I Am Organized. Really.

My eyes are really sensitive to light. I ALWAYS wear sunglasses or my eyes water and I can't see a thing, even on cloudy days. Last week I was driving to work, squinting in the sun, trying to avoid wrinkles (Is that possible?) and wondering what on earth happened to my latest pair of sunglasses. Once again they had disappeared. It seems like that is always happening to me. Oh, I always find them again. Lenses... ear pieces...screws...I can find them all. In the bottom of my purse. Beneath my feet in the car. Crushed to bits in the driveway. But never in one functioning piece.  I was thinking that the perfect gift for me might be a "Sunglasses of the Month" subscription, if there were such a thing, because honestly, a month is about the life expectancy of sunglasses in my possession. I can't count the number of times I have found myself wearing a pair of precariously perched sunglasses with my hair arranged oh so carefully to hide the fact that there was an ear piece missing. It's embarrassing, really.

But despite the obvious difficulty in keeping track of my sunglasses, I have on several occasions been offered this glorious compliment: "You are SO organized!"  Ummm, excuse me? Are you talking to ME? Obviously, the person who makes this statement has A) never noticed the oddly tilted sunglasses and carefully arranged hair, or B) never been to my house as an unexpected guest. Because both of those things are a dead giveaway to the actual depth of my disorganization.

The truth is, I usually hear those words at school, where I can find whatever is being asked for in a fairly timely manner. But that is because I am accustomed to my own organized chaos. Look deep into the neatly stacked piles, colorful crates, pretty baskets, files, folders, etc. and you will find all sorts of things that would be much more at home in a recycling bin.

I know I have it in me to be a truly organized person. After all, I was created by the One who IS organization. Everything is held together by His great hands. Jeremiah 29:11 lets us know that God has a plan and purpose for each of us. Habakkuk 2:2 says to "Write the vision; make it plain, so he may run who reads it."  He has a plan for my life and so I write down the steps I need to take to accomplish all he has for me to do. That is part of being organized....so right now I'm praying I can find the notebook I wrote it down in...and my glasses so I can read it.   ;)

Laugh it Up! He He, Ha Ha!!!! LOL!!!

I have always envied those who could laugh easily at everyday occurrences. Not just an obligatory chuckle at some one's attempt at humor, but spontaneous, bubbly laughter that just rolls out and travels the room like a bunch of bouncy balls set free from a vending machine. People like that can't stop the laughter even if they try....and why would they want to? Laughter has many health benefits and it makes you feel great. It can help lower blood pressure, reduce stress hormones (belly fat, anyone?), fight against respiratory infections, and increase alertness, creativity, memory, and learning! Wow!! So now I am REALLY jealous of all the people who have laughed their way through life while I have fretted my days away. 

Recently I had been experiencing a lot of stress at work and while discussing some of the details with co-workers, I found myself suddenly out of control, laughing hysterically at things that were not even funny. I looked ridiculous, I'm sure. But that's how I do things, just try to handle it all myself (which I can't), then come unhinged at inopportune times because my body is saying, "Enough is enough! Gotta get these toxins out NOW! Turn on the laughing gas!"  So I laughed and snorted and nearly cried until I looked quite the fool. And guess what? I felt better when my laughing fit was over! The troubles at work didn't seem like such big obstacles anymore and I was much more productive the next day.

All of the What-Ifs turned into a big "SO WHAT?" because the truth is, if I am trusting in God I will let Him lead and guide my steps and deal with stress in the way He designed. Proverbs 17:22 says, "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones." 

Chocolate never hurts, either, so keep reading :)

Jerri James

·         If you've got melted chocolate all over your hands, you're eating it too slowly.

·         Chocolate covered raisins, cherries, orange slices & strawberries all count as fruit, so eat as many as you want.

·         The problem: How to get 2 pounds of chocolate home from the store in a hot car. The solution: Eat it in the parking lot.

·         Diet tip: Eat a chocolate bar before each meal. It'll take the edge off your appetite and you'll eat less.

·         A nice box of chocolates can provide your total daily intake of calories in one place. Isn't that handy?

·         If you can't eat all your chocolate, it will keep in the freezer. But if you can't eat all your chocolate, what's wrong with you?

·         If calories are an issue, store your chocolate on top of the fridge. Calories are afraid of heights, and they will jump out of the chocolate to protect themselves.

·         If I eat equal amounts of dark chocolate and white chocolate, is that a balanced diet? Don't they actually counteract each other?

·         Money talks. Chocolate sings.

