Author Archives: Jill

The sky is clearest after a storm and tonight is no exception. After several hours of dreary fall rain, the sky cleared as the sun set, the moon appeared, and as an added bonus Jupiter started sparkling bright. When was the last time you stopped to appreciate a beautiful night sky? If it’s been too long, I suggest planning some way sometime soon to take a pause with the night sky.

As I mentioned in my brief intro, I am taking a huge leap of faith. I’m leaving what has been my home and those who have been my family for the past 16+ years. I’m less than three weeks away from packing up my car and hitting the road. And I still can’t believe I’m doing this.

A lot factored into my decision to move. More than I have time to get into now. And although I didn’t necessarily feel God calling me to make this decision, I feel His presence in it and I feel His promise in what lies ahead.

Still, I can’t shake the “holy crap” moments. I was having a bit of a freak out tonight. And then, as I took a friend’s pooch for a ralk (for those who don’t know Jill-speak, that’s a run/walk), a song played through Pandora that had the following line, “Sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same” (The Fray, All at Once). And in that moment, I heard God speaking to me. Yes, this is going to be hard. Very hard. And it is also right. Very right. I can do this. I need to feel the pain and push through it. It will be worth it.

I am going to try my best to keep that in mind as I capitalize on every opportunity I still have right now to spend time with loved ones and positively impact their lives.

“There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right.”

Martin Luther King Jr.

“It’s not always easy to do the right thing. But, doing the right thing makes you strong, it builds character.”

Queen Latifah

“What is right is not always easy and what is easy is hardly ever right, but the right choice today will improve your life tomorrow.”

Michael Josephson

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Joshua 1:9 (NIV)

I am a fan of “stupid” jokes, especially punny ones.

Recently, a most favorite colleague of mine gave me a going away card that on the front said, “Sometimes I think about how wonderful you are,” and on the inside said, “And other times I think about penguins.” This card was absolutely perfect for the occasion and for the person who gave it to me. Don’t you just love it when you find the perfect card?!

Then last night, I had the opportunity to peruse “165 Jokes So Bad They’re Actually Funny” on BestLifeonline.com and found a gem in #87. “Sometimes I tuck my knees into my chest and lean forward. That’s just how I roll.”

Both of these were so simple, so funny, so true.

Regardless of what you face in your day or in your life, you need to laugh. Laugh at yourself. Laugh at what happens. Laugh at funny little things. Just laugh. It feeds the body, mind, heart, and soul. And if nothing comes your way that makes you laugh, seek out something for a laugh. Check out a website with stupid jokes, enjoy some play time with your kid or dog, or call that person who always brings you joy and makes you laugh.

“Always laugh when you can. It is cheap medicine.”

Lord Byron

“She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.”

Proverbs 31:25

I had a conversation with a teenage boy recently that went something like this:

Me: Hey! How are things?!

Teenage Boy: Good.

Me: I heard you were dating someone. What’s her name?

Teenage Boy: Kat

Me: That’s a cute name. Is it short for something?

Teenage Boy: I don’t know.

Me: Oh. Well, do you know her last name?

Teenage Boy: No.

Me: Oh. Um, do you know what grade she’s in?

Teenage Boy: No. I think she’s in my grade. We have percussion class together.

What I really wanted to ask next was, “Is she aware that she’s your girlfriend?!” Because, given how little he knew about her, that could be a real possibility. Perhaps he thinks they’re dating and she has no clue.

These kids these days, they are afraid to talk to each other face-to-face and when they do they really struggle. Unless I’m just old and names really aren’t that important anymore…

Check out this article that talks about teens and the lost gift of casual conversation: https://www.heysigmund.com/strengthening-teens-social-conversation-abilities/

A number of months ago, I decided to incorporate monthly massages into my self care plan. During just such an experience today, I was flooded by thoughts about how little we stop and pause these days.

The importance of pausing and checking in cannot be underestimated. Check in with your body, heart, mind, and spirit. We tend to just push forward. Keep going. Regardless of whatever is thrown our a way. And that’s not okay. We need to pause in our busyness and take inventory. More importantly, we need to decide to take action based on that inventory.

Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10.

BIG DEAL? little deal?

Asking oneself if this is a big deal or a little deal is an easy and effective way to help keep things in check when approaching life’s problems. This approach, though, fails to take into account perspective.

For example, if I’m so enveloped in my own world that I don’t realize there’s a whole other world out there, what seems like a big deal in my world may actually not be a big deal at all. All too often, I encounter folks who are losing their ever-loving minds over something they don’t really need to be so upset about. I wish to God I could help them to see it’s really not that big of a deal. How, in the moment of their freak out, does one help them to gain that perspective? Is it better to just wait until later to try for that?

I feel like people are getting more and more absorbed into their own little worlds, to the detriment of the big world. Americans used to understand their little worlds existed within the context of the big world. It seems like anymore now folks want the big world to change for their little world. I am totally willing to accept my perspective may be off on this – it would be hypocritical not to be open to that. It just seems to be an underlying problem in a lot I encounter throughout my days.

I am a big fan of figuring out and working on the underlying problem instead of only addressing the visible symptoms of the problem. Taking care of symptoms is too short-term. Again, then, I find myself asking how to get people to see, appreciate, and respect a larger perspective, beyond their own “little” world?

For those of you who know me, you may be wondering if this is a blog about my professional life or my personal life. I anticipate it will be mostly the former with a smattering of the latter.

I don’t know yet how often I will post, how long my posts will be, or exactly what I will include in my posts. And I have no idea how interested folks might be in what I post or how meaningful or helpful they find my posts to be. I guess there is a lot of unknown here. And, like my very big decision to quit my job and move, starting this blog is taking a risk. There’s the very real possibility it will fall flat on its face. I guess there is also the very real possibility it will become more than I can imagine.

Ultimately, I have to start somewhere. And that somewhere is here. I have learned the hard way that if you wait until something is “perfect” to begin, you won’t ever start it. I welcome your input and feedback as I sculpt this work in progress. I encourage dialogue about the topics and may pose questions to get that going. I want to hear from you too. How are you? What do you think about what I’m writing? How does it resonate with you?