Treasure is...

There is a popular contemporary Christian song out right now that has a line that speaks straight to my heart. The song is called Forgiven, by Sanctus Real. The line goes, “When I don’t measure up to much in this life, Oh, I’m a treasure in the arms of Christ.”

It speaks to my heart because even when everything is fine, I can still find myself falling for the lie of negative self-talk. We all hear it. It’s that voice in our heads that tells us we aren’t good enough, we should or shouldn’t have said or done that or that we aren’t worthy of whatever we are striving for at that moment in our lives.

It’s all bunk. Sure, we aren’t good enough. We never will be and we don’t have to be. All we have to be is what we were made to be. A work in progress, a learner at the knee of one who knows us and loves us completely in all our inglorious, brokenness.
We fall for that lie when we start looking at ourselves through the eyes of the world. Those are sometimes really the eyes in our own minds that see others doing more, achieving more and living like we wish we were. Those are the eyes that we measure ourselves with and they are nearsighted. They can’t see where God is leading us or what the future holds. They expect us to have “arrived” by now. We don’t know where but you know it isn’t where we are. We try to act like we’ve reached that mythical place; like we are a success and can be defined by our possessions, titles or incomes. But those things won’t last and they tell nothing about the person we really are; nothing about our real value to the one who wrote the bluebook on humanity.
How wonderful it is when I can close those eyes and just be that treasure in the arms of Christ.

After I wrote this I read a blog post by Matt Hammitt on the song Forgiven.

There's a We on the calendar

Wednesday. The word starts with We. A reminder right there on your calendar, in the middle of your week, that you are not alone. If you are there, the Lord is with you. If you need a friend, there is another Christian who will pray with you, for you or just listen. I hope We all have a fantastic Wednesday knowing we are never forsaken and never alone.

Just a short note of encouragement to some women I know who are having a tough week. Their husbands are military men and many of them are deployed. If you know one, encourage her today. Don't forget that there are husbands who have deployed wives. Stand by them in friendship and encouragement. Sometimes we forget that they worry too. I know my own husband, a retired Army infantry sergeant, worried a lot while I was deployed to Afghanistan in 2008. He worried maybe more than a civilian husband because he's been deployed himself and his training prepared him for the worst. While I was deployed his imagination and training memories warred.

Our friends from church really came alongside him during the time I was away. I'm so proud of them, and grateful to them, for how well they kept him uplifted. It's been a couple of years since that time. So, the memories of being separated are softer. I hope my own experience will help encourage others who are facing separation. Just remember it's WEdnesday and We are not alone in any struggle.

Nutrition for body and soul

A couple of months have passed since starting my diet and I’ve learned a few tricks that are helping me. After the first 20 pounds of loss, I’ve quit getting on the scale. Mostly because I realize it isn’t about the number but now it’s about how I feel. I feel better. I’m in a smaller size and depending on the clothing sometimes two sizes smaller. But I still am avoiding that dirty diet word – exercise.

I have to do it. I hate it until I get going so I have to do something. I started out using my Wii Fit plus and that was fun. But then I tapered off and now I’m not doing anything again. That has to change.

I have several friends that are on various programs and they are encouraging. We don’t have to be on the same program, we just have to give each other support. That is the first key to success for me. I need the mutual support of others.

The next key is for dealing with my lack of willpower. One of my favorite little mantras is, “It looks better on that tray than it will look in my seat.” I just don’t give myself room to wiggle in hopes that my seat will have more wiggle room. I’ve also found that by experimenting with new ideas and giving makeovers to recipes, I can have some pretty tasty meals and I don’t feel deprived. Third in the category of tricks is to look up the nutrition information for meals at my favorite restaurants. I pick where we go by what the choices are. If the place has no offerings that fit my plan, I become one of , “those customers,” and I ask for everything on the side or get a salad and carry my own spray bottle of dressing.

I’m a little single-minded when it comes to making this program of relearning eating habits work, but it does work.

