My Mom

I can say that not only was I blessed by having a good mother, but I was doubly blessed by having her 93 years.  I had the honor and privilege to be the daughter of someone that I never heard anyone say an unkind word of. When her name came up, it was always in reference to a kind deed she did, a kind word she said or simply to comment on her beautiful smile and kind heart.

When I would describe my mom to people who didn’t know her, I would say she was a saint.  Then I would emphasize, “no, I mean she was a real saint.” She didn’t talk badly about people, she didn’t complain and she truly could find the good in every situation and if she couldn’t, she certainly wouldn’t let anyone know.

I explain her belief in the God given scriptural proof of positive and hopeful thinking to others by sharing the story of her receiving a call when Dan was in college.  We were hearing her side of a phone conversation, “Oh, that’s so good. What a blessing. That’s wonderful to hear.”  She hung up the phone and said to my Dad, “Bob, we need to go to Penn State because Dan was hit by a ricochet in rifle class and the bullet grazed his nose.”  My Dad asked what was so good about that and she replied, “The bullet hit his nose, it could’ve been his eye.” She lived her life just that way.  If something bad happened, she’d be grateful something  worse didn’t. These past couple of weeks, she has continued to remind us all how lucky we are, how many good things we have and how blessed we’ve been.

My Dad died suddenly when I was 16 and I remember immediately thanking God that he took my Dad and not my Mom.  I knew in that moment that I was on good terms with my Dad and I had no regrets.  I also knew as a teenage girl, that if God had taken my Mom that evening, I would’ve had regrets in my last words and my last actions towards her.  At that age, I didn’t recognize how much I would need my mom in the days ahead in a different way than I needed my Dad. That night, I was able to see my Mom in a different light and what I used to see as weakness in her, I saw as strength.  My Mom handled losing her husband at age 50 in a manner that displayed heartache and strength with a grace that was unbelievable.  We all knew where her strength came from and where she expected us to go for our strength without preaching the importance in having faith but in just living it out.

When Pastor Bev visited last week, I began to tell her that I felt that Mom might want to talk to her because I knew that Mom was worried about us during this time.  I no sooner got the word “worried” out of my mouth that she interrupted me and said, “I’m not worried.”  She didn’t worry.  She prayed. She recited her version of Philippians 4:6 to us many times. “Don’t worry about anything, pray about everything, tell God your needs and don’t forget to thank him for his answers.

In the last few years, she would express that she was ready to go home and be with the Lord.  She would see a photo of a group of her friends, family or coworkers and comment on how most of them were gone now and she wondered why she was still here. She hated being a burden and needing help and as she became less able to serve others, she often said she felt “weary.”  We would tell her the Lord would take her when she finished her work and he obviously still had work for her to do. She said that the only thing she was physically able to do to help others was to pray. I figured that she was still here because we all still required her prayers.  My Mom spent her last days praying about everything and everyone. Even when she wasn’t really “with us” she was mumbling names and asking God to bless them.

One of the biggest lessons she ever taught me occurred one time when I was really struggling with a situation with my kids.  I felt overwhelmed by parenting and I was sitting on the couch crying uncontrollably and I said, “I Can’t Do This!”  She sat beside me and said quietly, “oh but you are.”  She expected me to do the best with what had been given me and she knew it would take strength and faith for me to do that well.

After my Dad’s funeral, my Mom said matter of factly, “On Monday morning, I will go back to work and you will go back to school and we will do our best.”   And now, as we leave here lost and not sure where we will go, we will have to find some of that strength and faith to go on without her. I’m sure each of you know what she would say specifically to you in this situation if you were sitting across her kitchen table with her, so just do that.  She left this world with nothing left unsaid or untaught.  She did her part, so now I believe she’d expect us to do ours. She got her work done.

From Stepping Heavenward by   Mrs. E. Prentiss   Copyright 1869

My steadfast aim now is to follow in my mother’s footsteps; to imitate her cheerfulness, her benevolence, her bright, inspiring ways and never to rest till in place of my selfish nature I become as full of Christ’s love as she became.  I am glad she is at last relieved from the knowledge of all my cares; and though I often and often yearn to throw myself into her arms and pour out my cares and trials into her sympathizing ears.  I would not have her back for all the world.  She has got away from all the turmoil and suffering of life; let her stay!

