A Rose in Winter

A Rose in Winter

As the year comes to a close I have found myself reflecting on the past.  While reflections often bring about feelings of nostalgia or joy for me, they rarely bring about a feeling of sadness.  However, I let myself fall into the trap of looking at life through something other than rose colored glasses.  I usually try to find the beauty or humor in every situation, yet I have been unable to do so in recent days.  Today, looking out my kitchen window, I saw one rose in bloom.  Just one single red rose on my three bushes.  It was as if God was redirecting me.  I saw it as a symbol, a reminder, for the way I want to live my life EVERYDAY.  A red rose on a cold and dark day when we are overcome with the challenges life throws our way. 

My New Year's wish for us all is that we find the beauty within ourselves and in every aspect of our lives.  That we stop to smell the roses when we get the chance and that we Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

 

 

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 

Thanks for reading~

Jessica

Blessed

 

"It is more blessed to give than to receive."

Acts 20:35

 

I have always tried to live my life by this verse.  I have blogged about it before.  I have a passion for helping others and giving back.  It is not often that I am on the receiving end of gifts and always feel uncomfortable taking gifts. 

 

 

Earlier this summer I made a decision to step away from helping others for awhile and focus on taking care of my family.  Helping others had taken time away from the most important things in my life and that was my family.  I felt guilty about that.  I decided to get back to couponing.  Something that helped my family tremendously in the past and that I had neglected for almost a year. Over the course of the summer my grocery stockpile grew and my money saving increased.  However, I still

questioned my decisions and felt a sense of guilt for not being able to help everyone else.  It wasn't long until I saw what I had seen every other time.  HIS plan. My husband's job was at stake yet again. This would be the fourth time in four years that layoffs in his job field had created a change for us. The only option that made sense to us was for him to take a very significant cut in pay to be closer to home and with more job security.  I was so thankful to have the tools I needed to continue to save money.  However, I knew that it would not be without struggle and much sacrifice.  

 

In the past few weeks I have been shown that God does supply our needs. Through faith and amazing friends I am blown away by the generous and kind giving of others.  Today when I got home I was SURPRISED to find a wireless printer sitting on my front door.  This may not seem like much to anyone else, but this gift will help tremendously in helping me save money.  I use my phone as a computer 99% of the time and am unable to print coupons from my phone or Emily's ipad.  Extra coupons mean saving extra money.

 

I was just thinking earlier that we would not be able to help needy families in the capacity in which we have in Christmases past.  In giving back, I will pay it forward and use my gift of getting free food at the grocery store with my coupons to families this year. 

 

I found this idea on Pinterest a while back.  Blessing bags: http://pinterest.com/pin/137711701075381561/

I intend to keep giving as much as I possibly can.

 

I am also still fully committed to giving Scentsy Buddies to kids with autism by selling Scentsy. I have been blessed with an abundance of orders recently that helped me send 16 buddies out. 

 

I am blessed beyond measure!

 

 

Thanks for reading,

Jessica

 

To my friends for the support~ I love you!