My next exciting defining moment has nothing to do with my outward appearance. I’ve volunteered to facilitate a writing group at my church aimed at helping people write their testimony and then helping them overcome the fear of speaking about it to others. It will be sort of a writing group and public speaking class. The idea is to help formulate a written testimony and then learn to present it publicly by starting in a small, supportive group of people learning to do the same thing. The goal isn’t to preach to anyone but to be able to share what God has done in our own lives.

I’d found myself coasting lately. You know that feeling. Everything is coasting along just fine, no problems but at the same time you just don’t feel that you’re doing anything or growing as a person. I was there in that comfortable rut. Nothing was wrong with life. I was just feeling like a lump of flesh taking up space on earth until it was time to take the train to heaven. Not a very good feeling for me. I’m one of those that if I’m not actively growing, I’m waiting for the other shoe to fall and for my world to explode. I hate that. So, I considered, prayed and I volunteered. I will help get the writing started, edit where I am asked and then we will practice telling the stories of our lives to each other. I’m excited and fearful all at once.

We’ll start out once a month and see how it goes. Maybe after all the testimonies are done, we can continue to meet and, those who enjoy writing can help coach each other through the word-smithing process. Maybe we will help with resume writing and cover letters. Could be we’ll help with college entrance applications. There are a ton of possibilities and that alone has brightened my little world.

For now I'm enjoying the effects of better nutrition for both my body and my soul.

Defining diet moment

So, I got on the scale, something I’ve been avoiding because I knew I’d hate the results. I was right, I hated the answer and I got mad at me. Mad enough to act. I know how to take care of myself and I’d let myself forget. So, I went back on a strict ‘food nazi’ plan designed to kickstart the weight loss. It isn’t some fad diet, but more like being aware of what I eat and making choices that fit the math of more calories out than in. The only supplements I’m taking are daily vitamins, when I remember to take them.

Maybe my motivation stems from knowing it can be done. I’ve done it before and forgot to take care and maintain what I’d worked for. That made me mad. I couldn’t afford to wait until the holidays were over.

That was two weeks ago.The first week I lost four pounds. I didn’t let myself get too excited about it because four pounds can be as simple as a bit of water. I told myself to just stick to it and wait. “Watch for it,” I said. When it goes past five, you are on the right track.

Now I’m excited. I’ve lost six pounds and I feel like I’m officially on my way back to a healthier me. I haven’t spent any time in the gym yet but I will have to add an increase in activity to the equation. Nothing of value comes without a bit of work. My only disappointment is that it doesn’t show yet. again I’m telling myself, “watch for it, it will.”

I hear a lot of people around me say that they are waiting until after the holidays to start eating healthier. That it is just too hard. I thought that too, before I got mad. I’ve gone through three holiday parties without slipping off my plan. I wasn’t even tempted. At the church holiday meal, while everyone went to the desert table I pulled a perfect, sweet, luscious Fuji apple out of my purse and dug in with total abandon. It made me happy. Attitude is everything.

A rewarding red pen day

I was paid the highest sort of compliment today. It was right up there with “gee, you’re gorgeous!” OK, so it was a statement that was way more believable than that - - and more important.

One of my writers told me he’d never had an actual editor before, and he liked it. He said they’ve looked over his work in the past and made the corrections but he’d never received the feedback he needed to improve his craft.

This comment was very special to me. I honestly want to be the person who helps others reach their potential. I want to see them earn recognition for what they’ve written. Most important, I want to see their confidence and skills rise.

As an editor, sometimes I feel the pressure of always wielding the red pen and being the bad guy. But, when someone comes back and says your comments are helping them, that makes me feel like the effort is worth it.

So, if you really want to encourage your editor, tell them when their inputs help you. If you can't think of something, tell them they are gorgeous then just smile and nod, smile and nod.

Courting social media groups - very smart marketing

I took a couple of days off following Veteran’s day. Not for anything important just for the pleasure of having a couple of beautiful San Antonio fall days at home, some time to take care of a few administrative details of life and to work on a couple of writing projects.

