It's Not About You: Single on Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day.

I'm going to be honest and straightforward in this post.

This subject has been nagging at me for a few weeks now,

and I just can't keep quiet about it.

I want to address how single women are handling Valentine's Day.

Let me start by saying...

Valentine's Day is not about you.

Did you know that Valentine's Day was established in remembrance

of a man who was executed for his beliefs?

He wrote sweet notes to those he cared about because he knew he was going to die.

This man was willing to die for something he believed in,

but today this fact gets glazed over with chocolate and roses.

Something else different in the approach to modern Valentine's is that

single women everywhere use this day to bemoan their relationship status.

If we don't have that special someone,
we tend to congregate in groups and celebrate our friends instead.

Sure we have a good time.

But you know what? We all sit at the table as hypocrites.

 We try to pretend this is good enough, that we are happy to be with our friends,

when really, it is all a great big facade we use to drown out our woe-is-me pity party.

I've celebrated a few Valentine's with girlfriends, and genuinely had a good time!
But this year something shifted and I saw things differently.

Imagine your best friends are getting married,

but instead of letting them have their day, you and and your girlfriends

decide to have your own party because none of you are getting married.

Do you see how petty, childish and self centered that sounds?

"I just wish I had someone to give me flowers and take me out."

Let's be honest with each other, what we are really saying is,
"I wish I had someone to celebrate me."

Women have made Valentine's Day all about them!

It is all about your man celebrating you and showing you just how special you are.

Not only is that selfish, it sounds dangerously akin to idolatry.

Valentine's Day is not about you.

Did you know that you have chosen to be single?

Yes.

Your singleness is a choice.

You may look at is from the perspective that the right guy just hasn't come along.

 But pay attention to a set of words in that sentence...right guy.

This implies that there has been a wrong guy.

This implies at one point you made a choice...'I don't want him, he isn't right.'

At that moment you chose to be single.

Singleness is not something that is thrust upon you, it isn't a disease... it is a choice.

If you were given the chance to go with someone on a trip, but decided not to,
then spent the rest of your time bemoaning the fact that you weren't going on a trip somewhere,
wouldn't that seem a little foolish and fickle?

As silly as that may sound in the that context,
that is how many single women approach Valentine's Day.

There are plenty of fellas out there who would snatch you up,
you could probably pick one up at Wal-Mart!

While they may not be what you want, you are still making that choice to be single.

If you have a hard time with being single on Valentine's Day,

I would challenge you to scrutinize yourself.

Just because you are single doesn't mean you have no purpose...

it doesn't mean you can't live a life of joy and meaning now...

and it doesn't mean you are an incomplete person.

If you are an incomplete person without a relationship,

then that is your own shortcoming, and you need to work through

some issues because no relationship is ever going to complete you.

Another point I would like to make.

Stop for a moment and look around.
You live in a point of history that is truly amazing.

If one stops to listen to what the men of God and prophets are saying,
it doesn't take a theologian to know we are living in extraordinary times.

And those times are growing short.

Jesus is coming back...and it may be very soon.

The world has grown cold,

and we are in the winter seasons of the world's time.
Things are shifting, changes coming that may
forever alter the comfortable world we live in.

Yet we focus so much on temporal things.

Yes, we all long for companionship, myself included!
But I'm convinced God knows our needs (Matt. 6:8)
and He longs to meet them. (Is. 30:18; Phil. 4:19).
If we know this to be true, we can likewise be assured that
if we haven't been given a significant other,
it must be that God does not see that as our most pressing need.


~~~~
I'm linking up at Anchored in Love Divine
for the Blog Everyday in February Challenge!

Day #13: Favorite Quote(s)

Favorite quotes!
First one...

"I'd rather be a hammer than a nail."

Paul Simon

Meaning  it is better to be an active force than to let others (or something) drive you.

I heard this on a Christian radio show many years ago, and it has stuck with me.




Honestly, I didn't even know who Paul Simon was.
So just before posting this, I did some research and found out
it was Simon of Simon and Garfunkel and this quote is actually a song lyric!

Who knew?!

"What is an ambassador's responsibility?

Not to change the people to whom he is sent, but to represent the King whom he serves."

Lydia Prince


I was deeply moved reading about Lydia's early life in the book Appointment In Jerusalem,
where this quote comes from.

It is a great reminder for us as Christians,
that we aren't out to change people, because we can't,
rather we simply need represent God and the truths of His kingdom
through our lives, words and actions.

