Tag: life

2022 End Of Year Reflections With The Gems

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Worksheet Credit: Bohobeautifullife

Yesterday morning we sat down at the dining table that is covered in scratches and memories with a black and white notepad and a blue R.S.V.P. pen and we discussed and wrote down our reflections for the year. I was originally going to do this personally but then I thought it would be super fun and interesting to listen to my daughters answers on these specific questions. I also felt it would be some overall good bonding time.

It was an opportunity to really recognize our accomplishments and things that we each want to work on.

It was very humorous listening to their responses. They each listened to each other and we giggled about things that we actually forgot until we were encouraged to remember. Now that we have finished our reflections I think we’ll look at some photos from this year and begin our 2023 visions.

– love from TheWildGems

Soften The Heart: Devotional #21

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“Create in me a clean heart, O God,

And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Do not cast me away from Your presence,

And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,

And uphold me with your generous Spirit.”

Psalm 51:10-13

The Bible shares with us that each of us are salves in this world. We are either a slave to sin or a slave to Christ. Either way, we are owned.

God granted us the choice in whom we will serve. We have been gifted a freedom to make mistakes, question authority, challenge ourselves, and find ourselves. In our freedom we begin to understand humility and love. We learn, grow, and teach (intentionally or unintentionally).

In choosing God, it is also mentioned that the path of Christ is not an untroubled one. Many tribulations will follow each us in our lives. However there is a degree of peace, patience, and assurance when strengthening your faith and choosing to be a slave of righteousness.

It’s a difficult web to be caught in. And we are all in it.

We need help each day to choose God over the traits of this world. Some days we have slips and will continue to have slips. But we must not shame ourselves, we must give ourselves grace and others daily. We must exhort ourselves, challenge others, and be brave to do what others may not be able to.

To seek God is to have the fog lifted in your life.

Fog can keep us stagnant because we are unaware or afraid. Since we can’t see beyond it, we decide to remain stationary because we only trust what we can see.

To have the courage and hope to seek something greater is to discover what’s beyond the fog. It’s to surrender to the unknown.

And it’s the discovery that there is indeed more than what meets the eye.

Dear Readers: Since Childhood Writing Has Been A Coping Mechanism For Me

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Dear Readers,

I’m going to create a category called “dear readers” where I can be transparent and raw with my feelings and experiences for a moment. A way to release all that does not serve me in a positive way. I would like to reveal a vulnerable side of myself to better connect with all that follow this blog.

But as well, I would like to write these to share with my children one day.

I’ve reached a point where I desperately need to express and empty in writing all these unresolved emotions and “traumas” that I have been carrying for many years. I do not wish to past these to my children. But I hope to gain solutions and euphonies to help them when they face these obstacles one day.

I’m not really into your typical therapy. Talking about it can only do so much for me. Writing and reading are my therapy. I have to write it all down. I have think about it. I have to soak myself in emotion and words and allow myself to shiver.

It’s a puzzle that I know only I can truly solve.

Since childhood writing has always been a therapeutic tool for me. A way to strip the emotional pain or negative emotions from myself.

It’s always been a processing tactic for me. The only thing was, I would write it all down and then just completely ignore what I wrote. Well I’m older now and instead of ignoring the problems after I write I’m digging deeper for discoveries to better myself.

Writing was the release…..but as my love for reading has grown I also know how reading others writings can encourage and help others. Which is why I decide to share and write what I do on this blog.

My mom was in an abusive relationship during a good chunk of my childhood. Lots of screaming and crying behind closed doors. And I would hear her get thrown around often behind those closed doors. I know they didn’t want to fight in front of us, but our ears provided plenty of visuals.

This could be where my love for writing stemmed from honestly. I would write as they would be fighting. Expressing my hate for my stepdad. I would write prayers for help. It was all so sad really. The most vivid memories of this are from ages 9, maybe 8 to 14.

I know it was sad because there was a moment where I sat down (I’m thinking early 20s) and read those old childhood journals and it disturbed me so much that I didn’t want to remember any of those memories ever again. So I destroyed those journals.

But just because the words are destroyed doesn’t mean the actual memories are erased. My body still remembers.

Being much older now and developing a more sense of self I regret destroying those time capsules. Because now I’m really trying to heal myself to be a better mother to my children and those journals were like a cheat sheet to healing.

And now it’s like playing a guessing game. Something will trigger me and I’m sitting there left and confused, pondering it all day.

Truth be told I thought I was completely fine and “happy”. It wasn’t until I had children that all my repressed emotions began to expose themselves like weeds during a rainy season.

