Just Another Day in the Life of "Shells": May 2015

Monday, May 25, 2015

The Prayer of the Fallen Soldier

As I sat in church this morning listening to the pastor deliver an incredible Memorial Day weekend message, feelings stirred inside of me that I was all too familiar with. Feelings that God was once again working in my life, trying to speak to me, to tell me something that I needed to hear; He knew what had been on my heart, and His message came through.

After a busy few weeks, I declared that I would allow my mind to be completely still for that hour today, just as I do every week... it is why I look so forward to going to church; for that quiet time where I can simply receive the blessings that will come with opening my heart to just listen and soak it all in.

With all that I do, I often play tug of war with myself... wondering what I should focus my time on... what my true purpose is with all the talents that I have been given and what is the most important. Finding the "still" in my mind has always been my biggest challenge in this powerful journey that I call life, but when I do, I hear exactly what I am supposed to hear and today was one of those moments.

The message today was about the sacrifice in surrendering, how soldiers sacrifice and surrender their lives. I thought of how they give up their wants and desires to fight for what is right, and just... what will protect and serve our country and its people .. what protects me, and you. This selflessness that so many take for granted, yet we would never know the life that we know now without those sacrifices someone else has encountered for them.

I could not help as the pastor spoke, to think of a dying soldier's last moments... those final moments where his life must flash before him. The visions they must have of family, the happy times, the warmth of the holidays and celebrations of life... all of this in that final moment when a tear rolls down their face and the last breath is taken. Not once, NOT ONCE would they think of the sacrifice they took to get here, or the bad things that life brought their way... their focus in their last moments would be only what is important... and those things are what made them happy. I thought of the call that would be delivered to that soldier's family, the honorable devastation that they would go through in being left behind and was overwhelmed with emotion as I thought of this sacrifice and what it means and gives to each and every one of us.

Tonight, I am thinking of not only our soldiers and what they so selflessly give to us each and every day, but I am also remembering that there was yet another sacrifice that so many take for granted... another sacrifice to save us... to give us the freedom of being forgiven when we fall, for we are all out here fighting a war... we are of human flesh, far from perfect, but the ultimate sacrifice was made to free us of that bondage, to wipe us clean of all that we will inevitably do, from all that we are expected to fall into throughout our lives if we simply ASK to be cleansed and forgiven.

God knows the land mines we will cross... He knows them all and will speak to us in warning if we listen. However, all too often our own will is too strong and just like the soldier that surrenders his life for his brother and for us knowing he may die by doing so, we will sacrifice the blessings He has in store for us in order to do what we want in that moment leaving us dying inside until we learn to surrender our lives.

These two things became so relative to me and I was inspired to write this blog and call it a prayer... this literally flowed without much thought because that "little voice" told me to just sit down and type;

The Prayer of a Fallen Soldier
© 2015 Shelley Giard

I sacrificed for you today; my life... I had a purpose, a cause to fight for and I served for you knowing that I would not come out alive; YOU were more important than me, YOUR life is what I fought for, not mine. I was simply the one who was sent here to carry out this purpose and I hope that in the end of it all, you will remember Me; not take Me for granted and know that I am with you always.

I love all of you, I will never forget you and would die for you all over again if given the chance; I would fight for you again and again. YOU are a soldier too, just like me. You have a cause, a purpose to fight for and I hope you find that gift. My mission is done here, it is up to you to take the things that this sacrifice taught you and share it with others, let them know what it means to surrender, to do whatever it takes for the cause, to lead their lives with purpose and intent, to always stand for what is right but to lay down and surrender when life calls for that moment. If you die in that moment you will be honored and your purpose will be remembered in those moments when it is needed the most.

Don't forget what I did for you, who I am, or why I did what I did. Live each day with the freedoms my life gave to you... never forget why they are there. I love you, and it was all worth it. Know that I love you... unconditionally. Amen

military cemetery

I encourage you to think about the sacrifices that have been made for YOUR life.. for YOUR purpose and begin to live each day with more meaning... with more intent and with more heart and compassion for others. Remember, we are all soldiers fighting a war; some are just willing to sacrifice and surrender more than others.

Until next time...

xoxo

Shells

WWW.THESGIARDGROUP.COM

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Monday, May 11, 2015

Defeated and Derailed... is NOT a Definitive Diagnosis

As I sat at my key board last Monday to type my inspirational blog, my fingers froze.... I had nothing. Frustrated but hopeful, I sat down again a few days later only to have the same thing occur. The hardest thing to do when you are not feeling inspired is to write something inspirational... to write something motivating when you are not feeling motivated; to write with certainty when so many things seem uncertain.

Then FINALLY on Friday I was feeling inspired, more like myself, and I was SO excited to sit down and write with my classical music in ear and a nice glass of wine to sip. However between that moment of inspiration and sitting down at my keyboard, my teenage daughter decided to defy my request and stayed out bike riding beyond her "before dark" curfew. Instead of relaxing and writing after a very trying and long two weeks, I ended up semi- frantically scouring the neighborhood for 30 minutes before I found her. Needless to say this left me more upset and angry than inspirational. I can't imagine what may have come out in words had I sat down to write... again it was postponed. I sat that night and stared at the ceiling with a tear in my eye and reminisced over the events of the past several days and wondered how in the world I keep it together, how I avoid a complete mental breakdown at times... and I came to only one conclusion. I simply make the decision to keep going, because that is all I know. These are the times when I am especially thankful that I have children... they are likely my will to pursue most of the time... and the rest of the time it's simply because I don't know how to give up.

Some of the things in my life lately have left me disappointed, sad, and in some cases, even scared to death. A series of blows can drop the strongest person to their knees and strong people rarely have someone there to hold them.... because people will always say "you are strong, you can do this." Although they are right... sometimes strong people can be weak and need that boost to lift them up and carry them. That awful feeling of defeat... the feeling that you were just derailed from the path you are on can leave you feeling very "blank" inside, and if a person were to come by and wrap their arms around you in that moment and whisper "its' going to be okay" it would be the perfect comfort.

Through many years of trial and many unexpected disappointments, there is one thing that I have taken away from it all, and that is that being derailed and feeling defeated does not leave you with a definitive diagnosis of failure... in fact, it almost ensures your success one day as long as you don't give up too soon; NOT GIVING UP is key.

Weakness is not failure... it's a natural process that happens to everyone, and in most cases it is in moments of weakness that we learn the most about who we are and what we are made of. Weakness ultimately leads to strength. In moments of victory, it's not the victory itself that brings the tears of joy... it's the memory and exhaustion of all you went through to accomplish it... it's an uncontrollable urge to let go what you have held in for so long.

Embrace the journey, trust in the process and know that when you are weak, strength is being built and lessons are being learned. PAY ATTENTION to the details of these moments, you will learn what you need to succeed. You will gain the mental toughness in the tearful moments and you will rise above it all if you simply KEEP PUSHING THROUGH.

Have an amazing Monday, I LOVE Mondays! They mark the start of a new 7-day cycle. A new day... a new chance to be incredible. NO GO GET IT!