The Thankful Challenge – Recurring Themes P2

A 365 day challenge to focus on being thankful! – Week 4, Post 2

On Monday, I wrote about a recurring theme that had been weaving in and out of my daily life for quite a while, yet I chose to ignore it. I have learned my lesson and know if I see something popping up over and over again, I need to take notice. Since the start of this new year I’ve seen the words “mercy” and “grace” repeated over and over again. When I was a kid, I always heard the two words lumped together “grace and mercy”or “mercy and grace”. I honestly always thought they meant basically the same thing.

When I started hearing those two words on repeat I thought I better take heed. Grace and mercy showed up in the message at church on Sunday, my morning study, several videos, as well as a few readings. I wasn’t even searching for those specific words, they were just there. Someone was trying to get my attention. The alarms were going off, “DO NOT IGNORE!”

From my morning study, The Bible Recap withTara Leigh Cobble, TLC gives a great definition of these two words. “Mercy is when you don’t get what you deserve… Grace is when you get what you don’t deserve.” At first it was a little hard to wrap my head around these two definition. The words for both definitions are so similar, however, when the words are slightly reordered, grace and mercy convey opposite meanings. While Tara Leigh Cobble is referring to the words as they relate to our relationship with God, it is important to note that we can extend grace and mercy to each other. Heaven knows I need all the grace and mercy I can get.

As an imperfect human, I mess up…a lot. I don’t start my day thinking about all the mistakes I will make in the day. I do my best to be the kindest, most honest person I can be but sometimes my humanness gets the better of me. If I get frustrated, sometimes I may say something I really didn’t want to say. When I was a kid, my Mom always said (mostly in reference to the interactions between us siblings), “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” I still try to live by that standard but sometimes the little soldier standing guard over my words takes a little power nap and out flies something that should have never been given breath.

If a friend, hearing those words, chooses to reprimand me, they have every right to do so. However, if they choose not to reprimand me, they have shown mercy. They didn’t give me the “what for”, which was probably well deserved. In contrast, if they choose to buy me some tea (I don’t drink coffee) and help me work through my frustrations, they have extended grace. I don’t deserve the tea or their company but they are being very gracious. My friend exercised mercy because instead of giving me what I deserved, a stern talking to, my friend chose grace, and gave me time with them and some thirst quenching sweet tea. As a southern girl, there isn’t much a cold glass of sweet tea and good conversation cannot fix.

Like a southern girl and sweet tea, it’s almost hard to have mercy without grace. While the words have opposite meanings, they go hand in hand, a positive partnership. I am so thankful for the mercy and grace partnership extended to me on a daily basis. I know I do nothing to deserve the grace and am on the receiving end of endless mercy. I want to make sure I extend that same mercy and grace to others because we have a legacy of mercy and grace. Christ showered us with the ultimate mercy and grace at the cross.

The Thankful Challenge – Recurring Themes P1

A 365 Day Challenge to focus on being thankful. Week 4 – Day 1

Do you ever have those moments where the same phrases or ideas keep appearing in your life? You are not looking for them, they just keep showing up. Whether it’s a speaker at a conference, your daily devotion, reading a friend’s social media post (cheesy or otherwise), or maybe it’s just an inspirational poster on the wall (Hang in there Kitty!), those recurring moments keep coming around again. It’s almost like a kid on a carousel, waving every time they round the bend to make sure you notice them. If you are looking away or not paying attention even for a moment, you may miss the kid on the carousel, you may miss the recurring theme.

Sometimes it takes me a little longer to recognize the recurring theme. Other times I think I am blocking it out, especially if it is something that makes me uncomfortable or makes me look a little too hard at my current place in life. Often I think those recurring themes are intentionally calling me out waving as me as if to say, “Pay attention!” with flashing red arrows and fireworks in the background.

The last few years (yes years) one recurring theme kept showing up over and over again. At first I ignored it and “wrote” it off as coincidence but the recurring writing theme, that kid on the carousel, kept on waving! “What if you can write a book in a month?” “Why do you hesitate on what brings you joy?” “Face your fears!” Then as I was working through one of my daily readings and the accompanying video, I heard, “How many books are buried because people were afraid to share their writing.” That one hit me to the core. I am not planning on “going anywhere” anytime soon but it shook me.

