The Time Has Come...

I've been thinking on this for a while now. I began blogging even in the days before blogging was a thing. I wanted Damaris to have a way to know what the months before she was born were like, so I started writing letters to her on our website. She'll be 16 in October, so it's been a while. Over the years, there have been time when I've blogged more frequently and times when I've blogged less frequently. I've shared good times and bad times. It's been a journey just as I've been and continue to be on a journey.

However, in the last couple of years, I've been sharing myself online in lots of ways (links below) and just don't feel the need to blog anymore. It's not because I don't like writing (I still write quite a lot in my bullet journal and other places online). It's just become an obligation for me to blog, whereas in the past, I blogged because I wanted to.

So, this is the end of blogging for me. Does that mean I'll never blog again? No, if I come to a time where I think and feel blogging is right for me again, I'll start up again. But for now, for this time, and this place, this is goodbye. I have tons and tons of gratitude for those who have followed me over the years and read my work and commented. I appreciate each of you!


My pal Winnie the Pooh says, "It’s always useful to know where a friend-and-relation is, whether you want him or whether you don’t."
So I won't leave without telling you where you can find me online:
~ on Ravelry as JavaPurl
~ Knitting Designs on Ravelry & my JavaPurl Designs website
~ on Twitter as cc_almon
~ on Fitbit as user 2F8K2V
~ on Instagram as cc_almon
~ the weekly video podcast Geeky Girls Knit that Damaris and I co-host
~ our Ravelry group ~ Geeky Girls Knit Podcast
~ on Twitter as geekygirlsknit
~ our Facebook page
~ on iTunes
~ on YouTube

Hope to see you around the interwebs! Grace and Peace and Happy Knitting (for you knitters obviously, although I think everyone should be a knitter and I'll teach you if you want to know how!)! xx



Image Credit | Image Credit | Image Credit

The Post In Which I Look Ahead At 2015

Just about this time over the last 3 years, I posted blog post sharing My One Word for each year. In 2012, My One Word was eucharisteo. In 2013, My One Word was create. In 2014, My One Word was affirm.

This year, my word will be grace. Grace for myself, grace for others. I have the word grace tattooed on my right inner wrist. It's been there for several years, but I've let that grace slip quite a bit. So 2015 is the year of grace for me!

I do have some goals that I want to try to achieve in 2015. Some are fairly broad while others are more specific. I thought I'd share them here.

~I plan to continue sharing about the creative part of my life which includes knitting, spinning, and designing patterns on a month to month basis here on my blog. Hopefully that will include releasing 12 new patterns, knitting 3 sweaters for myself, knitting 1 preemie hat per week, knit 7 stockings for family, finish at least 100 projects, and who knows what else!

~Keep a daily journal. I will continue to use the Bullet Journal method of journaling (using it as a journaling system rather than a calendar system since we use Google Calendars that the 3 of us share for our daily calendars).

~Continue keeping a list of the eucharisteo/gifts/joys/Thanksgivings in my life.

~Read at least one non-fiction book each month of 2015. I did this last year and ended up reading 20 non-fiction books over the year. I'm hoping to do the same this year.

So, those are my goals for the year. Looking forward to seeing what 2015 holds for me, for us. Happy New Year!

The Post in Which I Reflect on & Choose One Word

Just about this time last year, I posted a blog post called 2012 ~ My One Word. My word for 2012 was eucharisteo.

I was originally introduced to eucharisteo in the book One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are by Ann Voskamp. In it, she writes:

As long as thanks is possible, then joy is always possible. Joy is always possible. Whenever, meaning--now; wherever, meaning--here. The holy grail of joy is not in some exotic location or some emotional mountain peak experience. The joy wonder could be here! Here, in the messy, piercing ache of now, joy might be--unbelievably--possible! The only place we need see before we die is this place of seeing God, here and now.

I whisper it out loud, let the tongue feel these sounds, the ear hear their truth.

Charis. Grace.
Eucharisteo. Thanksgiving.
Chara. Joy.

A triplet of stars, a constellation in the black.

A threefold cord that might hold a life? Offer a way up into the fullest life?

Grace, thanksgiving, joy. Eucharisteo.

This year of 2012 has truly been one of eucharisteo. There has been much grief, much pain, much hardship, much frustration, much fear, and yet, in the midst of it, there was still hope, still grace, still Thanksgiving, still joy, still gratitude. Eucharisteo has been life-changing for me & I truly believe I am a new woman because of who I have become by constantly looking for the gifts, the gratitudes, the joys of every day life.

