Leading@Google: Susan Cain

This morning I got up , made a pot of coffee, and sat down at the kitchen table to read a little and enjoy the silence. It’s one of those little pleasures that I’m grateful for in my life.…just me. And the dogs.

Max has wriggled his way into my heart in a rather unexpected way. It’s hard not to smile when he presses himself against my leg, wanting to be petted. It’s a little moment of happiness we share.

I’ve been making an effort to find these moments more often, A favorite song that pops up on the my shuffled playlist. That delicious feeling of sliding between freshly laundered sheets. and recognize them for what they are … little expressions of joy that fill my day, and fill up my spiritual and emotional tank.

I often use this blog to post my inner thoughts and random by-the-seat-of-my-pants entries. It’s a good outlet for me, and while I’m not necessarily interested in growing a huge readership, I know that I have a nice little group of followers (thanks, y’all!).

Every once in a while, though, I do get a little too serious, and it’s always about something that’s close to my heart.(usually Religion or Family).. If there’s one thing that this world has taught me., that I’ve taken absolutely to heart, is that each of us has a story that’s yearning to be told. Our lives are unique — filled with many joys, but also pains. They go hand in hand with this thing we call the human condition.

Bloggers are sometimes guilty of always presenting the best side of our lives. It’s lovely to share photos of family get-togethers that look like Norman Rockwell paintings, of taking a picture that is cropped just right so you don’t see the laundry basket or the pile of papers that gets moved from the table to the counter, and back to the table. It’s all about illusion, isn’t it?

Why? Because we are all suffering in some way. Each of us, and we so often miss opportunities to connect with others and share these hurts. We can find much healing in the simple act of sharing and discovering that we are not alone in our suffering. Both empathy and sympathy are gifts.

Ideally, we should just keep going forward, but there’s nothing wrong with hitting the reset button every once in a while and going back to the beginning to take another route

Burst that Bubble

Athiest friends- Belief in something/someone gives us all hope, gives us a sense of comfort & frankly a reason to move forward each day in some cases. I was having a very deep theological conversation with a good athiest friend of mine. And he made so many good points as to why he felt so strongly against religion.

I dont like to categorize the people i know or have relationships with ...or put them in a box of sorts, I detest labels. but in the last few years ive been surrounded by people in my life who have turned from religion or just plain dont believe in any form of it. Its not even a concious choice on my behalf, its just who ive connected with & who have came into my life for some reason.

Once we befriend someone, or become familiar with someone (and usually even before we actually meet them), we begin to develop expectations about their behavior. This is our little bubble enveloping them. Once in our bubble, they begin to feel expectations about how we want them to look, act, and feel....I try to avoid this at all costs.

The further into someone elses bubble we go, the more our voices may soften, the more our opinions lose their stride. The further into someones bubble we go, the more fearful we become of saying something different, doing something different, being someone different.

My niece who just turned 18 is agnostic, she refuses to have faith in what she cannot see. "Blind Faith" she says is not for her. One of my best friends in a devout atheist. I like to think ive rubbed off on him some, and not to blow my own whistle, but i kinda see that i have in alot of ways. Thats one of the things we as christians are supposed to do right?...be witness and share gods word and shine his love on others.

I have to continually keep jutifying my life choices to myself lately. Ive been envious of others, and thats just not okay. I have to realize everything on the other side of that green lawn isnt always as it seems from a distance.

Today i have been feeling like im in some kind of bubble ( not politically mind you :p), everything is moving pain stakingly slow. I wish for once i was on track & up to speed with all those around me. But alas, i have created a life in which i progress at a much slower pace. I try so very hard not to complain & moan around about things, i honestly do.

I feel like i could crawl outta my skin, if only i could burst this bubble that seems to be getting smaller and smaller. I pray for a laser beam from the skies to zap the chip in my brain and restore me, restore my thought process. Letting my brain be free of all intrusive thoughts.

A few songs im feelin at the moment

Shooter Jennings - Born Again

School of seven bells- Show me love

Tori Amos - Beulah Land

PdF 2011 | Jim Gilliam: The Internet is My Religion