How To Separate the Good from the Bad

Winter trees need their rest!

Now that Fall is in full swing, most areas of the country are soon experiencing a massive pile of leaves to rake. Usually not a favorite chore although children enlisted to help end up playing and jumping into piles more than working. A great photo opportunity! It takes a while--and sometimes more than once or twice--to get the job done for the season. The result is a winterized tree that needs plenty of rest.  

Now some people say this is a depressing site. But it doesn't have to be that way. If we think about this natural occurrence its all about survival. According to the Children's Museum of Indianapolis, trees can lose a lot of water in the spring and summer just producing leaves. In the winter they no longer have enough water, so the tree actually "pushes" the leaves off so they can reserve their energy to grow new ones in the spring again. Amazing!

None of us can say we are bare trees waiting for the spring, but we can certainly understand the concept of needing rest to rejuvenate our bodies. No! No! We are not promoting hibernating and never getting our bodies to move just because it is winter. Far from it. We probably need even more exercise in the winter or we could waste away like the leaves. But this week isn't about exercising per se. Whew! Almost lost you there! 

More Good Than Bad
What we want to encourage right now is how to move forward with our single-again lives and really get a head start on what we want to do and where we want to go. It may seem like we are talking about New Years' resolutions, but we are definitely not. We just want to throw out the bad (anything useless or worthless) and issue in all that is good (useful and valuable). It's not so hard. In fact, it may be as simple as picking and choosing some of these ideas (or add your own):  

To Do
1-Make/craft something new and fresh. Wreaths, tree garlands, gifts. Donate or trash the old Christmas decorations.
2-Create at least one new tradition and try a recipe of your own instead of the one that's been in the family for centuries.
3-Change your furniture around. It will change your attitude too.
     

Christmas Nutcracker

To Go
1-Invite a friend or two to a midnight candlelight service on Christmas Eve.

2-When was last time you went ice skating? It's still fun!

3-Have you ever seen a live stage production of The Nutcracker Ballet? No excuses, most towns have one. Grab a friend and just go. Not into ballet? There is also The Nutcracker movie (hint: it just isn't the same though!).

It's All About You

If you haven't discovered it yet, the Fresh Start Momentum blog is all about you. Encouraging and helping you to re-create your old life into a new, successful life. Why? Because maybe you haven't done this before and can't seem to get started. We can help. It really can be better than it is now. They say "it takes a village." We say it takes a community. A group of other women who have gone through this mess.

We also know it takes Someone in control to be our Guide. Someone who knows you inside and out. . .all the pain, sorrow, and grief that has tried to bring you down. But He also knows your heart. He created it. He created you. And God is the most important part of your past, present, and future. Just know He didn't cause your divorce but He knows everything that happened from beginning to end. And He is ready to take you in His arms and never let you go. You are that valuable to Him!

"He is ready to separate the chaff [anything false, useless, worthless, wicked, evil] from the wheat [everything true, useful, and valuable] with his winnowing [sifting] fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, gathering the wheat into his barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire" Matthew 3:12 NLT. (Emphasis added).