I hope you are having a blessed day. Today, we celebrate the most important day in the Christian faith. The significance of Easter is far more important than that of Christmas. If it were not for Jesus Christ defeating death, hell, and the grave; we would not have the everlasting life promised to us. All I can say is, “Thank You, Jesus!”
We all know that Easter 2020 is not like any other Easter that any of us have ever experienced. For the first time since the resurrection of Jesus, people are at home celebrating this holiday. Church buildings are closed and people are not able to gather together and share in their faith. This virus has caused the world to cease normal activities and seek safety in our homes.
Although we could not gather in person with our church family, we were still able to get together through Facebook live streaming the service. Thanks to technology we are able to still see our family and friends, meet up with colleagues and attend concerts in another city. Could you imagine what it would be like if we didn’t have this technology? We definitely would be alone, and I know many of us would not be able to cope with it.
One tradition that my wife and I usually do after we get home from Easter service is to take a few family portraits. You know, for new profile pics on Facebook and Instagram. And this year was no different. My wife picked a blue lace dress that she had bought last year and I picked a shirt, pant, vest combo that coordinated with my blue. We didn’t want what was going on in the world to stop us from keeping up with our traditions. It would be so easy to say, “WHY? It’s not worth it!” We can’t let the circumstances of what is happening today to stop us from living our life. We can’t let the devil win! We need to remember that the church is not a building we go to, but we are the church. Wherever we are, the church is right there! So that is why we decided to get dressed like we normally would do for Easter Service and take part in our annual photoshoot. The only difference was this year it was inside because it was raining here at the time.
Easter Service was so good and yes we can be at church in our homes watching the service on the television or our smartphone or tablet.
The message was, “Put Jesus in the Center of the Crisis”
Some of my notes from the message from my pastor. For one is that God is for us and we have to make him bigger than the virus.
How big is your God today?
What do we need to make Christ the center of the crisis?
Believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God and died for our sins and rose again.
Accept him as your Savior.
Make him my Lord and put him first. Give God the first part of every day
Share the love of God with someone.
It was so moving to watch Andrea Bocelli performing at the Duomo Cathedral in Milan, Italy. Amazing Grace really touched me. If you haven’t seen it please watch this performance of hope for the world please watch the video below.
Happy Easter! May your day be filled with the peace and joy that comes from knowing the Risen Savior!
I hope you are staying safe and are well on this snowy Sunday afternoon.
My wife and I are dealing with many emotions about what is going on in the world today.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused the world to come to a sudden halt. In an attempt to curtail the spread of the virus, extreme measures have been implemented by government agencies – canceling social gatherings, working from home, and shutting down non-essential businesses. While we understand the severity of the pandemic and agree with the measures put into place to flatten the curve, we are also extremely disappointed because we could not take our vacation that we have dreamed of for more than ten years.
For the next two weeks, we were supposed to be seeing the Best of Italy: Rome, Florence, and Venice; touring the island of Capri, staying in a convent in Assisi, shopping in Milan, experiencing the ruins of Pompeii; with visits to the Vatican, the Colisseum, Romeo and Juliet’s balcony, and even a side trip to Lugano, Switzerland.
We celebrated our 20th anniversary back in September and this trip was meant to be a present to each other. Italy has been tops on our list of places to visit for many years. We are fascinated by the country’s history and culture. The art, the architecture, the food, the people. It doesn’t get much better than Italy. We love Italy so much that we gave our dogs Italian names … Gio the Beagle (short for Giovanni), Vinny the Collie (short for Vincenzo) and Seppe the Beagle (short for Giuseppe).
While we had many wonderful vacations in the past – Colorado, Utah, Canada, and the Caribbean – an Italian vacation has been on minds all the while. However, finding the right package, at the right price with the right places to visit proved to be a difficult task. We started putting extra money into the savings with the intent of an Italian getaway. After extensive research and exploring endless options of tour packages, we found a trip that would be a perfect 20th-anniversary present for each other.
