Monthly Archives: August 2014

Right Priorities

Right PrioritiesMike and I recently celebrated our 27th wedding anniversary; while it is a milestone and an accomplishment to us, it is less than many couples I know. Our life together has not been sheer bliss. 😉 We have had our bumps along the way, as I suppose most couples do. There have been some things about our relationship that I kept hoping, and yes, even praying, would change but sadly I am here to tell you that they have not.

One day around about 2 years ago I was pondering the movie, Fireproof. Both of the main characters were so caught up in there individual lives that they lost track of who they were as a couple and the other’s needs and neither thought they were in the wrong. I realized that Caleb, the main male character, felt he hadn’t done anything wrong and felt he was actually the ‘injured’ party but was the one who accepted the challenge of reaching out to his wife and wooing her anew. Now, I don’t want to give you the impression that Mike and I were heading for divorce or even tempted to have an affair, but God used that fictional story to wake me up to realize that if I wanted things to be different it didn’t matter who did what, someone had to take action or things would not change. I chose to follow the nudging of the Holy Spirit to let me be the one. In doing so, I came to understand that Mike felt I had some changing to do, and quite frankly, I did.

So here is what I want to challenge you with: think back to when you had just met your honey. Think about how you acted when you first had his attention. Think about how much time you spent talking together on the phone and in person. Think about how much attention you gave him. Think about those honeymoon days and the first months of your marriage. Now, think about how much time and attention you have given your husband in the last 24 hours, how about the last week, and even the last month. How does it stack up? Are your words as nice and sugary as they were all those days ago? Or are you burdened down with your various ‘jobs,’ tuckered out, distraught, and overwhelmed by all the demands of being a wife, mother, and, if you homeschool, teacher with the children around and underfoot 24/7?

I know what it is like to have limited funds. I know what it is like to feel guilty about going out with my husband and spending money when we don’t do many things out as a family. I know what it is like not to have a babysitter or the funds to pay both a babysitter AND be able to go out on a “date” with your hubby. But let me tell you something, dear one, you have got to make time for him!!!!! It is easy for resentment to build on both your parts: his because you are always too tired or you are always doing something else; yours because he doesn’t understand he is just another person making demands on you. This is not good!! I admonish you, MAKE time for the two of you! There will be a time, all too soon, when there will be no more children at home; what will you have then? If you don’t make time for the two of you NOW, you will have two miserable people, frustrated, and lonely who will have to learn, all over again, how to get along with each other (if you even last that long together).

Since this first post is getting a bit long, I will share some ideas God gave me to help you find ways to accomplish this feat in the coming weeks. If you are in a desperate situation and need immediate help, email me your specifics and I’ll try to help.

Until next time,

Michele ÂșÜÂș

It Begins

Hello! I’m glad you stopped by my little place on the internet. :) Please bear with me with this new endeavor. I am still just learning about all of this and things here aren’t quite how I’d like them to be just yet, but if I wait until they are, it may be months before I actually begin publishing this site. So, I will continue to work in the background tweaking (yes, “t-w-e-a-k-i-n-g”*) how things look and behave as I begin to publish posts.

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LifeOfJoy.Me Begins

     My life has been so full. I have been very blessed. I have made some good choices and some mistakes. I wish I would have had an older woman, who had walked this path before, to be a mentor of some sort to me, although I did my best and tried to learn from my mistakes. It is my desire to be such a woman for any who will listen. I believe it is what God desires of me. So that is why I have started this blog.

     Women have so many jobs to fill. I’m sure it isn’t a new thing and men probably feel the same way. I hope to bring encouragement to you for some of the jobs you may be filling. Some of the jobs I have done include being a wife, mother, home educator, cook, homemaker, volunteer, worship team member, newsletter compiler, and such. There were some areas that I neglected that I wish I had made time for, two of which are art and pleasure reading.

     Because there are so many focuses in our lives, I will try to help in a few of them. On Mondays I will be blogging about marriage. When one homeschools her children, it is easy to become so focused on educating the children that her husband feels like he is a lower priority than the children, which, to be honest, is not right – he should always feel that he is the most important thing on this earth to his wife. I will be honest here and tell you that this is one of the mistakes I have made along the way and have learned some great tips to help fix this situation, that I will be sharing here on Mondays.

     I enjoy good food but I don’t really like to spend a lot of time cooking, nor does most people have a lot of time to spend cooking. So on Tuesdays I will be sharing recipes our family enjoys and tips for getting it done with the least frustration or stress.

     Several years ago, okay, by now it is more like many years ago, I watched a show on PBS entitled, One Stroke Painting with Donna Dewberry. She taught and demonstrated a method of painting that looked easy and doable. After watching the once weekly show for many months, I finally purchased a proper paint brush or two and some acrylic paint and I tried my hand at painting. Wow! I was amazed at what I was able to accomplish. Unfortunately, I did not make it a priority and have not done much painting at all but I intend to do more and have planned to paint for about an hour, at least once a week. It’s not much but it is a start.

     In 2009 I learned about a wonderful drawing technique called Zentangle©. See I wanted to say several years ago again but have just realized that it has been quite some time ago now. MY! How time flies! Anyway, this is another thing that I wish I had spent more time doing but let myself get sidetracked in other relaxing activities in the evenings. However, I have changed this and have made time in my daily routines to practice this art outlet and I will be sharing some of my artistic endeavors on Wednesdays. I will sometimes share ideas for helping you and your children develop your artistic talents.

     Thursdays will be the day that I focus on home education. I have home educated my three children from the beginning (minus one year of pre-k at our old church’s private school for my oldest), have graduated the oldest two and have one more year with my youngest before her formal (required) education comes to an end. I hope to share things that will help those home educating their children avoid some of the things that tripped me up along the way. Although it has been a long time since I had 3 young children pulling on me and depending on me all day, I trust the Lord to provide encouragement and tips for those of you in that situation and to know that you can provide the education your children need, better than anyone else.

     Finally, on Fridays I will just share whatever I have on my heart because sometimes I just like to ramble on and it won’t fit in any one day’s topic. There may be an occasional bonus post on the weekend but probably will not be the norm.

     I trust that God will use this site to encourage many, from all walks of life, in varied seasons of their lives as I endeavor to share from my heart and as the Lord leads me. I look forward to getting to know you, my readers, and hearing how this site blesses you.

Until Monday, God bless you,

Michele ÂșÜÂș

*Yes, a small quote from You’ve Got Mail.