Tea Time!

I recently discovered something really special. First of all, before I share my find, let me ask you; "do you like tea?"  You are either a tea enthusiast or you don't drink tea at all. Well, I have always been a "sleepy time tea" drinker only. I love sleepy time tea. I remember whenever my mom or sister would be over my house, visiting, sleeping over or when I go to their houses, we all do the same thing. We will ask, "do you want some Sleepy time tea?" We bond together as we each dim the lights of the room we are in, turn off electronics and we usually have a candle burning as we chat and sip our teas in unity.
Well, I want to share my recent discovery! It's a company called, "Teamotions." Imagine, you have found the perfect company to endorse and join, well I found it. I am now officially a Teamotions Ambassador. They have 6 signature blends designed to be more than 'drinking tea.' This is why I am so excited to be an ambassador, the teas are; Seek Peace, Discover Joy, Have Hope, Achieve Clarity, Find Strength, and Enjoy Rest. Here is more from the founders about the unique blends and benefits "Teamotions is a revolutionary tea company dedicated to helping others manage stress and support both physical and emotional well-being. We accomplish this by using adaptogen herbs and other complementary botanicals in each of our tea blends. Used for centuries and backed by science, adaptogens are stress-fighting herbs that help boost immunity, improve the body's response to all types of stress, and restore well-being in every way. We spent over a year developing each of our all natural, hand-crafted, whole leaf wellness teas sourcing the finest ingredients to create the most effective and delicious tea blends possible. They are award-winning, beautiful, enjoyable to drink, and will truly make a difference in how you feel."

Now when I think of tea, I am going to how I feel at the time, I will prepare the tea according to my mood and my life's circumstances, and I sit down, with God's word, or an encouraging person, and I will take time to understand how emotions play into my day and moods. If you are interested, I have my link for ordering https://teamotionstea.com/user/VickiYount and please enter referral code 771BB0 at the cart.
Please contact me if you have any questions about the emotional benefits Teamotions can bring to your life or someone you would like to help.

Another check off my 'to do' List!

I will never forget how I felt when I stepped onto the stage to speak at my first ever Women's Tea. I was asked to speak (along with my best friend) by my dear, precious Jean who was my spiritual mentor for many years when I attended my church in my hometown as a youth, teen and young married woman. She is the "mom" of the High School ministry then and still serving the Lord in that ministry as well as the Women's Ministry Director.
The first time she sent me the email asking, "Do you speak?" I had to hesitate and really think about what my answer was going to be. I have done almost everything in my ministry and Life Coaching biz that I had sought out to accomplish, all but one thing I had on my "someday I will do" list. That was to "speak at a Retreat or Women's ministry event".  When I wrote that 'to do list' I was writing it stating my dreams and goals and what I felt God is calling me to do, not because I felt worthy, equipped or able to. To be quite honest, I am not the best at getting up to a microphone at all, and to be really honest, I don't think I should be on a stage speaking, I feel I stutter a bit, I know I ramble, and I also am aware that I have a little stage fright.
Well, I finally responded to my dear friend and spiritual mentor and told her, "yes!" I will speak for their Tea. Then I asked her after I said yes, how many women will be there in attendance? She told me roughly 200-270. My mind immediately went to "wow Lord, I was thinking 20-40 for my first speaker invite, not almost 300!" I then got instant butterflies in my stomach and also floods of doubt mixed with total and complete joy! I started to pray about this, and asking God to confirm to me that I should still do this.  I was searching for a scripture verse or passage to encourage me about this leap of faith, with mostly the feeling of thinking I should back out, for I began to compare myself, beat myself up about the many reasons why I am not capable or able to speak publicly, until the Lord did end up confirming it with the following verse at that moment in Jeremiah 1:9, "Then the Lord stretched out His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me, "behold, I have put my words in your mouth." At this moment I realized that He was going to guide and direct my note taking, my ideas of what to share on the stage with the women. I felt a sense of peace, joy and excitement for my faith, my story and my passion for ministry. I re-wrote my entire 'speech' and allowed the Holy Spirit to breathe in me as to what to prepare for my 20 minutes on stage.
When I got to the day to be a part of this event ministry, I was introduced and all fear and anxiety left me, I got on stage and shared my new "notes" from my heart. I know I was rusty and new, and I am sure it showed, but suddenly I didn't care. God had taken over, he was showing me what to say and I real and raw in my life's journey.
I share this story with you because I feel very passionately that we have to write out our dreams and passions and always challenge our faith. If I had said "no" to this Tea speaking invitation, I would be giving in to fear and lack of confidence. In Proverbs 29:18 it says, "Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained." Also, in Habakkuk 2:2, The the Lord answered me and said, Record the vision and write it on tablets, that the one who reads it may run."
We have to write down our visions, our dreams and keep checking them off one by one when we accomplish each one. If you doubt yourself, it's not of faith, we are meant to get out of the boat of fear and plunge into the waters of faith.
What is on your check list of passions and things to accomplish for His kingdom, for your own personal growth or life? Why not start today with the list!

