This challenge is to encourage us to tell our stories. Plain and simple.

So here are my pictures:

Morning routine
Samantha walks in to preschool and puts on an article of dress up clothing and then washes her hands. Every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday morning.
 

 
Happy Place
The swimming pool is hands down my happy place. There isn’t a place that leaves me more energized or grounded than the pool.
 

 
Contents of something you carry with you
I have a picnic basket in the trunk of my car that travels with us to doctor’s appointments, swim practices, etc. It includes games, stationary, books, a picnic blanket, and food that won’t melt in the Phoenix sun. I change things out every couple of weeks. And I’m cheating and adding a 6th picture to give you a better look as to what is inside. Forgive me.
 


 
Someone who makes you smile 
Rebecca and her amazing classmates. This picture is from her 8th grade graduation.
 

 
Something you drive by everyday that you have never taken a picture of before
Dizzy’s bar is less than a mile from our house and I’ve never been there before. We talk about this dive bar and our friends play pool there all the time. Jeff and I are going on a hot date this weekend considering it’s a “landmark” in our community and I use it to give directions to our home.
 

 

So below is my first linkup. Please link up to your post with your pictures instead of just to your blog. I’m looking forward to looking at them. And please encourage one another by commenting on each other’s posts. We can learn so much from one another.

Next Friday’s linkup will be about gratitude. Stay tuned for a post on Monday for more details. The linkup will again be fun, simple, and fuss free. It will be a great way to learn from one another.

The next photography link up will be Friday, June 15th. And the next 5 pictures will be:
1. Something you can’t live without.
2. A favorite snack.
3. Your ride.
4. Weekend routine.
5. A place you get your food.

This linkup will be live until next Thursday. So if you forgot, no big deal. Just take a photo walk this weekend and post your pictures. If you don’t have a blog, please send me some of your pictures to jenny@jennymeyerson.com and I can post some examples on my Facebook page.

Blessings sweet friends – Jenny

If you are new to my site, welcome! I would love for you to follow along on this crazy adventure of mine by subscribing to my blog at the top of this post and joining me on facebook, twitter, and pinterest.

But now. Now I’m sitting here with a flood of emotions that no one prepared me for.

You see I felt somewhat prepared for breastfeeding, crib types, diapers, and CPR. I felt prepared for childcare options, Gymboree classes, and the importance of reading to Rebecca before she was born. I read What to Expect When You are Expecting 3 times and devoured every child magazine article in the grocery store aisle and library.

But no one prepared me for the sheer joy and heartache that comes with parenting or approaching milestones that mark that the end of your child being in your home is quickly approaching.

No one prepared me to be a single parent before Rebecca was even born.
 

 
No one prepared me for having to work full time with an infant when my dreams were to stay home and raise her.

No one prepared me for dating and being overprotective of introducing a little one to a stranger.

No one prepared me for one of those strangers, Jeff to fall in love with me and Rebecca and love her as his own.

No one prepared me for my stomach sinking when Rebecca drove away with her biological father for a week. An entire week.

No one prepared me for a shy child.

No one prepared me for cancer.

No one prepared me for the words and tears when Jeff said, “Jenny, please fight. If you die, I will lose you and Rebecca.”
 

 
No one prepared me for hitting my knees pleading to live long enough to see Rebecca grow up with her brother and sister.

No one prepared me for a child who crawled into a shell after cancer. Shy was taken to an entire new level.

No one prepared me for a child who didn’t want to play sports as she would miss half the games when visiting her father 2 hours away every other weekend. She didn’t want to let anyone down by missing games.

No one prepared me for how happy I would be to see my children love one another.

No one prepared me for the hours of homework help Jeff and I assisted her with in elementary school.

No one prepared me for the day when Rebecca said she wanted to play volleyball. Ecstatic.

No one prepared me for her sitting on the bench.
 

 
No one prepared me for how Rebecca would soon blossom.

No one prepared me for her asking to run for school Vice President. “Really?” was my response, followed by the largest smile in the world.

No one prepared me for her winning after giving a speech to the entire student body.

No one prepared me how it truly takes a village to raise a child. Her teachers adore her.
 

 
No one prepared me for her refusing our help with homework and then inducted into the National Junior Honor Society.