~~~~
I'm linking up at Anchored in Love Divine
for the Blog Everyday in February Challenge!

Day #11: A Traveling Story

 Want to know a secret?

I hate flying.

Okay, maybe hate is too strong a word, but I certainly don't like it.

However I've kept it no secret on this blog that I want to travel.

Hmmm....
Does anyone else see a problem here?

Yeah, see, in just a few seconds you made the connection
that flying fears and world wanderings don't exactly co-habitat very well.

Believe it or not,
it wasn't until this past December that I was able to connect the dots.

My brother and I had the chance to go visit some of our family
in Minnesota just before the holidays.
And while I was really looking forward to the trip- I was dreading flying.

I would much rather make the 24 hour drive than fly it!

Seriously,
I was almost making myself sick with anxiety.

Now,
it isn't the act of flying so much that I dislike,
it is security and whole rigmarole of maneuvering the airport,
gates, times, tickets, luggage, that gets my stomach in a knot.

When I was younger, I used to fly on many occasions
in a small 4-seater airplane with my uncle.
Back in those days I had lots of problems with my ears hurting,
and that was the reason behind my fear of flying
Since then, my ears don't pain me like they used to,
but I don't fly in a small 4-seater any more either.

 So, the nigh before our departure to Minnesota
I was in the throes of anxiety, when it suddenly struck me...
"This just won't do. 
Someday, I want to travel to other parts of the world.
I certainly can't walk there!
In order to get where I want, I have to overcome this fear!"

This gave me just the transfusion of steal I needed in my veins
to march tall and unshaken through the airport.


Never mind that in the midst of my confident stride down the loading ramp,
 I left before the stewardess could give me my ticket.
Never mind that my brother had to grab my ticket along with his own and jog after me
so I could even get on the plane.
Never mind that this scene played out in the view of a dashing fellow traveler,
who in fact, I was trying to put on my best "I got this" act for.
Yeah.
That doesn't matter.

What matters is that I made a giant step towards overcoming my flying fears.
Even if that means my brother jogging after me, I still feel it was great progress.

Cold? Who's cold! I'm Epic Man!

What's orange and white and cold all over?Me!

 In the end, we were both able to enjoy freezing our bums off
in the beautiful winter wonderland of our home state!

Yes.
I'm wearing blaze orange and boots that about four sizes too big.
Don't judge me.
Hey, you would too in below zero temps!
And besides, I had been weakened by living in Texas for five years.

Let's hope next time, I'll remember to wait for my own ticket
before sauntering away!

~~~~
I'm linking up at Anchored in Love Divine
for the Blog Everyday in February Challenge!

Hairspray and Terrorists!

Have you ever wondered what my voice sounds like?

Sorry to burst your bubble, but your aren't going to find out today.

Because the voice you get to hear in this latest ShootIt video

is my best 'news anchor' voice, and frankly, I don't think it sounds a thing like me...*coughs*

Anyway,

if you are having a case of the Mondays, watch this video!

I just love the skit in this episode, I laughed so hard.

AND...the cute guy who does the Fun Fact sequence?

That is my amazing photographer brother responsible for all my Refashion Runway pics!

By the way,

just thought you might be interested in knowing that,

according to these tests, White Rain hair spray was the most flammable while Aussie was the least. 

This made me happy, since I love Aussie products!

 

Thanks for watching, tune in later this week for more goings on at Gladness of Heart!

From the Bogus News Network, signing off, this is Blair Loudly. ;)

Day #7: Encouragement!

 Encouragement.

That comes in many different forms,

but for me personally, I have found that the right words (and a hug) can make all the difference.

So today I'll keep it simple and share with you a few of my favorite

encouraging words brought you by Pinterest.

You can view my entire board of encouraging and thought provoking words here.

 

 

 

 

 

 Oh, and that hug I mentioned?

Here it is.

You're welcome.

Even better, watch this video about the Free Hug Campaign,

it made me smile SO big!!

 Seriously, watch this heart warming video!

And finally....

 

Go forth into your day with vorfreude!

~~~~
I'm linking up at Anchored in Love Divine
for the Blog Everyday in February Challenge!

Day 3#: What Scares Me

"What scares you most?"

Loaded question, no?

Of course there are the usual things that pop into your head...

big bugs,

snakes,

tornadoes,

big bugs and snakes swirling around inside tornadoes...no?...just me? M'kay.

