Seeing the Compassion of Others

Hurricane Sandy was a doozy! I live in Eastern PA and the wind gusts were up to 81 miles per hour and we got between 2 - 4 inches of rain. Although our lights flickered a bit during the high winds, we never lost power. We did lose our cable and phone for two days, but we made it through the storm virtually unscathed.

What really has moved me the most through the last week is how people are working together to get through this. There were homes and businesses without power for five days; food had spoiled; homes without hot water; schools were closed and there were long lines at convenience stores that sell coffee and gas.

Through phone calls, emails and social media, I've seen offers for people to come to homes to charge their phones and computers, get a warm shower and a place to sleep. I met some men from South Carolina that drove all the way up here with their trucks so they could help restore the power in our area... staying in tractor trailers outfitted with bunk beds.

In times like this I see God working in peoples lives. The love and compassion that people have for one another is truly touching. I know that for some people, they don't even realize that God is at work... they may be motivated by money or a sense of obligation, not realizing they are a tool for God's handiwork. Perhaps the person on the receiving end has lost hope or faith, but these little (and  sometimes big) gestures help to restore what is lost.  We don't need a devastating storm to bring the best out in people... all we have to do is look around and see what it is we can do for someone else. Perhaps it's returning a shopping cart from an elderly person, or pay for someone's coffee at a convenience store. When I see the compassion of others I know God is at work and I am hopeful.

A Goal for November

I've been looking at ways to increase traffic to my blog, my website and my Facebook page and I came across a couple things that look interesting.

First, I clicked on an email from Nichepersuits.com and saw an opportunity to set a goal for writing during the month of November, and the ability to be accountable to a group... so I joined the Content Creation Group. This is a free opportunity and I love the fact that I am not only accountable to me, but to the group involved.

The second one is squidoo.com.  Here's a place to write blogs and drive traffic to my website and social media through links. I've also read that squidoo is known to increase your ranking in google searches. Of course as with anything, there are differing opinions, but I'm willing to try it! Will this work and grow my business? I don't know... but it sure is fun!

So, with this post I will be accountable to you too! Will I continue? Follow me to see!

It has been a little over one year since I lost my job after 22 years with the same company, and it has been an enlightening journey for me.  I needed to decide one of two things- do I want to work for another corporation or did I want to change directions completely... the possibilities were endless. Since I still have over half my life to work, it is a good time to make changes, if I wanted to.

First, I reached out to my church to see if I could volunteer to help them with their social media and website (see www.wesleychurch.com; https://www.facebook.com/#!/wesleychurchbethlehem; and  https://twitter.com/Wesley_Church ), which turned into biweekly meetings at the church (unpaid of course). Spending time at church enabled me to talk to a bunch of people in the community, and pray about what to do with this next chapter of my life. During Lent I spent some time meditating and reflecting about where I am and the direction I wanted to go in... and it hit me. God has been speaking to me all along.

I decided after numerous conversations with various people about the health and wellness industry that I would create an online resource guide for health and wellness. When you log onto www.livewellforall.com you can search for providers in the local area (this will be expanded in the future) and read blogs about wellness. At this time the website is in it's infancy, but I am pleased with the direction it is going in and look forward to seeing it in a year from now.

Here's the hard part. I have the idea, I have the site, now I have to market it and earn revenue... For the next several months I will be looking at how to provide a quality service for both the visitors that come to the site and the providers that are listed. I want to be a leader in providing both independent and group practices a place where their business can be promoted and let the consumer know where to go to improve their body, mind and spirit. 

Until next time,
Sue

Holy Week and Faith

As a Christian, I am looking forward to this Holy Week. I have plans to attend my church for services on Thursday, Friday and Sunday and I look forward to the hope of transformation in my life. With all the changes that have occurred over the past few months, Easter has a deeper meaning to me.

Losing my job is a life-changing event and I had two choices- I could be bitter, or I could use the time as an opportunity to grow further into my true identity.  I've really enjoyed these months as I explore my options, investigate different businesses, and allow myself to be guided by God. It's amazing how He uses people to communicate to us, whether it's a suggestion from a friend or stranger... or something we see or hear when we are out and about. If we listen closely enough we will know what it is that God wants us to know.

