authenticity Archives - Page 2 of 2

May 27 2019

Gather Together

Hello my friends! How has your week gone? The copious amounts of rain have been VERY good for the flowers and the grass, but it is good to finally see some sun! This week we took our first trip in our “new to us” camper. Off to beautiful Cape Breton to spend some time with family. While there we gathered together to love and support one another as we laid our dearest Papa to rest. He was a great man in the eyes of many and we were delighted as so many gathered at the graveside to pay their respects, to say their farewells and to support one another; something our family does incredibly well. I was privileged, at the graveside, to share about the life of this precious man and wanted to take this opportunity to tell you a bit about my Papa; a man that greatly shaped my life.

Here we find ourselves, gathered together again, a tight knit group of family and friends. Those going by and seeing our gathering perceive only our grief; what they miss with their brief glance is our deep love for one another– grieving should never happen in isolation and in this family it never does.

5 Months

We gather today, 5 months, 5 long months after Jacob Daniel Shaw, let go his grasp on this world and opened his hands wide to take hold of eternity. He was known by many titles; husband, father, brother, uncle, papa, papa Jake, dear friend. In my mind we can sum him up in two phrases – the rock we all leaned on – and the glue that held it all together. For most of us, we can’t remember a time when he wasn’t a part of us and for those of us who can, we can’t imagine how we ever got along without him in the before. And now, for all of us, the question looms large, how will we move forward without him?

95 Years

How could one man, in almost 95 years have such an impact? How could one man be so very human and so very real and yet find himself elevated in the minds and hearts of so many?

Authentic

He was always himself, no matter the person or the circumstance, never fake, never put on. He said it like it was, even if it might not be one hundred percent politically correct or popular.

Wisdom

He didn’t have a lot of formal education but he had a lifetime of experiences that he took time to reflect on and grow from and that made him the smartest man I’ve ever known.

Hands that Held

He was a giant of a man with giant sized hands; those hands that did hard physical work for much of their life, were the same hands that also gently and firmly held each one of us at some point- through a handshake, a hand hold, a stroke on the cheek, a pat on the head.

Squeezed In

We were never too old to find a place on his lap or squeezed into the chair beside him and his arms were always open and ready for a hug.

Quiet Faith

He had a quiet and straightforward faith. Many times when I was struggling he simply asked, “Are you talking to the man upstairs?” He understood that although he knew much and had much to offer there were some things he had to pass over to God.

Family

He believed in the importance and necessity of family. He believed in the power of stories. But most of all he believed in us, each and every one of us, no matter where we were on our journey. When we couldn’t believe for ourselves, he believed for us.

Footsteps

So how do we journey on? Where do we go from here? We need to take that impact, the lessons he modeled, and make sure we are continuing to walk in his footsteps in our journey. They are big footsteps to follow in but I believe that as we follow in them and grow, our footsteps will in turn enlarge and we make a footpath for those coming behind us.

What We Believe

We need to believe in the inherent worth of people, the importance of sharing our stories, the necessity of family, the need to reflect on our life and continue to grow through our experiences, the need to be real, the joy of holding one another firmly but gently, believing for one another, holding each other close and squeezing in close together.

Until Eternity

In the time I spent with him the week before he left us, despite the fact that he was dealing with his own discomfort and mortality, he took the time to sit with me; to hold me firmly but gently with those giant sized hands, to remind me of the important things in life, to make sure I knew how much I was loved. And in the last moments before I left as I looked one last time into those beautiful eyes, those eyes looked into the very centre of my soul with a fierce intensity and enough love to last me until we meet again in eternity.

Our Promise Until Eternity

Today, we gather together, as a family; a family that may be scattered in the everyday by time and distance and priorities, but a family that knows how to pull together in an instant when it is most important. Today we gather to honour the rock that we have all leaned on and the glue that has held it all together. Today we gather to hold each other firmly but gently as our breath catches again at the void we feel in the realness that he is not with us. Today as we say farewell and till we meet again to our dearest Papa, we also promise to walk out his legacy by being the rock that each of can lean on and a part of the glue that will continue to hold it all together, because we are family, his family. Until we meet again in eternity, our dearest Papa.

If you are interested in more Devotional reading, head over to my Facebook Page where you will find a Weekly Devotion early every Monday morning. Click the button below to go directly to the Weekly Devotions.

