I have not done a good motivational post in a bit. Today let us talk about change and things that make us happy.
Change happens in unexpected ways for many. Family, jobs, losses, loves, health - some things happen when do not seem prepared and they cause us to move in new directions. It happens at some point in time for everyone. It surely doesn't seem good at the time. I do believe all things happen in God's time, and we may not understand why (at the moment or ever) - but we do survive through the change. Here we are this day, awake and going, that is testimony to survival.
A lot of change happens from within!!!!! Yes it does. Things happen - yet the external change is only part of it. We grow and change within ourselves. It is very scary - but we need to move forward.
It becomes about choices, reducing wants, realizing needs, and moving forward.
Hunt for the little hidden treasures in life. They are everywhere, all the time. You just have to have eyes wide open to see and appreciate. Elise said it very nicely in a comment this week. I have copied her comment and will repost here. It was lovely and it was very true. Thank you Elise.
We need to remember the little things. Life is not about all the big events - memories are usually the tiniest of things. The simple things. You know it is kind of like looking back at childhood - I don't remember many gifts I got at Christmas, but I do remember the family being there or funny moments that happened.
Silly things like recording daddy snoring after a big dinner - because he said he wasn't sleeping, just resting his eyes. Or my brother giving my SIL a kitten - it was in a stocking, and it poked its little head out and started crying - thus ending the surprise! Helping mom make all the cookies and the smells in the house. Summer picnics on the porch swing with my little friends. Playing jacks on the porch. NOT the things - the memories of others.
I take great joy each morning as I go out to feed Blackie and the birds and squirrels - listening. I sit out there on a chair while he eats, praying and listening to all the different birds. Watching them interact. Seeing the blue jays get excited about peanuts. Feeling the cool crisp air. Having a happy and full kitty jump on my lap. Watching the squirrels chase each other around the yard. Looking out at the garden, knowing I will be out there picking fresh veggies in a while. Even hearing the traffic - I know so many are starting their days - what lies ahead for them? I know I am blessed in so many ways.
I have good people in my life - what a treasure that is.
I try to look at the blessings instead of the depressing stuff. SURE I get depressed too - we all do. We have those rotten days, that is normal. But I know in my heart that God has much instore for me.
I am still here because I still have things to do.
I have realized over the years - that money sure does not buy happiness!!! It does buy stuff!!!!!!! Oh boy, does it buy stuff. Let us just make sure that it buys us stuff that we can use and that will be helpful in this stage of life and in our future. Choices! Like is full of choices.
I hope you each and every one open your eyes to seeing all the wonders in life. They are there - all the time. Hear the baby laughing or crying at the store. Someone saying please or thank you. Children playing. The birds chirping. A pet hug. A people hug. A smile. A task over and successful. A dollar saved or earned. A meal for your belly.
These and more are the precious things in life.
Have a fantastic and blessed day my friends.
I bid you peace.
ReplyDeleteA departure greeting I heard many times years ago but no longer recall who. And another.....
Walk in Beauty.
I just finished reading "Will's Red Coat" by Tom Ryan who also wrote "Following Atticus". His Aunt said this as her departure greeting. BTW both are fabulous uplifting books and I highly recommend them both.
Fabulous greeting upon departure! Much better than "see you later".
DeleteYes, I read "Will's Red Coat'...Such a precious book. I could relate to so much of it with our dogs, all rescued in some shape or form, two are blind. Thank you for sharing that! : )
DeleteAmelia, I researched yesterday. Tom died in 2018.
DeleteHe had blood clots and suffered a stroke. At the same time, Atticus, then 14, got sick as well. Ryan rallied in time to make it home and say goodbye to Atticus, who died in his arms 12 days later. “I always said I would make it out of the hospital because Atticus was waiting for me,” Ryan said.
"I bid you peace". I love that. Isn't that what life is all about? I will check out that book. Thank you.