A Somersault Summer

So, you will need the back story for this post to make any sense, so bear with me while I explain. 

Last year I was invited to a friend’s house on the evening that her daughter attended prom. We took some photos and then sent the formally clad teens off for their evening of dinner and dance. After they left, we just talked in the living room and sipped wine. As we reminisced about our teen years conversations went to how we “used to do this” and we “used to do that.” I was the oldest individual in the room by 1 – 2 decades so I easily admitted that I used to be able to do a cartwheel, but I now have conceded that those days are behind me. I vividly remembered the last time I did one when the reality that my arms can no longer support the weight of my body made me declare that it was my last one. While sharing my story, I could see the wheels turning (while the wine was draining from her cup) in a friend’s mind. She is about 12 years younger than me and she was certain she could still lead with her arms and follow with her feet in a cartwheel. She did, indeed, prove to us that she could and she pulled a hamstring in the process. We got a good laugh out of the evening’s stunts and conversation and said we’d practice before the next prom rolled around.

Eleven Months Later: Knowing prom would be coming up and while reading Aging with Grace for book club, I decided that I should probably try to train for a stunt for prom night. I knew a Cartwheel would never happen, but maybe I could do a front roll, aka Somersault, with flare. In my mind, I was going to make this roll crisp, clean, and worthy of an Olympic score of at least a 9.4. I had hopes of performing this stunt while these younger moms sat on the couch holding up their dry erase boards with their scores of 9.2, 8.7, and maybe even a generous 9.8! However, I knew to accomplish these scores, I would need to practice at home. 

With a great attitude, I headed to my carpeted living room floor. I crouched down and put my body in a tight ball. I pondered. I paused. I was surprised that I was apprehensive about actually putting my head to the floor and rolling. I had not considered that my body would stop and seriously consider how this would go. Head down, a kick-off the couch and I flopped to my back. The room spun, I felt nauseous and I started sweating. Wow. I hadn’t expected that! Apparently, the heart medication I had taken lowered my blood pressure enough to make me feel as dizzy as if I had been hung by my feet on one of those flying swing rides at an amusement park and swung around and around. UGH! “I can’t do a front roll?!?! When did this happen?” Being too old to do a front roll did not sit well with me. BUT, I had to accept the fact that that day was not the day to prove it. I waited and a few days later (without heart medication) I did my second attempt. Back to the living room, crouched down, ready to roll. Head to the floor, push off the couch, crack, crack, crack. The neck cracking sounds were audible to my 15-year-old daughter even above her laughter. Flat on my back, I lay wondering if I had done any permanent damage or if I indeed might still be able to walk after this attempt. Slowly, I arose and went about my day doing what people my age are supposed to do with their day. (Apparently not a front roll.) The following day, my chiropractor assured me that a front roll is not a life skill that I need and that I should probably not do it again. I lamented that I was certain that women older than me could still perform this fete and while shaking his head, he just said he didn’t think it was something I needed. Keep in mind he’s interested in my physical health more than my mental health! There is a part of me that still feels I need to do this.

At the time of this writing, I have stuck with only the two attempts. My friend’s daughter didn’t go to prom this year, so we didn’t gather at her house and I didn’t have to feel old or left out when they tried their stunts. We’ve joked about training for next year and I shared the story of my failed attempts and we laughed and laughed.

Each time I’ve shared the story, though, I’ve posed the question, “Do you think you can still do a front roll?” Everyone believes they can and maybe they can. I have received two videos of friends proving they can. However, I also think many people think they can and then they are as surprised as I was to realize that at some point in our adult lives, we’ve lost the muscle memory of how to do that simple gymnastic stunt. We don’t know when it happened, but it did. This experience has made me curious about what else I might not be able to do. What have I forgotten or what am I incapable of doing simply because at some point I stopped doing it? Can I still hula hoop? What about playing Jacks? Can I recite the alphabet backward? How long can I freeze during freeze tag?

