Tag: change

faith, God, humor, Religion and Spirituality, Spirituality

Are You Ready for a New Season?

Hallelujah, spring/summer is on it’s way in. No more snow. Yipee! I am not a fan of cold, snow, or winter, lol. I love when the grass is green and the flowers are blooming. Their fragrance is almost intoxicating. Give me a lilac bush, a rose bush, a hibiscus, anything. I love the smell of new growth. All of a sudden the plant pushes its way through the dark dirt and pops up to grow. What starts as a seed then sprouts and continues to grow and produce fruit/flowers/leaves.

Whatever the seed was, it becomes the plant it is supposed to be. The blueprint was already in the seed, even when it was buried. The potential was there from the beginning. That’s how we are too.

God formed us in our mother’s womb. He knew the end from the beginning. He called us OUT of darkness and INTO His marvelous light. He makes all things NEW. We are a new creation in Jesus. Our lives are hidden with Christ in God. I think I’m going to start living there, not just here on Earth.

Let’s choose to believe Him. Let’s choose faith, not fear. Let’s set our minds on things above, not below. Let’s walk in faith of what God’s Word says – even if we can’t see it yet!

 

 

A Time for Everything

There is a special time for everything. There is a time for everything that happens under heaven.  There is a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pick what is planted.  There is a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up.  There is a time to cry, and a time to laugh; a time to have sorrow, and a time to dance.  There is a time to throw stones, and a time to gather stones; a time to kiss, and a time to turn from kissing.  There is a time to try to find, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to throw away.  There is a time to tear apart, and a time to sew together; a time to be quiet, and a time to speak.  There is a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace. – Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 NLV

behavior, faith, God, Healing, health and wellness, Mental Illness, Music, Videos

Life Lesson Learned – You Can’t Change Someone Who Does Not Want to be Changed

I am sure you have met one, a person who absolutely did not want to change. You can love them all you want, give them all the tools for personal growth, but they are not interested. You may want the best for someone but they don’t want it for themselves. Life lesson learned – you can’t change someone who does not want to be changed. They simply have no vision. Without vision the people perish. Yep, that’s in the Bible, and it’s true.

I always thought if I loved them enough, they would change. Not always true. I have met some very stubborn people in my life that are happy just where they are. They do not have any desire to change anything. No amount of me pushing or prodding will make one bit of difference. Just because I think there may be more, they are happy to stay right where they are. That’s ok. I think I will stop trying to control them and just let it go!

Talk about freedom, wow! I finally don’t have to have everything figured out. That’s a load off this control freak shoulders, lol! For today, my focus has changed. I am going to let others make their own choices and I’m gonna focus on making my own. I can choose to let it go!

So now I have opened myself up to learning new things, to choosing a higher road. I have been on this path for the last year. First with becoming a Certified Peer Specialist and now with training for becoming a Certified Life Coach. Yes, I have been declared disabled by the Social Security System, but I’ll tell you what, I’m not giving up! I have used this time to refocus and build a vision for my future. You can too! Don’t give up, God is not done writing your story!

I signed up on Udemy for a number of classes. This month I am working on the Life Coach Certificate from Kain Ramsey. I admit it, I am only through the 4th video, and I’m hooked. Wow, I sure wish I would have met this guy sooner! I could have avoided so many detrimental things in my life. Oh well, lesson learned.

“We cannot make people change. We cannot want more for the people than they want for themselves. People are either ready to change, or a person will never change until the desire to change becomes greater than their desire to remain the same. People will generally never have a desire to change until they HAVE A VISION OF THEIR FUTURE that is GREATER then where they are today. ” – Kain Ramsay, internationally bestselling instructor, social entrepreneur

Anxiety, behavior, christian poetry, Depression, Hope, Life, Religion and Spirituality, Spirituality

What Do You Do When Your Plan Gets Interrupted?

What do you do when your plan gets interrupted? It may be due to a job change, an illness, a change in circumstances, or whatever. How do you respond? I find myself in that exact situation now. An illness has interrupted my normal everyday life and I find myself at a crossroads.

Here are the three ways people can respond to change according to Success Magazine:

  1. Be Non Active – people resist change and blame and stay stuck
  2. Be Reactive – people jump into the next crisis without thinking things through
  3. Be ProActive and Positive – people put their focus on what they could do, focused on the positive outcomes and took action

I have to admit, I have been the Reactive Person most of my life. I have jumped from crisis to crisis trying to fix everyone and everything and it usually turns into a trainwreck. I never had a problem finding a job – I would take the first one that came along. I always was a bit impulsive.