The recurring writing theme finally shone like the sun, impossible to ignore. The kid on the carousel finally seemed to be making some headway. While I had been cataloging all the reasons why I couldn’t write or shouldn’t write, I was also subconsciously compiling a list of reasons why I should write. I don’t have time to write/I’m sure you can carve out some time each day. What if people won’t read it/but what if they do. I haven’t really written anything in over 3 years/there is no time like the present. It was a strange struggle. A battle royale in my brain and I wasn’t entirely sure which side was winning…until finally, the word “WRITE” was emblazoned on my mind.

I could not ignore it any more. The “prose” finally outweighed the cons. The dizzying carousel ride had come to an end and the frantically waving (and now motion sick) carousel kid was thinking to themselves, “Finally! She listened.” Sorry it took me so long, kid. I am thankful that, even though I was stubborn and didn’t pay attention as well as I should have, the kid on the carousel kept on waving. I am thankful for those recurring themes that won’t let go, those divine interjections into my life that keep making themselves known. Thank you for not giving up on me.

The Thankful Challenge – Tomorrow Morning

A 365 day challenge to focus on being thankful. Week 3 – The One and Only Day

Well here I am, 24 minutes left on this Saturday night with two unfinished posts and rushing to write something, anything, so the week does not go without at least one post. Sometimes it’s like that. I have so many things to be thankful for but I have a hard time putting them into words. This week, I was trying to force my ideas onto the page but the words would not come. If the words did find their way onto the page, they were jumbled and not making any sense.

This week, I was distracted with some things at work, I was having a hard time focusing, and my procrastination was getting the better of me. It was the perfect storm to work against my best intentions of productivity. I apologize I have been slack on my posts this week. Hopefully the two unfinished drafts from earlier will give me a leg up to start this next week!

Tomorrow morning is going to arrive without any repercussions for my inability to produce a post this week. Tomorrow doesn’t care one bit about what I did or didn’t do the day before, the week before, or the month before. Tomorrow isn’t going to judge me for how productive or unproductive I was.

In the morning, the sun lights up the sky as if to say, “Join me! Don’t let the day escape you! You can do this!” And you know what? I will try. But if I still don’t have the most productive day the Son will offer the same encouragement the following day and the day after that.

So tonight, I am thankful for all the tomorrow mornings that bring with them a renewal, a chance to try again, and the opportunity to see what the day will bring. Each morning brings with it another day to focus on all the reasons I have to be thankful. I hope you find the same renewal with each sunrise.

If you have a moment, please let me know about your favorite part of morning. I would love to hear from you!

The Thankful Challenge – The Calendar

A 365 day challenge to focus on being thankful. Week 3, Day 1

Photo by Jess Bailey Designs on Pexels.com

I love this time of year. It seems everything is shiny and new and everyone has a fresh start as they open their new calendar. Nothing is written on the calendar. It is not busied up with pencil marks or all the tasks you have to do for any particular day, week, or month. The calendar is a blank slate waiting for you to write those notes and appointments as if to say, “This is my destiny”. Ok, ok, that might be a little dramatic. Let me try again. You get to write the first markings on the calendar telling you where you are destined to be on any given day. You are literally writing your future! Alright, still a little dramatic but that’s just how I’m feeling right now.

If you are a digital calendar person, you scroll to your new calendar or click on your calendar app. I understand that as well. My daughter keeps me up to date on her schedule as we share a digital calendar. I enjoy seeing the little notifications pop up when she adds something to the calendar. Clicking the accept button on her notifications brings me joy. It makes me happy that she is keeping me in the loop and that she wants me in the loop.

The new year brings with it so many new opportunities. Even if it doesn’t really bring all these new opportunities, there is the illusion that new opportunities are there. “New Year, New You!” If I had a dollar for every time I heard that in an advertisement recently…I’d have like 10 dollars. (That’s one of my hubby’s jokes.) But really, I’ve heard that saying so much I think I’m beginning to believe it myself. What if I can be a “new me”? What if I can write this blog and be considered an actual writer in this new year? What if I can start a vlog to go along with my blog? I’ve been thinking about it for a while but for some reason a switch flipped when this year rolled around and I’m so excited to get this journey started. Truly, I am still my same self from December 31 to January 1 to now but the promise of great things in the new year has me all excited and it all started with the flip of the calendar.

Is it trivial to be thankful for and excited about flipping through the pages of the calendar and checking off accomplishments as I go? Maybe…but I am! This year, I want to write down and check off so many things as the pages of the calendar flip from week to week and month to month. What can I accomplish this year? Will I have enough time to do everything I have planned? Will I ever get my desk cleaned off so I can actually write at my desk? And how can my handy dandy calendar get the assist? First note in my calendar…clean off my desk! Dear Calendar, Thanks for the reminder.

