About Me

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Olive Branch, MS, United States
I'm a mom, a wife, a daughter, a sister and a friend. I work, I play, I laugh, I smile and I cry. I love to read, to ponder and to write. These are the thoughts I feel inspired to share...by no means all of them, just some of them.

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Christmas Thoughts

What a wonderful Christmas season 2010 has been! The Spencer's have been blessed SO GREATLY this year....with health, joy and peace in our lives. If there is one 'thing' that's gotten my attention this year, one thought that's constantly in my mind, one realization that has hit home this year....it's this:

"When my eyes are firmly on the Lord and my path is His path, joy and contentment will be mine no matter what other circumstances arise."

I am not going to launch into a sermon here, but can say that this is where I am, what I believe and what I've experienced first hand in 2010. Here are some thoughts that are rolling around right now.

1) My family
Dennis and I have been married for 13yrs and have been parents for 12 of them. We've done a lot of things wrong over these years, both as spouses and as parents, but as we seek God's way and learn from the past, I believe we are getting it right more and more often. We've learned that there are things we can do and say that are absolutely TOXIC and we've stopped doing and saying them. We've learned that lifting one another up and focusing on what's right rather than what's wrong is so much better. I absolutely adore my family and find happiness in them every day.

2) My friends
I've been pretty content with my group of friends for a long time. In fact, making new friends hasn't even been a desire for several years now. I once thought that as you hit your 30's that you've about got the friends you're going to have. However, what I've experienced this year has changed that thinking. I have a friendship today in Olive Branch that I didn't think was possible. A friend that has taken the time to get to know me, has invested emotional energy in me and has let me know over and over again that she's here for me if and when I need her. In turn, I've tried to be that same friend to her. And guess what?? As we care for one another, come through when needed and learn more about each others hearts and souls....we have cultivated a trusting bond of friendship! Cool, eh?

3) My job/career
I absolutely love my job. At 40yrs old I have a pretty good idea what kinds of opportunities are left for me at International Paper and they make me smile. I work with good people; people that care about their work and care about their co-workers. I've also found that as I allow my co-workers, my customers and my peers to get to know me more that what I believe, how I act and who I am can be a positive influence on their outlook and attitude. People notice when I work with pride, when I work with a positive attitude, when I show humility and honesty even when it doesn't necessarily benefit me. So...while my job supports the family and my career still something I take a lot of pride in, I'm finding more and more that my days are about more than making money and gaining position and power. This makes going to work everyday enjoyable!

4) My future
My future lies in wherever God leads me. I know that parenting will be a large part of what I do for the next several years - while parenting NEVER ends, the most important moments will be over the next 6-10 years. Other pieces of my future will be in volunteer work, in church activities and in finding other opportunities to serve. I will take care of my parents - both of whom are in their 80's - enjoying them for as long as I'll have them. I'll continue to get to know my sister again....after 20 or so years where we basically never talked we've become friends again. Val's a good aunt with the kids and a pretty cool chick to boot. I think she'll become more and more engrained in our family as time goes by. No matter what the future holds, I know that I'll be looking up for direction, for encouragement and for security.


My hope is that all of you that read this can take inventory of what's driving you, what's building you up or bringing you down, what's guiding your path. If you can't co ome up with an end result of joy and contentment then I encourage you to make changes. A life without joy is not the life that God has for you!!

Merry Christmas everyone!