Jackie Trottmann.com » Inspirational Thoughts

This Valentine’s Day Love the Most Important Person in the World – You!

Jackie Trottmann — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 16:29:15 +0000

I wish I knew who said this quote, but I absolutely love it!

“Comparison is the thief of joy”.

How often do we compare ourselves to others? All of the time!

Society puts a tremendous amount of attention on youth and beauty.

We have to be aware of how we talk to ourselves and how we treat ourselves. Some of the critical things we say internally we would never say to anyone else.

Women tend to be caretakers. The only problem is that we usually take care of everyone else but us. We’re not only last on our list, but our needs might not even make it to the list!

So, this Valentine’s Day, make sure you love the most important person in the world, YOU! If you catch yourself comparing yourself in an unhealthy way to others, stop.

Let me leave you with another quote I love from Carrie Wilkerson, “There is only one you. Everyone else is taken.”

25 Christmas Ideas from Recipes, Decorations and Activities to Help Inspire You and Not Feel Overwhelmed this Christmas Season

Jackie Trottmann — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 14:00:51 +0000

I have to confess that every December I would let myself get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the season. Instead of being joyful, I was burning the Christmas candle at both ends. No more! This year I have drawn a line in the sand with my peppermint stick and am going to celebrate Christmas each and every day. I hope that these ideas will inspire some of your own and that you will join me in savoring this most special of all holidays.

1. Don’t let the added demands of the holiday season steal your joy

2. Ask someone you admire for a recipe

3. Volunteer to help others

4. Purchase a real Christmas tree, chop down your own tree (this is an event in itself) or purchase a real tree to plant later.

5. Do something you have thought about and talked about but have never done. (Attend a concert, look at Christmas windows, go see a Christmas lighted display, etc.)

6. Go to church. There are a wide variety of times and services during this time of the year

7. Send real Christmas cards – You can go online and have them custom made in a matter of minutes

8. Listen to Christmas music

9. With children – read Christmas stories – Don’t spend money, go to the library. Pick them out together. Add Christmas songs to your nightly lullabies

10. Decorate “green” – Use real pine rope and wreathes, cranberries to fill hurricane lamps

11. Bring some sort of decoration to your office to keep work from zapping your joy! Think good will and peace on earth – and the office.

12. Attend a Christmas concert – there are always lots of opportunities from small to grand

13. Take a walk or drive around your neighborhood at night to see the Christmas lights.

14. Reconnect with someone you’ve been thinking about.

15. Make a favorite treat from your childhood.

16. Start an ornament collection by purchasing one every Christmas.

17. Watch a Christmas movie.

18. Turkeys aren’t just for Thanksgiving! Cook a turkey for Christmas.

19. Write down family stories before they are lost forever.

20. Pray for friends, family, loved ones, our country and our world.

21. Go to any dollar type store and buy Christmas bags if you don’t like to wrap presents. If you are wrapping, make sure you save yourself enough time to wrap and don’t wait until the last minute.

22. A gift doesn’t have to cost money. Give a busy mom a baby sitting gift certificate that you make, give your own gift card for chores, foot massages, back rubs. Get creative. People want the gift of our “presence” not always a “present”.

23. Really read the words of Christmas carols and not just sing them.

24. Take in the stillness of Christmas Eve. Be still and savor some time alone.

25. Sometime between the activities of the day, take a walk and enjoy the most special day of all holidays.

I am blogging daily in more detail on how I am using each of these ideas in December on my other site dedicated to prayer, meditation and contemplative practices at http://guidedchristianmeditation.com/blog – please join me!

Recipes Aren’t Just About Casseroles, Cookies or Cakes – Recipes are Legacies

Jackie Trottmann — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 15:02:21 +0000

We are in the process of losing an entire generation. Every time we get together with my husband’s family, usually over a meal, there is mention of, “Mother’s chocolate chip cookies,” or “Mother’s onion rings.” Their mother died over twenty-five years ago.

