Goodbye Jade's Musings, hello Jadelovgren.com

This is the last post I will do from 'Jade's Musings' as I've created Jadelovgren.com and will spend my time there from now on. All my blogs on blogspot (Blogger) will remain, but will no longer be updated. They got created after I learned about having MS - to give me something to do since I no longer worked.

The reason for the change: I want to put all the things I love in one place (Jadelovgren.com.) Bonus for me, the website gives me something new to learn and develop. My website is new and evolving, but you're welcome to visit whenever you want to read my words and see my progress.

(I'm looking forward to learning HTML 5 since I only know HTML 3. I'm excited to also learn about CSS, Javascript, jQuery, and who knows what else. I know some of these things have been around for a long time but I gave up technical work when they just started being used and never learned them.)

I am thankful that my blogs gave me a focus. Now, my focus turns to other things. As I said months ago, I'm still here just not in the spotlight. I love you all. Thank you for reading my words.

I Choose Happiness

Things are changing all around me and all I can do is be myself. I can't control what other people do but I can control what I do. What I know is that I don't want to control. Things will be how they are. They might control my environment, but they can't control my mind. They might think they control my mind by telling me how to be, but until they control my thoughts they don't control me. What I know externally as freedom may one day change, but internally I'll always be free.

Courage and Guts

To me, courage and guts have the same meaning.
It takes guts and courage to:

face it head on
take control
take the lead
stand up
be brave
say "no"
many more things...

Here's the truth: Everyone has guts. I say go for it!

People are Great!

Everyone is important to someone. Even the person who says, "I'm not important to anyone" is wrong; they're important to someone. Isn't it great that we're all loved?! I'm happy to know that someone cares about me - it makes my day.

These quotes give me something to think about:

• Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint on it you can. Danny Kaye
  
• If a man is called to be a streetsweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great streetsweeper who did his job well. Martin Luther King, Jr.
  
• Always forgive your enemies - nothing annoys them so much. Oscar Wilde
• People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. Maya Angelou
• Change your thoughts and you change your world. Norman Vincent Peale
  
• Friends can help each other. A true friend is someone who lets you have total freedom to be yourself - and especially to feel. Or, not feel. Whatever you happen to be feeling at the moment is fine with them. That's what real love amounts to - letting a person be what he really is. Jim Morrison

People are awesome and I love them.

Finishing is What Matters

Starting is easy, but then I get distracted when almost done and start something else. "Finish the first thing before going to the next thing" I tell myself.

Personal experience: I had just one thing left to do but moved on and thought to accomplish it later. My next thing overwhelmed me and felt hard. Yesterday, the thought crossed my mind to finish the first thing before going any further with the next thing. This morning (before doing anything else,) I finished the first thing. That project has no loose ends, and I'm so happy!

Lots of philosophical thoughts cross my mind now that it's done. (When looking back I see conclusions.) But not everyone is philosophical like me and I give them a break from my thoughts. Sufficiently said, "Finish the first thing before moving on."

WOMANHOOD not feminism, MANHOOD not chauvinism

On my ride yesterday it occurred to me that the way I think of feminism is the feminism of the 70’s (ERA, radical bra burning women who basically said women don’t need men because women can do everything like men.) But the way young girls think of feminism is that of womanhood. (That women have brains and that women are feminine, but not that they don’t need men.) In the sense of womanhood I’m for women, but in the sense of 70’s feminism I’m not for feminists.

I love being a woman. I have a brain and appreciate expressing myself. I also love men. I love that my husband and sons care for me. I love that I can explore my world. I give the same freedom to all.

Most women want to be women and I ask all women, “Do you want to be associated with womanhood or feminism?” 

To me, the word ‘feminism’ and ‘feminist’ sends chills up my back. I will never call myself a feminist because I don’t believe in the extreme things for which it stands. On the other hand, I will always call myself a woman. Where I grew up ‘Womanhood’ got associated with ‘Suzy homemaker who gets up every day at 6 am and bakes fresh bread for her family.’ I wouldn't mind associating womanhood with a different definition.

Comforter and Forever Friend

Life isn't fair. Sometimes things suck. We can be there for people and show them that we care but we're imperfect, too. The only one to whom we can turn, who will comfort us and always be our friend is the Lord, Jesus Christ. He understands our pains, trials, sicknesses, and sins because he atoned for us. There's nothing we experience that the Lord hasn't felt. He's our Savior and Redeemer but also our comforter and forever friend.

Being religious or believing in him doesn't matter, because when we reach out to him he reaches out to us. He comforts us when nothing else can. He calms our troubled hearts and gives us peace.