But then there are other things...more serious things.

What scares me most is this.

God has placed great potential in me, as in all of us.

What if I don't realize that potential?

What if I don't accomplish all that I'm capable of?

 

What I fear most is a wasted life.

When it comes to video games,

I am one of those people who go for broke.

I collect all the coins, break all the blocks, squash all the bad guys (Mario World, anyone?),

gather up all the bonuses and achieve expert on every level.

If I miss even one item, I'll restart and do it over because I want it just perfect.

 

For a long time, I felt that way about my life.

I've made some mistakes in my life, done things good Christian girls ought not do.

And I desperately wished for a restart button.

There were dark moments even, when I wished I could just quit because I knew I had missed my mark.

 

That is when God taught me about His grace.

Grace is God's restart button.

His mercies are new every morning.

 

So while I have relaxed my perfectionistic grip on life,

I still beg God to make my life count.

I'm don't want to get to heaven and see a picture of what my life was meant to be 

only to realize I missed the mark because of fear or stubbornness.

 

In some ways, 

I'm most scared of myself.

I most afraid of the chances I won't take,

the people I'm too afraid to talk to,

the prayers I'm too busy to pray,

and the words I'm too afraid to speak. 

Even my fear of a wasted life,

as noble or good as it may seem,

is still fear...it is still not good.

 

I have to remind myself that

Jesus is the author and perfecter of my faith (Hebrews 12:2).

If He wrote my story, He'll finish it.

And He will make perfect what I cannot.

He will finish the work He started in me (Phil. 1:6), the work He started...not I, but He.

And He has a plan for my life (Jere. 29:11) and even before I was born He knew me

(Jere. 1:5) and knowing me, He knew what my strengths and weaknesses would be.

 

 And I guess the only way I know how to end this post

is by leaving you with this verse.

 

"What, then, shall we say in response to this? 

If God is for us, who can be against us?"

Romans 8:31 

~~~~
I'm linking up at Anchored in Love Divine
for the Blog Everyday in February Challenge!

Day #2: There's a Fire in My Soul!

Today is my first post in the Blog Everyday in February Challenge!
You can read about it here.

I'm supposed to share with you something that fires me up!

Something?!

 Sorry, that just isn't possible.

There are just too many things, I can't choose just one!

A post like this could be potentially very word heavy,

so I decided to express that which fires me up through the medium of images.

Worship and Music

There is nothing so amazing as a worship service where the Spirit
is moving! Worship is healing and freeing on such a deep level,
and I believe there is more power in worship than we give credit for.





Music originated in heaven, and sometimes, it can take us back.


Words

“A man with a scant vocabulary will almost certainly be a weak thinker.
The richer and more copious one's vocabulary and the greater one's awareness of fine distinctions
and subtle nuances of meaning, the more fertile and precise is likely to be one's thinking.
Knowledge of things and knowledge of the words for them grow together.
If you do not know the words, you can hardly know the thing.” 
-Henry Hazlitt 

Towards the end of this post, you can read more about how I feel on the subject and power of words.




Culture and World Peoples

Someday I'll meet these people and see these places with my own eyes.
I feel as if I have a worldwide family... I just haven't met them yet.


 
Spiritual Healing and Freedom

 
When Christ comes in and heals those wounded, bound up parts of your soul,
there is no greater feeling of newness and true freedom.

Read this book.
It will change your life.
Seriously.


Because I have experienced spiritual healing and freedom,
I long to be a guiding hand to others who need the same!
Especially young girls and women.

Truth

I decided long ago that I desired truth above all else...
above ease, pleasure, or blissful ignorance.
I look for the deepest truth in everything...I'm curious, always asking questions, always digging.
After all, you won't find diamonds and gold on the surface.

Creating

I come alive when my hands are working at creating...

in that way I love to copy my Creator and experience just
a touch of the joy He must have felt when He made this glorious world!
Whether I'm working with the medium of yarn, thread, food, or ink,
I love to create a thing of beauty!

Natural Health

Honestly,
I haven't been a traditional doctor in about 15 years.
I believe God gave us everything our bodies need for health
in the world around us through herbs.
It excited me that He is concerned for our health
and has provided a means to attain it through simple, inexpensive ways!
I believe in treating the problem and not the symptoms.
Through herbs and natural means, I've witnessed the iridication
of issues the modern medical movement claim to be untreatable.
Sure, if I break my arm or need surgery, I appreciate the hospital,
but on a whole I don't support their methods and treatment.


Life,
relationships,
dancing,
adventure,
new experiences...
these are the sort of things that ignite a flame of excitement inside me!


What sort of things are you passionate about?
Leave a comment below, I would love to hear from you!

