Business is Calling

It’s a recession when your neighbor loses his job; it’s a depression when you lose yours. Ronald Reagan

A lot is dependent on others. In business you have to have something that builds your story. You are the BRAND. The thing that evokes the reason someone decides to try what you are selling. In a world where everything is online and we seem to be able to drop ship direct, I feel we are losing the interaction to need one another.

Yet we all love being able to order direct! There is times it is awesome to cut the middle man!

In this economy we were just really struggling! Our company just did not have funds to draw people to us! Google, online promotion, Social Media was tools we used & I am thankful for every tool! Looking at processes what could I do!

2024 looks very different from 2020. In 2023 my love of my life got really sick! 11 months later our lives are a bit changed due to this & other factors.

Rural America is quite different today! Our supply chain is not the same. Things you could buy local is no longer optional! The cost of chicken wholesale went from $19.45 to $68.19 For the same bag of chicken! Small rural restaurants could not sell there goods & could not just asked more of the broke customers!

One man’s plan can be the ruination of another! In business you adapt to the ebbs & flow

When the tides change, you sometimes need a new route. A strategy to what can be!

As I look at this new direction, it has been depressing. However, it is the holding on that has caused all this hurt! God reminds us not to dwell in the past! That it is done!

Grace is ours when we allow his change to be the direction!

Remembering March 26

I woke this morning to the reality of the date. March 26th has been a day of remembrance for a very very long time. Thirty nine years!

His name was Clell! He was my Dad. At the age of 50 he was gone. He passed away and we never got a chance to correct some very hard words!

What I would tell you that I learned from that. Brokenness can break you! It can take your life into places of destruction. It can set stones that only the Blood of Jesus can heal. I accepted Jesus when I was 18 years old.

It was October 18th 1983 in a Blue 1978 Chevy Chevrolet in a parking lot at a church. In Morrill, Nebraska. That moment, was and is still the biggest day in my life. Bigger then marrying my husband, giving birth to my children and bigger then any door God has ever opened for me. It changed me! What Satin hates more is when you get it!

What we don’t understand, the evil one will use against us. at for forty plus years I have been a damaged loved save by Jesus follower of the greatest love story. Mine! Yes mine! Because of Jesus love for me, he provided me a way when I could not see. He has been the sound in my ear. He has matured me. He has broken my stubbornness. he has also worked to get me to see him. My life will be gone and words of who I was might or might not be read. But my life will evolve to a greater place where the rejection here wont hurt as bad as it does when it happens in the arms of Jesus. I know that I have a place to go!

I am so thankful for Gods greatest love. Jesus. My favorite scripture will always be John 3:16 because when I got that scripture, I got Jesus.

I miss my earthly father. My Dad was a very talented broken person who I will forever be glad to have known, loved and in the end honored. He asked me to never dirty his door step again. At the age of 18 he kicked me out. It was devastating and it set new stones in me.

The stone of rejection. Rejection is the thing that Satin uses. He knows that it is the thing that takes me back to being mocked, broken, spoken harshly too and it also has created long silent times between me & My heavenly father. You don’t even realize that you are doing this. It becomes a habit. Just like my morning coffee.

“Jesus I pray for you to break the stone of Rejection over my life. I trust that you will open and close other doors. In Jesus Name Amen!

On this date March 26, 2024 I am closing another door. The door that has been part of me. My company. We hand our keys to the new owners this afternoon as we sell the store. I loved the Market and I worked hard to create a place that was welcome. There is remnants left of what the 106 year old was. This is a story for another day. In closing today.

Revelation 3:8 ESV

“‘I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.

“Jesus I pray over this past door and asked that all who enter there will see you, feel you and that the new owners will be greatly blessed in all that they do. In Jesus precious name AMEN“

Waiting on Healing.

As I reflect on 2023, I am reminded that we go thru seasons. 2023 was that year for us. A lot of emotional stress and scares & loss.

 We lost my nephew who was only 40 years old. Watching the loss of him on my sister has been terrible. We take one day at a time. Bruce wanted to help all his friends because they understood him. Family sometimes suck! No one understands what a person with addiction goes thru. He succumbed to complications from his addiction. But what we forget is that this child was special from the time he was sent into our lives. God had a plan for him. Bruce is forever loved and I am so thankful that God shared him with us.

 My friend lost her niece, who leaves behind three children in an ATV accident. She then a month later lost her sister and a month later her mother. So much loss. When we are in the eyes of these storms it is hard to see the shore.

My story is that my youngest of our girls moved away. She was my arm in our company. When she left I got scared and allowed this gal that had been helping me out put a boutique into my store. What a bad decision. This is what happens when you are looking for answers. But not waiting on God. Sometimes what appears to be a good idea, is really not. This was a true loss for me.

