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life

Ode to my thirties

Being embraced by the first day of fall, 2023. Andonnia backed by the blue skies and green trees.

Many times reflections start with alllll of the negatives… BUT THIS AINT 35 MM FILM… so… BLESSINGS from my thirties!

There were trips. I didn’t take many trips as a youth unless it was a school conference. Shout out to that trip to NYC in seventh grade with our intercity choir! So… my thirties held visits to friends in other cities and states. It also included some passport stamps, discovering some cool places, taking stunning hobbyist photos, and enlarging my mind.

Here is the beautiful thing about the mind, don’t read brain because they are related but not the same, once it expands…it expands. The new knowledge becomes a part of your knowing and of you! Come on. That’s exciting. (The hard part is recalling the knowledge when you want to… whew ::insert a great big exhale here::).

So the three most powerful parts of my latest decade is: The POWER of GOD in my life, people, and expansion.

If I was to string together the pieces of my testimony that steamrolled my thirties we’d have to also develop those negatives, but KNOW that I know Him. I have seen Him Move for myself. I have felt His embrace. I have prayed and He has answered. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17)… and the more you hear and study the Word, the more of God you learn. You lean into that new knowledge and in turn… activate more trust that the Bible is truth.

People. I know and have met some pretty awesome people. What I love is when I meet someone and God whispers to me that they are a gift! I’ve met musicians, politicians, artists, preachers & pastors, but the most impactful are my friends! I’m grateful for the people God’s sown into my life like seeds that bloom in DUE season.

Finally, the expansion. Mind expansion. Faith expansion. Creative expansion. Expansion of self. Knowledge expansion. Lesson expansion. I’m grateful for it.

I’ve begun to really settle into my house. I’ve been in it over a decade…but slowly I’m making changes that reflect my current pallet. My tastes are being refined. It’s the same with my life. Boundaries aren’t prisons, they are protection. The same way expansion pours in newness, it recognizes what must be pruned away or restricted. That requires a healthy perspective. Will you allow yourself to expand into your current season and assignment?

My thirties were a lot, but not perpetually bad. I am grateful for it.

Hello forties. Bring some hydration, sunshine, sweet memories, and expansion ok?

IVY OUT

Categories
life

Saying goodbye to this year…

I say goodbye to this year with a stoic reverence. Minding my perspective, much like the rain washing through Houston today, 2020 exposed a lot that needed care. Racial wounds in this country have been festering since it’s birth. America was once home to Indigenous people who both respected the land and humanity and two groups of Europeans. Those were sent here for punishment and those who sought refuge from persecution. Those groups quickly turned into the problem for both Indigenous people and Black people. Why BLACK and not an ethnic identifier? We were stripped of it and our humanity was also attempted – but both Indigenous and Black people are resilient. Cameras and social media have exposed much about antebellum lovers. Covid-19 made the entire globe stand still. A deadly germ, unseen to the naked eye, put a stop to the business and busyness of life as we know it. Toilet Paper and Cleaning Wipes became a thing if want and desire as cleaning became a focus again. Opportunists drove up prices and people finally began to appreciate those on the front lines of SERVICE. Yes, medical professionals, transportation personnel, grocers, farmers, ranchers, warehouse workers, and finally teachers. Teachers, who never got to stop working, became a wonder. Parents, a child’s first teachers became more active on education and technology became the conduit whereby lessons were pipped into home like water through screens. The myths about “the perfect child” were bashed against the rock of toggling of children under one roof with distractions. Employers that would have previously never allowed their operations to shift to “work-from-home” status QUICKLY shifted so that things could continue even in the presence of a pandemic. The term “new normal” surfaced and even I have dripped these words from my mouth slowly like molasses from buttered pancakes, and even now I shudder deep within my being. Nothing about this life has ever been normal. I am allergic to status quo. I was never invited to that table. I was allowed to build it, yes, but no one drew out a seat for me there. 2020 has broken what was referred to as normal. I should like to thank her for that. Because we will never be what we were before. We still aren’t out of the manacles of this germ’s clutches. And with that, I will end this is a reverent moment of silence for all of those who are no longer with us on this side. For those who have entered heaven’s gate I send peace and condolences to the families.

::🙏🏽::

Ivy Out

Categories
life

Gratitude shifts your MOOD!

As a parent, would you give your child more of something that they didn’t appreciate? (“Good parenting” & common sense says NO) If not, why would God give us more money… If we can handle our current situation? Why would He give us mortgage if we are ungrateful for our apartment?(Surely, these are random examples, insert thing you want here!) To be frankly honest, gratitude also signifies a certain level of maturity.

It’s certainly not a strange concept to even babies. However, most people develop a “GIVE ME” spirit and not a “THANK YOU” spirit. Get back to THANK YOU! It will elevate your life, primarily, because from a genuine place…it comes. You envelope yourself in lessons instead of of depression! You can crawl out of a negative place and declare: LORD I AM GRATEFUL THAT YOU DEEM ME STRONG ENOUGH FOR THIS CHALLENGE! YOU GIVE YOUR STRONGEST TESTIMONIES TO THOSE WHO CAN CARRY THE TORCH! Its not that the situation doesn’t suck, but you can CHANGE YOUR PERSPECTIVE!

Gratitude changes your perspective. It can reshape your thinking and your activity. Lets face it, Change your mind, CHANGE YOUR LIFE!

Grateful that you took a few moments of your day to share with me!!

Ivy Out

Categories
life

He’s good like that

Good morning!

I was reading Psalms chapter 19 this morning and marveling at God’s design.

Architects spend years in school learning new technology and software so they can create masterpieces. In Ancient times, with no computers, Egyptians and Greeks built cities that still stand. But GOD handcrafted this world in which we live. He placed the marvels of space. He positioned water and land. He created man and formed woman and gave us assignments.

How excellent is design? Isn’t it comforting knowing that the one who is in control, is the original designer?
Psalms 19:14 calls God our Rock and Redeemer. Our fortress and strength! How excellent to be able to depend on God!

If the value of purses, shoes, art, and homes are more valuable when it’s proclaimed a designer original…should not we value our lives in this manner?

Ivy out