"Remember…..It's All Good!!"
There are many reasons I am grateful for organized sports and the things it has taught me and my kids. Responsibility… cooperation… dedication… prioritization of time and energy… communication… success… failure… leadership… sportsmanship… disappointment… joy… frustration… acceptance… growth……..
I could go on and on.
I believe that dreams and desires are an innate part of who we are. They are a way for us to discover, develop and fulfill our potential and continually grow and progress. We were designed to seek ways to do these things… to learn… to create… to explore… to seek out experiences.
Books are so freeing! I can escape. I can be transported. I can be entertained. My deductive reasoning skills can get a workout (can you guess that I really enjoy a good mystery?). It can stretch my perspective and see things in a new light. I can gain a new understanding. I can decide I want to learn something new and do it.
I have had more than enough experiences in my life that point me toward Him. I have collected “evidence of things not seen” and know it in a way that I cannot explain.
I have felt strengthened in my life at times when there is no other explanation except His infinite power and love lifting me and supporting me.
With Thanksgiving this month, it is the easiest time of year to focus on gratitude. So to make it a daily practice and something I would like to continue throughout the year, I plan to write a blog post every day this month about something I am grateful for.
So in this exercise, the me of the future writes a letter to me in the present.
She is exactly where I want to be in my business. (Do I even know where that is?)
What advice would she give me?
What would she tell me to stop doing?
What would she tell me to start doing?
What else would she tell me?
The reality of being a human and living with other humans, is that there are parts of life that are painful. There’s no way to avoid it, but what is avoidable is the additional suffering that we add on. Knowing the difference can cause a shift out of unnecessary worry and rumination; shame and blame. Understanding these two types of emotional pain can help you live a more peaceful life.
So why am I telling you all of this?
Because on that day in 2001 I didn’t think I would survive. I couldn’t see how that was possible given the events that had transpired. The emotions were overwhelming.
But I did survive. I survived the first 21 minutes. Then 21 hours. Then 21 days. Then 21 weeks. Then 21 months. Then 21 seasons. Then 21 years. I am still surviving. But I can do more than just survive.
And even though I don’t do it perfectly, that’s okay. It continues to be a work in progress. I have learned how to allow feelings. All the feelings.
Love, joy, frustration, anger, madness, happiness, wonder, guilt, sorrow, sympathy, compassion, regret, agony, grief, fascination, awe, sadness, disappointment, tenderness, kindness, worry, confusion, gratitude, empathy, anxiety, depression, relief, contentment, resentment, bitterness, hopelessness, peace, comfort, safety, powerlessness, despair, blessed, protected, alone, silently supported, heartbroken, renewed, hopeful…… and on and on and on.
Today is May 3, 2022. I started writing this at about 7:30am. I can recall what I was doing on this day at about this time 21 years ago. It was a Thursday morning which meant my preschool students would be coming to my house at 9am. My 4 children were 6, 5, 3, andContinue reading “21 Years…….”
Are you giving yourself the Christmas you want to create or are you too busy creating the Christmas everyone around you has come to expect of you?