I’m declaring this a somersault summer. I am going to try to do some things that I’ve forgotten even existed and I challenge you to do the same. What would you like to see if you could still do? I have a sneaky suspicion that like my book club attendees, you will now quietly sneak into your empty living room, crouch down, and roll. Feel free to send me pictures or let me know how it goes. As for me, I may heed my chiropractor’s advice and not attempt a roll again. Thank goodness my kids got me a flaming baton for my birthday a couple of years ago, so I will have something safer to attempt!

Amazing Grace

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound! We all know the beloved hymn Amazing Grace and God’s grace is just that…amazing, but, are we as good at grace as He is?

When you look up grace in a dictionary, you will find at least 7 explanations of it as a noun. It can mean simple elegance or refinement of movement, for example, a ballerina is graceful. Grace, the second definition is: Courteous goodwill (friendly, helpful, or cooperative feelings or attitude.) And, then we get to the Christian definition which is: A spontaneous gift from God to people – generous, free, and unexpected and undeserved. As the hymn explains God’s grace is amazing. He can give us undeserved gifts easily and he does. He has amazing grace because He is amazing!

But the word grace is not just to be looked at as a noun. The word is also a verb. God graces us daily with his goodwill. He does it easily because he is God, but just like he expects us to love as he has loved us, I think he expects us to show grace to others as he has shown grace to us. (This is harder for us because we aren’t quite as amazing as he is!)

So, how can we practice God’s grace in our lives?

Before we dive in we need to recognize where grace comes from. Grace is the unmerited, unearned love and favor of God. So we have grace from God and if we have that, we should be able to share it, right?

2 Corinthians 9:8 states: 

And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

You are equipped to practice God’s grace with others.

2 Timothy 1:9 even tells us that grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time.

He has saved us and called us to a holy life-not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,

We’ve had it since the beginning of time, so we need to share it! So how can we go about that? The following are some ideas:

• Just like we learned with our love lesson, we have to love ourselves before we can share love with others, and grace is the same way. You need to start practicing grace by giving yourself grace. How many times have you told someone else to give themselves grace but you find it hard to do for yourself? Treat yourself with Kindness – If you practice grace with yourself it will be easier to extend it to others.
• Learn to Let Go – many things are out of our control so to practice grace we need to let go. However, if there is something in your control that you need to do to let it go, you must. If you are holding on to anger or bitterness, you need to forgive. And if something is nagging at you, you may need to apologize. Forgiveness and apologies allow everyone to move on.
• Practice Gratitude – I thought this was a no-brainer since I was raised with this discipline, but I was surprised a few years ago when I attended a workshop and the speaker suggested attendees begin writing down 3 things they were thankful for daily and one person questioned what to do if you didn’t have 3. We ALWAYS have things to be thankful for. Be mindful of them. It is easy to act with grace when you recognize all you have been given and are thankful for.
• Have Compassion & Speak Kindly – You never know what someone is going through. Compassion means “sympathetic pity & concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others” CONCERN for the misfortune of others. That person who is having a bad day needs compassion even if their bad day is causing them to behave in a way that is hard to be compassionate to. Proverbs 15:1-2 says “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise adorns knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly.” Speak kindly & compassionately. The phrase “Bless her heart” comes to mind. It sincerely means fondness or sympathy for someone but it has turned into an underhanded insult sometimes in the south. I’ve never really used it, but I like it and even if I started to say it as an insult, the sincere meaning could be found. Seriously, if I used it because I felt like someone did something I thought was stupid and didn’t know any better, I might say “Bless her heart” but maybe I should be expressing compassion – sincere pity or concern that the person didn’t have the same ability to understanding as I did. Wink wink. (OK, the next lesson should be on humility!!) Regardless – Bless her heart!! Which moves us to the next way to practice grace..,…
• Accept People for who they are. You cannot change others, you can only change how you interact with them. Colossians 3:12-14 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. You will be practicing grace when you accept others as they are and deal with them using compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience & love. 
• Lastly, Have a sense of humor – I had a conversation the other morning in which I was sharing all my aches and pains and troubles of the day and my friend was commiserating and sharing all of hers from back pain & a cold to a flooded basement, & broken wrist. I ended the conversation by saying she would turn it all into a funny story…eventually. When times are tough, show yourself grace and learn to laugh about it. There is an emoji for SMH (Shaking my head. ) The open palmed hand on the face. I use that one maybe a little too often to express my frustration with myself or others and maybe I need to simply follow that up with a smiling emoji and laugh. The next time I use that palm in the face emoji I may have to use it as an alert that I need to show myself or someone else some grace.