I opened the house up and aired it out and wrote some on my National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWrimo, project, went out to the Roy Maas Youth Alternatives facility in Boerne, Texas for a tour and some interviews for an upcoming article and went to a tweetup at Patty Lou’s Restaurant where Jalepeno Pancakes and friends involved in communicating were the special draw. I really enjoyed the food and the company. If you get a chance, I’d recommend a breakfast there sometime. The prices are great and the place reminds me of a small-town cafe in almost any town, including my own hometown of Chehalis, Wash. If you aren’t familiar with it, it is on the corner of McCullough and Hildebrand.

If you have a small business and social media group in your home town, I recommend joining it. It usually is free and you will be surprised at how many like-minded people you will meet. There will be techies, journalists, bloggers and people who just enjoy telling great stories through social and traditional media outlets. They are generous with their ideas and really work to help people get in tune with the best uses for social media. I learn something from the great group here in San Antonio every time I get a chance to meet up, or tweetup, with them.


One of the things we talked about was how smart businesses were currently courting the active social media set with great results. These people are in touch with their communities and come with their own built-in networks. When they join those networks together, they create a powerful communication tool. Courting your local social media group is very smart marketing. If you are a small business, or a start-up and you want to create a buzz about your services, invite the local social media club to come and see what you do. Make an event out of it so that there is value added for attending. Ask them to “report” the event. Most of the time you won’t have to ask them to report, they will just do it because that is what they are all about. Instant buzz for the cost of a few refreshments, some entertainment or a discount.

We also talked about bad examples of social media use. We looked at citizen journalists who “reported” on the shootings at Ft. Hood. Not all of the comments were good because, contrary to popular belief, reporters don’t want all the gory details. The folks I sat with brought up some really bad examples of citizen journalism that violated some very basic rules of privacy, namely the HIPA rights patients have -- no matter who they are. The one citizen journalist that made the “I’ll never follow a person like that” list was someone at the hospital where the shooter was taken. They were tweeting about how the patient looked and how they couldn’t believe that he was brought there at all - and a few other unsavory comments. Lesson learned, even though - and probably because - twitter is instant, some things are still better left unsaid.

If ou live here in San Antonio, check out the Social media club visit http://smc-sa.ning.com/

How to eat a 50,000 word elephant

Ok so I had one of those defining moments today. Not a define my life one but just for the morning. Unfortunately it came about an hour and a half before the alarm was to sound off. Dogs. My dogs. Yup, they decided they had to get up early just like we did on my Air Force Reserve recent weekend. And, they stinkers waited until Tuesday to pull this one. They wanted to get up, go out, play, snack and now, still an hour before it is time to get up, they are asleep on the foot of my recliner. I am defined as tired and under caffeinated. The only way to fix that is to start my day and caffeinate, one sip at a time.

I’m also using this time to write. I need every second these days. I’m embroiled in the National Novel Writing Month event. The goal is 50,000 words written during the month of November. That’s doable. Until I started doing it, I didn’t think I could write that much. Thats only 1,667 words a day. And they don’t have to be great. Meaning, do your best to tell a story but don’t dwell on producing publisher-ready copy every time you sit down with your paper or computer. I love the concept of NaNoWriMo because it gives you permission to mess up and press on. Because of that permission, the pressure is off. Getting to 50,000 should be pretty easy. I’ve been able to keep up in just an hour or two a day. But, I planned, plotted, made characters, drew little maps and daydreamed a bit about this story.

That same concept can be applied to any kind of writing. Many times the thought of doing a class paper, writing an article that is longer than normal or writing their first one is an overwhelming task. You know the questions, how many pages or how many words does it have to be. The same thought holds many people back until right before deadline and causes writers to just put something down on the paper to fill the block. We are all guilty of days like that but it shouldn’t be the normal way of doing our business. Writing may be an art, but it is also business.

The trick, the real trick, is to just start writing the story. No matter what you are writing, news, feature or a first novel, plan for it, tell yourself about the story information while driving or pacing , plot it and then attack it one word at a time, treat it like the business it is and get to work. Once you’ve thrown it all on the paper then edit. if you write down what you’ve told yourself about the subject, you’ll be at the end before you know it. The cool thing about that...is you can start the next one.

Now, a refill for my cup and back to work on those 50,000 words. I'll make it, one sip and one word at a time.