STELLAR DAY ISSUE 14 | OCTOBER 2016
The
October Issue
PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP ENERGY BITES
Kick your fall off with a bang with these delectable, healthy, and easy to make energy bites
GRATITUDE
Jess shares what the first birthday of Stellar Day Magazine means to her and how it ' s changed her life
PRACTICING YOGA
How it rocked one grateful klutz ' s world
stellar day table of con tents 03 Gratitude 05 Coming Out Of The Woods 07 Not My Own
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09 Attitude of Gratitude 11 Gratitude Is The Giver of Joy 13 Grateful For All Seasons 17 I Will Praise Him, For He Has Done It 19 How Yoga Rocked This Grateful Klutz's World
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22 Having A Grateful Heart 23 Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Energy Bites 28 Gratitude: The Act of Expressing Thankfulness
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30 We Pray 35 Editors Note
stellar day magazine www.stellardaymagazine.com
STELLAR DAY MAGAZINE
GRATITUDE Happy Birthday Stellar Day Magazine ! by Jessica Williams
C
an you believe it? It’s been an entire YEAR of Stellar Day Magazine! When I started this venture, I had originally set out to start a newsletter. The first one was such a hit that it grew, and grew, and grew. And people read, and read, and read. And we never looked back! When I think about this past year, I am overwhelmed with gratitude. I am thankful for every single woman that the Lord has brought my way through this. Whether they were writers, photographers,
supporters, readers, and everything inbetween, they have ALL made a difference in this and in turn, have reached thousands of women! But mostly, Stellar Day Magazine has been a constant reminder of God’s faithfulness in my life. He’s reminded me that while others around us might let us down, that HE never will. He’s reminded me that He sees me, that He created me with a purpose, and that He wants to use me. When I felt like others didn’t want me to be used, God reminded me that HE DID. He stepped in and gently whispered, ‘I see you, I hear your prayers. Wait on me, and I will give you your hearts desires.”
So I did. And it was painful, and long, it required perseverance and trust. It required me to lean into him and to faithfully HOPE for what was to come. It required me to step out and to listen to his very next direction. Even though I struggled with sadness, loneliness, and heartbreak, God reminded me
But mostly, Stellar Day Magazine has been a constant reminder of God’s faithfulness in my life." "
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time and time again that I would not stay there forever. He was with me, 100 percent of the way and he carried me. He equipped me and he brought ALL of the right women, SO many women to Stellar Day, who in turn each were able to use this as a tool to encourage others. This isn’t the path I would have chosen. This isn’t what I had set out for. What I wanted? Was women’s ministry in my church. And the Lord brought me to and gave me so much more. He used avenues and people in my life in ways that still blow my mind and He created this because he wanted it to be. It’s like nothing else I’ve ever been a part of. And I am going to be forever thankful and full of gratitude that this is the path that this journey has taken me on. If you ever find yourself doubting God, wondering what he’s doing, where He’s going with your life- LEAN INTO HIM AND PRESS INTO THAT. It means he’s about to ask you to trust Him in ways bigger than your mind can hold, and in ways better than your heart knows how. It means He can and will do anything and that if you just hang on with Him, trust Him, and believe in Him, that He can do anything THROUGH YOU. I don’t know what you’re clinging onto sweet friend, but I do know that holding your fists tight around what YOU want
instead of what HE wants is the fastest way to stall the plans that the Lord has for your life. Cry it out. Let it go. Scream and holler a little bit and experience the fear and slight anxiety that comes from jumping off a cliff. BUT THEN, know that the Lord will catch you. He won’t only catch you, but he will make you soar! Sitting in this place of gratitude didn’t come easy, but it was 100 percent worth it. I feel like I’m still at the very beginning of this journey. We are only one year in and I’m ready to experience years and years of encouraging women everywhere. And I feel thankfulness running over that the God of the universe knows my heart so intimately, that He would ask me to boldly let go of what I THOUGHT I was dreaming of, to give to me what I was born and created to do. Hang on there, sweet friend. You can do anything and all I know you need to do is let go! I’m thankful for each and every one of you. For without you, this wouldn’t have transpired in the ways that it has. My heart runs over with gratitude. Let’s do this year TWO!
