Tag: faith

Pink Collar Coach’s Positivity Post – August 20, 2019

Pink Collar Coach’s Positivity Post – August 20, 2019

by Pink Collar Coach ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Pink Collar Savvy & Chic Swans,

This morning as I pray about many of the Ds –– challenges women face ––– in the form of debt, death, depression, diagnosis, divorce, domestic disputes, domestic violence, drug and alcohol addiction, dysfunctional relationships, etc., I’m reminded of a truth from a children’s book –– It could always be worse. That’s not meant to minimize the emotions, pain and suffering these Ds bring, but to bring perspective. No matter how devastating our Ds, if we look for His hand in the situation, we’ll find God’s provision, comfort, care, guidance, deliverance, peace, healing and love for us and will be able to see how we’re blessed in the midst of our mess. And that it could always be worse.

Image credit to author/publisher.

That’s my prayer for you today. That you’ll be Pink Collar Savvy & Chic and view your situation from this positive lens. When you do so, even if you’re unable to change or minimize the barrier itself, you’re mindset will be transformed and enable you to minimize the negative impact it has on you so you can maximize beauty and your best life. All to His glory.

Be Savvy & Chic ,

~Pink Collar Coach

 

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Life Lesson from Loads of Laundry

Life Lesson from Loads of Laundry

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It’s Day 49 (reset) of the Pink Collar Savvy & Chic on Purpose Project, and this busy weekend has taught me a life lesson from my loads of laundry. For many of us, this week was Back to School. As the mother of an 11th and 10th grader who is divorced –– a D or challenge women face –– from their father, I had them this weekend and a lot of the time went into school-related activities and making sure they were set to return for the first full week tomorrow. Between a trip to the library, running my daughter to a birthday sleepover, feeding my ravenous son and keeping him entertained Friday, I did laundry. Same thing Saturday before and after I picked her up, fought construction to make it to Zumba, did the grocery shopping and banking, then made lunch and finally dinner, all while tossing loads in and pulling them out. This morning, as I listened to Joel Osteen –– I folded and put clothes and linens away prior to taking Liv out for last minute school supplies. (What ever happened to getting the list before classes started?). Though there were moments when I felt like I’d either been put through the wringer or the spin cycle –– this is my first time blogging since Thursday! –– there wasn’t one where I didn’t feel blessed to have these tasks to do for my children and home. That’s the life lesson I’ve learned from my loads of  laundry.

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DIY Simply Shabby Chic “Laundry” banner on Shabby Chic bulletin board. For years I looked for a laundry sign. When I came across this board strung with wire and clothes pins, I was able to create my dream sign.                     DIY letters – Target. Bulletin Board –– TJ Maxx.

You see, though sometimes I look at all of the bath towels and face cloths to be washed, at all the bedding and more clothes than I can keep up with, I’m often reminded of a story  I once heard a story about a woman who sat all alone in her immaculate house and longed for it to be cluttered with the chaos of children…Because I don’t have mine all of the time, I can relate. When they’re here, it’s more joy than drudgery doing the mundane things for –– and with –– them. I touch the towels and am thankful they take care of themselves the way I taught them to. I look at the linens and love that they lie in them and sleep luxuriously when living under my roof. And I cuddle the clothes and am conscious of how quickly their time as children will cease. Each time I’m immensely grateful that despite a divorce,  the Lord has –– for now –– blessed me to serve them. Yes, on purpose. Focusing on that allows me to minimize my D and to maximize beauty and my best life.

One day, they’ll be grow up and away and my washer and dryer will get a lot less use. Til then, I’m taking my life lesson from the laundry to heart and am determined to be Pink Collar Savvy & Chic on Purpose and to treasure the loads.

Be Savvy & Chic, 

~Pink Collar Coach

 

Pink Collar Coach’s Positivity Post – August 15, 2019

Pink Collar Coach’s Positivity Post – August 15, 2019

by Pink Collar Coach ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

 
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Dear Pink Collar Savvy & Chic Swans,

As my 9th and 10th grader head back to school this morning, I’m reminded of all their firsts and lasts. Though Liv is petite and can fit inside her locker –– with the door closed –– it’s not often I get to hold her or her brother in my arms…May the following poem remind us all to cherish not only our children’s firsts and lasts, but all of life’s.