As we were eating our Thanksgiving dinner I asked who had their mother’s recipes. I received a lot of blank stares as the conversation came to a screeching halt. My sister-in-law said she had the cookie recipe. No one else knew what happened to the others.

That made me think about how recipes are legacies. Recipes can keep the memory of someone around long after they are gone.

At that moment, I realized that I had just asked my mother for her pie crust recipe to make a pumpkin pie, but I didn’t have any of her other recipes. She is eighty-nine and will turn ninety next month. I’m seeing her tomorrow, so I will start the process of getting all of her classic recipes recorded.

My mother, Bea Bumbicka, is a fabulous cook. My love for cooking I owe to her. She was born in London, England and was trained through the Cordon Bleu, just like Julia Child. In fact, she bequeathed me her Mastering the Art of French Cooking book. The printing date is 1961. We have been Julia Child students for decades.

I hope my “ah-hah” moment to document loved ones’ recipes will inspire you to do the same. We owe it to the people we love to keep their legacy alive. Who would have thought that a simple recipe could do that?

On a side note – I have always let the month of December fly by with being too busy. This year I have drawn my peppermint stick in the sand to put a stop to that and celebrate Christmas for twenty-five days. Each day I will post a new Christmas Idea. Please join me at my other website dedicated to more spiritual ponderings and practices at http://guidedchristianmeditation.com.

Susan Boyle from Britains Got Talent – A True Beauty

Jackie Trottmann — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 16:17:45 +0000

You’d have to be totally unplugged from electronic media to have not heard this story over the last week. Susan Boyle is a 47 year old, single, unemployed woman who has always had a dream of singing in front of a large audience. She got that opportunity by singing on Britains Got Talent television show. There are three judges, Piers Morgan, Amanda Holden and American Idol’s Simon Cowell.

When Susan stepped onto the stage, the audience and judges made an immediate “judgment” based on her appearance. Everyone rolled their eyes and snickered. The audience was also laughing and making comments complete with whistles and cat calls.

Unaffected, Susan proceeded to answer questions in her own quirky way and said that she wanted to be like Elaine Page, heralded as the First Lady of British Musical Theatre. This statement created more eye rolling and smirks from the judges.

The moment had come for her to sing, and appropriately enough, her song choice was I Dreamed a Dream, from Les Miserables. As soon as she opened her mouth and her amazing voice filled the theater, the snickers turned to pure awe and wonder. In that moment she changed from the ugly duckling into the beautiful swan. The judges and audience changed their tears of laughter and jeering into tears of being so moved by such a beautiful voice.

At the end of her performance, Piers Morgan said, “Everyone was laughing at you – no one is laughing now.” Amanda Holden had commented that everyone was against her. “We were all cynical and that was the biggest wake-up call ever.”

How often have we all made our judgments and missed an opportunity to have met an incredible human being? Our society puts so much of an emphasis on youth and beauty.

This video is so inspiring that I’ve included the link in case you haven’t seen it, or if you want to watch it again. I don’t think I could ever get tired of watching it!

Let me finish this entry with an appropriate text – “Pay no attention to his looks or to his splendid height, for I have passed him by. It is not what man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” I Samuel 16:7

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

What Price can you put on Joy?

Jackie Trottmann — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 19:47:48 +0000

Up until eight years ago, I rarely if ever truly felt joy. Sure, many times I was happy, but I don’t believe that happy and joy are synonymous. If the famous chef, Emeril Lagasse were asked about the difference, he might say that joy was, “Happy kicked up a notch.”

Happy means feeling contented or great pleasure.

Joy means emotion evoked by well-being, success, good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires – the expression or exhibition of emotion.

Not experiencing joy has a lot to do with how we are raised and what we personally believe. Growing up I was taught to suppress emotions, so it makes sense that I rarely felt joy. I didn’t feel much of anything!

