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Dorina Lazo Gilmore-Young

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Organizing our Beautiful Mess

I am a creative spirit. I hate throwing things away because I know somehow, some way it could be recycled, recreated, reimagined in the future.
When I was a kid, my mom would send me to clean my room and I would emerge three days later having uncovered a mountain of books I needed to read and boxes full of all the great crafting stuff I forgot I had. Simply put: I was a pack rat. My college roommates were not too thrilled about this character trait. They let me have my own room while they shared.
Now that I am a wife and mommy, who spends a lot of time packing and unpacking for moves and travels, I have started to reform my ways.
A few years ago we moved into a smaller home with a bigger yard. There was a great master bedroom, another bedroom for my three girls, and a smaller room we needed to turn into a joint office for our non-profit and the jewelry business. We also needed to turn the garage into a functional warehouse space to house the jewelry and supplies. Did I mention one bathroom? Needless to say, everything felt tight, tight, tight.
Every time I sat down to work I would start to feel like the world was closing in on me. We decided to enlist a little help from our friend Brenda McElroy who had started a business called Organized by Choice. We needed some fresh perspective on how to organize our space to make it functional for our family and work.
Enter Brenda. She is a miracle worker.
She helped us talk through our goals. She gave loads of “gentle” suggestions on what to get rid of and what to keep.  She proved creative and encouraging. She helped my (pack rat) oldest daughter sift through boxes of art projects and supplies. She drew sketches on how we could organize our dual office space. She even went shopping for just the right organizers for our closets and desks.
Perhaps one of the most powerful things Brenda taught me is that everything needs to have a “home.” That word echoes in my head every time things start to feel overwhelming or cluttered. I pick up a bill, a birthday card, an old flip flop, a coupon or a gift card. I ask myself, does this have a home? If it doesn’t, I need to create a home for it or pitch it. This simple philosophy has empowered me to get rid of a lot of unnecessary stuff.
**For more great tips from Brenda, check out her blog at OrganizedByChoice.com.

Dorina Lazo Gilmore is the Coordinator of the Bridge MOPS. She aspires to be organized. She lives with her hubby, Ericlee, and three daughters, Meilani, 7, Giada, 5, and Zayla, 2. They split their time between Fresno, California and Pignon, Haiti.

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February 27, 2014 Categories: GeneralTagged: organization

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Meet Dorina

Aloha, friend! If you love stories, you are in the right place. I write about grief, glory, running, food, and more. I hope these words inspire you to chase after God’s glory in your life today!

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When my daughters were little, we started a tradition during the season of Advent. I gathered up different Christmas and winter books and wrapped them. Each night of Advent (starting December 1) the girls would open one of these books, and we would read them together. Advent is a season of preparing for the birth of Christ, which we celebrate on Christmas. Reading these books together has been a sweet way to usher in the season and to center our hearts.

Check out our list here: https://dorinagilmore.com/christmasbookadvent

📚 Share your favorite Christmas or holiday book in the comments!

View

Nov 29

Open
When my daughters were little, we started a tradition during the season of Advent. I gathered up different Christmas and winter books and wrapped them. Each night of Advent (starting December 1) the girls would open one of these books, and we would read them together. Advent is a season of preparing for the birth of Christ, which we celebrate on Christmas. Reading these books together has been a sweet way to usher in the season and to center our hearts.
Check out our list here: https://dorinagilmore.com/christmasbookadvent
📚 Share your favorite Christmas or holiday book in the comments!
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Now I know it takes time for a family to recalibrate when someone dies. It’s been a decade of Thankgivings since my beloved soared to heaven. Each year has been different. We have learned to blanket ourselves with grace. We have made space for the emotions and grief. We have given ourselves permission to reinvent some of the traditions without throwing aside the memories.

This year, our family made the trek to Southern California to spend Thanksgiving with Shawn’s family. Part of the redemption we have experienced through our grief journey has been in gaining more extended family when Shawn and I got married. My daughters now have a bonus grandma and more aunties, uncles and cousins, who we see regularly. I am deeply grateful for the way the Young-Chan clan has welcomed us with open arms even through years of grief and recalibrating.

I couldn’t help thinking about how God has restored so much in our lives beyond what we could ever imagine. These are my people now. We are part of the family, not just an addendum. We cook and eat and laugh and play games, and it feels natural.

Friend, what are your savoring this year? True thanksgiving doesn’t require perfection or performance. We are simply invited to receive from a God who sees us in the desert and sends streams of water.