These are all practical ways you can practice grace simply and daily, but none of them will ever be as amazing as the amazing grace our amazing God has given us. How sweet the sound!

Your Before May Be My After

I belong to a Facebook group called Power Purge Peeps.  It is a group of people who want to de-clutter their homes one small area at a time.  So far, I’ve cleared out my fridge and my pantry and I’m about to tackle my bakeware.  Since I’m the administrator of this group, I love to share my before and after pictures.  This is very motivating to me and I think others like to see that someone else is actually doing these tasks with them.  I really enjoy seeing other peoples’ accomplishments and progress too.  However, today, when I was sharing a picture of my pantry as a collage of a before and after photo, I remembered a time when a friend set me straight on something.

At the time, I was grumbling about my weight (which is something I do about as often as I complain about the clutter in my house.) I grumble about it, but I don’t always do something about it.  Anyhow, as I was complaining to her one day about needing to wear my “fat jeans” she said, “You do realize that your fat jeans are my skinny jeans, right?”  Ouch. That was probably very true, but it didn’t make me feel any better about my “fat jeans.” The thing it did make me realize is that we are all striving for different things.  Whether it’s a different size of jeans or a more orderly pantry, progress in our own situation is what will make us feel good. It does no good to compare our situation to the situation of others.  We all start somewhere and then improvement from that starting point is what matters.

So as I share these photos, I realize that my Before photo may look like someone’s After photo and my After photo may look like someone’s Before photo and that is okay.  I’ll just be pleased that I made progress and I hope you are too!

PS – If you struggle with comparison, check out What you Make It to find 10 Bible verses for when you play the comparison game.

Dear Adult Children,

Dear Adult Children,

This is 2020 and it is a very special time. It will soon be Christmas and the holidays haven’t been the same for you.  You missed Thanksgiving and now you will miss Christmas at home. On Thanksgiving morning, not only did you miss the homemade Turkey, Stuffing, and Noodles, but you also missed me yelling for you to get out the door to go to Mimi’s on time and you missed me rolling my eyes when you showed up a bit late to Grandma’s with the appetizer. You missed working hard all week, rushing home from work, and getting in a car to drive in traffic 6-8 hours for a rushed weekend.

Typically, today, the day before Christmas Eve you would be getting in a car, or boarding a flight and rushing home. My heart aches that that isn’t happening this year and I woke in tears this morning, but in addition to my sadness, I also have appreciation.  I recognize what you go through to be “home for the holidays.”

So this year is different.  You have the opportunity to experience Jesus’s birthday in your own unique way.  I pray that you find ways to celebrate with the ones you love (& I do recognize you have loved ones who don’t live in this small town.) Be a light wherever you are. Enjoy the uniqueness of Christmas 2020, go and do. Treasure this time. Appreciate this time. 

And know. It will never be as easy as this year to let Mom know you’d like to celebrate Christmas differently and in your own way, with your own loved ones. Now, go and enjoy Christmas because I expect you’ll be busy making your travel plans to Chicora for Christmas 2021 as soon as you can!

I love you.

We Can’t Be Together This Year?

Man. 2020. What a Christmas Season.  There are just people I can’t be together with this year.  I can’t see my kids, I can’t go to church, I can’t celebrate with my siblings. I can’t go to a Christmas concert. We just can’t be together this year.  BUT, actually, we CAN be together this year, but we are choosing not to. If we wanted to defy the CDC and all things recommended, we could be together.

2020 Christmas brings another reality though.  There are many people this year that I wish I could be with, but I am choosing not to see….then there is someone who I truly can’t see. My father in law. Senior.  We lost him in March right at the beginning of the pandemic and we should’ve suffered through all the holiday “firsts without Papa” but we didn’t. We haven’t been getting together since his death because of Covid reasons, so there has been way more than one empty seat at the table, but only one forever.