This illness has forced me to slow down and re-evaluate my life and my job and my family. My kids are all grown and working or going to college now. My Mom duties have diminished and I struggle with the Empty Nest syndrome as well. I am not sure what to do next. I pray and ask God for direction, and then sit here and wait. I have been out of work since last November and on Disability. It is very strange for me. I have worked my whole life on and off with kids. I struggle with trying to keep busy while living within the limits of what I can do currently. I have to fight off the spirit of depression and anxiety in the middle of this mess.

I am back in Therapy to learn some new tools for my toolbox for keeping myself well. We are body, soul, and spirit. I haven’t really taken the best care of myself. It was so easy to put everyone else first when you are the Mom.

How about you? Have you ever had your life interrupted? How did you respond?

God’s Word for You:

Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. – Isaiah 41:10 NKJV

isaiah_41_10_by_kc_lynne-d4iq28r

My Prayer for You:

Lord, I have absoluetly no idea why I am here. I was not ready for this interruption –  yet I choose to trust You in the proccess. Show me Your ways. Lead me in the path of understanding. I trust You Lord to lead me through this valley and on to the other side where my cup overflows and I sit in green pastures of peace, in Jesus Name.

Isaiah 55:8

 

 

 

 

 

behavior, Hope, humor, Quotes, Spirituality, Women

When You Have to Eat Your Words – 10 Quotes on Change

Have you ever had a day where you had to eat your own words? Yeah, something you said a day or two ago comes back around and you end up having to eat those same words you spoke? Me too. I wrote yesterday about Gratitude. I didn’t know that today I would need those verses to remind myself a few things, lol.

So I write this blog to find hope in this crazy world. And I have to admit, sometimes the world gets crazier! Last night I read this article on Facebook about how HOPE thrives when there is CHANGE. Now that’s true. But what if I don’t like CHANGE? Too bad Ms. D. Change is inevitable, growth is optional I hear. So I thought I would search out some wisdom on the subject. Here are some great quotes by really famous people about CHANGE.

Change

10 QUOTES ON CHANGE

  1. “You can’t stop the future
    You can’t rewind the past
    The only way to learn the secret
    …is to press play.”
    ― Jay Asher, Thirteen Reasons Why
  2. “They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.”
    ― Andy Warhol, The Philosophy of Andy Warhol
  3. “We can’t be afraid of change. You may feel very secure in the pond that you are in, but if you never venture out of it, you will never know that there is such a thing as an ocean, a sea. Holding onto something that is good for you now, may be the very reason why you don’t have something better.”
    ― C. JoyBell C.
  4. “We are not trapped or locked up in these bones. No, no. We are free to change. And love changes us. And if we can love one another, we can break open the sky.”
    ― Walter Mosley, Blue Light
  5. “Stepping onto a brand-new path is difficult, but not more difficult than remaining in a situation, which is not nurturing to the whole woman.”
    ― Maya Angelou
  6. “And that is how change happens. One gesture. One person. One moment at a time.”
    ― Libba Bray, The Sweet Far Thing
  7. “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”
    ― Mother Teresa
  8. “Some changes look negative on the surface but you will soon realize that space is being created in your life for something new to emerge.”
    ― Eckhart Tolle
  9. “One day spent with someone you love can change everything.”
    ― Mitch Albom, For One More Day
  10. “There were people who went to sleep last night,
    poor and rich and white and black,
    but they will never wake again.
    And those dead folks would give anything at all
    for just five minutes of this weather
    or ten minutes of plowing.
    So you watch yourself about complaining.
    What you’re supposed to do
    when you don’t like a thing is change it.
    If you can’t change it,
    change the way you think about it.”
    ― Maya Angelou

(All quotes found on Goodreads, Images from Diana Rasmussen and Pinterest)

faith, God, Hope, Religion and Spirituality, Spirituality

When You Can’t Be Together at the Holidays

Holidays are hard sometimes. Especially when for whatever reason you can’t be together. Maybe it’s because of an illness, or distance, or death, or service. No matter what the reason it makes your heart hurt. That’s where I am today. Don’t get me wrong – I am grateful for the get togethers. Yet I miss _____. Funny how you can feel two things at one time. 

