The End, Again

Tomorrow is the first day of June. As an educator, that month holds a lot of meaning for me.
It signals the end of another school year. 
Although I am excited to be heading toward summer vacation,  the countdown to the end always makes me a little nervous. 
As of today, I only have five days of work left. Exciting? Yes. Stressful? Double yes.  The mad rush for me to wrap up all open cases, update progress reports for all my students and complete all my end of the year reports has begun.
Each year, May passes in a whirlwind. It has been no different this year. Consequently, many things in my life have been left neglected, or been limited by this craziness. 
One of the things that I have been satisfied with, is this space. So, I thought I would give you a re-cap of what happened here in May. Just in case you missed any of it.
MOST POPULAR

Expecting Stripes (Revisited) and a Bargain
FASHION

Behind the Blog {Fashion Posts} Follow the Rules
MOTHER'S DAY

Being a Mother {Self Interview} My Mom What the Kids Say
FAMILY

Day Two:  Confusion and Carousels Day Three:  Time to Go It's Not Over Yet
FAITH/REFLECTION

What Kind of Bird are You? Overloaded Saved One Summer Aches and Pains Fast REAL LIFE

Three Lessons (aka Whoops!) A Typical Day This is Real Life
OTHER Starts with O (Google Search Terms) I am nearing my 200th post here at Peace it all Together.  It is such a blessing that this continues to be a place where I can explore my thoughts freely, take risks, and share my heart with you, my readers. 
Only God knew this was possible. And, I am grateful to Him everyday for showing me the way here.

This is Real Life

I have read before about how many people only show the blissful, positive side of their lives on social media. I will admit...it's easier to take photos of the smiling faces, Pinterest successes, and stylish outfits. 
I mean, how awkward would it be for me to be fishing in my purse for my camera while my five year old is near tears. Plus, imagine the difficulty of taking a photo of the sarcastic tone of a tween or the sighs of an eight year old.
However, in an effort to keep the social media experience I provide true to my life, I recently started using the hashtag #thisisreallife on Instagram. I guess it's my way of telling the world my Instagram followers, that my life, and life in general, is not perfect. And, that's okay.
I share my life here, on this blog, and through social media, in order to build a community of people who desire encouragement and inspiration. As a result, it is important to me that my readers know that I am authentic. What you see, is what you get, imperfections and all.
Don't just pretend to love others. Really love them...Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Romans 12:9-10
Here are some of my recent real life moments...

FAMILY PHOTO
SINK FULL OF DISHES
SPOON IN THE BLENDER - WHOOPS
WON'T SMILE FOR A SELFIE
LUNCH AT THE ZOO

Have you captured any of these types of moments with your camera lately? If you have an Instagram account, tag your photos with #thisisreallife, so we can continue to be genuine with each other.



LINKING UP WITH

Fast

Have you ever had been asked to give up something? A little over a month ago, I was. As part of the 40-day challenge through Overcome the Lie, I was asked to fast for 40-days, something of my choosing. Actually, it wasn't really my choice. I was to ask God what He desired for me to step away from.
If you read this post, you know that I felt that God was asking me to give up Starbucks. Why would God care if I purchase and drink Starbucks? It wasn't for some political or ethical statement. I believe it was simply because I had been spending too much time, money and energy focusing on it.

The second part of the 40-day challenge was to seek God and to be enveloped in His love. How would giving up Starbucks help me to experience God's love for me?
Because... When I fast from something, every time I see it or think of it, I am given the opportunity to pray. Since I pass by a least three different Starbucks everyday, I was given at least three more opportunities to seek God's purpose and to experience his love, everyday.
Also, the weather has warmed up over the past month, which means that my Starbucks favorites, like iced green tea and caramel frappuccino, have been on my mind a lot more lately.  The more I thought about my favorite drinks, the more I could turn my thoughts to what the Lord desires for me and for my life.

SOURCE

To me, fasting is not just a ritual or discipline. It's not just about sacrifice. It's about fixing my thoughts on God and His unending love. It's about shifting my focus from being self-serving to God-serving. It's about giving up something insignificant in order to gain something extraordinary.
This is only the third time in my life that I have chosen to fast. The first time was in April 2012.  Through that fast God spoke to me about starting this blog, and about using the gifts He had provided to do more to encourage and inspire others.
The second time came during a rough spot in my marriage. God spoke to me again, helping me to rediscover what He had intended for M and I. He provided me with courage and confidence in a time when I felt neither.
During this fast, I have begun to see God's love and vision for me. He loves me despite my failures.  In fact, it's because of those failures that I am able to see more clearly my need for Him. God desires for me to do great things. Even greater than I can imagine.
Through this challenge, God has spoken to me through that still, small voice. And, he has spoken to me through the words of His people.
I want to leave you today to with several quotes from emails, videos, and social media posts that I have received from Ashley, the founder and visionary of Overcome the Lie, during the 40-day challenge:
Whatever He tells you to do, do it. No more striving. You don't have to earn it. It's yours. Everything that you need is already inside of you because [He lives] inside you. Defeat is not an option. Only Jesus can heal, transform. Keep going.
I pray that these words provide you with hope and inspiration, so that you may also overcome.