Inner peace…..true inner peace. That sounds so cliche doesn’t it? But I want it. I think it is possible.

My devotional today was about peace, the kind that doesn’t come from this world or things of this world. Many times I think I’ll have peace when the finances are secure, business is booming, my family is healthy and getting along, my friends are healthy and supportive, etc., etc.

But, do all those things ever come at exactly the same time? And if they did would you really have peace? When business is booming or our jobs busy we have deadlines to meet causing us to loose sleep. When business is slow or we are worried about layoffs we are losing sleep and trying harder.

So my prayer for myself for 2011 is to find a greater peace within. So when those troubles and trials come, and they always do come, my anxiety is lower and my sleep deeper. It is what I am going to work on in 2011.

If I could wish for something for you it would be the same. Regardless of your feelings or what is happening in your life you will have peace.

Blessings to all of you in 2011!

I am hoping you had a wonderful Christmas season and are looking forward to the New Year. I am. I try not to make “resolutions” as it puts too much pressure on myself. LOL

However, I am setting some goals. I want to get more savy in the “social media” area. I have a Facebook Page for Rooms With Style as well as a blog on Active Rain. I have yet to “Twitter”. That is on my list for 2011.  I have been putting it off and putting it off.

I have some marketing goals for 2011 as well and a new certification class I would like to take. So all in all I am looking forward to the New Year and hope you are as well.

Blessings to you and your family. May 2011 be a year of health, happiness and prosperity.

I love, love, love to bake. But my thighs need none of it so I give it away. Every year I deliver approximately 20 plates of cookies wrapped in bows to my church when they go caroling to the shut-ins. They are able to leave them with a little homemade gift since many cannot bake for themselves anymore.

It’s one of my favorite volunteering projects of the year!

I do make a mess when I bake. And it is quite the production, usually two twelve hour days.

I forgot  to take a picture of the pretty finished plates with bows but you get the idea! I hope they stay warm caroling, below zero wind chill in MN today.

Moral of the story…….do what you love and give it away to those that can’t.

It was the end of a ten hour day volunteering for a Christmas Party for needy families at our church. I’ll post more about that party later……the wonderful hearts of people.

Anyway, it was almost 10:00 PM, we were done cleaning up and getting ready to head home when one of the church members said that we needed to pray with one of the volunteers that was getting her test results back tomorrow, which we did.

The Christmas Tree, that at one time held all the tags for gifts needed for families, (the giving tree) was empty of tags and the church was giving the tree to this woman because she didn’t have one. It was a 7′ tree and I asked her “How are you going to get this home”?

 ”Well I hope to get it into my car”.

“Ummm….that might be tough, I have a suburban why don’t I get my husband, we’ll load it up and bring it to your home.”

“Really?….I live 15 miles away”.

“That’s okay”.

It took all we could do to get that heavy tree into my suburban. Then we followed her to her apartment, got a cart, got it up to the second floor and set it up with the lights in her living room. As we went to leave I told her I would pray for great results from the doctor tomorrow. Then she shared her story:

She was diagnosed with Stage 4 Inflammatory Breast cancer last year. Within a few months it traveled to her lungs, her liver and her stomach. She has had a double mastectomy and just finished her radiation and chemo. Today she gets her test results to see if it is gone or spread further. She was scared….she cried. We prayed.

What more can I say. We went to help families that have nothing but here was one of the volunteers, giving of herself, who also didn’t have much. Her name is Lori, she has a 16 year old son. I pray her results today are full of wonderful news.

Once I heard about the Stage It Forward group reaching out to those less fortunate I had to get involved. I have so much furniture and accent pieces at my Home Staging warehouse that I knew I could part with some of it.

I contacted a local charity that has homes throughout the Twin Cities that houses men coming out of prison and treatment as well as homeless men as they try to get their lives back on track.

I asked if they may be in need of any furniture, lamps, accessories, etc. The answer was “Yes, we’ll take anything you have!”. They were currently underway in turning the “houses” into “homes” and needed the extra touches.

We organized a day for pick up and I donated a totally refurbished Duncan Phyfe Dining Room Table. Yes I could have sold it for some decent money but that wasn’t the point. I wasn’t using it much and someone else could really be blessed with it.

I also donated three coffee tables, some end tables, lamps and accessories. I plan to work with one of the staff to “pull it all together” for the men so all the houses will be nice and cozy for the Holidays. Can’t wait!

Most of us have so much “stuff” that we rarely use and that many shelters would love to have so this Holiday Season…..Pay It Forward through Staging It Forward!

I saw my first Salvation Army Bell Ringer last week.

I noticed something as I was walking to the door of the store……..most people looked down and didn’t acknowledge the bell ringer in any way. Hmmm.. This is not to be critical as I know I have done the same thing in the past. But why?

What is going through our minds as we walk towards the bell ringer??

1) I don’t have any cash on me and I am so embarrassed.

2) I put something in the kettle at the last stop and now this guy is going to think I’m cheap.

3) Maybe if I don’t look him in the eye he won’t notice me.

What struck me this time is why not acknowledge the person, give him/her a smile, and wish them a good day? Many of these people are volunteers or working for a small amount of money, standing out in the freezing cold (at least here in MN) to help a wonderful organization and are proably extremely bored.

It’s okay if you don’t want to give, can’t give or just don’t have cash at this time. But I think the person standing out there deserves our smiles and best wishes.

So I changed my attitude this time and said, ’Hi, I can’t believe it is that time of year already!” He chuckled and we chatted a bit. I didn’t have any cash and I didn’t make an apology for it. I just acknowledged his presence and I was rewarded with him telling me to “Have a Blessed Day”! Can’t beat that.