~Pink Collar Coach

Let Me Hold You Longer

By Karen Kingsbury

Long ago you came to me,

a miracle of firsts:

First smiles and teeth and baby steps,

a sunbeam on the burst.

But one day you will move away

and leave to me your past,

And I will be left thinking of

a lifetime of your lasts . . .

The last time that I held a bottle

to your baby lips.

The last time that I lifted you

and held you on my hip.

The last night when you woke up crying,

needing to be walked,

When last you crawled up with your blanket

wanting to be rocked.

The last time when you ran to me,

still small enough to hold.

The last time that you said you’d marry

me when you grew old.

Precious, simple moments and

bright flashes from your past –

Would I have held on longer if

I’d known they were your last?

Our last adventure to the park,

your final midday nap,

The last time when you wore your favorite

faded baseball cap.

Your last few hours of kindergarten,

those last days of first grade.

Your last at bat in Little League,

last colored picture made.

I never said good-bye to all

your yesterdays long passed.

So what about tomorrow –

will I recognize your lasts?

The last time that you catch a frog

in that old backyard pond.

The last time that you run barefoot

across our fresh-cut lawn.

Silly, scattered images

will represent your past.

I keep on taking pictures,

never quite sure of your lasts . . .

The last time that I comb your hair

or stop a pillow fight.

The last time that I pray with you

and tuck you in at night.

The last time when we cuddle

with a book, just me and you.

The last time you jump in our bed

and sleep between us two.

The last piano lesson,

last vacation to the lake.

Your last few weeks of middle school

last soccer goal you make.

I look ahead and dream of days

that haven’t come to pass.

But as I do, I sometimes miss

today’s sweet, precious lasts . . .

The last time that I help you with

a math or spelling test.

The last time when I shout that yes,

your room is still a mess.

The last time that you need me for

a ride from here to there.

The last time that you spend the night

with your old tattered bear.

My life keeps moving faster,

stealing precious days that pass.

I want to hold on longer –

want to recognize your lasts . . .

The last time that you need my help

with details of a dance.

The last time that you ask me for

advice about romance.

The last time that you talk to me

about your hopes and dreams.

The last time that you wear a jersey

for your high school team.

I’ve watched you grow and barely noticed

seasons as they pass.

If I could freeze the hands of time,

I’d hold on to your lasts.

For come some bright fall morning,

you’ll be going far away.

College life will beckon

in a brilliant sort of way.

One last hug, one last good-bye,

one quick and hurried kiss.

One last time to understand

just how much you’ll be missed.

I’ll watch you leave and think how fast

our time together passed.

Let me hold on longer, God, to every precious last.

(c) 2004 by Karen Kingsbury, Tyndale House Publishers.

 

Disengaging from Dysfunctional Discourse

Disengaging from Dysfunctional Discourse

by Pink Collar Coach ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

It’s Day 44 (reset) of the Pink Collar Savvy & Chic on Purpose Project, and as despite the fact that it very well may signal the end of a relationship, I’m disengaging from dysfunctional discourse with someone. All of my life, I’ve tried to be a person who avoids conflict. Most of time that manifests itself in me not voicing my feelings or opinions because they differed from those of others. And I don’t really mind doing that with an  inconsequential choice or topic.  It really didn’t matter to me what game we cousins played as children, so I let them pick. I like most foods, so I’m usually up for the whatever   restaurant whoever I’m with prefers. More often than not, I don’t have a dog in the fight of the moment. Sometimes, however, when the stakes are high –– when it’s a crucial conversation ––  I’m compelled to have a discussion, debate or even a  mild  disagreement (Though these all start with D, I don’t consider them to be Ds as in the challenges women face). When the stakes are high, I attempt to keep the goal of a crucial conversation –– to preserve the relationship –– in mind. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying I’m perfect at it. But am I intentional about it? I can say Yes with assurance. So when I’m doing my best to use the tools in my belt –– Using “I” Statements, Active Listening, Positive Sentiment Override, etc. and the other individual is aggressive, argumentative and downright argumentative, as I’ve gotten older and hopefully grown in all the life domains, I consistently find myself disengaging from dysfunctional discourse.

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Visual was shared on LinkedIn.                                                       Credit to the creator, though I don’t agree w/where all placed. I”d have to respectfully agree to disagree…RESPECT is key!

