Back when I was teaching in DC I started to find myself in a pattern that I grew to quickly dread. I found myself tired and exhausted from the week and then would give myself an "off day" on Saturday but then found that I was running around like a crazy woman after church and between Sunday night community meetings to get everything done that I needed to for the coming week. I often would go to bed on Sunday night worn out and tired, thinking to myself, "I need another day in the weekend."
As I prayed about it and kept thinking about my weekends I remembered a story that my mom had told me about my grandfather's childhood days. My grandfather shared that his father insisted that Sunday's after church were to be kept simple and for the family and friendships. The whole day was to be centered on community.
As a girl who loves community and people I was drawn to this idea and theme and kept returning to it as I considered my weekends. So about 7 years ago I started to put into practice the concept that my Sunday's were going to be "old fashioned Sundays" that are simple and centered solely on community.
As I grew sick and have been fighting for my health some of these ideas have been tweaked a little bit, but the concept of keeping things simple and centered solely on community has only grown more precious. I have shared before about how precious so much of my community and relationships are online (especially being sick) and yet that I really monitor the time that I spend on social media. And Sundays are truly a reflection of that.
My "old fashioned Sunday" truly consists of connecting with my community in a deeper way. After church, I connect on the phone with dear friends and have long heart-felt conversations as I sip tea, and spend many hours writing old fashioned letters to loved ones and to the soldiers that I have adopted through Adopt-a-Platoon. I look ahead to the week, schedule in time that I want to face-time with precious friendships and make phone calls to friends that are far away. I look ahead at what is coming up in the month ahead, spend time crafting "old fashioned" home made gifts for birthdays and special celebrations and listen to music softly playing in the background. When I was healthier I loved preparing meals for my family (physical and extended friends), gathering around the table, and sharing laughter and our lives.
The time that could have been spent running around trying to finish up those last minute errands is instead translated into time getting to know neighbors, inviting people (physically or emotionally) into my life, and getting to know one another beyond a simple facebook emoji or comment.
All of these things have brought a richness and depth to my life and I truly look forward to Sundays. I think that for every person and family during different seasons this might look unique, but the concept of having an old fashioned Sunday is something that I hope to treasure forever. Chef John Besh once said, "The tradition of an old fashioned Sunday accomplishes more than just feeding us, it nurtures us." I love this.
Praying that you were nurtured yesterday friends and that this week is the start of an amazingly beautiful week for you. Happy Monday!
Today is the LAST day to receive 50% off everything in the shop! Simply use the coupon code SPRINGSALE to receive your discount at your purchase!
ALL proceeds from this sale will be going to benefit my upcoming trip to California to have my port placed. After today I will be closing the shop for a month as I prepare for this trip.
So head on over and check it out! You can click HERE to easily go to the shop!
"This is a sponsored post for Self Care Catalysts. I have been compensated through the Chronic Illness Bloggers network. All opinions remain my own and I was in now way influenced by the company."
When I first was diagnosed with Advanced Late Stage Lyme Disease I had no idea how much in my life would change. So much of it already had changed (losing my independence, moving back home to my parents house, having to take time off of teaching, etc.) and my days had become filled with medical appointment after medical appointment and I was literally struggling to just take one moment at a time. In the midst of all of this I didn't realize how many other things that I used to do on a daily and ordinary basis all of a sudden shifted and changed too.
When I was healthy I didn't think about having a regular sleep schedule, getting up in the morning, showering, washing my hair, drying my hair, putting on make up, going to work, going to the grocery store (and other stores like Target or clothes shopping), making my meals, grading papers, going for a walk or run, getting my hair cut, eyebrows waxed, etc all happening in one day. I didn't think about all of the energy that each of these things took to just "complete" a day. But I definitely do now.
Those ordinary and routine things and tasks that people tend to do everyday without needing assistance (things that we often refer and think of as things for daily living) are often times extremely demanding for a person living with a Chronic Illness. Many times when people think about someone living with a disease they tend to focus on the medical aspects of coping with our diseases, and unfortunately there is a lot of times that things go unspoken about. The daily life things that encompass so much of who we are, or who you think you are and then are challenged to re-examine these beliefs.
I have learned a hard but important lesson in this journey. At first I felt like I was "sacrificing" who I was in accepting help with some of my daily routines and needs. I would try to "push through" even though so many people were asking how they could help. Unfortunately by denying their help I was often left more in pain, more exhausted, and then left without being able to enjoy my time with my loved ones like I wanted to do.
