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Whatever he tells you to do...Just do it !

May 26, 2015

It was about 4:30 a.m. on Thursday , March 19th - I had left packing till the last minute (again) and I was frantically moving from my bathroom to bedroom to living room throwing things in my suitcase for a trip to Houston. As I carried the contents of an overflowing toileteries bag from my bathroom to my suitcase in the living room I kept walking past an unopened bottle of excedrin migraine on my dresser and a still small voice nudged me to pack the excedrin , but I talked myself out of it because "well, I have not had a migraine episode in months - so I'll be fine". I finished packing and headed off to Houston leaving the bottle on my dresser.

When I picked up my rental car at the Houston airport later that day - the employee at the rental car company suggested I get the insurance coverage and I dismissed her. As we completed the walkthrough of the car - again that nudging, that still small voice said get the insurance, I contemplated it and even asked the employee about the cost but decided against getting insurance.

Friday morning - I woke up with a migraine, fever, nausea combo - I have not felt that terrible since I was about 13 - after hours writhing in pain I asked the hotel conceige to get me a ride to the nearest pharmacy where the pharmacist recommended (you guessed it), excedrin migraine. She said my symptoms suggested the signs of a migraine - Are you kidding me ? the same excedrine migraine I passed up at home. I picked it up, popped two pills and within a few hours I was starting to feel better and another hour later - nausea, fever was gone.

Same day about 6 p.m. , I felt good enough to meet up with my aunt to catch up. After a few hours at her place, I decided to head out to catch with some Houston based friends - as I backed out of my parking spot - I turned the steering a moment too soon and the front drivers' side got quite dented by the wall. Immediately, I remembered the still small voice that nudged me to get the insurance coverage. I was livid (at myself), but just as quickly got a learning moment - twice in one day God spoke to me and twice I ignore the voice and less than 24 hours later - I was faced with two situations in which if I had listened I would have spared myself some stress and a  substantial amount of money paid to the rental car company to repair the damage.

I was thinking about these events last week as I entered my CC number to pay the cost to repair the damages to the rental car. I always ask the lord to lead, but how often do I follow what he says for me to do. A lot of us are asking God to lead us and guide us and direct us , but how many of us are actually following his lead. When he gives us direction - do we follow or ignore? If you are like me - its probably the latter. Why is that?

I think it is part pride and part not fully knowing the voice of God (or trusting that we have heard from him) - I want to believe most of us fall into the latter. When he speaks to us , we are unsure if he is the one speaking so we ignore what he says and do our own thing. Then we complain that we got no direction from him and when things go sideways we blame him, but the truth is - he is speaking, leading, directing, but we are not following. What good is having a GPS navigation if you don't follow the directions and can you really blame the maker if you choose not follow the directions and get lost - I think not.

I / we need to start learning how to hear from God. Stop blaming God when things go sideways in our lives. Instead, let's be introspective, search ourselves - did God really not guide us or give us direction or Is it that we are not following directions he gives us.

I am reminded of the wedding feast - Mary said - "whatever he tells you to do, do it" - Are we doing what he tells us to do in our day to day ? Are we doing what he tells us to do in our area of calling? When he leads, do we listen and follow? 

We should start learning to know his voice and when he says, pack that bottle of excedrin migraine - go ahead and just do it !

In PERSONAL
← LIFE IN MAY + AN AFTERNOON AT THE NEWSEUM <> WASHINGTON D.C.An afternoon at the Palace of Versailles (and a mini guide) - Versailles, France →

