Hey Beautiful Souls~
As I sit down to write this blog post, a profound urge washes over me to share my testimony, to unfold the layers of my soul and reveal the essence of my journey—a journey marked by trials and triumphs, darkness and light, despair and hope. It’s a story not of perfection but of persistence; not of unblemished faith but of a relentless pursuit of light amidst the shadows that often shroud our world.
In the world today, it feels as though a tangible evil lurks in the air, a darkness that attempts to obscure the sunshine that bathes our lives. This struggle isn’t just external; it mirrors the war within—a battle for the soul, a contest between our higher selves and the temptations that seek to derail us from our divine path. I’ve come to see this not just as a metaphorical devil on my shoulder but as a real, palpable force seeking to influence my choices and cloud my judgment.
My life has been a series of tempests—near-death experiences, health challenges, and mental health struggles. Each trial, whether it be fighting to stay nourished amidst diabetes and gastroparesis, battling the demons of depression, anxiety, and PTSD, or simply striving to find a place of peace and health, has taught me resilience. Yet, for too long, I focused on saving others, driven by nostalgia and an idolized notion of what life should be, neglecting the most crucial relationship of all: my connection with God and the Savior.
The journey of repentance is profound and deeply personal. It’s about recognizing where we’ve faltered, not to drown in self-judgment but to understand that the Atonement is always within reach. It’s about creating lists not of our failures but of our steps towards improvement, recognizing that while labels may define aspects of our lives, they do not determine our worth or our potential.
As I’ve aged, I’ve learned that life’s end isn’t about knowing the exact moment of the world’s conclusion or the precise path our souls will take hereafter. Instead, it’s about ensuring that our souls shine for eternity through the love, creativity, and help we extend to others.
I am inspired by the Divine Creator who formed me, and in return, I feel compelled to share that peace, testimony, faith, and knowledge through my talents and passions. It’s about living for today, for the sunshine that pierces through the storms, embracing each day with the knowledge that He lives, and our Savior is indeed coming.
My years were marked by darkness, a period where my soul felt as if it were erupting in agony. Now, I find solace in the peace and quiet, in the beauty that lies within and in the warmth of the sun that fuels my spirit. This transition from darkness to light hasn’t been swift or easy. It’s a daily commitment to progress, to surround myself with love and light, because I’ve learned that darkness only serves to dampen the spirit, especially for someone like me, whose essence is deeply intertwined with art, truth, and humor.
In a world obsessed with competition and comparison, I choose to stand apart. God is the ultimate destination, and as we anticipate the Savior's return, I wish to meet Him hand in hand, surrounded by joy and living each day to the fullest. This means transforming platforms of darkness into canvases of light, changing narratives of despair into stories of hope, and replacing competition with compassion.
As I navigate the complexities of this world, my resolve remains unshaken—to be a beacon of strength, to stir my surroundings with love and light, and to cherish the journey, regardless of the challenges it presents. It's about making each day count, not in anticipation of what the end might bring but in celebration of the present moment and the potential it holds for growth, learning, and love.
To you reading this, know that you're not alone in your struggles. We are all walking this path together, seeking light, yearning for peace, and striving to leave the world a little brighter than we found it. Let's embrace this journey with open hearts, ready to learn, forgive, love, and illuminate the path for others as we go.
In closing, my message is one of hope: Regardless of the darkness that may seem to prevail, light is always within reach. We must only choose to see it, embrace it, and become vessels of its power.
With Love ~
Keep Shining~Be Inspired~
~Jackie Inspires~
Because, in the end, God is everything. The Savior is coming, and I want to be ready, hand in hand with joy, just living each day.
jackieinspires
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ My latest wood art piece. :) Will be available to buy soon in the shop. :)
Hello Beautiful Souls ~ "Team Jackie" or "Thumbs-Up Jackie"
It's been crazy the last few months. I needed to take care of ''ME''. My whole mind, body, and soul. Not so much on social media the last few months or blogging, texting, calling, and whatever else. My body has been through so much and it's been scary from March through May 2023.
