Gift: Reverb10

December 30 – Gift Prompt: Gift. This month, gifts and gift-giving can seem inescapable. What’s the most memorable gift, tangible or emotional, you received this year?

I got the gift of my faith back... God is good. God is good ALL THE TIME!

Gift: Reverb10

December 30 – Gift Prompt: Gift. This month, gifts and gift-giving can seem inescapable. What’s the most memorable gift, tangible or emotional, you received this year?

I got the gift of my faith back... God is good. God is good ALL THE TIME!

Defining Moment: Reverb10

December 29 – Defining Moment Describe a defining moment or series of events that has affected your life this year.

I got laid off from my job and I decided that there was nothing I could do about and I needed time to be angry and hurt and then I would move on when I was done with it... I can't really decide how that all played out though. It was almost like it played me out...

Achieve: Reverb10

December 28 – Achieve What’s the thing you most want to achieve next year? How do you imagine you’ll feel when you get it? Free? Happy? Complete? Blissful? Write that feeling down. Then, brainstorm 10 things you can do, or 10 new thoughts you can think, in order to experience that feeling today.

I just want to be purely and unconditionally happy. I want to wake up in the morning and not have a negative thought or worry. I just want to feel like everything will be alright no matter what the situation is... I think that would be a wonderful thing.

pray, think positive, get dressed everyday, smile more, praise more, donate to charity more, make my life about other people more and not just about me, see the glass half full in every situation, say things that will make people feel good about themselves, write more letters, be quiet

December 27 – Ordinary Joy Our most profound joy is often experienced during ordinary moments. What was one of your most joyful ordinary moments this year?

Sitting at home with my kids on a rainy day, watching the rain fall. We just laid on the floor, talking and laughing and watching the rain drops... ordinary day, extraordinary moment...

Soul Food: Reverb10

Prompt: Soul food. What did you eat this year that you will never forget? What went into your mouth & touched your soul?

My Mama made mole for me the first week she was here. OMIGOSH! The flavors, the smell, the warmth... it was an amazing meal! I loved it. It took me back to my childhood. My Mama always made mole and rice. Then one day we asked for mashed potatoes with it to kinda of cool down the mole sauce. A tradition was born. So that day, my Mama made mole, rice and mashed potatoes for me. We sat and ate and laughed and talked and laughed some more. It was an incredible bonding moment.

For me, mole symbolizes familia, cultura, comida, amor and just being Mexican! It's a dish that is eaten by almost every Mexican I know. I can't forget the times my Mama made us mole for dinner. It was always a very very special meal for us, whether it was for our birthday, a congratulatory dinner or Wednesday...

Photo: Reverb10

Prompt: Photo - a present to yourself. Sift through all the photos of you from the past year. Choose one that best captures you; either who you are, or who you strive to be. Find the shot of you that is worth a thousand words. Share the image, who shot it, where, and what it best reveals about you.


This was taken at my church on July 18, 2010. It was the day I preached my very first sermon ever. My sermon was about Martha and Mary... The Kid Sister took this picture. God took over my life in 2010. He was everywhere I needed to be. But this picture isn't about that. This picture is about the smile that my daughter has on her face. She was so proud of me that day and all I ever want to do is to keep those kinds of smiles on their faces... I have done a good job as a mother. My kids feel empathy, sympathy, happiness and pride for other people and that was my goal. To make them feel for others... I love this picture. It is what my whole year was about...

Everything's OK: Reverb10

Prompt: Everything's OK. What was the best moment that could serve as proof that everything is going to be alright? And how will you incorporate that discovery into the year ahead?

A lot of these prompts make me sound like a weirdo Jesus Freak. But seriously, I have proof every morning that everything is going to be alright. God walks with me and I know that I don't have to fear anything. I am in constant prayer and it seems to help me in and around those times where I can begin to feel myself questioning my situation. God is with me. He moves in mysterious ways. It may not always be what I want but it's what God wants for me.

New Name: Reverb10

Prompt: New name. Let's meet again, for the first time. If you could introduce yourself to strangers by another name for just one day, what would it be and why?

I like my name. It's the name my mama gave me and I like it! I do remember though that for a spell, I wanted to be named Sara because I like Hall and Oates. Don't hate!

Travel: Reverb10

Prompt: Travel. How did you travel in 2010? How and/or where would you like to travel next year?

Did we travel! We took our first BIG road trip with our six year old twins this year. They did GREAT! We went to Yosemite and then we were off to a couple of ghost towns in NV. After that we headed to Sedona and the Grand Canyon! It was a very long trip and lots of time sitting in the van reading and singing songs. It was a great trip though. Not too much fighting and not too much mess.

YAY!

We do intend to travel some next year. Maybe schlep over to Canada for a week or so. The kids would LOVE it....

Future Self:Reverb10

Prompt: Future self. Imagine yourself five years from now. What advice would you give your current self for the year ahead? (Bonus: Write a note to yourself 10 years ago. What would you tell your younger self?)

In 5 years, I will be 42 years old going on 43 in a few days... I may or may not be in the throes of a mid life crisis... I hope to be happy and healthy and what not.

