Where Is Home?

They say home is where your heart is.

Home is different things to different people. It might be a geographical location. A physical building. A community of people. Or even a feeling. A dream. A memory.

My single-wide trailer is located in small-town Ohio. But home is my family and friends. It's being known and  understood and loved by them. It's knowing and understanding and loving them.

Home is being able to be me with all my flaws, inabilities, all the undesirable things that make me hard to know and love.

Sometimes home is sitting quietly in pj's on a Saturday morning sipping coffee - ahem - Mt. Dew and reading a good book. A book that speaks of dreams, of a place where people come first. Where "love is about seeking the best for a person, even at expense to ourselves and even when it is hard in the moment." A place where animals matter, art is appreciated, and stories - real or fiction - are shared and honored and lived.

This place, this dream come true after fifteen years, is God's Whisper farm. It is the home of Andi Cumbo, writer, editor, teacher, and friend.

A few months ago Andi wrote and released God's Whisper Manifesto, the makings of a dream. In it, she shares 10 principles of what she believes makes up an ideal community. Having read and re-read her manifesto, my heart longs for such a community. And one day I hope to visit God's Whisper farm, to share in the joy of a dream come true.

To celebrate Andi and God's Whisper farm, I am giving away a Kindle edition of God's Whisper Manifesto.* Not only is Andi's dream beautiful, she also writes beautifully. Every sentence, every paragraph, paints a picture of the farm and the community that dwells there. It's a beautiful picture. And I want to share it with you.

To enter to win a copy of God's Whisper Manifesto please share in the comment below of what home is to you. 

*Winner will be announced on Monday, March 25.

Case of the Mondays

 

Oh, Monday. 

You tried hard to win today. To beat me down and wear me out.

And I was not alone. So many of you felt the same.

It seems we all had a case of the Mondays.

Even so, Monday did NOT win.

Not because it wasn't a truly manic Monday. Trust me, it was. There were moments today where I really felt like I was going to lose my mind. Like I tweeted earlier today, who knew that learning a new phone system could throw a whole office into a tizzy? After losing the third or fourth call while trying make a transfer, I wanted to give up. It would have been so easy. Especially after finding out my mama's blood pressure is high and my nana might have pneumonia.

But I refuse to let these manic Mondays win. I've said it once and I'll say it again - finding the good in the midst of a crappy day is a CHOICE. And there is almost always something good/positive/beautiful that can be found even in the worst of days.

For me, the good was found in the camaraderie between myself and my co-workers as we struggled and learned together. The laughter found in the midst of the craziness. And the thing that made it the best day? Coming home to dinner cooked and ready to eat courtesy of my husband. :)

What do you do when you have a case of the Mondays?

Motivational Monday

It's Monday.

And it's raining.

For most, those two make a lousy combination.

For me, it wasn't too bad.

Work was steady, making the day go by quickly.

The weather may be rainy, but it really didn't effect me negatively.

So today has been a pretty decent day. For me.

How has it been for you?

Early this morning a friend tweeted me saying, "I need some Monday motivation." I tweeted her back, encouraging her to think positively and to remember that there's always something beautiful just waiting to be found.

Her tweet got me thinking about motivation. Motivation is one of those things that seem to elude me. I never seem to have it. Yet I long to find motivation.

The motivation to write.

To work out.

To eat healthy.

To serve more.

After thinking about it today, here's my conclusion. If you want motivation, you have to create it. Motivation is similar to turning a manic Monday into a beautiful one. You have to choose it. It doesn't just appear out of thin air. Motivation is simply a choice.

So, today I choose. I choose to create the motivation I need to do the things I want to do.

I choose to create the motivation I need to write. To work out. To eat healthy. To serve more.

And I encourage you to do the same.

Are you lacking motivation? What do you do to find it?

Forget About It

Want to have a good Monday?

Forget about it.

No, really.

Forget about it!

Today I completely forgot that it was Monday.

All day long I thought it was Tuesday.

It was a busy, crazy kind of day. But not once did I realize it was Monday until close to 5 'o clock.

And it really made my day better!

So, next time you want to have a good Monday, forget that it is Monday. Don't even think about what day it is. Enjoy the day for what it is. Good, crazy, manic. Enjoy the madness.

Have you ever forgotten that it's Monday? What'd you do to celebrate?