Big Plans for 2020

I’ve seen quite a few social media posts where people are sharing their “word” for 2020. Are you picking a word or a character trait to work on in the coming year?

I enjoy writing lists! Last year on New Year’s Eve, I stayed up late writing a huge list of all the things I'd love to accomplish in 2019. Mainly, it was a fun brainstorming session.

I started the year with high hopes for lots of accomplishments. But six months into 2019, a feeling of failure hit me. While many of those fabulous ideas still churned in my head, I’d hardly put a dent in my list and the year was fading fast. I was tiptoeing into discouragement, and I had to do something else quickly.

So, I erased the bullet points on my planning board and made a downsized list. By November, I revamped it again.

I learned that while my goal setting is meant to motivate and inspire me, it can also drag me down like weights around my neck. I don't want that to happen in the new year.

I want something better for you—and for me—in 2020!

If you're working on a yearly to-do list, or choosing that special word, and it inspires you, encourages you to think joyful thoughts, or helps you stay focused on the wonderful things in your life, that’s awesome! Keep doing those things!

But, if something doesn’t turn out the way you hoped, don’t let it whisper “failure," either. Give yourself a break. And, if others don’t succeed at their “word” or goals, give them a break, too.

We all need to have more grace with each other, and with ourselves.

Also, it’s fine to revamp the plan, make a new list, or choose a different “word” at any point throughout the year.

Why do our goals, plans, or word have to be set for a whole year or set on January 1st?

What about if we did a planning session on the first day of every month? Or the first day of every new season. Or even once a week.

The main thing is to find out what creative planning works best for you.

This New Year’s Eve I’m not making any lists. If I were going to pick a word for 2020, it would be “stubborn.” I want to be stubborn about some good things. And I’d only do that topic during the month of January.

In February it would be something else—like finding joy!

Maybe in March, I’d pick dancing to a different song each day.

Life is an adventure and we don’t have to compare or contrast achievements with anyone else. We don’t have to set goals or make plans like anyone else is doing.

Find out what works for you and do that!

Do what inspires you and brings creativity and hope in 2020!

May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed. Psalm 20:4

Happy 2020 to all of us!

Mary

Journey of a Mosaic

Have you ever wanted to do something, but you didn't quite know how to accomplish it? That was me on my journey to creating a unique table.

In April of '18 we bought a house and then spent a couple of months remodeling it. For a centerpiece for our ocean-themed home, I wanted to find a special dinner table. We visited local furniture stores and checked out tables online. Nothing grabbed our attention. Well, one did, but it was too expensive.

In July, I began playing with the idea of making a mosaic tabletop. Not a simple one, either. This would be a big project. Might take two weeks or something. ;)

I watched YouTube videos and spent lots of time looking at mosaics on Pinterest. I had some design ideas of my own--it had to be about the ocean, and not just to go along with our decor. I was writing a book about a seaside town. I'd lived on an island in Alaska for twenty-five years. I love the sea, so it just had to be.

About ten years ago, I bought a few pottery plates from the thrift store and busted them all up with a hammer--that was cool. Then I made an extremely simple mosaic on an end table. Perhaps that experiment gave me the courage to tackle a bigger project in the world of mosaics.

My husband, Jason, built a farm-style table and painted the top white. I ordered a bunch of glass mosaic tiles. I had no idea how many pieces it would take. I shopped at www.mosaicartsupply.com and chose tiles by color.

Honestly, I didn't know what I was getting into with this project. But I can say, I loved almost every step of the process. A friend asked me how long I thought it would take to do a mosaic that size, and I really did tell her two weeks. (Big chuckle.)

Our table is about 3' x 5', and we needed a sketch. I tell people my drawing skills are that of a five year old. But I determinedly spread out freezer paper and drew my design on it. Don't laugh!

Originally, I was going to do a scalloped circular design in the center, with an Alaskan scene in the middle. But then, we purchased a captain's wheel at an antique store and put it on the living room wall, so my design changed to replicate its shape.

I needed a more detailed drawing now. Jason's artistic skills bailed me out again. Thanks, Jas!