Coming Out Of The Woods y
B
Esther Gallagher
If I told her about the amazing banana, almond milk, date smoothie I had for breakfast today it would morph into a story about Adam eating the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. As a teenager, if I begged her to buy me new trendy pants called Z Cavarricis that were all the rage, she would have told me about how when we get to heaven, we’d be wearing gleaming robes of white. Helping me practice for a spelling test would turn into a conversation about how Satan tests us but if we trust in God, we will be victorious. I might be embellishing about my mom a bit here, but she has always brought God into just about every conversation and it often comes out of nowhere. And you’re like huh? You say we are out of peanut butter? God will provide. You skinned your knee on the playground? Let’s anoint you with oil and ask God to heal you. You’re bored and just mushing on the couch? Idle hands are the root of evil. I just couldn’t relate to her and learned quickly to identify and avoid conversations that went down this path. Honestly, if I sense our conversations going down this odd, disconnected random thought order today, I Still. Just. Can’t. Even. While I understand her heart, am more compassionate and appreciate her good intentions to infuse Jesus into every single conversation (and I mean every single conversation), this was extremely hard for me to live with growing up. I felt like my everyday life experiences were so disconnected from her abrupt presentation of God. Her teachable moments came out of nowhere, confused me, and made me feel uncomfortable. True, we can find God in all things, but let’s be honest, we have to know our audience, put things in context, listen more than we speak (something I’m not so great at myself), make rational connections, read
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peoples’ cues, and understand that timing is everything. Sometimes we have to realize that a girl just wants to drink her smoothie, wear some totally tubular, winged, white-washed high-waisted pants with a thin belt, and get a high five for 100 percent on her spelling test without getting into theological discussion or spiritual reflections. I say this tongue in cheek and I honestly don’t mean any disrespect to my mom. I am so grateful she raised me to know Jesus’ unconditional love for me. It has been my foundation and He has been my rock through life’s ups and downs, even when I turned away and pretty much ignored Him. I’m blessed that my mother, however odd her expression of her faith seemed, instilled in me through song, story and scripture that I am a treasured child of God— even if I did roll my eyes at her a lot and tune her out like background noise. Unfortunately, my unresolved issues about this affected my confidence in both feeling and expressing my faith, even as I grew closer to Him. Even with my husband and closest friends, I found myself second guessing every opportunity where I wanted to mention something about my journey with God? But I held back. Will I come across too Christian, maybe not Christian enough? Worse, would those that know my mother, think that I am becoming like her; that I will go from talking about trying a new nude lipstick color this spring to stories of vanity, temptresses and harlots in the Bible? That I’m going overboard with the religious stuff lately. So here I’ve been the last 13 months, writing. When I started this journey over a year ago, I thought that it was going to be a creative and therapeutic outlet; something to do while I looked for other (real) jobs, and managed my home-maker responsibilities. Maybe write about all the home birthday parties I hosted for thousands of children, with fireworks, pony rides, and fire-juggling circus acts all within a $50 budget. But God had something else in store for me. Yes, a lot of my articles very directly speak to my relationship with Christ, spiritual insights and my hopes
for you in your faith journeys. And I’ve also written articles on parenting lessons learned, my herb garden, advocating for survivors of trafficking, aging, meal planning, and keeping up with the Jones’, to name a few topics. And some of these stories have either no reference to my faith or maybe one or two. And I pray over each and every article asking that one; that I will find the right words and context to encourage you whether it’s about kicking ass in the kitchen or pondering the heavier, faith-related topics that are on my heart, and two; that I do not let fear or shame scare me away from sharing Him with you or be worried about what you’ll think of me. I’m not totally out of the woods yet, I will admit, but I’m getting there. I still sometimes wonder if people read my posts and think, ‘where did all of this come from a girl who used to share family vacation pictures or requests for a handyman referral’? Now, she is way too much with all these God, God, God posts. But here I am, still coming out of my shell, putting my neck out there, emerging and growing into all that He has called me to be. Call me the Saturday Night Live Church Lady of the 80’s (Enid), call me a Bible thumper, Jesus freak, call me what you will. I have broken free from expectations that chained me into thinking that I had to put my love for God in a neat and tidy box- never to be vocalized unless shared in a silent prayer at bedtime or at church just blending in with the Halleluiah chorus. I am forever grateful that you, my Stellar Day friends, have given me a safe place to step out in faith and proudly profess my love for Him. Are you similarly worried about how you will be viewed if you start talking about your relationship with God, singing out loud in church, raising your hands in praise, writing a blog article about it, inviting friends and family to church, asking your family to pray with you? Will you hold His hand and mine and take a step out in faith? I promise you will be thankful you did.
