My morning cup of hot gratitude

There is nothing like waking up in the morning and smelling the aroma of hot, strong coffee as I unsteadily heave my sleepy body out of bed.  As I stumble bumble to my kitchen at the "wee" hours of between 6-7am or maybe later (I am not an early morning person can you tell?), I immediately prepare my hot cup of java to jumpstart my day.  Well, I don't really jump anymore but you get the idea.  My mind and sleepy body are always foggy due to my plethora of meds that I take throughout the day and at nighttime.  My poor head doesn't ever feel attached to my crazy body.  A new normal for now.

As I sip my hot coffee and sit in my comfortable chair, I engage a posture of pure gratitude.  I give thanks and praise to our Almighty God for His blessings upon me and my family.  I begin reading my morning meditations and diving into scripture.  However, before I start asking God for the requests that I have written in my prayer journal, I sit quietly with my coffee and offer my deep gratitude.

I allow myself one, large mug of strong coffee, and I give thanks for even that because I feel happy my digestive system will tolerate it.  I think of my best friend who cannot even have one cup of coffee because she suffers greatly with a digestive chronic illness.      I think of her as I sip in gratitude.

For two years now of being on a new and improved treatment regimen for my migraines, I can wake up most mornings with little to no head pain compared to the horrific nightmare headaches that started my days off in disaster mode.  I would have to give myself several strong shots of meds to try and control the beast, and then I would be down for the count for hours unable to hardly move.  Now when I do have morning attacks, I most often can get them under control faster and easier.          I remember those hard mornings and sit quietly in gratitude.

Being able to make plans with friends while not fearing that I might be short on follow through is huge progress.  I constantly felt guilty for everything I could not "do" which left me sad and frustrated.     Emotionally I breathe in gratitude and breathe out fear.  Acceptance of what is fills me with great peace.

Going about my ordinary day and looking for the extraordinary is so refreshing physically and mentally. I actually love tackling the mundane house chores (well most of the time anyway!) because this means I feel well enough to be up and about and not sick and in bed.        I give gratitude for ironing, washing, cleaning, cooking, and taking care of our home .

Having fun times with my family when we are together melt my heart.  It was always so lonely to be up in my bedroom in constant M Land feeling crummy while I could here laughter and silliness coming from downstairs.  I can't begin to count the numerous events and family outings I missed when my migraines were at a point of being totally out of control.      I give gratitude for better management which allows me to step back into my life once again.

My family and friends rally around me daily in some way showing support while they walk with me on this journey.  They are givers, encouragers, carriers of joy and hope and certainly prayer warriors.  I even have close online communities of friends who make sure we all hold each other up each and everyday whether the challenge is light or heavy.           I offer gratitude for all of this and the opportunity to have a slower paced life in order that I may reach out to others and encourage them as they do me.   Being active in several support groups is my way of paying it forward in being a blessing to others.

My "word" for this year is gratitude.  I love choosing a word for the year upon which to pray and meditate.   This is a spiritual practice that began long ago with our early church mothers and fathers. The older and wiser monks would guide the young novices to choose a word or phrase which could be received as a form of communication that could be a starting point in growing into a fuller spiritual life. 

In her book, "Desert Fathers and Mothers Early Christian Wisdom Sayings" by Christine Valters Paintner, she offers the explanation of choosing a word or short phrase that could be pondered to nourish and challenge the receiver.   "The word is meant to be wrestled with and slowly grown into."   The author, herself, embraces this practice and often allows nature to give a word to her while she walks.

I have enjoyed challenging myself to this practice for several years now, and I know it has broadened my perspective on how I view myself and interact with those around me.   Allowing space for unpacking the many layers of daily gratitude is special to me.        I, therefore, embrace gratitude with my whole being.

If you have chosen a word or phrase for the year, I would love to hear from you if you wish to share.  If you have never tried this practice then I suggest you might in the future!

I offer gratitude for living near this beautiful beach.   It is peaceful and healing.

 

New year. New Joy.

The gift of Joy.