So I learned to accept help. I am so grateful for loved ones who help me with cooking my meals and now daily celebrate my accomplishments of now being able to do a lot of my own cooking (I love to cook) even if it is done sitting down a lot of the time. *smiles* I say a simple "thank you" to loved ones who help me with drying my hair so that I can spend the time coming to the table later on and enjoying their company. I have learned to let go of what I thought made me "more beautiful" by applying make up and doing my hair everyday and focus more on who I am and my loved ones. I have learned that I am a "girly-girl" to my core, but have also learned what being a woman is really about.
Back in September when I went cruising I remember saying to a woman on the trip on one of the last days of the cruise (I was beyond exhausted at that point) that I was going to skip doing make up in the morning because I wanted to spend the energy meeting up with friends instead. Her response was to belittle this decision saying that she would never be seen in public without makeup and that her mama raised her to "have pride in her looks" and she even went as far as to lift her eyes and say, "are you sure about that?". I admit that I cried because the implication was that I didn't have pride and that I wasn't pretty enough to be seen in public without make-up. As time continued this fall and I fought for my health and my life in a new and extreme way I see how far I have truly come - not only in this fight for my health but in my heart. I have learned that I don't need to do anything physically in order to leave my house or engage with those who are loved ones. True friends have embraced me even when my hair is not perfectly groomed or I didn't put on make up for our face-timing. Loved ones have sweetly held my hand and held my heart as I have been incredibly sick and able to offer nothing, especially my looks. This journey has taught me a great lesson and I have learned a great prize in this journey. What is on the inside is the most important.
Each day as I do things that most people find are easy and ordinary (cooking a meal, taking a shower, putting my contacts in, doing my make up, walking, etc.) I celebrate. I celebrate how far I have come in healing. I celebrate learning more about myself in this journey and becoming the woman I want to be - especially in my heart. I celebrate treasuring every moment with those that I love because I have had to "sacrifice" some of what I thought was important for what really is. I celebrate love. I celebrate those who unlike that woman on the cruise aren't concerned with my appearance but love me for being me. I celebrate these accomplishments of the "ordinary" while living with a chronic illness because I know how big the ordinary actually is.
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Want to read more and hear more stories from other chronic illness bloggers? Check out Self Care Catalysts (http://www.selfcarecatalysts.
I am having a HUGE spring sale at the shop! Starting today through Sunday everything is 50% off!! Simply use the coupon code SPRINGSALE to receive your purchase.
ALL proceeds from this sale will be going to benefit my upcoming trip to California to have my port placed. After Sunday I will be closing the shop for a month as I prepare for this trip.
So head on over and check it out! You can click HERE to easily go to the shop!
Thank you again for all of your support of my shop! A portion of all proceeds goes to charity and the rest of the proceeds go to help cover my necessary medical treatment and medical bills for this upcoming port surgery. Thank you again for all of your support!
I hope that you are having a wonderful week!
Y'all know how I love making things pretty and this is one exciting way to do that and encourage joy in our everyday lives! You can also order a custom order which could make a wonderful graduation gift!
There has also been numerous other items to the shop! Thank you so much for your continued support of my shop! All proceeds go to help me cover medical bills and treatment costs in the fight for my health!
Please use the coupon code: SPRINGSALE to receive 50% off your entire purchase.
Happy Wednesday sweet friends!
I'm so excited!! Y'all may remember last month that I linked up with Shay and Erika's new link up "stranded" and shared three things that I would take from my medicine cabinet. Each month there is a different topic (see below for all of the topics) and today, we're blogging about what three books we would take with us if we were stranded on a deserted island.
Let me be clear. As much as I would like to be on a warm island and visiting happy sandy beaches right now (like one of my favorites, Coco Cay *smiles*) I don't think that I would fair well on a deserted island. Hahaha. Obviously, while I dream of being on the Amazing Race, I am not hoping to be on Survivor which I associate with being stuck on a desert island. Or the movie Castaway. Not fun.*hahaha*
Last September I wrote a post entitled, "the 5 books that have impacted my life the most" and there are definitely going to be a few crossovers today. So here are my 3 books (and narrowing it down to three was hard!)...
Last September I wrote a post entitled, "the 5 books that have impacted my life the most" and there are definitely going to be a few crossovers today. So here are my 3 books (and narrowing it down to three was hard!)...
(1) My Bible
Without a doubt, the Bible has been the number one book that has impacted my life. On good and bad days I find a love letter from the most important in my life (Jesus) and fall more in love with my precious Savior. On difficult days, scripture shouts to my hurting heart and reminds me of the truth of who Jesus is.
