The outdoors would be the most complete answer, because I spend everyday out in it, and love everything from the trees, to the creatures that live in them.
I love the trees, the trails, and all the tiny creatures that eagerly await the treats within the pockets of my jacket.
I especially enjoy the water…
Ok, so this is a picture of flowers, but there is water right behind the tree.
Now I will show you my favorite flowers from the area… the ones I was able to see and smell in this last spring.
Now you know where to find me most days. I think this fall and winter I will do some photo series of leaves and snow. Keep a weathered eye out… get it, weathered…
Your perspective will determine your attitude when facing any situation. I decided to make an active effort, to find at least one thing a day that brings a grateful smile to my face.
One thing I try to practice, is writing to others each morning; seeking to brighten another’s day. Maybe by taking my focus off of my own challenges, I can have a healthier perspective. This attitude also allows for a truer understanding of what really matters… love.
Have you ever noticed how much easier it is to show someone love when you are feeling good, verses when you feel bad? This is where I am employing my next healthy practice. I am making a big stack of 3 x 5 cards, filled with notes to myself… one for each day of the month. You can call them what you like, but I settled on Notes to Self. Some of them are word for word bible verses, while others are verses that I personalized. I am also putting some positive affirmations to myself in the mix, written by some pretty wise folks.
So I thought to share them on occasion, for anyone else who needs a pick me up. If you see the words NOTE TO SELF on my post, stop in for a morning snack and something to brighten your day. I have enough cards to last through the holidays, so I got you covered through the rest of the year.
Between this yummy treat and the note, one cannot help but have a brighter perspective for facing the day, in my opinion…
**Heads Up!** I am having a Sunday potluck in my lobby tomorrow. I hope you can join me, and feel free to bring anything you wish for the table. Everyone is welcome, so invite your friends if you like. Stop in… stay for a moment, or visit for a bit… either way, I hope to see you there.
Ok Ok… so it isn’t exactly the Energizer Bunny, but let’s move past that…
I saw the phrase “positive emotion” and thought… Battery… yes folks, a battery. You ask the question I would ask… What on earth does a battery have to do with positive emotions? Well, I am going to give you a quick breakdown of how my brain thinks, this early in the morning.
I saw the prompt…
My eyes registered the word Positive…
Then the word Emotion…
I know I feel Joy all the time…
What could express positive and emotion…
ENERGIZER BUNNY!
You all have to work with me on selling this idea, as it is the weekend, and I am more interested in my cup of coffee right now… sorry, not sorry.
If the big guy upstairs knows when I sit and when I rise, according to the good book, then at least I know where to go for directions. It also says, if I rise on the wings of the dawn, and settle on the far side of the sea, even there His hand will guide me… and hold me fast, even.
Everyone here should know by now that Psalm 139 is nearest and dearest to my heart. It brings me great comfort, as well as a great sense of courage for whatever I encounter in the world. If all the days ordained for me, were written in his book, before one of them came to be, like the bible says, then I believe it!
The bible is blanketed with God telling us, his children, that He is right here beside us, and if we seek Him, we can follow His plan, His goals.
If you ask how I plan my goals, I will tell you…
As the sun rises in the early morning and I awaken from my sleep, I say good morning Father.
I lay in the pillows for a time, usually He wakes me with a song I had been listening to the day before, but sometimes I hear His whispers of what the day may bring. You may think it odd, but I talk to God constantly, from the time I wake up until I drift off to sleep at night. It is somewhat like having a loved one with you, and no matter where you happen to be, you are never alone.
Anywho… there it is, my friends.
Yes, my husband and I have everyday goals and dreams, like everyone else, and we discuss and plan the best possible way to accomplish them, within our means. But let’s face it! The reality of our world, is a harsh pill to swallow for many today. I find it more realistic to stick with what I can do Today. Yesterday is gone and tomorrow will bring its own blessings and challenges.
