Can't Resist

I came across a blog last week, or should I say Stumbled across a blog, and the lady had posted pictures of places she would like to travel to. She called it 'travel porn'... of course, I totally thought that was hilarious, but I also realize making that the title of this blog would probably make for some interesting comments HAHA.

Anyway, here's my list of places I would like to go!!!

1. Scotland - I know we all know that I have a major jones for Scotland. So of course, it's going to be numero uno, or should I say 'aon'. I especially love coastal towns - don't know why, they're just charming!

And of course, can't go to Scotland without trying to find Nessie.

2. Ireland - pretty obvious, huh?? 

Ok the rest are in no particular order.

3. Greece

4. Myanmar (Burma) - random, I know... this one is for reasons that I don't want to get into, but ask me about it sometime, maybe I'll tell you, maybe LOL

5. Maine - yes, Maine... I want to sit in a little seafood shack by the ocean and eat lobster... I've never had it before. I really don't like the ocean, so my desire to visit coastal towns is strange, I don't understand it myself.

6. Texas - because I want to pretend I'm a cowgirl, that's why! HAHA

and I could live in a random teepee.

7. Italy - minus creepy Italian guys :D

8. Australia

TO BE UPDATED....

True Time Management

True time management is this - children who do their homework on the bus ride home so that they have the rest of the day to do whatever. This begs the question, what has happened to my ingenious time management skills and my ability to see what is really important in life? My elementary school brain, even wracked by the infinite hours of listening to history, English, mathematics, science, etc. lessons, knew what was important - play time, free time! Why should I go home and waste time doing homework when I have plenty of time just sitting here on the bus to get it done.

Well, now I'm the one driving the 'bus' so to speak (actually I drive 'The Beast' and I would take a picture of it and post it here, but I left my keys in the ignition over the weekend and drained the battery :S ).

I don't have the brain power right now to follow this thought to completion... TO BE CONTINUED

Life is Beautiful

Every now and then, when I'm at work, I suddenly have this burst of warmth and positivity like the sun is coming out (much like today!). At the center of this wonderful feeling, is the thought that "Life is Beautiful". This usually comes out of nowhere for no particular reason at all. I don't have to be in a particularly sunny mood, but then there it is. It may last a few moments and then fades away, and sometimes it carries me the rest of the day.

I love that feeling, so much so that I wish I could hug it and squeeze it and pinch its little cheeks, but inevitably I'm left with that wonder of 'Where did that even come from?"

Sometimes I say things that are not quite "spirit-filled", let's just say - for instance if I were to ram my toe into the leg of the coffee table or if someone were to cut me off on the road. Deep gasps coming from all around, I know. In such cases, my mom would say "That's an overflow of your spirit, Laura." Thank you, Mommy. "Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks." When you feed your spirit garbage, garbage comes out. When you feed your spirit truth, light, and life, those very things come out.

I think that when you have Christ in your life, whether he's at the forefront or if you've pushed Him slightly to the side, every now and then that part of your spirit can't help but declare Light, Life, and Beauty. So there it is, out of my spirit cries the Holy Spirit, "Life is Beautiful!" Enjoy it, breathe it in, soak up its rays, and know that your time here is but a vapor.

Happy Medium

I'm sure I'm the only one with the "The Grass is Always Greener on the Other Side" (hence forth referred to as GAGOS, because that's just easier to type) mentality. You're probably thinking that no you don't wish you had someone else's life, you like your life just fine, because everyone has their own problems - to be in their shoes means trading one set of issues for another. Good, then we're agreed, because that's not the greener grass I was referring to. HA I tricked you. :) I know I'm a misleader, haha I can't help myself sometimes.


Actually I have the GAGOS mentality , when it comes to circumstances in my own life. When I'm in one situation, I wish I was in the alternative situation, and when I get to the alternative situation, I wish I was back in the other situation. Confusing, huh? I know, welcome to my thought processes. Allow me to elaborate with situations that actually happen to me on a frequent basis - this should be fun.


A) When I didn't have a job, I was stressed out trying to find a job and wishing that I had one. Now that I have one, I wish I didn't - wish I was free as a bird. (I'm sure this one is a shared feeling, or maybe not, because I know some people actually enjoy working for The Man.)


B) When I'm busy, I wish I could be lazy and do nothing. When I'm doing nothing, I wish I was busy. (This example is more work related, because when I'm off of work, I have no problem doing nothing. :)


C) I wish I could be a missionary and work in a foreign country. When I was, I wished I was at home.


