up my my box of creative possibilities to serve and give from my heart, rather than my pocketbook.

A few ideas that I have thought of immediately are:

*Clean out closets and donate to homeless and women’s shelter’s.
*Donate extra coats and blankets to homeless and women’s shelter’s or take a journey downtown and hand deliver them to whomever you’ve been lead to.
*I love to bake. The time and love poured into baking and cooking for others is a sure way to warm a heart, as well as the tum! And when has a homemade cookie ever NOT put a smile on your face?!
*I have several hidden gifts of the creative variety that I plan to utilize for blessing others. What do you do with your hands that could bless someone?
*It seems the hand written blessing has gone by the wayside with today’s modern technology. Tell someone how much they mean to you in your own words; your own handwriting.

These are just a few ideas that I have up my sleeve. Do you have any other ideas? Please comment and share your ideas so that we may all benefit and spread love and joy this Christmas Season with the gift of our TIME.

Thank You!

Thank you, dear brother and sister-in-law, for sending for the babe and I, Mom and Gramma, so that we could all spend Thanksgiving dinner together. Even though you just received a pay cut just before the holidays, you dug deep into your pockets for the best present we could ever receive: Time. We don't see each other very often now that you've moved away, but I will remember this forever. Thank you.

Thank you, employer, for keeping me through the holidays. In the current economic climate, it is a privilege and a blessing to have employment while I watch multitudes around me lose their jobs.

Thank you rain, all of it, for most of the year...because without it, Oregon would not be as lush and beautiful and green an amazing wonder to look at every single day of the year.

Thank you, technology, for allowing communication to happen quickly and easily no matter the distance that parts any of us.

Thank you, comfort food. Just because. :O)

Thank you, Blogger and other blog hosts for opening up a world of community that may not have ever been known without you. I now have friends from afar that I would not have known any other way. My world has been enriched.

Thank you, peace and quiet, when I am graced with it. It's where my batteries are recharged.

Thank you, church family, for loving me so unconditionally; for always knowing what I need, when I need it, and for helping when I'm afraid or stubborn or too prideful to ask.

Thank you, musically gifted individuals, for creating amazing sensation for the ears, mind, body and soul. Music moves me.

Thank you, friends, who I could not live without. My world is a better place because simply knowing you, makes me a better person. Thank you, for loving me.

Thank you sanity, for appearing when life would otherwise dictate insanity's presence.

Thank you, dear daughter, who fills me with so much joy, I almost can't stand it sometimes. I am blessed beyond measure!

Thank you, clients, for allowing me to capture your special moments and joy. Sharing a morsel of your world is priceless to me and I am enriched more than I could have ever imagined.

Thank you, childcare provider, for loving my daughter (and me) as one of your own, and taking such good care of her...you are the only ones I didn't feel I had to compromise my values for.

Thank you, America, for the freedom and abundance that we live in today. It's so easy to take it all for granted, but I appreciate the opportunity to be whatever it is I choose to be. Thank you for allowing us choices that so many do not know.

Thank you, washer and dryer, for getting all the dirt out, with relatively little effort on my part.

Thank you, Grace, for giving me the eyes to see that in a world that is broken, that there is hope and joy and peace in spite of it all; and we are all brothers and sisters, equal in our gifts and strife, together.

Thank you, Jesus, for saving me. I have been freed from a heavy cloud of burden and pain and released into the freedom that is hope, in You.

Thank you, God, for creating all things so beautifully and magically. I'm so blessed to reside in such wonder and amazement.

Fall

I just had a little epiphany. :O)

Fall...that time of year when all the leaves on the trees die and it gets cold and everything rests for a while...but with the promise of renewal in the Spring. I've been taking pictures of the leaves and colors and have never truly SEEN the colors of Fall until this year, as I've been capturing them through the lens of my camera. How amazing, breathtaking, and beautiful the landscape becomes...when things DIE?!

After the Fall...of man...we as humans became filled with self. And from that point forward we as a human race have been seeking to find our way back to our core; our Creator. This process is dying to thy self. DYING. But always with the promise of renewal, of Spring. We don't usually look at the process of dying to anything as beautiful, though. It is uncomfortable and painful and downright ugly sometimes. But if we redirected our focus to look at the process of dying, as a beautiful thing, like the changing of the leaves in the Fall, we might feel more inclined to embrace the process and joyfully anticipate the season of renewal that we know is around the bend.

