Life behind the bars of "Perfectionism"

I am sure you are asking why I would say this.  Well, here goes.  The meaning of "perfectionism" is judging yourself by your achievements.  Even though it sounds good and all, when we measure our worth in terms of productivity and our accomplishments and always strive for impossible goals, and they are never fulfilled, well we will constantly be disappointed.  This is because we are driven and not lead.  We will constantly be in a prison of perfectionism.

This is life behind the bars of "perfectionism":

• You are never satisfied
• It's a thief - promising rewards but steals your joy and satisfaction
• You set impossible goals which sets you up for frustration

In the material world people who are perfectionists earn on average about $15K less than other individuals.  Reason is they waste time, trying to always be perfect at every task given to do.  Productivity not perfection.  Also they tend to be more critical of others.  Intolerable of all people.  I pity the woman who is married to a perfectionist or children whose parents are perfectionists.  A wife and mother rarely had fun time with her children because she wanted to have an immaculate house, believe me I know I have been there and done that.

People who are perfectionists may be judgemental and hard to live with at times.  They set impossible goals and are idealist - not realists.  Perfectionist in a dreamworld that never comes to pass.  They also tend to always want to be #1, the BEST, they get upset when others do better than they do.  They cannot accept the Best, they have to be the Best.

Another feeling perfectionists will have to deal with is never being able to relax, because if they try to they will always feel guilty.  Going on a trip with a perfectionist is not very much fun. There will be fewer potty stops, since the goal of course is the destination not the adventure along the way.  The other thing perfectionists tend to do which is very dangerous, is punish themselves when they did not live up to their expectations.  They failed and they won't forgive themselves for it.

So after learning about what a perfectionist may go through - let's look at ways to get out of this prison of perfectionism shall we.

The first and most important thing to do is to learn to accept our imperfections.  Remember God accepts us not on the basis of performance and achievements.  If we feel he only accepts us based on performance and or achievements, then how would we ever know when we've done enough.  You need to see God as a good God not one who is demanding and you are always trying to earn his acceptance.  God has accepted you by Grace as so stated in Ephesians 1-6.  He isn't up in heaven keeping track of what we are doing, or as to how many times we read the Bible, or how many hours or minutes we spend in prayer.

Accept yourself, reprogram your mind to listen to what God says about you not the enemy.  Women, don't listen to those ads on television about having a perfect body or you can't just be a housewife in life, but you have to have a career in order to be accepted or successful.  Young men, it's not about sexual conquest or being a tough football player, or even a businessman.  Having a bigger house and nicer car etc.  You are all special in God's eyes. Learn to accept those around you who make mistakes and are not perfect and stop being so demanding.  Do us a favor and please resign as the CEO of the Universe.

As soon as you accept yourself and others as imperfect people, and that you are are loved by a perfect Father in Heaven, you will be set free to live the life that God has for you.  I did this many years ago and by God's grace I am happier now, I am not as disappointed in myself when I do something wrong and I don't punish myself or others either.  I know I still mess up at times, but I have a Father in Heaven who still loves me and forgives me when I do.  I hope this helps you if you are a perfectionist.  I believe God wants us to do our best at all times, but well "perfect" that's his title.  Blessings to you all. 

New year starting out with lots of surprises in our election process!

Hello everyone, I simply cannot believe that I haven't posted anything on here since the new year! So Happy New Year to you.  It's been a busy one at that.  With the election process beginning to take place and with trying to get organized with all my craft patterns - my days are numbered let me tell you.  But I want to give Praise and Glory to my Savior because Larry and I are doing great health wise, so am very thankful for that.

I do want to just touch a bit on the election this coming year. In all my 61 years of life on this earth I have never experienced what our country is going through right now.  People are very angry about the government and the process.  They believe our government officials are corrupt and therefore they are not supporting any of the "establish" candidates, i.e., Hillary or another Bush.  We have had a caucus in Iowa and recently the New Hampshire primary where it was very evident that this is the norm on both the Democratic and the Republican sides.  Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders coming in first.  It's going to be a roller coaster ride from here on in, so my advice is to study the candidates and what they believe and stand for.  Their records, their morals and values and don't just vote with your feelings - because they are fickle as the famous Joyce Meyer so elegantly says in her sermons.  That is what I plan to do, because this election is so very important and we want the right person who will best lead our country out from under some of the bad things that have happened in the past few years.  Enough said.

