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Good morning folks!! It’s Saturday morning and what better way to spend it than being in bed. I know it’s been a while since my last post and we are already halfway in January. I hope the year that was 2017 treated you well and that you are hopeful for 2018.

I don’t do resolutions but I do vision and prayer casting (as I call it) for the new year. I spend time praying and reviewing what the Lord has given me and directed me for the current year and what His direction would be for the following year.

2016 was a year of promise while 2017 was the year of breakthrough for me and my family. 2017 was the year God taught me a lot about love, hope, and generosity. It was an emotional year too since we lost our dad but through it all God’s favor has been upon us. There were a lot of unexpected blessings that dotted our 2017 not just financially that I am truly grateful for.

I am declaring that 2018 will be the year of fulfillment for us. This is the year of daring faith – to believe that the impossible can happen, for dreams to manifest in reality, and promises to come to fruition they are already YES in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20).

Personally too, I want to be more intentional in the way I live my life, as a wife and mom, my relationship with my family, friends, and others so I can pursue a meaningful life driven by God’s purpose.

What are you hoping for that you think will not happen? Have a candid conversation with God and dare to believe it can happen.

For me, I have always desired to become an entrepreneur, have my own website, write my own book, and to become a public speaker. I am putting them out here as my first step of faith. I have been very vocal to others that I want to have my own business and creating my own website but not about public speaking and writing my own book. I am saying this to encourage you to boldly believe and take a small step of faith to get you started.

Financially I don’t have the funds yet to jumpstart my business nor am I creative enough to design my own website but I know they will happen this year. As for the other two, my greatest barrier is that I think no one will ask me to speak or that I have what it takes to write a book that is worth reading to someone.

BUT I am daring to believe these can happen and I am taking the bull by its horns because it is time to take action and follow these dreams that God has placed in my heart. I am more than hopeful! I am expectant and I want to share this with all of you to get you started as well.

Join me in this unexpected journey and believe things can happen beyond our wildest expectations. Let us soar high and believe no matter how young or how old we think we are.

Let us share our experiences so we can also embolden others to do the same. Send me your story at vianwheatley@gmail.com. I would love to hear from you.

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P.S Photo not mine. I screen grabbed it from alfchurch.org.

Last night while I was laying down on the couch and looking very tired, my eleven year old son summed up everything that I needed to do relax.

He said, “Mom all you need to do is take a day off. Do nothing and do not worry about anything. Trust me it works.”

His wisdom had me totally flabbergasted! Out of the mouth of babes, indeed! Where on earth did this kid get this intuitiveness from? I would like to think that God has used him as a mouthpiece to get me to truly believe that I really do not have to worry about anything.

It seems easy enough to do but the struggle to do nothing is real. I love knowing I did something meaningful or that I achieved something at the end of the day. I brainstorm on ways that I can extend 24 hours because I am a full time working mom that wants to do more because the dreams that I have before I became a wife and a mother are still alive in my heart. I still need to define me and the purpose of why I am here.

Ok rant over. I’m out of my soapbox. Please tell me I am not alone and that my drama is real and not imagined. I told my daughter who is away for college that “adulting” is hard work.

I do have to take heed of my son’s pearl of wisdom. I need to take a vacation day sometime soon and plan on doing nothing and not worry one iota. I know its counterintuitive that I need to plan to do nothing, right? Let’s face it, I still have to work for my family and there are other people depending on me as well.

How about joining me in having a Project Nothing Day? I know it’s also called a Sabbath Day but I have to be honest – I still worry and try to do something on my rest day.

Project Nothing Day is a day of no activities planned or unplanned activities (let’s be spontaneous), no worrying, no kids (at least until they come back from school), no laundry, no cleaning house, etc.

It’s going to be a day of absolutely nothing.

Who wants to do it with me? Let us see if we can relax and just be. Shall we?

It’s a beautiful crisp fall morning. The sun is out but you can feel the nip in the air. How I wish I’m still at home and in bed snuggling but alas it’s another football game today on an early Saturday morning.

I’m particularly entertained today by the cow bells from our team and the other team. One day I will succumb and give in.

Wish you could hear our middle school coaches. Man! They are a passionate lot. I wonder every day why they still have voices after a game or a practice. Their body language is very entertaining too.

My auditory sense is on overload today – cowbells, screaming coaches (and Parents), whistles, music, and more. I feel invigorated, vibrant, and alive. I needed this jumpstart on a Monday morning and not the drudgery that I feel (hope I’m not the only one) five days of the week.

What I am most inspired about today is the pickup game of football happening on the other side. I see it all the time when you bring younger kids that are not part of the team. They all become friends instantly. There are no silos, no stereotypes, no marginalizing, no racism, no class types and any other hang ups we have developed as adults. These kids just play and have a good time until the game ends. What a humbling piece of pie for all of us.

