*Please note I am attempting to publish this on my phone - I am without Wi-Fi and my laptop due to being with my son in the hospital - hopefully this works!*
“Every situation in life is temporary. So when life is good, make sure you enjoy and receive it fully. And when life is not so good, remember that it will not last forever and better days are on the way…”
Life is literally a moment by moment experience. We travel through our days, some of which are mundane while others are very eventful. I have reflected on that idea in the past in my newsletter essays, particularly those entitled Riding the Waves, Attitude of Gratitude and Blessings in Disguise.
Being able to embrace the positive can be a struggle for me. My mother was someone who used to remind me to always think of my blessings, especially when times were challenging.
I remember once in a phone conversation, she could tell I was down and she immediately said, after I had listed my “complaints”, “Well Sheila, don’t forget your blessings…what are they?”
And I proceeded to stop, refocus and reframe my thoughts - creating a list of what I was grateful for and ending it with the words, “...and I am blessed.”
My morning prayers begin with the words, “Thank you Lord for this day and for all my blessings…” and I can thank my mother’s positive influence for that daily ritual.
Studies have shown that saying positive affirmations and prayers aloud can really be helpful in lessening anxiety and in reducing stress.. Just think if you ended every thought with those words, “....and I am blessed…”
How would your outlook change? Even if it is only a slight change in a positive direction, wouldn’t that be great?
It is easy to get distracted in today’s world by the negativity that seems to surround us, especially in the media, both social and information-based. But perhaps making a list, either verbally or in writing, could help to change that negative “loop” that can seem to play over and over in our heads.
I recently came across a resource from my work at church. It is called Sanctuary Mental Health Ministries and they shared something called a “breath prayer”.
“The following prayer is a breath prayer. As defined in The Sanctuary Course, “breath prayers are prayers that can be spoken in a single breath. The practice of praying in this way dates back to the third and fourth century, when people sought to fulfill the command to ‘pray without ceasing’ (1 Thessalonians 5:17, NRSV). Today, many Christians engage in breath prayers to quiet the heart and mind, and to connect with God in moments of anxiety or grief.”
Inhale
Though it feels like I am alone now God,
Exhale
I thank you that you are with me.
Inhale
Help me to hear
Exhale
Your voice from the beyond
Inhale
Help me to see
Exhale
Your creation, in its beauty all around us
Inhale
Help me to feel
Exhale
Your warm presence and comfort
Amen.
There are no easy answers when it comes to the challenges life can hand us and I am by no means trying to trivialize those challenges.
However, when we strive to recognize our blessings, life can seem more complete…more beautiful…
So here it goes…Thank you God for this day and for all of my blessings…Today as I sit in a hospital room in Rochester, MN, I am thankful…for the care my son is getting at one of the best hospitals in the world. I am thankful for the support of my wonderful family and friends, for my job and the flexibility it gives me during circumstances like this, for the prayers that are coming from people who know my son well and from those who have never met him, for the doctors, nurses and support staff at Mayo who are helping us find answers to our questions, for the kindness of strangers, the patience of people I come across as I travel unfamiliar roads, for my son’s positive attitude, for the hope that a new day brings…
…and I am blessed…
What do you think?
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For information about why I started this newsletter, please go to the about section.
Tranquil Moments…
I asked my niece, Jennifer Malphy, if she could share some of her nature photos with my newsletter audience. Each week I will feature a new photo. Here is this week’s:
This week’s Smile video…
Most 8-year-old boys don't get dressed to the nines. But James Ramage of Chelsea, Maine, loves to dress for third-grade success. Steve Hartman has his story in "On the Road."
#believe #smilevideos #spreadkindnessandlove
And that’s a good thing…
The power of music, and love, was on full display last week when Coldplay brought Michael J. Fox on stage to join them in the song Fix You. One fan wrote, “This is what the human race was meant to look like... No hate... No racism... No homophobia... No prejudice... Just everyone coming together as one... Nothing but love…”
…and that’s a good thing…
What I am watching…
This week I wanted to watch something that made me laugh and the movie Queen Bees, on Netflix, was just the movie I was looking for...
While her house undergoes repairs, fiercely independent senior, Helen, temporarily moves into a nearby retirement community, where she encounters a cast of characters including lusty widows, cutthroat bridge tournament players and a hotbed of bullying "mean girls."
I loved how the main character, Helen, who is played by Ellen Burstyn, shares inspirational quotes with her grandson throughout the story. Their relationship was especially sweet.
The cast is an all-star group and even if the plot is a little predictable, it was still fun to watch.
What I am reading…
This week I am revisiting the book Wisdom of the Ages by Wayne Dyer, one of my favorite authors.
The Amazon description is as follows: “What do our ancestral scholars, whom we consider the wisest and most spiritually advanced, have to say to us today?" asks Dyer. The answer lies in this powerful collection of writings, poems, and sayings by some of the greatest thinkers of the past twenty-five centuries.
In succinct original essays, Dyer sets out to explain the meaning and context of each piece of wisdom, and, most important, to explain how we can actively apply these teachings to our modern lives. From sixty ancestral masters – Buddha, Michelangelo, Rumi, Whitman, Jesus, Emily Dickinson, and Emerson, among others – here are treasured passages on a variety of subjects, including solitude, time, and passion. Among the contributions are words of inspiration from Pantanjali, author of the Hindu classic Yoga Sutras; teachings about the power of prayer from 13th-century monk St. Francis of Assisi; and thoughts about the importance of action written by Mother Teresa.
The voices collected here cut across a wide range of historical eras and cultures, yet they communicate universal truths about the human experience. Wisdom of the Ages provides us with a marvelous dual opportunity: to receive guidance from our great ancestors and to recognize our own potential for greatness.”
I lent my mother my copy of this book and her label is still on the cover. This was a good book to start re-reading and rediscovering… yet another treasure amongst my personal library.
This week’s Substack share…
I love the Substack by Susan Cain entitled The Quiet Life with Susan Cain. Several years ago I started reading Susan Cain’s books on the power of introversion and I have watched her TED Talk from 2012, which is very inspirational.
Her about page describes her newsletter as follows:
Here’s how I hope your life will be different, after a year in the Quiet Life community. You will:
Love yourself (and therefore others) more
Feel more comfortable in your own skin
Have made progress on your creative projects and dreams – and found a place to share them!
Have found a warm and supportive collection of kindred spirits
Know a lot more about art, poetry, psychology, spirituality, and wellbeing, than you did when you started
Have adopted habits to help you elevate your mood and get you more attuned to joy, beauty and transcendence
Have discovered and learned to use *your* particular superpowers
Learned to thrive as your true self
Be physically and emotionally healthier
Have developed a loving relationship with your childhood self, in a way that empowers your adult self
Mind/Body connections…
Here is an easy 7 Minute Qigong practice that you can use daily to invigorate and wake up your body and mind!
These short routines are also a daily reminder to just stop, be Present, and be healthy. Sometimes we just need a little time and attention for ourselves.
Comedy Lift…
I love to share funny cartoons or memes with friends and family. Who doesn’t need to smile? Here’s this week’s Comedy Lift…
Music Moments
Music inspires me in many ways. Here’s Viva La Vida by Coldplay..Enjoy!
Quote of the week
Until next week. Please remember…Begin and end each day with a grateful heart…and always, always be kind….