There’s a great part of me that sometimes feels overwhelmed, like now for example. Where I have to sit in a puddle of feels and just think about it.

It’s like, thinking you aced a test and then getting your test back and seeing that you failed. Sometimes I feel/think like “I’m healed, I’m good. I’m past it all.” I think that I can officially move forward and then I’ll have a humbling moment (usually provided to me by my kids) and I’m left dumbfounded. I’ve been shown that my emotions from my past are still greatly controlling me. That the work is definitely not complete.

It’s extremely frustrating. Parenting. Having “screw up” moments is really hard. Putting your tail between your legs in front of your children is super hard.

You want to be the best mother for your children however life shows you that you’re still a child yourself and that you’ve got lots of growing to still do.

Anyways, today I share and tell and I’m looking forward to sharing more.

Lots of love always,

m.g.

A Word Of Encouragement Goes A Long Way

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Encouragement is defined as, “the action of giving someone support, confidence, or hope.”

Encouraging another human being doesn’t cost a thing but it gives them more than anything. It can be life changing for some!

A small act of encouragement pushes people, gives them strength, reassures them, gives them something to hold onto and maybe even fight for…..especially during challenging and sorrowful times.

Even a smile is an act of encouragement.

Don’t fall into the common trap of belittling yourself and your capabilities. You are power.

You can save lives and you DO save lives. You may not know exactly how, but does that really matter? You influence others more than you know. That’s something to think about.

Who knows what doors you have opened for others.

Know in your heart you make a difference. Pass on the love, pass on the encouragement, pass on the hope. The world needs it.

The world needs you.

– m.g.

Soften The Heart: Devotional #19

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“…for all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Luke 18:14

Let’s define a few of these words so we can better understand this scripture and message.

The definition of the word humble is having or showing a modest or low estimate of one’s own importance.

The definition of the word exalt is hold (someone or something) in very high regard; think or speak very highly of.

If you reread the scripture with those definitions you could say it says that whoever thinks very high of themselves will be brought to their knees and a person who lives a humble life will come out on top. Possibly a more fulfilling, peaceful life.

This scripture instructs us to not look down on others. We are instructed to remain humble at all times. And if we fail to do so God will definitely interrupt and remind us of our place. We will be reminded that we know very little to what we think we may know.

Erase the mentality that you are more deserving than another person. Truth be told, we don’t know what others do in secret. One person may share their charity work publicly while another chooses to remain anonymous.

Erase the thoughts of it will never happen to me or assuming you have more time than another. No one is more righteous than another. We are all sinners and we are all broken in search of repairing and rescuing.

Many walk this life living unconsciously. Unaware that the past still has control over their wheel. They are stuck in their conditioning and haven’t gained the courage or knowledge to break the cycle. We are in constant need of God’s grace to revive us.

We must be patient and again humble ourselves. Change can be extremely difficult for many. And we are not judge those. Some do not change their lifestyles because it’s what they know. They are comfortable, and they feel safe even when their environment is questionable to another. They don’t know any different.

When Jesus was on the cross, during his death, he remained humble. He didn’t say anything cruel nor did he exalt himself. He said, “forgive them Father, for they do not know.”

Recognize how fragile life truly is and offer compassion and offer it fully to everyone. There was a time when you didn’t know. Just as children don’t know many things. With time they begin to understand.

But God calls us at different times. And when we are called we are to be examples.

Pray to God to correct you when you are exalting yourself, pray to be humbled and pray to be humbled often.

May we live with love.

– m.g.

There Are Many Who Believe In You, You Just Don’t Believe In Yourself Yet

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Awhile back now I was researching how some baby birds learn how to fly. The reason I was reading into the process to begin with was because an author of one of my devotional books tied the development of baby birds learning how to fly to personal growth.

I just absolutely loved it and it resonated in such a way. What a great metaphor that many can relate to! Such a different perspective to perceive.

Think of a baby bird for a moment will you, all cozy and comfy in their little nest. The nest is harmless, and it’s very familiar. It’s all the baby bird knows really. Mama feeds and provides for them there, and they feel safe.

Then one day, mama bird just starts throwing her babies out of the nest! What a far drop too! I’m not kidding either, she tosses them out and I imagine her saying, “todays the day!” I found this fascinating! I had no idea!

There comes a time where mama knows it’s time. If she’s not throwing them out she’s gently nudging her precious babies out of the nest. There’s no bargaining with the mama.