So today I encourage you to find your (internal) cowbells to set your rhythm to an awesome rocking and rolling. Forget about the drudgery of the past five days. Shake the cobweb blues and stand out in the sun.

While you are it, get into a pickup game in your mind. What’s holding you back? That person you keep bumping into might just become a really good friend. You never know who you will impact until you decide to say hello.

I have been mulling over what I have been writing about. I don’t profess to be great. By no means I am a prolific writer nor a profound philosopher or a great pundit. I just love to ponder and sometimes words of wisdom (or that’s how I call) come to mind. Words start forming in my head and I feel the need to write. I often let those words left unsaid because I was just too bogged down with the busyness of life.

There are many platforms in which I can blog but I choose to bring positivity and hope in the every day life. In our quest to be Great often the mundane gets unnoticed.

Like today in this football game. These mighty mites players are playing their hearts out. Behind these players are their coaches who are unpaid but give their time and effort because they love their sons and of course the game. I salute them for their passion and their dedication to their children.

I also do not want to forget the moms, dads, grandparents, and other family members who bring these boys to practice 3 days a week. We sacrifice so much. I understand and feel it because I am there with you.

We are part of the myriad of people that do the every day life. Our stories do not bring headlines. Our struggles are real but often overshadowed.

These are the stories I want to tell not because I know it all. My words may not bring a ripple effect but if I can offer up a word of encouragement and hope to one when it’s needed the most then I have fulfilled my purpose.

I leave you with this picture I took the other day. I see this every day because I want to be reminded.

Hope your weekend will be great!

As I promised on my last post, I am sharing my middle school retreat experience with you. I hope you will have a great laugh with me.

My last summer camp was when I was 17 years old (I believe) and it was on a nice beach in the Philippines. I was young and did not care where I slept as long as I could spend time with my friends. I realized that at 42, I have morphed into a creature of comfort. Just keep that in mind as you read the rest of the story.

We were sent a list of what to bring to the fall retreat. I packed everything they listed and checked it twice like Santa (sleeping bag, clothes, towels, shoes, and more clothes) except for the most important thing – CANDIES!!! 1^st major mistake of this fall camp. I did not have anything to bribe the kids with and more importantly, my son did not have anything to share with new friends. Candies, chips, and more candies go a long way in camp. My saving grace was that our team found two boxes of candies during a “crate” hunt.

I did mention that I am a full time working mom so I spend my days in front of my laptop, on conference calls, and meetings and more meetings. I listen to the news on public radio because it is convenient. I read my news online when I have time. My kids tell me what’s going on but I am only listening half the time because my mind is on another task at hand. I have no idea about what is popular these days except on what I see on Facebook since I don’t have any other social media account. I hope I am not the only one like this. So here goes my 2^nd major fail –  I had no idea about those you-tubers that they were talking about or the popular singers or actors. No clue whatsoever!!! The girls were looking at me like I was suddenly like their grandma. Yes, I felt older than dirt.

I was dying inside with mirth. It was a breath of fresh air to see that with these kids, it did not matter what title you have or what your station in life is (whether you’re rich or poor). I was just another boring adult that did not know how to have fun or know the fun stuff in life. The things that we care so much about or worry about do not matter to them.

Since every story has to have a rule of three to make it compelling, here’s my 3^rd major fail – breakfast! Why did I think that camp breakfast is like a hotel’s free breakfast bar? So, on Saturday morning I woke up early so I could take a walk and see the sun rise because I never get a chance to just enjoy the beginning of the day. I walked for an hour and took pictures (see below). Just imagine that and my hunger. Yes, I did think that there was going to be a hot buffet of eggs, bacon, and fruits. Yes, there were apples and oranges alright. Main entrée was pop tarts or granola bar. I burst out laughing. I am not complaining ok. I would have gladly eaten the granola bar but I have nut allergies so no can do. Pop Tarts have a new meaning to my life now.

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My morning view of this breathtaking place

Working with these kids has revived in me the passion that I used to have. They worship passionately and pursue God unpretentiously with all their heart and soul. Man, what would it take for us adults to be like this? Just imagine the roar of revival echoing around us and within us.  No wonder these kids think that being an adult is boring.

I guess what I am trying to share with you is that it is never too late. There are a lot of new things to discover so don’t be afraid to say yes to a new adventure. Go out and spread your wings. Be in the Zone! Be prepared for the unexpected because that’s when you will gain your pearl of wisdom or your humbling experience. Don’t be afraid to laugh at yourself for the silly stuff. Don’t sweat at the small stuff. It will all be fine in the end.

One of the things I prayed about was that God would give me a message that would resonate and jumpstart my heart. He did by way of Exodus 33. Even Moses had his moment of doubt even after all the miracles God has performed through him. In spite of it all, God was patient and faithful. He gave Moses this promise on verse 14 “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

Are you ready to start this journey with me? I would love to hear from you. I want to know that I am not the only one in this journey.