OK, are you with me on this ride now? There is nothing new under heaven. This is not a new feeling that only I, Laura Schaefer, wrestle with. Paul said, "What I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do." Not exactly what I'm talking about, but it shares the same principle: wrestling between a fleshly desire and a spiritual desire. The battle in my mind is here or there, this or that. So where is my happy medium?? No, I'm not saying I want to compromise my spiritual desire to incorporate my fleshly desire, but that somewhere in between these is a middle ground of peace and success. 

GAGOS leaves you with a feeling of total dissatisfaction, confusion, and stress. "This is not what I want to do, that's what I want to do." "This is not where I want to be, that's where I want to be." It makes your heart sick. Hope deferred makes the heart sick. 


Here comes the remedy. "The remedy is the experience." Thank you, Jason Mraz for those words of wisdom. And not just the experience, it is being satisfied in the experience, whatever it may be. 'But you just said that you are not satisfied in either situation.' Exactly! HAHA Being satisfied in the experience requires being thankful in the midst of it.  


If we walk the road that God has for us, even if we make a few mis-steps along the way, he has purpose in the steps. He has purpose in the situations and experiences. Be thankful for them, even if it's not where you want to be, because they lead to something that will probably be more than you could hope for. Thankfulness is the happy medium between what you think you want and what he wants, between where you want to be and where you are. 


Now let us not forget, that "He's still working on me." I am working on this. Every day, every moment a conscious decision must be made to be thankful and (to go back to my previous blog) in so doing you will be redeeming your time!


This blog is probably more me talking to myself than anything, reminding myself of the truth. Writing really is a therapy. So to steal a phrase from Mike Birbiglia, this is kind of "My Secret, Public Journal." 


"Rules for Being Human" by Cherie Carter-Scott  #6:

"There" is no better a place than "here." When your "there" has become a "here", you will simply obtain another "there" that will again look better than "here."

Ryan Adams "Words":

"If everybody's grateful, how come nobody is satisfied?" 

Why the Name???

You're asking me why the name (now you're thinking, I didn't ask you, but whatever moves this conversation along (or this crazy monologue along)). why the name? Why the Name?? WHY THE NAME??? Just kidding, false anger. :)

Back in the day my handle was lolofrets... my nickname growing up was lolo and well, she frets. Hey I thought it was funny. But I also realize that there is power in a name and power in a word. While she still has her worries (I told you He's still working on me, notice me switching back and forth between first and third person LOL), my name "Laura" actually means Victorious Spirit. Good stuff, right? I thought so. LaLa is my nickname these days, unless you knew me in the old days and then I'm still LoLo, but whatever. LaLa Victorious

I believe in knowing the meaning of your name because it is a significant look into God's hand in your life. I can look back on my life and see that red rope weaving its way through, much like Rahab's rope, and leading in its path protection, peace, and victory. I can look back and see where He spared me from embarrassments, risky situations, and decisions that would have had lasting consequences. I know we all have those things in life, because that's why He came to save us. 

I know that Christ has many more victories in store for me. There are small victories and there are large, momentous victories. I count on one of those momentous victories soon, but I know that to get there there will be many small victories along the way. 

We've just switched into Daylight Savings Time. Save the days: "Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days." OR "[Redeem] the time, because the days are evil." I love that scripture because the connotations are of accomplishing something in the midst of what is going on around you. There may be chaos spiraling around you, but in the center of it you are preparing, establishing, completing what has been set before you. You are doing something good in the midst of evil; you are saving the days.

I admit I have not been doing a good job of redeeming my time. I get caught up in things that need to get done and things that I want to do, that I forget (and yes, sometimes choose to ignore) what good He has for me to accomplish. How much more complete, successful, joyful, VICTORIOUS would we feel if we actually did those good things He puts before us? I'm not even saying that He's requiring you to redeem the time by starting a ministry (maybe He has, but that's between you and Him) or some other equally humongous task; I'm just saying that there are even simple things in our days that we overlook, ignore, forget to do. Slap a smile on your face - it may brighten someone's day. Send a note to a friend - they may need that encouragement today. Help someone finish a job that they are rushed to do. Spend time reading the Word - it is the Wellspring of Life and you cannot accomplish the rest without this. I could go on and on, but I'll stop there.

I challenge you (and myself) 1) to know the meaning of your name - it's no coincidence that that's the name your parent's chose for you - it may give you insight into the pattern of your life, and 2) redeem the time... spring into Daylight Savings Time. 

Laura Lee Schaefer

Victorious, Prosperous Shepherd (Good one, Lord! :) haha)