·         Chocolate has many preservatives. Preservatives make you look younger.

·         Q. Why is there no such organization as Chocoholics Anonymous? A. Because no one wants to quit.

·         If not for chocolate, there would be no need for control top hose. An entire garment industry would be devastated.

·         Put "eat chocolate" at the top of your list of things to do today. That way, at least you'll get one thing done.

                  Used with permission: Thoughts About God websitewww.thoughts-about-god.com

          More on laughter:        http://www.care2.com/greenliving/8-health-benefits-of-laughter.html#ixzz1puJz6h7b

                  

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Raccoons

The weather is absolutely GORGEOUS right now! Warm, sunny, breezy.....makes me look forward to planting my garden again this year. There is nothing better than delicious homegrown tomatoes! Unless maybe some crisp, sweet snow peas....or juicy strawberries...or sweet golden corn....Well, I think you get the idea, LOL. Anything fresh from the garden will be amazing. Unless the raccoons get it. Or the rabbits. Or the slugs, deer, and any other garden pest you can think of.

Every year I start my garden with the same frame of mind. I look forward with expectation to all the rewards I will get from my efforts. And every year I have to do my best to deter the pests that visit my garden. I'll never forget the first year I had planted some corn. It was beautiful. Tall, green stalks, with leaves waving in the wind. I couldn't help but feel like I had an amazing success of a garden with those majestic corn plants all lined up in rows. The ears were looking good, filling out nicely with juicy kernels and it wouldn't be long before harvest time. Finally, the day arrived and I headed outside to reap the rewards of my hard work. But instead I was greeted with what looked like a war zone! Corn stalks ripped from the ground, others laying on their sides, half eaten ears strewn about! What had happened? I was so angry and disappointed! All that hard work for nothing! I salvaged what I could and when I was done I had one measly little bucket of corn.

Experience is a good teacher and I definitely learned a few things. First, either put up an electric fence to keep the raccoons out or plant twice as much corn in hopes they will leave some for you when they are done. Honestly! That is the advice I found online when I went looking for answers. I have to tell you I have not planted corn again since that time because I haven't had the time to put in the fence, and I haven't felt friendly enough towards the raccoons to offer them a free dinner!

Everyone knows that when you till the ground, plant the seeds, water and feed them, you will have a harvest. But what I didn't realize until that day is that you had better plant enough seed to account for the raccoons.

Isn't that the same in every area of our lives? Whether it be business, ministry, or relationships, we can't sow our seeds sparingly because we never know when an unexpected event or pest will come along and if we want to be successful we have to be generous in our sowing and never give up.

So this spring, I will be ordering some extra seed, planting a bigger garden...and I might even plant some corn :)

Jerri James

Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.  2 Corinthians 9:6

A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. Proverbs 11:25

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Me? Blog???? Why not?

March 12, 2012


Well, I have to say, this is not something I thought I would ever do. I've always kind of admired those who take the time to write down their thoughts and opinions in a blog, but never thought I would join them. To be honest, it seemed like too much effort at the end of a long work day. I am not usually looking for more to do :) Besides, I will be opening myself up for my sister, husband, and countless others to edit my postings for spelling errors and misused words...LOL..., but I guess I have brought that on myself through the many years of satisfaction I have enjoyed finding misspelled words in other people's published works :)


But here I am, on a whim, writing a blog. I don't guarantee how long this will last, but I will try it for at least 31 days.

So if I am going to have a blog that anyone would want to read, I guess it should have a purpose so they know what to expect, don't you think? No easy task to narrow it down, but I think I have settled on a two-fold focus that can be explained by looking at the name of this blog... Thirty One Days to Shine. I am a Thirty-One consultant and this will be a place I can share about my business. The second part, "to Shine", is because I really believe that no matter how we spend our days, whether working outside the home, taking care of the kids, or anything else, it is up to us to make the most of our time here on earth with the people we come in contact with and SHINE. The Thirty-One motto is Celebrate, Encourage, Reward and that is probably why I am most excited about doing this job. Not only do I love their products, but I love their message! 


It is not my goal to shine in such a way to bring attention to myself, but to do as Matthew 5:16 says and, "Let your light so shine among men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven."

So as I work my Thirty-One business, I hope that what I bring to my hostesses and customers will be a reflection of what God has placed in me and that I can encourage each one to live life to the fullest, with joy and hope, and fulfill the destiny God has intended for them. I know I won't do this perfectly...I stumble daily...but I will do my best to live my life in such a way as to give glory to the One who made me.


:)


Jerri James

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