Back Again …

This is a shortened little note to update you all on the life and travels of Elizabeth Rose. Now granted, I can’t share everything, or go into great detail, and I question just how much I should divulge due to the fact that “what one puts on the face of social media can be a blessing or a curse and will always come back to effect you and others in a positive or negative way”, I will still attempt to be truthful in all that I say so that you, the reader, can gain a full understanding of who I am. I have not yet decided the direct focus of this blog, because, as I stated in a previous post, I am focused on many different things at the moment.

Today as I was minding my own business in the shower God started talking to me (Go figure!) and I received the idea to write a series of  short books. I saw the cover of one of the booklets and was surprised at the name I was given for the tittle. Soon after getting the revelation i was so excited that I went and found an unused journal that i have been saving for such a project as this, and I started to outline what the project would look like from book to book. If someone had every come up to me and said, “I want you to write a book”, I would have given them the “yeah, you’re kidding, right? I don’t think I like that idea,” and I wold have run from the idea. But it seems that as long as I have an idea in my head and it originally comes from me, then there is a good chance that it will show some fruit. And if the idea that I receive is not grasped ahold of by others or is even talked down upon in the sense that someone says, “you can’t do that, it’s impossible.” or “How are you going to make that one work?” then I somehow have even more determination to make it happen. So I have found that reverse psychology works on me pretty well. Whether or not that is a good thing is up to your deciding, yet I still feel that there are WAY too many things that people deem ‘impossible’ that must simply be made possible. Again, I find myself on the road less traveled and making life harder than it really needs to be, maybe just to prove to the world that I am tough and ‘can handle it’. It’s just the fighter in me!

Now the short story of the pasts months is turning into a novel, so I will get to the facts.

~November 18-Dec 22nd, 2011 I managed a Christmas tree stand in Houston, TX.: What an experience, to say the least! Having never worked a day outside of my home office, and having never been placed in the position of managing other people while still trying to figure out what in the world I was doing, I had a lot of lessons to learn fast. Usually when my ‘Boss’ hires a new manager she helps them out for the first week or so and checks in to make sure things are running smoothly. To all our sadness, she broke her collar bone the day before we were supposed to open, and a day before the set up of my lot was complete. So I was a bit in the ‘fend for yourself’ category when it came down to the details. Thankfully I just made up my own regime and jumped into the holiday craziness of things!

~Thankfully I was able to be home for Christmas with my mother and brother Joseph. And can I add that when mom wanted to show me the beautiful trees (plural) that she had decorated, all I could think of was “oh NO! I thought I got out of the tree business!” Yet I still found a way to enjoy our Douglas and Noble Firs and decided to chop them up with an ax after New Years so that we’d have some nice smelling fire starter! Of course I would have loved to grab a chain saw, but since we didn’t have one I figured that I would get in a nice workout along with extremely sappy, cut up hands when the job was done! None the less I was happy to have “shown those trees who was boss.” HAHA

~New Years: Our family has had a tradition for the past 15 or so years of hosting a Christmas Caroling Party. We have a potluck dinner, fellowship, sing songs around the piano, and then go out and carol to all the neighbors.  Since there wasn’t enough time before Christmas to plan it, we decided to do a new years party instead this year. I called up the seemingly few people I know in Prescott and told them we were having a party and that it was open to everyone. So instead of a very intimate party of close friends and neighbors we ended up with quite a few acquaintances, a few friends, and some friend-of-a-friends who I didn’t know. All in all it turned out to be a fun night of good food, music, and prayer to bring in the new year. One of my favorite things to do to bring in the new year is to thank God for all His blessings, share with those around us why I am thankful for different things, and most of all, bring in the new year with some kind of music, especially worship songs!  One fun thing we did was to gather random parts of two drum kits and a djembe and ‘attempt’ to create a drum circle. I happened upon a drum circle in Las Vegas once that consisted of many single drum pieces, each having one player per drum, and different beats going all around, and it sounds so amazing that I wanted to try it again. Imagine 10 high school guys trying to bang out “something” and you have a good picture of what came of my great idea. It didn’t work so well, but it was worth the fun, and I loved being able to actually show the youngsters a thing or two.

