Do you have any idea what “plork” means? Probably not, because I made it up. (I’ll give you a hint. It comes from reading Stuart Brown's book Play.)

Brown paints a compelling picture about why we should bring play back into our lives as adults. I even did a podcast about the importance of play. Kind of ironic, isn’t it? Making play sound so serious?

But what does that have to do with PLORK?

A new year.  A fresh start.  A blank piece of paper.  What can you create this year?  The possibilities are amazing!  I created this image to encourage and inspire you.  You only have one life.  Let's go exploring!

What if Jesus hadn’t been born in a stable? What if there was room in the inn?

We can learn something deep and powerful about our lives when we look at a very human aspect of this timeless story.

Last week our church had an evening carol sing. We sang all the old favorites: Joy to the World, O Come All Ye Faithful, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, Jingle Bells, and The Twelve Days of Christmas – including the flourishes on the five golden rings.

One that spoke to my heart that night was “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”.

Have you ever sat and felt tight and stressed? Anxious? And you couldn’t figure out why? Sometimes when we sit, we tighten up. We concentrate so hard that we bear down and tighten. Or a stressful conversation triggers the tightening, and then we don’t notice that we’re still doing it long after the stress is gone.

One day I felt tense. I couldn’t figure out why until I realized I was clenching my hands. Not in a fist, but tight nonetheless. Once I noticed it, I opened my hands. Immediately the rest of my body began to relax.

Happy Thanksgiving!  After challenging you all to write a song for Thanksgiving, I sat down to try it myself.  Here's what popped out.

Maybe it will inspire you…or give you a good chuckle.  If you write a Thanksgiving poem, share it in the comments or email me at Kathleen@kathleenannthompson.com.  I may put it to music!

I have been studying task management for a while, trying to find the best possible way to manage all that I have on my plate. Recently I realized that I was going about this all wrong. I decided to blow up my To-Do List.

You should too.

I looked at myself in the mirror. My body was short, very wide, and I had a huge head. My movements looked strange and contorted. No matter which way I turned, the view didn't get any better.

From every direction I looked weird. Not how I thought I would and should.

I went to college in Staten Island, NY. It was a small, wooded campus, on top of a large hill. When walking around, you could almost forget you were in the city. Tall oaks, wide maples, beautiful cherry trees that bloomed in late spring.  Walking paths weaving through the campus.

For most of my college years, I lived in a dorm called Harborview Hall. This dorm was tall, like a large apartment building.

Here’s where you knew you were in the city. Out my dorm room window, I had this view:

Do you ever find yourself going through life on auto-pilot, not really noticing or appreciating what is around you? Driving mindlessly to work, dreading the day. Chilling out in the evening, or working the “second shift” – all those chores screaming to be done. Oblivious to your surroundings.

Difficult circumstances can prevent us from seeing beauty too. I wrote a post about this on Michele Cushatt’s blog.  (Check out her site and her book Undone.)  We get caught up in focusing on what we have lost, and don’t see what blessings we have.

All the while only a few feet away is a big, beautiful world. One that we so easily miss.