A couple of years ago I shared here on the blog about this book and the impact it has had on my life. This book tells the story of Darlene who was a young newlywed in the pre-World War II era and her experience as a missionary in the jungles of New Guinea and then her four years in a Japanese prisoner of war camp. The title of this book is perfect because she truly is honest in her experience of the way that the Lord often appeared silent but His hand was continuously orchestrating protection over her each and every day, providing "evidence not seen". There are so many nuggets of truth and encouragement that I have walked away from after reading this book and I have made it a tradition to read this book once a year in the Spring or Summer. Each time I do I am struck again by this woman's faith in God despite her horrific circumstances. You can read more of my thoughts about this book HERE if you are interested!
(3) The Mark of the Lion Series ( A Voice in the Wind, An Echo in the Darkness, and As Sure as the Dawn)
I picked up the first book in the Mark of the Lion Series at a used book store when I was 14 years old and was looking for some encouraging Christian fiction. From the first sentence of the book (“The city was silently bloating in the hot sun, rotting like the thousands of bodies that lay where they had fallen in street battles.”), to the last, I was transported back to ancient Jerusalem, Germania, Rome, and Ephesus to a time that was frought with war, danger, and the faith of those mentioned in Hebrews 11. The Mark of the Lion series follows the story of a young slave girl (Hadassah) and Marcus, who is the brother of her owner. Hadassah experiences extreme horror and yet struggles to share her faith with the family that she serves as she grows to love each of them. At the same time the book also follows the story of Atretes, who is a captured soldier from Germania who is forced to become a gladiator. I don't want to ruin anything for you, but I can't recommend this series enough. You will be challenged to fall more in love with Jesus no matter what your circumstances are, and challenged to think about how we share the love of God with those we love the most.
So these are my three books if I'm stranded on a deserted island that I would bring! (seriously there could be a ton more!!) Hahaha! What books would you bring? I'd really love to know!! Comment below (or link up!) and share this with us!
And to see the other topics for the rest of the year (obviously next month picking out my three books is going to be impossible - hahaha!):
Happy Wednesday friends!
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When I first accepted the speaking engagement for the IWMC I knew one of the things that I needed to find was a place to stay. I hadn't traveled to Phoenix since I was a young girl so I wanted to find a hotel that was within an affordable price range, was in a safe area, and also was in easy driving distance to my commitments.
As y'all might remember I often stay at the Hyatt House at Belmont/Redwood Shores in California when I go for treatment and I was interested in finding another Hyatt so that I could continue to build up points for my upcoming Port surgery and stay to help save money. Overall I was unfortunately not pleased with my stay at this property.
Hyatt Place Phoenix- North is conveniently located just off of Interstate 17. As the conference that I was speaking at was held at Grand Canyon University (exit 203 off of I-17) Hyatt Place Phoenix-North was off of exit 208. Despite heavy traffic I never spent more than 35 minutes traveling between these two places, making this a wonderful option for those attending events at Grand Canyon University. In addition Hyatt Place Phoenix-North is just minutes away from Arizona State West Campus, the MetroCenter Mall, and the outlets of Anthem. It is also 12 miles north of downtown Phoenix and also 12 miles from the Cardinals Football Stadium.
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If you are traveling for personal or business reasons you will definitely find that you feel that you have stepped away from the busy and bustling city and traffic as the hotel property is very quiet, making it a restful retreat away from the hustle and bustle of the nearby highway and city.
For those who are ill and traveling to the Phoenix area for medical treatment the Hyatt Place Phoenix-North might be an option. All of the Hyatt Hotels are smoke free and this particular hotel has wonderful options for a variety of rooms that will make you feel like you are living in the comfort of your own home. There is free high-speed internet along with a guest laundry facility and there is a complimentary breakfast buffet that offers many wonderful nutritious choices. In addition I found most of the hotel staff to be very pleasant to speak with. Finally, I felt that there was lots of handicap parking for those who are needing this that was close to the entrance of the hotel.
To be fair though and to give a bit of a warning I was extremely disappointed in three aspects of my stay at the Hyatt Place Phoenix-North and have to admit that I am not sure I would stay at this particular hotel again nor could I fully recommend this to others.
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First, I was extremely disappointed in how a situation was handled on my first night at the property. After an extremely long day of travel I arrived at the hotel and my room to find that despite the temperature outside being close to 95 degrees my room was even hotter than it was outside. I quickly adjusted the temperature in the room (it had been set to heat??) setting it to 65 degrees cool and went out to purchase some grocery supplies for my stay. On the way out of the hotel to my car I stopped by the front desk expressing my concern and was told that setting the temperature to 65 that everything would be fine within an hour. After returning more than two hours later to my room there was little difference in the temperature (in fact it was much cooler in the hallway). After trying to contact the front desk by telephone (there was no answer) I had to go back downstairs to talk with someone.
