exploration – Page 4 – hugsnblessings

staying late after class

Published on March 10, 2015March 10, 2015 by Dawn MarieLeave a comment

A past assignment at last examined: consider what you want to accomplish with your blog. Write down three concrete goals you want to achieve. Live. And. Blog. (not blog to live.)

Having goals helps you focus your blogging energy. If the thing you’re doing isn’t helping you achieve your goals, ditch it. Done & ditched!

Some questions to mull over to help you uncover/refine what’s most important to you about your blog:

Why do you blog? My head’s all full of fluff. To connect with others? Sort-of, (but only kind-of.) If others are to connect with me they will need to be those who have not only smiles on their faces but smiles embedded in their souls, (or are striving for this.) To work through and clarify your own thoughts? Mostly.

If your blog exceeded your wildest dreams, what would that look like? It would be a creative outlet of love. How many followers would you have? Only thing that matters would be: a follower of my site must be one who is intrigued by silly, sappy, genuine love (which can be messy sometimes) & those who care to nurture God’s love in their lives and the lives of others. And MUST be comfortable with receiving hugs n’ blessings! (Yes, this site is touchy & feely.) What sort of community would participate? Builders of character. No conspirators who want to build themSELVES up while tearing others down. What discussions would take place? Godly giggles exhaled through angel breaths. How often would you post? my prayer is to build a routine. God is working on that for me...please be patient with His timing.

You can articulate your goals however you’re most comfortable, my main goal is: unpacking my brain fluff; but we recommend making them simple, concrete, and time-based to create laser-like focus, like: okay….unpacking my fluff ROUTINELY so i don’t become over-stuffed!

How would that look?

Attempt to publish three times each week with: One random fluff-thought, 2 regular features.

Spend one hour each week visiting my followers’ blogs, reading their posts, and commenting on their work.

Create an editorial calendar for the next three months by March 23rd.

Publish posts from respected guests once a month.

(Enlist prayer warriors to pray for me!)

Assignment completed. (no credit received. but my character is redeemed & for that I give mySELF some bonus points!)

hugs n’ blessings!

“Pleased to meet you, Monica.” Said Rita.

Published on January 21, 2015January 23, 2015 by Dawn Marie3 Comments

In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Pleased to Meet You.”

One of my bucket list items is to take time to read more for pleasure. I tend to read to learn something. Usually about my faith, or those who help me to live out my faith. (Role-models.) Many of the Saints are these for me.

I don’t think there’s some deep dark physiological reason why I no longer read much for pleasure. (There must be worse things than this, right?) As a child/teenager I only read for pleasure! It was a wonderful form of therapy for me, (which often helped me to escape from the sometimes dramatic life of my childhood.)

Every year at the start of summer vacation I began with a wish list of books I wanted to read! And every year I always began with the same book to start me off: Island of the Blue Dolphin, by Scott O’Dell! (I still have my treasured copy!) I never tired from this. I always looked forward to Karana, the brave twelve year old protagonist, kick-starting me into the frenzy of gobbling up the many books I’d read in the course of those few short months.

Maybe forgetting to read for pleasure happened when the kids started to be born. (Yes, always blame the kids.)

There was so much to learn now. (Beyond how to live abandoned alone on an island that from your perspective belonged to dolphins.)

So much to accomplish. (Besides befriending a pack of wolves.)

So much to live for. (Not that making my own canoe to escape from the island was no longer important.)

Thus, my faith and the heroes who lived it out were the inspiration I needed to live out this evolving life of mine. (And still need today.)

5ab78c2a6b77e6560e849ecb8c1c83f2 — St. Gemma Galgani

Did the Saints, as they were living out their own ordinary lives, think the same thing? Did they look to others for inspiration and support? Did they draw upon the examples of others to live out their own life in a manner pleasing to God? Did they seek out others to help them understand the “blue-print for living,” which our God had written?

I like to imagine they did.

I like to imagine that Joan of Arc looked back upon the courageous way the Blessed Virgin Mary lived out her faith and found the added amount of strength she needed to do battle. I like to imagine that Teresa of Avila drew great wisdom from Catherine of Siena in the journey to be named together as great Doctors of the Church.

St. Terese of Avila Statue St. Peter Cathedral, Erie, Pa

They are all ordinary women who ended up doing extraordinary things for the Lord, precisely because of their deep and abiding intimate communion with Him in prayer. They walked the talk.

All of us are called to the same manner of life. We are all called to gather strength from the other to live in a community that has been given the same Holy Spirit, access to the same wonderful saving Word of God, and the graces which are mediated from Jesus Christ through His Body, in the Sacraments of His Church.

I am grateful for these people. I have learned much from them. And I find pleasure as I imagine them having met one another along the road in their own personal faith walk, from time to time.

“Monica, meet Rita.”

The Original Pinterest Board

Published on January 19, 2015May 27, 2015 by Dawn Marie1 Comment

I invented Pinterest.

Seriously.

Just like Al Gore invented the Internet.

Ever discover something new and think to yourself, “I wish I would have thought of that!” (Like dental floss on a stick.) Or even better… Raise your hand if you DID already think of this same new idea; however never imagined taking it to the next step?? (Both of my hands are raised high in the air!)

That’s me! And my son! And Pinterest.

When our youngest son was a little guy (not in stature but in age,) we recognized he was a child of many distracted directions and thoughts. Imagine the dog Doug, from the the popular movie UP….that was our beautiful boy. So kind and tender and full of wonder, a heart full of love & light and naivety. And… easily distracted. (Squirrel!)

He had so many interests. So many passions. So many collections. And he had an equally organized mother who struggled with the accumulations of “matter” attached to these various interests, passions, and collections! We needed a compromised way to organize some of his interests which made us both happy and that’s how the board of pinned interest was invented!

A large board, hung in his leopard-spotted bedroom, which we could “Pin” some of said stuff in an effort to become organized (for my sanity) and less distracted, (for his attention-span!)

If we had only taken our idea to bigger and greater heights. Think of what would have happened had WE been the two to put it ON THE LINE! (Or online.)

When we moved recently from our home of 17 years, our son’s board of pinned interest came with us and has remained much as it was when it hung in his room as a little guy. Looking over the board I’ve enjoyed the memories that have stirred within me and I am grateful to have them displayed to be reminded of the many wonderful interests our son has often had.

And I wonder if we all had this board of pinned interest publicly displayed would we be proud, as believers, of what our Lord would see? Would our interests glorify Him? Or would they horrify? What would our interests say about us as believers? What would Jesus want us to pin?

Recently, I discovered (again too late in the game) that other’s contemplate these same questions. That there is already a great visual discovery tool ON THE LINE networking people with shared visions, thoughts, & interests; who desire to live a life glorifying His holy name.

https://wordpress.com/read/post/id/67048096/577/

when you write a message, share a photo, or a video online, do you stop and think about what it says about you as a believer?

I am enjoying the new discovery of this site and am encouraged by those who set a good example, by their pinned interests, of

“living a life as servants of God.” Peter 2:16

And it truly is okay with me that THEY thought to take this idea to bigger heights before I did. Both my hands are still raised high in the air that I’m like-minded with them!!

Hugs n’ Blessings!