I used carbon paper beneath the sketch--I know, they still sell that stuff?--and I traced over the top to get this design transferred onto the table.

I decided to put a shell design in each corner of the tabletop, making freestyle, colorful waves going around the perimeter. At first, I used bright colorful pieces for the shells--I don't have a picture of that stage. But when they turned out looking more like cartoon shells, I scraped them off--which was difficult once they were glued down and dried--and then it was back to the drawing board. About that time, a friend gave me a shell that I loved. So I used it as inspiration in the new design. I think that turned out better.

My waves are, I admit, still quite colorful and cartoonish. If I were starting over, I would choose teal or gray for a better water color instead of the brighter green. Oh, well. I wasn't willing to scrape that part off.

Most of the mosaic tiles had to be cut at least once, sometimes two or three times to get the shape and size I wanted. I tried to make action in the waves around the sides with a mismatch of color and tiles going in different directions.

Finally, the exciting day came when the outer portion of the table was finished. I could now work on the four ripples of water. This was an emotional phase for me because of the symbolism I envisioned. I arranged four dinner plates on the table to make equal sizes for the ripples, and drew around them.Then, in the center of each circle, I placed an inch-wide gray tile, trimmed in a circular shape, that would represent a rock. Four rocks in the center of four ripples, symbolically thrown into the sea of life--our four kids making their own ripples in this world. Gets me teary still. I loved working on those ripples, praying for and thinking about my kiddos who are all grown now, while I did it.

The tile work was slow. Much slower than two weeks! My hands ached from all the cutting, but I was determined to have my table ready by Thanksgiving. (In all, it took about four months of part-time work.) I was also busy writing and editing a book. However, I worked on the table in the evenings when I didn't want to stare at a computer screen any longer. Doing anything artistic is therapeutic and inspirational for me. I loved experimenting with this mosaic! Piece by piece, it formed into something new and interesting.

Each time I moved to a different section of the table it was exciting. It was so much fun to see the pieces coming together, making a whole.

Here, I must say, I told myself I probably wouldn't like the finished product once I grouted it. I'd read that using a dark grout was best for a piece of art. That it makes the design pop out better. But part of me wanted to keep it light. I'd grouted with dark gray around white stones for the back-splash in my kitchen, and I didn't like it at first, either. Time would tell about this one.

I couldn't wait to begin tiling the center of this project. I feared doing it too. It would be more intricate in design. The pieces smaller. A more challenging scene.

I kept cutting glass and filling in more and more white space. I ordered mosaic tiles four times!

The center picture took a lot longer than I thought it would. The boat lines were the hardest--so very thin.

Also, I struggled with recreating the northern lights. How could I make the gorgeous lights I'd seen in Alaska look like they were dancing in a mosaic picture? I tried various colors. Turned the pieces this way and that. Some I scraped off. Tried again. And again. Sigh.

Finally, for better or for worse, the glass work was done. Hallelujah! Now came the scariest part of all: grouting. Covering the whole design with goo, not knowing how it would turn out, freaked me out. Would I hate the finished project? Once I started, there was no turning back. Part of me didn't want to move forward. However, Thanksgiving was drawing near.

When I put the grout on this center portion, I was so nervous. What if I couldn't get it off? I also had to try not to make a mess of the other parts I'd already finished and cleaned.

It did work! Yay! And I didn't hate it. However, like I thought, I didn't love the darker grout around the white ripples.

The change was an adjustment for my artistic side. Although, after a month of looking at it, and smoothing my hands over it, I can affirm that the dark grout ties all the elements together in a cool way, making one "mosaic" out of many pieces.

Kind of reminds me of the body of Christ. Alone we are jewels, shining bright. But together, we create an awesome, beautiful picture of love and grace and resilience.

Jason stained the table legs and sides black. I spent about eight hours running a tiny brush dipped in sealant over the tiny lines of grout around every piece of glass, being careful not to get liquid on the tiles. That was challenging, but the time was worth it in preserving the integrity of the grout. Some people have asked if we are going to put a glass piece over the tabletop. We've decided not to do that. In the future, if something stains the grout, it will become part of the picture, changing through the years--kind of like us.

