Reprioritizing....or....Love the One You're With

I was talking with a good friend the other day about the complexity of relationships.  We had both come to the conclusion we needed to be better at giving the person we are spending time with our undivided attention.  The person standing before us or sitting beside us is in our presence at that exact moment in time for a reason.  I should be loving on that person, and listening to them...instead of constantly checking my cell phone for messages, or instead of going through my mental to-do list when I should be listening.   

I do love my blackberry.  It's always blinking to tell me I have a new message of some sort.  I have three email accounts send all their messages there.  My fellow tweets and Facebook buddies messages all come to me on my little pink battery.  I have the world of information at my fingertips, and I allow the world to preoccupy me too much of the time.   I have friends who I've learned to not check my cell phone when I'm with them, because they've made it clear it offends them. You know what?  In the time I'm with them, I don't miss it.  We are laughing, talking and simply enjoying each others company.  Why can't I do this with everyone?

In Fusion we have been talking about regrets.  My overall addiction to technology (my blackberry and my laptop) has seriously hurt some of my relationships, and for that I am truely sorry.  I've put messages, sometimes messages from people I've never actually met...before the person sitting right next to me.  This is my regret (well, one of many but that is a different blog post all together *smiles*) Instead of dwelling on this regret though, this is something I can easily control.

So here is what I promise.  When I am with you, you will have my undivided attention.  I will do better job asking questions about you or your day instead of being so self consumed.  I hope to leave our conversation feeling like I connected with you. Hopefully because of this you will understand....

If you send me a text, IM, Facebook message or tweet that I don't answer right way, or if I hit ignore on your incoming call.... it's not because I don't love you or don't want to hear from you. It's simply because I'm trying hard to love the one I'm with.

Manic Monday #180

I haven't played along in awhile, so here we go:

Are you usually late, early or right on time?

I used to always be early, cause that is how I was raised. If you aren't 15 minutes early, you're late. (Thank you, mama).  Although lately the snooze button has been getting the best of me, and I tend to just misjudge exactly how much time I need to accomplish abc so I can get to xyz. That being said, I hate being late, and this new habit of mine is one that I need to break.


What would be harder for you, to tell someone you love them or to tell them that you do not love them back?
This one is easy.  I've lost too many people I love too waste time not letting them know I love them.  If I say "I love you", I mean it.  However, I'm a strong believer in Love being a verb, not a feeling, it's something that you do.  I need to get better at being "Love". If that makes any sense....

As far as telling people that I don't love them back...back when I was dating this got me into more than one jam.  I don't like hurting peoples feelings, and me not feeling the same as they do...well hurt their feelings. So unfortunatley I had a nasty habit of letting things drag on too long, which (as you know) hurt them worse. Oops.


Which would you rather have: a high salary or job satisfaction?
Again, easy.  Job satisfaction. I would love to be doing a job that I felt like I was making a difference in this world.  Where if I could make one person smile or one persons life just a little bit easier. yeah, that would be cool.

Well, I guess that is all from me today.  Have a great labor day!!!

Oops, almost forgot to give you think link to see & join in on Monday Meme fun, click here.

Peace & Love,
Apryll

He is Jealous For Me......Shalom

To say this last couple weeks has been crazy does not begin to explain it.  I've gone between floating on "cloud 9" to lying face down on the ground in humilty and heartbreak. I've been elated, confused, fearful, and sad. I have been a mess.  I was becoming this ugly person that I don't like, but didn't even really see it. I'm lucky enough to have a friend who wasn't afraid to tell me I was being ugly and didn't care if it made me mad to hear it.  Hopefully this friend still believes in the potential of the person I am, and not the person I was allowing circumstances and petty fears turn me in to.

This weekend I received the gift of peace.  With my precious husband at work , and my friends busy for the holiday weekend I had lots of time in quiet contemplation.  I believe God knew I needed this, He knew I was standing at a cross-roads, I was lost and getting off track.  He knew I was getting consumed in the events in my life and everything happening around me...He knew I was about to crumble.  So God gave me peace...quiet.

At first the peace was uncomfortable.  I'm not good alone, so on Saturday when I reached out to a friend and was told "I'm busy this weekend"...I was like "ok, I get it".  I cleaned my house more than it's ever been cleaned before.  I slept...a lot.  I prayed, I sang, I danced by myself in the living room, I cried, and I slept some more.

I realized in all the chaos of life, there is something constant....God's love for me. 

Psalm 139:7-10 "Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast." 

