Farewell Simply Remind Me, Hello Beth Hildebrand

Well…the day has finally arrived. 

I’m finally letting you know about our new place. 

Yep.  We’re moving.

“What?!”, you might say?  To let you know, we’re not moving out of the country, the state or even small town Gibsonville.  In fact, I’m staying right where I am in this sunroom, one of my favorite places to be.

I’m just moving to a new, little space on the internet.

I have a new blog.

Want to know why?  Then come on over here and find out!

Simply Remind Me has been my virtual space name for almost 2 years but I felt it was time for a change.  I plan to stay at this new blog address for quite some time. 

I made it pretty easy to remember…www.BethHildebrand.com

You’re welcome to visit and see the new look.  My new vision.  My new website.  You’re also welcome to subscribe if you’d like!

It’s very simple.  Pretty plain.  But that’s what I need, and maybe you too?  Plain and simple in this complex and busy world.  I hope it’ll be a place where it can slow you down for a moment to take a deep breath.  To be a time to rest and bring some encouragement. And hopefully it’ll spur you on to discover the gifts and beauty inside you so you’ll be unashamed of your personal missions, your passions and purposes defined by the word of truth.

I invite you to come on over.  Thank you for the times you’ve stopped here.  I hope you’ll visit and you’re welcome to say hi. I’m excited to start this new chapter and you’re invited to be part of it.

{If you have subscribed here it won’t carry over to my new one because it’s a new domain.  So, if you like to continue that, you’ll have to subscribe over there.  }

A New Overwhelmed {and Announcement!}

As you can see, I decided to come back.  Back in June I was all done. Whatever that meant at the time.  I really didn’t know exactly what that meant, but I did know I needed some spiritual whitespace and rest.  So I did. 

I’m so glad I did.  

This past spring I guess I did myself in.  It wasn’t until I was in too deep to realize I had agreed to do too many things.  Why is that so easy to do?   I felt overwhelmed by the feeling of being overwhelmed.  It was overwhelming because this stay-at-home mom was never home because she found it hard to say "no".  There were unavoidable responsibilities. There was also a feeling of needing to do something for the Kingdom but battling with what it is I'm to do and when to do something.   I was frustrated because I wanted to write (for my sanity) but my mind was too frazzled to concentrate. Those responsibilities and feelings robbed rest and content right from my soul. 

I was at the point where I needed to create a space around me that would protect me from going completely off the deep end and being grumpy or exhausted all the time.  Thankfully when school ended, many of those things I was responsible for ended too.  But I also had to put a hold on some other things too.  Writing on my blog was one of them.  

So, for a few months I've done that.  Instead, I've been reading more, walking with my husband early in the morning, hanging out at the pool with the kids and friends and doing little projects around the house.  We've had vacation and time with family and friends.  All things I needed…we needed.

But now it’s a new school year (where my babies started middle school and high school this year, oh dear!). It’s time for new pencils.  It’s time for new notebooks that aren’t bent and wrinkled up on the corners.  Those notebooks when you open them up and it’s page after page of white space with those light blue lines and nothing written on them.  Ahhhh!  What a lovely thing to see and a feel! (at least it is for this one).

During the summer, I heard Big Daddy Weave's newest song on the radio and while I was driving by the retirement community (I remember exactly where I was when I first heard this song), the words grabbed my attention. 

When I heard the song, the memories of how I felt a few months ago rushed quickly to my mind simply because that word is hard to avoid because it can be so big and loud.

Overwhelmed.  But this overwhelm is used differently than the overwhelm I was feeling.  The overwhelm described in this song is the overwhelmed I want to be.   

I delight myself in You
Captivated by Your beauty
I’m overwhelmed, I’m overwhelmed by You

And I am.

I’m overwhelmed by God’s grace and love for me and for you and for His children.

I’ve decided this year instead of being overwhelmed with a to-do list, I'm choosing to be overwhelmed by God's goodness and grace and redeeming love.  I'm choosing to be overwhelmed by His power to make things happen through us and the gifts He gives us to share all of that with others however way possible.  I’m choosing to be overwhelmed with hope.

This world needs every little bit and every huge amount of hope.

With whatever amount of hope I needed, I held onto over the summer. While taking a little rest, I’ve been patiently waiting for direction and timing and I think now’s the time.  We’ll see!  

