Thursday, October 1, 2015

SIMPLE GEMS - Day 1



Within the last year and half I have begun to recognize there is a piece of me that is crying out for...more.  Not more quality of life or things or love or even appreciation.  But more of me - the true essence of me.  More of that deep rooted part that makes me uniquely Michelle.  A woman with passions, gifts, insight, love, abilities and a voice that outwardly reflects who I am inwardly.

Recognizing this need in my life and finding ways to mesh it with who I am in my already established roles as wife and mother has been a very real struggle for me.  At the end of the day, I'm tired.  Everyone else in the house is in bed sleeping and I'm still going.  I feel deflated from not accomplishing all that needs doing.  I feel overwhelmed by all that is required of me for tomorrow still.

So, how was I going to even begin to meet this burning need for...more?  Well, about six months ago I challenged myself to begin a simple online course for something I was interested in.  I made it a priority and I completed it.  I can't begin to describe how much of  a boost to my self-esteem it was when I met that goal!

And so I began my journey.  Since then I have read books with actionable steps geared toward making our life just a bit more simple.  I have completed a few other online challenges as well.  It feels good doing something that helps me be a better me.

Today I am joining my fellow blogging friends to embark on an online writing challenge to write every day for 31 days on one topic.  The topic I have chosen is Simple Gems.

In keeping with the same spirit of the last few months of challenging myself, I have chosen Simple Gems as a way to embrace the moments of my every day.  My hope is that it will impress upon my heart and mind the reminder to take the time to appreciate each and every blessing around me.

If you follow me on this journey, I hope you are encouraged to embrace the moments in your life.








Day 2 - Garden Gems
Day 3 - Hot Chocolate Gems
Day 4 - Morning Gems
Day 5 - Healing Gems
Day 6 - Running Boys
Day 7 - Skating Gems
Day 8 - Thoughtful Gems
Day 9 - Fireside
Day 10 - Salsa!
Day 11 - Happy Thanksgiving!
Day 12 - Thankful
Day 13 - Scribbles
Day 14 - Morning Chants
Day 15 - Snuggles
Day 16 - Home Time
Day 17 - Reflection
Day 18 - Farm Day
Day 19 - Morgan's Musical Induction
Day 20 - Writer's Jam
Day 21 - Connecting
Day 22 - Waiting
Day 23 - Autumn Leaves
Day 24 - A Good Visit
Day 25 - Pumpkin Carving
Day 26 - A Boy and His Dog
Day 27 - Friends
Day 28 - Kindness
Day 29 - The Truth
Day 30 - On Being a Writer
Day 31 - Halloween

6 comments:

  1. This is so so lovely! I love your theme and can't wait to see what you share. We all need reminders to slow down and appreciate the little things. Looking forward to a month of inspiration :)

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    1. Thanks! I so need to challenge myself on this. It's easy for me to get bogged down with checking things off my to-do list, establishing routines and just getting things done. While all that is helpful in making life run smoothly, I forget to pause and enjoy. I don't want to miss my boys growing up just because there's something left unchecked on my to-do list.

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  2. Yay! I s
    went looking for yours last night but you hadn't posted yet so I worried you had given up. So glad you didn't. I am intrigued about the "mysterious" course you took. ;)

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    1. Haha, I didn't give up, I was just behind...as usual. I often have to wait until they are all in bed to write.

      And I didn't intend to be mysterious, I just didn't feel it was relevant to what I was trying to convey. It was the Creative Basics course offered by Crystal Stine. I really enjoyed it and I learned a lot! Simple, straightforward, full of useful information. Exactly the boost I needed to get my creative juices flowing again :)

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  3. Looking forward to your posts!!

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