Now, onto crafts!!! I want to share a few things that I have been up to.  I finally am a member of the Craftsy website.  I love that place.  I have added some of my beautiful patterns and people really are enjoying them.  A few new ones are my really easy and adorable "Mary's Crochet Fingerless Gloves".  My "Cozy Knitted Fingerless Gloves" are a big hit on there and I know those who love to crochet will really love these as well.  The other new pattern is "Mary's knitted cozy slippers". These slippers are so wonderful and keep your feel very warm and snug.  Do check them out, because along with my knitted and crochet patterns are of course my cross stitch patterns.  One of these which I have to share with you is the "Praying Grandma" bookmark.  It says it all folks: "No devil in hell will ever snatch a child from a grandma who prays for them" Amen!!!

I do hope this new year will bring even more of God's blessings your way.  Until next time - God bless!

God is with us even in the midst of trouble - believe that!

It’s been a while since I have posted to my blog.  I am very sorry for that, there just is no excuse as far as I am concerned. It’s by God’s grace that things have finally settled down a bit to allow me to do this.  Things have been a bit hectic and Larry’s health well, has been up and down for a few months it seems.  He now has a breathing issue which an inhaler has helped to alleviate somewhat,  so we are thankful for this.  He also had another “shock” to the heart treatment (cardio-version) which this time it actually worked and his heart kicked back into sinus rhythm thank you Jesus.  He was so excited and so was I.  He had been in (affib) for almost a month straight, so this was a relief to see him get back to normal rhythm.  So we are trucking along doing the best we can with some of the concerns that we have.  Trusting God will take care of the things we cannot control.  He has been with us all along, I have felt His presence.  Every day right before bedtime I say a prayer and thank Him for all that he has done that day for us.  He gave us a beautiful sunrise to wake up to, he gave us our food for the day and health, breath in our lungs and so much more.  There are no complaints here by any means.  Yes I wish things were better with Larry’s health, but I believe they will be soon. My hope is in Jesus and he hasn’t ever let me down. 

The other thing that is happening is Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner so I have a few projects I have completed,  that I wanted to share with you.  First of all I’d like to introduce to you my new Ornament Cross Stitch Trio.  It’s Faith – Hope – Love ornaments.  You can stitch these in no time and create three very cute ornaments you can hang on your tree this year or give away as a gift.  They really do not take very long to make, really.

So here is the link to the pattern which is on my Etsy store.  While you are there check out my seashell angels and other cool gifts that might be appropriate for someone you love this year.  I do thank you for reading my blog and will do my best to post more often.  But until then, have a very blessed Thanksgiving and remember to always be thankful for what you have. I believe that being thankful for what God has given us is the key to our happiness.  Even in the midst of trouble and when things are not going our way, He is there holding us and comforting us.  He will never leave us nor forsake us to me those are the most comforting words of all.  Be blessed my friends! 

Introducing Samaritan Ministries - a health plan option to think about!

Greetings everyone, I do hope things are going well for you!  I am feeling much better thanks to God and to Samaritan Ministries.  In my last post, I explained what had happened to me suddenly regarding my blood pressure.  I have been treated a few times now by my Doctor and she has adjusted my medications to where they are working great. I am taking more walks these days and know that complete healing is right around the corner!

Now,  I want to explain that I had just joined Samaritan Ministries in January and then my health issues began the following month, in February.   I had great health coverage through Group Health for years and when Obamacare rolled out, my premium to Group Health went from $200 to $700.  I simply could not afford that.  Besides, I wasn’t working either.  

So, in this post I wanted to explain to you just what Samaritan Ministries means to me and what it actually is.  For sure it is not a “health insurance” company.  It’s a group of members who share each others needs, they explain a need as a medical expense when you have to go and see the doctor for something that is unexpected.  For instance a yearly physical would not be a need, but just an expense I would have to pay. So when I had the emergency room visit I called Samaritan Ministries and explained what had happened to me.  They published that need and forwarded on to me the paperwork that I needed to submit with all the bills.