What changed eight years ago to make me feel joy? I began to let go of the beliefs I was taught. Rather than stuff down feelings, I told myself that it was okay to feel. In fact, it was liberating to feel! It didn’t matter if the feelings represented a lot of sadness at first. Once I allowed those feelings to come in, I found that facing them head on also allowed me to let go of them. As a result, I discovered there was joy at the end of the process.

A scary word in the definition of happy is contented. Many people fear change because they will be forced out of their comfort zones. Happiness and contentment sound great but not at the expense of growing and moving into a state of joy. To me, joy is a priceless emotion that I want to feel as often as I can. Have you felt joy lately?

April Fools’ Day – Who’s Fooling Whom?

Jackie Trottmann — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 20:08:18 +0000

“Hello, may I speak to Mr. Bear?” Click. “Hello, Mr. Lyon please” – click. “Hello, is Mr. Wolf in today?” Click – The preceding was one day in the life of the St. Louis Zoo’s receptionist. In 1940 the St. Louis Zoo changed its number on April 1^st because of the phone calls!

When I was little, my mother would always say something as a prank on April Fools’ Day, like, “It’s snowing outside.” Ironically, we just had snow a few days shy of April one, so that was almost nature’s prank!

There’s an expression that I’ve heard and I’m not really sure where it came from but it’s, “God looks after fools, drunks and little children.” That certainly seems to be the case sometimes.

Since it’s April Fools’ week, I was reflecting on the word fool and its meaning. Webster’s Dictionary describes a fool as a person lacking in judgment or prudence, or lacking in common powers of understanding. The word fooling is synonymous with the word deceive, which implies imposing a fake idea or belief that causes ignorance, bewilderment or helplessness.

How many times do we impose a fake idea or belief in ourselves? The idea might look like – I’m too old, I’m too young, I’ve failed before, I’ll fail again. Sometimes our negative beliefs are so strong that we can’t see an alternative. How about bewilderment? Perhaps you’ve neglected a healthy lifestyle of eating good food in proper portions, exercising on a regular basis, getting enough rest and managing stress in your life. Now you’re starting to have health issues as a result, but you’re bewildered.

Let this April Fools’ Day mark a new day to not fool yourself anymore about participating in destructive habits. Change the definition of fool to having a fondness for or being a fool for loving ourselves, being conscious of our actions, conscious of our self-talk and our beliefs. No fooling!

Need to Relax? Learn to Meditate – Can’t Find the Time? Here’s an Idea

Jackie Trottmann — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 04:36:07 +0000

I’ve found the perfect solution to combat all of the gloom and doom out there. Turn off the news and meditate! If there was ever a time to learn to meditate, it’s now. Our senses are assaulted in our new technological age.

Here’s a perfect example. I just took a trip to Dallas. Sitting in the airport, I was amazed at the amount of pure noise going on around me. One of the twenty-four hour news channels was blaring (so much for turning off the news), the windows were vibrating from the sound of the jet engines, people all around me were talking on cell phones and the loud speaker was announcing various boarding instructions. All this was happening as I was trying to concentrate writing an article on my laptop. Can you say sensory overload? Fortunately for me, I have been practicing meditation now for quite some time.

Because of this discipline, I was able to filter out the noise and not let it get to me. If you need to relax and gain some sanity in your life, I urge you to learn how to meditate. You’ll be amazed at how this practice will help you relax and bring more clarity to your life. Ten to fifteen minutes a day is all it takes to gain some sanity. Can’t find the time?

I just heard a statistic that Americans watch 31 hours of television a week! Here’s an idea – If you have a DVR, surely you can record and plow through that many commercials. That will give you ten to fifteen minutes in a one hour program to meditate, right?

Can you tell I’m a little passionate about this? So much so that I’ve created an entire website dedicated to meditation. You can subscribe to my weekly Ezine called The Guided Life and receive Cut #1 from my meditation CD, “Be Still and Know that I am God.” Just visit: http://guidedchristianmeditation.com. Relax! Learn to meditate.

Happy New Year! – It’s Never Too Late!

