Tag Archives: Jessica Swift

You are not here by chance

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Get your copy here

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Declaration of You will be published by North Light Craft Books this summer, with readers getting all the permission they’ve craved to step passionately into their lives, discover how they and their gifts are unique and uncover what they are meant to do! This post is part of The Declaration of You’s BlogLovin’ Tour, which I’m thrilled to participate in alongside over 100 other creative bloggers. Learn more  and join us!

The Declaration of You website has all the information on how you can share your own posts, join Facebook parties and so much more! Declare yourself! This Friday, August 2nd, you can join us in the Facebook comment party at 12:30-1 pm EST. I’ll be there!

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December 2007, I was diagnosed with Lupus. For the previous year, I had struggled with constant muscle and joint pain. I had the butterfly rash. Mouth sores. Extreme fatigue. I was always cold, and my toes and fingers were often numb, or painful due to Raynaud’s. I was sensitive to sunlight, sensitive to touch and my hair was thinning. I seldom kept my supper down. I had a cough that would not quit. I had so many symptoms, that one doctor treated me as if I was a hypochondriac, and advised me to take a nap in the afternoon.

December 11, 2008, my job was downsized. I was single. Living alone, with little in the way of savings. The kicker – the company wellness program had a drawing, and gave about a dozen employees nationwide, free health benefits for a year. I was one of the recipients. Or would have been.

I had been working 60 hour weeks, taking work home. Friends told me to go on a medical leave, but taking a cut in pay was not an option. I was in so much pain, that washing my hair was difficult. I could barely climb the stairs to my apartment.

I was working at a Casino, and as standard practice, I was escorted off the premises. As if I had done something wrong. Frustration, humiliation, desperation. I broke down and cried in my car.

Out of no where, the thought came to me. “If you are not going to take care of this, I will.” I didn’t hear a voice, but it was suddenly clear. The decision I would not make for myself, had been made for me. God took the wheel from my hands. After bawling for a few minutes, a phone call to my friend, and one to my mom. I drove home. And took a nap. I had a sense of calm. And I knew that somehow things would work out. And they did. They are.

I believe. I trust God. 

This is just my story. Part of it. I could tell you about all the little blessings, and big blessings that have come my way. Or how each and everyday, new opportunities present themselves to me. Really, it amazes me. Yes I am actively looking for them, but they are there.

I trust:

  • Good will preserver.
  • Right will win.
  • I will be loved.
  • I will know more next week, than I do today.
  • My blog, my art, my designs will continue to improve.
  • If my heart breaks, it will heal.
  • That I will learn from each failure.
  • Red and blue make purple. 
  • A cure will be found for Lupus.
  • That God is good.

 

After losing my job, my mom gave me a canvas with this poem by Roy Lessin printed on it. It hangs above my desk. I trust that I am exactly where I meant to be. And that God has great plans for me.  As he does for everyone.

These words inspire me. I hope they will inspire you too.

Click here to print and share

Just think poem by Roy Lessin

Send a postcard – surprise a friend!

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Celebration Declaration

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Get your copy here

Get your copy here

The Declaration of You will be published by North Light Craft Books this summer, with readers getting all the permission they’ve craved to step passionately into their lives, discover how they and their gifts are unique and uncover what they are meant to do! This post is part of The Declaration of You’s BlogLovin’ Tour, which I’m thrilled to participate in alongside over 100 other creative bloggers. Learn more  and join us!

The Declaration of You website has all the information on how you can share your own posts, join Facebook parties and so much more! Declare yourself! This Friday, July 26th, you can join us in the Facebook comment party at 12:30-1 pm EST. I’ll be there!

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Do you do the happy dance?

I have to admit, it had been a long time since I had done the happy dance. Until a few days ago.  Just a quick one mind you. A little toe shuffle I remember from tap class. But it was in front of three people. Three very good friends. (They all had a good laugh!)

And I have to admit, IT FELT GOOD!

So why was I doing a silly dance in someone else’s house, in the middle of the day? Because I FINALLY got the printer to work after 6 attempts! I was printing a 2 sheet booklet. 8 pages. Landscape, check. Flip on short side, check. But her poor, aged computer was dying a slow death. What I wanted it to do, and what it was doing, were two different things.

Just a little hump day hurdle. A minor victory, but I was happy. And I decided to show just how happy I was. I can’t claim any credit for taking a big scary step out of my shell or anything. Naomi and I have known each other for years. We have been known to dance down the aisles while shopping. And sing in the car. And just be generally much too silly for respectable adults.

But it is fun. Celebrating feels GOOD. We all need a little feel good in our day. I do not have a huge success to celebrate every day. But I can find a few small ones to smile about. Part of the fun of following blogs, for me, is sharing the joys of others. I was too shy to be a cheerleader in school, but I do a great cheer-leading blog comment! It feels good doesn’t it, to give someone a shout out or a high five? We can do that for ourselves too!

As creatives, bloggers, entrepreneurs, artists. We are taking the road less traveled. You know how hard it is for non-creatives to understand the intangible, much less to thoroughly appreciate the seriousness of your efforts. Your struggles, your accomplishments.