Dear Amy: Your 2010 was great and awful at the same time... It was a good year though and next year is going to be a banner year...

Breathe... Just breathe. Everything is going to be okay. God is always with you and He will NOT let you get lost. Enjoy your year sabbatical. Enjoy your children because you are not going to be able to get this time back...

Take care of yourself and try to be better about your sweet tooth...

Love you, Amy

Avoidance: Reverb10

Prompt: Beyond avoidance. What should you have done this year but didn't because you were too scared, worried, unsure, busy or otherwise deterred from doing? (Bonus: Will you do it?)

I should have started exercising on a regular basis... I didn't do it because I was lazy mostly. I am lazy but I should be. I just can't help it. I don't like to exercise. AND I like food. What can I say?

In addition to being lazy, I was also really really busy this year. But I'm going to be not so busy in 2011, I think. I mean, I won't have a jobby job so that will give me at least 40 hours a week to do something productive with the exercise and the diabetes thang!

Healing: Reverb10

December 19 – Healing. What healed you this year? Was it sudden, or a drip-by-drip evolution? How would you like to be healed in 2011? (Author: Leonie Allan)

I haven't healed yet.... I'm still hurt. I am starting to feel better about things though but often times I find that I am still reeling from the feelings of betrayal. My Mama is helping me get through it though. She really is. She has NO idea how great it is to have her here this holiday season. It means the world to me. She will be my healing...

Try: Reverb10

December 18 – Try What do you want to try next year? Is there something you wanted to try in 2010? What happened when you did / didn’t go for it? (Author: Kaileen Elise)

I still want to try knitting. I have been wanting to do it for so long and this year I had a chance to but then something happened and I didn't get a chance to learn or do it when I wanted to do it. I'm determined to do "caps of caring" where you knit beanie type caps for cancer patients who are losing their hair. I'm going to do it... I'm going to do it!

Lessons: Reverb10

December 17 – Lesson Learned What was the best thing you learned about yourself this past year? And how will you apply that lesson going forward? (Author: Tara Weaver)

I learned that I really do have a strong faith in God. It was a wonderful thing to discover after so many years of being in kind of a denial about it.... I will apply this lesson to everything I do. I have my beliefs and I am committed to this world. Not in a freaky God Freak kinda way either.

Friendship: Reverb10

December 16 – Friendship How has a friend changed you or your perspective on the world this year? Was this change gradual, or a sudden burst? (Author: Martha Mihalick)

I have a friend who is AWESOME! She's a new friend. I met her in 2009 but I really got to know her in 2010. She is responsible for changing my outlook on the women of Danville. She is the kind of person I always wanted to meet in this town and unfortunately I didn't meet until now. Don't get me wrong, I have met other great people in Danville but meeting Mickie just made me really happy and made me feel comfortable in my own skin in my town. It all happened in a sudden burst and I thank God that I met her. She's a great person and I know that if I need her, she's got my back.

WORD!

Appreciate: Reverb10

December 14 – Appreciate What’s the one thing you have come to appreciate most in the past year? How do you express gratitude for it? (Author: Victoria Klein)

Over and over again, every year, I find that I appreciate my family more and more. They are just there! Fiercely loyal and always there. No one would ever have my back like my family. Seriously now... They are just an amazing bunch of people.

I say thank you A LOT! and I also try to do everything that they need from me... something small, something big, I'm trying to make them happy and keep them happy.

I'm blessed. I truly am...

Action: Reverb10

December 13 – Action When it comes to aspirations, it’s not about ideas. It’s about making ideas happen. What’s your next step? (Author: Scott Belsky)

Finish up my CLP classes, get commissioned in June and work within my community to spread the Good News and bring a spiritual home to the marginalized...

That's the plan...

Body Integration: Reverb10

December 12 – Body Integration This year, when did you feel the most integrated with your body? Did you have a moment where there wasn’t mind and body, but simply a cohesive YOU, alive and present? (Author: Patrick Reynolds)

I know I sound like a total holy roller but it's all true and I'm not one of those freaky extreme Christians. I'm just a girl who decided to believe in God again and do something with my life that He wants me to do... He wants me to be there for people.

So when did I feel most integrated with my body? I don't know how to write about that.... When I started my whole pastor learning one of our assignments was to write a sermon and a worship service and preach it to our congregation. Standing up at the lectern the few seconds before I started my sermon, I took a deep breath and opened my mouth, out came the word of God. I was just one person who had God's voice in my ear and His words were coming out of my mouth... it was amazing. It was beautiful. It wasn't something I hadn't felt in a long time...

Okay, you can call me a freak now, but it's all true...

Wisdom: Reverb10

December 10 – Wisdom Wisdom. What was the wisest decision you made this year, and how did it play out? (Author: Susannah Conway)

The wisest decision I made this year was to follow the path that is laid out in front of me instead of trying to find another way. It played out beautifully. Because of this decision, I was hurt and made to feel betrayal. It is all making me stronger and I'm going to be a better person for it...