Originally, we were supposed to be traveling during Thanksgiving. We decided for November instead of September because the price is dramatically less, there are fewer travelers, and the temperatures are a bit on the cooler side. Unfortunately, the tour company canceled that tour because not enough people had booked the tour for it to be confirmed. It turns out that November was not a good time to visit because the entire country was inundated with rain and Venice had the worst floods in fifty years. We were forced to select a new date for departure. We selected March 22 because the price of the new trip was the same as original and the weather was ideal for traveling.
But alas, that trip too was canceled because, well, you know the reason. The COVID-19 virus started in China and then spread quickly across the world. And sadly, Italy has been the hardest country, recording over 5,400 at the time of this writing. The number of cases increased from only three in late February to now at almost 60,000. The rate at which the number of cases grew caused the US government to recommend reschedule all unnecessary travel with an ultimate ban of travel to and from Europe. When these travel restrictions were put into place, we know that we were not going on our dream vacation.
Thankfully, our trip was canceled by the tour company, which means we are able to rebook with them for the same trip anytime this year or next year. Ideally, we would like to go this year; but with all that is happening with this virus and with the devastation in Italy, we think it will be too soon to go in September or November. We are looking at maybe March of next year. This would give the country time to recover and be ready to welcome guests.
One bit of irony, a broken arm could not stop us from going to Italy, but the COVID-19 did. On February 13, I fell on the ice going into work, breaking my left humerus bone, just below my shoulder.
In the Emergency Room, finding out that I had a broken arm.
For the first week, there was a bit uncertainty about whether I would be able to go on the trip. My doctor needed a follow-up CT-scan to view the break and to ensure that it was not too serve and determine if surgery was needed. When he viewed the CT-scan, he said that the bone could heal on its own just fine and surgery was not needed. Knowing that our trip was only a month away, I asked the doctor if it was okay to travel. He gave his approval because by that time the bone would have healed enough not to hinder travel. I was elated as if I could jump for joy, I would have. But sadly, in only two weeks the trip was canceled. Our roller coaster of emotions has been up and down, up and down during the last six weeks.
I must say this, we are not in fear because we are standing on the Word of God and are rooted in our faith. We believe that we need to keep up to date on what is happening, but we don’t let the news consume us and cause us to be afraid. We ask God for His wisdom as we go through this time. It is important to call on Him and ask for His peace to be in your life as well. He will never leave you in your time of need. We recommend reading Psalm 91 and Ephesians 6:10-20 every day to help counteract the fear and the anxiety that the world is showing right now.
You have always considered yourself to be a positive and sunny person, who always likes to look on the bright side of life. Sometimes in your life your negative inner self starts to creep in and you forget all of the amazing things you have going on. Recently, this has become a bad habit of yours and you definitely want to nip it in the bud before it spirals out of control. If you find yourself living with stress and anxiety constantly, the ideas outlined below will definitely help you. Injecting more hope and happiness in your life can be achieved in a number of different ways, but you have to believe in your own abilities first and foremost. A lot of the ideas mentioned below are things you will have already heard before, but why aren’t you doing them? Having the knowledge to make a change is one thing, but implementation is everything. There is no point in having all the tools you need to build a structure and then leaving them in the garage to gather dust. You need to take all of your knowledge and experience and plough it into your own self development. Soon enough you will start to realize where your super powers life and you will have more hope and happiness in your life in no time. Work your way through the following notions and see how they work for you.
There is nothing that can spark joy in your life more than a cute little canine can. If you’re in need of some rays of positivity, look here for gorgeous puppies you can buy. A dog will not only greet you at the front door when you get home from a stressful day at work, but they will also love you unconditionally. Having a loyal furry friend at home is a guaranteed mood booster whenever you need it. Make sure you have the time to take care of your new perfect pup, especially in the early days. They will require as much love and attention as you do!
Pursue a Career You Love When you aren’t completely in love with your career it can have a huge knock on effect to you mood daily. Pursuing a career that you love will definitely help you to feel happier and more hopeful. Remember that your career is a huge part of your life that needs to be considered; if you’re not completely fulfilled it will eventually take its toll. Start searching for other career paths that might make you feel more excited or enthusiastic. This will definitely help to shape a happier life for you overall.