All during the time I was receiving all the bills for my treatments a have to admit I had a little doubt that this new health plan may not work.  I quickly would erase those thoughts and remember what God says, which is to believe and trust in Him, so I did just that.  After all the bills had finally arrived I filled out the forms, wrote a letter explaining my situation.  It does require a little more work on our part, but it is so worth it.  I even had to go to my church leader and he had to also verify a few things about my membership there at our church.  Once I had all the necessary documents I prayed, then sent it off to them.  Again, believing God, it would be taken care of.  I had also called the hospital and some of the other places to see if I could get a discount.  I did get a slight discount for paying the hospital emergency room off within 30 days,  I just used my credit card. Also on the blood work I had done at LabCorp, they discounted the lab tests by 50%, I was shocked when I heard that but was very grateful for it.  Another thing thing about Samaritan Ministries, they have advocates that will also call on your doctor or hospital to try and get the amounts reduced for you, with your permission of course.

I will try and explain just how the sharing and needs work at Samaritan Ministries.  Their organization has over 45,000 members and each pay a share.  For instance, in my case, since it’s only me because my husband still has insurance and Medicare, my share is $180 each month.  I believe a couple would be $360 a month. God’s word encourages us to help each other out,  it’s a biblical principal.  Every month when individuals send in a need to Samaritan Ministries they publish it in a newsletter so that others can pray for them.  Then they will send out statements to each of us letting us know where to send our monthly share.  When all the checks finally came in that particular month for my need, I was excited and just thanked God for this ministry, it worked!  I also received many cards and prayers with those checks which blessed me each and every day I opened the mailbox.   

The other thing I need to mention is that the first $300 is your portion for each need that you have, for instance, my total bill was $3680 but I received only $3380 from others shares.  There are a few other medical procedures that they do not allow as needs such as physicals or abortions so you need to check the website for more information, if you are interested.

You also receive a list of the individuals who are going to send you money so you can add the date, amount and check number of the money received and send off to Samaritan.  You can do this by mail or on the website.  It’s a great check and balances for them. 

I give glory to God in all this and thank each and every individual who sent me a note of encouragement.  It sure meant a lot to me. Everyone I talked to at Samaritan Ministries was always so helpful and concerned for my well being, they were such a blessing to me. This ministry may not be for everyone, but for me, it’s exactly what I needed at the time.  If it is something you might be interested in here is the website: www.samaritanministries.org

I don’t know what the future brings, only God knows that.  But what I do know is that there are other options out there besides Obamacare for a lot less money.  Until next time, never take your health for granated.  Eat good healthy foods, get good sleep take a walk every now and then and keep God first in your life.  If you do your part - God will do His!

Love ya!

Never ever take your health for granted!!!!!

Hello everyone! We are having a very mild winter here in the Pacific Northwest.  The temp today is supposed to be in the high 50's possibly 60 degrees, unheard of in January, but we will take it.  The sun is shining and I can't wait to take a walk on our trail for some needed exercise.

The reason for this post today is to encourage everyone to stay healthy!.  My goal for the last year has been to do just that, until Sunday evening came along.  My husband had to take me to the hospital emergency because my blood pressure and heart rate was pretty high for me.  It was 202/110 with a pulse of 133.  Mind you I was just sitting, had not done any exercise or anything for that matter.  I was a little scared and I believe the anxiety that I was feeling was actually causing my numbers to be higher every time I took my blood pressure reading.  The other sign that something was wrong was feeling overly tired.  I had just spoken to my mom in Texas on the phone and had told her I was hanging up because I felt really tired that afternoon.  The other thing was feeling my heart beating so very fast.