~ January 18th I started classes at Yavapai College after taking a year and a half off. Three business classes, a Zumba Dance Class, and a weightlifting class later I’m feeling good about not wasting this semester away. Since I decided to take a semester off college to help the family move from Colorado Springs, CO to Prescott, AZ many things changed my plans to go back to school. Many things bogged me down to the point of feeling “Stuck”, and many things just seemed to slip past me making me feel ‘off the path and quite alone’. Thankfully as of about a week ago I can look back and say that this little sidetrack has in fact been good. I have grown a lot from the hard times, and have discovered a little bit more of who I am created to be. Along with the things I never want to do again in my life and the kinds of people who I would rather not find myself in close association with in the future.

~Feb 14th: I found myself single for the 22nd time. Miraculously I found myself enjoying this Valentine’s Day! Maybe it has taken me 22 years to figure out that Love isn’t always about what others can do for me, but rather what I can do for others. I made it a point to write and give away the most cards I’ve ever given away on this holiday. It really felt good to just give and not expect to receive anything. Seeing the smiling faces of my mother, brother and friends when they got unexpected cards and gifts totally made my day. Now I ask myself, “Why have I not been in the habit of giving more gifts? It actually makes me feel better to give then to receive!” So from now on I will be going through my assortment of ungiven cards (Ones that I bought for people and never got around to giving them) and attempting at all costs to give more than I receive during holidays! I have a LOT of catching up to do ; )

Feb 16-19th: Mom, Joseph and I took a short road trip to Colorado Springs to visit friends and look at purchasing a house. Ever since I moved to Prescott, AZ for what I originally thought would be a few short months, I have had it in my heart to leave. Granted, I am still trying to put a pin on why I just haven’t felt at home in Arizona, but I have a feeling that it is because somewhere along the way my path (our paths) got a little twisted. I believe that God  is using these 2 years to grow me in many ways, yet it is still hard for me to see the glory, fun, joy, progression, passion, and love while feeling stuck in a valley. I believe that it has taken me all this time to realize that location and the people you are around cannot dictate who you allow yourself to become! I have often thought that where I was dictated how I felt, or who I was with dictated how I acted. In all actuality, we should be solid enough in our faith, our understanding of who we are as God’s children, and our drive to make a positive difference in the lives of those around us, that the exterior things of life should not have a huge effect on us.  Yes, I truly believe that some people are called to live in a specific place to fulfill their God-given destinies, and even that the people who we surround ourselves with has a huge impact on who we become. But we cannot base our joy off of external things when they don’t seem to align with our perfect view of life. So during this time of “feeling out of place” I have come to the place where I have had to change a lot of thought patterns and the ways that I view life. in saying all this, I am extremely excited to be moving back to Colorado soon!!! I do feel that it is the ‘place’ that I am supposed to be, and that I will gain valuable relationships with the ‘people’ that I need to know in order to fulfill my God-given calling. In conclusion, I do believe in places and people, but not to the extent that they rule your life and dictate whether or not you choose to live in Joy each day!

Feb 21st (Today): I am laying on my bed writing this. It has been a long day of working on web-related projects to help mom get all her social media sites up and running before the airing of her TV interview with Patricia King on God TV. Throw in too many Facebook comments, web searches and researching, a zumba dance class, and as always, too many thoughts flooding through my mind, and I am ready for my beauty sleep.

Though it is only February, so very much has already transpired! I look back and it seems like a year has gone by in quick time. When will I ever learn to just relax and enjoy the moment??? If there is one goal that I really plan to achieve this year it is to live in the moment and enjoy each minute for the magnificence of what it was created to be. I desire to take in all the sites and sounds, feeling and emotions, joys and sorrows, ups and downs and be thankful for the ability to simply LIVE! After all, our very short lives on this earth will end soon enough, so why not make the most out of each unique moment and ALWAYS shine the light of our creator? Life really is like a boquete of of flowers … there are different colors, different meanings, highs and lows, things hidden and things seen, different smells and even different feels. I choose to experience ALL of life!   Will you join me in living this life to the fullest?

Thank you for reading! May you all be blessed beyond your wildest dreams!!!   GB2 = God Bless + Go Broncos ; )

Elizabeth Rose