No one prepared me for her asking to switch to sports and start swimming.
 

 
No one prepared me for her to show a competitive edge in the swimming pool. Shocking is an understatement.

No one prepared me for how much I would grow to love her friends and enjoy their successes, too.
 

 
No one prepared me for how satisfying it would feel when she confided in me who she fancies.
 

 
No one prepared me for the depth of how loyal she would become. Her friends trust her immeasurably.
 

 
No one prepared me for the answered prayers and the beautiful young woman that she has become.

And now I’m back to watching her try on the bikinis and wishing I had her figure. And completely understand now why waterproof mascara was invented.

And to think, I get to experience this 3 more times. Lord help me.

Blessings sweet friends – Jenny

Myth #1. Life lists create more work and busyness.

After writing my life list, I started cutting out a lot of activities that were consuming my days.  Before I had a list, I took on commitments without considering some of the other things I wanted to accomplish or enjoy.  There were things that I enjoyed or that made me feel productive that just took more time than I had to give.  I didn’t realize all the adventure I was giving up until I wrote my desires down. The list gave me a way, a reason if you will, to minimize my commitments and the power to say NO without excuses or apologies.  I gave up being a Girl Scout Leader and a room mom and I stopped working full time for the first time in 17 years.   Essentially my life list has given me a road map. Now I can more easily prioritize what I want to do and accomplish before I just thoughtlessly add a new activity or project. And I have replaced some of the good things in my life like Girl Scout leading with a different good thing, like a cupcake fundraiser for a child with cancer.
 

 

Myth #2. Life lists breed selfishness

I suppose it depends on your personality and your list, but my experience has been that my life list has brought my family closer. It has made my kids see the hard work and magic that comes together when pursuing dreams. As a result, they have started their own lists.  With four kids in the house and a limited budget for pursuing a lot of the things on my list, I focus on list items that involve the entire family.
 

  
This is where we need to keep ourselves in check a little bit. I have items on my list that could take me away from my family and cost too much money. To everything there is a season.  A lot of my list items will probably happen when Jeff and I are in a different stage of life. Though I am always on the lookout for ways to make things happen sooner.

On the flip side, I want to warn you against judging others for desiring things for themselves.  Oftentimes we become so caught up in everyday life that we lose our identity and forget the things that we used to love to do. Going after some of those dreams or old excitements can be healthy for the family if it is done properly and respectfully of your other time commitments. 
 

Myth #3.  Your life is not complete if you don’t check them all off before you die.

This is precisely why I don’t call my life list a bucket list. I want to live a full and abundant life. I desire to travel more and experience new things. But if I died tomorrow, I’ve lived an amazing life. No regrets.

In addition, I know that my list will never be completed because I am constantly taking things off my list and putting other things on.  I am also trying hard to add more items that are focused on others. Our most recent Sunday Story is a great example of how focusing on other people can lead to a meaningful and abundant life. 
 

Myth #4. You need to Carpe Diem.

Not for me. I’m not crazy about the “seize the day” mentality. That mentality seems to solely focus on the act of doing. I believe that I was made to just “be” sometimes and to savor and enjoy life. To take in life’s brilliance and taste joy despite hardships. Then I can reflect, change course if needed, and even rewrite part of my values and life lists if needed. The act of “seizing” sounds exhausting and daunting. I need to be intentional about what I want to do, but include plenty of room for improvisation. The act of checking an item off my list does not make me more of a person.  It is the experience of the act itself that is so important.  It is the pure joy I got watching my husband act like a little kid last week when we watched a Diamondbacks game from the pool. 
  

 
Whatever your excuse for not writing a life list, I encourage you to start.  Need help? Feel like you don’t know where to start? Take a look at these posts with some prompts and creative ideas to get in the right frame of mind. 

And then check out the tab “Your Lists” in the main navigation bar above. I’m VERY excited to announce that we have added a new feature where you can link up your life list to my blog. I see this as an awesome opportunity to either encourage each other to start a life list or to “borrow” ideas from others to expand the ones we have already made. I think it is going to be great. Please make sure the link is to your life list and not just a link to your blog. I hope this serves as an encouragement to the entire community.

Overall I’m a better person because of the time I’ve taken to write my value list and life list. I’m living more intentionally and more joyfully and I think you will too. I can’t possibly ask for more than that.