We used the table at Thanksgiving and Christmas!

And I can say, I'm hooked on mosaic artistry. I can't wait to begin my next project. I hope these photos will inspire you to give mosaics a try too.

~

Mary Hanks writes inspirational romances about couples finding their way back to love and grace. She also enjoys dabbling in various art forms. To follow her journey, "like" her author facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/MaryEHanksAuthor

Waiting Again?

Waiting can seem endless.

Like life is flying by for everyone.

But me.

When will my turn come?

Will things change for the better?

Ever been there?

If you’re like me, you've experienced the waiting season many times.

Waiting can be so hard. But hope keeps us watching for something good.

Maybe the house will sell this week.

I might get that job I applied for.

My acceptance letter could come soon.

Tomorrow, I'll feel better.

Do you count the days until you're going on a trip or to a special event?

I do. But there are times when we don't know how long it will take for something we're waiting for to happen.

I waited a whole year for my house to sell. We'd spent several months remodeling, and then we moved out at the end of last summer, thinking it would sell right away. But after six weeks and the place didn't sell, we moved back in, feeling a little defeated. Had we made the wrong choice in trying to sell? Did we jump the gun on God's plan for us? We didn't know the answers. So we spent the winter and spring and summer in our country home--that was quite nice since it was freshly painted and beautiful--allowing it to be shown in all the seasons, but not knowing if it would actually sell. It required special financing, so the right person had to come along. Would that happen?

We kept praying. And waiting. And I wrote a book. :)

Finally, toward the end of this summer, the house sold. Hallelujah! Our waiting time was over. Then we had a lot to accomplish to get everything out of the house again and to do the final cleaning. It was comical because the next weeks went by really fast. Time is like that. When we're hyper-focused on what's not happening and we're stuck in the waiting season, everything seems to take a long time. Then zoom. We're on the fast track, and we can't believe how quickly the days go by.

But, oh, those waiting times ...

Remember when you were a kid waiting for summer break? Then, later, did you tire of summer and get super excited for school to start? Then, did you turn around and count the days until Christmas?

Or have you waited for a highly-anticipated event, like a wedding or for a baby to be born? Those months can seem like forever.

Or, perhaps, you're in a waiting season now.

Maybe you're waiting for someone to return from military service.

Or for the grandchildren to visit.

Or to take a long-awaited trip.
Or you're waiting for a job.

Or for a healing or a personal need to be met.

Life has many waiting seasons.

Does this particular season seem to be taking forever?
If so, I totally empathize with you.

And while I admit to being a less-than-successful waiter at times, here are a few practical ideas that have helped me during my seasons of waiting. 

Try to stay busy. Start a project or hobby. Paint a picture (or the house). Do puzzles. Write a book. Time really does seem to go by faster when you're busy.

Visit with friends. Don't become a hermit, which is my tendency. Get out and have coffee and a nice chat with a friend as often as possible. Sharing your struggles with someone who understands helps. As does hearing about someone else's life, which can make our own problems, or waiting time, not seem quite as bad.

Laugh. (Snicker, giggle, guffaw.) Become childlike. Sometimes I take myself and what's happening around me way too seriously. Laughter is medicinal. Tell stories and laugh. Watch a funny movie. Really belly laugh. Life is beautiful. And honestly, even though it may not seem like it right now, life is passing by fast. Let's look for ways to enjoy it.

Read. Take an adventure through reading. A waiting season is a great time to visit the library and get a stack of books, or download books on your kindle, and experience life in someone else's shoes.

Maybe you've always been interested in treasure hunting. Now is the perfect time to read books on that topic. Maybe you've wanted to learn knitting. Grab a how-to book--and a skein of yarn and needles. No better time to learn than now!

Walk. Get a step counting app and see the world around you by walking and keeping track of your steps. Have a competitive friend or spouse? Make a race of it to see who can do the most steps in a week or month. Winner buys dinner or coffee?

Pray. Hope. Believe good is on the way. Because surely it is. Also, pray for others. Being concerned about others helps us get our mind off of our woes.


