My Morning Routine

Well hello good people of the earth. Today I am going to share with you my morning routine. It's something that I do every day upon waking, only after brushing my teeth and getting dressed. I am not a routine type of gal but this is something that If I don't do and tend to, my day gets off track and I loose focus on whats important and I forget who's ultimately in control.

I have always been a girl that prays right when I notice that I am alive and conscious in the morning. Something about not dying in my sleep is really satisfying. I struggle with extreme anxiety at night and I haven't good sleep since coming home from the war in Iraq, so when I wake in the morning, regardless of how I feel, I am grateful for another day. It usually takes me at least 30 minutes to even realize that I am awake enough to get up and go to the bathroom. Even then, I usually have to have a sit back on the bed and I may even lie back down to gather myself before I officially rise for the day. And don't let me have to set an alarm for the next day. It gets down right shameful. I will hit that snooze button for at least 30 minutes before I officially cut it off. Hell, on a bad day I may even cut it off and go right back to sleep.

Now that we have established that waking up is quite the challenge for me, I'll share a little bit on my journey that lead me to my morning routine. 

Back in April of 2017 my family moved from Virginia Beach to Ft. Knox. The change and the transition was just horrible on me. I had been a resident of the Hampton Roads area (now called Coastal Virginia) for the past 16 years. Thats basically my entire adult life. I left home at 18 to join the Army and  to my luck, I ended up getting stationed at Fort Story in Virginia Beach. I fell in love with the area and decided to stay after my separation from the military. I would definitely consider myself a local by now. It was a good place. The sea was basically in my back yard. Life was good. My church was there. My friends were near by; we lived very well. It was home for me. I had finally grown roots in a small tucked away place on this earth. But oh how the seasons change in life.

The sea is where my heart and soul are most content. This is the beach that was a block behind my home. Life couldn't have been any sweeter.

I was always aware of how well I lived while living in Virginia Beach. I knew that not everyone could  say that the sea was basically their back yard. We were blessed. I never took any of it for granted. But sometimes when life seems to be flowing consistently for a good bit of time, that's when change comes. You know how the old saying goes; the only thing that's constant in life is change. 

I remember from the time that I received the news that we were moving to Fort Knox, I was okay with it because I knew that it would be temporary. I wasn't worried. I wasn't anxious. I was ready. Kind of like, lets get this over with so we can come on back home. We were only going to be gone for two years. Two years is doable, right? 

Oh the agony. The month before leaving I could feel myself slipping into a major disconnect. I was there in the physical form but my heart and mind were already thinking about how much I would miss the place and I hadn't even left yet. I was in mourning of my life that I was soon to leave behind. It all became too real, too fast. Never the less, the time was here and I had to say solong to my life as I knew it in Virginia Beach. 

A very candid shot of me on the night before eating dinner and watching TV via my shoe propping it up. Household goods came to pick up all of our stuff and transport it to Ft. Knox the following day. 

We traveled for two days to reach Ft. Knox. Looking back, the drive wasn't horrible because we split the 12 hours into two days giving us time to rest and get refreshed for the day. We reach the main road that leads to the base and my heart begins to sink. It all hit me like a ton of bricks. This is where I am going to be living for the next two years. Where's the water? Where's all of the stores? Why is this place so desolate? There is nothing here. We are literally in the middle of nowhere. My thoughts were racing and I was well on my way to a full fledge state of depression. I cried and cried and cried some more. I phoned my friends mom and told her that I wanted to come back home. She was very supportive and offered me a place to stay, but I couldn't do it. I couldn't leave Karina here by herself. She would have no one. And having no one in a place like this with nothing to do and being in the middle of nowhere is a lonely way to pass two years. Plus, we are family. Family doesn't leave when it gets hard. 

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Ft. Knox.