Give your self a shout out! Put your hands in the air and shake your booty a bit. Show yourself some LOVE! Some of the ways I celebrate:

Happy dance in my seat • High five in the air • Call a friend for a shout out • Buy art supplies • Nibble something sweet • Treat myself to take out •  Turn on some tunes

A few songs that came to mind:

Ideas I came across, that I am going to work into my celebration repertoire:

  • Get outside! Walk the block, or explore the yard for a gorgeous bloom, or leaf, stone, or twig.
  • Celebrate with a pet! Engage in play, or simply revel in their pure joy from being alive. 
  • Celebrate a setback, as an opportunity to make myself better. (tough one)
  • Celebrate my accomplishments at the end of the day, instead of focusing on my to to list.

How do you celebrate big and little wins? What are your favorite songs to celebrate with? What songs remind you of the best, happiest times in your life?  Help me build a top 100 Celebration list! Or join us at the Facebook party and share your gotta-move-grooves with all of us!

Celebration reminder, print and share

I am wise postcards

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Declaration of you contributors

Loving You

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Get your copy here

Get your copy here

The Declaration of You will be published by North Light Craft Books this summer, with readers getting all the permission they’ve craved to step passionately into their lives, discover how they and their gifts are unique and uncover what they are meant to do! This post is part of The Declaration of You’s BlogLovin’ Tour, which I’m thrilled to participate in alongside over 100 other creative bloggers. Learn more  and  join us!

The Declaration of You website has all the information on how you can share your own posts, join Facebook parties and so much more! Declare yourself! This Friday, June 28th, you can join us in the Facebook comment party at 12-12:30 pm EST. I’ll be there!

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Loving You

When we look at a newborn, we can’t help but be in awe of a fresh, new being. You don’t have to be a parent to feel the wonder that holding an infant brings. So often we hear “What a miracle!” in reference to birth.  A newborn child IS a MIRACLE. Created in love, nurtured with love, welcomed with loving arms.

Stop a moment, and do this for me. Take a look at your hands. Think about what a miracle they are. I am pretty sure you don’t know this, (I didn’t until I looked it up) but one of your hands has roughly:

  • 29 bones
  • 29 major joints
  • 123 named ligaments
  • 34 muscles
  • 48 nerves
  • 30 arteries, and about as many smaller arterial branches 

Isn’t that amazing? OK, seriously, I probably won’t remember all of those numbers much past editing this post. But I took a look at my hands, and I am sitting here thinking, “How can all that stuff fit?”  My hands are small, child sized. And I have arthritis. I was diagnosed with Lupus in 2008, and the pain in my joints was one of the first symptoms. When I told the doctor what I did for a living, (worked on a computer all day long) she could not believe I was still able to function. She was in awe.

I am not tooting my horn here, there is a point to this. But yeah, I have to say, that is one of the things I can take pride in. My perseverance.

Wow, that made me tear up a little. Why was that so hard to … put to paper. Maybe I am remembering what a struggle each day was for me. Maybe it is because… I am pretty sure that is the first time I have ever used that word to describe myself. Or maybe it is hard for me to say I am proud of myself. Hmm…

There are quite a few things about myself I can be proud of. But I don’t usually tell other people about them. How ‘bout you? When was the last time you told someone you were proud of yourself for…anything? When was the last time you told YOU? How long has it been since you were kind to yourself?

Ok so back to the hand thing. Did you stop for a minute, really, and look at your amazing, miraculous hands? That’s OK, go ahead, I’ll wait.

When do we stop thinking of ourselves as the TRUE MIRACLE we are? And why?

When a child is born, we make sure that he has every need met. We protect him. We make sure he has nutritious food. We play with him so he can learn to use his fingers and toes, learn to walk, and grow strong. We talk to him and read him stories, so he can learn language. We make sure he gets enough rest. We make sure he sees the dentist, and the doctor regularly. We care for him, in every way we can.

As adults, we have so many responsibilities. So many to take care of. Wife, husband, children, parents, sister, brother, grandmother, dog, cat… gerbil. The house, the job, the BOSS, the car, the laundry. The bills. We can hardly find room on the list to add “go for a walk, read a book, ” much less find time to actually do it.

Honestly, right now, I am sort of failing at this. I am doing for others. And I WANT to do for others. But what I could really use is some quiet time. And by quiet I mean not thinking about the fifty bazillion things I need to get done. Quiet in my head. So I am declaring now, that I am going to shut off the computer tonight. I am NOT going to stay up late to work. No TV. I am going to put on some mellow music, maybe give myself a pedi and a foot rub, or read a magazine. And I am going to go to bed early. I may fail again tomorrow, in the self-care category, but I am going to try for an A+ tonight. And my hope for you, is that sometime today, or this weekend, YOU will remember to carve a little chunk of time out for YOURSELF.

What’s your personal declaration around self-care? How often do you make time for self-care? I would love to hear how you incorporate self-care into your busy life!

 

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Most people do not know what Lupus is. If you are interested in learning more you can check these out. What Women Need to Know about Lupus. Lupus symptoms.