He has given me a husband who loves me, wonderful parents, and grandpa who is pretty amazing.  Who am I to question His love?  Who am I to say what I have isn't good enough, or act like a child when I don't get my way?  Yet even in my childlike ways, he cares enough to bring me out of the depths, out of the dark and into His PEACE.

This song has been my mantra this weekend, I've put the lyrics below:




He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realise just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.

And oh, how He loves us so,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all

He is jealous for me,

Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realise just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.


Yeah, He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves.
Yeah, He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves.

We are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.
So Heaven meets earth like an unforseen kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don’t have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about, the way…

And oh, how He loves us so,

Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all


He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.
Yeah, He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves.

Shalom,
Apryll

These Are My Mountains

I got to spend a day last week in the beautiful Rocky Mountians...here's some pictures along with one of my favorite folk songs.

For these are my mountains

And this is my glen

The breas of my childhood

Will know me again

No land's ever claimed me

Tho' far I did roam

For these are my mountains

And I'm going home

These Are My Mountains

Scottish Folk Song

For fame and for fortune, I wandered the earth
And now I've come back to
This land of my birth
I’ve brought back my treasures
But only to find
They're less than the pleasures
I first left behind

For these are my mountains, And this is my glen
The braes of my childhood, Will know me again
No land's ever claimed me, Tho'far I did roam
For these are my mountains, And I'm going home.

The burn by the road sings, at my going by
The whaup o’er the head wings
With welcoming cry
The loch where the scart flies
At last I can see
Its here where my heart lies
It’s here I’ll be free
Chorus

Kind faces will greet me
And welcome me in
And how they will greet me
My ain kith and kin
This night round the ingle
Old songs will be sung
At last I'll be hearing My ain mother tongue
Chorus

Busy Day

I've had such a busy day, but I really enjoyed it!

Today I:

Put a new anti-virus program on my laptop.

Went to the local Farmer's Market, Wal-Mart, and the health food store.

Had lunch with my handsome husband.

Came home and started making home-made Kombucha, yogurt, and buttermilk!

Right now I have 3 loaves of bread rising and almost ready to go into the oven!!

Whew, I'm tired but it was all fun. Now I need to work on my lesson for class tomorrow. Our church is doing a series on the 10 commandments, and tomorrow is Adultery. Tomorrow I have to teach a group of teens about Adultery. Yikes!

Have a great day, happy Saturday!!

Apryll

Having fun with Photos

Hey ya'll, I've been playing with Picnik again. Here are a couple of my photos.

Before:



After:




Before:



After:

Finding Out Who My Friends Are...or Aren't

First I have to apologize...I haven't updated my blog in so long and now I'm coming on here venting. Feel free to click on by and not read this blog. This has just been a rough week (and it's only Tuesday! HA!)

I guess I won't jump on the pitty party and spill it all out. I won't put you all through it. How 'bout I just post this video because this is what is on my mind? As disappointed as I am in some people I thought were friends...I'm truly greatful for the few really great friends I have. When times get tough is when the truth comes out. Or as Tracy says:

This is where the rubber meets the road
This is where the cream is gonna rise
This is what you really didn't know
This is where the truth don't lie



All the lyrics if you want to sing along:

Find Out Who Your Friends Are - Tracy Lawrence

Run your car off the side of the road
Get stuck in a ditch way out in the middle of nowhere
Or get yourself in a bind lose the shirt off your back
Need a floor, need a couch, need a bus fare

This is where the rubber meets the road
This is where the cream is gonna rise
This is what you really didn't know
This is where the truth don't lie

{Chorus}
You find out who your friends are
Somebody's gonna drop everything
Run out and crank up their car
Hit the gas, get there fast
Never stop to think 'what's in it for me?' or 'it's way too far'
They just show on up with their big old heart
You find out who your friends are

Everybody wants to slap your back
wants to shake your hand
when you're up on top of that mountain
But let one of those rocks give way then you slide back down look up
and see who's around then

This ain't where the road comes to an end
This ain't where the bandwagon stops
This is just one of those times when
A lot of folks jump off

{Chorus}

When the water's high
When the weather's not so fair
When the well runs dry
Who's gonna be there?

{Chorus}

You find out who your friends are
(yeah, yeah)
You find out who your friends are

Run your car off the side of the road
Get stuck in a ditch way out in the middle of nowhere
(Well man, I've been there)
Or get yourself in a bind lose the shirt off your back
Need a floor, need a couch, need a bus fare
(Man, I've been there)

Man, I've been there
Oooh yeah.