Now, we come to 2013. A couple of days ago, a word came to me that I instantly knew was God's direction and leading for the 365 days ahead. That word is create.


Over the last few days, I have been reading A Year of Biblical Womanhood: How a Liberated Woman Found Herself Sitting on Her Roof, Covering Her Head, and Calling Her Husband "Master" by Rachel Held Evans. In her section about Mary, the Mother of God, she writes these words:

At the heart of Mary's worthiness is her obedience, not to a man, not to a culture, not even to a cause or a religion, but to the creative work of a God who lifts up the humble and fills the hungry with good things.

Madeline L'Engle connect this type of obedience to our own everyday acts of creation. "Obedience is an unpopular word nowadays," she wrote, "but the artist must be obedient to the work, whether it be a symphony, a painting, or a story for a small child. I believe that each work of art, whether it is a work of great genius, or something very small, comes to the artist and says, 'Here I am. Enflesh me. Give birth to me.' And the artist can either say, 'My soul doth magnify the Lord,' and willingly become the bearer of the work, or refuses; but the obedient response is not necessarily a conscious one, and not everyone has the humble, courageous obedience of Mary."

My hope and prayer for 2013 is that I will offer the obedient response as I create.

Want more info: One Word 365 Website

Happy New Year!

The Post in Which I'm Graceful

Linking up today with Five Minute Friday where you write for 5 minutes about the word for today and then publish without editing or perfecting.

Today's word:
GRACEFUL

Start

Graceful...
that's not a word I would ever have chosen to describe myself.
Clumsy
Prone to stick my foot in my mouth
Not knowing when to shut up
Tripping over my own two feet
Those words more accurately describe me.

But then, almost 5 years ago, I had the word grace tattooed on my inner right wrist.

And something changed...

I'm still clumsy
I'm still prone to stick my foot in my mouth
I still don't know when to shut up
I still trip over my own two feet

But, then I glance at my wrist
and I see that word
GRACE



And I am reminded
that He extends grace to me
that He extends grace to others
that others extend grace to me
that I extend grace to others
that I MUST extend grace to myself

So, graceful
Yes, that does describe me
even when my foot is in my mouth
or I've tripped over my own two feet for the umpteen zillionth time

Graceful
full of grace
extending grace
receiving grace
giving myself grace
Graceful

Stop

What about you? What do you have to say about GRACEFUL in 5 minutes? If you link up, let me know. I'd love to read your post.

My Health Top 5

Today is day 27 of the WEGO Health ~ The Health Activist Writer's Month Challenge 2012. I will be writing a post everyday this month and each will in some way focus on what life is like with fibromyalgia (as well as other health issues including migraines, hypothyroidism, and polycystic ovarian syndrome).

For today’s post we’re making a list of our top 5’s – whether they be for your health condition or your Health Activism. Take some time to think about your experiences and develop your top 5’s – the 5 most difficult parts of your health focus and the 5 small victories that keep you going.

The 5 Most Difficult Parts of Living With Fibromyalgia
1 - Never knowing what I'm going to feel like day to day. It's a surprise when I wake up each morning.
2 - Having to save up energy for days in order to participate in anything
3 - Having to allow myself to be served and cared for by my hubby and 12 year old daughter
4 - Struggling to have community and friendships because I am home bound so much of the time
5 - Not being able to do the work of ministry that God called me too because the pain and fatigue is so bad

The 5 Small Victories That Keep Me Going
1 - Getting out of bed (even if it's just to move to my recliner)
2 - The love of my hubby and daughter
3 - My bbf's (best blogging friends) who walk this journey with me
4 - Grace and peace to get through another day
5 - Finding the eucharisteo in every day

What about you? What are your top 5?


Image Credit

I Used to Be...But I'm Not Anymore.

Today is day 23 of the WEGO Health ~ The Health Activist Writer's Month Challenge 2012. I will be writing a post everyday this month and each will in some way focus on what life is like with fibromyalgia (as well as other health issues including migraines, hypothyroidism, and polycystic ovarian syndrome).

Write a 10 line poem where each line is the phrase "I used to be ____ but I'm not anymore." What did you fill in the blank?

