2012 | itsawonderfilledlife

Posts Tagged ‘2012’

2012 in Review

Posted in WONDER, tagged 2012, a voice, annual report, blog, Blogging, book deal, discovered, Encouragement, Oprah, praises, readers, Story, therapy, woes, wordpress, writting on January 3, 2013| Leave a Comment »

At the end of each year WordPress send me an annual report for this blog, and again this year I thought I would share it with you who read what I write.

I cannot believe that there were approximately 14,000 views of this blog, last year.

I cannot believe that views came from 103 countries from around the world (some days a view from a country I had not previously heard of will be listed).

Honestly, I cannot believe that there are any readers, because, although I do dream of being ‘discovered’ by Oprah, and offered a great book deal, I sit at my computer and click at the keyboard for very selfish reasons.

This screen that I face each day has provided for me:
therapy for my woes,
a stage for my praises,
and a voice by which to be heard …

I need to tell my stories, to share my life’s successes and failures, and to be ‘real’ with myself like I need air to breath.

Thanks to any and all who read each day or who are reading for the very first time. It really is a Wonderfilledlife!

Carole

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

4,329 films were submitted to the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. This blog had 14,000 views in 2012. If each view were a film, this blog would power 3 Film Festivals

Click here to see the complete report.

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The Sky is Falling

Posted in GOD, life, WONDER, tagged 2011, 2012, Acts 26:17-18, darkness to light, December 21, Henny Penny, Matthew 24:23-26, May 11, Mayan Calendar, no one knows the hour or the day, The Sky is Falling, The World is Ending, world ending declarations on December 20, 2012| Leave a Comment »

I’ve been thinking of the story of Henny-Penny lately. I can almost hear her words, “the sky is falling.”

Henny-Penny was a hen, who was out in the corn fields when something hit her on the head, and of course she thought, the world is ending! As a good and responsible citizen of her community, she then purposed to go tell the king. On her way she told her story to many of her neighbors, the rooster, duck, goose, turkey and fox who offered to show them the way to the king. Well Foxy-Woxy was a sly one, and led them all into his dark hole, resulting in a beheading of each of the neighbors, except for Henny-Penny, who had been warned and was able to run away … without telling the king that the world was ending.

Apparently there are Henny-Pennys in human form too, and not just in today’s society, but all the way back to the Mayans. According to the Mayan Calendar the world, as we know it will end tomorrow (for those of you who know me, NO, this is not why were are so late getting our Christmas tree!).

“The sky is falling …”

Declarations of the world ending, complete with days and times have been made time after time, and yet, we are still here, plodding along. I wrote, just a year and a half ago about the world ending on May 11, 2011 (it didn’t).

The Bible is clear about one thing regarding the end of the world, that “no one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Matthew 24:36)

Just like in the story of Henny-Penny, the Bible told us that these world-ending declarations would come and what to think about them, “if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There He is!’ do not believe it. For false Christ’s and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible. See, I have told you ahead of time. So if anyone tells you, ‘There He is, out in the desert,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here He is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it.” (Matthew 24:23-26)

And just like the story of Henny-Penny, those who follow that sly fox into the darkness, might just lose their ~~heads~~ life.

“I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles.I am sending you to them
to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light,and from the power of Satan to God,
so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place
among those who are sanctified by faith in me.”
Acts 26:17-18

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Black (eye) Friday

Posted in christmas, life, WONDER, tagged 2012, American Thanksgiving, animals, Black Friday, breath of life, dry bones, early morning openings., early openings, Ezekiel 37, human race, November 25, sales, Shopping, trampled on November 21, 2012| 3 Comments »

This coming Friday is Black Friday.

For those of us who are not familiar with this annual, largely American (although spreading all over North America) tradition of Black Friday, it is the Friday following American thanksgiving, which signifies the start of the holiday shopping season. Retailers have traditionally opened their doors earlier than normal, and had specials to attract shoppers to set their alarm clocks for ungodly hours.

I admit, I have never gone shopping on Black Friday, although I have considered it a time or two, but the memories of the news stories of years past has always kept me safe at home.

I was recently speaking with an employee of a large department store about this infamous day. She is a woman working a low paying, thankless job, in order to pay her bills and support her

family. She was a delightful woman, who would appear to work hard, and treat other people well. As we talked it was obvious that she was certainly not excited by the idea that she would need to return to work, on her holiday planned with family, hours earlier than one year ago. For she, and many like her, the day set aside for giving thanks will instead be spent serving many people who walk with an air of expectation and entitlement.