I figured I catch up with everyone from my Health, my 40th bday in June, and our Move from Texas to Washington Utah ( near St.George) where Tarl's family lives. My in-laws are FAMILY. He is the oldest of 9 and we're staying with his 94-year-old grandpa Jack who is so AWESOME. His health is better than mine. I'm 40 now and have had 12 surgeries and auto-immune diseases, pain, discomfort, nausea, and so many illnesses. I want to be just like him. :) My mind is great though. We all have our challenges.
So...Let's see May we moved in the middle of the month to Utah. Got rid of almost 90 percent of all stuff and put our home in Texas up for sale. Being around our family and friends and a new start was just what we both needed. It was a hard 1400-mile trip in 4 days, but Tarl drove and I helped navigate. This is also after being in the hospital off and on for the last couple of months, with literally no strength and gastroparesis, pain, and discomfort. ANGELS, GOD, PRAYERS, FASTING, & OUR FAITH ..Truly carried us here.
I have my team of specialists now here in Utah. Tarl is blessed to work from home and we're blessed to keep his Grandpa Jack company. Hoping our home in Texas sells so we can better be established. Our church ward is an amazing neighborhood. My 40th birthday was celebrated with some sisters from our church, cards, flowers, and red robin with Tarl and his parents and some siblings threw me a wonderful Little Mermaid party.
We'll go on our later honeymoon to the beach and celebrate a late party at Disney World. I haven't stopped dreaming about that, but for now, it was a fun birthday of food, laughter, and smiles, mermaid cake was amazing, making balloons, and gifts, and really what I wanted was to be together with family. Being welcomed into the family physically since Tarl and I got married on August 15, 2020, and sealed on January 23, 2021, during covid, We didn't have our family near, so it's been a long time since to finally be able to physically hug family.
In May and June, we were getting settled in and making ourselves a resident of Utah. Tarl adjusting to work and I am with my health, mental health, and signing up for school. Yes, I didn't complete my spring semester or start the Summer semester. I was set to graduate in August 2023 with my Bachelor's in Family Science. My health and mental health was so very important. I was so exhausted and had no more strength.
We're settled in and blessed. I have some family and friends here in Utah and Tarl has his family and friends and we're making friends too. WE LOVE EVERYONE around the world online and offline. We all have our own different journeys too. We have our own challenges, and sadly sometimes you plan for things, and challenges and trials happen...So, I had to back off and take time for myself.
Tarl and I have been taking time to heal physically, he hurt his hip and has been seeing a chiropractor. He's working hard with work and his creative projects. I will finish my last 7 classes in Fall 2023 * August 2023 and Spring 2024, and really just take my time. While working on my blog, health, art, music, writing, and other creative projects. Jackie Inspires is still going and will continue, just doing things more slowly and with priorities like health.
I've learned so much so far and working with some amazing specialists here in Utah. I have the regular doctor, spine/pain specialist, Rhemautologist, endocrinologist, ENT, Gastro, Surgeon, and others I probably forgot lol. Either way, my gastroparesis, inflammatory arthritis, nausea, pain, fibromyalgia, cervical stenosis, Diabetes, autonomic nervous system, and really my whole mind, body, and soul are trying to work on being level.
We love nature. We love the mountains. Being 40 and Tarl 47 we see even more now how very important health is. Both of us have lost weight and gained more strength physically, emotionally, and spiritually with all that we've endured in our lives but more importantly since being married almost 3 years. The last few months have been scary but we have put faith in ourselves, our Savior, and leaned on our closest family and friends. Through this and holding each other hand in hand we have been carried into a beautiful next chapter of our life.
Despite the challenges we face and even moving to a new state where it's absolutely beautiful, and being closer to family and friends and blessed to be in the company of Grandpa Jack, we see the miracles that brought us here and all the miracles that have taken place since we've come to this beautiful world, earth. Being 40 for me was a huge step and moment. I have let go of a lot of trauma and experienced so much in my life that I am so grateful to be alive, happier, and blessed with so many in my life along with the gospel of our Savior Jesus Christ.
