Author: Kimberly Novak

Kimberly Novak is a wife, mother, author, retreat facilitator, and Spiritual Director. Her passion to inspire, and motivate those on a spiritual journey has bloomed into various ministries. Kimberly’s mission is to enhance each journey by guiding others where the light of strength is…God’s love. Her debut children’s book will be released in the spring/summer of 2022. Her writings and blog are at KimberlyNovak.com.

Its The Little Things

Published on by Kimberly Novak2 Comments

little thingsWe all know how to take things for granted in life, some better than other’s and I”ll admit that I have done it as well.  Recently I have noticed that I am missing some of the little things of my marriage.  A morning smile, sharing a cup of coffee, or just a simple hug before beginning my day.  I was really in a funk wishing I had someone to share all those things with, but upon about five minutes of reflecting on my past I can honestly say that I don’t think I ever had many of the little things while in my marriage.

So if I didn’t have them then, why am I missing them so much now?  How do I know what it is I’m missing?  A wonderful roommate was graciously dropped into my home and in spending time with her day in and day out is when I noticed that I really enjoyed sharing those little things with another person.  I like having conversation in the morning over a cup of coffee.  Having an actual conversation with someone while preparing dinner who is over the age of 14 is fantastic!

It’s given me a chance to really think about some of the other little things I may want to share with someone down the road, and it’s showed me how important they are.  Just because they are called “the little things” does not mean that they should not carry as much importance as some of the “bigger things”.

When I look back now I wish we would have shared more of those tiny moments because they would have been more meaningful than the times that we thought were more important.

Going back is not an option so for me; all I can do is take note of how I’m feeling about those little things, and make sure I am aware of just how important they are to me.  This way I am assured of making them meaningful in any future relationships.  My little things will actually be the biggest part of any new relationship.  I will make sure that they are known and that whoever I am with is ready and willing to share them with me.  Enjoy the Little Things

I”m making my list and I”m checking it three times, twice is not enough.  I am keeping track of when I notice that little something missing from my life and I will move it to the top of the list.  This way nothing get’s forgotten, nothing will be overlooked, and I will have all that to look forward to when getting to know that special person.

Is any one else out there keeping a list of those little but important things that are missing from your life?  Please respond in the comments.

Kimberly

Courageous Butterfly

3/16/14

Related Blogs/Links

Keep Holding On, Avril Lavene

Little Things, Bruised Reed Blessed

Self-Actualization at 23, M.D.

 

 

Emotional Glacier

Published on by Kimberly Novak8 Comments

small-iceberg-wFrozen:  It’s the beginning of March and we are still being gifted by mother nature with ice and snow.

Frozen: The Oscar nominated song Let It Go, in 2014, a hit for little girls everywhere.

Frozen:  The Disney Movie which defines Love as: “Love,” the character states, “is putting someone else’s needs before your own.” The definition is not only key to the story’s surprising climax, but also biblically solid. For the Scriptures tell us, “Greater love has no one than this: than he lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).

Frozen: Webster defines it as, frigid, very cold, obstructed by ice.

It’s amazing how one word can have so many different meanings.  So why am I stuck on this very cold, sometimes debilitating word?  Because in the last few years I have had many circumstances where I felt, or wanted to be frozen.  There were times during my trial when something would happen and the result would cause me to feel trapped and out of control of my circumstances.  In those moments I was literally frozen, in that I was not able to do anything to change the outcome.  I was physically and emotionally frozen.

Lately, I feel like I am stuck, I”m sitting on a very large piece of ice in the middle of nowhere, an emotional glacier.  It’s strange because for a while now I have not had any issues with releasing my feelings but for some reason I find myself wanting to hold things in again.  We all know that holding in feelings is never a good idea and that came to pass for me last week.  Now that I can see it though I am committed to working through whatever it is that I am holding on to.  From the lips of a very dear woman “It’s OK to not be OK”.

The last few days I have been trying to figure out what it is that has me trapped on this current glacier.  Other than the obvious, there is an anniversary (not mine) that does seem to be at the forefront of my mind.  It’s something that  I knew I would never be “OK” with, but something I thought I had moved past.  Divorce is truly the death of a relationship and unfortunately for me, I am still in mourning.