Remove Toxicity From Your Life If there are people in your life who aren’t serving you, then you definitely need to think about removing them. First of all, consider who brings positivity and happiness to you everyday; is there anyone who tends to drag you down? Perhaps you’re in a relationship that feels toxic or your friends aren’t supportive of your aspirations. Have a conversation with them and tell them how you feel; they may start to change their ways if they know more about the situation. If they choose to ignore your feelings, then you should take a step back from your relationship with them. Removing this toxicity from your life will definitely make you feel happier every single day.
Be a Little Bit Selfish It is absolutely fine to be a little bit selfish from time to time. Whether you want to spend time on your own or take a solo trip to another country, there are so many ways to improve your mood and create happiness. Selfishness doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re unkind to others; it means that you’re going to put yourself first. As soon as you start doing this, you will be able to gauge what makes you truly happy. Start doing more of this and you will discover how to be a little bit selfish in the best way possible.
Switch off Your Phone Do you ever get really sick of people trying to contact you 24/7? Nowadays with mobile phones people often believe that they’re allowed to call, text or email you at all hours of the day. Whether you want to switch off from work more easily or you’re fed up of exploding group chats at midnight when you’re trying to sleep. Switching off your phone from time to time will absolutely help you to become happier. You won’t have to answer to anyone and you will have much more time to yourself. If somebody can’t contact you for a couple of hours in the day, they will definitely be able to cope with that!
Enjoy Self Care Practicing self care regularly is a sure fire way to inject plenty of hope and happiness into your life. When you’re going through a rough time at work or there is an issue in your family life, a bit of self care can go a long way. Self care can come in all sorts of shapes and forms, depending on what makes you feel completely at ease. You don’t have to spend a fortune and book a trip around the world to soothe your soul; you can practice self care in a way that feels perfect for you. Many people love indulging in a hot bubble bath, reading their favourite book or going for a walk. Write down three things that make you happy inside and they can be your go to self care tools whenever you need them.
Meditate and Practice Gratitude When you meditate on a regular basis it can instantly boost your mood and make you feel grateful for all the amazing things you have going on in your life. Whenever you’re struggling to find positivity, it is so important to look around you and absorb all of the fabulous things you already have. Every single morning write down two things that you’re grateful for; they could be your family, an exciting special occasion or even a hot cup of tea. Once you have done this episode you will be setting your day off on the right path. Meditation is also an excellent way to bring some positivity in your life; guided sessions on an app on your phone can make the process very smooth and simple for you to get the hang of.
As mentioned above, you may have heard these suggestions a million times before, but it’s how you implement them that will change the game for you. Knowing that you need to be a little more selfish, knowing that you need to eat well and knowing that meditation could be beneficial for you is not good enough. You need to take all of this knowledge you have inside your head and make a huge impact on your entire life. Change your negative mindset and become a positive person who can always see the silver lining. This side of you is already there and is waiting to burst out; you simply need to implement. Hopefully the ideas mentioned above will help you to elevate your life to a new level, whether you’re finding more time for yourself or upping your exercise regime. Don’t just sit with this knowledge in mind and hope to implement it one day. Now is the perfect time to make these changes, so take small and simple steps every day in order to accomplish your personal goals.
Parents sacrifice a lot to take their children to the best schools. They get disappointed when the child performs poorly. However, before you jump to a conclusion, it is essential to know why your child is performing poorly in the first place. Identifying the root cause enables you to make the right decisions to help your child.
Sickness Is your child having health problems you have tried to find help about it? Have aprimary care doctor examine your child’s health. Your child may be performing poorly due to sickness.
Learning disability Before you shout at your child for being a failure, establish whether they have a learning disability. Alearning disability is a neurological processing problem that affects many children.
It interferes with a child’s reading and writing skills. It can also affect memory retention, time planning, and reasoning. Learning disabilities are not limited to classrooms and can affect a person’s relationships and career. Individuals with this problem have average intelligence. There is no cure for learning disability, but support helps the child to cope with the condition. Dyslexia is an example of a learning disability that affects many kids worldwide.