So, let me acknowledge him in the hope that you will share those people with whom you truly can’t be with this Christmas.  Those you have loved and lost in 2020.Senior. My kids Papa. Wore the same hand-knitted Christmas sweater with one green sock and one red sock (My husband has a pair just like them!) for Christmas morning. He always bought us lottery tickets using the numbers of our birthdates. He made Gingerbread houses with the kids. He attended every concert and Christmas Pageant. He was a good sport and played games involving placing a cookie on your head and wiggling your face until it made it to your mouth. He often had to leave Christmas day festivities to go home and feed the cat. He didn’t have a cat and that was code for taking a nap. He loved everyone around that Christmas tree and we loved him.  He is missed. We can’t see him, but we are so grateful for the memories. Many more than can fit in a short paragraph. The love he showed us is a love that I intend to share with those who I choose to not be with this Christmas via cards, calls, gifts & video chats. I “can’t” see them this Christmas, but I intend to see them again soon and I intend to honor Senior’s memory the best I can. Time to start looking for those socks!

A Battle for Joy

It’s December 2020.  Turn on the TV first thing in the morning, and you don’t see Bing Crosby singing White Christmas you hear the news.  Even if you don’t have the news channel on, snippets of the news sneak in between the programming and you can’t escape the reality that this year is different.  We are trying to prepare for Christmas in the midst of a global pandemic. Our minds battle between dealing with safety mitigations and picking up stocking stuffers. It’s hard to maintain joy when you hear a newscaster counting Covid deaths and days ‘til Christmas in the same breath. It’s a battle to find peace and joy, but it’s a battle worth fighting.  I decided to fight it earlier this week and after allowing myself to turn off the news, I turned on the Christmas music and headed out to do some holiday shopping.

At the first shop, I donned my mask, entered through a crowded doorway, sanitized my cart handle, and was hit with crowded aisles, people bumping into me, and people not wearing masks! With every nose I saw I got angrier. The sign on the door said “masks required,” it’s that simple. I don’t want to get political here because this is truly not a masking matter but a heart matter. I was resentful that others weren’t wearing masks. Others’ actions were affecting my shopping experience and I didn’t know what I could do about it. It felt like these complete strangers who have their own beliefs were hurting me. I was taking their choices personally and I was resentful. I quickly grabbed my few items, avoided others as much as possible, and headed to the car. It was then that I realized that I was allowing others’ actions to affect my joy. I needed to stop, pray, and regroup. It was then that all that I have been taught and told in the past, came back to me and I thought I’d share….

Simply put, you can’t be resentful and joyful at the same time. Because of sin and our rebellion against God, we will be hurt…and we will hurt others. But being resentful and bitter about these hurts will keep us from experiencing joy. We have to learn how to let it go and Joseph in Matthew chapter 1 gives us a great example of how to do that. 

18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.  –Matthew 1:18-19

This is interesting. What Joseph knows at this point is that Mary is pregnant and he isn’t the father. I’m assuming he was a bundle of emotions. He probably felt betrayed, cheated, broken-hearted, and just plain mad, but he “had in mind to divorce her quietly.” He had every right to be mad, and I’m sure he was hurt, but he did not get bitter and resentful. He didn’t plot revenge, when he was hurt, he chose to offer grace and let it go.  and he decides to divorce her quietly. 

20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

Wow. That Joseph is some guy! AFTER he considered divorcing her quietly, THEN an angel appears to him and explains the plan and the honor he will have as he raises Jesus as his son. Joseph chose to show grace and let it go before he knew the whole story.

Back to 2020. How many times am I hurt or just irked by others and I don’t make the Joseph choice? I don’t choose to show grace and let it go.  Instead, I choose to fester in my annoyances and bitterness and it just snowballs. I may call someone to share with them the number of people that I confronted that weren’t behaving how I would like them to behave, I may make a mental list of the things that have gone wrong with my day, I may wallow in resentment against people or in the whole Covid situation. Holding on to all these negative thoughts and emotions won’t change the situation at all. I need to figure out how to show grace and let it go and then maybe I will be blessed with some better understanding and peace as Joseph was. 