Unfortunately I encountered something that I can honestly say that I have never encountered at a Hyatt property which was a very rude response. I tried to explain that I thought something might be wrong with the air conditioning but before I could even share the background story I was cut off and abruptly told that there was nothing that she could do for me. I tried again to explain and ask if something could be done to which I was told very flippantly, "we are overbooked and there is absolutely nothing I can do". The way that she said this implied that it was my fault that the hotel was overbooked and that I was lucky to receive a room. (For the record I had booked my hotel several months in advance for this trip.) When I tried to "push" this and ask if there was anyone else I could speak with or if there were any suggestions or other Hyatt properties in the area that I may be transferred to she offered to bring up two small fans "when she could". I tried to explain that I have health issues and that heat is a problem for me and she just told me that it was not her problem.
She did come with the two very small fans quickly, but then as she stepped into the room she said "well its not that bad" and then told me it was my fault for not setting the temperature to 50 degrees. Honestly I have never ever heard of setting a temperature thermostat to 50 degrees before and after having been assured by the front desk a couple hours earlier that setting it to 65 was adequate I found this to be very confusing. I have to admit didn't appreciate the whole way that everything was handled. As the time difference is 3 hours behind in Arizona from East Coast time I was literally to exhausted to do anything about this situation that evening. I also have to admit that the situation was not fully resolved as the temperature never went below 75 degrees (despite being set at 50 degrees cool) and each time I spoke with someone different I was told that there was nothing that could be done.
To be honest this was extremely disappointing as I have never encountered this before at a Hyatt property but it would make me hesitant to recommend this property to others and for me to stay there again. I had been assured that the hotel was "very disability friendly and accommodating" and it was extremely disappointing that this situation occurred. To me this was a definitely a disappointment after being told that the hotel was "very disability friendly and accommodating".
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A second thing that was disappointing was that despite Hyatt properties claiming that they are "smoke free" I had issues with smoke smells in my room. It was so strong in the bathroom that I had to keep the door closed and it made it difficult to breath when I went to shower. I did express my concerns over this and was assured that the property was "smoke free" but this was not resolved throughout my stay.
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Finally, a third thing that would make me hesitant to recommend this property was the cleaning service. When I would leave and have my room cleaned trash was not removed, I had to ask for towels (that were not replaced) and when the bed was made I returned to find crumbs and pieces of food on the comforter (?!?!?). This concerned me regarding the cleanliness of the hotel.
Again, I have never had these situations happen at a Hyatt property before and am hoping that these were exceptions and not the routine at this property. Unfortunately being a Hyatt Gold Member did not help in any of these situations and hope that this was not the routine of how things are handled at this property. I hope that y'all have found this review of the Hyatt Place Phoenix-North helpful! Please let me know if you have any questions regarding this hotel! I would be happy to answer them!
I know specifically so many of you are curious about how my health held out throughout last week as I traveled to Phoenix, Arizona for some speaking engagements. I am so humbled to share that the Lord truly answered all of your prayers as there were no "major" issues. There were some minor ones and my body is exhausted, but it was a beautiful gift to my heart and truly was a time of "refreshing" for my spirit.
I am also looking forward to how this trip has opened up some new speaking engagements and I look forward to sharing that more with y'all in the upcoming weeks. (If you are ever interested in having me speak at an event, bible study, class, etc. you can find out more about what I speak on at my personal website by clicking HERE!)
I am reminded that we are gently and lovingly carried by the Lord and met with grace for each day (Psalm 68:19). As I returned home and am facing these next few weeks of lots of things on my plate (moving out of my grandmother's house to our camp, working on things for the shop, finishing up last minute edits for "When Mercy Beckons", starting a precursor round of drugs before the port, and other things) I am gently reminded that God will continue to meet me each day. So today there is a mixture of hard and good. Tears and rejoicing. Struggling and trusting. And knowing that my pain and discouragement will be preciously and tenderly met by the God of love that bids me to trust Him in new ways.
As I continue to finish up this "precursor round" of treatment before heading out to California, our specific prayer request for the Port placement would be that it would go smoothly and that I would be able to handle the first round of trial drugs with no severe reaction. We might have to try different meds to figure out which is the best and this for me is of great concern and I appreciate your faithful prayers. I also appreciate your continued prayers for all of the financial means to come in for this trip.
Words can't express how grateful I am for all of your kind support and love during this time. I can't wait to share more with you about my Phoenix trip!!
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