I used to be a maniac running around like a chicken with it's head cut off but I'm not anymore.
I used to be unable to sit and just be but I'm not anymore.
I used to be embarrassed and fearful to talk about my health but I'm not anymore.
I used to be weak allowing whatever may come to knock me down without a fight but I'm not anymore.
I used to be a multi-tasker with seventy zillion things always going on but I'm not anymore.
I used to be full of the opposite of grace, peace, and mercy but I'm not anymore.
I used to be a runner, a swimmer, and one who did yoga but I'm not anymore.
I used to be healthy but I'm not anymore.
I used to be a lover of books full of intricate detail that required all my attention but I'm not anymore.
I used to be willing to go, go, go until I had nothing left but I'm not anymore.

A Prayer for Today

Life-giver, Pain-bearer, Love-maker,
day by day you sustain the weary with your word
and gently encourage us to place our trust in you.
Awaken us to the suffering of those around us;
save us from hiding in denials or taunts that deepen the hurt;
give us grace to share one another's burdens in humble service.
Amen.



Prayer & Photo Credit

A Prayer for Today

Through Christ you make us a new creation, O God,
for with him we pass from sin to the new life of grace.
Accept our prayers in the warm embrace of your compassion,
and welcome all people to the festive banquet of your table,
where we may rejoice in your love
and celebrate the inheritance you have given to us.
We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.



Prayer & Photo Credit

The 30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 26

Welcome to Day 26 of The 30 Day Blog Challenge hosted by me, C.C., here at I'm On My Way and my online BFF Jamee at A New Kind of Normal. Today's assignment is to post a blog post in which you think back to how you were 5 years ago and then post about how you have changed since then. Make sure you grab the 30 Day Blog Challenge button (use the code that's in the box below) to post in your blog post and once you publish your blog post, enter your link below so we can look at each other's posts.


These pictures were actually taken in late 2006. On January 1, 2007, we moved from New Mexico to Abilene, Texas. Russ started school at Logsdon Seminary and I continued staying home with Damaris and homeschooling her. We found an amazing church home. We made some great friends. And within a few months, I decided to go back to school too. I also started the Couch to 5K program and ran some races and lost a good bit of weight. Healthwise, I was dealing with the migraines and some other issues, but the fibromyalgia didn't rear it's head until late in the year.

Now, 5 years later, we're living in New Mexico again, but going to Abilene tomorrow for the weekend. Russ and I both finished our M.Div. degrees. I spent 2 years as a hospital chaplain. I can no longer run because of my health. Fibromyalgia is so bad that I'm sidelined a lot of the time. Disability application is in my near future. God has taught me a lot though in these 5 years. Grace and peace are so important to me that the words are tattooed on my wrists. What does the future hold for me? I'm not totally sure, but I hope to be in a place eventually where I can still minister to others in some fashion.


Grab the 30 Day Blog Challenge button!


<center> <a href="http://javapurl.blogspot.com/2011/12/the-30-day-blog-challenge-your.html"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7029/6600865717_48f9030233_m.jpg" width="200" height="176" alt="The30DayBlogChallenge"></a></center>

Looking forward to seeing your posts!

A Prayer for Today

God of grace and glory,
you call us with your voice of flame
to be your people, faithful and courageous.
As your beloved Son
embraced his mission in the waters of baptism,
inspire us with the fire of your Spirit
to join in his transforming work.
We ask this in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Amen.



Image from Worshipping Christian
Prayer from Revised Common Lectionary

2012 ~ My One Word

Every month, I get an email from Compassion Bloggers with a suggestion about what to blog about to draw attention to the needs of those ministered to through Compassion International. When I received this month's email, the assignment was a little bit different. Brianne shared about her former boss Chris, Compassion's blog and social media manager, and the new approach to resolutions that he taught her. Chris shares in his blog posts over the last 4 years about asking God to guide him to one word to be his theme for the next year. Chris learned this concept from what Dan Britton, senior vice president of ministry advancement with Fellowship of Christian Athletes wrote about his own one word experiences.

So I decided to take the challenge of choosing one word for 2012. About a year ago, I began reading Ann Voskamp's book One Thousand Gifts. I made it about 3/4 of the way through and then work at the hospital and issues with my health became so overwhelming that I sat it aside and didn't finish it. I picked it back up a couple of weeks ago and have been reading it again, this time slower and with more purpose, watching the videos from (in)courage about it and journaling about each chapter in addition to keeping my gratitude list.

I've long been a reader of Ann's blog but it wasn't until this rereading that I truly understood what the word eucharisteo means. For those who haven't read the book and/or without a Greek background, the meaning is thanksgiving. However, it also has the word charis in it which means grace. And the derivative of that is chara which means joy.

The word picture that Ann gives on page 33 of her book is what really drove things home for me though.