:O)

The Least of These

As the Season of Giving approaches, it's easy to consider all those who are less fortunate. It is my personal desire to incorporate a year long season of giving, into my life; to think of others always, before myself. And not just this coming year, but for the rest of my life.

As a single woman, it can be a bit intimidating to consider how to help because the environments in which the poor and homeless reside are not always the safest. I'd like to offer a few ideas that I have been prompted to in the past few months.

There is a local market downtown (Portland Saturday Market) that is in the neighborhood of the homeless. Because there are so many people, it is a safe place to be, if alone, to do 'something'. A few weeks ago I felt compelled to go and take pictures. I have a zoom lens so was able to capture the life without intruding into their space. What I have done with these photos is post them to my photo blog and have drawn attention to a ministry that actively assists with helping them, called Bowls of Grace. I plan to create a book for them with my pictures to assist them with their ministry outreach efforts. While I was there, I had the opportunity to chat with a couple of individuals who live the life. They approached me, so I feel like they were God led. They were who I was to go downtown to see. And they asked me to pray for them, which was an amazing privilege to do. I learned during this trip that when He asks us to go...that if we just go, He will guide us and protect us and give us the resources that we need to accomplish His purpose.

I have felt a pressing to minimize and simplify the abundance of 'stuff' in my house. Stuff is just stuff. Why do I have so much stuff? I don't need it all. So I will donate my 'stuff' to the local GoodWill in order to allow them to help others who are in need. We don't always have to be on the front line to still make a difference.

I will be donating all my extra clothes to the women's shelter.

I currently work for an organization that makes shoes. Sometimes freebies are available for the taking. I've recently collected some shoes and t-shirts that I intend to bring to those in need. Any opportunity that I see/find that is giving away freebies, I first consider the needs of those who are without.

I have a collection of coats I've collected over the years and I plan to take them downtown sometime soon to pass out to whomever God leads me to.

For Thanksgiving, a friend of mine always receives a turkey for free from work. We intend to cook it up and make turkey sandwiches out of it, and provide a good turkey sandwich to those who live downtown.

I've had the opportunity to be a part of a Bowls of Grace outreach downtown and its amazing the stereotypes we create in our mind about who really lives on the streets. On one occassion we served over 200 homeless and I was surprised to know that there were only a very very small handful that were visibly drunk or on drugs (because that is what I have thought of them). The individuals I was able to speak to were genuinely humble folks who hit a rough spot and were in transition. Some are very ashamed, but are working on finding their way 'home'. My heart broke for them.

Taking a giant leap of faith to step into the world of the oppressed is a life changing experience to say the least. It truly puts into perspective the abundance that we are surrounded with.

I'm in the process of finding a new job and the job that I anticipate obtaining will provide me a great deal more of a salary than I am currently receiving. It would be very easy for me to think first about myself and about what I'm going to do with my new found 'wealth' (vacations are usually the first thing in my mind). But all I 'need' is enough to keep the roof over our head, clothes on our back, and food in our bellies. The rest of the 'stuff' is just 'stuff'. In contemplating my journey to the heavenlies (which could happen at any moment), I've thought long and hard about the legacy I will leave. Will it be found in the 'stuff' that is collecting dust in my garage? Probably not. Will it be found in the coat that I give to somebody who is cold? Or the warm sandwich to the growling stomach that hasn't had a meal in a while? I am rich beyond measure to have a roof, food and clothes. The essentials we so take for granted are not a privilege for a great deal of Americans. Here...the land of the FREE...is so incredibly oppressed beneath the obsession with self. How many financially rich people are happy because of their wealth? Probably not many. But richness and fullness is realized when handing someone something that seems so trivial to me. What about a warm hug and a smile on a cold day? Because beneath the dirty clothes and exterior is a heart that deserves some warmth and love, too.

