Thursday / May 16 / 2019
Crafting my heart
“As human beings, our job in life is to help people realize how rare and valuable each one of us really is, that each of us has something that no one else has —or ever will have— something inside that is unique to all time.” ~ Mr. Rogers
As I crafted this simple heart with scissors, markers and the desire to create, I was brought back to my childhood and the sense of wonder I held for living in the present moment. It held the smell of markers, the sound of paper crunching at the beseeching of my scissors, the grin across my face imagining how proud Momma & Daddy would be (…and just WAIT till Grandma sees it!)
Simple.
Pure.
Unabashed.
It didn’t matter what tomorrow would bring or even what was for dinner. Those were the pre-adulting days when I had no worries other than perhaps my big brother getting first dibs on where to sit when we watched the once-a-year showing of “The Sound of Music” or “Wizard of Oz” when, like clockwork, Mom would make her homemade hot fudge and serve it over Stewart’s Vanilla Ice Cream. What a treat to be able to relish our treats in front of the TV. Big doings with a side of, “Yummmmmy”.
That was the age I believed God when He told me not to worry, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.” (quoted from the Bible, Book of Matthew, chapter 6, verse 25 from the New International Version (NIV) translation).
Then, I grew up. I became a parent. An employee. An adult. I took on responsibility, quickly adding worry to my shopping cart. Worrying was part of adulting afterall, right? What would I eat, drink, wear? Ah, yes. Back to the book of Matthew, this from Eugene Peterson’s translation “The Message”, verse 34, “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.”
How liberating to live like that.
As God intended.
Now at age 49, I feel I’ve only just begun to realize my true purpose and calling in this world. Helping others become the best version of themselves in body, mind, spirit, abundance — myself included. When I first founded The You Evolution™ in March 2011, I did not know how much of a Me Evolution there would be, including the evolution to Heart Led Health™.
From caterpillar to cocoon to butterfly, I’ve truly evolved and want to continue to evolve. Side note: God help me for saying that because I know with change, comes challenge. As I pen this, I want to add, “bring it on” yet I know later, maybe even moments after hitting ‘publish’, I’ll wish for the status quo simply because it’s easier. That’s just honest.
Back to the wise words from good ole Mr. Rogers, “You rarely have time for everything you want in this life, so you need to make choices. And hopefully your choices can come from a deep sense of who you are.”
Choose wisely. Be you. Please.
We love that version.
This speaks to everyone. Thank you for posting this.
Thank you, Momma. TY for helping me make choices that come from a deep sense of who I am. Love you.
Love,
Donna
What a thought proviking blog. You awakened two wonderful childhood concepts and then remainder me of a rather elusive challenge that I need to address someday in my life. Thanks for being the wonderful person that you are!
Profound, Bob and thank you so much for sharing. From caterpillar to cocoon to butterfly. Allowing ourselves permission is key. Not perfection but progress. Embracing Perfectly Imperfect You wins the day.
Love,
Donna
We must be ourselves, or else we are cheating God. He designed us, He made us who we are, the good with the human flaws, and there’s no better person to be. Thank you for this reminder, Donna.
I wholly agree, Gnat. God designed each one of us uniquely and He didn’t make any backups or understudies. So, if you’re not being you, no one is and the world is missing out. You may enjoy a post I penned back in 2011: https://www.heartledhealth.com/self-discovery/tell-me-what-to-do-110/
Love,
Donna
The status quo is easier, but can be boring! Having challenges brings learning and one should always continue learning and growing, like the caterpillar to cocoon to butterfly. Bring it on!
Beautifully said, Kare!! You are so right and you remind me to lean into the fullness of life that God gifted us with. Thank you, my forever friend!
Love,
Donna
It is so easy to get caught up in the worrying- thank you for this beautiful reminder Donna!
It truly is, Caitlin and then you think back to when you were Harry’s sweet age of 2 and the coolest thing that ever happened to you was a wicked cool aqua cast on your foot that you *earned* while having the time of your life running around the house. Oh, that perspective, tho!
Love,
Donna
Donna, won’t you be my neighbor? Please You do a wonderful job of helping others be the best version of themselves. This article speaks to many things which challenge me and I find myself wondering, Do caterpillars have any idea of what’s in store for them? How beautiful they will become or do they get frustrated and feel in the dark about what they should do next? I think it’s just easy for them to trust what God has in store and my prayer would be that we can all know God will help us deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.”
How liberating it world be to live like that.
As God intended.
Thanks beautiful friend, inside and out.
I’m blessed to know you.
Oh Carla, you have my noggin spinning. From the mind of a caterpillar! How true your opinion rings for me. Like the verses in Matthew speak to how birds of the air fly free and fret not about ‘what’s next’. Liberating indeed. I am blessed to know you, too, dear friend.
Love,
Donna
I LOVE this!!! It captures your youth and spirit so well! Thank you for shining your light in this world. Thanks for sharing a piece of you.
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it, Amie! TY for reading and sharing your thoughts. So much of life’s beauty lies just in wait for us to be authentic.
Love,
Donna
Thank you for sharing your heart. ❤️ I love hearing the two different Bible translations; The Message one is so neat to read. Your advice at the end to “Choose wisely” – great advice.
I love hearing the two different Bible translations; The Message one is so neat to read. Your advice at the end to “Choose wisely” – great advice. Thank you for sharing your heart. ❤️
Thank you so much, Margie. And I agree, The Message reads very smoothly.
Choosing wisely is so key to embracing Perfectly Imperfect You!
Love,
Donna
Here’s to the beautiful person you are! It is so wonderful to me to read what God has done and is doing
for you and even more glorious to see you so beautifully sharing it with others. You are an inspiration to me.
Thank you, Rosie Luv and you are an inspiration to me, too. Grateful we have the opportunity to truly live into this life God has designed for us.
Love,
Donna
It’s great to see you writing again. Love the Mr. Rogers quote at the end.
Thank you, my baby sister. The older I get, the more I appreciate the wisdom of Mr. Rogers.
Love,
Donna
It’s such a beautiful thing to have so much faith and love for and in God he truly writes our path and guides us onto our road of happiness, health and wisdom. You truly are remarkable and I’m honoured to be in your tribe Love Karen
Agreed, Karen. Living as God intended is truly liberating. I’m forever grateful our paths crossed and that together, we get to help people be the best version of themselves in body, mind, spirit, abundance. I share the honor with you.
Love,
Donna