December 24 - Christmas Angels

"Christ has no body now but yours." - St. Teresa of Avila

Merry Christmas!  

After listening to today's Advent video from Dynamic Catholic and then reflecting on their message that "People inspire hope", I decided to share a story about a "Christmas Angel" from many years ago that gave me hope. 

Eleven years ago I was in the hospital on Christmas Eve in Springfield, Missouri. I had been newly diagnosed with Chronic Myleoid Leukemia (CML) just two days earlier.  My kids, at my insistence, had gone to Kansas for Christmas. My husband was in a room up the hall getting some much needed rest. My families tradition was to have a big family gathering every Christmas Eve and this would be the first time I wouldn't be there. It was about 8 p.m. and I remember feeling more lonely and afraid than I'd ever felt in my life. After only about 15 minutes of being alone, two young ladies came into my room. One of them approached me and presented me a handmade snowman. It was beautiful in its simplicity. It stood about 8" tall with the body of the snowman made of felt, standing in a miniature terracotta pot. I was told by the young lady that she had lost her father to cancer, and now in his remembrance she visited cancer patients on Christmas Eve. What a wonderful gesture! She didn't stay long. I thanked her for her gift and she left. When she was gone, I looked more closely at the snowman, and there clipped on the back with a clothes pin was a handwritten message on a small sticky note. It said  "Trust in the Lord and lean not on your own understanding. God bless you and keep you. Someone is praying you." Wow - what a gift! 

This stranger gave me hope! This stranger became my Christmas Angel!

 

There's a lot of negative things in today's society, and a lot of people who are going through difficult times. While Christmas is a joyous time, it can be lonely for some, and many, myself included, miss our loved ones who have passed more intensely at Christmas. If it is your first Christmas after losing a loved one or your are experiencing something difficult, like I was, it can be easy to feel down. For those who are going through a difficult time, I pray that you find comfort, peace, and hope.

I will end by sharing Dynamic Catholic's "action" for the day: "Get in the mess. Give hope when it is difficult this Christmas."

 

 

December 8 - Hope

"Rejoice in hope. Be patient in tribulation. Be constant in prayer." - Romans 12:12

Since the season of Advent is about hope, I started thinking about how I could live mindfully, which means focusing on now, while also experiencing hope, which I tend to think of as a desire for something to happen in the future. What I realize, is that hope is about both the present and the future. Today, right now, I hope to experience a quiet night and a feeling of peace. I also hope, for peace and health, along with many other things, for the future. What living mindfully does is help me recognize the feeling of hope. In fact, if you look up the definition of hope, you will find "A feeling of trust" as one of the definitions.

When I reflect on the past year and my journey to be more mindful, I realize how much living mindfully has improved my sense of well being and improved my fear and anxiety. Often, although I'm not sure I was aware of it at the time, that sense of  well being came from hope, especially during the many days and nights where Ed experienced his critical health issues. Sometimes the hope was for the future, that tomorrow would be better than today. Sometimes, the hope was in the present--- from the feeling of trust that tomorrow would be better than today. Hope - - it's a beautiful thing.

During this season of Advent, we are reminded not to live in a place of settling but to live in a place of being awake and aware. It is the truth and expectation that God is working in our life now, in our present moment. It is a promise that what we hope for in his name is obtainable. It is a time to remember that the salvation God promised throughout all of history has already come, and we live in the hope of that salvation. We cannot settle for just the way things are, but must live in the awe and wonder of the memory of God’s promise.

My hope for anyone reading this is that during this Christmas season you find hope...hope in Jesus. And, that through this hope you find "an anchor for your soul" which secures you through the storms of life.

November 27 - Mindful Gift Giving

"It’s not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.” — Mother Teresa

 This evening I was Christmas shopping for my five grand kids. In the past, I confess, I have gone a little overboard with presents. I truly enjoy the shopping and trying to find things I think the kids will enjoy. However, this year I have been instructed by my daughter and daughter-n-law to cut down on toys. In fact, they prefer not many, if any toys at all. Since they have reminded me multiple times, I decided to heed their advice. For one gift, I am giving each child a magazine subscription. This will encourage reading and be a gift that lasts all year. My next task was to find that one special gift purchased with each child in mind. I'm happy to say after visiting with parents, the kids, and then shopping the internet. that I found something unique for each grand child. The interesting thing is that I have been more mindful than in past years.  I followed the tips below taken from the article "6 Tips for Mindful Gift Giving".

Mindful giving involves paying attention to:

• What is meaningful for the recipient
• Exploring your whys behind giving the gift
• Reconsidering your preconceived or habitual ways of giving

The above article is excellent and one I highly recommend reading! Gift giving should be a joy and come from the heart.

