A look inside: How I Beat the Blues

Sunday, September 30, 2007

How I Beat the Blues

Went to Starbucks.....treated myself to a pumpkin spice latte

Went for a run in the rain...... nothing makes me feel stronger and more empowered, then running in the rain. I feel so tough, running with the rain beating against my face. I even went a mile further then I planned. I still don't think I burned off all that ice cream though.
Took a long hot bath......is there any better treat? Besides chocolate that is.
Got completely caught up on the laundry

Made dinner for the fam.......even though everything inside me wanted to crack open a can of Campbell's

Baked chocolate chip cookies.......no, no, not for me, lest you think I am some sort of chocoholic. OK, you're right, I am. But I made them for Jon, they're his favorite.

Braided Sarah's hair.......she loves to have the crimped look for school in the morning. I'm kicking myself for not saving my crimper from 8th grade - those were so rad!

Prepared the coffee pot for my sweetie.......complete with love note and all! He comes home at 4:00 am for his break. After many nights of being awoken to the sound of the coffee grinder, I realized it's best if I get it all ready for him. He just has to push start!

Put the kids to bed early........by 8:30 I had a quiet house. Nothing short of a miracle!

Had some quiet time with God......now truly, there is no better treat. I am doing a Beth Moore bible study right now, going through the book of Daniel. IT IS AWESOME! I am learning so much. And oh, how I need this time alone with God. He truly fills me up much better than chocolate peanut butter ice cream ever could.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...: Its 04:37 in the morning. Thank you so much for the coffee, cookies and the note!!! I love you too!!; October 1, 2007 at 4:40 AM
Anonymous said...: Good job Liz! You inspire me! You are such a great mom and wife!; October 1, 2007 at 1:42 PM
Rachel said...: I went running in the rain yesterday too!! I know I look like a drowned rat, but it's so much fun!
What a great way to beat the blues. You do a wonderful job of taking care of yourself along with taking care of your family. Very inspiring.; October 1, 2007 at 3:13 PM
Lindsay said...: WOW - want to come to my house for a day or two??
Impressed to say the least.
Blessings to you this week!; October 1, 2007 at 4:50 PM
Unknown said...: I LOVE that Jon left you a comment here to thank you for all you did for him...you are SO sweet! Sarah and her American Girl are such cute twins!; October 1, 2007 at 6:34 PM
Julie said...: This is really sweet, Liz! I love the comment you got from Jon.

Don't you love it when you're all caught up on laundry?????; October 1, 2007 at 7:21 PM
Sharon said...: I melted when I saw Jon's comment!!

What a great way to cure the blues~every single one of those things! What a sweet post!; October 2, 2007 at 9:19 AM
Michelle said...: Aagh! How awesome. I would love to be doing the things you are doing... running... baking... notes for my husband... not to mention getting them back! You are awesome!; October 2, 2007 at 9:20 PM
LizzyG said...: Michelle,
The one thing I don't like about blogging, is the tendancy to make our lives seem picture-perfect to everyone. That is something I strive for daily....authenticity, a deep, personal relationship with Jesus that just overflows into my daily life, without me having to put on a front. After I posted this, I realized it looked like I was tooting my own horn, like look at me, look at how good I am....and I hate that, I never want to be like that. Do I read my Bible every day? NO. Do I run every day? No. I try, but not every day is a "blog-picture-perfect" day. Just keep on loving Jesus and "authentically" living your life for Him, and you will continue to be the wife, mom, co-worker, friend that he wants you to be. May God bless you greatly today my "blogging friend" :); October 2, 2007 at 9:46 PM
Rachel said...: I know you were responding to Michelle, but I have to say you didn't sound at all like you were tooting your horn...there are days where we "figure it out". You should blog about when you make it all work...it's inspirational for those of us having days where we're not!!
And good luck training for your half marathon!!; October 3, 2007 at 9:39 AM
Michelle said...: Oh... Liz! I didn't think you were tooting anything! ;-) From what I can tell... I really like you. I have good days like that, too. (except for running... would love to ... just doesn't seem to be natural for me.) I am sincere when I say you are awesome! bless you day.; October 3, 2007 at 7:06 PM
Valerie of Momia said...: Sounds like an awesome, productive day!!; October 9, 2007 at 11:41 AM

Words to Remember

"Christ's followers cannot expect better treatment in the world than their Master had. Let them not promise themselves more honor or pleasure in the world than Christ had. Let each live a life of labor and self-denial as his Master, and make himself a servant of all; let him stoop, and let him toil, and do all the good he can, and then he will be a complete disciple."
~Matthew Henry,
English Pastor 1662-1714