I confess that I've struggled with my waiting times. Why doesn't God answer sooner? Did I sin and that's keeping Him from resolving my dilemma? Did I miss the boat? Depression and low self-esteem can sneak in and rob my joy way too easily.

But it seems to me that waiting is a kind of testing ground of personal struggle that builds something good and strong in us. Like this verse says: "We know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." (Rom 5:3-4) Waiting can be a form of suffering, that builds strength, which builds character, and we can learn from that process, if only we are willing.

A friend of ours would say, "What is God trying to say to you in this situation?" 

Which makes me sit back and ponder, is God teaching me something through my waiting? Do I need more character building? Um, probably so. But it can be such a painful process.

Lastly, looking for the good in a situation, and being thankful, can be a powerful stepping stone to hope. Jason and I realized we were extremely thankful for a warm house during the winter. We got the chance to say goodbye to a home that had been the last place we lived in with our four kids. It seemed we needed the sentimental time of letting go. God knows our hearts and what we need, sometimes even when we don't realize it ourselves.

If you are in a waiting time right now, I pray that you find peace and joy right in the middle of the struggle. And that you will see how hope can overcome discouragement--even in a waiting season.

And don't forget, something good may be just around the corner.

Got Hope? Share It!

I’ve gone through some rough patches lately. Maybe you have too. So many times I’ve wanted to open my heart and tell someone—other than my husband who didn’t quite understand, but I love him anyway—about the things I was struggling with. I promised myself in 2016 to be more vulnerable in writing and in real life, yet when the storm came, I shriveled into myself. Hey, secrets were a way of life when I was a child. I learned how to keep everything to myself really well. It’s hard to bust out of that mode.

I do wish I could express myself better. I’ve found it’s easier to do that through stories where bits and pieces of me are revealed.

I often think about sharing life experiences through blogging. I ponder how other women and wives reveal their struggles so magnificently, and I wish I could be vulnerable and expose my flaws too. Then I remember I’m me, and I think no one wants to hear about that stuff anyway. For me, it takes time and trust to even crack open the door to people I’ve known for a long time. And I wonder about the gal who tells all about her marriage and kids. How does her family feel about the personal stuff she reveals?

So when 2017 rolled around and—Hallelujah!—I’d survived, and the Lord assured me He could fix me, I sat down to type out my feelings, hoping to release my first blog of the new year. I wrote, edited, and rewrote for about three hours. The result? Blech. How could I write about the low place I’d hit that left me with no will to write, lost confidence, and disappointments in life that made me feel like a big failure. It was a wilderness I’d never been to before. My husband didn’t know what to do with me. I didn’t know what to do with me.

Back to writing ... the next day I tackled the same topic using a lighter tone. What I needed was some wit! I know people who can write with such great humor, and I wish I could write funnier. In the midst of my struggle, I could have used a dose of laughter. Instead, it was foggy and empty and nothing to laugh about. Even in my writing, I didn’t want to relive the hurt. The blog couldn’t encompass the reality of my journey. But maybe writing it out, struggling through the words, helped me look back and understand some things.

We all go through difficulties. No, I’m not prophesying. It’s life. Of course, we don’t want the rough patches. Who would choose that? But we can “count it all joy.” Even the people who I admire the most, the ones who have the strongest, seemingly unmovable, faith have gone through trials and struggles. They rarely mention it. Oh, they tell me glorious faith stories of God moving powerfully in their lives, of inspirational times when God came through for them in miraculous ways. Yet, here and there, in a quiet conversation, I’ve heard small nuggets of their hard times. Which is good for me to hear. To relate to. I marvel at how they came through ... stronger, more resilient, more confident in a loving God who worked in their lives, their kids’ lives, and their destinies ... even when they didn’t know what He was doing. That gives me hope.

Hope reaches out to us like a tiny light in our darkest hour. Sometimes it’s through a friend’s hug of encouragement. That whispered “It’s going to be okay.” Sometimes it finds us through a scripture, a poem, even one of those thoughtful memes. Or maybe it’s through a story. And sometimes, God speaks right to our heart. “Hold on, kiddo. Good is on its way.”