While it is whatever you have to do this fall as a “new year” begins, may you be overwhelmed by the beauty of His grace and truth and love and purpose for you.

And now for the announcement!  

I want to let you know that I’ll have a new look and name in my space here on the internet.  So stay tuned because next week I'm going to launch my new website/blog.  I’ll share my new address and my first post there next week so stay tuned!

I hope to see you then!  And thank you.  Really.  Thanks for stopping by. 

Being overwhelmed...a good way!

A summer confession and dare

Confession:   I enjoy summer with days lighter longer, seeing lightning bugs at dusk, picking a ripe - bigger-than-your-palm tomato off the bush in our back yard and eating it on a piece of bread with a little mayo, hearing the recorded children's songs in the distance becoming louder as kids holler for some money as the ice cream van approaches, along with some vacation time and reading a good book.

It can be a refreshing break from the routine I'm used to the other 10 months of the year.  Most of that is a good thing, but there's one thing that's not so great about it: In the summer I struggle…

{I’m still taking a little rest from blogging, but today I’m writing for SMC Women here, if you’d like to finish reading my story.  And even though I’m taking some time to rest, I can’t stop giving thanks and giving God the glory for them all.} 

Still taking the Joy Dare and giving God thanks for these…

#2101  organizing an “outreach” and coordinating our street cookout for first time

#2102  getting to meet neighbors for the first time

#2103  broccoli salad

#2104  inviting neighbor to read Restless with me

#2105  her accepting the invitation and asking if a friend can join in!

#2106  God’s perfect timing…she stayed on my mind for a couple of months and she’s been praying for a mentor.  We finally meet face to face.

#2107  kids having fun on a golf cart driving around the neighborhood

#2108  the butterfly in the grass

#2109  the text from a neighbor afterwards saying thanks for the cookout and included 1 Peter 4:8-10

#2110  kids having fun at the 5th grade celebration

#2111  photo booths

#2112  dancing on a field

#2113  husband playing a game on daughter’s field day at school

#2114  watching kids squeal with delight when sprayed with water

#2115  for the many ways the Holy Spirit speaks to me and has been ministering to me

#2116  opening the Bible asking God for a verse for encouragement.  I opened to Psalm 32:8  “I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go.  I will counsel you and watch over you.”  It.Was.Perfect.  I.So.Needed.That.Reminder.

#2117  gardenias blooming

#2118  days getting closer to when sis leaves for China!

#2119  friends back to small group who have been gone for so long

#2120  our small group

#2121  the lady beside me at Chick Fil a who told me her story about moving to a new state.

#2122  Helping plan the Splash party to celebrate the past 6 years together.

#2123  pool party for daughter’s Splash class…together for 6 years and counting.

#2124  so grateful and appreciative of daughter’s 5th grade teacher

#2125  hard eucharisteo (thanksgiving) – the word WAIT showing up everywhere, every day...and mostly used the way telling me to.

#2126  Hearing Lysa TerKeurst interview on Compel Training talk about being a writer.  She said not to give up writing like I said I was doing last night.

#2127  wearing sweatpants and a jacket for the morning walk on June 2

#2128  Knowing God pursues me

#2129  Smelling gardenia while making lunches for kids on the last day of EOG

#2130  Seeing the to do list get smaller and smaller

#2131  seeing friends from years ago unexpectedly at local restaurant

#2132  My husband’s parents giving us the Christmas gift a week with family at the beach being used!

#2133  fried shrimp

#2134  Psalm 19 on the lifeguard stand at 6am

#2135  digging holes in the sand

#2136  afternoon beach sea shell walks with daughter

#2137  family beach photos

#2138  looking up to my 14 yr son (and we’re on level sand)

#2139  visiting with college friend

#2140  building sandcastles

#2141  rainbow over the ocean…and capturing a picture of our kids and a sailboat in front of it

#2142  early morning sunrises with Jesus on the beach

 

#2143  watching sunrise with my husband on Father’s Day

#2144  so grateful for my Dad

#2145  so grateful for my husband, the father of our children

#2146  so grateful for Abba

#2147  laughing so hard at beach game night

#2148  seeing dolphin jump completely out of the ocean 3 times (boy I wish I got a pic of that)

#2149  guys going to see fighter jets

#2150  huge red moon rising over the ocean

#2151  My sis and her family got to hug and hold their new, adopted son for the first time!!!! 