N O T
M Y
OWN BY CASSIDY RICH
How powerful are those three words? Not. My. Own. In some ways those words can be frightening. What do you mean I’m not my own? Am I a slave to somebody? If I don’t own myself, who does? When examined from a Biblical perspective these words are freeing and should build up a great sense of gratitude to the One who does own us. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says: “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” Trying to shape and
mold ourselves to please another earthly being is an endless fight that we will not ultimately win. Because God is our creator and designer, our only focus should be bringing glory to His name. I don’t think I’ve ever appreciated these three words more than I do now. I’m entering into the thick of my last semester of college and have no idea what I’m going to be dong after I graduate in December. Yes, I’ve spent hours looking for jobs, going to career fairs, and applying online, but nothing has fallen into place yet. The thought of being jobless after graduation scares me and makes me want to go crazy applying to every possible place that might have an opening. Thankfully my dad and two of my favorite professors opened my eyes to the fact that I don’t need to have it all together right now. If I try to do it all on my own I will most assuredly fail. Through the people He has placed in my life God is
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Above Photo by Jay & Jess.
showing me that I need to have an attitude of gratitude. Letting the wisdom of those around me sink in has taken a load off of my shoulders. I don’t need to stress eat chocolate and drink insane amounts of coffee while trying to stay up late and figure life out with my own strength. If I’m going to call myself a follower of Christ then I need to fully, 100 percent trust God. He has made me His own. By the priceless blood of His one and only Son He bought me so that I would not tear my own life to shreds, thinking I knew what was best for me. The One who knows me better than I know myself has a plan greater than what I can scrap together for myself. An attitude of gratitude for all that the Lord has done for me is what I’m striving for in order to encourage others. After all, I’m not my own so I should be glorifying Him with my everything.
The One who knows me better than I know myself has a plan greater than what I can scrap together for myself." "
Attitude of Gratitude WRITTEN BY DANIELLE NESPER It's been such a blessing writing for this magazine and I'm seeing the Lord speaking to me through it in so many different ways. With Stellar Day Magazine having a different theme each month I find myself hearing each theme be spoken to me from the Lord so regularly and it always confirms in me that the Lord is here with me. He’s always talking to me and walking through every day with me and that's so comforting. In my women’s bible study this morning we talked about hearing from the Lord. How do we as humans actually hear from the Lord? Do we hear him audibly? I can't speak for anyone but myself but I've never heard Him audibly. I do hear Him many different ways though. For me a lot of times it’s through music which coincidentally He’s reassuring me right now that He’s here with me through the song that I'm listening to in this very moment. Moments like that are just so freaking cool. I know that He talks to us in so many ways. The question is are we listening?
A lot of times I'm not and I think I've got it figured out in my own head and I don't wait on the Lord quietly to hear from Him. But He has spoken to me more this past month about gratitude than I think ever before which is so cool because I can clearly see Him speaking to me every month with each different theme! Whether that be through worship, sermons, bible studies, conversations with people, prayer and the list goes on and on. The Lord is always trying to talk to us and that makes me ridiculously grateful! I am a very optimistic glass half full type of girl but do I acknowledge everything that I'm grateful for? Maybe sometimes. Definitely around Thanksgiving because it's on my mind more. Don't get me wrong I recognize my blessings and am so thankful for them always but I'm talking about the little things. The daily small, but also huge, blessings. A lot of times I don't recognize God’s favor in my life and I'm not sure why. I might just think it's luck or I might even just breeze on by a blessing without recognizing the power within it because I'm in my own head. Because I'm too caught up in my “busy” life to notice it all. I've been kicked in the booty with this gratitude theme this month and since then I have been working very hard to recognize my blessings no matter how tiny.
“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18. So if we're supposed to give thanks in ALL circumstances then that means we are called to find the things in our lives that we may not be very thankful for or even want to be thankful for and work on changing that perspective to become thankful for them. That's hard!!! Even for a glass half full type of person that's hard! One thing that one of our pastors at my church said a couple weeks ago is if we have an attitude of gratitude in an area that we are needing to have faith for it starts to bring increase into our lives. Woah! That’s good stuff!! God calls us to give thanks in everything and when we start to do that He blesses us. Having that year round heart of gratitude will naturally make us start to look at things different! It then becomes a habit and we can live every day focused on everything that we do have and live out that attitude of gratitude. My challenge for us this month is to just jump in feet first and really start to focus on every little thing in our lives that we can be grateful for! It's a tough one but I'm very confident that this challenge will be a very rewarding one! Gratitude changes everything!