 

I know I have made a lot of progress in my healing but then I have these surprises creep up on me and throw me right back onto that glacier where I have an emotional explosion!  The hard part is not to feel like I’m right back at the beginning.  I need to put all those other explosions behind me and just focus on the one that has me on this current block of ice.  Also hard, is to let it all out; finding someone to confide in and tell all of this too.  I have been through three counselors since my divorce; they keep leaving, maybe I need to look into that! (ha ha)  Most importantly though is recognizing when you are feeling isolated on the glacier before it’s too late and you are piled up high one on top the other before the damn breaks.  let it go

In the words of Disney’s Frozen….LET IT GO!  Let it all in and then let it all out.  We have to remember that tears are healing and it’s OK.  Keeping in mind also not to be angry with yourself when you get to these moments.  My first reaction was how angry I was at  because I am still holding on to some of these issues, but then I realized its because I haven’t let them go from my heart.  They are still there because they still cause hurt, and I need to face them in order to release them.

I have been living in the biggest storm of my life, there may be nothing harder than this.  It is going to take time, patience, understanding, love, faith, and hope to guide me towards being healed.  I have no idea how long it will take, or if I ever will be completely over everything that I went through.  For now I know that it’s OK for me not to be OK, and I need to let other’s around me know when I am feeling that way.  It’s not healthy to be alone on that block of ice, the more people I let in and the more I talk about it, the quicker that ice will melt and I will be free of it.   I have to admit when I first pictured myself sitting on a glacier and it was melting away, I felt panic!  What if I”m not ready?  What if it melts and I drown?  Well, the people around, us, those helping us, will be our life jackets.  They will make sure that we are safe to swim and they will lead us safely to the shore.

Do you feel trapped on your own emotional glacier?  Respond in the comments.

Kimberly

Courageous Butterfly

3/2/14

Related topics/blogs

Let It Go, Frozen

Dream Glacier, Tony Crisp

Let It Go, momofthreelivinginbfe

Seeing Emotions, Enchanted Heart

 

Just Pull

Published on by Kimberly Novak8 Comments

pushHow many times have we tried to go through a door the wrong way?  And I’m speaking literally here.  When it happens we look around to make sure that no one has seen it happen.  Your walking with a purpose headed into your favorite store, your list in hand you approach the door and push, push, push.  Why isn’t the door opening?  It is then that directly in your line of vision, you see the rather large  sign that says PULL.  I’m three years post divorce and I feel like I have been living life pushing on doors that should have been pulled and pulling on doors that should have been pushed and I am getting nowhere.

I feel like things I am trying to accomplish in my new life are not going as I had planned.  God laughs at our plans I know, but these are things that I thought would have been easier for me to do as time passes on.  Deep down I know I am over my ex, but am I over the circumstances that led to our divorce?  I have been very focused on my healing for the last few years and I was confident that I was doing everything I needed to in order to get past everything and get on with my life.  Today I wonder if I ‘ll ever get there.

I’ve been pushing and pushing on a door that just won’t open, and that is the door that leads to my heart.  Unfortunately for me my last two therapists have moved on and today I was forced to let loose on my hair stylist.  I thought I was doing OK, since I recently committed to dating again, until my head was tilted back and into that bowl. It was like as she was rising my hair I was letting go of everything that has been cooped up in my heart.  I’ve  had my heart under lock and key since the divorce and I don’t know how to make it useful again.  I have visions of breathing into a paper bag as I”m trying to push my way through this blockage and let myself feel again.  pull

When you lose a family member it is a death that is extremely hard to recover from, but sometimes I think recovering from a divorce is worse.  You are mourning a death that you eventually want to put behind you so you can find someone new and begin again.  Putting behind you the emotion’s, the heart ache, the circumstances, the anger, the hurt and letting yourself go to let someone else in has got to be one of the hardest things I’ve ever tried to do.  Don’t get me wrong it is something I want to do and I am going to try.  My door of divorce was one that I pushed on for a very long time, it is time that I start pulling and letting doors open.

Every day of my healing is a learning experience and I recently learned that  I am still recovering and I am not over the circumstances of my divorce.  But instead of taking quick shallow breaths and breathing into the paper bag, I want to be able to take one nice cleansing breath and pull on that door and have it open with ease.

Have you been pushing on pull doors?  Please comment and share.

Kimberly

Courageous Butterfly

2/22/14

Related links:

Pushing on a pull door, For King And Country

Meditations on Love

Open Heart Open Book

An Open Heart