#2152  Face Timing with them in China!

#2153  sitting down after timing at the summer swim meet that lasted for hours

#2154  taking niece and nephew to the Children’s Museum

#2155  Dad and niece painting

#2156  loving rivalry

#2157  celebrating my dad’s 70th birthday

#2158  my dad’s smile

#2159  the smile-lines surround his eyes the prove his smiles

#2160  his quiet spirit

#2161  his love for our family

#2162  husband grilling burgers and making homemade potato chips for dad’s birthday dinner

#2163  making golf cake with daughter

#2164  niece and nephew spending a few days with us

#2165  going to eat snow balls on a 100* summer afternoon

#2166  finishing the book “A Million Little Ways: Uncovering the Art You Were Made to Live” by Emily P. Freeman.  Words cannot describe how beautiful, challenging, artistic, heart-stirring, tear-making and confirming that book is for me…and anyone who reads it.  I HIGHLY RECOMMEND reading it.

Today’s Promise

All done...

I just didn’t know how to express it.  I didn’t know if I should even bother to bring it up.

But it’s about to be a new season…summertime…and for the first time since I was a kid in school, I’ve been looking forward to summer.  I don’t really care for the heat, humidity, sweat and mosquito bites.  I’d take autumn any day.  It also throws me off the track of having a “regular schedule” which I seem to like.

For some reason I need something different, even though change isn’t always easy for me.

Honestly after a little meltdown the other night this hot-mess frustratingly told herself she was done.  All done.  Done blogging and done writing.

But a couple of days after that not-so-joyful-moment, I was reading a post from Chatting at the Sky as Emily wrote about the importance of having spiritual whitespace, referring to a new book on the bookstore shelves. 

That’s exactly what I was feeling…needing space… but had been wrestling with it. 

I was wrestling because it’s hard to let go of some things sometimes…and hard for me to say “no”.

I’ve been wrestling with all the busyness of spring events that have finally wound down but left me a little frazzled.

And honestly, wresting with the evil one who’s been trying to make me quit.  Quit writing.  Hang up my hat.  “All done” as I hold my hands up and shake them, all fingers stretched out – what I did in front of our babies as I taught them what “all done” means in sign language.

I know though I need to put on my big-girl pants.  I’m not going to let the evil one win this one. I’ve come to realize I need to give myself some spiritual whitespace to breathe. 

I don’t know exactly how much space I need though.  It might be for a couple of weeks or a couple of months.

I need to clear the clutter. Create some whitespace to leave space for other things.  I often read other writers who say the best things to write about are simply “real life” experiences and how God is in the midst of it.  Lately I feel my head has been so cluttered, I haven’t had time to take notice of how God is working and speaks in every day things in my life.

That late night when I had that little “come-to-Jesus” moment, I told Him I needed to read something to ease my struggle.  I wanted a Psalm.  I didn’t know which one but I opened my Bible, praying it be one that’s Just.Right.  And Just.Right. it was.  

The pages fell open to Psalm 32.  Years ago I had underlined verse 8, which I had forgotten so I looked to see what was written for me that night. 

“I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go.  I will counsel you and watch over you.”

It left me word-less.

And ever since then words have been appearing in all sorts of places – books, computer screens, post office doors and Target stores -  that have to do with resting and waiting.

I read just yesterday a post about needing rest from writing that pretty much confirmed I’ve made the right decision.  The writer said, taking seasons of deliberate rest are critical for the creative soul’s restoration and rejuvenation.

And that can be for any area of life…for anyone.

She also said,

“…when I finally surrendered to the quiet, I started to hear things, words began to gather again in my mind. God reminded me of stories I have yet to tell. I also began to dream again. I had visions. Fresh ideas percolating. Inspiration glowed at the edges of my mind–a new dream unfolding.

So, here I go.  Taking a deep breath and exhaling it slowly and excited to see what I’m going to do with a little extra time and what I’ll learn the next…I don’t know how long. 

May each of you who’ve taken the time to visit my little corner of the blogosphere, thank you.  My heartfelt gratitude goes to you and I’ll be back.  I think I’d go crazy if I didn’t.  

This summer I hope you will also make space to breathe, to rest and to rejuvenate yourselves from the inside out.   

