Wasn't Sure Whether to Tell This Story...

...but just before going to bed I had the feeling that I should tell it anyway. Just maybe it might serve to help someone else who has looged onto this page and is feeling as lost as I have felt today.

I have had the occasional comment in relation to this blog that it seems to be written from a Christian point of view. I have found that interesting, as I would not necessarily have described it that way myself. I hope very much that there is a God, and despite all arguments to the contrary, I admit I find it very difficult to believe that everything around us could simply have happened "by accident". There are so many intricate and well-designed aspects to nature (just take a look at a leaf, or a snowflake for example) that it seems impossible to me that it has all happened without some design.  Anyway, who am I to comment on such things, we all have our individual perspectives on such matters, and what any person does, or doesn't, believe has to be left to them.

The point is, that when I am in trouble, I pray.  And today I was in trouble. So I prayed. I couldn't even find the right words, so I just said "Please help me." And I said it around twenty times. 

And this is the part I wanted to share with you - because although it is very personal, I just have the feeling that someone out there needs to read this. Ten minutes after I asked for help, I arrived at our new home. Four days ago the children and I moved to a new home (still in Somero), where we didn't yet know anyone.  As I arrived and was going up the stairs to our flat, a woman in the same building stopped me. She wanted to know if I had dropped some money in the hallway. I thanked her for asking, but it wasn't my money so I told her it wasn't mine. Then, for no particular reason, she invited me inside, even though until that point she had been a complete stranger. 

She said that she could see that I was upset, that she was a strong believer in God and knew that he was going to help me. We chatted for just a couple of minutes and she told me a bit about herself. She was very kind, and said that she was sure I had been sent to live in this particular building for a reason. The conversation seemed so surreal that I didn't quite know what to say. Then, just before I left, she gave me a book and told me to take it with me and read it.  She assured me that I needed to. I haven't started it yet, so I can't tell you anything about the contents, but I have it with me now. In English it's called "The Shack" by William Paul Young, and the Finnish translation is called "Autiotalo". I believe it is based on a true story.

Even though I haven't read the book I still felt compelled this evening to share this story. It is not the first time that something like this has happened to me, and despite the fact that it may do nothing more than make most people laugh, I am certain that there is someone reading this to whom it will mean something. That's why I shared it. I am going to bed now and I plan to read this book as soon as I can as it seemed to arrive at just the moment I had asked for something. I wait with interest to see if this was it. I hope maybe this story might serve to inspire someone else too. If you're in need of help of some kind right now, it might justbe worth asking just to see what happens. You never know until you try.

Sleep well Somero and beyond. Your friend,  Jody.

Don't Stop Dreaming

Some time ago I read about the idea of creating a dreamboard. The idea is to take a pile of magazines, and to cut out any pictures which appeal to you. The important thing is not to analyse what you are doing, but to simply choose the pictures which you like the most, without stopping to ask yourself why.

My own dreamboard

This is a way of letting your subconscious tell you what it really wants, likes or is dreaming about. Once you have all your pictures, you can then stick them in any way you wish on to a large piece of paper or card, and the end result will tell you something about your innermost wishes and dreams.

The last time I did this was some time ago and I was quite surprised at the end result, because the images were very far from the life I was living at the time. The board helped me make some big decisions about my future and also led to us eventually moving to Somero, which was one of the best decisions I have ever made.

An example of one of the other dreamboards

Today I created a new dreamboard together with four others. Once they were finished we spent time looking at each of them in turn and saying what we could see in each one. It proved to be a very interesting exercise, and every board was totally different from the next one. My own board sent me the clear message that I value family and writing and preserving my Finnish roots. At the moment my own family situation is not what I would wish for, but I still hope that one day I will find myself in a loving and stable family where we are all there for each other no matter what. I don't intend to give up that dream while I am still on the planet.  

Try creating a dreamboard yourself the next time you have a couple of hours to spare - it's not something that you can do when you are under a time pressure. You may be surprised by the results, but whatever you end up with, the exercise is sure to tell you a little but more about who you are and what is important to you. Wishing you all a restful Sunday, and one which is full of dreams.  

The Search for Beautiful Things

One thing that I have learned over the past few months is that no matter how bad things feel, you can always see beautiful things around you if you can just find the energy to look for them.

Sometimes of course things can seem so overwhelming that you just want to crawl into bed and hide, but at these times it's more important then ever to go and look at what's out there. You're almost guaranteed to see the things around you in a different way.

I'm no expert when it comes to films, but I remember a scene from American Beauty, where a boy made a video of some leaves blowing around in the wind. That scene has always stuck with me because I loved the idea of finding beauty in simple things.  That is exactly what we did today.

Five of us took this challenge and went out for 15 minutes simply to "find something beautiful". We came back together and showed each other what we had found, and were amazed at how many things were out there right in front of us.

We were also blessed today with beautiful weather after all the rain this week. The sun was shining, the leaves were gold and brown and Somero looked stunning.

If you have the time today, go for a walk, wherever you are in the world and whatever the environment in which you live. I guarantee you will find some beautiful things if you just remember to look for them.