Making the Choice to Rejoice

                                                   
                                                        

Phil 4:4 says: "Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I will say rejoice!" In the original language this is written in the imperative, meaning that it is a command, not simply a suggestion, or an option. It is an act of our will, not merely an emotional response. So what does it mean to rejoice? How can we rejoice even in the midst of extremely difficult circumstances? I look forward to hearing some of your thoughts and encouragement on this subject over the next few weeks. In looking up the word rejoice, I found that it means to "take joy in something or someone, focus on the joyful aspect of something; to enjoy." The verse says rejoice IN THE LORD. We may not be rejoicing in a circumstance, but we can rejoice in the Lord in the midst of that difficult, by focusing on Him and His unchanging character. When we choose to do this as an act of obedience to Him, He gives us true joy. ALWAYS really does mean in every circumstance. When we choose to praise Him, we invite His powerful Presence into our circumstances. "He inhabits the praises of His people." He will use even our suffering for His glory of we are faithful to obey Him in the midst of it. What are you facing today? How can we encourage you to rejoice in the Lord? 
By Katherine Fellrath
(blog contributor from Choosing Joy Women's Ministries)https://www.facebook.com/pages/Choosing-Joy-Womens-Ministry/199338723598608

Mosaic of Restoration

You can purchase this mosaic mirror at our Etsy shop.https://www.etsy.com/listing/209128606/shattered-mirror-mirror?ref=shop_home_active_7

Many people feel like this shattered glass mosaic mirror. They have lived a life full of brokenness and pain. Or perhaps some people feel that their very dreams and hopes are shattered and to be able to put it all together is a chore that is more than they can bear. When you look to God's word on 'brokeness' you find countless scripture that supports how much God really does care for that. In Psalms 147:3 "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." Psalm 34:18, "The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." and in Psalm 51:8, "He makes me to hear joy and gladness, let the bones which you have broken rejoice."

Knowing these promises allow us to trust again. The truth is when someone is crushed, broken, or feeling hopeless, it's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel, or see any light from within the 'pit' they are in. There is hope, it's in Jesus and He promises when you call out to him in your despair to help you.

Hope In Times Of Loss

https://www.etsy.com/listing/117703467/hope?ref=shop_home_active_10

In Honor of Breast Cancer awareness month (October) and also in admiration and thankfulness of my mom (cancer survivor and sister Cathy (also survivor) I would like to share this Loss Essay on the subject and also invite you to order customized pendants for people you know going through similar fights in life. Please visit https://www.etsy.com/listing/117703467/hope?ref=shop_home_active_10
How to deal with Loss and the effects of Cancer and how to help someone you know who is dealing with it or any other kind of illness or grief. I feel that understanding and knowing how this kind of loss affects people, we can be better equipped to reach out in the right ways and appropriate times.

When someone is faced with the news and diagnosis of "Cancer" there are many losses that this person will experience. Cancer comes with many symptoms and your life is suddenly being struck with a threat in more ways than one. Some of the types of losses that an individual will experience are a threatened loss or a looming threat of what is to come, a loss of what might have been. Someone could also experience the loss of face, and being worried about what people will think , a loss of identity. With all these types of losses one will face with the threat of having cancer I would like to focus on  the loss of a sense of community and friends and that essentially being the loss of a social life and the effects it can bring.

It is ironic and such a sad reality to know that when someone is dealing with cancer and has all these different losses in their life already the one thing you need more than ever is people, friends, and community but they cannot have it all the time and actually at times not at all. Everyone in life has a role or two or many in their lives that they maintain before this illness strikes. The role of a mother or father, the role of a sister or brother, daughter or son and the role of a friend, a ministry church volunteer then cancer strikes and there they are more alone than ever before. This is called a loss of role they once had.  I believe that  people are not educated about the disease or are scared to reach out and they tend to back off, they look at them differently, they don't know how to respond or give to this person in their new "role" sometimes or the person with the cancer may start to act differently when in public and it shows forth their own distance and insecurities or the pain is showing and the lack of energy so people tend to not involve the person much anymore. 