Blessings sweet friends – Jenny

If you are new to my site, welcome! I would love for you to follow along on this crazy adventure of mine by subscribing to my blog at the top of this post and joining me on facebook, twitter, and pinterest.

Jeff and I were able to go to Disney in January to take Sam to meet Mickey Mouse but this time it’s me + Rebecca + roller coasters. No potty training. No character autographs and hugs. Nope it will be just us teenagers hanging out talking about cute boys.

This past week has been amazing.

I’ve been focusing on being grateful, this post was linked in the Huffington post, and Jeff’s new law firm is blossoming. I’m very content despite events that could completely overwhelm me.

When I look at this layout, it just makes me feel grateful. A simple layout to reflect a full and abundant life.

The only extra supplies I used were a cut piece of these Heidi Swapp Memory Files for my weekly card and the Jillibean Soup Hello Wooden Flags.

This week there are 2 inserts. My weekly card to the kids about being grateful {stationary from Eggpress}. And a Project Life Design C page protector cut in half, to include 4 x 6 horizontal pictures.

This series of pictures reflects the 9 kids who started this school in 4th grade over 5 years ago. We started in a wing of another school and expanded to a K-8 school and this was the first year to have our new building and campus. So it’s sort of a big deal in our community that this will be the 1st graduating class. These 9 kids of the 30+ that are graduating, stuck around for the growing pains of starting a new school. I’m kind of partial to these kids and the young adults they have become. Yes, a tear is forming. And no, I’m not quite ready for this. But I went and blinked and they grew up.

And they are fun.

And they pose with little prompting.

And did I mention they pose?

And that beautiful brunette in the middle. Yep, she belongs to me. She’s a gem. A real keeper I tell you.

This layout took me 2 hours and that includes the time that I ran to Costco to get more photo paper and eat a piece of pizza with Sam. Yep, it was quick. And that’s what Project Life is all about. Simple and efficient. Most weeks I spend more time, but I just didn’t have it this time. It’s all good.

So have a terrific Tuesday and I’ll answer any questions upon my return tomorrow.

Now I’m going to eat one of those obnoxious Turkey legs and buy my own lollipop. I don’t even have to share. High five.

Blessings sweet friends – Jenny

To see all of my project life pages go here.

I am linking up today with Jessica over at The Mom Creative. Be sure to check it out here as her community is extremely talented.

What is project life? It was designed by Becky Higgins. Go here for my 2011 Review detailed post.

Supplies: Project Life Core Kit – Clementine Edition, Photo Pocket Pages – Big Variety Pack 1 (60 Pages), Advantus Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher, Canon PIXMA Pro9000 Mark II Inkjet Photo Printer (3295B002), Marvy Square Craft Punch, and a Sharpie Ultra Fine Point Permanent Marker.

If you are new to my site, welcome! Like what you see? I would love for you follow along on this crazy adventure of mine by subscribing to my blog and joining me on facebook, twitter, and pinterest.

Yesterday, I left the house grateful to be heading to my happy place, the swimming pool for the final events of a 3 day swim meet.

I have been spending a great deal of time everyday focusing on gratitude. As a result, I’ve been a happier person. I spend a great deal of time looking through photos, writing lists of what I’m grateful for, writing letters to my children every week, and writing letters to people who influence me and my family.

As I was sweating my tail off at the swim meet in 100 degree weather, I found myself getting a little bit irritated. My family will tell you that I have 3 triggers to getting irritable: heat, hunger, and ungratefulness. So when it hit 11:30 am, I was sweating in places that I won’t discuss, was hungry for a snack other than poptarts from the snackbar, and one of my children complained with a thankless spirit. I could feel that hot head rush and knew I could blow at any moment.

Thank goodness I recognized this trigger and told myself to take my camera and flip through pictures. Immediately I became grateful. Grateful for healthy children, grateful for being in the swimming environment that makes me feel energized and at peace, and grateful for a miracle child after cancer. I also realized how I have 2 amazing coaches who not only teach my children stroke technique, but also encourage my daughters with invaluable life lessons. All of a sudden the hunger seemed to vanish and I didn’t mind that my two thighs were now possibly stuck together from sweat. Why? Because I simply chose to be grateful.