Unfortunately, I couldn’t purchase the grace I need to show others at the register of the store I was just in. Where was I going to get this needed grace to show others so that I could have a better day? 

I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from?  My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. –Psalm 121

I said a prayer (“Lord, help me to not notice the people that annoy me and help me to not annoy others.”) and I entered the next store where things went smoothly for me and I had an enjoyable shopping experience and I felt the joy of Christmas shopping.  I chose to show grace (with God’s help) and I was blessed. This is a true testament to God’s power and might because the second store I went into was Walmart! (Haha) When you are hurt or annoyed, choose to offer grace and let it go. Fight for your joy!

Don’t Wait…to Celebrate!

It’s 16 days until Christmas and this year is the same as other years when I wake in the morning with a list of things to do and I regret that they aren’t already done.  A global pandemic can’t erase what my mind and body do every year at this time.  I need to bake, wrap, gift, repeat.  However, this year, there will definitely be some differences.  For example, I won’t be in a room full of presents, people, and holiday cheer watching great-nieces and nephews open presents.  I won’t be passing out little favors to the 15 people at Bible Study. I won’t be swapping cookie recipes around the table at book club. So, though the thoughts are the same, the actions have to be different.  How can I do it differently this year?

This year I recognize that it is not all preparing and then a crescendo to a big event on Christmas day.  This year of all years is the time to celebrate Christmas as it happens. When we used to bake to share with a cookie exchange, the actual cookie exchange was the event…this year, the baking is.  Don’t forget to enjoy it! Don’t forget that baking is a part of the celebration. We used to shop and wrap and give to see the receiver’s joy.  This year while shopping (if you are still able to do it in person) stop a moment and recognize that this year…shopping is a gift! Shopping is part of the celebration. We don’t have to wait until Christmas Day to give a gift.  Give it now. Sing carols now. Shop now. Bake now. Visit (safely) now. Celebrate now.

My daughter and son-in-law came for a visit last weekend. (The mitigations we put in place are fodder for another blog post!) But, they decided to travel home for Christmas early in case things with the pandemic and/or their jobs got worse…not to mention whether their health or our health might prevent them from a visit later. So, they traveled home for Christmas on December 6th. And, Christmas it was. We celebrated by eating Chex Mix, making paper snowflakes, playing games, drinking Christmas tea, making chocolates and we even gave a couple of gifts. We were together and it was Christmas. I don’t know if that is the only Christmas we will celebrate with the newlyweds, but it was a good one. Don’t wait.  See everything that you are doing now as celebrating Christmas. We can celebrate Christmas and Jesus’s birth no matter what the date on the calendar is and we should.  Don’t wait to and hold in all the joy until Christmas morning….spread it around…and do it now!

Somehow, not only for Christmas , but all the long year through, the joy that you give to others, is the joy that comes back to you. And the more you spend in blessing, the poor and lonely and sad, the more of your heart’s possessing, returns to you glad.  — John Greenleaf Whittier

Journaling – Give it a try!

I’m sure at some point in your life you kept a diary or a journal or at some point in your life, someone suggested you do.  And, even more, I think at some point in your life you wish you had.  But, still, many people don’t.  I know, easy for me to say, “you should keep a journal.” I have actually journaled daily for over ten years and prior to that I was hit or miss, but still found comfort in writing things down. When I wasn’t “journaling” officially, I was jotting down notes in calendars that I have saved that date back to 1991. (I know, saving all this stuff should be a topic of another blog and maybe a decluttering intervention!) Regardless, things in our life happen and there is just something cathartic about writing it down.

Journal types vary as much as personality types and I believe with a little effort you can find something that will work for you. 

I journal every morning in a blank lined journal. I purchase these and get these as gifts and they are just blank and I start off writing “thank you for a good night’s sleep” in most entries.  I just write my thoughts, prayers, and thankfulness and journal about the things that happened the day before and also anything that I may have concerns about in the future.  For me, my thoughts and prayers are interwoven, so I tend to jot down names that come to mind and pray for them.  This seems to be the perfect way for me to clear my head, make a plan, and start my day.