Delete(I just said in a whispered voice and furrowed brow) Oh no...Oh no...That is so sad, just so sad! Elle, thank you for letting me know, that just really gets to me. We just lost our Coffee-Belle girl two weeks ago, these fur angels are so precious to our hearts and we miss them so much until we see them again. Poor Tom, I didn't know that about him. Oh my heart...
DeleteExcellent and thought provoking post! Miss Elise has the right idea. Too many times we hurry, hurry, hurry and miss out on the blessings.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to go out and hang rugs on the line and then pick beans. We had okra, beans, beets and cornbread for lunch yesterday. Still have plenty of beets and okra. Watermelons are growing. Gardening provides us with countless blessings. We bless others by sharing.
Our neighbor was at work and some dastardly person(s) got under her car and thought they were cutting out her catalytic converter. They apparently didn't know what they were doing and cut out some other part which still rendered the car unable to start. Pretty cheeky in broad daylight. Her husband is a mechanic and was able to repair it. He works at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.
The day looks to be a good one!
It is a beautiful day. The garden bounty -such a wonderful gift for all. It sure is a blessing.
DeleteWhat an awful thing to happen. People!!!! Glad he could fix it.
Such a lovely post. I will be rereading it again because it is so true.
ReplyDelete~margaret
Thank you so much. We take it all so for granted!
DeleteI agree with Margaret, what a lovely post! Thank you. Hilogene in Az.
ReplyDeleteSo many Gifts to notice. We must be still and quiet before God to notice those Gifts as you write and I'm sure everyone agrees. : )
ReplyDeleteSo many neat things:
Comfy cotton pajamas.
As Elise says: Coffee! And I'll add sometimes afternoon tea. But usually afternoon coffee! Haha.
My Nat King Cole cd, of the very vintage... 'Love is the Thing and More' ...brings such beauty and innocence to our home. Another time, another place in our country that I am able to bring into our home.
A pleasant old 40s movie that our youngest adult daughter also enjoys watching *with* us in the evenings.
Cracking up over the old Carol Burnett programs at night. lol
Our cute chickens, one yells out "Mama!" every morning before we let them out of their yard.
All of our loving pets, two are blind, a privilege to care for them, they all have such love and appreciation in their adoring expressions.
A beautiful and most personable, precious dove that comes to visit me personally.
An owl that also came to visit me swooping down as we made eye contact for the longest.
One of our daughters calls me just to tell me about her wonderful estate sale finds of old, old books for the children and a beautiful soundtrack in lp album form of the soundtrack to "Gone With the Wind". One of the books she got is a Grace Livingston Hill book from the 40s, she remembered I love this author.
That same daughter, Zuzu texting me to tell me of the great find on ebay of the lp album, "To Kill a Mockingbird" at a reasonable price because she dug around patiently to find on someone's selling list, the most wonderful part is that my four year old grandson is excited and wanted it because it's one of Mimi's favorite. Oh my heart.
That same four year old grandson saying "I love you ten times"! I tell him, "I love you to the moon and back!" and give him a big bear hug! He giggles and runs off playfully...
Very good meme too Cheryl, so true. I'm reading a nice book by John McArthur they are sending for free right now, it's entitled: 'Anxious for Nothing". So far, i like it better than the last one I was reading on the subject. : ) It says, the origination of the word, 'worry' is similar to strangling or choking. It really does doesn't it?
I thank God that I can talk with Him and walk with Him, just like a wonderful Father because He is.
Wonderful list by Elise, thank you Elise, it was written that the orthodox Jewish people keep lists of Gifts.
Thank you Cheryl for the wonderful reminders that all of these things happen and we are better able to help others because of things we have been through. It builds empathy to share. We can be like tiffany lamps, broken but shining beautifully.
I thank God for this sweet blog!
Hugs!!! Ten Times!!! ~Amelia
What a beautiful response. I just love each item you listed - it was definitely from the heart. Children and pets - the innocence of both. So loving, so devoted, and so caring and sweet. Each full of love that knows no bounds. Makes your heart full.
DeleteThank you so much.
"broken but shining" what we all should strive for!!!!