The baby bird I’m sure is TERRIFIED, like what is going on!! Is my mom trying to kill me! She must hate me! But the mama bird doesn’t feel that way at all. In fact, she does this because she LOVES her babies. She KNOWS that her baby needs to learn how to fly for survival. Because there will come a time when she knows she will longer be there for her baby and she needs to know that they will be okay.

She knows her babies to need to fly and her bird friends know it. The baby bird is the only one saying, “mama No, later later! I’ll learn later. I’m not ready!”

But guess what….

Push comes to shove and the baby bird FLYS. The baby bird finally believes in itself as the mother always has and chooses to opens its wings. The baby bird trusts in his mom that there’s a reason behind this.

Life is very much like this. It never waits for us to be ready. Because truth be told, we never will be. We are too cozy in our nests.

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If you have been thrown out of “the nest”’in someway….if you’ve been taken outside what you know and you’re scared and frightened this may actually be an unprepared flight lesson.

Who’s knows why this is happening, but there may something that you need to learn. The time is now. And this frightening experience will benefit you, as it does the baby birds. Questioning it will not do anything.

You will later realized that you HAD to be thrown out in order to learn how to fly.

Oh I hope this all makes sense. Ponder it a bit.

What I want you to know is that God believes in you, the universe believes in you, many others believe in you……. people believe in you and see your potential (they always have) , it’s time to believe in yourself and to not be afraid of the falls from the nest. You were born to fly, that’s what those wings are for.

Welcome the push and shoves with bravery and perseverance. It’s normal to be afraid but once you push through that fear who knows what you’ll see and capabilities you’ll discover.

Who knows where your wings will take you……

Beautiful places, that I’m sure. No need to be afraid. Trust, always.

-m.g.

Your Ideas Are Smart AND Needed

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I read something awhile back that said,

“what kills dreams more than anything is this thought, ‘what will they think of me…’”.

Someone out there needs and is waiting for your idea, your perspective, your plan, your project , etc., you have to believe that! You are being relied on and you don’t even know it yet. The person out there may not even know it yet. But someone or someone’s is waiting for YOU.

You were born here. That’s miraculous in itself. Now show who you are.

Our voices are so powerful. Our ideas are powerful and can influence change in countless, possibly infinite ways!

The world is your oyster has more meaning with age and experience, but how true this statement is.

Whatever it is don’t give up. Welcome any pushback with open arms and use that to fuel your fire that lingers inside your soul.

Share your ideas with trusted individuals and hear their opinions but don’t take everything to heart. Sometimes the ideas in our heads are so tangled up, and be challenging to articulate to others.

Sometimes unweaving them is only something you can do and MUST do by yourself.

So be patient with yourself. Give yourself grace daily. You know your vision and you can’t let others or yourself hold you back.

What are you waiting for? I’m cheering for you. It doesn’t matter what they think. Seek your reason and the nothing else at all will matter.

– m.g.

It’s Time To Stop Mediating On Things That Haven’t Even Happened…..Or Are Even Happening

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We poison ourselves with these types of thoughts and non-existent scenarios. Our minds have the power to liberate us or to imprison us.

When we begin to ruminate on things that haven’t even happened, we begin to believe that it HAS HAPPENED or will eventually happen. We self sabotage ourselves, our relationships, and end up causing pain that didn’t even need to exist to begin with.

Unfortunately, we allow these types of meditations to thrive, to develop, and they could destruct us and those around us.

When you feel yourself dwelling in events that haven’t even happened, stop and recognize that it’s just a thought. Then, shoo it away.

Controlling your mind/ thoughts doesn’t happen over night, it’s a conscious effort that you have to work towards everyday.

It’s time to develop a shield to protect you from this type of thinking.

Whatever thoughts you may be meditating on, there may be something deeper as to why you’re dwelling on those thoughts.

But in the meantime when you feel those thoughts creeping in, acknowledge them and then just shoo them away like you would a fly.

Stay focused on the present and what’s in front of you right now.

Lots of love.

– m.g.

Give Yourself Permission To Be Still

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We are busy humans living in a very fast paced world.

There’s always something we have to do, to prepare, to clean, to organize, some event to attend, etc.

I often thing of the song by Alabama,

I’m in a hurry to get things done
I rush and rush until life’s no fun
All I really gotta do is live and die, but
I’m in a hurry and don’t know why

We are so conditioned to be busy that if when we aren’t busy we are uncomfortable. We become bored or even anxious because we are so use to always being occupied with something.

We have to seek something to do to keep us busy and distracted. I believe many of us feel that if we aren’t doing something then we aren’t being productive. Society highly influences this.

The problem with that is if we are constantly go go go guess what happens?