The recent pounding I took from an individual about one of the above items  not being an unplanned expense reminded me that not everyone has as many tools in their belt. If they’ve only got a hammer, everything looks like a nail. That’s not a judgment call or superiority on my part. It’s actually pity that even people –– me included –– who love the Lord and may even love the person with whom  they’re embroiled in conflict –– are so intent on making their point that it becomes more important than the person and maintaining the relationship.

For now, I’m choosing to press pause on this one. Prayerfully, the person will be receptive to learning about other tools they can add to their belt. Until that happens, I’m dis-engaging from the dysfunctional discourse and lifting the person up in prayer while I continue working on my own communication skills. By doing so, I’m minimizing the communication barrier and maximizing beauty and my best life. I pray you’ll be Pink Collar Savvy & Chic on Purpose about adding communication tools to your repertoire as well. If you do, you can minimize communication barriers and live your best life, too.

Be Savvy & Chic ,

                                                                                                            ~Pink Collar Coach

 

TJ Maxxing Life for JT’s New Little Life

TJ Maxxing Life for JT’s New Little Life

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It’s Day 43 (reset) of the Pink Collar Savvy & Chic on Purpose Project and recently I experienced the joy of TJMaxxing life for a team member, JT’s, new little life. If you know me at all or have ever read this blog, the fact that TJ Maxx is one of my happy places is no secret. I’ve been a Maxxinista since long before the term came into use. The official meaning is “A person who shops at discount designer department store T.J.Maxx. One who finds unique and original designer items at discount prices. Some individuals are obsessed with the store and even know what days they have new merchandise arriving.” This describes me almost to a T –– one of my nicknames –– other than the word obsessed.  Although I do know my store’s new merchandise arrives on Wednesdays….Sorry. Not sorry! Seriously though, I have yet to find another store where one can find as much quality bang for so few bucks. Take for instance below: A normally pricey Boppy, four Carter’s long sleeve Onesies and coordinating socks,  a huge gift bag with tissue paper included for a fraction of what a small bag costs alone elsewhere! My team was tickled with what I chose on their behalf as the designated baby shower shopper. : )  Of course, this store makes scoring big simple! And being a good steward of resources! So thankful TJ Maxxing life enabled me to represent the team and bless JT’s new little life.

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Quantity and Quality. 

Shopping is one of my superpowers. I can spot great finds from across the store and leap whole aisles in a single bound in order to snag them at bargain prices. When I’m doing it, I know I’m operating in my strengths zone because I lose all sense of time and can do it for hours on end without tiring. For me, it’s a creative outlet. As I peruse clothes, shoes, and handbags, I’m styling my wardrobe or that of a loved one or client in my mind so we can own our unique sense of style.  And when turned loose in the home department, I’m decorating personal and professional spaces to be beautiful, comfortable and functional –– the three tenets of Shabby Chic design –– no matter the decor style. Being able to shop for someone else feels like shopping on purpose because I’m helping them maximize beauty and their best lives. Doing this for JT  –– a  Pink Collar Savvy & Chic Swan  with a true servant’s heart who gives so freely of herself serving others ––  it’s a privilege to serve and give back to her. In that sense I’m maximizing beauty and my best life, too.

So thankful for this godly woman, wife, mother, daughter and member of our team. And for my favorite retailer that allowed me to  be a Pink Collar Savvy & Chicon Purpose Maxxinista who TJ Maxxed life in order to bless JT’s new little one.

What about you? Need a special something for someone at home or in the office? Why not be Pink Collar Savvy & Chic and TJ’s Maxx their life and your own?

Be Savvy & Chic,

~Pink Collar Coach

 

 

Hope House Mission Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

Hope House Mission Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

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It’s Day 42 of the Pink Collar Savvy & Chic on Purpose Project and as the weekend winds down and I prepare for the upcoming work week, I’m so thankful that at Hope House, teamwork really does make the dream work. If you’ve ever been at a job full of haters or where the environment is toxic, you know how the inching of the hour hand toward 6pm Sunday evening  is accompanied by dread ––– another D or challenge women face – regarding returning to work. I’ve been in those ill-fitting shoes and eventually walked out the door of those jobs. Conversely, when the work atmosphere is positive and the team cohesive, in ten months  as the Women’s Center Director I’ve not experienced anything but joy because I don’t have to go to my job, I get to! From leadership, to those in the administrative office, to the boots on the ground shelter staff, all the way down to the volunteers, Hope House Mission’s tremendous, collective, cohesive efforts make the dream of breaking the cycle of poverty and despair for homeless women, children and men work.

