Hi everyone. Welcome to our corner of the internet where we take an intentional pause and look for blessings from the past week to be grateful for. As another week passes with the lockdowns, job losses, and all the anxiety related to COVID 19, it is so important to intentionally look for the good things in our lives. The bible states it this way:
8 And now, brothers, as I close this letter, let me say this one more thing: Fix your thoughts on what is true and good and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely, and dwell on the fine, good things in others. Think about all you can praise God for and be glad about.
Philippian 4:8 ~The Living Bible Translation
In order not to drown in the sea of fear and negativity, we need to purposefully grab ahold of the life preserver labeled "Gratefulness". We need to take our eyes off the scary waves of bad news that surrounds us and put our eyes up what God is blessing us with and keeping us afloat with. Hopefully this weekly exercise helps you to do that. Please join in with us if you never have before!
~ home ~ while I work from home normally so am here at home most of the time anyway, I have come to have a new and deep appreciation and gratitude for my home. Though not large by today's standards, it is perfect for us. For me it symbolizes safety and shelter, love and family, warmth and care. I do not think of it as being "stuck" at home, but of getting to be in a safe place and I am fully aware that not everyone has this. I feel very blessed to have such a place to be when they say "Stay at home" or "Shelter in place". Though I can't do my work from here right now, I know that one day soon I again will be able to welcome my dayhome families back and the house will be filled with small kid chaos and fun. Until then I'm grateful to be here staying safe.
~ online webinars ~ I may not be working from home but I've been able to connect with a fb group called Home Daycare Consultants. They have had some wonderful, free training webinars that I have signed up for. They have kept my mind engaged and learning which is a good thing anytime but especially right now. There is always something one can pick up, or learn, or be encouraged in even if you have been in the child care business for as long as I have. And so far the sessions I have registered for and "attended" I receive a certificate saying that I completed the session. Thankful to have these kinds of resources available.
~ deep cleaning started ~ I am finally starting to get a bit of motivation in the cleaning and organizing department. This week I started to keep a running list of things I wanted to get done. There is nothing more motivating to me than seeing things crossed off on a list. And it helps me to remember to get to some things I tend to conveniently forget about. Why is it that when I don't have time I want to get all this stuff done and now that I have the time I am finding it so hard to just do it? There is some kind of weird reverse psychology working there. But I'm finding as I started doing a few things here and there, seeing the results is motivating me to keep going down the list.
~ power raking ~ every spring we get companies knocking on our door wondering if we want power raking and/or lawn aerating done and this year was no different. In fact, there seems to be more individuals/companies than ever as people are looking for ways to keep working. One knocked on our door the other night and within a hour we had a nicely power raked front lawn. With all the brown dead stuff gone the lawn is already looking greener. This has now motivated me to get to cleaning out the flower beds this weekend.
~ lifting music ~ one of the ways I've shut out the negativity is to start listening more to uplifting music and songs. I intentionally turn off the tv and the social media and just find good songs to listen to. I find I feel refreshed and lighter after a good sessions of worship songs or uplifting music in my soul. This one came through my feed and I just love it. It's a bit longer, an "oratorio" by Kathie Lee Gifford and Nicole C. Mullen.
What blessings have you experienced this week? What has been uplifting, gracious and good in your life? What has kept you motivated and going, smiling and blessed? Feel free to share 5 of them with us!
12 comments:
I think like you, I try to see the positivity of this situation. The only thing which bothers me is our house sale papers because the notaries are closed ! I often think of the poor people in the cities without garden squeezed together in small apartments, they must get crazy. Fortunately the garden centers and DIY are open now which keeps people busy. If all goes well we will start our freedom beginning May ! In my situation I can't declutter, where should I put all the stuff, as everything is closed So I leave it at it is and wait until the different services will open again.
I’ve never been a TV watcher. I choose which sources which sources to get news from. How nice to have a power raked lawn. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen that done. We don’t have a big lawn. I have been out in the back garden though planting herbs. It’s still quite cold here. That is one of my favourite verses. It is one of the two verses that began my walk with God as an adult.
It's so great that you posted the song video as i posted one too!! Kathie Lee is one of my fave celebrities. Her book The Rock, the road and the rabbi is phenomenal.
I've been working from,home and going into the classroom. Most of my work hours are on site as that's where all of our learning materials are but when I'm home I've been doing required NYS extra trainings ( as if a masters degree isn't enough!!) for special ed stuff and it's been pretty good. We never watch the news anymore.....although we get snippets come across our phones. That's enough for me!
Love getting organized and things checked off the list. This forced isolation has left many people unmotivated. I've had to be intentional about getting household stuff done, as it's like an inertia settled over us. I'm focusing on one room a day like i did when the girls were little.
How neat to have someone do your lawn! Dave is actually mowing tomorrow for the first time this year. The grass is so nice and green!!
Enjoy the weekend!! Stay well.
I think that way about home, too--that it's a safe haven, and I am not "stuck" here. I've attended some writing webinars the last few weeks that have been helpful. I haven't made a physical to-do list like I usually do--I should, because I love crossing things off a list, too. But I have a couple of things in mind. I wrote Monday about that strange phenomenon of not being motivated when I was originally looking forward to accomplishing a lot during quarantine. I've not heard of power raking. Nice! We don't have many trees here, but at our former house the leaves from our tree and the neighbors would pile on in no time. Playing or thinking through good music full of truth is one of the greatest boons to me, too.
Hi Susanne - you are right - we need to focus on the good and positive in our lives now more than ever. I am also coming to appreciate my home more since being here so much. I have always liked it, but now that there is really no where else to go, I realize that having a place like this is truly a blessing. I also have some big organizational project that I just haven't got to yet, but they are still on the list. So glad you have been able to start on yours, and also get some online training in. Have a great weekend, and I will see you again soon!
Gattina: Decluttering is on hold here too. Nowhere to take all the stuff. But I've started some deep cleaning that I haven't got around to in forever. I have a big box for the things I want to declutter and then when things open up the box will go.
Barb, Faith, Spirit of Simplicity: Power Raking is like a mowing on steriods. It brings up all the dead thatch that is at the roots of the grass. We usually hire that job out as it it needs a special mower blade and is hard on the mower in general.
How fortunate we are to have a safe comfortable place to shelter and wait out the storm. Great list of things you are grateful for. Music is a balm to my soul. Knowing the God who is in control of everything including this virus is comforting. Hope you have a good weekend and it will feel like a weekend. :)
The video is amazing. Both the photography and the music are so beautiful. My home is my sanctuary, too. I realize that not everyone has the luxury of enjoying this time, and I try not to complain about things that I can't do right now. Looking for blessings on Fridays sure helps my attitude at those times. Love your list. I can be a news junkie, so trying to listen to music more and Pandora helps with that.
I'm not much of a listener to online music, but I have found myself playing uplifting songs on you tube. It's wonderful!
Home is important to me. I love having a home, being at home. Maybe we will all start appreciating home more.
Deep cleaning? Please send me some inspiration! I cleaned one morning. Does that count?
Susanne, power raking sounds a bit like aerating the lawn--poking little holes around to stimulate growth.
Willow: Power raking is different than aerating. Power raking removes the thatch that lays at the roots. They remove bags of dead grass when all is said and done.
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