If you find yourself going through suffering—family difficulties, job issues, sickness, grieving, disappointments and life’s struggles, to name a few—hold on. God loves you so much. He hasn’t forgotten you. There’s a deep river of peace and joy and hope that we can tap into. Think on good things. Look at the beauty in God’s creation. Read the Psalms or your favorite verses. Do something you enjoy. And breathe. It is going to be okay. You will get through this.

I was at a craft fair in December, and someone I’ve known for a long time came to my booth. We exchanged the casual “How are things going?” And for some reason, I shared just a little of how I’d been feeling down. She told me something very similar. In the middle of a crowded auditorium of customers and booths, we hugged and shared our feelings of inadequacy—and our hope in a big God who brings us through stuff.

If you know someone who is struggling in life, listen and be sympathetic, but also share hope. Tell them it’s going to be okay. God will see them through. If someone trusts you enough to tell you what they’ve been going through, just listen. It’s okay to share something similar you’ve experienced—that’s relating and understanding. But your story doesn’t have to be worse or harder or more devastating. They are the ones in the struggle right then. Listen. Hug them, if they’ll allow it. Pray for them. It’s good to hear that someone cares.

God is restoring me. This writing—my third attempt—is proof. Joy and peace have wiggled back into my heart—almost when I wasn’t looking. I’m still trusting Jesus for complete healing. His grace and understanding are beyond measure. I won’t give up on Him; He never gave up on me. He has the words of eternal life. He is my stability in the midst of an unstable world. He is my peace in the middle of chaos. He is love when I feel unlovable. He is light in the dark.

I need hope. You need hope.

When something good happened unexpectedly, my mother used to say, “Isn’t that just a sweet caress from the Lord?”

Yes, it is.

May you feel His gentle hug of hope today. And then share it!

Mary Hanks writes stories of second chances.

We all need a second chance sometime.

Hope or not?

Jason and I were recently walking in the woods and talking about how thankful we are that we don't know all the things in advance that will happen in our lives. Everyone will go through some storms, right? But isn't it great that we don't know exactly what trials are ahead or when they'll happen?

I thank God for this "not" knowing. I mean, if I knew the exact hurts and struggles I'd have to endure, I'd do everything in my power to avoid those experiences—and shortchange myself in the long run. Let's take boating for example. If I'd known that horrendous storm was going to whip up, I wouldn't have gone on the skiff that day, maybe ever. I mean, a storm could come up at any time in open waters. We could spend our whole life worrying about what storm might hit next. And I would have feared my way through never enjoying the ocean again.

If we could see ahead to the pain of loss, physical ailments, broken dreams, financial struggles, whatever, that we might face, it would be overwhelming. We could get lost in worry and fear. Instead, one thing keeps us floating and anticipating the future:

~Hope~

Hope is a such a blessing in our lives. It's like a buoyant lifesaving ring carrying us through the difficulties.

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1

Hope isn't just a wish that everything will turn out okay. "I hope it's going to be sunny tomorrow." Instead, it goes beyond that and morphs into a certainty that good is around the corner. Hope is a knowing in our hearts. "I know God is doing a beautiful thing in my life." That even though storms may come, God is working things out for my good. "God will see me through."

Hope is anticipating color in the midst of monochrome. Light in the darkness. Warmth in the cold. Spring after winter.

Job, while going through the biggest storms imaginable, said, "Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him." Wow! That's a huge kind of hope. It shows hope isn't based on anything happening around us. It's a rock-solid assurance for goodness and peace--and trusting God is in control of everything.

On the other side of the spectrum, when we lose hope, we really do feel sick. "Hope deferred makes the heart sick." (Proverbs 13:1) Sometimes we have to remind ourselves to be revived with hope. I found this good one in Psalm 42: "Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him."

I have so much richness in my life. Things I'm eternally thankful for. And one of those is hope. I look forward to miracles and abundance and promises for my family and friends and me. I want to speak the name of Jesus over storms that come my way. To trust completely in His love.

I'm reminded of another storm where Jesus was sleeping in a boat. The disciples would have made it fine to the other side, but they didn't know that. In the midst of wind and waves and fear, they temporarily lost hope.

Jesus being in my boat is hope . . . and peace.

Thank You, Lord, for hope.