{Read the full essay here: https://dorinaglorygram.substack.com/p/when-grief-gives-way-to-joy} #grief #GriefShare #griefsupport #griefjourney #griefandloss #GriefRecovery #griefawareness #joy #joyful #Thanksgiving #thanksgiving2023

View

Nov 27

Open
Now I know it takes time for a family to recalibrate when someone dies. It’s been a decade of Thankgivings since my beloved soared to heaven. Each year has been different. We have learned to blanket ourselves with grace. We have made space for the emotions and grief. We have given ourselves permission to reinvent some of the traditions without throwing aside the memories.
This year, our family made the trek to Southern California to spend Thanksgiving with Shawn’s family. Part of the redemption we have experienced through our grief journey has been in gaining more extended family when Shawn and I got married. My daughters now have a bonus grandma and more aunties, uncles and cousins, who we see regularly. I am deeply grateful for the way the Young-Chan clan has welcomed us with open arms even through years of grief and recalibrating.
I couldn’t help thinking about how God has restored so much in our lives beyond what we could ever imagine. These are my people now. We are part of the family, not just an addendum. We cook and eat and laugh and play games, and it feels natural. 
Friend, what are your savoring this year? True thanksgiving doesn’t require perfection or performance. We are simply invited to receive from a God who sees us in the desert and sends streams of water.
{Read the full essay here: https://dorinaglorygram.substack.com/p/when-grief-gives-way-to-joy} #grief #GriefShare #griefsupport #griefjourney #griefandloss #GriefRecovery #griefawareness #joy #joyful #Thanksgiving #thanksgiving2023
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Are you supporting local businesses today? Consider giving the gift of books this year! Here are five of my book babies for readers of all ages available anywhere books are sold!

📚 Breathing Through Grief (devotional journal)
📚Create in Me a Heart of Mercy (Bible study)
📚Chasing God’s Glory (children’s book)
📚 Cora Cooks Pancit (children’s book)
📚 Walk Run Soar (devotional training journal)

Details at www.DorinaGilmore.com/books #smallbusiness #smallbusinessowner

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Nov 25

Open
Are you supporting local businesses today? Consider giving the gift of books this year! Here are five of my book babies for readers of all ages available anywhere books are sold!
📚 Breathing Through Grief (devotional journal)
📚Create in Me a Heart of Mercy (Bible study) 
📚Chasing God’s Glory (children’s book)
📚 Cora Cooks Pancit (children’s book)
📚 Walk Run Soar (devotional training journal)
Details at www.DorinaGilmore.com/books #smallbusiness #smallbusinessowner
78 2

Mercy is multiplied through hospitality. ❤️‍🩹

Learn more in Create in Me a Heart of Mercy, a six-week Bible study packed with relevant observations, applications, daily prayers, and Scripture memorization. Perfect for individuals or small groups, this study will help you:

🫶🏾discover the transformational power that mercy has in and through the life of the believer,
🫶🏾learn how to extend mercy to others, even in circumstances where it feels difficult or un-deserved, and
🫶🏾experience the freedom and purpose that come from multiplying mercy in a world that desperately needs it.

The mercy God has shown us through Jesus is meant to flow through us to the rest of the world as a powerful witness to God’s love and forgiveness.

Check out my latest Bible study, Create in Me a Heart of Mercy, published with @incourage & @revellbooks 🫶🏾 Find it anywhere books are sold! Consider this deep dive into the concept of mercy for yourself or your group.

👣 Details here: https://incourage.me/heartofmercy

View

Nov 24

Open
Mercy is multiplied through hospitality. ❤️‍🩹
Learn more in Create in Me a Heart of Mercy, a six-week Bible study packed with relevant observations, applications, daily prayers, and Scripture memorization. Perfect for individuals or small groups, this study will help you:
🫶🏾discover the transformational power that mercy has in and through the life of the believer,
🫶🏾learn how to extend mercy to others, even in circumstances where it feels difficult or un-deserved, and
🫶🏾experience the freedom and purpose that come from multiplying mercy in a world that desperately needs it.
The mercy God has shown us through Jesus is meant to flow through us to the rest of the world as a powerful witness to God’s love and forgiveness.
Check out my latest Bible study, Create in Me a Heart of Mercy, published with @incourage & @revellbooks 🫶🏾 Find it anywhere books are sold! Consider this deep dive into the concept of mercy for yourself or your group. 
👣 Details here: https://incourage.me/heartofmercy
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🦃Happy Thanksgiving from my people to yours! 🍁

🫶🏾 It’s the being together part that matters most to me. 🏞️ What are you thanking God for today?

🦃 🍽 We are feasting with Shawn’s family in Santa Clarita! I’m excited about portabella mushrooms with horseradish cream sauce right alongside the turkey! 🍽 What are you eating today?!

#glorychasers #chasingthelight

📸: @allibethesunshine

View

Nov 24

Open
🦃Happy Thanksgiving from my people to yours! 🍁
🫶🏾 It’s the being together part that matters most to me. 🏞️ What are you thanking God for today?
🦃 🍽 We are feasting with Shawn’s family in Santa Clarita! I’m excited about portabella mushrooms with horseradish cream sauce right alongside the turkey! 🍽 What are you eating today?! 
#glorychasers #chasingthelight 
📸: @allibethesunshine
165 11
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