Category: Making the Change

Making the Change ~ Monthly Wrap-Up (May-June 2017)

Making the Change ~ Monthly Wrap-Up (May-June 2017)

Hi, guys 🙂 I hope you’re all having a great day so far.

For a while now, I have been writing the posts in this series set up as weekly recaps, in order to summarize how my week went, and how I felt over the course of each day. Now, however, I’m going to turn Making the Change into a monthly wrap-up, as you probably already saw in the title, hehe. 💕 I may very well do a week recap post again at some point, but for now, it will be a once-a-month type of post. 🙂

This month’s will be broken up into two sections; one for the month that has ended, and another for the month that is coming up! For the past month part, I’m going to reflect on the improvements I made, as well as what I could have done better on. For the upcoming month, I will list what I’d like to focus on improving, the quotes and Bible verses that inspire me for the weeks ahead, and any other thoughts that I have on it.

For anyone new following along, or if you simply need a refresher, you can visit the first post in this series, where I explain what it is all about. Basically, it’s a reminder for me to focus on spreading more kindness in my life as I overcome anger. I have definitely improved since I started making the change back in April … but I know that I still have a ways to go. The encouragement from my family, you guys, and the Lord is what has kept me going – I am so thankful for all of you!

Let’s jump right into this. ❤

Making the Change ~ Monthly Wrap-Up (May-June 2017)

The Past Month: May 2017

Improvements: I worked on finding different activities to do with my 5-year-old brother, Samuel, things that we could both have fun doing together. I reached out to my 13-year-old brother, Joshua, by trying new games with him that he primarily enjoyed more than I did. I was more conscious of how I look and sound when I respond to situations I’m not happy with, and I did my best to be more gentle.

Next Time: I need to go through more with playing pretend with Samuel. I also ended up sounding harsher than I would’ve liked many times, in different situations. I need to pay further attention to how I sound; I need to be gentle and understanding. Instead of responding instantly when I’m upset about something, I need to think through what I’m about to say … I don’t want to have many more of these regrets.

The Upcoming Month: June 2017

Focuses:

  • Gentleness. In how I sound, act, and think. ❤
  • Forgiveness. Both things unintentional and intentional, for if I desire to be forgiven, I need to do the same for others (Mark 11:25).
  • Patience. This is definitely one that I need improving on. Both with myself, as well as my interactions with others, I need to learn to slow down. It kind of goes along with patience, but is slightly different. I know than I can (and will!) learn to slow down. ❤
  • Grace. This trait has been defined as “simple elegance or refinement of movement.” I need help in this area like I need air to breathe hahaha
  • Self-Control. I will feel upset sometimes … but I do not have to act on those negative feelings.

Quotes and Bible Verses to Inspire:

  • “Do everything with so much love in your heart that you would never want to do it any other way.”
  • “We rise by lifting others.”
  • “Do justly. Love mercy. Walk humbly.” ~ [derived from] Micah 6:8
  • “Patience with family is love, patience with others is respect, patience with self is confidence and patience with God is faith.”
  • “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others.” ~ Philippians 2:3-4 NIV
  • “Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.” ~ Proverbs 10:12 ESV
  • “Everything that God allows to come our way is always with a purpose. He uses even the greatest error and deepest pain to mold us into a better person.”
  • “Be the reason someone believes in the goodness of people.”
  • “If the words you spoke appeared on your skin, would you still be beautiful?”

“If you can’t be kind, be quiet.”

“See the light in others,
and treat them as if that is all you see.”

“Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.” ~ 1 Peter 4:8-9

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Thank you for reading and following along, everyone. 💖 God bless!

How about you?

What do YOU desire to focus on in June?

— Maggie

 

Making the Change ~ Week Five

Making the Change ~ Week Five

As some of you may have read about on Sunday, I have been thinking a lot about my current and future schooling lately. Because of this (and I didn’t realize it until afterward), that was affecting how I was feeling part of last week – thus, I didn’t respond the way I wanted to in different situations.

I’ve also been struggling to figure out what to play with Samuel. Board games? Virtual games? Roleplay? Playing pretend? I need to pray about it and do something in this area o my life, because we haven’t been interacting as much lately, and that makes me sad.

When it comes to Joshua, we enjoy doing some things together – quoting memes, playing a few virtual games, and watching different shows – but it isn’t very much.

In this upcoming week, I desire to reach out to Joshua and Samuel more, whether that’s in playing games with them that they like but that I don’t particularly, or doing an activity with them that they love but I don’t usually participate in. I’ll write about that next week. ❤

This Making the Change series has really taught me to be more conscious of the little things that I do that are not positive. I’m much more aware of the small things I need improving on, which is really helping me to make this change. Thank you all so much for following along. 🙂

You can read the first post of this series here, where I explain things a bit more.