~~~~
I'm linking up at Anchored in Love Divine
for the Blog Everyday in February Challenge!

January & December, A Month In Review

If you were one of those people who noticed that 'A Month in Review for December' post
was completely nonexistent,well, this should make you feel better.

Honestly,
there has and there hasn't been a lot happening in the last couple months.
Most of what has been happening isn't something you can sum up with a photo and caption.
Most of what has been happening has just been...life.
Some of that life has been new things coming alive inside of me,
and old things being resurrected...internal happenings, really.

There are however a few things I can share with you!
Like my 'new' sewing machine, for instance!
'New' actually means 'it-cost-$50-at-Goodwill'. :)

I give you the Singer Stylist 533!

Truth be told,
this little machine has been a resident in my home since the beginning of November.
So are you just hearing about it now?
For one, there were some repairs that needed attendance.
It was in sort-of-working condition when we got it- but it had been sitting so long that one of the plastic cogs broke as soon as we started tinkering with it.
It wasn't until late December that it was up and running!

It is really nice to have a back up machine, 

and this little dear has a special feature that I'm so pleased with!
You can remove a section of the base so it becomes narrow enough to slip a sleeve or pant leg over it!
It makes mending knee holes a hundred times easier!

This is the first singer I have worked with,
so it takes a little getting used to since controls and dials are different from what I learned on.
This machine also has a drop in bobbin, which was a little strange for me.


And guess what I got for Christmas!
My very own dress form!

 

 I'm pretty excited about it!
There are several dials, so I can adjust it to my (or any other) specific measurements. 
I haven't really had a chance to use it yet, but I'm sure I'll really enjoy it.
There have been a couple times in my refashion endeavours that I heartily wished for one of these!
You are sure to see more of this red beauty in my future refashion projects.

There came to be another new addition to my sewing room in December as well,
but since it was a project, I'll save that for another post.

Happy February everyone!

Lights, Camera, Action!

Sooooo,
a little something happened back in November, that I kinda forgot to share with you.
Yeah, well...I made it onto the big screen!
Ok, maybe not really.
But my brothers did wrangle me into playing a role for their show on YouTube called ShootIt.

My three oldest brothers (all younger than me, but they are the oldest boys...make sense? Ok.)

are aspiring film makers, they have made several shorts,

entered a few contests, and one of their commercials even won first place.

They are still small, but you have to start somewhere, right?

Well, in this video you get to see me in rare form...seriously,
keep in mind I was acting, this is very out of character for me!
Or at least out of character when it comes to what I let the public see. :)
 So please, don't judge me based on my performance here...
truth be told I'm a bit embarrassed and nervous to share it with you,
but, you know, you gotta support the boys and I've put it off long enough already!

So really,

this whole post could be summed up quite fittingly...The Things We Do For Family!

Enjoy, or just...err...don't disown me! Haha!

Blog Everyday in February Challenge, Hosted by Anchored in Love Divine

Hello everyone!

Well, look at us, we have quite nearly survived the whole entire first month of the new year!

 I don't know about you, but I am genuinely excited about what this new year will hold.

I have a feeling this is going to be a big year...good (or should I say God) things are going to happen!

Speaking of good things coming,

I wanted to share something fun with you that is coming up next month.

I am a follower, albeit it a pretty new one, 

to the blog Anchored in Love Divine written by the lovely Bailey Jean,

and she has issued a great way to keep the creative blogging flow going through the month of February

with her Blog Everyday In February Challenge!

She even came up with 28 fun writing prompts to keep you inspired!

Take a gander...

I'm pretty excited about this!

But, I'll be straightforward with you, I don't think I'll be able to generate a post every.single.day!

I do love her ideas though, and I've already selected my favs that I'm for certain going to blog about!

Some of them aren't quite up my alley, so I'll try to throw a refashion or project post in its place.

At any rate, 

I think it will be a lot of fun!

What do you think?

Would you like to join the party and blog along?

Are there any topics in the list above that you would like to see me post about?

Let me know!

Top 5 of 2013 Inspirations

I know this post is a bit tardy,
but it was such a great idea to share what inspired me last year,
that I just had to bend the rules and bit and share this post.
 

