“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
Philippians 4:8 NIV
I Can choose what I think about. I can let my mind wander entertaining any thought that comes to mind, or I can I ask myself a simple question. Is this thought true? I can fire the negative committee that sometimes wants to camp out inside my head, and chose to focus on all that I have to be thankful for instead. It is a choice to realize that the racing thoughts are only causing more anxiety, and to choose grace for myself and others and gratitude instead. What helps you remember to focus on truth?
" But life hit me hard, more than I planned And it knocked me down, like an avalanche On the edge of hopeless, I called You from the darkness" -Dan Bremnes About three years ago my family vacationed on the California coast, One day we were at the beach wading into the beautiful aquamarine waves. As I was playing in the water with my eldest daughter a wave knocked us both off our feet. My daughter quickly got up and made her way back to shore. I struggled to get up and as I tried to get up, another wave knocked me down. As I told my Dad later, only I could almost drown in the two feet of water. Seasons of darkness can feel like that. When you think that you are getting your bearings, another wave of sorrow and fear can hit you. I told a friend when I was going through a hard season, that maybe if I didn't move and just was perfectly still, I would not feel any more anxiety or grief, and nothing else bad would happen. Allowing myself to be emotio...
My Dad has nicknamed my youngest child “Sunshine.” She reminds me to slow down and smell flowers, literally, and she likes to take pictures of them too. Her eldest sibling inspires me to try new things, and she challenges me to broaden my perspective. Their brother teaches me something new daily, and asks his teachers when they are going to learn about higher level science topics such as physics. My children truly are my sunshine on a cloudy day. They are my laughter and dancing. My art and the music in my home. Right now, they are on the other side of the country visiting their Dad during Summer break. I hope that they each realize how much joy they bring to my life. I will close with the classic song, “My Girl”, but I feel this way about all of my kids nor just my girls. Do you have someone in your life that reminds you of sunshine?
My Dad has been keeping pretty busy over the last Month or so. My parents and I have both packed up our homes and moved to two different places in the past month. My Dad told his boss, “I come to work to get some rest from lifting boxes and moving furniture.” This move has been a labor of love for my parents, and I wouldn’t have been able to do it without them or the help of my siblings, their spouses and my nephew. I am reminded of when I was pregnant with my first child. Since I love working with children, I thought parenting would come naturally to me. I didn’t know then that parenting takes work, especially to be the parent that each of my children individually need. Their needs have changed greatly as they walk through the threshold of childhood and step into adolescence. One thing that has proven to be true about motherhood is that it is the hardest job that I will ever love. I am so thankful that as a single Mom, I can find wisdom and rest...
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