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For Such A Time As This
I’ve been eyeing this watercolor for a long time. I told myself that it’s outside my budget. And that I don’t really need it. But my husband splurged for my birthday, aaaaand it’s mine. I love it because it alludes to the story of Esther. It reminds me that perhaps… I was born for such a time as this. Might it be that you were, too? Esther’s Story Esther was an orphaned, exiled Jew in Persia in 479 B.C. King Xerxes had just banished his queen from the kingdom because she refused to “come before” him and his drunken friends one night. King Xerxes ordered all the beautiful women in…
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How To Stop Feeling Anxious Fast
It was April 2020, and my husband and I followed our usual morning routine of eating breakfast, watching the news, and getting ready for work. Suddenly, I started feeling sick; I was dizzy and breathing hard. I was just overwhelmed with anxiety. The news endlessly talked of the new virus and the number of cases and deaths. I was worried about my aging and vulnerable parents. On top of that, I was a key player on an important project at work, and a leader a ka-jillion levels above me had looked me in the eye the previous day and told me not to $#*& it up. I’m accustomed to pressure,…
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Waste Time Wisely
If you’re me, sometimes you feel guilty because of all the tasks you haven’t completed. Then, I’m reminded that it’s good – no, right – to waste time wisely. A few weeks ago, I was on a conference call discussing the software, KRONOS. One attendee was from Greece, and just like the way Italian chef, Giada De Laurentiis, says the word “spaghetti,” I could tell KRONOS was a Greek word just by the way it rolled off his tongue. So, being the nosy sort, and because, well, it was a conference call, I googled it. There are two Greek words about time. Chronos measures time by the clock. It’s quantitative, measured…
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Reimagining Life With a Favorite Things List
One evening, my hubby asked if I would share my ten favorite things list with him. He asked me not to include “given” items like him, God, or Family but instead include specific items unique to me. I saw that this would spark a more in-depth conversation between us. Just like the Grinch, my heart grew three sizes right then with a love surge, and I wanted his items, too! We planned to share the next night over dinner. It was so fun to write my favorite things, but I didn’t realize the lasting benefit it would have. Who knew that we could begin reimagining our lives with a Favorite…