The Thankful Challenge – The Storm

A 365 day challenge to focus on being thankful. – Week 2, Day 3…and 4

Do you ever have those moments when you know the proverbial storm is coming and you think you are prepared but it turns out you just kinda weren’t? Well on Tuesday there was no proverbial about the storm that hit our area and I was definitely not prepared. Yes, the local weather stations had been predicting the impact of the storm would be rough but I didn’t expect it to be quite so bad. I thought there might be some sensationalizing about the storm. (It happens sometimes.) Turns out there was no sensationalizing. The meteorologists were spot on this time.

It was drizzling all morning and the winds were steadily picking up as the day meandered on. Eventually the rain decided to show itself in a big way and was coming down in sheets (and sideways) but it seemed the heavy rain moved on pretty quickly. Then the winds blustered and gusted their way into the evening hours. The wind was blowing so it was changing the pressure in the house. Doors were closing on their own and the windows were shifting in their casings. It was unsettling.

We have A LOT of trees in our yard which is always cause for concern when we hear “high winds” in the forecast. The trees were creaking and the wind was howling. If you’ve never heard a tree creak, the sound is very eery. It’s like the creak of the floors before a jump scare in the movies. You hear the creaking and hold your breath until you hear the crack of a limb or the thump of a giant branch on the roof. If you are fortunate, you hear nothing. The dread is there in the back of your mind, cautiously waiting for a limb to come crashing through the window (which has happened before on an otherwise calm day). Wind gusts were up to 55 mph and the trees were moaning and straining with every gust.

Night fell and the lights were still on. I thought we were going to be lucky this time, escaping this storm with only a tiny little leak in the roof and some branches to clean up in the yard. Then it happened, the lights flickered, on, off, on, off, on, then blackness. SERIOUSLY!?! I thought the storm was on its way out and we were home free. My daughter and I stood in blackness on the stairs waiting and hoping it was just a little blip and the power would be back on momentarily. No such luck. Time to find the flashlights.

We looked at the power outage maps and the number of people without power kept growing and growing into the thousands. There were people without power all around us. People, just like us, going to their lantern and flashlight stashes so they could find their way around in the night. Understandably, the power company was not sending anyone out to work on the lines until the storm had passed. Thankfully, it was approaching bedtime so we decided to turn in early. Surely the power would be back on when the sun came up.

The wind was blustery through the night and eventually the storm passed a few hours before the sun decided to show its face. The bright, still a little breezy, morning was a welcome sight but no power. This was going to present some challenges for the moring. We are beholden to our well and our well pump to supply water to our house. When the power goes out…so does our water. Take a moment to think about all the things we do with water every day. Yeah…if you know you know. There was no flushing, hand washing, or showering. We usually fill the tubs with water so we can at least take care of the essentials but this time I was scoffing at the storm and did not have any back up water supplies other than a few water bottles. It was turning into a bit of a mess. I did have baby wipes though. I ALWAYS have baby wipes. They can be useful in many different ways, this time more than most.

We took another gander at the outage maps and it looked like the number of people without power was dwindling all around us. Surely we were next. We all took our shower things and a change of clothes to school or to the gym to take advantage of water elsewhere just in case. I was at the gym when one of the neighbors told me the power had returned. Thank goodness!

I know this doesn’t sound much like a thankful post so far but I am very thankful. First, I know we were fortunate only to lose power in the storm. The other inconveniences turned out to be just that, inconveniences. Once the power was back on those problems were in the rear view mirror. That was not the case for others. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of those that had more damage and injury.

I am thankful for the people from the power company that worked tirelessly to bring the power back to the thousands of people. I think we were some of the last in our area to get our power back and we were still only without power for about 17 hours. Truly incredible that everyone’s lights were back on so quickly. The lineman have skills beyond skills to do what they do with high voltage wires while high off the ground!

I am thankful for my husband bringing my daughter and I dinner because we had not eaten yet when the power went out. I’m also thankful he arrived home safely from his work meeting. The neighbor that checked on us to make sure we were warm enough and had what we needed is amazing and the best neighbor! I am so thankful for her!

Sometimes it is hard to see the silver lining or to look for the bright spots in our days when they are not going the way we planned. My goal for this year and for this “Thankful Challenge” is to do just that. Look for the happy coincidences. Find the sunny side when things aren’t going my way. Cherish the moments when things are going my way. Find as many ways to be thankful as possible. What are you thankful for today?

