VernetteOutLoud

Endings, Beginnings And Blessings

Blessings-Scott-Webb

Photo by: Scott Webb, Unsplash

Endings, Beginnings And Blessings

Endings are beginnings that are really blessings! Today marks the end of my personal challenge, to blog everyday for a month. When I started writing today’s post, which is actually #34 written this month *brushes shoulders off*, four of them will be published later in July. All I could hear was Leslie’s voice from The Hangover movie  saying, “but did you die?”

Nope! I blogged every day for 30 days and I didn’t die. It is also the start of my blogging journey once again. Getting back into writing because I love it and publishing…because I wont die when I do. 

It’s also a FRIDAY, which seems the perfect day to end my blog challenge. It’s Five Minute Friday time and our word prompt this week is BLESSING. Another full circle moment if you ask me. Because this blogging community is such a huge blessing in my life.

You can join in too. The rules are pretty simple – write for 5 minutes on the word prompt for the week and post to your blog, then add your post to the linky party over at the Five Minute Friday community.

Setting timer now…

GO

Today, marks the end of a chapter for me. It was my last day on my current desk within a department I practically grew up in. On Monday, I move to a new department, new desk, new people, new culture. This move was even more poignant, because I was not unhappy with my work.

Yes it was hectic at times but I’ve found that for me, the work was never the issue. I loved what I did, the people and relationships, however, that’s where the most stress really came from. But I spent eight years in this department. I am writing it now and I cannot believe it has been eight whole years.

You kinda expect “people stress” in a work environment anyway and after eight years, that is more than reasonable. But, they welcomed me during the worst time in my life. They supported me through mummy’s illness and they were there for me when she died. I grew up with this bunch of people. They are my family. And I consider myself truly blessed to have them in my life.

As I moved from area to area within the department, I kept adding skills to my toolbox. These are the skills I hope to use well in my new job. I consider it a blessing to have spent eight years in a space that allowed for growth.

STOP

My timer just went off. And I have so much more I want to say. So I’m going to cheat for a bit.

I am struggling a bit with the tense I am supposed to be writing this post in. When I think of my department, it is still in the present tense. So for the purpose of my peace of mind and writing, I will write this in the present.

Blessings upon blessings

My manager is a big believer in empowering staff and teamwork. Space, time and this medium does not allow for sharing three years under her leadership. But her guidance helped me add to my toolbox over the years. I have learnt so much from her and I will be forever grateful.

We spend a third of our day at the office and there will always be overlap. You don’t go into the office looking for friends, but it happens eventually. And I am blessed to say that I have made some true friends over the years.

In the work environment, where people are replaced and nothing is permanent, it can seem like you’re just a cog. Which is why, when you love what you do and you work hard, you want to know that you made a valuable contribution. That you mattered. That your being there, was in fact a blessing. My manager said a few words at the little farewell gathering the team had for me. If she said five sentences, in four of them she mentioned, “We don’t want you to go”.  

That meant a lot. I had other persons call to express their happiness that I am moving forward, to bigger and better. But also sadness that I wont be on the desk anymore. That also meant a lot. And now I take all of that with me to my new job.

I look forward to working hard and making a valuable contribution in my new job. Here’s to making better mistakes, learning and growing. I look forward to taking what the Father has given me and multiplying it, through the work that I do. So that when I come to another ending, it will be the start of something wonderful and yet another blessing.

 

Storms Will Come And Life Will Go On

Photo By: Clem Onojeghuo, Unsplash

Because Storms Will Come

It’s FRIDAY you guuysss!!! We made it. This was a short work week for me. We had a storm and then we didn’t have a storm. Some parts of my country felt the effects more than the rest of the island. Me? I had to work and what they don’t tell you about four-day weeks is that you have to make up for the lost day. But it’s Five Minute Friday time and our word prompt this week is STEADY. 

You can join in too. The rules are pretty simple – write for 5 minutes on the word prompt for the week and post to your blog, then add your post to the linky party over at the Five Minute Friday community.

Setting timer now…

GO

We started the week here in Trinidad under a Tropical Storm watch. All day Monday, weather updates got scarier and scarier. The storm was expected to hit around 2:00 a.m. and we should start feeling the impact around 9:00 p.m. the evening before.

Needless to say, Monday, a holiday, was spent getting prepared for the storm. Not much of a holiday if you ask me. Check list in hand, we went through each item: Did we have enough food? Yes. Check! All devices charged? Yes. Check! Was everything secure in the yard? Yes. Check! Down the list we went, until we were sure that we were ready for whatever came our way.

The rain started well before 9:00 p.m. and with it, came the wind. That scared me the most. There was something in my neighbour’s yard that wasn’t properly secured that made a horrible banging noise. And I was sure that whatever it was would be the cause of serious damage.

