Category / Encouragement

by tracycpoetry

Teasers for Future Blog Entries

It’s time for me to get back into consistently blogging.

Nah…. Actually, I’ll be honest with myself and you. It’s time to start blogging consistently.

I’ve never really sustained a time, place, and pattern for writing and getting the thoughts and ideas rattling around in my brain out there more consistently.

Yes, these MEMEs could be considered a “teaser” for readers of blog posts yet to come.

More than anything though, these are reminders to myself that it’s long past time to leave words unspoken and things undone.

But of course, it won’t hurt my feelings at all if you tap that “subscribe” button in the lower left corner so you can read full blog posts on these MEMEs if/when I right them.

And… knowing people are watching, might just motivate me to get more of my thoughts, poetry, and such out there.

So, click subscribe and help a wanna-be writer out please? Who knows? The words you or someone else may need to hear might just be stuck in my head.

Survival is overrated. Choose, instead, to #thrive.
I’m unsure of the original source of this quote, but it bears repeating.
by tracycpoetry

In The Middle of Changes

I wrote the comments below to share on LinkedIn. But I am sharing them as a blog post as well because the principles of navigating change and respect for those in the midst of change apply to so many areas of life….

If a job doesn’t fit, it is still a great organization and you are still an amazing professional and person. Professional growth and personal growth are rarely linear and are sometimes rife with unpredictable stops and starts.

I have had seasons where I’ve stayed with the same organization for 5 to 15 years. But in my most recent 4 years, I have worked for 4 different organizations. I am learning that is not failure. It is simply what life demands and how growth looks sometimes.

I left one of my most amazing work families (who still remain some of my closest friends) to try something I had never done before… only to find it was not a fit.

During my father’s illness and death I completely stepped away from leadership roles for a season to give my self time to care, grieve, and heal.

Next…. A brief season back on the frontlines of healthcare reminded me why I was drawn into the fields of Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety in the first place. I have a unique gift for seeing what needs to be changed in healthcare and for bringing people together to make those changes. And now I am ready to use that gift again.

I share my story to challenge all of us to not be hard on ourselves during times of change and transition.

Also…. If you are a recruiter or other hiring leader, I challenge you not to quickly toss a resume or CV aside if you see frequent role changes or a short length of stay in a position. Sometimes, knowing when it is time to go shows more professional excellence than staying.

by tracycpoetry

Go Where You are Most Valued

“Going where you are most valued” may not necessarily involve a physical change of location or vocation. The peace and security sought may be just the other side of a change of heart…. or a simple reminder that our Maker and not our situation determines our value.

by tracycpoetry

Glimmers & Triggers

As a survivor of pretty intense bullying as a child from K-12 and some other trauma in my adult life, I am very familiar with the term “triggers.”

But it is only recently that I have started seeing a term out there for a precious gift that has helped me navigate through those triggers and live a beautiful (though sometimes messy) life.

In the same way triggers can transport us to a place of panic and survival mode, glimmers transport us to a place of thriving, peace, joy, and a greater connection to the deep inner strength of our Maker.

The best thing about glimmers?? You can choose to surround yourself with them and train yourself to see them. 

We really can’t control triggers since they are so specific to the way we are individually wired and can be something we face often in day-to-day life. 

But glimmers?? We can stir those things up! 

There is good reason you see so many photos of sky and birds and such on my blog and social media feeds. Yes, I’m glad other people are blessed by them sometimes. But those are glimmers I seek out for myself…. Medicine for the depths of my soul.

My challenge to us today: Let’s focus so much on the glimmers of grace and beauty our Maker so masterfully surrounds us with. In doing this, those glimmers will begin to soften the blows of the triggers.

Peace, friends!

by tracycpoetry

From MESS to Masterpiece (or, “From MESS to the Master’s Peace”)

I originally wrote the thoughts below back in 2016. At that time I was trying to look like I had it all together in life, marriage, career. However, inside of me it was different. The junk room of my soul was starting to stink and fester with all the pain, hurt, and trauma I had stuffed deep inside. So when I wrote this, I was talking to myself more than anyone else. And, in time, I followed my own advice. I revealed the mess inside of me to God, a few trusted friends, health professionals, and support groups. And looking back now…. wow…. has my life ever transformed as a result.

Whether you know deep down you have an addiction, depression, or simply a messy broken soul… these words might be for you today as they were for my 7 years back when I first wrote them.

Perhaps we think we deserve the mess we’re in because we helped make the mess. Perhaps we falsely believe we have to clean up the mess and THEN invite God into our situation. But the truth is, our Father God is longing to be near us in the midst of… whatever. But He is a gentleman will not enter our situations uninvited. But when we let Him into our mess, we will be amazed by the masterpiece that results.

(By Tracy C. back in 2016)
by tracycpoetry

Priceless Masterpiece

So…. The Maker of the entire universe thinks we humans are His best work. I am still absolutely amazed by that.

PRICELESS MASTERPIECE
-a poem by Tracy C.

You know the way we gaze at the star-filled winter sky or stand amazed at the edge of a canyon as an eagle flies by? 

Or the way our jaws drop as we get a first glimpse of majestic mountains from a plane in the sky?

Well… the Maker of all that thinks we are His most amazing art of all times…

So valuable to Him that He paid the highest price… His very life.

Who are we to devalue ourselves or others when we are priceless masterpieces of the Most High?