Cheryl, I'm honored and humbled that you would share my post here. At almost 62, I'm still learning. 2022 was a year of BIG changes in my life. Some good. Some not-so-good. Life is a mixed bag. I called it the year of recalculating and expected 2023 to be a quieter year. That wasn't meant to be, so now I try to make the most of those quiet, peaceful moments... and the fur babies have helped in ways I never imagined.
ReplyDeleteWe never expected to have dogs, let alone high energy cattle dogs; then Blue showed up last year as Hubs was working in the yard. She was starving. And became ours. Then, when BIL was living with us and I was about to lose my mind this past spring, a tiny Poppy showed up. I've come to understand it's important to be open to those gifts from God.
BIL regularly says he doesn't know how we do it, getting woken up so early in the morning. Well, there's a gift in the too early mornings... I see the sunrise every day. I can sit on the front steps with a cup of coffee and soak in that most peaceful time of day. How can one be grouchy when surrounded by such beauty?
I read a great study book about Ecclesiastes during the pandemic. Did you know that the authentic translation of the Hebrew word isn't "meaningless", which is repeated over and over, but instead is "vapor"? The author is a Hebrew scholar/expert. Vapor isn't meaningless, it's something that's there for a moment, can't be captured and held, but can be experienced for that fleeting time.
Anyway, thank you so much, Cheryl. May we all keep learning to appreciate the simple pleasures of life. Me included. --Elise
Funny how life as we expect it - changes on a dime! One way or another - we can make plans - but when God says "nope" it all changes. His plans always override ours. That is good for me. I don't always understand (or even like it) at times, but the big picture is out there and His will be done!
DeleteThank you for sharing. Interesting.
Just keep moving forward and enjoying each moment.
I'm so sorry Cheryl, I forgot to mention the photo of the woodpecker couple! Beautiful and so very interesting to watch! A Gift! : )
ReplyDeleteThey were so sweet to each other - just following up and down the tree. It was a joy.
DeleteIsn't that so touching, I was watching two cardinals the other day, the male was getting seeds out of the birdseed holder and bringing them to the female putting the seed in her mouth, he did this over and over again, so precious. Woodpeckers are so beautiful aren't they? They are larger than we think when we see them up close! : )
DeleteGreat post Cheryl. It is important to make every day special and appreciate all of the small joys that surround us. I saw this the other day and it really is true.
ReplyDeleteWestern cultures believe we must be alive for a purpose. To work, to make money. Indigenous cultures believe we're alive just as nature is alive; to be here, to be beautiful and strange, It is enough.
Odd you mention that - I saw a program yesterday saying the same thing. We are all part of the earth and part of nature - and we need to be an active part of it. Not destroy it. But be a part of it. We are all made of energy - so I think that part goes back to Mother Earth when we pass. It is an unending cycle.
DeleteYES - it is enough!
Thank you for the beautiful reminder to cherish the days, Cheryl.
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome. Each is special in its own way!
DeleteYou're talking about happy happy joy joy stuff! I was ready to launch into a tirade about how underwear lasts longer than appliances these days! Nope, so far mine are okay. Phew! But I'm hearing a lot and thought it would make for a good discussion. Y'all will wanna hear my fabulous idea for recycling some of them lol.
ReplyDeleteCarry on. Love the woodies, Cheryl! I've only ever seen the males.
LOL- you are a hoot. Yes, thought we needed to start the week with some positive and happy thoughts!
DeleteThis summer is the first time I had ever seen a female as well. Then they were hanging out together. It was so cool to see.
Thank you Cheryl! I really needed this as I'm in the middle of a very big life change.
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome. Prayers that all turns out well for you! Hugs.
DeleteWhat a great post Cheryl! A church we attended many years ago encouraged us to look for "God sightings," just the kind of things you talked about in your post - like the woodpecker couple - or a beautiful sunrise or sunset. I have a magnet that says, "The best things in life are not things." That is so very true!
ReplyDeleteI like that "God sightings". There are just so many tiny things that can make us smile, or laugh, or love. Just little items God gives us. The other quote is so true. Best things are just all the moments.