I don’t know about you but I love to get a letter in the mail. Sometimes it’s even nicer to be told publicly how much you mean to someone. So I’ve decided to share with you my letter to my daughter’s swim coaches, Mo Rankin and Lindsay Borman of Phoenix Swim Club.

Dear Mo and Lindsay,

Jeff and I are extremely thankful. Emily and Rebecca love swimming in large part because of you both. Jeff and I realize the importance of sports. We both have loved swimming and golf and have many fond memories of our teammates and coaches. Our girls spend over 10 hours a week with you in practice and listen to every word you tell them. They come home encouraged and excited for the next practice.

Mo – Emily repeats every word that you say. She clings to your encouragement, praise, and constructive advice. She is highly competitive, yet I believe you have encouraged her to remember to have fun and be a cheerleader for her teammates.
I was thrilled at your talk with her about the value of being in a group with kids her own age. I personally am in no rush for her grow up any faster than is already happening. When I asked Emily what her favorite thing about you was, she laughed and said, “Well she is really nice, I can see her cheering me on at meets with both her hands up in the air when I’m swimming, and she’s a great triathlete. She also offered my friend grace when she made a mistake. That was pretty cool.” Awesome.

Lindsay – When Rebecca got moved up to the Red Group, she expressed fear of leaving Coach Mo. She said that she was comfortable where she was at despite being in a group with kids who were younger than her. We knew she lacked confidence since she started swimming at age 13. We encouraged her to move up even though she was reluctant.

Now it’s all about you. She adores and respects you. She loves your sense of humor, thinks you are pretty, and loves how you get after the group when they are goofing off. She comes home energized that she sometimes leads her lane after initially getting lapped only months ago. Rebecca is possibly the best judge of character and the most loyal person I’ve ever met. She is very hesitant to open up to people and is a pretty reserved person. So when I asked her randomly this week while driving in the car who some of her favorite people are and she mentioned you and Mo, well it filled my heart with such gratefulness and contentment.

Parenting is hard work. And I have 2 very different daughters that I desire to grow into healthy, well adjusted young women. Both of them are taking different paths as their personalities are so different, but I’m confident that they will arrive at the same destination. Thank you for having such strong, positive influences on my girls. You both have made a difference in their lives. As a mom, I can’t think of anything more powerful.

Thank you – Jenny (otherwise known as Rebecca and Emily’s mom)

To read Jeff’s favorite post of mine ever about Emily and Mo, read this.

I challenge you today to choose gratefulness. Try it, I dare you. Pick up the phone, write a letter, surprise someone with a cup of coffee or a cupcake. It doesn’t take a lot of money or time. Keep it simple and do it today. My guess is that you will feel terrific, even for a Monday.

Blessings sweet friends – Jenny

If you are new to my site, welcome! I would love for you to follow along on this crazy adventure of mine by subscribing to my blog at the top of this post and joining me on facebook, twitter, and pinterest.

Today, I’m honored to introduce you to Jen Russell. Jen’s husband and Jeff are old college buddies. Josh and Jen are two of the most fun and generous people that I have ever met. Jen has sent me such encouraging emails since I started this blogging journey. I’m so thankful that she is here to share her heart. I think many of you will be able to identify with her story…
 
I am so honored to be featured on Jenny’s blog and be part of this community she has started.

I am a 35 year-old woman. I have been happily married for almost 10 years and I am the mom of two children, ages 4 and 7. I am a school teacher who is about to finish my 13th year in the classroom. My husband and I are happy people and despite experiencing some unique challenges (losing possessions in a house fire, fathers going through open heart surgery, an anorexic sister, an addict brother in prison), I believe I have lived a charmed life.
 

 
In the last 15 years I have struggled with my weight. Up until about 21 years old I was small. I had always been athletic and exercised. But all of a sudden I had some extra pounds on my small frame. I became self conscious about my body. A lot of it can probably be traced to my college diet of Captain Morgan and mac and cheese. After college, my diet changed for the better, but I still averaged about 5 pounds of weight gain a year.
 
I have never categorized myself as fat, yet here I am, “obese” according to BMI. It feels shocking to put myself in that category. Like any woman, I have struggled with my self-image. This led to questions like, “Does my husband still find me attractive? What is this extra weight causing inside my body?”

