February: Things I’ve Learned Recently

Happy Monday:) Welcome to my second wild list of various things I’ve been thinking on this month! Lots of things have been happening- Made some progress on the construction of our house, I was down with a flu for awhile, and I've been preparing to open the shop this summer (if everything goes as planned)! So many things to learn from always...

February Quote Spotlight

Please Note: When I quote a person, it is solely because I appreciate what they said and does not mean I am endorsing them in any way. The only being we can rightfully wholly agree with is our Heavenly Father.

“The world is changed by your example, not your opinion.” - Anonymous

“Few people know how to take a walk. The qualifications are endurance, plain clothes, old shoes, an eye for nature, good humour, vast curiosity, good speech, good silence, and nothing too much.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

“If you’re not spiritually fed you will be emotionally led.” - Tara Bialek

“I think everything in life is art. What you do, how you dress. The way you love someone, and how you talk. Your smile and your personality. What you believe in, and all your dreams. The way you drink your tea. How you decorate your home. Or party. Your grocery list. The food you make. How your writing looks. And the way you feel. Life is art.” -Helena Bonham Carter

“Men are born soft and supple; dead, they are stiff and hard. Plants are born tender and pliant; dead, they are brittle and dry. Thus whoever is stiff and inflexible is a disciple of death. Whoever is soft and yielding is a disciple of life. The hard and stiff will be broken, the soft and supple will prevail.” - Lao Tzu

Things I’ve Learned to be Grateful for…

Laughter.

There are always hard things happening around us, whether they be big or small. Maybe you're running late, maybe you've lost someone close to you, or maybe you just stub your toe. Whatever it may be, it can be hard to not let these things affect our mood more than we should. I often find myself guilty of letting the hard things weigh a little heavier than they should, and then getting unnecessarily moody over little things that don't matter. But I'm learning the power of laughter in this season.

When we slow down, we realize that we are always upset about things we either can or can not control. If you can control it, take back your power and do things differently! If you can't control it, you need to realize that staying upset is only holding you back. You're allowed to live a beautiful lifer even though hard things happen. And the easiest way I've found to get myself out of this headspace that tries to trap me is simple: Laugh. I know it sounds stupid, but try it before you tell me I'm wrong. I like to go to sit with my siblings and hear what they have to say... It almost always ends in me laughing for one reason or another. And I feel happy. It's good to be a big-picture thinker in some cases, but I think we often forget the power of individual moments. It'll all be okay, promise. But if all you can control is the right now, make it beautiful. Sometimes all you can do is laugh about it. And that's perfect.

Safety.

There have been so many crazy things happening with the weather recently!! Some say it's engineered by man, some say that's just a conspiracy theory... I'm not going to get into all of that here. It's heartbreaking the way so many have been affected by the storms we've been having recently, from flooding to snow. I know North Carolina is going through an extremely hard time, and many are finding themselves homeless from Hurricane Helene, only to be experiencing the recent snowstorms. We got quite a bit of harsh weather where I live as well, but hearing these stories makes me realize how fortunate we truly are. We have shelter and heat, and warm clothes and food. Who are we to complain?? I am so thankful my family and I have stayed safe, and I want to use my safety to help those who aren't.

Community in these times is absolutely essential. We all need to be there for each other! There are countless people who have come through for each other during these storms, and have often risked their own lives to save another. It's important that we be smart, but if you are someone who is safe right now, we must realize the need that is all around us. If you are someone who is a child of the Most High, remember what you have been called to. We must be there for each other whenever we're able.

Things Yahuah Has Been Revealing to Me...

True courage is an action.

I remember hearing something about courage a long time ago that said courage is not just not being afraid of something. rather, courage is when you do something in spite of your fear. (I'm paraphrasing, of course, but it was something like that.) This came to my mind a couple weeks ago, and Yahuah has been showing me so many examples of this throughout my life. There have been countless things that I may not have chose to do, or may have even been scared to do, but I did it anyways (not always by choice). And I can now look back and see the ways it benefited me.

Courage and bravery are so very different, and I sometimes think bravery comes easier. If you don't have to act on it, it's not very hard to convince yourself that you're not scared. The beauty comes when we realize that we can have courage completely separately from bravery. We can do things we're scared to do, and it doesn't mean we're any less powerful than we would have been if we weren't scared. Personally, I find it all the more empowering. Let's start doing what we know is best for our lives regardless of how scared we find ourselves feeling. We are called to courage.

-Joshua 1:9

Success is measured only by the Most High.

There is so much pressure all around us, especially for young people. What college are you going to? Who do you wanna be with for the rest of your life? Where are you going to live? What high-paying job are you gonna get? It's all much too much!! There is so much power in knowing where your success comes from. We subconsciously let other dictate to us what our lives should look like. Whether it be friends, teachers, family members, pastors, etc. Even if it comes from ourselves, it can add a layer of pressure that is not what the Father wants for us. Maybe it's all good things we want- a great job, a beautiful family, a beautiful home... But if we are telling ourselves that that is the only way we will be successful, we'll create a toxic headspace for ourselves. We must get clear on where the expectation for our lives needs to come from, and that is our Heavenly Father.

The Word is clear that if we truly want to be successful, we must become students of Yahuah and His ways. We must obey what He tells us to do and seek Him wholeheartedly. This, my friends, is a successful life. If we live what we are called to by His standards, we will most definitely have the beautiful life we so desire. It takes trusting Him with absolutely everything you are, but it is so much sweeter than any other route that seems to make the most sense to our human minds. There is no better life for us than the one chosen for us by our Creator.

-Proverbs 16:9

Things I Love...

People.

I so appreciate the people I have around me, near and far... I love hearing stories of the lives others lead, and getting to know all different personalities. I love connecting with everyone from family to friends to people I meet at the grocery. The world needs connection. Smile at someone. Say hello. Tell them how beautiful they are. Life is too short to take the wonderful people around us for granted.

Flowers.

Nothing beats a bouquet of wildflowers... It's one of those things that makes your heart smile no matter the circumstance. It brings color to dull moments, and beauty to barren tables. I'm so looking forward to a bounty of wildflowers to enjoy this spring.

Coffee.

Although it may not be the most beneficial to your health, coffee is something near and dear to my soul. It calms me, it makes me feel ready to take on the world... It invites people to talk and connect, to focus on a task that needs to be done, to take a moment to breathe. I believe there is a wonderful kind of power that lies within a cup of coffee.

Music.

Music is something that serves so many purposes, but most of all, I believe it helps us feel. When we need to process or express emotion, it seems only natural that we should want to put it into rhyme and make peace with it in song form. It helps us understand ourselves, it tells stories, it prompts a much needed dance party, it makes us cry when we need to release emotions, it helps us worship our Creator, it gives us words to speak when we can't find them. Music is such a valuable thing to have in our lives.

What are some things that you love? There are beautiful little treasures for us to take in all along this journey. Notice them. Appreciate them,. Thank Yahuah for this beautiful life.

Poem of the Month

Hope is the Thing With Feathers by Emily Dickinson

Hope is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul,

And sings the tune without the words,

And never stops at all.

And sweetest in the gale is heard;

And sore must be the storm

That could abash the little bird

That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chillest land,

And on the strangest sea;

Yet, never, in extremity,

It asked a crumb of me.

And that's all for today! Thank you for reading this, and have a beautiful day my friend.

Love,

Nola:)