Frustration...and Thankfulness

Ok, so I am a firm believer in the fact that everyone has bad days. But can I tell you that today for me was one of the worst...at least work was. I felt that everything I touched turned to a HOT MESS! There is nothing quite like working so hard and having nothing to show for it. Now I am not trying to just vent my frustration on here but I wanted to dig a bit deeper. First off, let me tell you I LOVE the people in my life who are positive when I am not. I have always seen my role as being the encourager, I try to inspire people and make them smile. But when I cannot be that person...when I need that person, I have them. My awesome friends and family, co-workers and mentors. You guys can really pull me out of my funk and even though you feel like all your telling me is cliches its just knowing you have my back makes the difference. Second, as a bit of encouragement for those who have had a bad day... Its hard not to take thing personally and feel like you are the reason things aren't going right. But life has very rarely gone the way I have planed. Both good and bad. The beauty I have found in life is in the things I have not planed, the spontaneous road trips, unexpected friendships, and all the amazing stops on the journey as Gods leads me. 

So anyways,  I came home after my crappy work day and after a few minutes of self pity I set down to get some perspective. I opened my Bible, well my Bible app,  and was reading a little bit about a man named Abraham.  You see in Genesis God promised to a 100 year old man and a 90 year old woman that they would have a baby. A baby that would be the start of a Great nation that would be as countless as the stars. That the same nation would live in a land that is was currently occupied by powerful armies and kings. All of that came true. Abraham and Sarah had a baby, Isaac. Isaac and his son Jacob did become the start of the great nation of Israel. God came though on his promises. God made another promise and that is found in Jeremiah. "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future."(29:11) Now, I am not trying to compare my little 21st century problems with Gods great covenant with the Israelites but the underlying message is the same. If I choose to believe in Gods promises, even when it seems impossible, or just not going that way right now, my faith may be tested but definitely will come out stronger. 

So what am I thankful for? I am so overcome with thankfulness right now. For a God who keeps his promises. For people in my life who support me in what I do, even when I fail. And the opportunity to share my thoughts  with you, in hopes that this might help brighten your day in just a small way so you can be thankful too!

Also, please feel free to post you own frustration, as long as you also list something your thankful for!

The Start of the Season

Ok, so I know it has been a bit since my last post...like 6 months to be exact. So to catch you up on whats been going on in my life.

 I am back in good old Columbus, Ohio! New York City was great, I loved it and I returned for a visit in October, before SANDY messed it all up. I also spent the month of September in Cincinnati on Business. In June I became the Aunt to the cutest nephew in the world and my new best friend. And I started a new position with my company doing Management training. I guess thats the cliffs notes of the past few months and I am sure I will fill in more of the blanks as we go.

Well now that we have caught up on everything I wanted to share a bit about the start of the holiday season. 

At work today I was thinking about how this time of year brings on the stress. I know there are plans to be made, parties to attend, gifts to purchase, and family gatherings to deal with but the holidays are supposed to be the Most Wonderful time of the YEAR right?! In case I haven't mentioned it before, I work in retail. If anyone has EVER worked in the service industry, (and I am sure many of you have) you know that greeting people is a very basic part of your role...yet to get such rude reactions from people when you just say "Hi" or "How can I help you?" is actually kind of heartbreaking. Rejections come with the territory of working in sales but common curtesy and friendliness can literally turn my whole day around. So I am going to encourage you, be kind this holiday season, Look at people when you talk to them. Smile at people like your waitress, sales person, flight attendant, or customer service representative. Believe me, they will be more inclined to help you get what you want and you can really help spread the holiday cheer.