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Prayer for the week....
“May you see the wisdom of cultivating a heart at rest though many are caught up in the chaos of the culture. May you notice the holy-ground moments when God’s movement in our midst is tangible. May you take off your shoes, though others race right past you. And today, may you become so assured of God’s presence and His love that when others encounter you, they’re compelled to look up and seek Him for themselves. Be still and KNOW that He is God and that He loves you deeply. Have a blessed week.” - [Susie Larson]
Whenever I travel I try (don’t always succeed) to try or do something that is outside my comfort zone or norm of what I will do in my day to day. In Brussels that thing was the comic strip center (@comicsartmuseum). I was pleasantly surprised by it and ended up sending a couple of hours here. There was a #Smurf exhibition and a women in comic exhibition that was in one word - Captivating. Did you know the Smurf’s franchise was created by a Belgian artist - Peyo in 1958 ? Looking for tips on planning your Brussels adventure. - there is a guide on the blog via link in profile.
Loved this part of Brussels. #Montdesart Is about ten minutes from the palace or about fifteen minutes from the grand place. This hill of arts has got all the art your heart desires. The garden is a work of art in itself and the complex is home to the royal library; national archives; the mim (museum of musical instruments); Belvue museum and so much more.  I spent a lot of time in the garden taking a break from the trek around the city; there is a restaurant/bar at the top of the hill with an incredible view.
“May the space between where you are and where you want to be inspire you.” Happy Saturday lovelies
A trip to Belgium is not complete without trying the waffles (this offering is served with a scoop of speculoo ice cream); they make them different here. Three spots that came highly recommended for waffles - maison dandoy; mokafe and waffle factory. Visit @what.simi.eats for more food recommendations from my travels.
One of my favorite stops in Brussels - @minieuropeofficial . This park is located just outside the city in Heysel (at the foot of the Atomium); the park displays miniature replicas of many European city from Riga to Seville. This one is a replica of Brussels - you can see more from my visit in the stories (I went a bit overboard 🤭).
When I started planning my trip to Brussels - the farthest thing from my mind was the city’s culinary prowess- it is not something that get talked about in the guides and blog post but When I asked locals the one thing I should not miss in the city - most everyone had frites in their top three. I got to spend some time in the city last year and I can confirm - the frites are THE best and the culinary scene is right up there. What I especially loved was the “street food” like fries and waffles which are great for the budget traveler but also very high quality.
The Belgium royal palace is one of the few ones I have visited in Europe that is not open to the public. It is the administrative palace and as such only open to the public during a six to eight week period in summer. The gardens are spectacular and are available for viewing. The garden face  the Brussels park which is the oldest park in the city / country
The Belgium city guide is now on the blog. 20 things you have got to try (see/do/eat) while you are in the city (read via link in profile).
This is me at the @atomium.official located in Heysel. It is one of the must see landmarks in the city. It was constructed as part of the 1955 world’s fair. You get an incredible view of the city from the Spheres and the top one houses an amazing (albeit pricey) restaurant. More of Belgium in the stories....
Tomorrow on the blog....Brussels, Belgium. This is going to be a good one. But first, it is Sunday evening - we are gearing up for Monday - some with excitement ; some with trepidation (others in the middle). Wherever you fall on the Monday spectrum. Here is a prayer for the week. Have a fab week friends.
“May Jesus miraculously deliver you from the fear and anxiety that threatens to overwhelm you. May He set you in a spacious place so you feel less pressed by the enemy of your soul. May He shore you up and strengthen you so you can clearly see things as they are, and not as they seem. May JOY fill your heart—right in the midst of your circumstances—and may PEACE flood your soul. If you are in Christ, Christ is IN YOU! Overwhelming victory belongs to you! You have lots to celebrate!” -[Susie Larson]
There are very few places I visit that invoke a longing to return like Prague. It is the relaxed way of life ; the food ; the art ; the culture ; the gothic churches; the baroque buildings; medieval astronomical clock; the Charles bridge. There was nothing about Prague that we did not love and I highly recommend it if you have never visited and if you have visited - shall we plan a reunion trip to the city of 100 spires?
“I know
Though the winter is long even richer 
The harvest it brings 
Though my waiting prolongs even greater
Your promise for me like a seed 
I believe that my season will come.”

COMING SOON TO THE BLOG

Amsterdam, Netherland

Athens, Greece

Basel, Switzerland

Bellagio, Italy

Berlin, Germany

Brighton, U.K

Bordeaux, France

Brugge, Belgium

Budapest, Hungary

Denmark, Copenhagen

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Edinburgh, Scotland

Grenada

Lisbon, Portugal

Milan, Italy

Montenegro

Como, Italy

Porto, Portugal

Seville, Spain

Sintra, Portugal

Venice, Italy

"Travel leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller" - Unknown.

My name is Simi. Welcome to Portland | Grace, where I share stories inspired by my travels (and life). 

In the last three years, I have visited more than 30 cities around the world and I did not have to quit my day job to do it. I hope you find inspiration on these pages to pursure your travel dreams. I love chatting travel - send me a message at portlandgraceblog@gmail.com. Let's chat !!!





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