As a result, I have tried all sorts of diets and other restrictions. I exercise regularly, make balanced meals, and watch my portion sizes, but nothing has made a difference.

Two years ago my husband, Josh, and I decided to take a different approach. My husband is not overweight, but is always looking for ways to stay healthy. So we decided to start a monthly challenge. We would try something for one month and stick to the committment. You can do anything for a month, right?
 

 
So we committed to one year of monthly challenges. In the first year, our challenges included:

–no coffee
–10,000 steps a day
–lose 5 pounds
–going full vegetarian
–running 3 times a week
–no snacking after 8:00 pm
–a vitamin regimen every day
–no alcohol
–running a 10k.

The challenges were fun and took discipline. The first year ended and not much had really changed. However, we agreed that we liked being focused on accomplishing defined goals.

Josh and I agreed to continue the monthly challenges but we wanted to step it up. How could we make it bigger and more meaningful? We decided that every challenge had to benefit someone else. We put together our list and were excited that our kids would be a part of it.
 

We spent our first month setting up an art show for Josh’s mom. She is an incredible artist who didn’t think anyone would want to buy her art. She sold 7 paintings from the show and still sells to this day.

The next month, we focused on gratitude and sent a letter or called someone we were thankful for everyday.

Another month we performed random acts of kindness. We bought a homeless person food, bought the guy next in line his coffee, told a mom that she was great with her kids, and paid the toll for the car behind us (which we do every time now).

Then it hit me. During the two years since we started these monthly challenges, my body never really changed. But it didn’t matter as much to me anymore.

I realize now that being “healthy” is far more than just the numbers on a scale. Health includes filling your soul, living by your values, feeling excited, enjoying life, and setting a good example for your kids. For a long time I let the number at my feet determine how I felt. The last year of challenges has changed that. Being focused on others made a big difference in my perception of myself and my definition of “healthy.”

I know I will occasionally fall back into the trap of focusing on the scale or some other thing to gauge my health. Fortunately, I have a husband who will encourage me and laugh with me along the way. And he and these challenges will help me get back on track anytime I derail.

Now, how will you challenge yourself?

Jennifer Russell

Thank you Jen. I’m honored to call you my friend. To follow along with Jen and her family, be sure to check out her blog here.

Blessings sweet friends – Jenny

I am currently accepting submissions for Sunday Stories. Please limit your posts to approximately 800 words and include at least one picture. Please email them to me at jenny@jennymeyerson.com.

If you are new to my site, welcome! I would love for you to follow along on this crazy adventure of mine by subscribing to my blog at the top of this post and joining me on facebook, twitter, and pinterest.

Instead of featuring Dr. Sears on the cover, Time Magazine instead chose to feature 26 year old mommy blogger and attachment parenting supporter, Jamie Lynn Grumet. Time Magazine has a job to attract readers to their magazines and how better to do that than to anger moms with a polarizing topic. My twitter feed almost blew up yesterday with rants about how long is too long to breast feed, whether attachment parenting oppresses women, and even everyone’s two cents as to what makes a good mother. Oy.

The picture didn’t appall me like it did to others. The title of the article however made me sick to my stomach. The media has caught on to the fact that they can get attention by getting women to argue with one another. It has been dubbed The Mommy Wars.

As moms we are trying our best to navigate this journey towards raising healthy, well adjusted children. And there are MANY paths that can lead to the same destination.

Are you Mom Enough? Yes you are. And so am I.

I am Mom Enough at night when my toddler has a bad dream and needs to snuggle in close to me.

I am Mom Enough even though I’ve worked outside the home as a nurse while raising four children.
 

 
I am Mom Enough to know that I need a date with my husband every week.

I am Mom Enough to know that my children are not perfect but more than enough.

I am Mom Enough to know that my children need to learn how to work through failures in the safety of our home.

I am Mom Enough to know when “No” is necessary.

I am Mom Enough to put my cell phone down when my children desire my company.

I am Mom Enough to know that I can’t do it all.

I am Mom Enough to my 2 year old even though I don’t have breasts anymore.
 

 
I am Mom Enough to know that I am not perfect but that I give it my best.