Guided Journal – These are fun ways to record some hopes, dreams, ideas, and history. You don’t have to commit to writing daily (but don’t forget to write the date when you do!) Sometimes a page will post a prompt that really gets you thinking or makes you want to take action. In my current guided journal, some of the questions are: “How do you find peace in tough times?” ” Who is someone you shouldn’t give up on?”  and “Reflect on a time when you needed a new beginning.” Guided journaling is a bit more intentional, but looking back at them later is very rewarding.  Definitely worth the time investment!

Bullet Journaling – This is the most fun and the best idea for someone who had trouble getting through all the words in this post so far! I started bullet journaling on April 25, 2020. I took a Zoom class with the Butler Library during the global pandemic and my first entry in my journal says, “We are to be on stay at home orders for 2 more weeks. What goals or habits should I try to track for 2 weeks.” (2 WEEKS?!) Short and sweet a bullet journal can help you track habits, make lists, and just jot down things in your life.  You can create a different topic on a different page and fill it with boxes to checks, hearts to color in, and doodles of bullet points. I currently use this journal to keep my contact tracing (Oh, what an icky sign of the times!) Some of my pages are lists of fun ideas to do when stuck at home, good things that have happened since March, tracking a Facebook fast & menu ideas. I also write fun quotes in it and scriptures that inspire me. As I flip through pages of ideas, I come across things I want to remember, for example, “Be so busy improving your life that you have no time to criticize others.”  Probably should flip through this bullet journal more often for reminders and inspiration.

Lastly, an informal gratitude list. When I was suffering from a bout of anxiety about the state of things, I kept a note pad by my bed and I jotted down things that brought me joy that day. I thought it would help me sleep and I think it did.  I went to bed thinking of the good things and not the bad and I woke up seeing the reminder of those good things on the nightstand. Girlfriends, Sunshine, A walk outside, winning at cards, and Chinese take out were all listed for me to remember all that I have. 

If none of these ideas appeal to you, don’t hesitate to just write down a little something extra on your appointment calendar to remind you of who you were on that day or make a note in your phone.  Whenever you come across any of these things that you’ve taken the time to write down you will be happy that you did! 

Live, Write, Reflect, Repeat. 

 

 

Embracing Plan B for the Holidays

2020 has been a year of Plan B’s. “Plan B” is defined as an alternative strategy and we have certainly had to come up with some alternative strategies in the last 7 months.  From ordering groceries to be delivered to sanitizing doorknobs, we found ways to live with a global pandemic. We have learned to watch movies at home instead of inside a theater and when we say we are dining out, it often means taking Drive Thru food to a picnic table.  We’ve done it all.  But now, it’s getting colder, we are moving inside and the holidays are coming.  The novelty of finding a solution to everyday problems is getting old. So, how can we embrace Plan B for the holidays? I’m not certain, but I am sure it will require a little help from my friends!

Maybe if we share ideas and encouragement, this year of Plan B’s will become a memory that we look at fondly in 2021, but until then we need to do some work!I quickly made a list of 15 activities I do for the holidays. I went back over the list to see what they would look like this year. Seven of them have already canceled for the season, 5 may cancel yet and 3 I didn’t even enjoy, so I scratched them off the list (Covid-19 is the perfect time to reevaluate what we want to do!) That has made my holidays look like ho-hum days! So, I need to get creative and figure out how to replace the events with some fun Plan B ideas!

Now, I can’t share all my ideas just yet because I don’t want to ruin the surprise of what I am starting to consider, but here are a few things to get you thinking in case you want to join me on this journey.

Greeting Cards – Is this the year to send out Thanksgiving Cards and Christmas Cards again? Maybe even the Christmas newsletter or family photo. People really haven’t seen you this year and a lot has happened!

Can’t have people over? Can you deliver creative care packages?

The novelty of Zoom Calls and Facetime has worn off, but we have a better understanding of how to use them and there are tons of fun ideas for parties and games with those.

Definitely not the holiday I’ve dreamed of, but maybe with the right attitude and right ideas, it will be one of simpler things and deeper meaning. I hope so!