So to make a long story short, the Dr. at the hospital immediately asked the nurses to start blood work, an EKG, plus a chest E-Ray.  After those results came back he was a little perplexed because all were totally normal.  He then began an IV of sodium/choride to help bring my blood pressure down and that certainly did the triick.  In about an hour my blood pressure was down to 140/80 with a 75 pulse.  I was so glad that it had not been a heart attack or clots.  I guess now when they run blood work on you they immediately check for blockage, so I was happy those numbers came back negative.  So he told me to see my regular Dr. the next day for a plan as to how to treat my high blood pressure.  Next day I did just that, I am now on an anti-anxiety/blood pressure medication for a bit.  She is checking my blood pressure again in 2 weeks to see how I am doing, then another follow up in a month.  I guess we can have times when we do not realize that we have anxiety, I certainly didn't.  I wasn't going through any stress that I could think of.  But maybe it was a sign that I needed to exercise and walk more.  I had been on a get healthier kick for a while, even started taking more vitamin supplements which the Dr. said could have been part of the problem.  One of my multi-vitamins Centrum for women has extra vitamin B-12, like a lot more than your daily requirement.  Since vitamin B-12 is an energy booster it's possible this could have made my heart go faster.

They are not positive on what brought on the high blood pressure, but one thing is for sure,  I am so thankful that it was not more serious.  I prayed to our Heavenly Father that evening and thanked him from the bottom of my heart that they caught it and nothing else happened.  It's those times that you feel so vulnerable, so helpless because our life is not ours.  We are in His hands and I certainly felt a peace about that, but for my family I was so afraid, especially for my husband Larry.  After his heart operation last year we certainly rely on each other for so much now, we are connected and take good care of each other.  I knew he was a little worried about me as well. 

So I will be sticking to my original plan of getting healthier, after this episode I am much more serious about sticking to it. I have discontinued drinking diet cokes and caffeine.  I also am stopping the Centrum and going back to my regular multi-vitamins with much less V-B-12. I also do not eat fast food at all.  I try to eat only fresh fruits and vegetables with meals and hardly any carbs, due to the fact that Larry is diabetic so he can't have that very often, if we do they are smaller portions.  I have cut back on cookies and candy, which is really hard for me since I used to eat a cookie before going to bed, that was something I really enjoyed.  I now eat a tangerine or half of an apple.  Larry has a membership to the local gym so he goes everyday to work out, I am so proud of him for that.  I walk on our treadmill and or we take walks in our neighborhood when weather is nice.

My encouraging words to you are this; if you do not already have a plan for getting healthier - start now! It is so important to do this.  Stay active and eat food that is good for you, and get good sleep.  If you are serious about it pray for God to give you the strength and abilities to carry the plan out.  He has certainly encouraged me to keep doing it, this little bump in the road is just that a bump, possibly a walk-up call not to take my health for granted.  I urge you to talk to your kids about good health, especially if they are young to help establish good eating and exercise habits.  I wish I had done this when I was younger.  The good news is I am not a candidate for high blood pressure because I am not over weight,  don't smoke or abuse alcohol and I am active, but sometimes when high blood pressure is in our genes there isn't a whole lot we can do about that.  My mom and some of my family members have high blood pressure so it does run in the family.  So we have to do the best with what we are dealt with and try to control it and stay healthy.

Today is the day the Lord has made, I will be glad and rejoice in it.  It's only by God's grace and his amazing Love that I am here, so I will make the best of it - hope you will too!!

Be blessed and do take good care of yourself!

Will the Seahawks do it again in Superbowl 49?

Having lived in the Pacific Northwest, Whidbey Island to be exact, for the last 28 years, I can honestly say that I have not been a Seahawk fan for a very long time.  My favorite football team of all time, will always be the Dallas Cowboys, since I grew up in south Texas.  But, last year when the Seahawks won the title I began to take a second look at this very driven and young team.  They were so pumped up and were not taking any prisoners. Their games were so impressive they were able to energize my spirit for the game again. So, after the Dallas Cowboys were defeated by the Green Bay Packers last week, my attention quickly turned to the Seahawks. 