I am Mom Enough to know that I am immeasurably blessed.

Let’s build one another up and stop this alarming trend of shaming one another. Maybe then TIME magazine won’t use us to sell their magazines.

Instead, in the spirit of Mother’s Day weekend…consider picking up the phone and telling your friend who is struggling that she is enough.

Consider writing a letter and leaving a care package to your friend who is a single mom trying her best to raise children on her own.

Consider humbling yourself to someone you have judged for her parenting choices and apologize.

Consider looking at yourself in the mirror and saying, “I am more than Mom Enough.”

Blessings sweet friends – Jenny

UPDATE: The good news is this post has been shared many times on Facebook and Twitter. The bad news is that the counters were reset to zero. And we have no idea why. No big deal. The numbers don’t really matter. Spreading the word that women want to support one another and that we have no time or energy for shame… now that matters.

If you are new to my site, welcome! Like what you see? I would love for you to follow along on this crazy adventure of mine by subscribing to my blog through the subscription box at the top of the page and joining me on facebook, twitter, and pinterest.

Rebecca asked what the flavor was in the icing and I told her the ingredients. She stated, “Is that alcohol?” I said “Yes, but a very small amount.” So Rebecca immediately dubbed cupcake #30 the naughty peach cupcake.
 

 
This cupcake was created by Amy from the Sing For Your Supper blog. You know how I love stories, right? Well I am excited to introduce you to Amy because her story is really cool. You see she is an opera singer and a self taught chef and photographer. Her blog name comes from a song in a Broadway musical. So Amy’s cool quotient just soared in my book.

So what do you get when you combine an opera singer and alcohol? Peach Bellini cupcakes. And you will not be disappointed. The recipe was super simple to follow. The icing is really soft so make sure your cupcakes are cooled completely. I wouldn’t know though because I always follow directions to the letter of the law. Sure.

I highly suggest you eat a naughty peach cupcake mid week, too. And if you have had a long day, you will have plenty of naughty bubbly to wash it down with.
 

 
Jeff asked if I bought Cristal champagne for the cupcakes, which is typically over $200 a bottle. As for me and my house, we serve Korbel. It was under $10 with my VIP card because that is how we roll.
 

 
So head on over to Amy’s site and tell her I sent you. You can find the link to her recipe here.

Blessings sweet friends – Jenny

Story of the 52 cupcakes:

I am making 52 cupcakes this year in honor of my chemotherapy buddy. When we were undergoing chemotherapy, people would bring cupcakes and other treats to the chemotherapy “lounge”. We would smile, laugh, and talk about how we were so nauseous and that all we could eat was saltine crackers and Sprite. We were glad that our family and friends were comforted by them though. My friend said, “If we survive this disease, we should eat a different cupcake every week for the rest of our lives.” My friend did not survive. So in honor of him, I am making a different cupcake every week for a year. Every time I make a new cupcake and lick my fingers, I think of him and his zest for life. So in honor of my friend and all cancer patients, I challenge you to eat a cupcake today and remember to always lick your fingers.

To see all cupcakes in this series, go here.

If you are new to my site, welcome! Like what you see? I would love for you follow along on this crazy adventure of mine by subscribing to my blog and joining me on facebook, twitter, and pinterest.

So in February, Jeff walked into the house and told me to sit down that he had exciting news. I was thinking life altering stuff friends. Possibly an international adventure? Is he pregnant?

Then he quickly blurts out, “I just got us 2 tickets to watch the Diamondbacks game by the pool in May! I bought them from a local sports radio station. They were doing a telethon and you know I’m willing to donate for a good cause!” He was doing this little happy dance and his sheer joy just made me giggle.

Monday was the day and we headed out to the game. We walked below the stadium to get to the pool which sits just beyond the right field fence at Chase Field in Phoenix. Jeff and I are simple people and we LOVE sports. So this felt a bit surreal.

The view was incredible. The field wasn’t bad either. Hubba hubba.
 

 

 
Jeff ran and got us some healthy snacks. Oh my.
 

 
We weren’t even in swim suits but between the shooting fountain and the kids playing Marco Polo, we still got soaked.
 

 
But after reading the pool rules, we weren’t certain we wanted to swim anyhow.
 