As long as thanks is possible, then joy is always possible. Joy is always possible. Whenever, meaning--now; wherever, meaning--here. The holy grail of joy is not in some exotic location or some emotional mountain peak experience. The joy wonder could be here! Here, in the messy, piercing ache of now, joy might be--unbelievably--possible! The only place we need see before we die is this place of seeing God, here and now.

I whisper it out loud, let the tongue feel these sounds, the ear hear their truth.

Charis. Grace.
Eucharisteo. Thanksgiving.
Chara. Joy.

A triplet of stars, a constellation in the black.

A threefold cord that might hold a life? Offer a way up into the fullest life?

Grace, thanksgiving, joy. Eucharisteo.

God has already been speaking to me mightily as I seek to make eucharisteo a part of my day to day life. And I definitely feel God's leading to continue in this.

So, my one word for 2012 will be eucharisteo. I am looking forward to 2012 and grace, thanksgiving, and joy!



What's your one word for 2012? I look forward to journeying with you in the days, weeks, and months ahead!

Happy 12th Birthday Damaris!

From a beautiful baby girl...


...to a beautiful young lady!

Happy 12th Birthday Damaris Mikaelia Almon! I am so blessed and honored to be your Mamma! I pray that as you continue on this journey called life that you will surround yourself with things of beauty and honor, people who love and respect you, and walk with the grace and peace that our God gives us through our relationship with God and community. I love you so much!

Kissing the Shoreline

Kissing the Shoreline

There'll be days like this, my momma said.
When you open your hands to catch
and wind up with only blisters and bruises;
When you step out of the phone booth and try to fly
and the very people you want to save are the ones standing on your cape;
When your boots will fill with rain, and you'll be up to your knees in disappointment.
And those are the very days you have all the more reason to say thank you.
Because there's nothing more beautiful than the way
the ocean refuses to stop kissing the shoreline,
no matter how many times it's swept away.

Written by Sarah Kay

A Lenten Prayer

Fast from judging others; feast on the Christ indwelling in them.
Fast from emphasis on differences; feast on the unity of all life.
Fast from apparent darkness; feast on the reality of light.
Fast from words that pollute; feast on phrases that purify.
Fast from discontent; feast on gratitude.
Fast from anger; feast on patience.
Fast from pessimism; feast on optimism.
Fast from worry; feast on trust.
Fast from complaining; feast on appreciation.
Fast from negatives; feast on affirmatives.
Fast from unrelenting pressures; feast on unceasing prayer.
Fast from hostility; feast on nonviolence.
Fast from bitterness; feast on forgiveness.
Fast from self-concern; feast on compassion for others.
Fast from personal anxiety; feast on eternal truth.
Fast from discouragement; feast on hope.
Fast from facts that depress; feast on truths that uplift.
Fast from lethargy; feast on enthusiasm.
Fast from suspicion; feast on truth.
Fast from thoughts that weaken; feast on promises that inspire.
Fast from idle gossip; feast on purposeful silence.
Gentle God, during this season of fasting and feasting, gift us with your presence
so we can be a gift to others in carrying out your work.
Amen.

by William Arthur Ward

Tattoo - The Sequel

OK, so remember way back in June when this happened?????

Well, yesterday was the day for the sequel. Russ & I decided that we would each get a tattoo (my 2nd, his 1st) as our Christmas gifts to each other. Went back to Richard who did my first tattoo (he touched it up for me yesterday) and spent a few hours with him getting inked.

Here is Russ' tattoo (a triquetra with Yahweh in Hebrew over it):



And here is my new tattoo (the Hebrew word Shalom which translate to peace):



So what do you think? We love them!

Psalm 23

Well, this is my 200th post since moving over to Wordpress in March, 2008. I guess those 100 days of blogging really helped though. LOL! I normally don't post things like this, but got this in my email today and the words and pictures just really spoke to me.

Psalm 23:
The Lord is my Shepherd = That's Relationship!


I shall not want = That's Supply!


He maketh me to lie down in green pastures = That's Rest!


He leadeth me beside the still waters = That's Refreshment!


He restoreth my soul = That's Healing!


He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness = That's Guidance!


For His name sake = That's Purpose!


Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death = That's Testing!


I will fear no evil = That's Protection!


For Thou art with me = That's Faithfulness!


Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me = That's Discipline!


Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies = That's Hope!


Thou anoints my head with oil = That's Consecration!


My cup runneth over = That's Abundance!


Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life = That's Blessing!


And I will dwell in the house of the Lord = That's Security!


Forever = That's Eternity!