Random Thoughts of a Supersmock

Dear Friends & Family members, The holidays are just around the corner and that means we’re all gearing up for the Most WONDERFUL time of the year...   Our family this year has been really thinking about Christmas and what it all means to us.  Each Christmas Season we rack our brains on the perfect gifts for our kids. We spend way more money than we should and we end up with a whole lot of “Stuuufff” that we don’t really need.   This year we asked our kids what they really wanted for Christmas and they couldn’t really come up with valid wholesome Christmas gifts.  Other than Gideon wanting a Xbox (once again... in which we will never get him.)  Then when we asked what they really like from past Christmas gifts and they really couldn’t remember what they got.    All those wonderful things family and friends bought them and they can't remember much of anything.  So, after long consideration and thoughtful prayer we decided that...

1.                    When I was a kid I wanted to learn the famous Flashdance "What a feeling" and Dirty Dancing "Time of my life"  dances.  I still do even as and adult... but I don't dance and I am so not that flexible.     2.                    I know my kids well enough to know that Alita needs to marry a romantic man (when the time comes in 10+ years)  3.                    I get extremely carsick with just about 99% of other drivers 4.                    I am the family driver of the house 5.                  ...

Well my birthday is coming up (this weekend) and as I celebrate being another year older, I wanted to reflect someone of the awesome things I did this year.   We too often, don't count our blessings and I am starting to realize that life is too short to not  stop and cherish  all that we have done and accomplished... even the small things.   So here's my list of 35 awesome things I did during my 35th year of life...  1. Celebrated my 15th wedding anniversary (Oct 2) 2. Went on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic (Oct 6-13) 3. Took my kids to their first official rock concert, Newsboy (Oct 24) 4. Became a Certified Nonprofit Accounting Professional (Sept/Oct) 5. Ran the City of Oaks Half Marathon in Raleigh (Nov 2) 6. Threw Gideon an Epic Minecraft Birthday Party (Dec 6) #BOYLOVESMINECRAFT 7. Watched all three Lord of the Ring movies over the Christmas Holiday Break (Christmas) 8. Got a banjo for Christmas and is determined to learn...

Abraham Maslow, a psychologist in the early 1900s, developed what many of us know as Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs . If you studied it in school as much as I did, you'll remember his famous triangle that illustrates the different levels of human needs. At the bottom of the triangle, which is the largest section, are our physiological needs : air, food, water, shelter, and other necessities required for survival. These are the things we must have in order to live. The next level is safety , which includes employment, stability, resources, health, law and order, and financial security. Above that is love and belonging , which encompasses friendship, family, and close relationships. I know a few people who might argue that this should be first, but according to Maslow, it comes after our basic physiological and safety needs are met. The fourth level is esteem . This includes self-esteem, confidence, achievement, respect from others, status, and reputation. At the top of the triangl...

On Saturday, My kids participated in a local swim competition with 25 other teams.  Let me start off by saying:  My kids are not the best swimmers.  They are really average (or below) for their age and this area.  We have a lot of great swimmers in the Triangle.  My daughter gets very frustrated on being just average at things.  She wants to excel at everything (which she doesn’t excel at most things she does.)   She is competitive, fierce and she wants to shine sometimes brighter than I would like her to.   She takes a lot of pride in doing well and being a star so to speak.  She was telling me that she feels just average at everything these days.  She does many things well, but She doesn't have that one special talent that she is the best at.  She isn’t the smartest, fastest runner or swimmer, best trumpet player, funniest, tallest, etc... She is just ok at many things.   I remember all so ...

I have been going through a lot of different situations in my life that has got me examining once again, who am I? Question mark because often times I need to remind myself who I am.   I know, the life of a woman has its ups, the downs and many times wind blowing your hair out of place.  We women are mysteries on so many levels.  Sometimes we are STRONG... WEAK... and just a little SENSITIVE.   I recently sent a text to my pastor telling him "I am way stronger than you think I am..." but am I really? I am strong because of Christ... Only because he has taught me in my 30 something years that He is Good and He has his reasons.  I was recently considering some career changes and something fell in my lap that seemed almost too good to be true.   I felt and thought God was pushing me towards and was a little surprised I was rejected.  I was a bit anger at first as I thought why shake it up Lord, only to tell me I am not good enough.   It ...

A few weeks ago, I had gotten an idea to paint a picture.   I haven't painted anything in months, as I am not often motivated or inspired to do so.  But one Saturday afternoon, I found some motivation.   I started to paint a very colorful picture, that I started to really love how it was coming out.  Most of the time I don't love my artwork, but find it to be rather nice/ tolerable.   But this painting was a bit different.  I really loved it and in that moment, I wanted to give it to a friend that was(is) going through a rough moment in life.  I thought of her as I was paining it and I told my daughter I wanted to give it to her.  She said "you should."   I second guessed myself and was trying to talk myself out of giving it to her.  I said, oh it would seem strange me giving her a painting. But the Holy Spirit prompted me and reassured that I should give it to her.  That afternoon after the paint dried, I wrapped the painting...

I don't have a crowd of followers or a fan fair.  Probably most of my friends don't read my blog or like many of my Facebook posts.   I am not popular or famous in any way, shape or form.  I don't experience moments when I walk in the room and it is instantly lighten up.   People stop, turn, look, smile and a scene of joy enters.  Those moments never happen to me.  I am not anything special in any way, shape or form. I don't do anything that is big and grand.  Anyone could do my job or live my life.  Nothing I do is extraordinary in any way, shape or form. We remind ourselves that nothing is really special about us.  Plain Jane.  I especially tell myself how unexceptional I am but why is any of this important? It's not because I have low self-esteem or lack some passion that burns in me.  I don't hate my life in the shadows.  I don't long to be recognized by those around me.  I don't seek fame, fortu...