 
It was so neat to be so close to the outfielders and feel like we were a part of the game.
 

 
The only thing that would have made the night more complete would have been taking our kids with us. They would have had a blast and Jeff and I wished more than a couple times that they had been there to enjoy the experience with us. We’ve decided that we really like them.

So Jeff and I both got to check an item off of our life lists. I love it when a grown man gets giddy excited. His joy was contagious. And I enjoyed a night of great weather, food, and people watching. The people watching was downright comical.

Have you done anything lately off of your life lists? Time to get busy as there will be a link up to share these items coming soon. Remember life list items can be as simple or elaborate as you want. Just make sure they are things you really want to do or experience. In the past year I have made homemade jam, took the kids to see Wicked, and danced in front of the monuments in Washington D.C.

Blessings sweet friends – Jenny

If you are new to my site, welcome! Like what you see? I would love for you follow along on this crazy adventure of mine by subscribing to my blog and joining me on facebook, twitter, and pinterest.

I have spent the afternoon writing this post. This is perhaps my 7th draft. Please know that I am pouring out my heart and I am asking for compassion and grace.

I’m thankful for Godly parents and for being raised in the church. I had many amazing influences around me. But like any religion, there were people that I put tremendous faith in that disappointed me. And I can assure you, I disappointed others. My biggest problem with my fellow Christians in my 20s was an inability to offer each other and non-Christians grace and love.

Unfortunately, I think many people focus on the failures of other people as an excuse not to examine the ultimate truth that God is the constant source of peace and grace, not people. I know that I am guilty of that. The beauty here is that God still loves me for all of my mistakes. I am undeniably flawed, yet perfect and beautiful in His eyes.

Privately, I have always written letters to my children. Through my divorce. Through my cancer journey. Through my disappointment with religion. I am beyond thankful that these letters always displayed an unyielding love for God despite pain and disappointment. I will treasure these letters always.

Publicly, I have been a closet Christian the past decade. I come out in the security of Christian blogs or when surrounded by the comfort of a woman’s bible study. I haven’t always been this way. But I let my faith take a back seat when I married Jeff twelve years ago.

Jeff was raised in a loving home, but one that was of a different religion. Jeff became a Christian shortly after we were married and it caused tremendous pain. I love Jeff’s parents and family. How could I not? They raised a man who loved me after being left by my Christian husband while 8 months pregnant. Jeff welcomed and loved Rebecca even though she wasn’t his own. And Jeff was my earthly rock during cancer treatment.

But the reality is that our religious choices still cause pain for others. Sometimes I have hidden my faith or kept things generic to keep the peace and not hurt feelings. Anytime I get frustrated, I remember that it was my choice to marry someone of a different faith. When you marry someone, you not only marry their families, but also their communities. And I did exactly that when I married Jeff. We don’t regret our choice to be Christians, but we do regret the pain that we have caused. It is something we pray about on a daily basis, twelve years later.

Three weeks ago, Jeff and I were able to attend a conference in which a speaker stated that we will assuredly disappoint one another, but that we are still called to speak boldly. He asked, “Why are you ashamed to voice your beliefs? Of course people will be disappointed in us and discount our stories. But who else is there? Who else is there to tell your story of God’s grace? Is there someone who can tell your story better?”

And you know that my ears perked up when he used the word story. I am passionate about telling my story and teaching my children the importance of telling their stories. And I was missing out on speaking about a huge part of my story.

I also felt convicted that I was teaching my children to be ashamed of their faith in front of others. Ouch.

I am loved by a heavenly Father. I have been given more grace and mercy than I ever deserve.

Let me make this perfectly clear…Christians will disappoint you. I, as a Christian, will disappoint you. I ask you not to put your faith in me or others, as it would be misguided. Please don’t use religion, shame, people pleasing, or your disappointment in the shortcomings of others to determine your walk with God. Do not be ashamed. He is the constant in our ever changing world.

I also want to say that I know many of you come from vastly different religious backgrounds and I’m thrilled you are here. Know this is coming from a “lump in my throat” kind of place right now. I ask for grace. There is no contention here or any religious motive. There is only a tremendous amount of love and compassion for all of you reading these words.

This is merely just me, trying to tell my story and share my heart.

Blessings sweet friends – Jenny