Lisa notes

Spark These 3 Conversations with Your One Word
{One Word 2023 August Linkup}

Link all of your ONE WORD blog posts below. Share an update about your One Word in the comments.

Have conversations with others this month about your One Word. Make a list of three people you can discuss your word with, and pencil in a time to do it.

Whether in person or online, here are a few questions you can ask (revise as needed to best suit your word):

What does my word mean to you?
What do you think is the opposite of my word?
Do you think about this word rarely or often?
Where does this word pop up in your everyday life?
Can you give me suggestions for better experiencing or practicing this word?

Listening and talking with others about your word can spark new insights and intentions as you practice it throughout the month.

I’ve appreciated the conversations I’ve had so far with others about my word HUMAN. One of the interesting insights I heard was:

“The opposite of human? Fake.”

I hadn’t thought of that. Our full human self is our full authentic self. It takes a lot of human courage to voluntarily be vulnerable.

I’ve been rereading Brené Brown books this month as I deal with my own humanness and vulnerability. In Daring Greatly, she says,

“Vulnerability is the core, the heart, the center, of meaningful human experiences.”

When I’ve asked others, “How can we be better humans?” some of the answers included:

Be aware more of commonalities among people.
Listen and share time with other humans.
Stay grounded with your own body and your own humanity.

I agree. How would you answer?

Now to continue the work. . . .

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This August linkup for One Word updates will remain open for two weeks through midnight on Wednesday, September 6. Each link shared here will also be shared with our One Word Facebook group.

Next month’s One Word linkup will open on Saturday, September 23.

If you’d like to receive our monthly One Word emails and ideas, .

What are you learning about your One Word through conversations with others? Leave a comment here about your One Word.

Get more One Word ideas here

Link Up About Your One Word!

Don’t Let Zoom Steal Your Humanity

My People on the Screen

It was finally time for lunch. We’d had a busy morning going separate directions, listening to speakers in different rooms of the conference center.

I grabbed the boxed meal available in the lunchroom and began looking around.

Where were my people?

I checked the group text. A few were responding. Someone had saved us a table near the front of the room near the coffee machine.

For a year I’d had conversations with this group of people. I’d seen their heads. I’d heard their voices. All through a screen.

And it worked. It got the job done. It was fine and I am grateful for the option. Long live Zoom.

But now it was time to see them in person.

The Back of Your Head

I finally saw a face I recognized and headed toward it. One by one, our round table filled up with people I’d previously seen only on my laptop.

Here at last I saw arms and legs and even the backs of heads. It was glorious.

There’s something special about being physically present in the same space with other humans. Seeing their hand gestures. Watching their walk. Getting to pass them the butter.

In this year of Human as my One Word, I’m appreciating the opportunities to be in the same room again with other humans.

Another Person In-Person

After we finished lunch that Friday, we filed into another larger room. We took our seats together with 2,000 other people.

We were all waiting for one more human to enter.

When the Vice President of the United States finally entered the room, we all heard “Hail Columbia,” the song traditionally played to announce her arrival.

The in-person presence of Vice President Kamala Harris brought another level of energy into the place. All eyes focused on her; all ears listened as she spoke; all phone cameras pointed toward her.

Even though we could also see 2-D close-up shots of her on the two big screens on either side of the stage, it felt different—and much better—to also watch her in the flesh.

It comes more naturally to connect with other humans in person instead of through screens.

When You Can, Do It

It’s not possible to always be in the same room with people we want to be with, whenever when we want to be with them.

But when we can, let’s do it.

That’s human.

Have you experienced meeting someone in person after only seeing them on screens? Share in the comments.

See How Many Years You Have Left
—Grace & Truth Linkup

By LisaNotes August 18, 2023 Encouragement, Grace & Truth Link-Up 6 Comments

How long do you think you’ll live? According to this life expectancy table, I have 24.6 years left, and my husband Jeff has 23.15 years.

I could easily be bothered by this news.

But I don’t believe it.

Our life span is predicated on so many variables. We can’t accurately predict the day we’ll die.

And more important than how long we will live is how we will live. If I really do have 24.6 years to live, I want to use these years wisely and kindly with people I can love and with people who love me.

How do you want to spend your remaining years?

Share your thoughts in the comments.

Grace & Truth Featured Post

Paula addresses getting older in this week’s featured post. Instead of fearing the passing of time, she encourages us to “approach aging with courage and grace.“

Read all of Paula’s post at her blog.

“Embracing the Gift of Aging— A Journey of Courage and Grace”

Then link your own blog posts below.

Review the rules here about adding your most recent Christian Living posts and how to be the Featured Post. Visit all four hosts social media here or websites here: Maree Dee, Lisa notes, Lauren Sparks, Tammy Kennington.

Now Let’s Link Up!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Hey You, One Person, Keep Doing This One Thing

By LisaNotes August 16, 2023 Encouragement 7 Comments

Sitting at the long tables in a conference room in Chicago last Saturday, we received our assignment: write a story about our involvement in this movement.

The movement? Something the majority of Americans agree on, regardless of their political affiliation…

Preventing those with mental illnesses from purchasing guns
Subjecting private gun sales and gun show sales to background checks
Implementing a ban on assault weapons

But our task today was specific to our individual roles within Moms Demand Action. And in this room on this day, I was seated beside others who also are behind-the-scenes people like me: the data crunchers.