Yet time goes on. The moon still sets and the sun still rises. The breeze still blows as I sit here feeling like I’m frozen in time. And here, in this moment, is when I hear,

“I will come to you.”

And again, 

“I will come – TO YOU.”

Right here, right now, in the middle of this loneliness – this is the place where Jesus will come – to me.  All of a sudden He is the pursuer in this crazy love relationship. He is on the offense making the ‘first move’ to get closer.  He will come when His Beloved is hurting. He hears our heart cries. I am humbled- and grateful.

I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. – John 14:18


And He will come to you today too. In the middle of your loneliness – He will come to you. 

In the middle of that sorrow – He will come to you.

In the middle of that sickness – He will come to you.

In the middle of that grief – He will come to you.

In the middle of _______ – He will come to you.

  

(Images from Pinterest)

Hope, Quotes, Religion and Spirituality, Spirituality

10 Famous Quotes on Change

Here we are with a new season upon us. I go back to work this week, kids go back to school, and fall is right around the corner. I love the cool breeze in the air. God is up to something, let me tell you! New doors of opportunity are opening everywhere! His Spirit is stirring up the Living Water in each of us. Can you feel it yet? I am so excited!  Here are a few inspiring quotes that helped me welcome change:

hope

10 FAMOUS QUOTES ON CHANGE

  1. “Stepping onto a brand-new path is difficult, but not more difficult than remaining in a situation, which is not nurturing to the whole woman.” ― Maya Angelou

  2. “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” ― Mother Teresa

  3. “You can’t stop the future

    You can’t rewind the past

    The only way to learn the secret

    …is to press play.” ― Jay Asher, Thirteen Reasons Why

  4. “Those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” ― George Bernard Shaw

  5. “Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change.” ― Wayne W. Dyer

  6. “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” ― Mahatma Gandhi

  7. “There were people who went to sleep last night,poor and rich and white and black, but they will never wake again.And those dead folks would give anything at all for just five minutes of this weather or ten minutes of plowing.So you watch yourself about complaining. What you’re supposed to do when you don’t like a thing is change it. If you can’t change it,change the way you think about it.” ― Maya Angelou

  8. “For what it’s worth: it’s never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the courage to start all over again.” ― Eric Roth, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Screenplay

  9. “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” ― Nelson Mandela

  10. Things change. And friends leave. Life doesn’t stop for anybody.” ― Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Hope

A Time for Everything

There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

   a time to be born and a time to die,
   a time to plant and a time to uproot,

   a time to kill and a time to heal,
   a time to tear down and a time to build,

   a time to weep and a time to laugh,
   a time to mourn and a time to dance,

   a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
   a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

   a time to search and a time to give up,
   a time to keep and a time to throw away,

    a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent and a time to speak,

    a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace.

 What do workers gain from their toil?  I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race.  He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.  I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live.  That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God.  I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him. (Ecclesiastes. 3:1-14 NIV)

Poetry, Spirituality

The Pioneer Spirit of Adventure

The Pioneer Spirit of Adventure

-Copyright 2015 Diana Rasmussen

A Pioneer Spirit

Agent of Change

Leaving time and old places

New adventures to chase

*

Courageous warrior

Passionate

No fear of the future

I’m committed to Truth

*

The mountains are calling

I must go

To discover new lands

Can you understand?

 

 (P.S. No, I am not going anywhere – just feeling adventuresome today 😉 Diana)

(Images from Pinterest)  

Healing, Music, Spirituality, Videos

Life Dances

Yes, life dances. I was sitting in my favorite chair the other morning and I looked outside the window.  I have been trying to start my day with listening to God instead of jumping on my electronic devices.  Know what I mean?  It was a windy morning and I saw the tree moving in the breeze.  I just watched it – dancing.  It was then that the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart:

“Life dances – it does not stand still, it changes, it moves, just like the wind.”

Thank was such a comfort to me as things are changing here. Seasons are changing. And I have to stop standing still and get moving!  Sometimes just because something is familiar, we stay. But God showed me that life doesn’t stand still. It is ok to move. It is ok to let go of the old and follow Him.  I think He knows where He is going!  He promised to lead us – that means we get to follow and move!

