Encouragement

Brownies, Boy Scouts and the Big Dance

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Has anyone ever made you feel stupid? Or extremely small?

As an adult in those circumstances, I roll my eyes on the inside. I realize the person making me feel small is probably hurting far worse than they made me feel. I mentally place my hand on my shoulder and dust it off. But sometimes that person is from our past and our memories are more inked in. The words are on a permanent feedback loop. Or sometimes, like me, you suppress those mean messages right up until they randomly  fall out of your head. Continue reading →

Seeking the Subtle

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Our eyes bring a unique view on life.  Whether it be a book, movie, or the infamous blue and black dress, we all see things slightly differently.  Depending on our background, experiences, or even our mood, we interpret each message in a personal way.   Bombarded by texts, tv, email, and mass media marketing; I want to challenge you to look for the more subtle but spiritual messages meant for you today, this week, and in your life.  Words are all around you…messages meant for you.  Don’t get confused or flustered by other’s interpretation of the proverbial dress.  Be open to hear what Words He might speak to your heart today. Continue reading →

Everything is NOT Awesome.

~ Jenni at 100 Cups of Coffee ~ 10 Comments

Emmet_minifig

Earlier this month I traveled back to the place where I felt most exposed, most disappointed, and most broken.  Ever.  I made the choice to go.  I packed up our entire family, boarded a plane and away we went.  The place was just as we had left it…maybe a little hotter, a littler drier, but the same.  I went willingly but with small shreds of dread in my heart.   I knew we were meant to return.  But if you have not heard, this, The Most Elaborate Foster Plan Ever Orchestrated, or this The Epic Adventure is Over; were the reasons for my dread.  Upon reflection I realize my search for hope in the midst of hardship is not an uncommon pursuit.  I would love for you to join me today in uncovering a path to hope despite the hardship.

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Running with Pork Chop

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The Rock and Roll Country Music Marathon was my first and last marathon.  Nashville was an interesting choice…bands and cheerleaders every few miles…cool scenery…I can see why we thought that location had a decent draw.   But seriously, who knew Nashville was SO darn hilly?  I mean practically mountainous.    She was my first and only.  She ruined me for any and all marathons moving forward.  For SO many reasons:  One being I could watch 2 movies in the time that it took to run that beast.  2 movies or 15 episodes of Friends.  Come on people…15 episodes.    Not to mention marathon training is INTENSE and it is something I cannot give my life to.  It is AMAZING and INSPIRING and I am in awe of those who run more than one 26.2 race.  Give me some heavy ropes, a TRX, and kettle bell and we will do work.  But spending HOURS and HOURS running to get to a total of 26.2–is a one and only for me.  I had to put it bed.  Forever.

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Doing Life with Your People

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Disclaimer:  My husband has informed me that this blog is written from an introverted world view.  I think it is actually painted with a broader brush, but if you are extroverted and find this limiting (or offensive)…forgive me…it is only meant to encourage…and give permission to those who are feeling a bit over-committed as they kick off 2015.

Recently I have been devouring the words of some of my favorite authors.  While in the US, books and blogs have been consumed like pumpkin spice lattes.  Several of my favorites have  written words referencing, “their people.”   I get it.  We all have our people.  We also interact with people regularly (often on a daily basis) who are not our people.   The more I thought about this the more I realized how often we unintentionally are making loads of space in our schedule for those who actually sap our energy as opposed to give energy.

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Licking Mirrors…

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One of my favorite posts ever. It reminds me of the hard preschool years with kids, the way I felt most days as a mom, the messes I made and grace I gained. Happy Friday to my wonderful mom friends!

100 Cups of Coffee

 One of my simple pleasures is finding a good deal.  My mom on her fridge for years had a bumper sticker that said “I”d rather be shopping!”  She shopped me out as I kid so as an adult I am not a shopper in the sense of “sport” but I DO love a good deal.  A few weekends ago there was a big “stuff and save” type sale and summer items like shorts and shirts were deeply discounted.  Red flags went flying up.  Chris was in desperate need of a few things, so we decided to turn the trip into a family affair.   We needed to go to the Farmers Market that morning and Chris suggested we  “pop in” to Old Navy for a pair of shorts and a few shirts.  Of course on Saturday morning during “stuff and save,” it was packed.  We ran into neighbors, long lost friends…

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Imperfect Fall Family Photos

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Crisp cool air, vibrant red, yellow, and orange leaves call to me.  They signal something is different…there is an end to the hot summer and a reprieve before the cold winter rushes in.  North Carolina is especially kind as her cool fall temperatures typically stay moderate well in to December.  The pumpkins and crunchy leaves on the ground beg for families to come together and take the traditional fall photos.  Fall photos create the perfect backdrop, promise of a fresh new season and a reminder of memories made.  I am a sucker for a good Christmas card photo.  I love seeing the year unfold.  Sometimes there is a beach photo, a big event captured, but if there is no beach trip or big event to share…there is undoubtedly a beautiful fall photo.

Yesterday a friend dropped by with his wife and baby and they delivered some delicious produce from their garden along with a very unique pumpkin.  Since our life in Uganda encompasses all things unique AND we do not have a fall season; I wrangled the children and asked if we could please take a “unique fall pumpkin photo?!?!”  So simple…right?  This was the result of my best efforts.

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My Child Will Never

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100 Cups of Coffee

 This was my first mommy blog post…thought it would be worth revisiting.  My children have aged since this blog…but the Cockerham chaos continues.  My friend Nicole says in her super cute southern voice she has eaten a lot of crow over the past few years.  A southern expression for all those that have said, “My Child Will Never”…and then they did indeed do x, y or z–you just bellied up to a big plate of plate of crow.  I daily pull out my fork…and for those of you who have eaten your fair share of crow…OR make mental statements about what your future children will or won’t do…this is for you!
As I am sitting down to write…I realized that my boys are outside.  (I mean I knew it…I sent them out on the back porch to eat their snack.)  They are eating outside partly because it is a BEAUTIFUL…

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Mutts, Mosaics, and Modes of Transportation

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I was first introduced to mosaics in Italy and was struck with wonder by their intricate beauty and design.   To see the tiny fragments of different colors, shapes and sizes all come together in one masterful piece of art was breath-taking.  To be inspired by something that originally was made from busted, broken pieces of glass or stone takes quite a creative designer.

Some people are far more spiritual than I am…they do things like pray for world peace and cures for diseases.   At times my prayers feel a bit more shallow…I pray for stuff like the weather and how it will affect my schedule for the day.  I pray for my children not fall out of trees and break something.  I even pray, ahem–please don’t judge–for things like what type of dog we will own.

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#TBT…or Tuesday?!

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#TBT.  Such a creative concept.  We all love seeing our friends’ photos from the 80s with big bangs or our high school prom pictures resurrected    The more I marinated on this concept it made me realize I would like to start digging up some of my most favorite blogs.  They are not quite vintage but old enough that I am needing reminders of their message.   (Today I assumed the worst about someone and it got ugly!)  I realized I might have even written a blog about such matters?  And thus the concept of ThrowBackBlogs was birthed.      

So You’re Mad at Me, I’m Lazy, and My Kids are Rude?

A dear friend of mine recently spent time with one of my favorite people on the planet…my therapist.  Paula characterized my friend’s outlook on life by simply saying:  “You are a negative framer.”   Negative Framer, hmmm, the words settled deep.  It seemed all too familiar.  I realized in that moment,  I myself was a recovering negative framer.    Continue reading →