Month: November 2020

How Can You Be Thankful In A Pandemic?

How can you be thankful in a pandemic? That is a good question. Why is it a good question? Because thankfulness is an essential quality that helps one to persevere in tough times.

Living life in everyday situations can be difficult on a normal basis but throw a pandemic with a virus of strange origin, unable to view and tell when and how it is transmitted caused incalculable anxiety, fear and uncertainty.

So then why should we be thankful. Thankfulness is an attitude of gratitude. No matter how bad life gets and for some it has been extremely bad but somehow and some way there is something to be grateful for. Gratitude lifts our spirit and brings emotional wellbeing.

Even if you are not a child of God being thankful is beneficial for your wellbeing and mental health. By now if you have been following or read a few of my blog posts you recognize I am a Christian and love God. His word tells us to be thankful for and to God. I practice thankfulness daily. I say please and thank you because I genuinely appreciate when someone does something for me. I choose to be thankful and so can you.

Perhaps your struggling with the many difficult restrictions since the pandemic started as is everyone. Pick one thing to be thankful for and express it. You can write it out, express it to God and others not just on Thanksgiving but every day. I am thankful for a lot of different things. My husband came through a difficult surgery it had complications and he was in ICU for many days, but God provided throughout that time and I am so thankful for the prayers and encouragement we received.

I am thankful for the grace to do everything I need to do as my husband recuperates and for the time we get to spend together. I am also thankful for my family and friends I have great friends and family that I so appreciate their love and kindness. My church family is also something I am thankful for. I could go on and on, but you get the picture by now.

I could list all our troubles and setbacks but that only produces more stress and anxiety and truthfully every day holds a new day of challenges, but God also supplies daily mercy and grace. So why focus on the challenges or troubles. I am sensible I know and express my emotions and process hurts but I choose to let go of what I cannot solve or fix. How do I do it through processing and surrendering to God. I trust God to work out my problems and supply solutions when and where I need them.

Choosing to be thankful for the little and important things will help you through this pandemic and throughout life.

How to be a Kinder You…

What is kindness? It is a simple question but is it experienced by you daily? According to the dictionary kindness means “the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate.” This month is Thanksgiving in the United States and so often we focus on what we are thankful for. But would it not be better to be somebody is thankful for. Meaning your act of kindness expressed in a manner that the individual receiving is surprised and thankful for the act of kindness.

I realize this year comes with uncertainty and hardships but we all can end the year 2020 with a ‘kinder you.’ How is kindness expressed? I believe through acts or services that help or bless someone else. Whether it is a random act or a planned act it still has a positive effect on someone. There are many ways to show kindness, such as a card letting someone know you are thinking of them, a phone call, text or message. These are simple but beautiful ways to express acts of kindness.

Handmade or store-bought items can lift a person’s spirit and let them know they are cared for. Another type of kindness can be monetary or services that helps someone in need. In a time of uncertainty people need kindness. I have seen cranky individuals crack a smile when a baby giggles or smiles at them. It is just proof to me that even the hardest of hearts wants somebody to be kind.

Since most of us remain wearing masks it is difficult to see the smiles. But you can smile through your mask and people will sense it. Let’s all be a ‘kinder you’ this season and share kindness wherever you are however you can.

How important is Dreams, Visions and Goals?

How important is a dream or vision to you? Do you have goals that you would like to carry out but aren’t sure how to go about it? Why is vision so important? How do you go about creating and carrying out your goals? These are a few of the questions we will look at.

How important is a dream or vision? It is important because it is the beginning of the dream, vision or goal. You need it to start, continue and finish. The carry out part is the task in the middle that takes you to achieving the dream, vision or goal. That is where commitment, research, work and self-talk brings you through.  

Why is vision so important? I know that had I not had a goal/vision to finish school I would not have completed my doctorate. How do you go on creating and carrying out your goals? First write it down, make it visible for you to see. By doing that you begin to take it from your thoughts to seeing it on paper. I pray over my dreams, visions or goals and ask God to help me. Explore what it would take to achieve your goal and research it, write it out it helps when it comes to developing a plan. Then take a step.

It takes commitment to carry out your goals. It likewise takes challenging work and continuing through even when you do not feel like it. There were times I thought about quitting but I would self-talk myself out of quitting. I would speak life over my work and say to myself I can do this. I had friends who encouraged me along the way too, but had I not encouraged myself I may not have finished.

I never gave myself permission to quit. Just because occasionally I wanted to, I would not let myself stay in a defeated mindset. I believe God’s grace brought me through because occasionally I would think I do not understand what that author is talking about nor did I like their viewpoint. I would need to look up the meaning of words that I could not even pronounce. But I thank God I finished, and I have been using the information to help others.

You too can complete your goals and achieve your dreams. It simply takes commitment, work and healthy self-talk. Say Something positive over your life, confess the word of God over yourself, do not allow yourself permission to quit. When we quit it will produce regret you can make it. If your struggling that is ok its part of the process. We all face struggles in finishing tasks, dreams, and goals.

I would like to encourage you to dream big, then take a step towards making the dream or vision a reality. You can do it!

What is a good relationship?

What does it take to have a good relationship? Whether it is marital, friendship, or family there are some qualities that exist in good relationships.

The first vital quality of a good relationship is honesty. Honesty gives security for any relationship it builds trust. Without honesty trust will be lacking. Without trust there will be no security in the relationship.

The second quality of good relationships is love. Love is a quality not based upon performance but on commitment to the relationship. Commitment is necessary for the relationship to thrive. Commitment is the adhesive in love for relationships.  The bible states in I Corinthians 13:4-8 “What is love it is patient, kind, it is not envious, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others; it is not self-seeking. It is not easily angered; it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth it always protects, it always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”

So, does a good relationship mean there is no disagreements? Absolutely not this means that you are willing to work through them. The third quality of a good relationship is forgiveness. Sometimes we say stuff wrongly or hurt the other person with out realizing it. You work through these situations by asking for forgiveness or giving forgiveness.

The fourth quality of a good relationship is significant communication. A good relationship extends beyond the trivial pleasantries and brings out the conversations of feelings, wants and needs. It is so important to the person to listen to their words and understand their meaning.  If you do not talk clearly what you are thinking, feeling and meaning the other individual will be left with their own interpretation of what you are saying. Never stop the discussion without understanding what the person meant.

The fifth quality of a good relationship is faithfulness. Faithfulness is demonstrated in honoring your word. Faithfulness to your word means you do what you said you would do. Faithfulness also means you are loyal. These are qualities that build trust and security in relationships.

All these qualities of honesty, love, commitment, trust, security, significant communication, forgiveness, and faithfulness develop good relationships. I would inspire you to find ways to grow your relationships with these qualities.

Voting is a privilege

In the United States we have a voting privilege. I call it a privilege because some countries do not. Take the opportunity given to you and vote.

A good report my husband Roger is out of the hospital and doing well. Thank you for all the prayers.

We appreciate you all.