Matthew 29:40
"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

There Will Be a Day

Sometimes a song will come out that grips my heart and soul...like God Himself has wrapped his giant arms around me and I'm so full of hope and love and if for only a moment, I feel absolutely complete, in His presence. This song has done that, but this time its like a huge hug that will be followed by a lengthy time apart...like when your best friend moves away and it will be a long while before you see them again. You know you will...but the missing them seems so agonizing. There's another song called 'Homesick' by Mercy Me... I've never really felt this kind of homesickness until now. My heart aches to just be 'home'...where there will be no more pain; no more worry; no more fears. But my hope for that is what keeps me alive. What an incredible anticipation... :O)

Through the Lens of Inspiration

I'm not sure if its 'normal'...by normal I mean...is it common for every head to think as much as mine does. I wonder if it is just my perceptions that draw so much attention to it. And my excitable personality that brings it all to the surface. There are some personalities that are so calm and reserved and mellow. I wonder...do their minds race around their heads 24 hours a day, too? Or is this just something that makes me a little bit different; a little bit unique. Not abnormal, because I do know that others besides myself think A LOT. I wonder why I feel mine is so...illuminated...magnified...LOUD. Hm.

Anyway...thinking is good. There's a lot of attention drawn to it, but I don't find it a detriment so much anymore, like I used to. I used to think I was crazy (ok, maybe I am...but I'm okay with crazy now. (O: At least at this particular moment.). Nowadays...it is the wellspring of my search for wisdom and truth. The wisdom and truth that is relevant to my world. Sometimes...this wisdom and truth is even relevant for others' worlds. :) (and this is why I decided to start blogging...it can't all be for naught, this mind racing stuff)

I am an aspiring photographer. I love capturing moments. As I've released myself from the starting gates, I have had a lot of trepidations about going forward. I really questioned any talent that I had. I knew that I LOVE taking pictures. I see pictures all the time and wish I had a camera to capture every beautiful and glorious thing I see. But just because I have that vision doesn't mean there's any real value to the population at large for it. It is my inspiration. And others don't have to see it the same way as I do. But when venturing forth as a consideration for a full time employment endeavor, I have to take into consideration its value, because its value equals how I will pay my bills...and that means it has to be of good value. It's complicated. But, over this last year, I have been affirmed over and over and over and over again, that what I see truly does have value. Inspiration is valuable. People live for inspiration and beautiful things. They may not recognize it completely, but our passions are fueled by inspiration, are they not?

Anyway, I have another little fear sometimes that makes me nervous before a photo shoot...that I might not capture something as well as the client would like me to. Or that the inspiration will not be there. Or that my camera will malfunction. However, I have learned while shooting, that there is absolutely nothing accurate or relevant about that fear. I have NEVER been inspiration-less during a shoot. If I put the camera up to my eye, the inspiration is there. EVERY TIME. The shoot never unfolds how I would expect it to, but it doesn't mean it was a failure. Because failure in this regard would require that I be some kind of a fortune teller...to see what I'm supposed to do, absolutely, and then do the opposite. And I'm not a fortune teller. So I can't be a failure.

Yesterday I was thinking about how true this is of life. If I'm going to shoot a wedding, I know that I'm going to shoot a wedding. I can anticipate that there will be a beautiful bride and a handsome groom, and a lot of family and friends and happy faces. There will be details to capture and fun stuff, and emotional stuff, and maybe even some hard stuff. But how it actually unfolds is a mystery. And what I actually capture is really only partially understood until I begin to look at the pictures I've captured. They then come back to life for me, but they bring an even fuller life to the recipients of the pictures when they receive them.

We get one day at a time and we can make plans about what those days are going to contain, but what they hold will never be known until the moment it is realized. While we are passing through it, we can realize a certain element of what it contains, but as time passes, it becomes more fully developed into something more; we can piece it together for a larger picture. And then when others are involved, and it is shared, it becomes even larger. All completely relevant and valuable...and completely unanticipated at the same time. Those who fear what tomorrow brings, are being robbed of the fullness and excitement of the ambiguous moment. How much inspiration is lost because we fear what it 'might' turn out like or look like?

My anxiousness for photo shoots is slowly dissipating because even those shoots that I don't think went well, evidence themselves otherwise. I did a shoot last weekend with puppies. THAT was an exercise in a whole lot of things! (I will take pet pictures, but probably won't become a professional pet photographer...) :O) But when viewing the photos afterwards, I realize that even while my inspiration was being stretched completely outside of its comfort zone, and I was concerned about the outcome, I have success. It's all about perspective. We only fail when we believe we have.

So...I will view this life through the lens of inspiration. And not be fearful of what I have captured. Because it will ALWAYS be a beautiful thing. :)