Skip to main content

3 gifts painted, 3 gifts full and 3 gifts smelled

June 11: 3 gifts painted

  • My favorite gift painted hangs in my office. It is a picture that was painted by my maternal grandmother Helen McCarthy and I received it as a final gift from her after her death. Grandmems painted this picture of her studio space and it specifically focuses on her potter's wheel. I love this picture because of its' warm colors and the subject of pieces of clay in process. This is similar to how I think of my work as a counselor. Every one of my clients is a unique, piece of God's art that is in process. Every day that I work, I sit down before Him and ask Him to take my hands in His and move them to shape and impact the person before me in just the right way. I hang this picture as a reminder to me that this is His work and that I am only a partner to the master potter and as an encouragement to my clients that they are in process and there is One who oversees each step and carries them to completion.
  • I have several small painted gifts that I have received from children who I have worked with over the years. A picture of a tiger, abstract and colorful lines on the diagonal, across the canvas and portraits of me. Each one is a precious painted gift to me.

June 12: 3 gifts full

  • A full Tuesday schedule: I saw 7 clients in one day!
  • My heart felt full when I prayed for the youth in this region. It was toward the end of the Tuesday night watch at R2HOP and God reminded me to pray for them. I prayed from Ephesians 3 and my heart filled up with love and compassion as I prayed. God shared some of His heart for the youth with me and I felt full of desire for them to know His marvelous love for them and that they would be rooted and grounded in that love.
  • I was full of laughter when I talked with my best friend from college, Sara. We took turns talking and listening. I have known Sara since the fall of 1999. She has become a witness of my life and the transformation that God has been working in me. I so appreciate her insight and observations about me and my life and I am so honored that she invites me to play the same role in her life. I am equally excited as I see the beautiful work that God has been doing in her and I eagerly anticipate what the future holds for both of us!

June 13: 3 gifts smelled

  • Fresh brewed coffee made by mom just for me!
  • Zoo animals at the Madison Zoo where we celebrated Kingston's first birthday. I love animals, but not always their smells.
  • The smell of Baby Magic when I hug and snuggle Ava, Noah and Kingston

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Transition

 It's snowing outside my window. It just started to stick a little bit. I can see it on the trees and covering the leaves. This is the first snow of the season. It means change is coming. Fall coats are no longer be sufficient. Hats, scarves and gloves become a part of my daily wardrobe. My car needs time to warm up and I should fill up with gas when it gets down to 1/4 tank. I really like this time of year. Fall is ending and winter is coming. I like snuggling in front of a fire and wearing sweaters. I like drinking hot chocolate, apple cider and spice tea, in addition to my usual coffee consumption. I like Thanksgiving, the holiday and the practice. While I welcome this change in season, I am so aware of how I am struggling in my own transition. I have spent several hours contacting insurance companies to change my name now that I am doing business as Jody Striker, LCPC. Ben is still collecting our things from the various places where we have been storing them. Th

My Arbonne Story - A journey of discovery

You guys, drum roll, please... I have become an Independent Consultant with Arbonne! This is a big change for me and I am SO, so excited for this opportunity. But, no one seems to be as surprised as I am by this development. Most of the people that I have told have said something like, "That makes sense." Or, "I can see you doing that."This has gotten me reflecting on what has been emerging in me that is facilitating this transition. And, how does what seems like such a discovery to me seem so logical to everyone else?! I have been an Arbonne groupie for several years now. I absolutely love their product! Every time they come out with something new and I get to try it, I end up wanting it. I have hosted several parties and I have thoroughly enjoyed introducing other people to all of the amazing products that I have been enjoying, but I never considered becoming a consultant. Recently, something shifted for me. I was at a party and I felt really stirred w

9 day of wedding anticipation

On the 9 th day before my wedding… I went to the mall. Again. I have been going to the mall once a week for about the past month. But this week, I went twice. I bought a going-away dress at Charlotte Russe and lots of shoes for the groomsmen at H&M. I have been to Macy’s to find one of those shapers that are impossible to get into, but make my curvy shape look nice and smooth under my fitted wedding dress. I literally broke out into a sweat trying these spandex suits on and it took me so long to get one off and another on that they were very hard to compare. Finally, I bought two and took them home to ask my mom for her recommendation. I have been to Charming Charlie’s to look at jewelry. Of course I couldn’t decide what to buy without my personal stylist Karyn, so I had to buy two separate sets. I figured that I would consult with Karyn and then return the set that she voted out. After all, I already knew that I would have to return with the rejected shaper. I als