Hearts in Service Blog

We had a few smoke-filled days from the wildfires that are raging in Canada and the air quality was in the very unhealthy range. Our windows were shut tight and yet, the house still had a smokey smell. I am thankful that the past two days things improved tremendously. This was the mid-day sky on Thursday. The sun was so eerie looking and the sky was full dark and hazy. I've been deliberately putting things in my schedule that bring me joy - walks, time with friends and family, times to create, writing.  I had a second television interview on Saturday about plant-based eating and my cookbook. It was a different and fun activity. Yesterday, was our day off and Dan and I ended up going on a four mile hike. We ended the morning by going to a favorite spot and sitting on a boulder "on top of the world" to have lunch. Perfect! I've deliberately started scheduling in times of being present, times with important people in my life and times of working on projects (not work-rel...

I started doing a daily photo post on Facebook where I post some small moment from each day for which I'm thankful. It's a way to continually be on the lookout for the many things in my life that bring me joy.  Most of them are small ordinary things which can often be overlooked. And yet, those small ordinary moments add up to a bigger birds-eye view of my life which show how blessed I really am. Here are some thankful moments from this past week. 💓Unexpected and often unnoticed finds. If we aren't on the alert, we can often miss them.  💓 Splashes of color. 💓 Date night with my husband. 💓 Time with family. 💓 Morning sun light through the front window. 💓 An unexpected visitor that made me smile. 💓 Sugar and spice all rolled together in cookies to share with friends. 💓 Beautiful cloud formations. 💓 Sharing in my daughter's joyful moments through pictures. 💓 Beautiful blossoms. 💓 Like mother, like daughter. She sent me her photo (the second one) the day after I ...

At the end of my street the road ends and there is a path that goes up the hill, across a ramp over a little stream and then up into the local park. I often walk this way so I can walk around the park. From my front door and once around the entire park and back is a little over a mile. If I want to walk more I can do laps around the park or walk through our neighborhood.  As I cross the ramp to get over the stream there is a patch of daisies growing on the side of the bank. They are hidden away and would probably go unnoticed by most people. But every day their happy blossoms are peeking through the grass. Rain or shine, they are blooming. Some gardeners consider them weeds and yet, the simple daisy brings joy to my heart.  I feel as if there are many people in this world who are like these daisies. They show up day in and day out, blooming and bringing happiness to those around them. But many do this regardless of if someone notices or not. There is nothing showy or spec...

Daniel 9:20-23 ~ While I was speaking, praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my petition before Yahweh my God concerning the holy mountain of my God— while I was praying, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the first vision, came to me in my extreme weariness, about the time of the evening offering. He gave me this explanation: “Daniel, I’ve come now to give you understanding. At the beginning of your petitions an answer went out, and I have come to give it, for you are treasured by God. The book of Daniel is full of eschatology and weighty prophecy and yet, there are many wonderful practical nuggets in there as well. As I was reading this morning, I came across these few verses which were an encouragement to me and I hope they are to you as well.  When we pray we often feel as if our prayers are going no higher than the ceiling. We ask ourselves, "Are they really heard by God? Will He answer? Am I just uttering nonsense to myself?" We are told...

If any of you have read my blog long enough you may realize that I'm not known for my rest. In fact, the words I hear from so many in my life is, "You are so busy." And those four little words have started to bother me. They are bothering me because that is not what I want to be known for in my life. I don't want people to think that I'm too busy to have a conversation with them or that I don't have time for a connection.  But if I continually project the word, "busy," then I really can't get too upset when I feel alone. I don't have to necessarily stop all the things I'm doing though I am looking at what is necessary and what is not. God has given me a fairly high capacity to handle many things.  However, I do realize that I'm not always good at being present and focusing on the person I'm talking to at that moment. I find that I have a tendency to jump up in the middle of a conversation to go do something that needs doing. The m...

God has been steering me down the road of leadership over the past decade and as the eldest child in my family who was given much responsibility, I'm a natural born leader. But that doesn't mean I always like it. It's a heavy mantle to wear at times and not one that I wear lightly.  Here are ten things I'm learning as I lead: 1. I'm learning a lot about myself - strengths and weaknesses.  2. I'm learning that leadership doesn't come with an instruction manual. 3. I have learned that sometimes people can be disgruntled just because you are not the previous leader and that I have to be okay with that. 4. I have learned that some people are an absolute joy to work with and others will complain and find fault no matter what because that's their nature. I have to be okay with that too and not take it to heart. 5. I've learned that bearing the weight of responsibility is not possible if I don't stay connected to the vine.  6. I am learning to have sche...