Learning to Love Recess
My mother was a very loving and generous Christian woman. She was also a very hard worker. To me it seemed like she worked all of the time. I remember asking her on various occasions, “Mother, don’t you think you need to rest?” Her usual reply was, “I will rest when I get to heaven!” […]
The Joy of Being a Lifelong Learner
It’s September and I feel excited. Ever since first grade, I’ve looked forward to September because that meant I could go back to school and learn something new. I’m a lifelong learner; the opportunity to learn something new still brings me joy. To find out this summer that one of my young grandchildren’s motivation for […]
Sometimes, I Must Stop . . .
Sometimes, I must stop Or I won’t win the race; When I’m exhausted I must give myself grace— Move away from my work, Sit down in my chair, Look up at the sky, And breathe some fresh air. I can not continually work! God doesn’t call me to that. There were times in his […]
Balancing Structure and Spontaneity
So far, this summer, we’ve had mostly rainy weather. I’m not complaining, though, because winter lasts a long time in the North Country. My husband jokes that we have two seasons–winter and the 4th of July. I prefer rain to sleet and snow. We had sunshine on July 4th and for most of the following week. […]
Freedom From the Fear of Aging
A friend, whom I’d known since my teen-age years, recently died. The fact that she was so close to my age made me face that the fact that my mortal body is aging. To be honest, I avoid looking at pictures which show the effects of aging. These pictures stir up fear. I prefer to think that […]
Sometimes I Walk in the Light . . .
Yesterday, I spent a few hours with a sweet friend of mine. This friend is not highly educated; she is much younger than I am; and by some people she might be considered”disabled.” But I enjoy her company. She’s very creative, emotionally and spiritually sensitive, courageous, and delightfully “real.” She’s also very generous, eager […]
Seven R’s of Restful Living: Rejoice with Your Friends
Sisters can be good friends In a few days, we will be celebrating a national holiday—the 4th of July. Although there are many problems in this country, we have many freedoms and an abundance of resources. I’m thankful for all of them. I’m in favor of celebrations! The ability and the decision to rejoice (be […]
Seven R’s of Restful Living: Rid Yourself of Clutter
This is the sixth post in my seven week series on restful living; and, for me, it’s a challenging task. Getting rid of clutter is harder than I expected it would be. I’m beginning to understand why it’s not the first step toward restful living. In order to accomplish this task, I’ve discovered that […]
Seven R’s of Restful Living: Reduce Commitments
To celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary, John and I took four days off and traveled to Pennsylvania. We spent a day at Longwood Gardens (the largest botanical gardens in the United States, enjoying the immense variety of trees and flowers. Our spirits were inspired by the beauty of creation. We made new friends at a fantastic B […]
Seven R’s of Restful Living: Resist Resentment
I procrastinated writing this post. I did not want to admit, after writing two chapters in Emotional Freedom on how to identify resentment and replace it with joy, that I still struggle with it. This means that now I know how to identify resentment and how to resist it. I don’t feel helpless and remain stuck in it. As […]