Renewed Hope

It's the season of Lent.  He has risen!  It's Eastertime!  It's springtime!  The season of regrowth, renewal, resurrection and rebirth.  Are you feeling the season?  Is it your favorite time of year?  Are you just now thawing out from the frozen winter months?  Are your flowers blooming, trees budding, and lawns turning greener?  Yes, it's that time of year!

This past week I got a renewed sense of hope...of anticipation...of excitement for the future!  It's been awhile since I've had this spark lit and also persist.  Sometimes something can light us up for a moment and then it fades or burns out quickly.  Like, going into a new year hoping for change or achieving your resolutions only to find them fade away in week two!  Yes, we've all been there.  But, this time the spark is urging me on, still burning in my belly, still giving me HOPE!  Yes, I'm hoping it lasts and yes I'm hoping it propels me forward into God's next steps in my journey.  So, I'm holding onto it (not suffocating it), appreciating it, and believing in it...to move ahead with God's grace and mercy.

Yes, it's the time of year again...when He shows us the beauty of renewal.  In the environment all around us and in the remembrance of His resurrection...to save us from our sins.  God is good.

May blessings spark a renewal in you this week during this season of Lent!!

April Fool's....

Are you the family/friend prankster of the group?  Do you love playing a good joke on others?  Is April Fool's Day your Super Bowl of the year?  If so, are you ready for tomorrow?  Do you have your prank all planned out?  Good luck pulling it off!

I'm not a prankster nor do I necessarily like to be the target of any joke.  I'm fine with fun-loving, really funny jokes, but anything that crosses the line to mean or cruel is no OK with me.  I'm sure we'll hear about and see many jokes that have been "successful" on all social media platforms tomorrow.  So, buckle up!

Where did April Fool's Day come from?  I'm sure some news station will have the full story about it's origins tomorrow.  It's one of those odd days that pop up once a year that has lasted the test of time...so far.  Go figure.  I wonder what new and odd day will appear in the coming years and if it'll last as long as this one.

So, whatever happens tomorrow...hopefully nothing crazy to you or to me...enjoy the laughs and be glad when the day passes!  I know I will!  Cheers to a new month, a new quarter...and blessings for the first week of April!!

March Madness

It's that time again...March Madness is here!  Gotta love it and gotta love Dickie V (Dick Vitale) this time of year!  It's competitive, fun, unexpected and shocking...sometimes all at once!  And, it's fun that anyone and everyone can get involved.  Yes, filling out brackets for the NCAA men's basketball tournament has become tradition (for many...in the States).  I usually fill out 4 brackets each year, but this year I did 5.  Not that it helped me any, but it's still fun to try.  

My dad loves this time of year, too.  So, I know he'll be watching today...mainly because Iowa will be playing in about an hour.  We both picked the wrong Iowa team to win the first round.  Go figure.  But, I told my dad I feel like the seedings didn't really mean much, besides 1-2 this year.  It seems like this year they just didn't have as much value as they have in the past and that anyone can really beat anyone this time around....which is the beauty of the tournament being one and done.  So, I'm a little surprised that starting off the day that there are actually 2 perfect brackets still out there.  

Either way, you are fully engrossed and love watching the tournament or you could care less and can get a lot checked off your to-do list this weekend and next.  Enjoy cheering on teams you didn't know even existed, watching the exhilarating buzzer beaters, and watching the big guns get knocked off by the little guys!  That's what March Madness is all about!

Blessings to you this last full week of March!! 1st quarter of 2019 is almost in the books.

Re-Read...

A couple of weeks ago, I started reading my book Corn-fed with Rice on the Side again.  It's been a long time, several years probably, that I've read my book.  Last year, I attended a local adoption conference and had a session during the lunch hour where I did read a couple excerpts from my book, but that's pretty much it for the past several years.  So, it was nice to just read it over again and refresh my memory a bit.  By-the-way, if you haven't read my book yet you can order it from www.kimfenneman.com!

It reminded me that writing the book and even this blog during that time was fueled by passion...for the project, my story, and just going through the process of getting my first book published.  If you want to write a book, and I know that's a bucket list item for a lot of people, then you MUST have a ton of passion for it!  Whatever your story is, whatever you are writing about, whatever your intention for the book is...make sure your intention for the book is crystal clear and you stick to it, you stay true to your story and there's a purpose or meaning for you to write what you are writing about.  Make sense?

I've always been a little creative, but I'm definitely not a full-blown artist.  So, for me writing has to be something I'm totally passionate about or have some emotional juice flowing through me to "write the good stuff."  When I am in that creative space it just flows out.  It's easy and I don't have to really think about it.  And, when I look back on some of the things I've written, especially in this blog at the beginning, I'm astounded by what poured out of me and how eloquently the words seemed to land on the page.  That's artistry...a splash of magic...the 1/3 of me that's a little bit creative.  

So, whether your true passion is something you are lucky enough to do as your main job or it's a side hobby or side gig...you know it's your passion because it burns within you, it drives you, it brightens you up when you talk about it, it makes you feel alive!  If you haven't found your passion, keep looking, keep trying, keep going!  If you have found your passion, but it's not as big a part of your life than you'd like it to be (because it won't pay the bills), find some way to make more time for it because that's what lights up your life...that's what will keep you going in a job you might not love...that's what brings meaning to your life.  Find a way.  Live and through your passion!

