The Positive Jar

The Positive Jar

by Tracey Buckley ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

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At the beginning of this year I decided to buy a jar to make a positive jar.

I also brought some colourful post it notes.

The idea is that every time that something lovely, positive or I just want to remember, happens I will write it on a post it note and place it in the jar.

I will continue this until the end of the year and then on New Year’s Eve I will empty all the post it notes and read about my year.

This is such a great way to remember what has happened in the year.

Maybe this is something that you could start now?

Take the time to find a beautiful jar decorate it if you like, personalise it. Then you will need to place it somewhere that you will notice it every day.

This will be a visual reminder for you.

If you don’t want to use colourful post it notes use some paper that you like. It’s is your jar to do what you want with it. So make it your style.

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Design your own jar

 

If you can’t even think of where to start, what about something that you are thankful for?

What about a friend who encourages you?

What about a book that you are reading?

You might want to read what you have written in your jar maybe once a month?

It is up to you.

If you have started your positive jar maybe you can send a picture of it?

Would really love to see how you personalise your jar?

Will chat soon.

traceybuckley

Stop

Stop

by Tracey Buckley ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

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Life gets busy and we are constantly rushing from one thing to another.

There are things to do, places to be and people to see.

I don’t know about you but I can become very focused on living life on fast forward. I find myself thinking what next, what do I have to do now?

I love my life and what I get to do.

I am blessed.

Today as I arrived home from shopping, the sun was out the skies was blue and I noticed the flowers.

We are in the season of spring here and the flowers are starting to bloom. The last few weeks I have arrived home from days full of adventure and kept looking at the amazing flowers that are out the front.

I kept thinking to myself I need to stop and smell them.

I am not sure of the names of the flowers, I am not very good at gardening.

So here is a picture of them-

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What are these flowers called?

 

I love these flowers the smell reminds me that Spring has arrived.

So instead of rushing to grab my shopping and hurry into the house, I stopped to smell the flowers. I took that time to slow down, to embrace the fragrance of this season. I also picked some and have placed them in my house as a visual reminder to slow down from time to time.

My thought was if I keep thinking about smelling the flowers but never do it then I am going to miss out on the experience. I am going to have to wait until next spring when the flowers bloom to have a reminder of the beautiful fragrance.

It made me think about other areas in my life.

What is it that you can stop and do today?

Is it to phone that friend that you haven’t spoken to in a while?

Is it to go to your favourite coffee shop and order a coffee and just sit and people watch?

Is it just to read a few chapters of that book that you have started reading?

Is it to visit a family member and just to catch up?

What is it that you can go and do today?

Remember to just stop and smell the flowers?

traceybuckley

 

My Happy Place

My Happy Place

by Tracey Buckley ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

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Last week I was at one at my boxing sessions and I was in the boxing ring and the instructor said “Are you enjoying the workout?”

I said to him “This is my happy place.”

Now probably to some of you reading this you might think to yourself what does boxing training have to do with a happy place? How can you be enjoying exercise, how can exercise be anyone’s happy place?

As you know I work as a Chaplain and I love my job and what I get to do, I really do. When you are in a role where you are caring and giving you do need to look after yourself.

Self-care is really important and I don’t think that last year I was very good at looking after myself.

At the beginning of the year I made a few non-negotiables to myself. One of my non-negotiables was to commit to boxing twice a week.

I love going to boxing it is a combination of skipping, weights, push ups, sit ups, planking and then we start on the bag work.

The boxing session last for about one hour but during that hour I am just focusing on being there. I am focusing on being in the moment. I am not thinking about what I have to do after, or what I still have to do on my to do list.

For one hour I am fully focused on what I am doing.

For one hour I am full focused on working on my strength both physically and mentally.

For one hour I am looking after myself.

I have been going for the last seven weeks and I definitely notice the difference.

I have decided that this is a priority in my week and I will make the time to go.

So for me one hour of boxing is my happy place.

What is your happy place?

What do you do where you can just focus on you? It might be for 15 minutes of the day, but I would encourage you to find something or somewhere that is your happy place.

My Happy Place

traceybuckley

 

Sundays Are For…

Sundays Are For…

by Tracey Buckley ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

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I find that Sundays are a great time to reflect on the week.

It also is a time to rest and refresh.

As you know I work as a primary school chaplain which I love. My weeks are never the same and I love it.

This week in Perth Australia we had book week, two of the schools that I work at encouraged students and teachers to dress up as their favourite book character.

So Wednesday I went to school as a fairy from Fern Gully, Friday I went to school as Fancy Nancy. I loved seeing everyone being involved and dressing up.

 

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Fancy Nancy

I have also been organising a Father’s Day school for one of the schools where I work. This weekend I have been cutting up paper for the students to wrap up the presents they purchase from the stall.

 

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I also teach dance and have been enjoying the whole experience.

This morning I went to church and the message was about being free. It was a great message and made me think about am I embracing the freedom that I have?

So for me Sundays are for-

  • Rest and reflecting
  • Going to Church
  • Blogging
  • Having candles lit
  • Sleeping in
  • Drinking coffee
  • Cleaning the house
  • Dreaming about future projects
  • Planning for the coming week
  • Embracing being in the moment.

 

What are Sunday’s for you?