The data people in our organization, like any organization, are the ones responsible for inputting new members’ information into the database, for creating lists of upcoming events, for sending out emails to members, etc.

It’s not flashy.

It almost feels disconnected from the “real” work of advocating for better gun legislation, of holding support groups for gun violence survivors, of speaking to a crowd about actions they can take next.

Nonetheless, I picked up my pen that Saturday afternoon and began to write. About being a data person.

Only one. I’m just one person. Dozens, hundreds, thousands are killed. I’m still here.

Being just me, I open my laptop. I pull out the sheets of paper from our last Moms’ meeting.

And I start typing, adding one name after another into the database, just me and my computer.

I type in Brittany’s name. I remember Brittany—she shared her fear about her son beginning a new school year. Would he be safe?

I type in “Nancy.” I see her smile and her enthusiasm as she shared at the meeting about the BeSmart secure gun storage program. It saves lives.

I type in Bob’s name. I barely remember Bob at the meeting. He sat in the back. He said little.

But Bob was still there. Bob showed up. I don’t know who Bob might have talked to the next day about gun safety. Probably somebody.

Some one. Maybe just one. But still one.

One person at a time, we move forward. We look out for each person.

One person—just like me.

I put down my pen. I read over my words. I even read them aloud to our group.

My data companions in the room can relate.

If you hold an unglamorous position in your organization, too, know that your work has value, whatever it is. It matters. You matter.

Please keep being your one beautiful self, doing your one important thing.

Share your thoughts in the comments.

Can You Take Some Criticism?
—Grace & Truth Linkup

By LisaNotes August 11, 2023 Encouragement, Grace & Truth Link-Up 10 Comments

“Hey Lisa!”

I’d almost made it to my car Monday afternoon before she called me back in. I felt my defenses rising when I heard my name.

I knew it wouldn’t be good. She said, “I need to talk to you about something.”

Another red flag.

It’s hard to walk into criticism. But there was no turning back now.

Nobody likes being criticized, right? It’s uncomfortable to hear that we’ve done something wrong. It can cause us to feel bad about ourselves or feel mad at the other person.

Can good come from criticism?

Well, it depends. How do we define criticism and how do we receive it?

One definition is that criticism is the expression of disapproval. A second definition says it’s the analysis of the merits and faults of a work. That doesn’t sound as bad.

But either way, regardless of motive or tone, criticism can still sting, depending how we receive it.

On my best days, I want to take this approach to criticism: Listen, pause, consider, respond. On my worst days, I just get defensive and want to push back.

On Monday, I was somewhere in between.

I turned back around to hear what my friend wanted to say to me.

As it turned out, her message wasn’t a direct criticism. She was just passing the buck. Someone had been complaining to her that our mutual friend needed a bath. She wanted me to tell her that. A sensitive situation, to be sure.

While I appreciated her trust in me to make this happen, it was misplaced. I told her so. I said I’d mention it to our friend, but I couldn’t control the results.

She understood. Conversation closed.

My ego got a pass this time. The criticism wasn’t personal. I walked away satisfied with the encounter.

It’s not always this easy. (Sometimes I get criticized for mishandling criticism, and appropriately so.)

But this time it was a breeze. I am grateful.

Share your thoughts in the comments.

I’m linking at these blog parties

Grace & Truth Featured Post

Barbara tells about the criticism she received of her literary work at a writer’s conference, and how it affected her.

Read all of Barbara’s post at her blog, then link up your own blog posts below.

“Criticism Can Be a Blessing”

Now Let’s Link Up!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

The Sweet Spot of Your Project (My 15-Year Blogaversary!)

By LisaNotes August 8, 2023 Encouragement, Memorize Matthew 6 61 Comments

Today’s my 15-year Blogaversary!

I Want To, But . . .

There’s this new thing I want to do.

But I don’t know exactly how.

Unknown variables about the project multiply every time I think about it. I’m not sure how much it will cost (in money, in time, in energy). So many things are out of my control.

I’m not sure I have the stamina for the obstacles.

It’s not too late to turn back now, even though I’ve already begun in a small way.

Is there some project you want or need to start, too?

15 Years Earlier

I remember 15 years ago today. I hit the publish button for the first time on a new project I was beginning: a blog I named “Lisa Notes” (originally at Blogspot until I moved here 10 years ago).

I had no collection of topics to write about.
I had no followers.
I had only minimal knowledge about how to even set up a blog.

And I certainly had no idea I’d still be going 15 years later.

If I’d had to decide then that I’d still be writing now, I might not have started.

But I didn’t need to know that then. All I needed to start was a first idea. Which led to a second, a third, and 3,634 ideas later, I’m still writing.

Today Is Our Sweet Spot

We don’t have to predict the future to begin something today. To reduce overwhelm about a whole project, just focus on today.

That’s how I’m handling the project I want to do. Do I have long-term goals about it? Yes. But I don’t have to carry out all those plans today.

Our sweet spot is to do the work we can control today.

Tomorrow will take care of itself, once it becomes today.

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