 

QUOTES ABOUT DANCING

“You’ve gotta dance like there’s nobody watching,
Love like you’ll never be hurt,
Sing like there’s nobody listening,
And live like it’s heaven on earth.”
― William W. Purkey

 

“Those who dance are considered insane by those who cannot hear the music.”
― George Carlin
Every day brings a chance for you to draw in a breath, kick off your shoes, and dance.”
― Oprah Winfrey
“Dancing is a vertical expression of a horizontal desire.”
― Robert Frost
“Live your truth. Express your love. Share your enthusiasm. Take action towards your dreams. Walk your talk. Dance and sing to your music. Embrace your blessings. Make today worth remembering.”
― Steve Maraboli, Unapologetically You: Reflections on Life and the Human Experience
“We should consider every day lost on which we have not danced at least once.”
― Friedrich Nietzsche
“Dance is the hidden language of the soul”
― Martha Graham
“To be creative means to be in love with life. You can be creative only if you love life enough that you want to enhance its beauty, you want to bring a little more music to it, a little more poetry to it, a little more dance to it.”
― Osho

Franz von Stuck Ringelreihen
Franz von Stuck Ringelreihen (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Life dances – are you ready to dance?

I took this video on our land here in WI.

What about you?

Have you been standing still?

Does God want to bring you into a new land?

Leave me a comment.

And lets dance!

Healing, Spirituality, Uncategorized

Where did my normal go?

What do you do when your world turns upside down? When things change so quickly you can’t keep up with yourself? Where did my ‘normal’ go? We recently had some family changes and I am still struggling to find my new normal. We are helping a young adult lady get on her feet. She moved in with us for a time. I can’t really go into details yet, there are still pending charges. So that’s why Ms D hasn’t been blogging much.

Anyway, I didn’t realize how attached I had become to my schedule – to my ‘normal’. Until things changed. I am driving a lot now, taking her back and forth to work along with 2 other kids and school and sports. Now I know how my mom felt – the TAXI man! Oh well, normal is overrated anyway. I think I’ll just be me – everyone else is already taken!

“My whole life I wanted to be normal. Everybody knows there’s no such thing as normal. There is no black-and-white definition of normal. Normal is subjective. There’s only messy, inconsistant, silly, hopeful version of how we feel most at home in our own lives. But when I think about what I have, what I strived to reach my whole life, it’s not the biggest or best or easiest or prettiest or most anything. It’s not the Manor or the laundry closet. Not the multi-million dollar inheritance or the poorhouse. It’s not superstardom or unemployment. It’s family and love and safety. It’s bravery and hope. It’s work and laughter and imperfection. It’s my normal.”
― Tori Spelling

“My 30 year attempt (and subsequent failure) to reach “normal” has brought me to ponder whether “normal” even exists, or if it is nothing more than delusional grandeur based in the sounds of those sweet sirens drawing my ship in all the wrong directions.”
― Dan Pearce, Single Dad Laughing

“If you are always trying to be normal you will never know how amazing you can be.”
― Maya Angelou

“Normality is a paved road: It’s comfortable to walk, but no flowers grow on it.”
― Vincent van Gogh

Normal

Related articles
Enhanced by Zemanta

(Image Source: Pinterest)

Poetry, Spirituality

Beauty

Beauty
Copyright 2014 Diana Rasmussen

Formerly a worm
Crawling on the ground
Now inside cocoon
Change is coming soon

Inside chrysalis
Old dead ways cast off
New things being born
Hanging on this thorn

Wings unfolding light
Transforming even mind
Beauty now flies free
Releasing Heavenly Peace

Source: wallpaperswa.com
Source: wallpaperswa.com

God’s Word for You:

“This is what God says,
the God who builds a road right through the ocean,
who carves a path through pounding waves,

The God who summons horses and chariots and armies—
they lie down and then can’t get up;
they’re snuffed out like so many candles:

“Forget about what’s happened;
don’t keep going over old history.
Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new.
It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it?
There it is! I’m making a road through the desert,
rivers in the badlands.

Wild animals will say ‘Thank you!’
—the coyotes and the buzzards—
Because I provided water in the desert,
rivers through the sun-baked earth,

Drinking water for the people I chose,
the people I made especially for myself,
a people custom-made to praise me.”
(Isaiah 43:16-21 MSG)

My Prayer for You:

Dear Lord,

Thank you for making all things new, even us. Renew our minds, refresh our spirit, and restore our bodies as only You can, in Jesus Name.