We become burnt out my friends! Agitation becomes our shadow. And that’s not good for anyone who is near us. That’s not the kind of energy that we want causing ripple effects.

This quest to accomplish starts once we are born. It’s not enough to just be. We are already being judged on what we can do and can’t do. There are milestones for every month/year. We’re always being watched and compared. It makes sense why we are so concerned what others think about us.

If certain milestones are not hit, we panic and become overly concerned. I just want to say there’s nothing wrong with being a late bloomer. Plenty of people in history by the way fall under that category and it should encourage you.

As you get older it just constantly feels like one thing after another. You think to yourself, when am I just going to get a break? And the truth I think is….we never really will until we just begin to take breaks. That’s life. That’s just how life is and the sooner you realize that, the better. Don’t forget about yourself.

YOU, have to make time and effort to sit still, to be still. To do nothing once in awhile and just breathe. There’s always going to be something. Some hurdle to overcome. And often times it takes something to make us stop in our tracks and just be still. And it shouldn’t be like that. We should be encouraged to notice the details in the present and not always driven to reach “new levels”.

Maybe you had a surgery, or you’re not feeling good and you’ve been told to have bed rest, maybe you broke your foot, etc…….you don’t need THIS or THESE types of things to happen in order to sit still, to soul search, to read a book, to enjoy the sunset, to try something new for yourself, to RELAX, to surrender. You can give yourself a moment to be still whenever you want. Truly, it’s your choice.

You’re multitasking, giving yourself all these things to do and the only thing you’re doing is stressing yourself out. And something I’ve realized is we are typically making ourselves stressed out for other people! Who really don’t care as much as we believe! Give yourself some grace and others.

Take a moment and be still for yourself. Give yourself permission.

Do it for YOU. Life is quick and feels more quick when you’re always busy. Slow it down and practice just being.

Not every thing needs to be done today, this week, this month. Notice the little details and seek the beauty that can’t be reached when you’re moving quickly.

Walk sometimes instead of always running. Less busy, more stillness and slow pace. When your driving a car you don’t whip the steering wheel to turn right or left. You gently turn the steering wheel with ease to change the direction of your vehicle. It’s okay to move slowly and be still. As long as you keep going.

You’re a miracle all by yourself. Remember that always.

m.g.

Don’t Spend Too Much Time Trying To Understand, It Will Only Rob You Of Your Peace

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So many things happen in this given life. Good and bad.

It’s the hard, unimaginable things that really kick you in your stomach leaving you unable to catch your breath.

Difficult situations/incidents happen around you, to people you know, people you don’t know, and maybe to you. And it doesn’t necessarily need to be categorized as unimaginable.

Things happen where we just ask why? Why?! We have difficulty understanding.

But one thing I know for certain is that we are never alone. When life happens to you, it has also happened to someone else. Probably even a close friend of yours.

Things happen all the time, all around the world, that leave us confused, curious, wondering…..but if we spend too much time thinking about those things, dwelling in our thoughts, THEY WILL, they will imprison you and rob you of your peace. And could possibly steer you onto a very difficult path.

I know this to be true. And if you swim out too far, it can become impossible to swim back.

Time spent questioning will steal precious moments from you. It’s very challenging to focus on work, your children, your spouse, a project, etc, when your mind is elsewhere trying to wrap your brain around something that you can’t change and that you will more then likely never fully understand. At least not in this life.

When something leaves you questioning let this be an opportunity to reflect, to recognize what your true priorities are, and to be grateful no matter the circumstances. Light is always present.

Easier said than done, I do know. But we all have to diligently seek and give it time.

And also know, it’s okay to be upset, it’s okay to be angry, it’s okay to feel however you’re feeling……..feel the emotions. Don’t push them away. Moments do need to be taken to acknowledge how you’re feeling and healthy ways to express them.

But then, you have to allow and challenge yourself to move forward in order to gain your peace back. And moving on does not mean forgetting what happen. It’s those hard moments in life that leave the darkest stains on our hearts.

It’s those hard moments in life that also produce the brightest flowers.

Choosing to accept and move forward is to surrender to what has been done and remain steadfast. Humans seek control, and when life reminds us that we have very little control it terrifies us.

Never loose hope. Pray all the time and never loose hope that one day we will receive all the answers that we seek.

When a child is young there is much they do not understand, especially with their parents. But when they are older a light comes on and everything makes sense.

In this life we are those children who don’t understand and I myself do pray that one day all of us will have our answers and peace and be completely reassured this whole time we truly were loved, even through those hard, difficult times.

m.g.