Gratitude Day 294

Tues., July 2, 2019

Acts 24:23 

He then ordered the army officer to keep Paul under guard, but not to lock him up or to stop his friends from helping him.

Remember the days when we used to write checks to pay our bills? At the beginning of a new month, it was sometimes a challenge to remember to write the new month in the date area on the check.

Or in the early days of January, it’s so natural to keep writing last year’s number in the date field of the check.

I feel like I want to still be writing “June” in the date field when we are already into “July.” I feel like it was just a few days ago that I flipped my paper calendar over to June. (Yes, I STILL use a paper calendar. I know. It’s so 2000.) And now, it’s time to switch to July …

Where did June go? And May? (As much as I dislike these platitudes, I’m using them here.)

In light of the month flying by, what are some lessons I learned in June? Glad you asked.

• There are periods of our lives that just get very full. Going into June, I knew that the month was very full. There simply were no days on the entire month’s calendar that were empty. Every day had too many things. When we find ourselves in a period when there are more things going one, we can do a couple things. First, learn to say, “No.” Obviously, I fail at this miserably. BUT I am determined to try and put that word back into my vocabulary. If you feel like me that the days and nights are filled with really, well “good” things, you still need space for down time. To re-group. To recharge your batteries. Ideally, a little space for this every day is best. If this seems challenging, then schedule some personal “Sabbath” time weekly, even if only for 30-60 minutes. Our souls need quiet. Peace. No activity. We cannot be constant human doings. We also need to be human beings.

• When these periods exist in your life, please also make sure your loved ones know they are important to you as well. Too often, Hubby Rick gets my leftovers. And yes, he casually mentioned it recently. This is why going to do something he wanted to do was SO. IMPORTANT. Our loved ones will think, rightfully so, that everyone is more important than they are if we fill our schedules with everything but them. When a loved one says they want time with you, LISTEN. IMMEDIATELY. Ask that they pick something they would like to do with you and gladly say, “Yes” whether it’s your first pick or not. JUST. DO. IT.

• In light of the various activities that I participated in during June, it was fun to see some people that I haven’t seen for years. Participate in activities or groups that I have not a part of for years. Establish new relationships with people or re-establish relationships with folks. Time with these people is SO VALUABLE. When we can’t do it all, there are times when we set aside something for a season. What’s great is when we can reconnect or reenter this situation quickly, even if we’ve been away for a while.

Today, I have a window of time where I plan to look over my July schedule and make some goals and plans. Thankfully, the daily boxes are not nearly as full. Yeah! I want to plan some fun summer things to do, as well as goals for my work and personal life. Failing to make goals and plans means some things will not rise to the top of your priority list. And this is OK. But if there is something you really want to peck away at, it will not happen without advance planning.

I do hope for spontaneous bike rides with Hubby Rick, getting the kayaks into the water with more than grandkids in them and laying on the swings, reading a book or just being with Rick. This is also an important aspect of summer.

Take five minutes. Quickly look or think back to June. What is something you are pleased with that happened? What had you hoped to do … and didn’t even attempt? Now, look at your July calendar. Block off periods of time to work at something really important to you. Yes, things come up. Sometimes, those blocks will get filled with something else … but only if you allow it. With no blocks set aside for a project, how likely is it that you will make progress on something? Very low.

And then, expect God to show up and assist you in moving towards your plans. Possibly, God might have a few other plans for you as well. This might be the most exciting thing of all!

Have a great July!

For opportunities to reflect backwards and forwards, I am grateful.

Holy God – Daily, I pray that you come into my life and make a different. Daily, I pray that I take you along for the ride. Daily, I turn to You for guidance an wisdom. Amen.

Blessings –

Dianne

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