So we're here. When I tell you that there's nothing to do around here I mean that. Now, I have been in the military and I usually can adjust and adapt fairly easily and quickly, but something was different about this time. I wasn't transitioning well at all. I was so home sick and I was super depressed. I had been uprooted from everything that was familiar. Most of all, my entire support system was back in Virginia. I knew that I had to get out of this rut if I wanted to survive these two years. 

It's funny how just when you're at your wits end God sends you a little something that will help you. I was sitting on the couch one day crying because I wanted to go back home and the day was just overall crummy. I began to scroll on Instagram and the first thing that pops up on my feed are these Write the Word books from an account that I follow called cultivatewhatmatters. I had been following the woman who runs the account on her personal page for a quite a while and when I learned that she had a business that sells different products to help you get unstuck, a lightbulb went off in my head. I decided to purchase the entire series of Write the Word. I figured that if I put my mind on something like God's word then that could help me get through this season in my life. 

They're finally here....YAY!

I couldn't wait to dive in. It was something different and new. I have always been a woman of faith, but it's a life long journey. I am still growing and learning everyday in my faith. I had just left my church. I couldn't find a new church home that I felt comfortable with around Ft. Knox so I needed to find a way to stay rooted and grounded in God's word, and what better way than to write it out and meditate on those very words on the page.

Getting started.

The place where you write out whats on heart. There's even a space for your particular word for the day. 

Guys, these books have been life changing for me. They really helped me to get through a tough season in my life. Included in the series of five books, there are different themes such as Faith, Hope, Joy, Gratitude, and Renewal. They all have different scriptures that focus on the theme of the given book. Writing in these books really prompted me and helped to do heart work. I was able to read God's word, write it down, and really meditate on what the scriptures were saying to me. The back of the page where you write whats on your heart was extremly helpful in getting me to write my prayers out, express what was on my heart, and give it all to God. 

I started off doing these Write the Word entries in the evenings, but I started thinking that maybe I should start incorporating this into my morning routine. It would really help to set the tone of the day and it could help put my heart at ease. So my morning routine consited of prayer, my devotion that I read called Jesus Calling by Sarah Young, my Write the Word, and most times when I have a little extra time I read my Bible plan called Bible in One Year. It may seem like a lot, but the devotion is very short. The Write the Word takes the most time because it's a very intentioal act of reading and writing Gods word, plus you do heart work at the end. And I don't know about you guys, but when I can sit in a quiet place and start pouring out my heart to God, it refreshes my spirit. 

A little side note* 

The cultivate what matters team added two new additions to their Write the Word series this year and I had to get them. They are the top two books under the sticker book in the stack. One is Prayer and the other is Forgiveness. I'll tell you all about the sticker book in part two of this. 

It has been a full year since I received my books and they have been a game changer for me in my prayer life and the way that I read and focus on God's word. These books really help me to sit down and intentionally quiet my heart before God to hear Him speak to me through his Holy Spirit. I have learned a lot during this season in my life. Sometimes the good Lord has to bring you away from all of the noise in your life and bring you to a still and quiet place so that you can hear his voice. He speaks to my heart loudly here in this quiet desolate place. He has stretched and grown me like never before. So even though I still miss home and still long to go back to my roots and everything that is familiar. I trust God, and I trust that I am exactly where I need to be. God is doing great things in my life right now. I am learning to surrender, and the art of surrendering all to God is no easy task, especially when you've been a control freak for most of your life. God wants to have his way in my life, and He has planted a seed of great peace in the midst of me being here.

My word of the year is SURRENDER.

I also added TRUST GOD and FAITH. Just a gentle reminder.

I hope you guys have enjoyed reading about my morning routine. If I ever skip a day I can feel it and tell the difference. I try and do this every day to keep me focused on what really matters. 

There is a part two to this entry/story that will be talking about Powersheets that I also purchased from the same company and how they have helped me to birth this blog. There was a build up to me actually finally getting the guts to do this. To actually share myself and thoughts with the world. It's no easy task. Stay tuned and follow up to hear how the blog actually got started. Until next time, peace and blessings to you all.