I faithfully watched the Sunday game between the Packers and the Seahawks and at first with sorrow and much disappointment, up until the third quarter.  I prayed for favor for each of those young men, especially Russell Wilson, who was not having a very good game day.  As I watched in anticipation, I began to feel a sense of relief, that things were going to turn around.  They did, Wow! Was the only thing I could think to say as well as “Thank you Jesus”.  I texted my daughter who had also pretty much given up on this game as well, she was beside herself.  The Seahawks began to play with confidence, grace and determination. The onside kick that converted to the kicker throwing for a touchdown was unbelievable.  Then they were down by 12 points with only minutes to go in the game, Russell Wilson walks a touchdown in the end zone.  Amazing.  Then they went on to win the game in overtime 28 to 22.  Incredible, seemed impossible at first, but that is when I knew God’s hands were in this game.

What I took away from this game was not just excitement for the team because they are now going to the Superbowl, but my faith was strengthened by the fact that after the game was over and they had won, the team, lead by Wilson who by the way was weeping profusely,  they all began to pray.  When he was being interviewed by a reporter, and in tears he said, “God is good all the time”. Those words, not only Glorified our Heavenly Father, but they boosted my faith in Him.  It was only by His grace that they won the game.  Yes, they are all excellent athletes, the best of the best.  But without God we are nothing and Wilson and some of those Seahawks know this all too well.  We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us!

I have a whole new appreciation for those Seahawks, and if they place their trust in God, who knows just how far they will go in years to come. 

You ask me if I think they will win the Superbowl?  My answer is: “they are already winners in my book”.

Go Seahawks!

The after Christmas blues....why does this happen?

Merry Christmas everyone!!! It's only a few days after the big day and some of you out there may be feeling the after Christmas blues.  I know, because I certainly have in past years.  I remember one year, and this was a long time ago, because I had not really heard from some of my family members, I hurt so bad I just wanted to run to a corner and cry.  Those were the days when Satan had a hold of me.  Yes he did and by God's grace he is never going to do that again.  See I used to listen to what thoughts Satan placed in my mind about how my family was jealous of me and that they didn't really care about me.  These were lies from the enemy, but after reading scripture and truly walking with the Holy Spirit,  I have learned that was not the case at all.  Yes, there may also be jealousy or bitterness on their part for something I said or did in my past, but I refuse to go backwards.  I want to live for the future and what God has in store for me.  Picking at old wounds only makes them bleed over and over again, and that is no way to live at all. Besides, we have been forgiven by Almighty God, if our own friends or family cannot forgive us, well then that certainly is not our problem.

People show love in other ways and not everyone is the same. I now pray for them and hope that the spirit of God will be in their hearts, and that they will experience the peace of God.  That is so important to me, having that peace means everything, because even when things are not good in a relationship, the spirit of God will comfort and keep you strong and the enemy will not get his way.  I will keep encouraging those I love, keep on loving them unconditionally and hope and pray that their lives will reflect the peace of God always.

Being truthful with yourself is so a very important, looking inside and figuring out what your motives are is what God wants us to do on a daily basis. To walk in love by showing God's love to others should be our main goal, not what we are going to get that day. It's taken me a long time to finally get that,  I realize that I will never please everyone, my only goal is to please God.  Then we have to remember that God's mercy and love is new each and every day.....which is what keeps me strong in my faith.

So, there are other things that bring on the Christmas blues, one is the cleaning up after all the festivities.  I had my family over for Christmas eve dinner and exchanging our gifts, it was so much fun.  But the mess afterwards at least in the kitchen, well was not fun at all.  My grand kids, bless their little hearts cleaned up the living room and put away all the wrappings, that was so nice and thoughtful of them.  I have been blessed with a wonderful family and I see God in each and every one of their hearts!

Then there are the blues you may feel when you did not receive what you truly wanted for Christmas.  Well I do not have any experience in this area, because since I received Jesus as my Lord and Savior,  I received that awesome gift of salvation, which is exactly what I needed, and that makes me not want anything else.   What an awesome gift it truly is, and it comes from loving and believing in Jesus Christ.  Each year it just keeps getting better and better and my love for him keeps growing.

I hope you are filled with joy because of what Jesus did for us, and not so much because of the gifts.  May your hearts be filled with the love of God for others and may 2015 be the best year ever in your finances, your relationships and in everything that God brings forth in your life.  God's grace be with you all, and a great big Happy Birthday Jesus!!!!!!