By 2:00 a.m. the rain was not heavy but it was still a steady downpour.  The wind never let up. I went to bed sometime around 3:00 a.m. said my prayers and hoped to get at least two hours sleep before I had to get up for work.  The storm was over.

And yes, I went to work on time, because, life goes on, storm or no storm. The whole thing was a reminder that storms will come and you have to be prepared. You also have to be ready to move on when it passes.

STOP

Measuring My Worth, Whose Life Is This Anyway?

Photo By Vernette Superville

It’s time for another Five Minute Friday link-up and the word prompt this week is WORTH. I will admit, when I saw this week’s prompt I was a little intimidated. I have been finding, when I only have five minutes to write, what comes up is usually stuff I that I would never tell another soul.

The minute I saw the word “WORTH” I knew that what would come up would be some deep seated personal insecurities. So I delayed in sitting down to write. I managed to spend the entire day successfully avoiding thinking about the word. But I have this commitment to write every day this month so I have to get into it. So here goes.

You can join in too. The rules are pretty simple – write for 5 minutes on the word prompt for the week and post to your blog, then add your post to the linky party over at the Five Minute Friday community.

Setting timer now…

GO

I was chatting with a friend on Wednesday evening and we got to talking about travel. He wanted to know how I did the solo travel thing so well. And I told him, because it was worth it. Solo travel is probably the best way to get to know yourself.

Like I always suspected that I was kinda awesome, but I didn’t really know just how awesome I really was, until I got lost in a city I didn’t know and had to find my own way back to my hotel. Not once, not twice…

Good times I tell you.

Of course, when I said this to him I was more than half joking.

My secret? I really wasn’t joking. I actually do think that I pretty awesome. Some of the time.

Not always.

Sometimes, I hover somewhere between this is enough, I am enough and whose life is this anyway?

Is this okay?

STOP

Today’s post is brought to you by a rocking soundtrack as I prepared to write this by  Sinach no shame that I needed to remind myself of exactly who I am and who I belong to.  

Full disclosure: I sat staring into space after I wrote that last line and the timer buzzed me out of my reverie. I suppose it’s just as well, because I have no clue where this post was headed.

The One Where I Expect Good Things

Expect Good Things Poster

Hey you guys, TGIF amiright!!! And it’s time for another Five Minute Friday link-up. I hope this week was productive for you and if it wasn’t, I hope that at least it was well spent. The word prompt this week is EXPECT.

Of course you can join in too. The rules are pretty simple – write for 5 minutes on the word prompt for the week and post to your blog, then add your post to the linky party over at the Five Minute Friday community.

aaaand setting timer now…

GO

Expect Good Things.

When life seems hard.

When you start doubting the path that you’re on.

When the way forward may not seem clear.

When you start thinking that maybe, just maybe, you are doing this whole adulting thing all wrong.

The minute you wake up and realize that you’re still in the land of the living.

Because you stand on His word, and He came so that you can have life and live it to the fullest.

Just because.

Expect Good Things.

Expect Good Things.

Expect Good Things.

STOP

Today’s post is brought to you by this online timer I just found. Feel free to check it out here. 

It is amazing to me, what comes up when you only have five minutes to write. I’m cheating a bit and adding these extra words, because I wanted to put this week’s response in context.

This has been an especially hard week for me. The minute I read today’s word, the first words that came to me was “expect good things” and I have been repeating it to myself over and over since.

And I will repeat it until I believe it.

‘I have come that they may have life and may have if abundantly.’ ~ John 10:10 

Stand on His word. Expect Good Things.

A Note To My Future Self

This is my first Five Minute Friday link up since 2014! I cannot believe that it has been so long! AAAAAHHH I feel blessed to rejoin this group of writers. This week I’m going write a note to my future self.

You can join in too. The rules are pretty simple – write for 5 minutes on the word prompt for the week and post to your blog, then add your post to the linky party over at the Five Minute Friday community.

GO

Hey Future Self, it’s me, your younger, less hot self! I’m sending you lots of love.

I know that the decisions I make today are leading me towards you and while sometimes I cannot see things clearly, my track record thus far has been pretty great. Whatever it is, whatever it looks like, no matter how bad it gets, YOU GOT THIS.

Every day that I wake up, I try to be mindful that you, the future me, depends on who I decide to be today, in this moment. And the woman I am today, decides to make the most of her time here, with what she has, right where she is, exactly as she it. Because that is always enough.

I hope I make you proud.

STOP

After I wrote this post I did a quick Google search and found this amazing website that makes it super easy to write a note to your future self. Feel free to check it out here.