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Tim, Director of Operations,  Hannah, Volunteer Coordinator                                                         and me, Women’s Center Director/Pink Collar Coach (center).                                                        Not a T-shirt girl at all, I paired the requisite Chick-Fil-A shirt for the Get Moovin 5K Fun Run with a Calvin Klein skirt, plaid shirt and purple shades to pull the look together. 

Serving on Purpose at a non-profit where I’m actually in full-time paid ministry is as close to professional heaven on earth as I can get.. I’ve been in a role where our team took a personality assessment, and though I’m a maximizer and tend to be super positive, my natural disposition was dampened down to the degree that I almost didn’t recognize myself. Shortly after that “team-building” activity, and I use the term loosely, I applied for and got a position where I jumped from the frying pan into the fire. You know it’s bad when you’re greeted on the first day with, “Are you sure about this?” by members of the team. My next role gave me tons of responsibility and visibilty…Too bad some saboteurs were having none of that! Content to run my Pink Collar Savvy & Chic business full-time, I was nevertheless compelled to go for my current Director position. And though I don’t gamble, I must say I feel I hit the jackpot. Everyday a group of spirit-led purpose-filled individuals strive to serve our clients. In doing so, I’m blessed to not only help them minimize their barriers and maximize beauty and their best lives, but to do the same thing with mine. Largely  because of the way Hope House Mission’s teamwork makes the dream work for  our residents and for this Pink Collar Savvy & Chic on Purpose Swan.

Be Savvy  & Chic ,

~Pink Collar Coach

 

Chick-Fil-A Get Moovin’ 5K Fun Run to Bless Hope House Mission

Chick-Fil-A Get Moovin’ 5K Fun Run to Bless Hope House Mission

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It’s Day 41 (reset) of the Pink Collar Savvy & Chic on Purpose Project and I’m so motivated by the Chick-Fil-A Get Moovin’ 5K Fun Run with all proceeds to bless Hope House Mission. It’s not been a year since I became  Women’s Center Director at the homeless shelter, so acting as the spokesperson for the 3rd annual Get Moovin’ race has been –– as they say at Chick-Fil-A–– My pleasure. Last night I’d gone to bed  troubled by Ds –– the challenges that women face ––– in the form of dysfunctional relationships. Then I woke before the sun came up  and read a devotion entitled “Light of the Dawn” that God hand picked for me. It provided needed assurance that “Even in darkness, light dawns for the upright, for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous.” (Psalm 112:4, NIV). Though I fail to be each of these at times, my heart is to be them all of the time. And my job–– this incredible ministry –– lets me put my heart’s desire into practice on a daily basis. Seeing so many volunteers,  sponsors, Christian radio station Star 93.3, participants, groups, families, churches, businesses, and so many cute cows come out to support the event and cheer everyone over the finish line lifted my spirits and truly motivates me. In fact, this Chick-Fil-A 5K Fun Run makes me want to get moovin’ even more to bless Hope House Mission!

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Me, Hope House Mission Women’s Center Director/Pink Collar Coach with Chick-Fil-A Cows.

When dealing with life’s Ds, I’ve found when I’m able to put my own problems aside and   and serve others on purpose, even when the problems persist, the pain is diminished. Having been homeless, working with the women at our shelter reminds me there is purpose in the pain. And that His plan for me is to use my education, experiences, everything, to advance our mission of breaking the cycle of poverty and despair –– another D –– one life at a time. By doing  so, I not only help women to minimize their barriers and to maximize beauty and their best lives, I do the same with mine. Waking up to that privilege, the darkness recedes and I’m able to walk in the light motivated to get moving to bless the residents at Hope House Mission. Even when there’s not a Chick-Fil-A 5K Fun Run with breakfast biscuits involved!

I pray you’re Pink Collar Savvy & Chic on Purpose and motivated to be a blessing to others. Whether you’re serving on the home front or in the work place, when you do so, you’ll be able to minimize your barriers and maximize beauty and your best life, too.

Be savvy & chic,

~Pink Collar Coach