"I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all. But whatever I have placed in God's hands, that I still possess."
~Martin Luther King

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."
~Jim Elliot

"I am a missionary, heart and soul. God Himself had an only Son, and He was a missionary and a physician. A poor, poor imitation I am, or wish to be, but in this service I hope to live. In it I wish to die. I still prefer poverty and missions service to riches and ease. This is my choice."
~David Livingstone

"I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country, which I shall not find till after death; I must never let it get snowed under or turned aside; I must make it the main object of life to press on to that other country and to help others do the same. "
~C.S. Lewis

"I want Thy plan, O God, for my life. May I be happy and contented whether in the homeland or on the foreign field; whether married or alone, in happiness or sorrow, health or sickness, prosperity or adversity - I want Thy plan, O God, for my life."
~Oswald J. Smith

songs with meaning

If you hear one of these songs playing while visiting my blog, here is why it is so special to me:

I Will Be Here by Steven Curtis Chapman: I would listen to this song as a young teenager and dream about finding a love like this song describes. Guess what? God gave more then I ever dreamed.

Any Song by Keith Green!!! I first heard Keith Green as a young child and knew all his songs by heart. As a teenager, I loved his music because he is so honest and authentic. I also read his autobiography when I was in my teens. He is one of my all-time heroes! I remember my friends laughing at me when they were in my car, wondering why I would be listening to songs from the 70's. Yes, the music is cheesy, but the lyrics are simply amazing!

How Could I Ask For More by Cindy Morgan: My senior year of high school I was on homecoming court with four other girls, who were all good friends of mine. We all picked this song to be played during our ceremony. I still love this song!

Have I Told You Lately by Rod Stewart: The song Jon and I danced to at our wedding. I smile every time I hear it.

I Can Only Imagine by Mercy Me: This song was played at Brian Ditchen's memorial service. Brian was Jon's cousin who he grew up with, and who I went to school with, and he was a dear friend. He passed away in March of 2004 in a tragic plane accident, he was only 28. It shook the core of our faith. The only comfort came from knowing, without a shadow of a doubt, who Brian lived his life for: Jesus Christ. He was a dedicated believer, and we can't wait to see him again. Every time we would hear this song, it touched us deeply, it still does. Heaven has become very real to us.

The Scientist by Coldplay: My younger brother, Ben, sang and played this song on the piano at my brother Jeremy's memorial service. Jeremy passed away suddenly in September of 2004, he was only 31. Once again our faith was shaken (see next song)....

Cry Out To Jesus by Third Day: Whenever I hear this song I am reminded of my brother Jeremy...."To everyone who's lost someone they loved, long before it was their time, you feel like the days you had were not enough, when you said goodbye....cry out to Jesus" I am reminded to turn to God in the midst of my pain and loss, and it's OK to go to Him with my questions

We Will Dance by Steven Curtis Chapman: My current love song. It so beautifully describes mine and Jon's relationship.

I'm Not Cool by Scott Krippane: This is Daniel's song.Not in a mean way. He absolutely loves this song and sings along with it every time. The funny thing is, it describes him perfectly.

She's a Dancer by Phil Keaggy: This is Sarah's song! It so sweetly reminds me of Sarah...."she's a dancer, she loves to dance, she's a singer, she loves to sing, she's a lady, walkin' round in mama's shoes, standin' tall in mama's shoes" Sarah has also been caught singing into the bathroom mirror. And when she was younger she put on many "dance performances" for us in our living room.

Olivia by Phil Keaggy: Obviously Olivia's song! I've sang this song to her since she was a tiny newborn. She knows the words and sings along now. Whenever I put this song on, she stops what she's doing and gets a big smile on her face, and says "my song!"

Beautiful by Bethany Dillon: OK I'm 32 now. And sometimes when I look in the mirror, the depression creeps in. I don't look like I did ten years ago, I don't see a beautiful young woman looking back at me. And that can get you down sometimes. This song reminds me that true beauty is who I am in God's eyes. I could be perfect in every way on the outside and yet not be beautiful in the eyes of God, and when it's all said and done, my life would have been lived only for myself. I want to be beautiful in God's eyes, I want Him to look inside my heart and smile, and most importantly, be pleased.

Who Am I?, The Voice of Truth, and Praise You In The Storm by Casting Crowns: All three of these songs are very special to Jon. These are three of his all-time favorites. These songs brought him close to God when he was going through a hard time in his life.

I Am by Nicole Nordeman: The first time I heard this song was at a Women of Faith conference. She played it live on the piano. It was so beautiful and moved me so deeply. God is truly my "I Am", He has been my one firm anchor through every season of my life.