Trusting Him,

Beth

{It’s Five Minute Friday and today’s word is HANDS.  I know it did take a little over five minutes to write this post, but I wrote it yesterday and *it happened* to include today’s word “hands” already so I thought I’d join in the invitation…}

What I learned in May 2014

It’s already the end of the month of May.  End of the school year routine.  End of the comfortable, warm spring days.  Even as things come to an end, that also means it’s time for What I’ve learned in the month of May.  Joining in with Emily P. Freeman’s Chatting in the Sky for the monthly link up sharing what I’ve learned this past month.

Here it goes…

1. Humans of New York  Check out this Facebook page if you’d like: The About reads:

“Hey there. My name is Brandon and I began Humans of New York in the summer of 2010, shortly after leaving my job in Finance. (OK, I actually got fired.) I started HONY because I thought it would be really cool to create an exhaustive catalogue of New York City's inhabitants, so I set out to photograph 10,000 New Yorkers and plot their photos on a map. Somewhere along the way, I began to interview my subjects in addition to photographing them. And alongside their portraits, I'd include quotes and short stories from their lives.
Taken together, these portraits and captions became the subject of a vibrant blog. HONY now has over six million followers on social media, and provides a worldwide audience with daily glimpses into the lives of strangers on the streets of New York City.”

There are some interesting and eclectic people he interviews for sure! 

Ok…that’s my new dream job.  I’m kind of serious. 

2.  There are 83.3 million dogs in the US.  Doggone…that’s a lot of dogs!  I think I heard that random fact on K-LOVE morning show. 

3.  Do you know what a “cousin once or twice removed” means?  I do now.  Our family had the privilege to get away for a weekend to go to my great aunt’s 90th birthday.  She still such a spunky lady.  That night after the party, out on the porch overlooking the lake, my extended family somehow got on the subject of who a cousin removed is.  Not removed from the family but one who is on the family tree.  Thanks to Genealogy.com, we found the answer.

So maybe you leaned that like I did!

4.  You won’t get germs if you hold a owl pellet.  Yes, an owl pellet.  And it’s really not all that gross.  I chaperoned my daughter’s class when they went on a field trip to a huge outdoor classroom at Camp Caraway in NC.  It’s a great children's outdoor recreation and nature study program called ACORNS.  They got to do and learn all sorts of things about science through the great outdoors on that pretty spring day.  They even got to ride a zipline!  But the most interesting fact I learned was about all the things you can find in an owl pellet.  The instructor with his dry sense of humor did tell us beforehand that each pellet was sanitized…in an oven.  The kids tore them open and found all sorts of goodies including bones from other animals the owl ate and their fur. Yummy.

5.  I’m learning how to play the waiting game.  I’ll be honest: I don’t like to play the game called “Wait”.  But what if the purpose of the game is to teach you how to be still and while you do, learn to listen so you’ll know when to step into what’s unseen- a step of faith?  I’m still being taught this one because the word “wait” keeps appearing in many things I unintentionally read or hear almost every day.  Today in the car flipping through stations on the radio the song I Will Wait was on …have you ever thought of using those words as a prayer to God?

6.  Speaking of the radio, listening to the radio on the way to some extracurricular event for our children, we learned from John Tesh’s radio show that Granny apples have most nutrients over any other apple.  The Golden apples has the least nutrients.   The next time I went to the grocery story, I got some Granny apples. 

Here’s a recipe I’ve had for a while for the best apple crisp…and I’ve always used Granny’s!

Quick Apple Crisp

You need:  5 Granny apples, 1 package (9oz) yellow cake mix, 2 Tablespoons sugar, 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 cup butter or margarine (melted) 1/2 cup chopped nut (optional), vanilla ice cream

1.  Preheat the oven to 350*.  Peel, core and slice apples.  Cut apples in half crosswise.  Place apples in deep dish baker.

2.  Combine remaining ingredients, except ice cream.  Mix unti. crumbly.  Sprinkle mixture evenly over apples. 

3.  Bake 35-40 minutes or until apples are tender.  Serve warm with ice cream. 

Delish!

 

Until next time…

It’s going to be cray-zee!

“Though we wake up every morning on a fractured planet and though pieces of our brokenness still flake off every day, we have found in Christ a joy beyond all other joys, and we are prepared by His boundless grace to persevere to the very end....till our faith becomes sight, till we see Him face to face. Till we are completely changed.
God be praised.”~ Matt Chandler

I thank a sister through Christ for posting that quote on her Facebook page and it happening to be on my news feed last week.  I needed to read that.  Still do.