May the luck of the Irish bless your week ahead and may you find your "pot of gold"...passion!!

Spring Break

It's Spring Break in most districts around here this week.  Yay!  No school zones for a week!  Seriously, that's a welcomed break since I'm surrounded by schools and school zones now.  When I moved into my house almost 15 years ago, there were only 2 school zones I had to deal with and now I think there are at least 6-8!  So, I'm going to enjoy the "break" this week!

And, apparently I am enjoying the "break" since I forgot to post yesterday.  I actually didn't even turn on my computer!  That's a first in forever...literally forever!  I don't even remember the last time I didn't turn on my computer!  Can you remember a time when you didn't turn on your computer?  Yes, our smartphones are like an extra limb these days and most people can't imagine not looking at it at least a trillion times a day.  But, do you feel the same way about your computer?  If you work in an office every day then you know that your computer is basically your other limb, so can you imagine not logging on for a whole day?  I think most people are good about not logging on on the weekends (depending on your job and how demanding it is), but that's your work computer.  What about your home computer?  I assume most people log onto their personal computer during the weekends...to pay bills, work on personal projects, etc.  I'm pretty good about not logging onto my work computer during the weekends unless I'm at an event.  I like to have that break during the weekends and I think it's good for everyone's mental health if you can do it.

So, for those that are on vacation enjoying Spring Break with their kiddos...be safe, have fun and savor the special memories your making with your family!  May blessings fill up your week so that you can share those blessings with others!

Friendly Competition

Today we celebrated my nephew's 11th birthday with our whole family bowling.  It's been a long time since we all bowled together and probably the first time I can think of that my siblings and I have all bowled at the same time.  Needless-to-say, since we all played sports growing up we're all "just a little" competitive...some more than others, I'm just sayin'!  Just a little smack talking, a lot of high fives, a ton of excited cheers and just a really good time had by all!  In the end, it was really just my siblings and my dad playing (competing) "for all the marbles."

That's what it's all about, right?  Friendly competition with your siblings?  Whether it's bowling, air hockey, Monopoly or simply whose blood pressure is lower it's wanting to know who's winning at that the moment.  At least I think that's how most big families operate in some sense...kids wanting to stand out, get attention, make their parents proud, be included, etc.  For my siblings and I, I know none of us wanted to "really" stand out...we're all initially (or deep down) more introverted although we're all talkative than we were when we were younger; and I know none of us participated in sports to make our parents proud because we always knew they'd be proud of us no matter what we did or didn't do.

But, when you play sports I think you inherently have some level of competitiveness to you.  Some are way over the top, others have a pretty healthy dose of it, and some just want to be part of a team or group.  Team sports do teach you a lot growing up and I would definitely encourage some sporting activity for your kiddos at some point in time in their development.  It could be as simple as just trying something new out, trying something that your kids are interested in or something they are really drawn to and could potentially make a collegiate or even professional career out of it.  Just let them explore and try new and different things out.  You never know where it will lead.

So, whether you're highly competitive or don't have a competitive bone in your body I hope you simply enjoy the time you spend with those you are competing with because that's where the true joy and beauty of the moment lies.  Game on!

May blessings fill your first full week of March!!

Give a Little Time...

This past week I volunteered at my church's Prom Closet.  It gives away prom dresses, shoes, and accessories to those that can't afford it around the DFW metroplex at no charge!  It's an amazing mission within our church and I'm so glad I volunteered this year!

High school girls from around the surrounding DFW metroplex had the opportunity to come to our church over several days and shop for a prom dress, shoes, jewelry and a purse.  There were even several girls that are home schooled that came because all the home schoolers across the area also have one big prom together, which I thought was pretty cool for them.  There were over 4,000 dresses that were donated for attendees to pick from, rows of shoes and tables of accessories.  I worked the check-out area where we bag the dress and put their accessories in bags donated by Chico.  It was the perfect gig since you get to see the dress each girl picks out and you see the excitement and gratitude they have as you send them out the door with their treasures.  They were all smiles!  It was so fun to see what kind of dress each girl picked out, what color and sometimes even why they picked it.  It was also fun to see their mom, sisters, friends and even dad's have so much joy on their faces after going through the whole process.  You could tell that they all were so appreciative and thankful for the organization and all the volunteers.

Seeing the excitement from all the attendees was a true joy, but it was also fun meeting the other volunteers I was working with.  It was fun to meet new people and share some laughs as we wished each girl a great time at their prom as they left.  One of the women I was working with didn't even attend our church, but lived in the area and saw the opportunity to volunteer in a local newsletter.  I'm always looking for ways to volunteer and this is definitely something I'll do again next year!

We can all serve our communities in one way or another...through our gifts, our time or our service.  If you have the money to donate to charitable causes that's always desired, but if you don't have the money then donate your time.  Carve out some time in your schedule and volunteer!  I know a lot of companies allow up to 5 hours of volunteer hours for their employees, which I think is a great benefit!  Take a break from all the things that are stressing you out and think about someone else.  Think about how you can serve.  Think about the smile you can put on someone else's face, just by giving a little bit of your time or talents.

Think about how you want to spend your time this coming week and if you can squeeze in a little time to serve someone else!  Blessings to you this last week of February!