Jackie Trottmann — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 06:15:37 +0000

I have to say that I don’t remember a year that so many people were so happy that it was over like 2008! Here we are looking at a brand new year before us. Ever since I hit the half century mark, I have to admit that I am living my life with a little more sense of urgency. There are so many dreams that I want to fulfill.

If I start to get a little impatient all I have to do is think of my mother – she turns 89 this month.

We just made a recent trip to the cardiologist. Three and a half years ago she had a heart valve replacement. She’s been having some issues lately, so we went to have a stress test and some other tests performed. Reviewing the tests in the doctor’s office, he came to a stop while reading the report and proceeded to close the folder.

My mother and I looked at each other, thinking the same thought, “This doesn’t look good.” Then we proceeded to state that thought out loud. The doctor expressed concern that there were irregularities and that either the valve wasn’t working properly or that there was a blockage. They would have to do a cardio-catheterization to find out the cause.

Now, my mother has been through practically every operation imaginable. She looked at the doctor and very forcefully said, “We have to get it done right away. You need to fix the problem. I have things to do! I have a book to write; I’m reading to school children, and I’m singing in a show on Valentine’s Day!”

I’m not sure the doctor was expecting that answer and he enthusiastically said, “Yes, we have to get you well to get all of that done!” As you head into this New Year with a fresh start, remember, every day is a fresh start – and – it’s never too late to work on those dreams.

Don’t lose your joy this holiday season.

Jackie Trottmann — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 19:47:03 +0000

“Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.” It seems that the only time for stillness is sleeping, and many of us are not doing much of that lately! As I’m writing this entry, I am looking out of my office window at the first snow to fall confirming the start of the holiday season.

Of course the political ads have been replaced with retailer ads confirming the start of the season too. As if life isn’t busy enough, the holidays kick off a seemingly endless to do list of activities. In almost a blink of an eye, December will be over and the new year will be upon us with the promise of New Year’s resolutions to lift our spirits…. for a while. Before you heed the starting gun to race into December and focus on the countdown to Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa – stop – and be still.

Don’t allow busyness to steal your joy. If you have never practiced meditation before, this is a perfect time to start to not only relieve stress but to focus on the reason for the season.

Each year I let the holiday season steal my joy. Not this year! I’m blogging every day with a new Christmas idea to celebrate the season. Please join me at my new website dedicated to meditation, prayer and contemplative practices at http://guidedchristianmeditation.com/blog

Sign up for my FREE Ezine, The Guided Life and I’ll send you two free gifts: Cut #1 from my meditation CD, “Be Still and Know that I am God,” and The Secret to Successful Prayer – the sermon that changed my life. http://guidedchristianmeditation.com.

Change is in the air!

Jackie Trottmann — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 02:39:48 +0000

For true, lasting change, however, we must change within. A recent CNN poll reported that 8 out of 10 Americans are stressed out. The economy has certainly been the source of pain and stress. In order for change to take place, it usually takes a tremendous amount of pain or a wake up call. Are you in pain? Are you going through the motions in your life? Are you numb? Are you searching for meaning in your life?

We are now at a crossroads to not only begin to fix our financial crisis but a greater crisis that is going on – our bankrupt spirits. Our spirits are the essence of who we are. Escaping through alcohol, drugs, food, work, jam-packed schedules, excessive television viewing or Internet activities steals more of our precious time. These activities won’t ultimately fill the void.

My life has dramatically changed as a result of spending time feeding and nurturing my spirit.

I’ve created another website to provide simple tools to help live a life of joy, peace and fulfillment.

Please visit http://guidedchristianmeditation.com – You can sign up for my FREE weekly Ezine, The Guided Life to provide inspiration and encouragement. For signing up I will also give you two free gifts: Cut #1 from my meditation CD, “Be Still and Know that I am God,” and The Secret to Successful Prayer – a copy of the sermon that changed my life.

Please join me in leading The Guided Life, a life guided by God.