The school year is about to end and now’s when I need the last push of adrenaline for the next two weeks.  It’s going to be CRAY-ZEE!  It needs to be a big push so I can see the finish line.  So I cry out…

God, I want to live the next two weeks with enthusiasm, with joy, with some quietness in between the chaos.  With revelations, with lessons learned, with seeing Your story in the midst of busyness. Daily tell me what You want me to do.  Show me where to see You.

Help me to see where You want me to go.

to see what I need to surrender.

to see what I say “yes” and “no” to. 

to see my next step and direction.

to see my faith manifest

to see names to reach to.

          to see Your glory and goodness.

I want to rest in the thousands of unseen works God is doing around me and through me….today, tomorrow and “till I see You face to face.’

 

Praying that prayer for not only me, but for you – moms with children in school about to end and also needing that prayer.

In that quote Chandler says, “we have found in Christ a joy beyond all other joys…”  Speaking of joy, here’s my most recent joys I’m counting and thanking God for…

#2056  my rose bushes first blooms and putting them in a vase to enjoy

#2057  the strong fragrance of the red rose

#2058  seeing a bright, blue indigo bunting on our bird feeder.  Haven’t seen one in years

#2059  the text a sister thru Christ sent me giving me Jesus’ Calling reading.

#2060  hearing the sound of baby birds now knowing where they are

#2061  discovering chickadees built a nest in our bird house

#2062  baby birds calling out to their parents

#2063  lunch at Wendy’s with V and new friend C

#2064  Hearing C’s calling deep inside…first time I meet her…skipping the weather and where you’re from.

#2065  the Mother’s Day card my daughter made me

#2066  new wall hang as Mother’s Day gift

#2067  back to the most relaxing place…friends’ lake house

#2068  our friends who always open their lake house door

#2069  the wind chimes on the porch at the lake house

#2070  beautiful, spring, warm day at the lake

#2071  reuniting with family…close and distant.

#2072  Gran laughing on the dock

#2073  celebrating great aunt’s 90th birthday

#2074  joy of watching the joy on faces of nieces and nephew on extreme

#2075  riding extreme with my sis

#2076  a blanket of clouds being pulled back showing stars and the bright moonshining on the lake at 12:30am

#2077  God placing Colossians 2:6-7 (MSG) on my heart at midnight on the deck.

#2078  “My counsel for you is simple and straightforward: Just go ahead with what you’ve been given. You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live him. You’re deeply rooted in him. You’re well constructed upon him. You know your way around the faith. Now do what you’ve been taught. School’s out; quit studying the subject and start living it! And let your living spill over into thanksgiving.”

#2079  in silence hearing the gentle rhythm of geese wings flap overhead

#2080  stopping on the side of the road to take a picture of a field filled with yellow flowers

 

#2081  the post-in on the screen.  Extraordinary! – open your eyes so you’ll see the way God sees you!  From Andy Stanley study Right in the Eye

#2082  Wednesday morning bible study the past several years

#2083  our fearless and faithful leader

#2084  Seeing other’s realizing their calling and then doing it!

#2085  heart to heart with JV

#2086  a billboard on the side of the road that read “Dream with your eyes open” (I wish I could’ve gotten a picture of that!)

#2087  Random lines from a song you hadn’t heard in years but you know really hear:  Flashdance: What a Feeling:  “Take you passion and make it happen”.

#2088  Sunday afternoon conversation about gifts, childhood, dreams with a new friend CT on the 2nd floor porch as the sun sets

#2089  realizing how untapped your gift is

#2090  son recognized as 8th grade soccer player

#2091  able to volunteer on the field trip to ACORN on a beautiful spring day with daughter’s class

#2092  seeing daughter zipline for the first time

#2093  throwing a baby shower for a neighbor

#2094  thankful for all those who have served in the military for my freedom

#2095  spontaneous double date night for ice cream with friends

#2096  dancing at the pool

#2097  Game night with old and new friends

#2098  laughter while taking pictures of a friend‘s selfie for a blog…and mine too.

#2099  We’re going to have a new nephew and cousin!!!!!!

#2100  My sister and her family bought airplane tickets to go bring home their new 4 year old son in China!!!  Overflowing joy!!!!