As far as a goal goes, I have one… a walk, while the heat of the day is absent. I am off to enjoy the morning out of doors, as they say…
I promise you will love these smoothies, trust me. I make one every day and they are really yummy. I just cannot walk and eat cookies in the morning, it’s counter intuitive, I think.
My Chica gave me a larger pot, and my growing girl got an upgrade. Do you remember the baby shoot that was growing in the first photo? Well, that bright and healthy leaf reaching for the sky, you see it? It is the tallest one of the bunch…
She is not so tiny anymore…
I am feeling hopeful, now that she is in a better pot. I expect that our lil Sis will grow big and strong. I am actually considering a tiny grow light for this winter, just because it can be a bit chilly and she cannot wear an ugly Christmas sweater the whole winter…
Quite honestly, I am floored that I just used the xmas word, when it is in the 90’s outside. Maybe I am willing it to get cold out there…
I laughed when looking at the prompt question, as it is way to early to be serious and opinionated. That is about as far as the funny went, before it wasn’t funny anymore.
As we live in an RV after loosing all we had, and surviving at an uncomfortably low level, asking me to come up with a plan to be more prepared for an emergency simply aggravates me.
Stop drop and roll, nope… more like bend over, tuck your head between your knees, and kiss… my bad.
After living this long and making it through enough trauma and grief to sink a boat, I have settled on the only preparedness plan that I feel works.
Surrender… There is only One who can cover all emergencies, and the only one who carried me through my darkness nightmares. I surrendered to His authority and His protection.
My surrender brought His provision, bringing me the ability to not just survive, but Thrive! There is no way to be fully prepared for all emergencies and I do not feel like dwelling in fear or what ifs… sorry, not sorry!
I am grateful that the path has been a wide one today, as I have enjoyed moving amongst you while we journey. It has given me time, not only to know you better, but also, to ascertain your insights on the verses the old abbot whispered to me the other night. I must say, you are a very perceptive group of companions, sharing much of your wisdom and encouragement. Your insights solidified my interpretation of where my path is leading. It gave me a great amount of courage… especially for what lies ahead.
This morning I received a message from my Commander… we must travel with great speed to that mountain you see in the distance. We have been tasked with retrieving something of great importance, within a cave that lies near the peak. Whatever we are to gather, apparently, is time sensitive and very fragile. Being late is not an option in this case, and the road ahead will be fraught with dangers, so gather your courage and a change of shoes from within your bags… we will be at a steady jog from here on.
I am sure you may be asking yourselves why all the warning of danger, and why the rush… if our Commander is so powerful that we are escorted by an unseen army, why can’t they go up and get whatever it is? We travel a path that has dangers we see, and evil we do not see… but it is there, none the less.
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There is an evil covering this land, its source is a vile and yet cunning Wickedness, always seeking to devour the weak. This is what the unseen force has been following and protecting us against. We are being watched over by the Commanders own guard!
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Here is the thing you need to understand about our task… it needs our participation, and our courage! With the unseen evil held at bay by our forces, we must still use wisdom, caution, and possibly a bit of brute strength to get in and get it done! Besides, I try to avoid asking why very often, as I trust we have something to learn. By stepping out in obedience… and faith, I have a feeling that it is more about the journey again.
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Understanding why we must be careful, I will share some of what lies ahead, in order that we might be more prepared for the dangers. The trees up ahead seem like what one would find in the lower mountain meadows, but once we enter the forest it will be suffocating and dark…
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These trees, you see, are infected with some form of blight. A dark mist emanates from the branches, causing the air to be so thickly covered, it blocks out all light. The ground is soaked with wet dead leaves, making it impossible for anything to dry here, so we will be unable to make a fire. All that lives within these woods will be infected and dangerous, so no feeding or petting the wildlife.
Your bags will be invaluable here, as we will need to use them for all of our nutritional needs, as well as clean dry clothing. I say this because I want you to keep an eye on your feet, making sure to keep them dry at all times. We will stop as often as needed to switch out for dry apparel, as the air will be wet and cold, the higher we climb.