Days 353 - 359

November 21, 2017 - Happy Thanksgiving

"Thanksgiving isn't just a day, it's a way we can live our lives every day!" - Katrina Mayer

Thanksgiving, which is tomorrow, provides a great time to be mindful of our blessings. My top 5 things I am thankful for today:

• Birthday blessings! Last week was my birthday. I received birthday wishes and gifts from friends, students and family. I felt special ALL day!
• Hearing from an old friend through good old fashioned "snail mail". What a treat to get a "real" letter from a friend, just because she was thinking of me!
• A special gift bag of goodies with creative notes from one of my students. For example, I received an Amazon gift card with a note about what an AMAZing teacher I am. (This was just one of multiple notes.) How wonderful to be appreciated!
• Family blessings! I am forever thankful for the family that God blessed me with!
• Faith! A good friend lost her father last week. It reminded me of the loss of my parents. My faith reminds me that I will see them again some day.

Many blessings and Happy Thanksgiving! 

Days 332 - 352

November 1 - Mindful Spending

The price of  anything is the amount of life you exchange for it.

A topic I've rarely addressed in this blog is that of money. I feel like I'm financially in an okay situation, but deep down I know I could be in a much better place. Not one to like following a budget or deprive myself, I tend to have a recurring habit of trying to earn extra money when things get tight. I've done numerous direct sales adventures over the years, many of which were prompted by my need (or want) for money. (Yes - you can make money in direct sales, although I have yet to make the "big" money.) Many of my direct sales business ventures I've truly enjoyed and they really didn't seem like extra "work". But regardless of my level of enjoyment and extra income, there was one thing I was giving up - TIME! Eventually, because of the time commitment it took to do a good job, I'd quit my business or stay minimally active. 

Today, finding myself a few months before Christmas, I have found myself researching the internet for new "opportunities" and thinking about becoming more active in the few I'm still involved with. Then I asked myself - "If I were more mindful about money, would this be necessary?"

What does it really mean to spend mindfully? I like the definition I found from this blog post:

Mindfully spending your time and money means pausing to consider the impact of each expenditure on you, your life and the lives and environments of those around you.

Do I really do this? Since I can look over my expenditures at different stores and not even remember what I purchased, I'd have to say "No!" In order to spend more mindfully and in a manner that is consistent with my priorities, I am challenging myself to ask the following questions before spending money.

Why am I buying this ...?

Is this something I could live without?

Am I replacing something with this purchase? If not, do I really NEED it?

Can I make it myself?

The bottom line, we need to all remember  - Why before Buy!

 

Days 317-331

October 17 - Quiet Your Mind

"Overthinking will destroy your mood. Breathe and let it go."

I have written before about how living mindfully is sometimes a struggle for me. I have a very busy mind that seems to go constantly. I analyze things (often over analyze), plan ahead, and am barraged by my own thoughts. As an example, I want to lose weight. I've probably read the pros and cons of 90% of the diets out there...and there are a lot of diets to choose from. Working with my counselor, she suggested I quit thinking (something she said she rarely tells her clients) and "let it go and just do". My instructions were that when thinking about having a snack, instead of thinking about how many calories, which is the healthier choice, should I avoid dairy, etc., she suggested to stop - and breathe. Square breathing...(breathe in to the count of four, hold for the count of four, exhale for the count of four, rest for the count of four)... was her recommendation. And guess what? It seems to be working!

A good analogy that I read in an article here, said that when you focus on your thinking, your mind is like an electric fan with thoughts blowing everywhere. When you focus on your breathing  however, thoughts can come and go like clouds across a sky. “You can look at them, realize they are just thoughts, and let them go,” says Victor Davich, author 8-Minute Meditation: Quiet Your Mind, Change Your Life. I found that I was thinking so much about which diet or eating plan was the best, my thoughts were constantly on food. Now I just breathe until my  thoughts are quieted.

This technique could apply to other things that get my mind over thinking. With information at our finger tips now, it is easy to bombard our self, putting our thoughts in constant motion. So again - as been the theme of this blog - stop and be in the moment! Just breathe!

Days 299 - 316

October 1 - Flow

"Grow with your inner flow."

I have been listening to an audio book entitled "The Craving Mind". It has been very interesting to me as the essence of the book is about overcoming addictions and bad habits by being mindful. I have previously posted about mindful eating and some strategies to help with that. For me, this has been an ongoing struggle.

There is a section in the book about flow, which is essentially "being in the zone". We all have experienced flow. When you are so involved in something you look up from what you are doing and wonder where the time has gone, that is flow. Flow, like many things, if taken to far can also be addictive. For example, if someone continually puts them self into a harmful situation because of thrill or rush. Many other elements of flow are similar to meditation, which is a great mindfulness technique. According to the author of "The Craving Mind", the aspects of meditation that are similar to flow are "Concentration focused and grounded in the present moment. Subjective experience of a continuously unfolding 'present' moment. Intrinsic reward."

Practicing mindfulness helps to generate flow experiences directly.Here’s what you experience when you’re in a state of flow:

• You feel at one with the world. 
• You let go of your worries and problems. 
• You’re completely focused.
• You feel very satisfied with what you’re doing. 
• You’re happy, although you don’t really notice it at the time because you’re so engrossed in whatever you’re doing. 

By knowing when you’ve been in flow, you can encourage more opportunities to experience it in the future.

What activities do you engage in where you experience flow? (Examples - reading, exercising, drawing, playing an instrument, etc.) .

Days 288 - 298