The Message (MSG)
Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

Activism, Music, Spirituality, Uncategorized, Videos

Every Little Thing is Going to be All Right

I have been watching the series TOUCH lately on Netflix. It’s the story of a dad and his autistic son, Jake. Not everyone ‘talks’ the same way. Autistic people use numbers, not words. They see thing we don’t see. Yet, every little thing is going to be all right.

Anyway, here are some things from the show that touched me today:

Gyre, Part 2

Jake: [voiceover] There are 31,530,000 seconds in a year, a thousand milliseconds in a second, a million microseconds, a billion nanoseconds. And the one constant connecting nanoseconds to years is change. The universe, from atom to galaxy, is in a perpetual state of flux. But we humans don’t like change; we fight it, it scares us. So we create the illusion of stasis. We want to believe in a world at rest, the world of right now yet our great paradox remains the same. The moment we grasp the now that now is gone. We cling to snapshots, but life is moving pictures, each nanosecond different from the last. Time forces us to grow, to adapt because every time we blink our eyes the world shifts beneath our feet. Every day, every moment, every nanosecond the world changes. Electrons bump into each other and react; people collide and alter each other’s paths. Change isn’t easy, more often it’s wrenching and difficult, but maybe that’s a good thing, because it’s change that makes us strong, keeps us resilient, and teaches us to evolve.

The Road Not Taken

Jake: [voiceover] We can’t help but wonder how much difference one person makes in the world. We look inside ourselves, questioning if we have the capacity for heroism and greatness. But the truth is every time we take an action, we make an impact. Every single thing we do has an effect on the people around us. Every choice we make sends ripples out into the world. Our smallest acts of kindness can cause a chain reaction of unforeseen benefits for people we’ve never met. We might not witness those results, but they happen all the same.

Jake: [voiceover] The point when all things are possible; the moment when a choice was made or an action taken; the breath inhaled before a first step forward. And the most lasting chain reactions that are started by those moments. And actions and choices are always the ones that are started by love.

(Source: http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Touch_(TV_series))

Playing for Change

Yes, Every Little Thing is Going to Be All Right

Depression, Domestic Violence and Abuse, Healing, Music, Spirituality, Uncategorized, Videos

Our Mistakes Serve a Purpose – There’s No Such Thing as Perfect People

Image

Our Mistakes Serve a Purpose. Really. You mean you can use that? Seriously? God promises to restore all things and to turn things around. If we really were those perfect people we thought about would Jesus have had anything to save us from? Would He even have had to come to Earth for our salvation?  Let us look up, let grace be enough, and be changed – by a Perfect God!

“Perfect People” by Natalie Grant

 

Never let ’em see you when you’re breaking
And never let ’em see you when you fall
That’s how we live
And that’s how we try

Tell the world you’ve got it all together
And never let ’em see what’s underneath
We cover it up with a crooked smile
But it only lasts for a little while

There’s no such thing as perfect people
There’s no such thing as a perfect life
So come as you are, broken and scarred
Lift up your heart and be amazed
And be changed by a perfect God, yeah

Suddenly it’s like a weight is lifted
When you hear the words that you are loved
He knows where you are and where you’ve been
And you never have to go there again, no

There’s no such thing as perfect people
And there’s no such thing as a perfect life
So come as you are, broken and scarred
Lift up your heart and be amazed
And be changed by a perfect God

Who lived and died to give new life
To heal our imperfections
So look up and see love
And let grace be enough, oh

There’s no such thing as perfect people, yeah
There’s no such thing as a perfect life
So come as you are, broken and scarred
Lift up your heart and be amazed
And be changed by a perfect God

By a perfect God, yeah
By a perfect God, yeah
By a perfect God
By a perfect God

Be changed by a perfect God
Be changed

Songwriters
WEST, MATTHEW JOSEPH/MIZELLE, CINDY/BARTON, JASON

Published by
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.

Read more: Natalie Grant – Perfect People Lyrics | MetroLyrics

 

“But you shall be named the priests of the Lord,
They shall call you the servants of our God.
You shall eat the riches of the Gentiles,
And in their glory you shall boast.

Instead of your shame you shall have double honor,
And instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion.
Therefore in their land they shall possess double;
Everlasting joy shall be theirs.”  (Isaiah 61:6-7 NKJV)