Until next time

From my heart to yours,

laurie

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May 13 2019

Life and Life More Abundantly

Hello again! I continue to be amazed at how quickly time passes – it feels like it was only Monday yesterday and yet, here we are again! How has your week been? Did you have an opportunity to download the Meaning Of Authenticity Printable worksheet from last week? Be in touch and share what you have learned about authenticity and about yourself! When we share we solidify the learning in ourselves and we also encourage learning in those we share with. Since learning and sharing is what we do here, let’s dig into another piece of the puzzle; life and life more abundantly!

Abundance - Quantity Vs Quality

When you hear the word abundance, what do you think of? Many people automatically think of abundance in terms of finances or material belongings. It is often equated with having a large number of “things. I would love to see the day when abundance begins to be identified in terms of having moments and experiences. As we begin to live our journey from a more authentic place we will begin to move away from a quantity view of abundance to a quality view of abundance.

Abundance Is...

When you think of abundance what immediately comes to mind? Be honest. It is important to understand where we are currently in order to change our thinking on where we are going. For many years, I can honestly say, I didn’t even think in terms of abundance. I felt so stuck in the midst of my mental illness and my journey that I couldn’t apply the term to my life in any shape or form.

Quantity

When I did start thinking about abundance in relation to my life, I began from that place of quantity. In that time, I had many things in relation to work, friends, relationships, and belongings. I could start seeing a thread of abundance in my life. The problem with that thread was that it ran thin and dry in short order. I discovered that I really wasn’t any happier, more content or better off for the quantity of things I had identified in my life. I still felt stuck.

Validity

At that time I even questioned the validity, as a Christian, of seeking an abundant life. Was that what I was supposed to be doing? Did the Lord intend that I would spend time seeking out things? In light of the dry, thin line that resulted, what was the point?

Life and Life More Abundantly

The Scriptures, though, spoke very clearly about abundant life. In John 10:10 Jesus said, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” I understood that Jesus came so I could not just have life, but have it more abundantly; and I wanted everything He had for me. In order for me to have the abundant life He came to give me, I would need to figure out what abundance looked like.

One Hundred Thousand Blessings

In June of 2013 I began an intentional journey to live the abundant life I knew I already had but couldn’t quite put my finger on or put into words. I began my blog, One Hundred Thousand Blessings. This is what I wrote at the very beginning of it all:

“Why One Hundred Thousand Blessings? Why a blog?

As I walk through yet another valley in my journey through life, I find myself in a season of blessing and thanksgiving. Odd, you may think….how can one be in the valley and be blessed? What I’ve come to learn as I enter my 39th year is that I’ve been looking at things from a distorted perspective.

Aiming for the mountaintop has left me weary and disillusioned – striving to attain, gain and maintain. But in His gentle voice and by the leading of His gentle hand, my Heavenly Father has been showing me that my life is a valley life peppered with occasional trips, with Him, to the mountaintop. The valley may sometimes feel narrow, confining, limiting, BUT……when I’m in the valley I walk more closely with the Lord, my Beloved. And it is in that walk, that relationship, that He has begun to show me that the valley is lush, cool, vibrant and full of unexpected blessings.

Perhaps unexpected because my eyes have become blinded with want and have failed to see the One Hundred Thousand Blessings that cross my path each day.

So, welcome to my journey through a Season of unexpected blessings and thanksgiving.

So although I didn’t quite know where I was heading, my very intentional journey to see the blessings in my life led to a most wonderful discovery of the path to abundance.

Quality

In time, I began to understand that quantity had nothing to do with abundance. Abundance couldn’t be determined via numbers of any kind. Rather, abundance was determined in each moment by the quality of the experience at hand. Sometimes it was as simple as stopping to look at a pretty blossom that had pushed its way up through the rocks. The number of moments was never as important as the level of appreciation and impact that the moment had on my everyday life. The other important piece I learned about abundance was that it was directly related to how fully I gave myself to the moment or the experience. When fully engaged, the level of impact and the length of that impact multiplied exponentially.

Where Are You Today?

Where are you on this journey to abundant life?

Are you at the stuck point where abundance is only a word for other people?

Perhaps you can speak about abundance in your life, but when you do, it comes from a place of quantity.

You might be at the point where you are questioning whether God even intends for you to be seeking abundance.

Maybe you have latched onto John 10:10 as the promise it is – that you were called to life and life more abundant.

You may already be on the journey to discovering the quality of moments and experiences in your life; already beginning to understand what abundance can look like and that it can be walked out in the everyday of life.

No matter where you find yourself today there is a way forward.

For those who are seeking, latch onto the path of others to find your hope.

To those who are part way there, I say, “keep trekking”.

Those of you who are well on your way, take the time to stop and share your journey with others.