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Gratitude Is the Giver of Joy BY NICOLE THOMPSON
Truth be told I’ve struggled with comparison all my life. Maybe I didn’t see it for what it was, but none the less it was still comparison. At times I was flat out jealous of what others wanted. Other times I used what someone else had to judge if what I had was good enough. Maybe I didn’t exactly want what they had, but I was still using it as a measuring tool. Does my stuff measure up? Or maybe more accurately, do I measure up? These are dangerous questions when asked to anyone other than the Lord. He alone can answer those questions. The world will often tell me no, I don’t have the right stuff or enough stuff and that I am not enough. However, I imagine the Lord would have a different answer. I think he might say something like this to me:
SDM
"When I choose gratitude, I choose truth."
Yes, my child, you are perfectly, exactly enough. I am the Lord, your God, and I am always taking care of you. Whatever you have is always enough and just right for you, just as you are always enough and just right for me. I made you and knit you in your mother’s womb. I created you for my delight and I take great delight in you. You see, every day the enemy seeks to ensnare us in lies. He wants us to believe that what we have isn’t enough and that we aren’t enough because if we will believe those lies then suddenly God’s love for us is in question. Isn’t that the root of all the enemy’s schemes? He knows that God’s love is foundational to us living joyful, effective lives so he will do anything to shatter that foundation. If I don’t have enough then God must be holding out on me so he must not love me. If I am not enough and I know that God made me then he must not love me or he
would have made me different, better. Every day the enemy is trying to get us to buy into his lies so we feel unloved and insecure. Isn’t that what comparison does to us? Comparison takes everything we have and makes it not enough, including ourselves. This thinking is so easy for me to slip into because I can always find someone that has more than me. Someone will always have a better house, more clothes, a newer car, a larger circle of friends, and the list could go on and on. While those things are more external, there’s another side, sometimes a darker side. I can easily find myself comparing the internal stuff as well. That person is smarter, wiser, more disciplined, a better mom, a better wife, more gifted, or has a bigger calling. Comparison will always take what we have and make it not enough. Always. So what do we do? If comparison if the thief of joy then gratitude is the giver of it. I love how author Melody Beattie says it: “Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.” When I choose gratitude, I choose truth. The lies of comparison no longer uphold. The fog of an ungrateful heart lifts and I can see more clearly. I can look at what I have without it representing what I don’t. Comparison says, “You live in a rental house because you don’t have your own home.” But gratitude says, “You have a nice rental house to live in.” What I thought I was lacking no longer matters when I focus on what I do have. In addition, when I no longer focus on what I thought I was lacking insecurity fades. This too brings me back to the truth. It then frees me to act and respond from the security of knowing that I am loved and cared for. That is the truth God wants us to rest in- he loves us and is always caring for us. Comparison leads to insecurity, resentment, and isolation. Gratitude gives life, peace, and joy. It turns what we have into enough, even more. When I am thankful for what I do have I no longer need to compare. I can just accept what I have and be thankful for it. Let’s bask in the light of that truth today and all our days.
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Grateful
For All Seasons By Robyn Baldwin
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I honestly did not think it would be this hard to write about gratitude. It's not that I've experienced a lack of gratitude; in fact quite the opposite. It's been a season of healing and restoration and there have been a lot of revelations from a very, very bad year. 2015 was not my year. It was challenging in every way. And I remember being in the thick of it completely ungrateful. Life is hard and there are [many] moments where I would just stand (or lay) there, arms open, saying, "Really?" Months later I'm putting pieces together and healing; seeing why certain things were necessary and accepting others regardless.
You know what's funny though is that I actually find myself grateful for a lot of that time. Without those difficulties; I wouldn't be who I am now. I was a part of a school for nine months and it's taken me a while to realize that a lot of the things I learned there were heretical and cult-like. Which is a weird and semi-terrifying revelation. And in my wrestling, it's an awkward and hard place to come to; why did God allow me to spend such a great deal of time in a cult? Not that everything I learned was wrong or anti-Christian. But as I've spent time processing, talking with others, and learning the truth; I've realized that I'm actually grateful for that time.
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There were a lot of lessons that took place. I learned what it's like to worship even when the bitterness and ache in my heart is crippling. I learned I'm passionate about theology. I learned just how passionate I am about authentic community and relationships. I learned who God was and more importantly, I learned who God wasn't. I made some sweet, radical friendships and memories. Choosing gratitude for the gross, annoying, difficult, hard parts; that is quite the task. And yet I am, because I see His hand through all of it. I see the lessons and I see His truth and grace in it. It's easy to be grateful for the easy things in life. But it's really difficult to be grateful for things like sickness, poverty, or death.