"These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full."     
                     John 15:11

Jesus graciously offers His Joy to us.  We need only to actively receive it.  Joy is not necessarily feeling happy all the time. There are many moments and seasons in our lives that we may find it difficult to be in a happy place per say.  This probably is due to stressful circumstances.  However, we can still choose joy.  As we choose joy, we instinctively desire to offer it to others.

Personally, even in the midst of my most painful migraine flare-ups, I experience a profound sense of joy.  God blesses me with a beautiful support system of family and friends, and I never really feel totally alone.  I feel a peaceful joy when I allow my body to rest and ride the waves of the painful storm.   Joy is when my hubby kindly cares for my needs or when we can watch Dick Van Dyke reruns on the TV to distract me from the pain. Taking walks on the boardwalk in the evenings fills me with joy even while I may not physically feel well.  I may not go around with a big smile on my face or feel like laughing much, but there is joy residing in my heart.  That joy matters.  It matters because joy gives me hope and encouragement to keep walking my journey. 

Joy may be experiencing the splendor of a glorious sunrise or sunset as we take the time to notice its magnificent beauty. 

Joy may be offering kindness to a weary soul who could use some encouragement and maybe a hug.

Joy may be found in sharing some good news with someone special who wants to celebrate life's wonderful moments.

Joy may be found in simply sitting with another person during a difficult time and allowing that person to share his burdens while you remain quiet. This is an intimate and somber exchange of joy.

Joy may be found in sending  humorous texts and messages to those we love offering cheer and silliness to brighten their day.

Joy is being immersed while listening to a musical concert that brings you peace in the present moment.

Joy is being surrounded by your pet's love and attention and devotion to you.

Joy certainly may be found in witnessing a new, sweet life being born into the world which is a profound, sacred experience.

Joy is embracing the extraordinary in the ordinary of everyday.

Dear friends, let us think about how we can humbly accept the wonderful gift of Joy this year and then pass it forward to this world which seems to need it now more than ever.

Stepping into the new year with purpose

In reflecting upon the end of one year and moving into this new year, I wish to share my blog from the beginning of 2018.  I think it offers some good ideas about being purposeful in writing SOULutions instead of resolutions.   These ideas come from Ann Voskamp, a favorite author of mine, so I give her full credit.

This is the time of the year when most of us think about new year’s resolutions.  It becomes the topic of a lot of conversations as well as blog posts.  It seems as though many people have some wonderful ideas about their own resolutions that can provide deeper reflections about our own.  Each of us has our own special suggestions based upon our individual experiences over the past year.  Resolutions can be fun to share, but they can make us feel somewhat uncomfortable.  We can easily fall prey to the “comparison” game which is not very uplifting.  All of a sudden old man guilt appears and he sends us down a slippery slope of negative feelings with no happy ending.

For example, traditional resolutions can be full of expectations, that after awhile, we fall short of succeeding.  You know the drill—- Better eating, weight loss, younger looking body, getting more rest, less crazy work hours etc, etc, etc.  Resolutions tend to drain us of our energy in many ways and leave us feeling “less than”.     This isn’t helpful.  Expectations of others or those we make upon ourselves also send us down a negative slope of disappointment.   This doesn’t serve us well at all.  

So, I am going to offer another way of looking into the new year that is upon us.   As much as I would like to take credit for thinking of this I cannot.   However, it inspired me last year and worked out beautifully.  

My inspiration comes from one of my favorite Christian authors, Ann Voskamp.   She proposes a fresh outlook upon the resolutions idea.

She likes to use the key word “purpose” which seems to offer a different perspective.  She calls it “SOULutions”.

Her idea is to say

In the year ——- I purpose to... fill in the blanks.  

Embrace

Engage

Be

Believe

Break

Daily

Do 

Let go

Learn 

Live

Give

Grow

I put mine on a 5x7 card and framed it.  I refer to it frequently, and it can remind me of my thoughts and actions in reference to what I wrote. 

I feel these words guide us into more of a year’s journey and process more than having hard and fast rules of do’s and don’ts.   

Wishing you a very happy and healthy new year and may you live with gratitude and joy in your hearts.