I can think of another situation that would better explain on a more personal level. My mom had Breast Cancer over 20 years ago and she lived in the country of Washington State. When she was going through the Chemotherapy treatments and radiation there was a time that there was a pretty significant snow storm and she and my father were pretty much snowed in and unable to get anywhere for a couple of days and we also couldn't reach out to go to their house. She was in need of people and connections during this time already but it just increased her need all the more in this type of predicament. I remember my mom was starting to loose more hair at this time in the winter and it was very cold, she was alone in the country and so cancer patients go through so many different losses than one might initially consider as a loss. 

One way that a person with the loss of community , friends, and their network of social situation can deal with this and improve the quality of their life amongst these losses would be to join and be involved with a support group or to find a Hope Coach or other cancer survivors and be involved as much during this time.  By joining a group or community of people that understand your situation it can help them to grieve over the losses. To grieve means ; "that intense emotional suffering that we experience following loss. Since loss also can be defined as  "to bereave" it's also vital to have this person in a support group. To bereave mean to be robbed, something taken away. The person is learning to live without what they had before and we accustomed to. They are learning a whole new way of life and may feel very lost and alone so to have support and people around them makes sense.

Vicki Yount

Diary Of A Retired Homeschool Mom

I will never forget a meeting I attended in the 90's. My son was only 2 and I went to a "home school mom support meeting." I sat there along with my sister Cathy. She was looking into the possibility of home schooling for her daughter Sarah. Sarah was 5 and going into Kindergarten. I have to be honest, I immediately was turned off to the idea of ever homeschooling my kids in the future based on this meeting. No offense, and I don't mean to judge off mere appearance, but this was the scariest meeting I had ever attended! All the moms looked very depressed, they seemed over-worked and stressed out, wearing no make up and hair was tied up in ponytails or at least that is what I remember. I recall saying as we exited the church building where this meeting was held, "I will NEVER home school!"
Jumping ahead a whole decade to about 2004, I found myself in a situation where the only choice for our family was to home school. Our move to Southern California, the new schools and different curriculum and my husband's new job with tough hours made it very apparent that this was the direction the Lord was leading me to. I sincerely always looked at myself as someone who couldn't do something like that, and after all, I was the one who was scared to death of it after that very strange meeting in the early 90's that had stayed with my all these years.
I recently graduated my youngest son from High School, and homeschooling is over. Reflecting back the 9 years of devotion to my son's education through home school were the best years of my life.  To think that I thought I would hate it, wasn't cut out for it, wasn't smart enough to do it, all I used to think was can't, won't, don't. To my surprise my disbelief  my insecurities turned into being the most interesting, fulfilling, joyful, intriguing, life altering, educational and spiritual times of my life!

Is there something you are saying a big fat NO to? Be careful, because the very thing that intimidates you could soon become your best attribute yet. Never doubt yourself, or maybe I should say, be prepared for a journey down a path you always thought was not for you. Most of all, trust in yourself to try new and challenging things, and don't judge a book by it's cover, or at least a meeting by your first impressions!

Verse of encouragement: Hebrews 10:35-36 "So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised."

Take Time To Be Still

Taking time to renew your mind daily takes discipline. It's easy to be busy in this day and age and to be distracted with technology and all your 'to do's' on your lists of activity and plans and demands. 

As you may know from my blog, I love to travel and try new adventures. This photo you see attached to this blog post is a pic I took a couple years ago when visiting my family in Washington State for a late Christmas and Happy New Year family reunion. We rented a farm house on Whidbey Island and we all packed into this enchanting old estate. I woke up the first morning and looked out my upstairs window and this was my first view that morning. I still can't believe it's a real image. I did not use a filter on this either. This photo literally everything is "quiet", and still. The grass is frozen over by the frost created by the 23 degrees we had that morning. The bushes are frozen and can't move, there is no wind, and the colors all compliment each other to make this gorgeous view.

The first thing that comes to my mind when I look at this picture now is 'BE STILL'. I think we need to practice and make a habit of being quiet and still in our daily lives. Just like eating healthy takes developing a new habit or stopping an addiction to eating or drinking too much wine or trying to stop going online to check facebook is a habit that was created by doing it over and over, so we also need to learn to practice the new habit of stillness. 

Life Coaching Tip for you today :

1. Today wherever you are, find a window and stand there looking out at whatever is there, and stare out that view for at least 3-5 min. After you do this, take deep breaths in through your nose and exhale out through your month 3 times. Enjoy the peace of the moment and remember to do this as a new habit daily. 

Verse of the day: Psalm 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God"