"Eventually though, as we begin to seek thankfulness over a situation, healing comes, restoration takes places, and the toil gets lighter." The thing I've been realizing though, is that I think our gratefulness for all seasons glorifies God and blesses us more than just thanking Him for the sweet things in our life. Blessings are wonderful- don't get me wrong. But something happens when we begin to show thankfulness for hardships; and getting there may take a long time. Eventually though, as we begin to seek thankfulness over a situation, healing comes, restoration takes places, and the toil gets lighter. It doesn't take the situation away but it takes the weight of the burden off your back. Then, when the good stuff comes around; I think that makes them all the sweeter.
Start each day with a grateful heart.
I Will Praise Him FOR HE HAS DONE IT
By Sarah Costa
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I cannot even begin to count the number of times I have cried this week. Sitting down to write, I’m tearing up because GOD IS FAITHFUL. I have these moments of clarity where I see Him bless so abundantly in a way that is decidedly Him moving, but the majority of the time I stand still, afraid to move until I get some direction from Him. But He asks us to have faith in Him. To trust Him with our entire heart, mind, strength, life, being, family, work, relationships, emotions…EVERYTHING that we are. Everything we hold close to us. Everything that means the very most to us, means even more to Him. Everything we think
and feel, He hears and feels even deeper than we do. “You have examined my heart and know everything about me” Psalm 139:1. As I write this, there are so many things that I am uncertain about. There are so many details in our lives that I feel NEED to come together before I can move forward, but God has been telling me to go anyway. To move forward anyway. He is there. He has done it already (Psalm 22). He is in the future; so, throw off everything that is hindering us from moving where He asks us to go. This really has been hard for me. It’s been weighing on me, and I’ve been bringing it before the Lord daily, pleading
with him for some answer, but still not at peace. And then, He used a friend to teach me to throw everything on Him and fix my eyes on him. It’s not like I’ve never heard Ephesians before, but in this situation, I needed that reminder. Fix my eyes on him and RUN. Fix my eyes on him and persevere. It doesn’t say “fix your eyes on Jesus and stand still waiting for him to reveal His good and perfect and amazing will, pick you up and plop you down right in the middle of it.” Ephesians says to fix our eyes on Jesus, RUN with perseverance the race that is set before us. He sets it all in front of us, we have to keep stepping out in faith into his plan. But first, throw off the fear. Throw off the doubt. Throw off the pity parties. Throw off WHATEVER is keeping your eyes from staring with laser focus into the eye of Jesus. Get rid of it, and run to Him. So, I did. I threw those doubts at His feet and decided to praise Him and just do the next thing He’s given me to do. And within 24 hours, he provided for me in ways that I couldn’t even see. With me taking ONE step forward in faith, He's shown himself faithful far beyond that initial
situation. He has provided with abundance. He has provided audaciously “You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies.” Psalm 23:5. Because that’s who He is. He is our provider. He is our Father. He is strong; nothing can overcome Him. He is good and extends that goodness freely and lavishly to us. My heart cannot even contain the joy that I feel today! I’ve cried again because of other answers to prayer and other ways God is reminded me that this life He gave me is His, and He will use it
"I threw those doubts at His feet and decided to praise Him and just do the next thing He’s given me to do. And within 24 hours, he provided for me in ways that I couldn’t even see."
in awesome way for His own glory. I am overflowing with thankfulness because I see the goodness of the Lord, and I will praise Him!! So, I’m making this my banner for Him today, and when those moments of fear and doubt creep up and threaten to overtake me, I will remember how powerfully He answers. How abundantly He provides, and even when I cannot see Him working, I will praise Him FOR HE HAS DONE IT. STELLAR DAY MAGAZINE | 18
HOW YOGA ROCKED THIS GRATEFUL KLUTZ'S WORLD By Arianne Dellovo I spent years avoiding yoga like the plague. Friends would ask me to join them for a class, or attend a class that they were teaching and I always had a million excuses for them. It’s too slow. It’s for hippies. It’s for hipsters. It seems boring. I just ate. I’m on my way to eat. I have to get a root canal. One of my best friends in college was obsessed with hot yoga. Nothing sounded more nightmarish to me than suffocating in a 100degree room while attempting to balance on one foot or whatever. I’m really all set with that, thanks.
unexplained infertility and an unhealthy obsession with Disney movies. She invited me to a yoga class, and for once I didn’t say no. I don’t exactly know what made me say yes, but I’m pretty sure it had something to do with how much I really liked and respected my new friend. It might have also been the promise of getting a smoothie after class. I am very motivated by food. In any sense, I am so glad I said yes. I attended a Sunday evening, candlelight mellow vinyasa class, and my world changed a little bit that night.