DeleteWhat a great post!
ReplyDeleteI spend a lot of time thinking about good things, deliberately choosing to think about the good things in my life. Both morning and bedtime are full of thanksgiving. For my housecat, my home, food, water, my little part-time job, my family, friends, hobbies, my garden (fresh beans, fresh squash, tomato sandwiches!). It's endless. Yes, all of these can be labeled "God Sightings", that's a neat way to put it. :)
MaryB
It is neat, isn't it? You sound like me - most of my prayers is thanking God for all the wonders I get to enjoy.
DeleteA grateful heart is a happy heart. Thank you. Stay blessed.
I'm also trying to be more conversational with the Lord. Maybe discussing my day, or my concerns. In the evening, gratitude, for sure, but also just talking things over. This is a new thing for me, and it feels kinda awkward, almost irreverant. I don't know...
DeleteMaryB
Mary, I grew up Catholic with recited prayer. We went to the theater to see "Fiddler on the Roof" and I was astonished to see Tevia just talking to God throughout his day. It was life changing for me. Even though I was just a girl, still in Catholic school, I started doing the same, thinking that may be what God wants...
Delete--Elise
Mary, It's wonderful to talk to God as our Father, because He really is our Father and we really are His Children. : ) I've always talked to God in conversation even when very little. I grew up in a modern Catholic church, and it's always come natural to me to talk to the Lord like that. My husband grew up very old world Catholic and he too just talks to the Lord, I really think that is what a personal relationship with the Lord is. : )
DeleteElise, Yes! Many times I feel like Tevia! Haha! I recently heard another lady say this too!
Sissy Here! Thank You for making my day better!
ReplyDeleteHi Sissy - you are very welcome. We need to hear from KIM sometime. She needs to do a post!!!!!
DeleteAs our Priests always say " My peace I give you." And a the end of Mass they always say "Go in peace to love and serve the Lord." I try to bring this with me all week and this post will help.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Beautiful!!!!! "Go in peace to love and serve the Lord". That is it! So true. Thank you.
DeleteWow Cheryl- you are a talent and a blessing ! Cindy/WV
ReplyDeleteOh my Cindy - you are so very kind! Thank you.
DeleteIt truly is the simple things that tend to bring the most joy. We just need to be open to seeing/hearing them. I did chuckle at your description of your daddy insisting he was merely resting his eyes. I recall my dad doing the same thing.
ReplyDeleteLOL - I think it is a dad thing. TV could be on and he could be snoring - go to turn the knob and you'd hear "I'm watching that".
DeleteYes, it is the simple things - such joy they give.
I was ecstatic today when I saw a hummingbird. Most of the day, the door must be closed against the heat. We love watching birds.
ReplyDeleteLittle flying jewels. I have been standing in the kitchen this morning watching 2 at the feeder. Yes mam, what a joy that is.
DeleteLovely post Cheryl, and great comments from everyone else. Louise
ReplyDeleteThank you. Little things mean a lot!
DeleteAfter I lost my husband nearly 10 years ago, a dear, dear friend would always remind me that God had gifted me with a new day and I needed to remember to open the gift. That "Open the gift of a new day" kind of became a mantra and I still remember and use it today. When I'm having a "woe is me" kind of day, I'll take a minute to remember the gift I've been given and be thankful for all that I have in my life. Blessings for today, even if the fog is so thick that you can't see across the street. I am grateful for all who share with us on our page.
ReplyDelete... share with us on YOUR page. I wish there was an "edit" button.
DeleteLori thanks for the testimonial. It is horrible and unimaginable. Nothing seems right. How can things go on? Well, they do, and we do, because death is part of life. We seem to forget that. Oh sure, I knew it - but never thought about it happening to me. We get so settled and just expect things to stay the same.
DeleteIt breaks my heart for all the gals on here, that have or are going through this transition in life. It isn't fun.
BUT God gave us today to wake up and do something! Not everyone gets that chance. I find that pretty miraculous!!! I think you do too.
Thank you for sharing - good words!!!!!!!