Social-emotional issues Kids with social-emotional problems perform poorly. They have a difficult time interacting with their peers and teachers. Emotional issues can be a result of how a child was brought up. A child who is brought up in a chaotic environment is bound to have emotional difficulties.
Moreover, kids with anger problems tend to perform poorly because they cannot heed instructions. They do not take criticism kindly but consider it a personal attack. When a teacher guides such a child, they see it as a waste of time and gets angry. Does your child have anger issues? Perhaps it is about time you talked about it.
Bullying Kids who are bullied are traumatized and don’t concentrate in class. Your child keeps rewinding the ordeal in his mind instead of focusing in class. It is worse if the school lacks anti-bullying policies. Your child may not open up due to the fear that things might get worse. They will keep quiet, hoping for things to get better.
However, bullies never change or stop picking on others. Talk to your child and reassure them of your full support. If they are being bullied, talk to the administration about it and do follow-ups. Some schools make promises they don’t intend to keep. They promise to investigate and get to the root of the issue but sleep on it. Prevent this from happening by calling the school regularly to ask for progress.
Dysfunctional homes You cannot expect a child to perform well in school if your home is a war zone. Parents who fight always disrupt a child’s learning. Instead of focusing on school, your child is thinking about how bad things are at home. This is a lot of burdens to put on a child. Before you castigate a child for failing, are you the cause? Do you have marital issues that could be affecting the child? Remember, dysfunctional homes not only affect your child’s education but entire life.
Final Thought Don’t compare your child to another because every child is different. Instead, encourage your child to pursue his dreams and help in any way you can. Get your child a puppy as a reward when they improve in their studies. Solve problems that could be interfering with your child’s learning.
My hubby and I have been monitoring the sudden outbreak of the coronavirus virus in Italy this past week. In celebration of our twentieth anniversary, we planned to go on holiday in late March. So in one week, we went from planning our trip and deciding what to pack, to being halted by a Level 3 travel warning. On Friday, CDC recommended reconsidering all non-essential travel, causing our tour company to cancel all trips to Italy.
The travel warning has since risen to Level 4, meaning “Do not Travel”, for the areas of northern Italy most affected by the outbreak, according to Fox News.
A 50% increase in new cases as of Sunday night has the total number of cases of 1,600 according to CNN.
I can’t lie, my hubby and I felt discouraged and bummed about not being able to take the trip. However, we will not be knocked down. We still plan to visit Italy. We are looking at rescheduling our trip for the fall once the outbreak has been contained and life has returned back to normal.
When you see an outbreak of a virus that has no vaccine at this time, fear can take hold if we let it. But we have to cast down fear and turn our focus to prayer. Now we must pray for Italy, China and the world who are also affected by the virus.
Pioneers in Europe requested prayer.
*Pray that they would be able to express peace and confidence in God’s sovereignty in the midst of these uncertain and anxious days.
*Pray that the surety of the gospel would be a bright light to worried and isolated Italians.
*Pray for the church in Italy, for resources and a movement of the Holy Spirit amongst those who don’t yet know Jesus. Only 1.5% of the Italian population professes an Evangelical Christian faith.
*Pray Psalm 91 for the Pioneers in Italy, as well as their neighbors, friends, classmates, church attendees, and all who don’t yet know Jesus:
My hubby and I pray Psalms 91 every day, a hedge of protection and traveling mercies.
Psalm 91 (NIV)
1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
3 Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. 4 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. 5 You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, 6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. 7 A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. 8 You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.
9 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, 10 no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. 11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; 12 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. 13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
14 “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. 15 He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. 16 With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.” *Biblegateway.com
Bubblingwitheleganceandgrace.com is praying for Italy, China and the rest of the world affected by the outbreak of coronavirus. We also pray that there would be freedom from fear and panic and that peace prevails in the midst of the storm. We pray for complete healing for those who have been affected by the virus and pray that God will comfort anyone who lost loved ones. We pray that a vaccine is developed and all new cases will stop.