Fastforward ten years and in a crazy turn of events, I finally attended my very first yoga class. I had recently made a new friend, which was a big deal for me. Although I’m super chatty and friendly with nearly everyone I meet, I don’t often actually let people into my world. We had bonded over our shared diagnosis of
Let me be perfectly clear. This was by no stretch of the imagination a beginner class. I felt uncoordinated, wobbly, confused, unskilled, and klutzy for about 85 percent of the class. Miraculously during the other 15 percent, I felt a new kind of relaxed that honestly I had never experienced before. It was strange. While I was
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trying really freaking hard to hold
“tree
body allow me to conceive a baby with
pose,” I wasn’t thinking about a single
my husband who I love more than
thing. It was glorious. What a revelation
anything in this world? (crickets...) Will
this was for me! Feeling tragically
we have the courage to pursue other
uncoordinated actually did wonders for
avenues to parenthood? (louder
my overactive mind.
crickets...)
You see I've always been both a
The memories, the questions, and (yes)
reminiscer and a planner. While neither
even the parenthetical notations are all
one is really a horrible thing to be, the
fluttering around inside my brain at
combination of the two exclusively isn't
breakneck speed and sometimes I just
exactly ideal. If one is always longing
can't seem to ignore them. And when I
for the days of yore and worrying about
can't ignore them, I tend to do two
the days to come, it is pretty darn hard
things: get lost in the past and furiously
to actually just enjoy the present day.
plan for the future. I take strolls through memories that I cannot
The things I miss about bygone days are
physically return to and attempt to
pretty basic: family members who have
"prepare" for things that I cannot
passed; having much less responsibility;
possibly know will happen.
and, of course, indulging in Oreo
"Practicing yoga all of a sudden became a much healthier and satisfying antidote to my everracing mind."
cookies on a daily basis (ah gluten how
Practicing yoga, however, all of a
I long for thee). And what of my
sudden became a much healthier and
worries for the future? Those are a little
satisfying antidote to my ever-racing
entirety of my mind, body, and
more complex. Will I get everything
mind. I relish in the idea of spending an
soul has healed and grown in ways
done this weekend that I am hoping to
hour and fifteen minutes clumsily
I never knew were possible. I will
get done? (Eh does it really
attempting to get good at something I
be forever grateful to my friend for
matter?) Will this school year be a
am pretty certain I will never get good
success? (Depends upon how one
at, and I’m totally ok with that fact.
defines "a success.”) Will we ever find
Since my first class, I have only gotten
our dream home? (I hope so!) Will my
slightly better at
“tree pose” but the
initiating me into that beautiful, serene world.
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HAVING A
Grateful Heart BY CHRISTINE CRAM
I would for sure say that the word “grateful” is one of my most favorite words. Being grateful is something I try and think about and meditate on each and every day. Think about it for a second, we are so blessed it’s a little ridiculous. Even if you have some major crappy things happening in your life right now, we are so blessed. There is always a reason to be grateful. We do not deserve the life we live. We do not deserve any of the blessings that we constantly receive. If you have a hard time focusing on things to be grateful for, I would encourage you to write down at least five things that you are grateful for each day. If writing things down is not your thing, then just think about them. I used to have a grateful journal, and looking through it, I see how even during a crazy time in my life, the Lord continued to bless me and open my eyes to things that I would not normally focus on. Here are five things I am grateful for today: The Lord My health My husband My delicious babies Food What are you grateful for today? Take a minute and think about it. I think you will be amazed at how your mind shifts from thinking about the things you do not have, to the many blessings you have. 22 | STELLAR DAY MAGAZINE
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Energy Bites YOUR BODY WILL THANK YOU.
Photographs and Recipe by Sammi Ricke www.GroundedandSurrounded.com
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Don't you just love it when you find food that you can just FEEL your body thanking you for? I found these amazing and healthy treats from an awesome blog, Grounded and Surrounded, and they sure don't disappoint! If you're in the mood for Fall flavor but don't want to pack on the pounds, these are a great snack to stock up on and to have on hand. The recipe is below OR you can also click here to see the original recipe blog post. Thank you so much for sharing this with us Grounded and Surrounded! We are thrilled to feature this yummy snack here at Stellar Day!
Ingredients 1 cup pitted and dried dates 1/4 cup honey 1 Tbsp molasses 2 tsp vanilla extract 1/4 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix) 2 Tbsp ground flax seed 1 tsp pumpkin pie seasoning 1/8 tsp sea salt 1.5 cups old fashioned oatmeal 1 cup almonds (see notes) 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips 1/4 cup dried cranberries (optional)
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yum DIRECTIONS 1. In food processor, add dates, honey, molasses, vanilla, and pumpkin puree. Process on low until ingredients are well blended.