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To address the light issue, I have given Micah and Crocket both a lantern. Micah will be our rear guard, if you will, making sure no one leaves the safety of light… Crocket will be at our midway, and I also will be carrying a lantern to guide our ascent. Yes, you did hear me correctly when I said Safety of the Light… do not leave the light! For I cannot say what lurks in the darkness, just beyond that which the lights cover. Let us not stop to find out what is out there, but press on in our task. I for one dislike the dark, and I hate creepy crawly thing… so let us be quick about this!
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James would you be so kind as to watch out for me, so to speak? As I will be carrying only the lantern, I may need your assistance if we encounter anything unfriendly on the path ahead. Ummm…
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One last thing…. Ummmmm…. I feel it only prudent to warn you of exactly which mountain we are planning to climb. This is in fact Murgaks Peak! I know it is one of the Dragon Mountains, but not one of the bigger ones, if that makes you feel any better. Ya, nope… it didn’t make me feel any better either. Well, misery loves company… ah hemm, I mean, I sure am glad for all of your assistance.
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If anyone feels any fear or anxiety as we travel, the Commander did leave a verse to calm you, so I will be calling it out as we move up the mountain, to lend encouragement along the way… Christine, you should be able to hear me back there, so could you repeat it for the back of the group that may be out of earshot of my voice?
“He will cover you with His feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.” Psalms 91:4
Well, I guess there is nothing left to do but tie my shoe laces, and adjust my lantern. If everyone is ready… ok… let’s do this…
Some time ago, I wrote of a funny situation between two of my daughters when they were small, that relates to the prompt question. I won’t bother retelling the whole story, but if you remember, my girls were fighting and one finally hit the other, and long story short… as they both headed my way tell the tale, the one was saying sorry, and the other kept saying, “It’s not sorry time now”.
The memory came to life, and though it only involved children, and a silly scuffle between two tiny people… it gave light to an age old habit. Saying sorry has become a habit, a protocol… just something your supposed to do when covering over errors, and yes, that is exactly what I said! Sorry has become nothing more than a cover up! In my opinion, the use of the word sorry has now been relegated to the politically correct list.
You don’t have to mean it, you just need to say it so all will be forgiven, right? It seems as if behavior no longer has to change or improve, nope! I am sure everyone, at some point in their life, has heard another person say, “I said I was sorry, what more do you want?” Now, I am not saying that no one does things the right way, it just seems that many don’t. The problem with this behavior isn’t that many people say they are sorry, and then turn back around and do the same thing again, and again. The result of this unfortunate attitude, sadly, is the unhealthy example left for our tiny ones… the ones who are watching and learning by our example.
I am not saying that I do not want to see someone use the word sorry, when appropriate… I would just prefer it if the offender actually meant it… and actually makes an effort to not repeat the offense.
Let’s turn this frown (sorry) upside down… when our babies are tiny, we need to say we are sorry when we make a mistake, and teach the future about forgiveness, and mercy. When I screwed up with my kids, and I did, I sought their forgiveness with an apology that did not include an excuse, just simply that I messed up because I was not perfect, and I would be doing different in the future.
I think the most endearing part of that story about my daughters fight, was the way the girls handled things themselves. But she slapped her sister, you may be saying. Yes, but several things happened in that fight. The first thing was that my oldest did not drop kick her little sister down the stairs in anger, but instead, she headed for grown ups. If you knew my girls, you would know that this was a big feat for my eldest. The second thing that came out of the event, was a very heartfelt apology from my middle daughter. Big tears welled up in her eyes, spilling over onto her cheeks as she reached out and took her sisters hand. When she said sorry to her sister, the reaction was immediate… all anger disappeared, the slap forgotten, and the two hugged and ran off to continue their game.
Our kids emulate our behavior until they are old enough to strike out on their own, so let’s do it right people… if you mess up, I get it! We all make mistakes, but come on… if you say you are sorry… ACT like it!
Journey With Me! 