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Making the Change – May 10th through May 17th

~ On Wednesday, we stayed home, so I spent the day with my family. I worked on schoolwork in the morning, and in the mid-afternoon, Elizabeth got to play in the kiddie pool for the first time! She really enjoyed it, although her favorite part was chewing the side of the pool, haha. (My mom talked about in in her Thoughts & Happenings that day!) Throughout the afternoon, I enjoyed having a lot of nice conversations with a blogger I recently met (T.R. Noble) – I loved getting to talk to you!

~ On Thursday, I did more babysitting and played games with my brothers. Joshua built a few roller coasters on our Minecraft server, which we had a great time riding. There were a few disagreements and arguments that happened, but everything got solved.

~ On Friday, my brother and I worked on our schoolwork. I spent a lot of time coloring one of those chemical compound coloring pages I’m currently coloring for chemistry, and I enjoyed listening to Leeland’s album The Great Awakening while I did so. 🙂 I’ll share a picture this Friday.

~ On Saturday, I started reading Death on the Nile, which I’m excited about because it’s one of my favorite Poirot mysteries! That afternoon, I went to the library with my family and found some awesome books (that seems to be happening a lot lately, haha!). Later in the evening, I enjoyed playing fun apps and reading crazy memes with my brother; we were cracking up the whole time.

~ On Sunday (Mother’s Day!), my siblings and I went out with our dad to give my mom some time alone at the house to work on some different things. We went to a park and enjoyed walking/riding on the paved trails through the woods, and we got a nice treat afterward. There was a bit of a quarrel between me and my brother, but everything turned out okay in the end. I ran into Publix before we headed home to pick up a few things we needed. In the evening, I watched some of the Chronicles of Narnia movie with Joshua and my mom (the animation of Aslan was amazing), aaand worked on blog posts some more. I went to bed too late and couldn’t immediately fall asleep, thanks to the caffeinated frappé I’d had around dinner time. lol

~ On Monday, I worked on my schoolwork (including some SAT math prep – woohoo), and watched some more Narnia. Nothing much else happened this day.

~ On Tuesday, my whole family went out on a little outing in the afternoon, and I stayed home to catch up on blog post writing. That helped me so much! Later that afternoon, I played Minecraft with Samuel, which sadly ended in a disagreement, but I’ll be making up for that today (Wednesday).

And on Wednesday, I’ve published this post! Does anyone else have a habit they need to end, a new one they need to start, or a current one that needs changing? If so, I’d like to invite you to join me on this walk of change. It is possible!

I am overcoming anger. What do YOU desire to overcome?

— Maggie

Making the Change ~ Week Four

Making the Change ~ Week Four

My 17th birthday was a month ago today. In the thirty or so days since then, I’ve learned a lot about myself and my family, and my relationship with the Lord has also been strengthened. Despite the struggle and pain I’ve endured through the hardships I’ve been experiencing, I am thankful for it all; I’ve drawn so much closer to the Lord in this time, which I’m more grateful for than I can ever express. ❤

I took a break from posting my Making the Change series last week because I needed a breather … but I’m ready to put up a week four post now. 🙂 I know how good it is for me to write out how each day went and evaluate how I can improve in the future, should those circumstances ever come up again, so here I am for the fourth post in this series.

Thank you all for bearing with me during the highs and lows of my life; I appreciate every comment and kind gesture.

Making the Change – May 3rd through May 9th

~ On Wednesday, I went to the zoo with my family and got to walk around the whole place with my little brother, Joshua. Getting to do something with him was very enjoyable, and we both had a great time. 🙂

~ On Thursday, under circumstances that weren’t very positive, my irritation at a situation got out of hand, but it didn’t take me long to realize that I was at fault and that I needed to forgive the people involved, as well as myself.

~ On Friday, I babysat my little sister while our mom and brothers went shopping. I love learning more about how to take care of children, and this was a great lesson in Childcare 101!

~ On Saturday, I spent the day at home with my family. I worked on lots of blog posts (woohoo!), and played some Minecraft with my brothers. We don’t play it very much all together, but I’d like to do that more in the near future.

~ On Sunday, I worked on lots of little things in preparation for the week ahead. I tidied my room, worked on blog posts, etc – but I didn’t do much with Samuel and Joshua. We tried to play Minecraft, but it wouldn’t load.

~ On Monday, my brother needed some moral support, and I knew that the best way I could help was to play a round of the Pokémon card game that we have. He always beats me, so that defeat would surely lift his spirits. I put my all into slaying him while we played, as that is never usually enough … but I was using a new card that I recently got for my birthday. And I ended up completely butchering him. Oops.

~ On Tuesday, I got my little brother’s tablet (as well as my own) set up to play Minecraft (it finally worked!), and we had a good time building a castle and working together on there. It wasn’t much, but we were both happy. I also babysat my baby sister, Elizabeth, earlier in the day, and I enjoyed spending that time with her.

And on Wednesday, I’ve published this post! Does anyone else have a habit they need to end, a new one they need to start, or a current one that needs changing? If so, I’d like to invite you to join me on this walk of change. It is possible!

I hope that all of you are having a beautiful week. ❤ I’ll always be here if any of you ever need me! Just comment down below, or send me an email. ❤ God bless!

— Maggie