Inspirations

5. My dear friend, Allyson

I hope she doesn't mind me gushing about her on my blog,
but I couldn't exclude her from my list of what inspired me this past year.
We are kindred spirits, her and I, so honestly,
I have a happiness gauge that is directly related to how she is doing!
This year she made a big step in pursuing a dream, and honestly, a God-given talent.
She leaves me speechless at times, with the pure beauty emanating from her person,
and that beauty comes through all of most when we are functioning in what we do best.
It made my heart so happy, and has inspired me to try and the do the same...
ever pursuing God's best.
I love you Ally!

4. Kristina from Eccentric Owl

I found Kristina's blog while working my way through The Thriftaholics Directory.
There she was, number 191...yes, actually, I checked out all previous 190 listings...it is a long list...I'm still working my way through it when I have time.



At first it was her vintage charm and cute outfits that caught my eye,
but I've come to value her quirky and darling posts,
with her relatable ramblings more than anything else.
She has a beautiful heart and a much needed honestly to her words that I so appreciate.
She is real, funny, sweet and just weeks away from having her first baby!
Who wouldn't want to be friends with a person like that?
And then there is the fact that she can pull off colored tights splendidly...and I hate tights,
so I live vicariously through her. :)



3. The Renegade Seamstress & The Refashionista
I know, I know, these are two separate blogs, shouldn't they have their own number?
Yes and no.
If you do your math you will see that I would more than five points,
and that just won't do, but I couldn't possibly leave either of them out.

 Besides, these ladies took an equal share towards inspiring me to enter the world of refashioning!
They were the two very first blogs I found when looking for a way to refashion some
bulky sweaters left over from my northern wardrobe.
Exactly a year ago, I found and started following their blogs,
and have been a faithful reader ever since.

Furthermore, it was my supreme honor to be selected by Beth (aka Renegade Seamstress)
to participate in her second installment of Refashion Runway!
She was kind of like, oh you know, a hero...
so that most certainly made my year!
 

2. Kristi Yamaguchi

"Why should a dream have some part of it that was so scary?
Why would I have to do something I feared in pursuing something I loved?"
 -Kristi Yamaguchi-


I used to have a fear of sewing,
but it was this very quote from Kristi, childhood hero and my absolute favorite female figure skater
(I have a Christmas ornament of her, for Pete's sake!),
that lit the fuse to my explosive year of sewing.
She really played a pivotal role in the outcome of my year
and continues to inspire me.
You can read all about it in this post.

Now, one of the most recent sources of inspiration for me,
which I know will carry into the new year, has been..

1. Tom Hiddleston

 

“We all have two lives. 
The second one starts when we realize that we only have one”  

-Tom Hiddleston-

 Like millions of other women the world over,
I have to admit I'm quite star struck with Mr. Hiddleston.
Aside from being a great actor,
I'm captivated by his classic Hollywood charm, gentlemanly conduct,
deep intense personality, and the way he speaks...honestly, have you listened to this man?
His sentence structure and vocabulary has me swooning...no one talks that beautifully
in this modern era, and it comes from a cultivated, refined place in a person.
And, sop my puddled self off the floor, he can dance.
*sigh*
All that aside,
much of what he utters is poetically quote worthy,
 the above quote being one that has been reverberating in my head since first I read it.
I think this year marks the beginning of my second life.
Or at any rate, at least the awakening of it.

So really, I discovered that words are what inspire me most.

I have always been drawn to them, and my heart speaks best and deepest when

flowing through ink and pen...or keys and screens, as it were.

I'm not much for resolutions,
but I have determined this year to indulge more in words...
not just any words, mind you,
but strong words...
deep words...
rich words.


Words are such a beautifully powerful tool of expression,
yet we use the same few hundred over and over,
and those which we do use often aren't the clearest or most expressive.

It is my aim to read more classic literature and poems
this year-- something I have always enjoyed, but
stopped doing once out of school.
I always feel much smarter and richer for having read
Shakespeare, C.S. Lewis, or a well crafted poem.

If I could only do one thing great,
I believe I would choose to be a master of words.
An all encompassing medium with can reach out and touch people everywhere.
They can be the the steely sword delivering the fatal blow to an army of lies
or a healing balm which brings life to fractured, shriveled souls.

Yes,
I think I shall aim to be a master of words.

What about you?
I would love to know what inspired you this past year,
and what is propelling you into the new one.