The Thankful Challenge -Reconnecting with Friends

A 365 day challenge to focus on being thankful – Week 2, Day 1

Well, I made it through last week with my posts…sort of. I started this challenge on a whim without much preparation so I am working it out as I go along. I learned a lot from last week and I am certain I will learn even more with every passing week. Aren’t we all a work in progress anyway? Moving forward I will plan for 5 posts per week and I’m toying with the idea of adding a weekly video as well. Crazy, I know. I’m not entirely sure what has a gotten into me. This time, I did think about the vlog a little bit before I put it out in the world. (A whole couple of days at least.) I haven’t committed to the vlog yet but I would appreciate your feedback. What do you think about a weekly video to go along with “The Thankful Challenge”?

I started another thankful post for today but I wanted to clean it up before posting. It was another one of my midnight musings and a bit of a mess. I think it will actually take more time to fix the other post than it will to write this entire post. Sometimes my brain just needs a fresh start. Regrouping!

**Reconnecting with Friends**

Recently I joined my old gym again. (Not a New Year’s resolution kind of thing. Although I know the timing is suspect.) I’d been a member at this gym since just after the branch opened. When a certain pandemic (that shall remain nameless) descended on us, we dropped our membership and joined the thousands of others setting up home gyms with weights, bands, and a spin bike. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the convenience of having equipment at home and the spin bike was/is pretty fantastic. It was a good way to get through the quarantine especially for my kids when the school gym was not accessible. I didn’t realize it at first because we were all so secluded, everyone was staying at home, and we were all hyper focused on staying healthy. I didn’t really expect to see anyone. As time went on though, I realized how much I really missed my friends. (However, I did selfishly love having my kids at home with me all the time.)

As we were emerging out from under the giant shadow of the pandemic and life was sort of getting back to normal, I decided to try joining a gym again. I tried a different gym because it was a little cheaper and I wasn’t sure I how much I would be able to go. It was fine for what it was but there was still something missing. I decided it was time to leave that gym and go back to the place where I knew I would fit right in.

Last week I walked in the front doors of the gym that was my home for at least 10 years before the pandemic forced me to leave. Walking in those front doors felt like home. So many of the people I knew from before were still working there and they greeted me and welcomed me in. I got to see some of my friends from the gym and each day I go to workout I see another person I knew from before. I didn’t realize how much I missed those connections until I was able to reconnect. Even though it has only been a week, I am so happy to be home.

Today I got to see some of the fabulous women from my workout group. Those happy meetings made for a wonderful start to my morning. The women I used to workout with were always such a positive group of women. Never any judgement just an incredible support system as we all moved along our fitness journeys. I hope as the days go on, I am able to reconnect with more and more of the women who helped me through some of the toughest times and cheered with me through the best of times.

I cherish those friendships and I regret losing touch when everything went haywire a few years ago. I am so thankful I now have the chance to reconnect with my friends from my gym community, my peeps.

The Thankful Challenge – Day 5

A 365 day challenge to focus on being thankful.

Ok, I made it to day 5. Woohoo! I know it seems silly to celebrate such a tiny milestone but we have to celebrate the little victories along with the big. Some baby steps that will hopefully lead to leaps and bounds.

Yesterday I wrote about Mom. Today I think it is only fitting to follow it up with a thankful post about Dad. I’m so thankful I had two wonderful parents who loved me and always wanted the best for me. I know that is not always the case for everyone. Dad is no longer with us but there was never a dull moment when he was around.

There are so many anecdotes and stories about Dad, it’s hard to narrow it down. I will say that he provided for us and worked insanely hard to make sure we had everything we ever needed as well as some things we didn’t necessarily need. He loved to travel and wanted to make sure we had experiences that would last a lifetime. We had some really entertaining and adventurous family trips, all in our Econoline high top van. Dad loved loading up and jumping in that van for an outing. I can still see him sitting up in the drivers seat, whistling along, as we headed down the highway. We listened to the Kingston Trio A LOT. It was one of his favorite bands. I still listen to the Kingston Trio because of Dad. Listening to his music also helps me remember some of the very vivid memories I have of my Dad.

