Inspiration...

I have been thinking about a lot of different "big picture" ideas lately, just with all that is going on in our world around us, with our nation and even more so, in my own personal life.

I have been pondering about different concepts... the one that I wanted to share first is INSPIRATION.

INSPIRE: to fill with an animating, quickening, or exalting influence; to influence or impel; to give rise to, bring about, cause, etc; to inhale.

Today, as with everyday that there is just the faintest glimpse of the sun, I went for a walk with the boys in the double stroller and we cruised together on the streets and paths of our little town of Clatskanie. I will keep the peoples identities safe but I ran into a few of my fellow neighbors. Now, you have to understand this little town here. This is a quant little town of 1800 residents. That is the same number of residents that lived here 25 years ago when I was a little girl... it tells a story! It is becoming home to us though, it has really grown on us. We have been here for a little over two years now and we are really starting to feel "established". Well, you also get to know everybody, and it kind of moves at a slower pace, which is nice... anyways. On our little venture today we went all around; to a garage sale, the library and the park. As I was walking I came across this woman, and we started talking. We automatically had a connection. This can happen anywhere at anytime and it is really cool when it happens! We start talking about how much we are so passionate about our kids and life. As we start talking Matthew ventures off and is watching a guy blow the leaves off the sidewalk with the leaf blower (he LOVES leaf blowers!) and he starts getting restless. My son gets restless a lot, but I keep talking, because I can feel that this conversation was supposed to happen, for some reason. We talk about how we just are pouring our lives into our kids, she even says, yah, I will resume my life once my daughter is grown, right now it is about my teenage daughter. I totally agree with her and we keep talking about our kids, how they grow, peer pressure and other life stuff. Then we start talking about hiking, who knows how that got brought into the conversation, but yah, it was cool. I love hiking...

When I first read the defintion of inspire I had to sort of think on it for awhile. I got stuck on the last part of the defintion, then it came. To inhale... Inhale the things around you. Inhale the stories that people are sharing. Inhale their thoughts. Inhale their emotions. Inhale the pains, the passion, hurts, angst, joys, smiles, THEIR LIVES. Inhale what God has placed into my day, when I am out walking, when I am at the park with my kids, when I am in the checkout line at the store or when I am visiting with my neighbors. (I visit with my neighbors all day long! Ha!) When I inhale all that in... then it influences me, it spurs me on, it gives me life, their life gives me life. I am inspired by their life! I take away inspiration to add to my life. I gain knowledge from those around me, that really have been placed in my path for that exact moment, for a reason. Thank you God for doing that! :)

This woman that I spoke with today told me how she has swore off alcohol till her daughter is grown. I said, wow, not many people do that in this day and age. Pretty much everyone I know drinks alcohol. She says, well, how can I expect her to not do it if I cannot withhold!? That was inspiring to me. I may not totally agree with every single thing that she said, but her passion, her love for her daughter touched me, and it inspired me. The gumption that she had inspired me. The dedication to something inspired me.

To be inspired people, I have to take the time to listen. I have to really LISTEN to hear their story, their view. I have to take the time to listen when someone wants to share. I have to take the flak when I may be a few minutes late because I stopped to hear someones frustrations or exciting news. I have to take the time to open myself up to someone else and share what I am struggling with and hear their struggles also. I could go on and on about listening, my point being... I have to listen and take it in. When I do... when I inhale who they are and what they are about and going through, when I take the time, I come away inspired. I come away with a little better picture of who someone is, what makes them who they are, and I learn from that. I can personally grow from that. I can become a better person because of who THEY are. Because they inspire me to do so... I can be inspired and learn from them...

I just want to encourage us to listen and love one another and we will be inspired... I would love to hear your thoughts... post a comment ya'all, tell us what inspires you! Till next time!

Hebrews 10:23-25

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.

Love, Sharrie