Movie Night

On Wednesday night the Warren Theater has all movie prices at $5.00 a person.  We went to see the new X-Men movie.  It was actually pretty good.  I enjoyed spending some time in Old Town.

I was a bit sad to see a flattened pigeon.  It was amazing how intact a dead pigeon can be.

I love the architecture! 

There is a water feature in the middle of Old Town square. 

Oeno is one of my favorite watering holes in Wichita.  They have Woodchucks Cider ON TAP!

My shadow.

The sky was so amazing as we left.  

Don't worry about treasures here on earth

I receive daily emails with inspirational words from this website.  Today's was particularly timely and wonderful.

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:

2 Corinthians 11:18, 21-30
Psalm 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7
Matthew 6:19-23



A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:
But Store Up Treasures in Heaven. . . . (Matthew 6:20)

Jesus advises us to pay no attention to the worthless and empty things that fill most people's time on Earth. Take no delight in what money can buy - for then all one does is buy and buy and buy. Take no delight in food, for then all one does is eat and eat and eat. Where your treasure is, there is your heart also.

Be thankful for every good thing that is given on earth, be they riches or treasures, and be prepared to give all of them up for the sake of Heaven, for we can take nothing with us to that far country. God blesses us with these good things for the good of all around us. Money is worthless if it cannot help those in desperate situations.

Store up treasures in heaven - treasures of prayer, of service, of joy in the Lord. You can store these up as easily now as later. God is generous with His treasures and if we spent as much time searching for these as in the worthless pursuits of the day, we would be wealthy beyond words. Even so, even in our weakness, God waits, patient and loving, for us to take Him up on the offers He makes to us.

Store up your treasures in heaven - God gives so generously - allow Him to shower you with riches and joy and to lift up your life from the steady state it has come to be in.

~ JuandelaCruz | email: sriddle415(at)yahoo(dot)com 

Burning the Flint Hills

On a recent drive home to K.C. I noticed a field burning to our left.  It was quite cool and terrifying at the same time! Fire certainly has the power to destroy.  Now farmers try to harness fire's power to create fertile land!

Another blog that I like!

The Rat Race

Lately I have really been reconsidering things in my life.  I often think that my job is not busy enough and that I should move on.  I am wasting the few years before we have kids.  This is when I could be hustling and moving up the corporate ladder.  That is the rat race.  The pressure and competition is something that I yearn for.  I am not sure why.  We have so many expectations in our country to have a big house and nice cars.  Even my husband would love a huge house with lots of space.  


When we went to San Diego I was so jealous of my husband's conversations with his cousin about their work in the business world.  Neither can easily explain what they do.  I so yearn to be part of a large organization where the work is plentiful.  I am also quite a social person.  It is so contrary to my nature to be cooped up in a quiet office all day.  However, my job is very flexible.  The people I work with and for are fabulous.  They are so kind and are great teachers.  This would be the perfect place to work when I have kids.  If I can wait that long!  There is a huge ebb and flow of work here.  I am VERY busy sometimes and then VERY slow others.  I do get out to the courtroom for hearing at times.  I take depositions here and there.   I talk on the phone a few times a day.  If I can be patient that will happen more and more often as I gain experience as an attorney.


I just need to keep in mind the story of the fishermen from Aura Joon's blog.  You can read it below.  A life lived simply is more easily enjoyed.  




 

http://aurajoon.blogspot.com/2010/12/puerto-vallarta-mexico.html

What To Do When You Don't KNOW

I have been struggling with issues lately.  This post from MakeUnderMyLife is exactly what I needed to read.  I'm trying to let go of the “needing to know” and just start living life with the not-knowing.

Okay guys, time to level. I apologize about not getting too “deep” here lately. I’ve been very busy with Jess LC, consulting, life, and so on. Not too “out of whack my life is upside down,” but just working at a very brisk pace. And as an result, there will be some exciting product launches at Jess LC in the next few months.

I should also mention that I highly recommend Bridesmaids as a movie choice. (Even Mr. Lively thought it was great.)

Okay, now it’s time to get back to business, or in this case, life.

A few weeks ago I was going through some serious pangs of wondering, questioning, and over-thinking. And it’s taken me a lot of thought, reflection, and seeking to really sort out the cause, solution, and wisdom from the experience.

I believe that we all have pieces of our life puzzle that shift in and out of place over time. Sometimes pieces change shape, get lost, or simply disappear. And sometimes pieces miraculously fit, appear out of thin air, and complete the picture. Puzzle pieces can be large or small, foundational or peripheral.

But when one of the foundational pieces seems to be missing, it’s uncomfortable.

Lately I want to know whether something in my life will happen (or not happen) in the future. Though I have a million thoughts about what I want to happen, I know that I need that cool, deep, calm feeling of knowing in my gut before taking any real, decisive action.

But the simple truth was no matter how hard my ego thinks about this topic, it does not make me one ounce more confident in the spiritual knowing that I seek to feel so desperately.

Eventually on a run last week I realized that the pangs of frustration and uncertainty that I felt about my situation probably correlate closely to the pangs others feel about trying to find their life purpose or a fulfilling job.

Or those who are seeking their life partner.

Or those might be ready to have children.

Or for those with a relationship needs to end (or begin).

Or for those that need to seek help for an addiction.

Or those contemplating retirement.

Or those who feel a deep sense of discomfort in some area of their life.

And then, in that moment of clarity, I began to reflect on my own personal quandary and apply what I’d tell a purpose seeker.

I began to remind myself to not forget the other awesome pieces of my life that are in place this very moment. Though one important piece of my life puzzle isn’t in place yet, I have so many other pieces – HUGE pieces – that are there. And I do a disservice to my life and enjoyment of this present moment if I disregard the right parts of my life in order to focus only on the missing pieces.

I also realized that there was no way that my ego is able to talk my spirit into knowing anything. I could rationalize all day long, but I was never going to turn thinking into knowing. And the worry that began to grow with this crazy obsession became more of a witch hunt, trying to attack all the thoughts I felt about the situation and see if they lead to some (un)certain conclusion.

All the frustration and frantic seeking got me was worried and anxious. Eventually I even felt sick to my stomach.

But none of the craziness was going to help me find the puzzle piece I was seeking.

So I started to interrupt the crazed and worried thoughts and started to replace them with the truth that I didn’t ‘know’ but that I was doing the best I could and realized I was exactly where I needed to be in that very moment. I started to re-balance my perspective on life to include all of the dozens of things that are going really well right now.

I let go of the “needing to know” and just started living life with the not-knowing.

Since then, my mind has relaxed quite a bit. And ever so slowly I am starting to get a better handle on where my gut might lead me in the future without pushing it in any one direction. By living my life, trying new things, and leaving room for the unknown I think I might just make a place for knowing to actually exist when the time is right.

I just need to remember that the “time” just isn’t something I can force with my mind, but trust to my spirit.