Muzammal Blogger

 I love Thanksgiving… Time with family, delicious food, a day off work, and the reminder to pause and reflect on all I have to be thankful for. That being said, I will admit…I loved Thanksgiving much more a few years ago before all these stomach issues. I loved the stuffing (especially the oyster stuffing), Aunt Linda’s date pudding, sweet potatoes oozing with brown sugar topping, buttered dinner rolls, Buckeyes (a delicious chocolate peanut butter combination) , and all the pies. It was also much easier a few years ago before I had to juggle multiple family get-togethers and a career in healthcare which operates 365 days a year and 24 hours a day. Even with the challenges the day brings ,  I still look forward to Thanksgiving. Thankfully, I love turkey and sweet potatoes although I have learned to always ask before I eat anything I did not personally make. One year, the sweet potatoes had been dredged in flour before they were coated in the gooey topping. Who does that? Oh...

  I’ve been in a quandary over this for a little while.  It seems like a simple decision, but it’s one that I am having some difficulty with. It involves letting go. Let me digress ….I’ve never been very athletic. When I was in 7th grade, I lost weight through diet and simple exercise. When I was in 8th grade, I ran track because my friend asked me to. (I ended up with a bloody knee during a practice, and I still have a faint scar to remember it by!) In high school, I played club soccer because another friend who had recently moved to the area missed soccer and wanted to start a team. We needed players, she recruited friends, and I played. I enjoy physical activity, but I am no athlete. Yet, a few years ago when I became ill (see my About post), I needed an outlet, something to relieve my frustration and fear. So, I began running. Running is not anything I ever did beyond the mile in track. But, I began running. I ran in all forms of weather. I enjoyed the solo runs-just me ,...

  Do you ever find yourself in that trap … you know that comparison trap? I find myself there far too often. Someone is always prettier, thinner, smarter, has the better job, never seems to struggle. It’s not a good place to find myself, and I don’t think it’s a place God wants me to fall into. It’s a dangerous place to be for so many reasons: 1. It undermines the unique person God created me to be . 2. I find myself feeling sorry for myself. 3. I focus on things that truly don’t matter and deserve my focus. The truth is , I know things aren’t as they often seem. People are good at putting up facades. Sometimes the people who I think have it all together are fighting their own battles. For me… I can’t eat the stuff everyone else can. My skin isn’t as clear as I wish it was. I’m not where I want to be professionally in my career. My writing isn’t where I wish it was. And on and on . On the radio the other day, I heard a reminder that God works while we are waiting. His plan fo...

  Life can get so complicated and busy.  I think it’s important to pause and reflect on the simple things. The simple things help me put my life in perspective, focus on what truly matters, and to demonstrate true gratitud e. So, what simple things do I mean? A hot cup of tea and a stack of books I look forward to reading Really good dark chocolate Warm fuzzy socks Waking up with a smile on my face when I remember it’s my day off work Listening to my 11-year-old son sing along to the songs on K-Love Listening to my 17-year-old daughter share her newest mission minded idea Enjoying a delicious meal from Chipotle Mexican Grill (my favorite!) Stopping to ponder the magnificence around me The calm, quiet of morning Coffee with a good friend Yes, the simple things are worth pausing to embrace. Don’t let the noise of the world drown out the joy of everyday moments. Sometimes, these desires are wrapped up in the simple moments of every day life. What are your simple things, your simp...

  What do you do when your prayer is answered but leaves you with more questions than answers? The past few months , although truly, it has been longer, I have been dealing with unexplainable pain, “brain fog,” headaches, exhaustion, and other random issues. I had an appointment with a specialist this week, and my prayer was that God would provide a name to what I have been feeling. He did. I received a diagnosis. Fibromyalgia. Pain and exhaustion and not a lot that can be done for it. Chronic. I look fine yet I don’t feel fine. In the past when I struggled with my health issues and other issues in my life, I ran. I used running to hide behind. I can’t run this time. I can’t physically run because I truly don’t have the energy to do this. Ironically, the physical difficulty with running this past spring is what first alerted me to knowing something was not right. And, I can’t figuratively run this time, either, because the pain is always there. I cannot hide behind my running. Th...

  My emotions are truly all over the place this Thanksgiving weekend .   Thanksgiving encourages an attitude of gratitude. Gratitude is intertwined with perspective. You can’t have one without the other. An attitude of gratitude implies that you are trying to find things to be thankful for when honestly it would be easier to whine, complain, feel sorry for yourself, etc. This is where I am right now. I am choosing to have an attitude of gratitude because I don’t want to whine or complain or feel sorry for myself….although, honestly, that would be easier. For example…. While I am excited and looking forward to starting a new job in a few weeks, I have nine potentially high-stressed filled days remaining at the present job. During this past week and a half since the news of my resignation was announced, co-workers and others I regularly come into contact with through my job, have blessed me with the humble opportunity to hear expressions of gratitude of how much they have enjo...

 The New Year is an opportunity many take advantage of to start fresh with New Year’s resolutions and goals for the year. Many people resolve to lose weight, eat healthier, exercise more, organize….among a variety of other common themes. K-Love posted the popular resolutions from the 1940s…improve my character, spend more time with my family, and attend church more. I have made resolutions in the past, but the past few years, I have decided to focus on a word instead of a laundry list of resolutions. This year, my word is serve. I am asking God to reveal to me opportunities to serve others. I also need to reflect upon how I spend my time…it reveals what I serve. a I was very humbled when I left my previous job just a few weeks ago. I was humbled by the reactions and kind words of others who were genuinely sad to see me leaving. I try to embody servant leadership. I believe opportunities to serve exist not only at work but all around me…at home, at church, even on a simple trip to t...

Organic gardening is not only the avoidance of chemical compound. In the bigger view, it’s organic residing using nature’s laws.” I learn this quote by an unknown particular person sometime ago and realized that my parents and others like them were organic gardeners long earlier than the current resurrection of those principles. They didn’t use chemical substances on the meals they’d feed to their kids and gardening was a part of day by day residing to make sure there was sufficient meals to protect for the lengthy winters. Every thing was re-cycled and kitchen scraps have been routinely thrown onto the backyard to replenish the earth. . Regular composts suggestive of excrement were utilized and the solitary manure on the roses was bone feast. My mom and father delivered extraordinary compared to other tasting vegetables and bunches of them – enough to take care of a group of seven all through the colder time of year. Birds, worms, and different indications of an abode earth have b...