2. Add in remaining ingredients and pulse until the mixture forms into a ball. You can swap out the chocolate chips for the dried cranberries or add both for an extra dose of sweetness!
3. Roll into small balls (think size of a large grape) and store in the fridge for a couple weeks or freezer for months.
GRATITUDE helps us to see what is there
instead of what isn't.
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STELLAR DAY MAGAZINE
GRAT¡I¡TUDE: THE ACT OF EXPRESSING THANKFULNESS BY RACHEL DEITRICK Such a simple but vital act to include in our daily lives. Gratitude is such an important part of my life that it was difficult for me to narrow down ideas to write about. I have learned to be thankful in all circumstances including hardships and this simple act has been life changing. I truly learned and developed the act of being thankful during the hard times. In the moments where I felt completely defeated and hopeless from my circumstances, God began to show me the things that had always been there that I had taken for granted, and I became aware of how important they were. The simple things in life. Things like having enough money to put gas in my car or have access to clean water. The hard times in life really opened up my eyes to see all that I still had although I was in a loss. I learned to appreciate all that I had not lost and express my thankfulness to the Lord. During the years when I was extremely sick, I became extremely thankful for things so simple and unnoticeable like the beat in my heart and the air in my lungs; the fact that I was still alive. That simple act of gratitude brought so much joy in a time of such despair and was what kept me going each day. Developing the act of being thankful in the present
moment has transformed my life to constant contentment and joy. I often thank God throughout my day for things like getting to and from work safely, having food to eat, a job to provide income, and so on. Choosing to express gratitude became a daily habit and has opened my eyes to how much God has blessed me and that He will always meet my needs. Learning to be thankful in the present moment despite my circumstances led me to learn to be thankful for all that I had been through and learned from the past. I often look back today at the difficulties I once faced and am beyond grateful for them although they were some of the hardest times I have experienced. I began to look back and realize what I learned and gained from each experience and became grateful just for the wisdom that I could now apply to my life. Knowledge and wisdom are some of the most valuable attributes you can gain and each experience allows you to walk away with something new learned. It is not easy to be thankful during the hard times, but I have found that once I get through to the other side, I would not change a single thing and am thankful for the process it took to get me there.
Truly appreciating each season in the past and present further opened my eyes to being thankful for what will take place in the future. I began thanking God in advance for carrying out His plans for my life which brought me hope in desperate times. Thanking Him for things that had not yet taken place and waiting to see the ways that He would answer those prayers. I started thanking Him in advance for healing me when I was too sick for doctors to fix. Thanking Him in advance for providing what I needed to make ends meet when I didn’t have enough. When you thank God in advance for
something He will do that is in His will, you can be sure that He will always come through, sometimes in ways you never expect. Expressing gratitude for the past, present, or future changes our perspective. It renews our minds and brings us joy. It allows us to focus on what we do have in the moment instead of what we don’t. It makes us feel content and
satisfied without needing more. It frees our spirit and allows us to live at peace. Being thankful in and for the good times and the bad sustains us, and when we learn to be thankful in the bad times we get to the other side with much more peace. There is always something to be thankful for, even if it comes down to the air you breathe. Find simple things to be thankful for on a daily basis whether it is something in the present moment, a past experience that resulted in gaining wisdom, or for something that is yet to happen in the future. It will change your heart and perspective on life and can be the light that shines on your darkest days.
"Truly appreciating each season in the past and present further opened my eyes to being thankful for what will take place in the future."
we pray. Written by Reg Madison
The thing about us women… we pray. Whether we call it that or not. Ceaselessly. Reverently. Desperately. We pray. Over the simmering pot of ‘I love you too much to let you go hungry’, to the mindfulness in lighting a candle, it’s all prayer. When we turn off and tuck in, we pray. Through each ‘I’m not good enough’ and ‘How can I possibly?’ We pray. When we steal 4 minutes in the bathroom while catching our breath, 3.5 of those are spent in utterances of sanctification. Over our earth. Over our children. Over our people. Over ourselves. We are women, and each step we take is a walking meditation calling in spirit to move and guide us that we, as women, can keep the diamonds of faith tethered to our hearts. Through sighs of exhaustion and the siphoning of resources, whether to a Him or Her or both, We ask. We thank. We pray.