When I was a kid Dad loved playing in the ocean with us. I don’t know how many hours he spent holding onto me while I floated on rafts in the ocean. I was a little nervous about the fish and, in full disclosure, the seaweed. I would lose my mind when the seaweed brushed across my legs and would go running for the raft. I spent hours on those blue and red rafts (if you are a 70’s/80’s baby you know the ones I’m talking about). Dad held onto that raft and never made me feel silly for being a little afraid of the ocean critters and things drifting in the water. My brothers and I always had the best time in the ocean with Dad. He transferred his love of the ocean to me and to my kids as well. It is my happy place and I always feel a little closer to Dad on the beach.

On a side note, I was looking for a picture of the blue and red rafts to add to this post. I saw one of the rafts marked “vintage” and now I feel old. It was also for sale for $59.99. What in the world!? I don’t even know how someone owns a raft from that long ago that survived this long. We went through those rafts like fish went through the water and they were only about $5 each. The new $59.99 price…must be a victim of “inflation”.

Even though Dad has gone on to Heaven, his memory is still very much alive here on Earth. When we get together as a family, there is always some fun story of Dad that finds its way into the conversation. The Dad stories are the best and always get us laughing. I think about him every day and miss him terribly, but more than that, I am so thankful that he was my Dad!

The Thankful Challenge – Day 3

A 365 day challenge to focus on being thankful.

Well folks, so far I have yet to make a post or really start writing a post before 10pm. Suffice it to say, I have not quite figured out how to work this into my schedule. I hope I can eventually shift to writing the blog before 10am but so far this is what we have. I came into this year long blog making a snap decision to start this challenge and didn’t give it too much thought. The one thing I did realize…if I started overthinking this thing I would never start it. That means I would never start writing. I thought If I start with little blurbs to dust off my keyboard and strengthen my typing fingers, I could build it into something more.

An interesting and encouraging thing has been happening in these first few days. Some people have read the first two posts and have offered positive feedback. Others are asking me how the New Year is going and if I’ve made any resolutions. While I don’t consider this a New Year’s resolution (people rarely keep their resolutions), I do share my Thankful challenge idea with them. Everyone’s reaction has been so encouraging and some have told me they want to start the thankful challenge with me. How exciting! I do hope more will join in with the challenge!

So today, for Day 3, I am so thankful for all the encouragement and positive feedback I’ve received in the first couple of days. It helps me realize I am actually doing the “write” thing. (Tee hee! See what I did there?)

Ok I better go to bed. So far I’ve fallen asleep with my finger on the eeeeeeeeeeeeeee and the nnnnnnnnnnn. Now I just need a ddddddddddd to make it to the eeeennndddd of this post! See you on Day 4.

The Thankful Challenge – Day 1

A 365 day challenge to focus on being thankful.

This morning while I was in the middle of my devotion, there was a focus on being thankful. As I stepped through the different focuses outlined for me, it occurred to me that I have become forgetful to be thankful. I’m not sure what happened over the last few years to pull me away from my generally positive, thankful, bright side personality but I decided this morning (yes this morning) that I needed to make a change in 2024. Was it a snap decision? Absolutely! Although, I do want to focus more on writing this year. What better way to get started than with a thankful focus? I know a lot of people pick certain months out of the year to be thankful (especially November for some reason) but I thought to myself, “What if I take on the whole year?”. Could this be a life altering experience? Quite possibly. Am I biting off more than I can chew? Probably. Will I succeed? Who knows? Is it worth a try? Most definitely!

So here is the first post of (hopefully) many to get this year started. What am I thankful for today? It is hard to figure out where to start. What is the best first thankful post for 2024? As the clock ticks down toward the end of this day, I probably need to go ahead and figure it out so I am not behind before I even get started. I’ve been thinking about this all day, and it turns out I truly have many reasons to be thankful, big and little reasons, funny and serious, joyful and grace filled. I’m not sure if it makes sense but I’ve also been thankful in sadness. So to get the year started, is it cheating to say I am thankful I have so many things to be thankful for? Seriously! I tend to focus on the big things but as I was thinking through it today, there are so many little things out there as well. I cannot expand too much on it because, well, I need to be able to keep this up for 364 more days. If I write about everything now, what will there be to write about the other days this year? So for now, I am thankful I can be thankful. Short and sweet, but very true.

If anyone wants to join me in this challenge or just wants to chime in from time to time, please leave a comment. I would love to hear from you.

PS: I’m especially thankful I was able to figure out my login for WordPress. It’s been a while (read: years) since my last post and the struggle was real! My thankful quest was almost over before it began.

andthisreallyhappened

True stories to inspire you, make you laugh and let you know you're not alone.

Tag: new year