Then she told me a story from the year before. An older woman was waiting patiently in line for a store employee to open up an electronics wall. When the door opened, the crowd surged forward, like starving dogs before a dead carcass, hoping to find a morsel of meat left on the bones. The older lady fell to her knees, and the crowd around her was so ravenous for whatever lifeless thing they were pursuing that they did not even notice her fall. Thankfully, a pair of store staff did notice, and were able to lock up the wall and open the eyes of the crowd to the lady who had fallen.

The comment of the store employee has stuck with me, “people are becoming like animals! They did not care or even notice this poor woman … they could have trampled her to death!”

Indeed, our human race is losing the breath of life that was given to us at the beginning of time, the breath of life that we should be so thankful for. It makes me ask, as was asked by God, in the middle of a valley full of very dry bones, in Ezekiel 37, “son of man, can these bones live?”” I too would respond, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.”

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iResolve

Posted in life, WONDER, tagged 2012, apps, cell phones, find iphone app, iresolve, myfitnesspal app, new years resolutions, P.D. app, Resolutions, Television, texting, texting while driving, the weathernetwork app on January 2, 2012| 1 Comment »

Since it is still the first week of January, I figure it is not too late to talk New Years resolutions.

To be honest I am not a big resolutions maker, but I felt motivated yesterday to make a couple. So, one resolution turned into another and so on (and so on, and so on … remember those VO5 shampoo commercials of the 80’s?), and now I have a list:

iResolve …

-to not use my phone while driving (don’t you get all pious on me … you know you do it too. Your phone rings and you put it on speaker, or you hear that delightful sound of a text coming in, and you pick it up … just ‘in case’ it’s important …). Lets face it, it is dangerous, and stupid! No call or text or Twitter update is that important (how much do you want to bet this will be the ONE post my kids actually read? And they badger me to keep it! That could be a good thing).

-to not turn my phone on (except at lunch break) at work (not that I have ever used it at work … now I’ll have my co-workers badgering me to keep this one … and that could be a good thing too).

-to use myfitnesspal app … every day (sigh, the end to this merry season of gluttony).

-to not look at my weathernetwork app for the sole purpose of ‘guessing’ when there might be the right conditions for a ‘storm day’ at school (no, Mom, I will never grow up).

-to not try to convince my daughters that the P.D. app is fun (the horror on their innocent faces when I tell them that I find my period diary fun must come to an end).

-to finish programing my Find iPhone app on my phone … I downloaded the app over a year ago, and I still could not utilize it’s benefits if I were to misplace my phone (and by now you know just how vital it is to me).

-to stop using my iPhone apps while watching a movie with my kids or hubby … I sense withdrawal symptoms.

-to more frequently (like twice instead of once a year) load my iPhone photos to my computer, and off of my phone (I fear a cataclysmic event happening and losing a year of memories … this must end).

Well that is enough for one year! I am feeling a little drained, so I think I will go to my phone and pre-order my favorite beverage on my Starbucks app, so that it will be waiting for me when I get there.

Cheers!

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New Years Day 2012

Posted in life, WONDER, tagged 2012, Choice, Happy New Year, January 1, Love, New Year, New Years Day, New Years Eve, Resolutions on January 1, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Many of us awake today, January 1, 2012, on the same day that we went to sleep. Whether we were at a rousing house party, a midnight mass, dancing with friends, drinking a warm cup of milk alone in the quiet of the night, or watching the ball drop in New York City (live, or, more likely, on the tube) we saw the new year in.

Now, like that empty notebook paper on the first day of school, we start afresh. We arise to a new day, a new month and a new year.

So, what are we going to write on this fresh page of 2012?

Last week I went to a movie with my girls. We saw the movie New Years Eve, and I have to say I loved it. In the words of the character played by Katherine Heigl, “there’s gonna be more celebrities here than rehab,” and that is certainly the case with the cast line up for this movie.

I was nervously expecting there to be awkward scenes causing regret on my part for taking my daughters (especially the fourteen year old). Not only was it relatively UN-awkward for me as a mom, but it also left me with a something to ponder.

The following is the final narration in the movie,”it’s OK to listen to your heart. I know it’s risky. Go ahead and take that leap. There are so many things you can’t control: earthquakes, war, famine. It’s important to remember the things we can control, things like love and forgiveness. … Love in every one of its forms. Loves gives us hope. Hope for the New Year.”

It IS important to remember the things we can control … and most of those things that we can control have to do with our choices. So, for 2012, lets choose to love. It is only one resolution, and yet I think it could change our whole year.

Happy New Year!

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