Through restless feet and tireless duty, through night and day and in stolen moments of powerlessness, we offer it up and out. Because we know from our mothers, and their mothers’ mothers, that the only way to taste heaven with both feet covered in soil, is to expand like an acrobat with folded hands and open hearts. And surrender. We pray with a mysticism that keeps crops sprouting, tides rolling and winds changing. We drop to our knees to see God, not to be seen by a godless society. We Houdini 4 loaves from 2 because guess what? God honors that shit. There is a knowing in our bones. Something that is silently declared when our parents are told, “It’s a girl.” We will live a life of reverence. We will exalt all that is holy. We will baptize and be baptized in lifetimes of bleeding truth. And when we are drowning in tears of selfdoubt and shame, we take the pause, lean in and practice STELLAR DAY MAGAZINE | 30
acceptance. All within a prayer. It comes in many and all ways, this mandate to pray. The smoothing of a wayward hair atop our child’s head, the tilt of our own head when we experience something that moves us. The way we get rocked by so and so and seen by you know who. The divinity in which we chant to the clicks of our stilettos, put melodies to the rhythm of our flip flops, and bow to the brush of our bare feet on the earth. It is all a prayer. Because it is all holy. And all spirit. And all stardust hovering over a perfectly messy human experience. And when we pray, it rains on us, this stardust. In every shade of gold. And those around us feel God. Not the church white robe I saw those sandals at Free People God. The god that breathes through all of creation, forming the stories that prompt tears, laughs, cries and chills. THAT God. That’s the god who hears. Because fuck if it’s not why we are here. Why we remain lifefilled even in our dimmest. Why the earth spins on dreams and artistry. Why science is even footnoted with magic and formulas all equating to “just right”. WE. PRAY. We offer. We burn. We listen We gather in a circle or call out to ghosts, and craft holy words in holy moments with holy hearts. We pray. Before we learn to talk or walk or say no, we pray. Before we leave this life on earth, we pray. Before we wake. Pray.
When we watch our sons become men in an instant of failure or triumph, we pray. When our daughters rise in warrior spirit and boundless beauty, you better believe we pray. When those who have walked before us leave us in our dharmadrenched grief, we pray. When we lose ourselves to an idea created by every monster we’ve slain or will slay, we fucking pray. In our art, in our gaze, in our laps With supplication and grace, we pray. We bathe in it. Breathe fire with it. Move mountains through it. And dance intimately beside it. In gratitude, in awe, in humility, For peace, for patience for strength Because we honor that space between here and there. Because even the mundane requires it. And the sacred gives evidence to it. Because we can’t afford not to. We are women. And we pray.
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Gratitude
It's Overflowing.
Editor in Chief Jessica Williams Associate Editor Jennifer Stamps Contributors Brianna VanderWeide Christine Cram Danielle Nesper Esther Gallagher Jennifer Stamps Jessica Williams Kate Williams Nicole Thompson Rennai Hoefer Robyn Baldwin Sarah Costa Sarah Trapp Columnists Arianne Dellovo Cassidy Rich Christine Cram Danielle Nesper Esther Gallagher Jessica Williams Nicole Thompson Rachel Deitrick Regina Madison Robyn Baldwin Sarah Costa Special Thanks AFC Chiropractic Gateway Church Grounded and Surrounded Hello Happiness Card Co. Nine Retreat Jay & Jess Photography
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EDITOR'S NOTE
Jessica Williams EDITOR-IN-CHIEF There will never be enough words, nor will I ever get tired of expressing how truly thankful I am for this magazine. If you know the story, you know that I stumbled into this adventure, starting it almost as a perfect accident. I was trying to create something small and the Lord had it planned to be something big. Something I could not have done on my own. Many of you stepped right in and joined me in this adventure immediately, never looking back for one second. For that, I will always be thankful. This issue is more than just about being thankful for Stellar Day. As you've read through these pages, this magazine is one giant expression of thankfulness from women who are just like you. They have hopes, dreams, fears. They are learning lessons and struggling through life just as you might be. Their willingness to be transparent and to lay it all on the line in hopes of encouraging even one person is something that I will not ever take for granted. As we enter this season of thankfulness, my hope and prayer is that we all enter it encouraged. Even if life sucks, is hard or isn't what you imagined. Even if the impending holiday season brings pain instead of joy. Even if you came here wanting to give up. My hope and prayer for each of you is that you are met here by a deep sense of encouragement that even you can't explain. That you will move through your days filled with hope and gratitude no matter what your circumstances are. That you will look to tomorrow with an open heart and ready for change, even if there's despair. I will forever be thankful that you are here. Whether you read ever single month or are merely passing through, the gratitude I have in my heart for you, dear reader, is overflowing.
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