Gratitude Day 533

Sat., Nov. 21, 2020

James 1:2 – My fellow believers, when it seems as though you are facing nothing, but difficulties see it as an invaluable opportunity to experience the greatest joy that you can!

A few weeks ago, I posted a photo of all the “piles” in my office. I’d let stacks of work take over the area behind my desk and chair and felt I needed to tackle the building mountains of paper and unfinished business. So, I walked to the other end of my office and divided all of those papers into piles of like items. My intent was to tackle one pile at a time … and eliminate them.

I didn’t take a photo today. Let’s just say the piles are only more unruly and over following than the earlier picture. They are running into one another. There’s a closet door near some of the piles. Every time I open the door, the stacks shift a little more.

I look at the piles and see how unorganized my life feels right now. There’s a variety of reasons why things are feeling more than a bit off kilter right now, which I do not need to bore you with. Every day, I look at those piles and insist that I AM going to deal with at least one of them. At the end of the day, sometimes, I’ve actually ADDED to the piles rather than taken away.

With a bit more reflection, I’m feeling like this whole year feels a lot like those piles sitting on my office floor. So many good intentions. So many distractions. Multiple unexpected things. Riding the waves of highs and lows. A lot of mess and not much clarity.

And YET … I know that I am blessed. Grateful. Have a ton of reasons to appreciate life and so much more. Rather than focusing on what seems so challenging, I pray we will truly celebrate and remember that there continue to be great reasons to express gratitude daily.

Starting on Monday, I’m going to share a little Thanksgiving story every day. If you have a special Thanksgiving story that you would like to share with me, please do. I may just weave your story in with some of the other thoughts that I have! I would love to be inspired by a story that you have to share. So please share away!

Just a few things for this Saturday:

Take a peek at the new Simple Words of Faith website! Last weekend, my cousin Dwight rolled out the new website. We will continue to tweak it in the days and weeks ahead. But I’m feeling like this website shares a bit more about some of the different things that I am passionate about sharing with others.

Also, this past week, I realized that one year ago, I launched The Mary Experiment: When Doing and Being Collide! One year ago, this past Tuesday, I officially became a published author! You can order copies from Amazon. I am going to run a private special for those who order directly from me. Normally, books are $12.50 or two books for $25. Between now and Dec. 20^th, books will be 2 for $20 … and I’ll throw in free shipping from my house! This special is not available on Amazon but something I’m doing just for those who follow along on Simple Words of Faith. Just contact me directly to place your order. You can pay by PayPal, Venmo or even check. Order by Dec. 20^th for Christmas delivery.

One way I’m trying to center myself more these days? Meditation. I know. Sometimes meditation sounds a bit fofoish. A couple months ago, I tried a 21-day meditation plan … just to try it. They are only 10 minutes long, which I find helpful. I’m going through it now for a third time. Even though I’ve been through it previously, I am finding it more helpful these later times than the first session. There are lots of meditation options out there. I am using one that is now free on the exercise site that I use. I’ll be honest: some days, I find it more helpful than others. Meditation does encourage me to slow down and try and quiet my brain for 10 minutes. It’s still a work on process for me. One thing I like is that the meditations I do are guided and short. Perfect for me.

Do you have a new practice or something that you’ve revived of late that you are using to bring more peace into your life? I’d love to hear what’s working (or not working!) for you!

These next weeks are historically full, busy and yet a very joyous time. I know the holidays are going to be quite different for most of us. AND THIS IS OK! Let’s find fun and creative and interesting ways to celebrate this most special time of the year. I know that I need to keep close to Christ these days and pray that together, we’ll discover special ways to do this.

For the ability to give myself permission to simply journey through each day, I am grateful.

Blessings –

Dianne

Holy God – these days continue to be filled with the unexpected. Challenges distract us. We are disappointed that we must be more aware of how to keep each other safe and healthy. Nonetheless, remind us that we have much to celebrate. We can find joy daily in our lives. May we celebrate every day truly as a gift. Amen.

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