Enough said. My goal is to pray for those who come thru my life and to honor them with prayer. Now a year ago, I was not there. I was in this eye of the storm. I let this become another rejection. When I look back at this time. I am still not over this! But as I grow older, I have learned that I do not need to speak about it. As much as I need to pray thru it.

Summer 2023 fifth season in at the Market and the air conditioning was not working again. We hired a company once again to come in and check out what was going on. They said the system was shot and had been for at least ten years. I was so overwhelmed.

The internet at our home on July 14th was hit by lightning. All I can say as wow what foolishness this brought. When you live in rural Nebraska and its not 2019. We found out how impossible local internet was to get repaired. No kidding the company finally showed up in February 11th , 2024 to fix the Internet. It tooks us weeks to locate a local company who covered our area. This company was to send someone to repair the next week. They just kept setting times and in the meantime I could not promote or market my company. To say that I was at my witts end is an understatement. I had become so upset & felt so hopeless.

After the news of the air conditioning not being a single issue but the entire system that would have to be replaced. I just was done. I had a visit with my husband and decided to sell the store. We had put so much already into the store. with the terrible economy, I could not do this anymore.

The real estate agent was not assured I had anything that was worthy of selling. No kidding. She had sold this space in the past and was not eager to encourage me. Why I even listed it with her. They were supposed to be the best for commercial space. So reluctantly we listed.

I had decided that we would start saving for the new system in the meantime.

Each month in 2023 seemed to bring us new struggles as well as blessings. Sometimes it is hard to see the blessings. Satin loves to deceive us. Yet thru all our struggles I know we never give up. God did not tell me go buy a store. He directs and then watches what we do.

I have learned a lot over the past decade. Most that I am stupid. I cannot make decisions that God is not in align with. You cannot help those who have different plans then what you want for them. Things get old and just like the system in the store, Change happens. We get sick from all of this. In September my Bryan ended up at the Emergency Room with what we thought was something with his heart to find he had a mass on his lung. To say I was shook. My God is so much more then an all these things. Keep coming back to see how some of this worked out.

Just needed to share! It

Here it is 2024 and I am so happy that this part of my life is still a blessing. Bryan bringing me a cup of coffee. the time to read my Bible and start my day. We are blessed.

Coffee Time-

Reflection

I feel at times, I short change me. I am so busy in my job and then in my business. At times when I feel like I cannot do this, God fills me up. His love is divine & he is always right here with me.

It has been a minute since I have blogged. It takes time to set still to be glad in this moment. My life has changed a bit since our last blog post. The love of my life became in ill in September and gave me the scare of my life. We changed our diet and we gave it to God.

Giving it to God and letting him work in our lives is what I have learned to do. I am so thankful for my best friend and together with the Lord we have gotten thru all the dumb crud we all do. I started a new job as we wait on the Lord to direct the Market sale. It has been so hard to imagine my life without the Market. I believe that God has a plan for this special space.

This is our six season of the Market and I have been so sad that it did not become what I envisioned. It was originally going to be a place where many people would offer their goods while having set hours for their part. I wanted a baker for the bake shop, a florist for the floral shop that would offer unique decor and home goods.

It all happened. I just had to change my vision so it is all part of the evening Dinner Parties that we offer each night to only 32 people. by reservation only! I hope that we find someone who wants to care about this space as much as we have. As I look to a world that will not include this 106 year old building! It started out a Brodski Pharmacy

The stories this space could tell.

Blessings, Mindy

THE SONG OF WAIT

The birds wake me with their morning song! No radio or any need for any device! The morning melody of what God places in our environment!.

Have you ever waited on a decision? Once you start waiting on God to give you your answer, one can feel like he is not present! Yet we know that is not our God! While waiting I have learned to be thankful!

By being reminded of how my God has never failed me! When I have let go & trusted my Lord, his answer is always the best! I am learning not to run ahead & make my own decisions. From turning down jobs, not taking a planed trip, to waiting on healing. God loves me & his presence is real! I have learned to reflect on what he wants for me!

So when you are waiting, pray & praise for what he has done for you!

Today I praise you Heavenly Loving, never failing Father for being with me & loving me thru everything!

Jeremiah 29:11

11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

In our midst of life we forget that Jesus is part of us when accept him to be our Life Companion and walk with him! My husband walks with Jesus & his life shows thru humble kindnesses he makes a huge impact!

God knows me best! He knows my struggles! This season feels like it will never end! But I am not alone! You are not alone! I am reminded to seek Jesus! Blessed be your life when Jesus is with you!