We never quite understand the impact our story can have on those around us. Our words may be the light for the next step on the path that someone else needs to take. The story we share may be the hand that reaches out and carries someone else into the journey. Sharing allows us to be real, with ourselves and with others and encourages authentic living.

My Desire for You!

It continues to be my desire to seek out the blessings in my life that are all around me, every day, in the valley, as well as on the mountain top. It is also my desire to share my story and be the light and the hand in this journey that encourages others to take the first step and then the next step. Abundant living takes courage. It takes courage because it comes from a place of authenticity. Being real takes courage because it requires being willing to step outside of the box that others, and we, have placed ourselves in. Today if you feel like you don’t have the courage to take that first step, that’s OK. I have that courage for you and I will believe in you until you are able to believe in yourself!

What's Next?

Take a step. One small step will eventually lead to an entire journey! Start by becoming more aware of the blessings in your life. Put them in writing and when the days are hard you can go back and look at the things that are going well and the many blessings you can be thankful for.

Click on the highlighted words to download your free AttitudeofGratitudeMindMap to help record your journey.

What I Know

Are you ready to tackle abundant living? The journey will be filled with valleys and mountains and rocks and flowers, but I can promise you, it will be all worth it. I have walked the valleys and stood high on the mountain peaks and the views, from either angle, are breathtaking!

Until Next Time

Until next time,

From my heart to yours!

laurie

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May 6 2019

The Authentic Life

Good Morning, Good Morning! It is hard to believe it is a week already since we’ve been together. How has your week been? What challenges and victories have you had this week? Are you feeling very grateful for anything? It is important to take a moment here and there and reflect a bit. Life moves fast and when we don’t take the moment to anchor the time it slips like fine sand through our fingers.

Longing for An Authentic Life?

Do you long for an authentic life? Have you been hiding behind elaborate masks and behind beautifully crafted garments? Has it wearied you? What does having an authentic life even mean? Practically, in an everyday sort of way, what does it look like?

Words Matter

We often use words loosely and without really considering what they mean. Words can often become “fads”. There is a tendency to throw words around carelessly without considering the full meaning inherent within the word and therefore its power in our lives.

The word authentic just means real, genuine, not fake, verifiable, and original. Authenticity then is just the act of being real, genuine, not fake, verifiable, and original.

But the word authenticity carries a lot more weight than the sum of the words that define it. Why? Because our ability to be real, genuine, not fake, verifiable, and original is highly influenced by the culture around us. The word may be easily defined, but because of the pressures surrounding it, not so easily described or accomplished in a practical sense.

What About You?

Do you feel authentic? Are you living your authentic life? How are you measuring that? If you are like me, you may find those questions difficult to answer. The answer probably depends on the day, the circumstances and the people you are with.

We live in a society that cries out for authentic living but discourages the realness that comes with authenticity. We are encouraged to put out best foot forward, put our best pictures on social media, talk only about our accomplishments and deal with “the things we are working on” on our own time and in private. When asked “how are you?” we most often allow the question to barely graze us on a superficial level, responding “I’m good, fine, wonderful, all is well” without letting the question ever touch the deeper recesses of our thoughts and allowing a “real” answer.

Authenticity for Me

The first step to true authentic living is to understand what authenticity means to you in a practical way. For me authenticity means:

-the inside Laurie matches the outside Laurie at all times, no matter the setting, the circumstances or the people. = REAL

-I say what I mean and I mean what I say. = GENUINE

– I am hones about who I am, how I feel and what I believe. = NOT FAKE

-I am consistent in my behaviours – across circumstances and people. = VERIFIABLE

-I want to be the unique me I have been created to be – I’m not trying to be someone else or live someone else’s life. = ORIGINAL

Authenticity for You

What does authenticity mean to you? Take some time to sit and think about it and write it out. Click the download button below for a worksheet to write out your thoughts.

This is Authenticity!

There was a time when I spent all my time and energy crafting an elaborate “authentic” front that covered up the real, genuine, original me. It was exhausting and caused me great anxiety and disconnect within myself and with others. I have since made the decision to really get to know the inside Laurie better so that I can accurately reflect her on the outside. I haven’t “arrived” yet, but I’m working on it. That is authenticity!

Are you ready to take on the journey to authentic living? Stick with me, I’ve already seen some of the scenery and I can promise you the ride will be amazing!

If you are interested in some more Devotional reading, head over to my Facebook Page where you will find a Weekly Devotion early every Monday morning. Click the button below to do directly to the Weekly Devotions!

Until next time,

From my heart to yours!

laurie

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