I have listed a few scriptures to stand on against fear, if you search your bible you will find more. 1 John 4:18 (ESV)
There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been in perfected love. 2 Timothy 1:7 (ESV)
for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
Let me know if the coronavirus is on your mind and how you are praying against it.
If this prayer is important to you, I suggest that you share it on your social media outlets.
Christmas Day memories are all in full gear on Facebook with the various pictures of food, toys, and fun. And if you celebrated Boxing Day you get to have another day of festivities. Some people have already taken the tree down or have taken it to the park to become mulch.
Usually, the day after Christmas, my husband and I like to see if we can find additional ornaments on sale to spice up the tree for next year. I enjoy finding ornaments that have special meaning to me, like these blue ornaments. My grandmother had a Christmas tree with blue ornaments, and these remind me of the ones she would have used. Adding new ornaments to a Christmas tree always adds a fresh look. I also like adding shiny garlands because it reminded me of the trees of my childhood. I need to purchase a few more for next year because you can never have too many. This was the first time in many years that I added garlands and made the tree look completely different than previous years. Taking down the holiday decorations too quickly can be such a shock because the house feels empty and less vibrant.
Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash
How do we keep that holiday spirit all year long?
I spend several days decorating my house for Christmas, going from room by room. I want to be able to enjoy the tree and all the decorations for a longer time. We typically don’t take the decorations down until February 14th, Valentine’s Day. I have had friends tell me, “It’s your house, you keep those decorations up as long as you want.” My puppy Gio went to heaven last July. My hubby and I had just purchased a new tree at the time of his passing; so we decided to keep that tree up for the rest of the year. God knows the tree brought us peace at a difficult time for us.
JTwisdom and Hubby’s Tree in the LIvingroom
Acts of kindness
My cousin didn’t want to put up her tree this year because she wanted a different kind of tree but didn’t have the finances to purchase it right now. She gave her Christmas tree and lights to someone who had kids and didn’t have a tree. My cousin didn’t want this lady and her kids to be without a tree.
Help someone in need because giving always makes you feel good. Do you need to reach out to a friend or relative whom you haven’t talk to in a long time? Send a text message or make that call just to say hi or I was thinking about you. Check on the elderly neighbor.
Learn about a holiday
My hubby and I celebrate Christmas but started lighting the menorah for Hannukah about four years ago. It’s a special feeling to light the Menorah and learn why the holiday is celebrated. Take some time to find out what Christmas, Hanukkah, Boxing Day, and Kwanzaa mean and why each holiday is celebrated each year.
Start a new tradition
Does your family wear matching pajamas for Christmas? Is it a tradition to make your grandma’s delicious dressing or favorite pecan pie? You will be surprised how your family will look forward to those traditions each year and how you will create new ones.
You are not alone
We must remember that everyone does not have a large family or a huge amount of friends to celebrate the holidays. Both of my parents are in heaven. I had to press through depression and keep putting in my focus that they are always with me and I am thankful for them. The holidays are for us to give thanks and be grateful. I didn’t say it would be easy. You may say that you have nothing to be thankful for. We all have something to be thankful for.
Your assignment
Write down three things that you are thankful for every day. Then, when you are feeling down you can always look at that list to give you a boost of encouragement. It can be as simple as one word.
Remember that you can feel alone in a crowded room full of family. No family is perfect and what you see on Instagram or Facebook is what they want you to see. Those who have big families want to be alone and those who have a small family want a big one. We have to fill our hearts with gratitude.
I am thankful for you and remember that you are not alone. As we continue to celebrate the holidays and step into a new year may you have peace, and your hearts are filled with joy each and every day.
Learn More About JT
Bubbling with Elegance and Grace started out as an outlet for my passion for fashion but has evolved into a place for me to teach, collaborate, and inspire. My hubby has since joined the team and we have been digital creators for 13 years. We are thankful for those who believed in us from the beginning and those who have just started riding with us on this lovely journey.
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