The best days are to come! The worst seasons have linings of color that get revealed when God shows us that his purpose is revealed!

COAL BECOMES MORE…

As I start writing this blog, I am perplexed. At the age of 58 I envisioned something completely different. I saw myself retiring from a company that would be glad that I was part of their team. That I would be valued and used to serve others in that role. October 2020 all that changed. I was terminated from my job. The experience was so hurtful! To be told your job has been Abolished! We were dealing with Covid 19 and this season was simply awful.

This season was so horrible. we watched our neighbors, our friends and family affected by such turmoil along with death. Pressure creates change! Just like coal being compressed can become something different. A Diamond!

In the midst we had started a food company in 2018 for our daughter to make granola & find a passion for a career! This became Moms job! Our daughter decided this was not something she really wanted to do.

Sometimes our desire to set stones for others is not what God has in mind! The pandemic changed all of us. I am so thankful that his hand has been on my life! Today I have learned to humble myself!

It is humbling to be displaced, to have to not know how things will work out! To have to seek God and fully rely on him to get us thru change.

As I look back at this time, I see God in everything. His divine love is evident in every moment, every place he has taken me to and taken me out of. trusting him fully to work things out and to be reliant on him.

God knows me best & he will always be with me thru each joyful moment & every broken road!

Psalms 34:18. 18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit

The Cup Bearer-

Rejection has been my heel of struggle throughout my life. I think the first time I really experienced this was when my parents got divorced when I was eight. Now looking back this set the tone for my brokeness. Lately if you follow me here, my spirit is in a place of hurt.

As I get older I recognize the sun is good for my emotional mood. I am 58 this year & just recognized this in the past two years. Something else it took me 50 years to recognize, Rejection has had a hold on my life. I don’t think sometimes we recognize what causes us to react the way to moments or remarks others make. Not being good enough, Being put down, being spoke of poorly by others, feeling poorly of myself. All these are moments in my life that are real life scars.

Rejection is what others think of you. A moment that you do not align with them. It is a judgement of differences that is an opinion!

I am more aware today of how this has affected my entire life. from being the eight year old girl with a cake in the snow because my Dad’s new girlfriend was mad that my Mother had bought us a bakery cake.

To being told by my Dad your just like your Mother! Little comments that led up to so many broken rejected moments with Dad. At 18 he kicked me out. This moment I thought would define me. But at 21 when Dad passed. I was not allowed to attend his funeral. Now that was the rejection that set new stones of more to come. So that broken moment has made me not trust others. I have a tough time trusting people.

Now I also want to tell you that healing takes place. I have learned to let go. Rejection belongs not only to the person who is rejected. It also is the cup the other has to bare.

My Dad & I never got the chance to fix this. As I get closer to the end of my life I need to consider his brokenness. What he shared with me, was shared with him.

So when you are judging someone’s life, there car, their home, what you have to know, is that you are actually rejecting your neighbor! You might be creating emotional damage.

My dad would have been 88 years this past January. I will tell you. It has been thirty eight years of allowing rejection to hurt me. I released my hurt a long time ago. But my life walk was forever changed. Learning to trust is not easy. Learning to not be the cupbearer

“This is the first and great commandment. “And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matthew 22:37–39).

My God knows my heart!

The Illusion Of This Past!

I want something that has already been. A life that is past. We always think that we can somehow go back to a moment where everything was a certain way. Well it was in that time. When I was about 28 I went to visit my mother who had moved away when I was about 10 to Washington State. Our parents divorced when I was eight years old.

My illusions were shattered as I judged my Mothers home. It did not measure up to what my eight year old mind remembered. I had remembered a life that included a nice space with pretty decor and it being orderly. This is not what I found when I visited. I was so upset with her life. In that place I was just rude and judgemental. God Forgive me for this. As I write this, I am plagued with shame.

My sister lives in a very nice home. I live in a home that I cannot take care of. I do not have people who can come clean up after me. We have three dogs that my children just had to have that I now love. I would prefer a house without dog tracks and rugs that have to be taken to be cleaned. It is funny how we can judge others and in time we become all of that too. I come home late and turn around and have to be back to the store.

I get so upset over what I cannot get accomplished. I feel very sad as I think of how I have lost those moments to love others because my home is not nice enough because work is my God. God I asked that you would find a way to help me get out of this illusion and place back a balance of grace. This life is short. If I could change the past and not have been so upset over my childhood Mom memory, I might have gotten to know my Mother better.

Psalm 34:18“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” The Good News: Though you may feel defeated, God is closer than you realize. He is always with you and can heal your heart.