Would love to hear what you do on a Sunday.

Will share more soon.

traceybuckley

 

I Am Grateful For….

I Am Grateful For….

by Tracey Buckley ♥ 2 Comments

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I found out that my iron levels where low a few weeks ago, so I had to have an iron infusion last Monday. Now I don’t know if you have had an iron infusion but there are a few things that you are not allowed to do in the next 48 hours. They advised that after having an iron infusion you are not to participate in any strenuous activity for example jogging, gym workouts and vacuuming. I love that you cannot vacuum.

So for me this meant that I was not allowed to attend any boxing session until possibly Thursday.  AAhhh!

You can also not carry anything heavy with the arm that was used for the infusion for a period of 48 hours.

It can also make you feel quite nauseated and you also have body aches. Yes, this did happen to me. Today I am still feeling a little bit unwell.

This week I still went to work and came home and had to have early nights. I also really needed to look after myself.

This made me think about what am I deeply grateful for……

  • I love my role as a primary school Chaplain
  • I love my family
  • I am so grateful for beautiful friends that I can trust and be real with
  • I love hearing about what my nieces and my nephew are doing. I love being their Aunty
  • I am so grateful that God is in my life
  • I am passionate about helping girls and women with an eating disorder
  • I am grateful for The Heart Project
  • I am grateful for the amazing people that I am able to work with
  • I am so grateful that my heart is not hardened that I am moved by injustice
  • It has made me realise that I want to make a difference
  • I also want to remain vulnerable
  • I am grateful for a second chance

What are you deeply grateful for…..?

Would love to hear from you.

traceybuckley

 

 

Heal My Heart and Make it Clean

Heal My Heart and Make it Clean

by Tracey Buckley ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

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This week I have been thinking about what happens when you mess up. It happens to us all. What happens when you feel so ashamed and feel so condemned? What happens when your expectation of yourself doesn’t measure up to what you thought it would be? What happens when you feel that you have really messed up and your cannot believe what happens? What happens when you question was that really me, what is happening? What happens when you feel ashamed? What happens if at that time you cannot forgive yourself? What happens if your tears cannot stop flowing? My thought, my prayer is this cry out to the Lord-Heal my heart and make it clean. xx

traceybuckley

Is Your Petrol Light On?

Is Your Petrol Light On?

by Tracey Buckley ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

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Last Monday I was driving home from work; I was listening to music thinking about what I had to do next when I noticed that my petrol light had come on.

I knew that I needed petrol but I thought that a least I had enough petrol to wait until tomorrow.

But on comes the light.

It made me think that how good would it be if we had a light that came on when we needed refuelling. How easy would it be to know that we needed to take time out, how easy would it be to know that we needed to fill up our tank.

I think it would be even better if we could see how we are going without having to wait for the light to come.

It is so easy to be focused on others and to see when they need rest.

How come we can find it so difficult for ourselves?

So this week I decided to commit to going to boxing twice a week, to also come home and read.

I have taken a little break from writing.

I have been reading a book at the moment by Lisa Bevere called Girls with Swords.

I have had the book for a while and I keep on beginning to read it and then put it down.

I think that the time is now to read it.

Girls with Swords is How to Carry Your Cross Like a Hero.

On the back of the book it says Take up your sword and be a hero! The sword meaning the word of God.

I love that take up your sword and stand up for what you are passionate about.

So as much as I love helping and caring for others I also know that I need to look after myself.

Do you find it difficult to take time out for yourself?

Is your tank empty?

What can you do today to fill up your tank?

I would love to hear your suggestions.

Will share more soon.

traceybuckley

Love in Action

Love in Action

by Tracey Buckley ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

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Daily Reading

1 Corinthians 13:1-7

Daily Devotional

I was driving to work this morning and I had a thought about Love in Action.

What does Love in Action look like?

What does Love in Action look like to you?

I went to visit a church on Sunday and the message was about the scripture 1 Corinthians 13:1-7.

The message was about loving people and how it is easy to love people who are like minded, who we get along with.

The Pastor spoke about seeing people with the eyes of Jesus.

To be honest that can be challenging, but I have been thinking about it today. What if we saw someone, looked past their challenging ways and saw their potential, saw what they could become?

What if we chose to journey with that person, what if we saw their value when they couldn’t even see their value.

What if we took the time to listen to them, to encourage them to just be there for them?

What would that look like, how would that person feel?

Who know what a difference you could make to that one person.

I know that God is the God of second chances and I have definitely been given a second chance.

I would probably not be where I am today if it hadn’t been for friends who had journeyed with me. Who saw me stuck in an illness but still chose to look beyond that, they chose to invest in a person who was lost, who was wounded and who thought that she had no value.

I would also not be here if it was not for a Doctor who saw me and not a girl with and eating disorder. He saw someone with value, with purpose and with potential. He chose to invest and show Love in Action. He embraced the whole meaning of Love in Action.

We may not see the end result but we can be part of a team that invests, that shows someone Love in Action.

Is there someone that comes to your mind that you can show Love in Action?

Pray for wisdom, pray for guidance and ask God who he would like you to show Love in Action too. It could be one random act of kindness that changes someone’s day.

We may never know how we have impacted on someone’s lives, but they will remember.

You can make a difference.

traceybuckley