There are days when my chronic fatigue and illnesses make me so tired that even the Vitamins and minerals and the shots of Vitamin B-12 don't take that fatigue away, I still keep strength and my faith. I call upon our heavenly parents for strength. Angels here and behind the veil have and continue to strengthen both Tarl and me through so many things.
I want you all to know, even the new ones that just stumble upon our website that I sure have a testimony of enduring, joy, love, faith, devotion, atonement, and miracles. We are given so many talents and passions in life to help not only ourselves but each other to grow and build faith and endurance for trials and challenges that come upon each of us in life. Please let yourself feel all emotions. Learn to seek help if you need it. Ask for help. Work on your education, skills, passions, talents, and health, especially your relationships not only within yourself but with others.
I know that sometimes you got to just take time away and be quiet with the world and there's no time limit or how often. Just make sure YOU are taken care of first. I know that I will finish my degree and work on my Jackie inspires business along with being an amazing Family Life Educator, artist, writer, singer, and whatever else in the arts I want to be. I will gain strength each day.
I am so happy to finally have strength and catch up with everyone for the last few months. Now it's July and we're getting ready for his mom's first writers conference in St. George. It's so exciting to help support each other in their dreams and talents. Why I love following and supporting wherever I can and even on social media. We all are important and shine at different moments. ''Fame'' isn't really there just sometimes others are in the spotlight more and that's OKAY.. That doesn't mean you're less important.
We love you all and appreciate all the support you have and continue to give us. Go forward in your own life with faith. I hope something has inspired you. Read through the blog posts to catch up. Check out our little shop of books, gifts, and art and just know you're thought of, prayed for, and important too.
I will continue to write and catch up as I learn more from the doctors and enjoy our new life in UTAH.
Keep Shining :) Be inspired
~Jackie Inspires~
jackieinspires
Hello Beautiful Souls 💜 Happy Celebrations in however you celebrate and where. You're supported & loved here. I love seeing different traditions, cultures, posts, pictures and so much more from around the world.
Also love meeting so many on the social media's I'm on as well as my Husband Tarl.
We're doing great here. I've overcame the bug, fever and enjoying 3 weeks off of school. Tarl is enjoying his time off from work for few days and working on more creative projects and graphic novel.
We've enjoyed serving some, helping few for Christmas and going out and enjoying the Texas cold and little shopping . We have a circut machine so we're excited to use for the new year for our little gift shop ( between his work and my 5 classes ( 18 credits) but we'll. make time for creativity and of course our marriage. That's important.
Speaking of New Year I had some thoughts I wanted to share . Making it a better year to come. Challenges come but you do overcome. Support each other and find yourself loving you as you transform to a better work in progress soul even with challenges, flaws, scars and more. You're enough and worth it and more.
So, don't put so much pressure on trying to make you into someone better. Just take it one step and day. Enjoy your journey and love yourself through all transformations, especially ones that are so challenging or unexpected. You're more than enough and it's a learning experience. Work in progress for us all everyday and year.
I agree that it's important to try to make each year better than the last and to focus on self-improvement. It's also important to be kind to ourselves and to remember that we are all human and have flaws and imperfections.
It can be helpful to try to overcome challenges and to seek support from others when we need it. It's also important to practice self-love and to remember that we are worthy and deserving of love and respect, despite any challenges or flaws we may have. It's okay to not be perfect and to make mistakes. The important thing is to try to learn from those mistakes and to keep working towards being the best version of ourselves that we can be.
Wishing you all a wonderful and happy Celebrations and New Year to come. Thank you for your support in helping growing a little dream. Look forward to expanding our horizons and bringing more inspiration and creativeness in the New Year.
Lots of love
Keep shining ✨️ Be inspired ✨️
~Jackie Inspires and Tarl Creates ~
#self-love #newyear #loveoneanother #transformations #Celebrations #bloggers #bloggingcommunity #writingcommunity #authors #singer #writer #husbandandwife #giftshop #bookshop #blog #inspiration #jackieinspires #holidays #workinprogress #motivation #upliftment #wisdom #artist #art #abstractart #gifts #handmade #appreciation