Sittin', Waitin', Wishin'

I've got the lines of Jack Johnson's song "Sitting, Waiting, Wishing" stuck in my head. Even though this song is about something entirely different, it made me think about how often I get impatient and tired of telling God about the same old problems day in and day out. This leads me to wonder if God is as tired of hearing and seeing my troubles as I am.

We must remind ourselves that God never gets tired of hearing our prayers and it is as simple as this...HE is waiting for the perfect time to answer. Not on our terms, but on his. He wants us to pour our hearts to him even if it is the same thing EVERY SINGLE DAY!

I am so awful at this. I must admit I have a problem when is comes to letting go and giving up control of my destiny. I want to be the one that makes all of the decisions. I want to be the one who decides when and where things will happen. God tests me everyday to let go and let God. He wants me to be patient and wait for the right time in my life for certain things.

Just something that has been on my mind...maybe instead of praying to relieve me of my troubles, I'll pray for patience and give thanks that tomorrow is FRIDAY!
XOXO,
JM

Palmetto's Finest

I have to give a big Congratulations to all my fellow teachers and kiddies at Woodland Heights Elementary School for winning the
Palmetto's Finest Award!

If you didn't know, I work part-time in the mornings at WHES where I am a title 1 tutor for second and fifth graders. The entire school worked so hard to accomplish this! I can not wait to finish up my Masters so that I can hopefully teach at such a great school!
XOXO,
JM

Serenity

Its been one of those days where you just need an escape...a place to be alone and think about the highs and lows of the day. For me, lets just say that the lows>highs. But like I said, Spring is definitely in the air and that calls for only positive thinking. I have my second session tomorrow with a new "coach" (shes really a therapist but I like to think of her as a lifestyle coach...sshhhh) and I was supposed to do a lot more meditating these past two weeks then what I have accomplished. Its hard finding the right place that is peaceful, comfortable, and quiet all at the same time. Now do not get me wrong, I adore my bedroom...but I could certainly getting used to waking up in this room everyday! The colors are tres chic and the room just whispers serenity...remember this is a calm setting now shouting!!

(room designed by Kelly Wearstler)

I hope your highs> your lows today,
JM

Positive Thoughts for Spring

"It takes just as much energy to believe in the best outcome as to expect the worst."

-Shannon Cutts

Its finally Spring! The weather Friday and yesterday were pure bliss! I can't help but feel as though Spring brings everyone a fresh start, a new brightness to life after a long cold winter. I love Spring and all the things that come with it...Easter dresses, Spring Breaks, daffodils popping up in unexpected places, and riding in the car with the windows down.

This quote from Shannon Cutts, author of Beating Ana, reminds me how easy it is to believe the worst in every situation.

Failure = not getting back up.

Success = getting back up.

But....it takes just as much energy to believe in the best outcome as to expect the worst.

As in, today is a new day. Check. Recovery is not optional. Check. Success = getting back up. Check. Others have recovered and I can recover too. Check.

Shannon says that we are the "hero in our own lives and we WILL save the day; and our own life!"

Happy Green Day!

For each petal on the shamrock

This brings a wish your way -
Good health, good luck, and happiness
For today and every day.
~Author Unknown
How about wearing these cuties as your punch of green today!
XOXO,
JM

Stuck on Sharpie

My sister and I have a random fetish...a fetish for SHARPIES! It first started with the brown fine print sharpie. Then it evolved to include pink, the Sharpie Fine Point Pen (that doesn't bleed through), and now their newest color FLAMINGO!
But wait, it gets better! Did you know that you can personalize your very own Sharpie??!!?? You can imagine my excitement when I found that you choose your color, choose your font, write a message and add clip art to display on the Sharpie. I think this might be the best thing I've found ever!
XOXO,
JM

Its the 100th!

I can't believe it...this is my 100th post to Lola's Journey to and From! All weekend I thought about what I wanted to post for this one, or what I wanted to highlight, but nothing really stood out to me. I did start to think about how my blog goes from silly pictures of things I am currently obsessed with to more serious topics that include my day to day struggles. I never know what will suddenly pop into my head or inspire me.

So that brings me to this question...what defines us? What makes up our identity? Who am I? Whose am I?

So often I find that I get lost in the worries of life and often too consumed with how things look (or more specifically how I look). I worry that I am defined in my family as the one with the red hair and eating disorder, other than my personality and character traits. I also feel lost with out a husband to start a family with to create a new identity separate from my parents.

My journey through life is definitely about determining who I am and where I fit into this world. Slowly, I am realizing that its not a man or children that will define me. With each day brings better insight to what my passions and goals are in life. This time last year I didn't know that I would want to go to Graduate school and pursue a career as an educator. I didn't know this time 6 months ago, that I would begin to have an appreciation for small town Spartanburg. You never know what you will determine about yourself, we just have to remember to be open to the possibilities and focus on the positive things in our lives.

I do not know that we ever exactly determine "who we are" but I do know that with age and experience, we get a better understanding of our values and our place in the world. God has a plan for each of us. We belong to him and HE longs to give us great confidence in who we are. Our ultimate destination is not here on Earth but an eternal life in Heaven with our Lord.
XOXO,
JM