I also believe that our plans are not always readily visible for us, that we must have faith that things will work out the way they are supposed to.  My husband is a little fearful of the future and our ability to sustain a decent standard of living. I try to reassure him that we are okay, but he is concerned. I have to remind myself to be diligent in moving forward, but to have faith that things will be okay.

I continue to have faith in this journey and look forward to the hope of Easter.  That through my faith I will know God's will for me and that I will set aside the fear and move forward in the direction set before me.

Until next time,
Sue

Our Journey to Parks

My kids love to go to the park. My daughter is obsessed with swings and they both enjoy climbing and sliding on the equipment.  Last year I took them to the park maybe three times a month and this year I am trying to go more often. In the past week we've been to five different parks and they are so excited about going to new parks!

Here are my thoughts about each of the recent parks.

1. Bethlehem Twp Community Park http://www.bethlehemtwp.com/btcc/ This park is equipped with swings, a young child play area and a large child play area. It is always bustling with families playing and enjoying the space. The drawbacks are if you are alone with more than one child, it's kind of difficult to keep your eyes on both kids due to the large number of children playing. The other drawback, which my kids see as a plus, is it has a nice pool. My kids always beg to go swimming when we are there, and I don't always have time for that.
2. Commer Park, Bethlehem Twp http://www.bethlehemtwp.com/btcc/  This is a perfect park if you have multiple children. It has plenty of playground equipment and a large fenced yard. Benches are located under trees so moms can relax while the children play. This park is also not too busy, so it's easy to see everything going on.
3. Louise Moore Park, Nazareth http://www.recreationparks.net/PA/northampton/louise-w-moore-park-nazareth This is one of my favorites. There are two full playgrounds about 400 feet apart with plenty of slides, swings and interactive play areas.  The kids run between them and throughout the large grassy areas. There's even a volleyball court nearby, where the kids can play in the sand. The park even has a little picnic table next to the regular table, for the kids to sit and have their lunch.  This park is not very busy and most of the time we have the space to ourselves.
4. I don't recall the name of the park off of Route 512 on Crawford Drive in Hanover Township. This park was not too crowded, has two sets of playground equipment and a very large yard to play in. The kids loved that there was a water fountain nearby and the slide was 'super fast' according to my son.
5. Some of the best playgrounds are at elementary schools. We went to the Governor Wolf School http://www-gw.beth.k12.pa.us/Governor_Wolf_Elementary_School/Welcome.html and they have a terrific park! Two large play areas with lots of equipment and three ball fields nearby gave the kids lots to do. There have some balance equipment, lots of climbers and slides. The one slide was very fast, so the kids loved it. They have a sign, "No trespassing between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m.", so there's plenty of time to play there before dark.

We are having fun on our parks adventure and I look forward to seeing how many we can visit this summer... and I know the kids are too!

Until next time,
Sue

Moving Down the Path

I've decided to start a web-based business. It's a little scary, especially because I don't have a good understanding about the amount of money I can make from this venture, but I'm excited.  My mind is clear and I feel good about what I've come up with. I'm still brainstorming a name, working on a business plan (to get financing) and gathering information, but I am close to highering a developer.  I will be able to act as a consultant for small businesses and provide a service to others at the same time.

Over the past few months I've talked to people bouncing my ideas off of them and listening to what they had to say. One day I was at church in prayer asking God for direction and it came over me... He was giving me direction all along through the conversations I've had with people. 

Thanks be to God for His wisdom and guidance. May I continue to have the faith that things will be okay.

Until next time.
Sue

The Real Push Begins

I have been spending time looking into different opportunities for work, whether it's been purchasing a franchise or starting my own small business... and I've been moving at a leisurely pace up until the new year. Now as we are rapidly moving into February I am feeling a stronger sense of urgency and desire to start making some money.  I recently discovered that there are a tone of websites out there that offer opportunities to freelance. I'm starting to look to see if perhaps I can make some money doing freelance while getting my next career going. I will share some of my learning's as I move forward.

Until next time!