Remember when things
were simple, and life just seemed to BE.
As I am sitting here at my crafty desk working on the album for the Boutique, I have music playing in the background. Not really paying attention to it, but my spirit is.
I'm focused on the album, placing the things on each page to finish it. It's all about the details...
I've thought about
grandparents today. My parents. My cousins. My siblings. My nieces and nephews.
I've thought about grandchildren. My three grown children and each one of my
friends. Thinking about each one of these people and wondering how they were. (there are many by the way). I've wondered many times how each one of them was. Many I have not heard from in days, weeks,
months, and even years...
Remember when the phone
would ring asking if you wanted to grab a coke, sit and visit? Where did
those days go...?
Remember when mothers
and daughters would have a leisure day getting their pedicures and manicures
done while sitting and conversing with each other. Catching up with each
other's life. Where did those days go...?
Fathers would take their sons to the golf course, or the fishing pond. Lessons learned. Where did those days go...?
Remember when grandpa
would say, c'mon...let's take a ride on the tractor? I remember my granddad
well. He is in my thoughts daily. He was my mom's stepdad. He and my granny
(mom's mother) raised me until their deaths in the '70s.
I don't remember riding
on the tractor with granddad, but I do remember him drinking a large glass of
tea in a metal bright colored glass with a long skinny spoon and mounds of
sugar sitting at the bottom of the glass. He would stir it and stir it and stir
it until the sugar dissolved. (I think that is why today, I can't stand sweet tea). His WAS sweet, sweet, sweet!
Remember when...
As I was working on the
two pages above, finishing up the details, I noticed the quote I put on one
page and then the other expression on the opposite side of the page.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~LIVE IN THE MOMENT~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~GRATITUDE~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When I am crafting, I am in the zone with the music playing, I am
cutting, gluing, pulling this, and putting that. Grabbing this item and looking for that! I AM completely oblivious to everything
and anyone around me. I can do this for hours on end and not even realize
it.
I didn't pay attention when I placed the two words on these
pages, but today they jumped out at me like a ton of bricks. "LIVE
IN THE MOMENT". What does that mean? Remember when life was
simple. Where did that go? Life seems complex at times today...
Living in the moment these days is a constant battle of struggling with this or
juggling that. Dealing with this and putting that on the back burner. Living
in the moment today means we wear our masks when we go out in public.
We distance ourselves at least six feet from the next person. Living in the
moment today means, we don't have friends over for cookouts or other family
members for a festive time of food and laughter. Living in the moment today means wondering if we'll have money to pay a bill or put food on the table. Living in the moment today, means will there be money for necessities such as medications or treatments if needed.
Living in the moment means I must draw closer to my Heavenly Father. He is the
only one who can hold me in the moments of my weakness.
Living in the moment means I can hold on to God's strength and love when
everything around me is in disarray. He holds onto me when I'm in a dark place.
He holds onto me when things go crazy around me. He holds onto me when I am
walking with my head held high. God is my constant...
Living in the moment. I remember when nothing affected me. I was
a child. I spoke as a child, I acted like a child. I played outside. I was on
the go all the time. Nothing mattered. Time didn't stop to
remember what life would be like 40 years later.
Living in the Moment. Remembering when my granny and granddad
would take me to church. He would throw me up on his shoulders and we would
walk down the long hallways. He stood over 6 ft. tall. I thought I could touch
the clouds when I was riding on his shoulders... I miss my grandparents. Granny
Inez and Granddad. My life was never the same after their deaths. I'm thankful they took me when I easily could have become an orphan. Remember
when.
The second word is GRATITUDE.
I am eternally grateful for the time I had with my grandparents. They instilled values into my inner soul. They showed me, love. They showed me kindness. They showed me firmness with a stern voice occasionally. They protected me. They provided for me. They cared for me and my well-being. Had it not been for my granny Inez and Grandad, no telling where I'd be today...REMEMBER WHEN.
The simple things...being loved. Being cared for. Trusting others
to provide for all our wants, needs, and desires. Remember when...life was so
simple.
Gratitude. What are you thankful for today? Breath, a job, food on the table,
or possibly family and friends? Could it be, we are thankful for it all? As I
sit here and think about this word...I remember when there was a time in my
life gratitude didn't exist in my world. I was so angry at the world. At
people. At family. At friends. AT SELF. Remember when.
I remember when the pieces were broken all around me...and the only way I could move forward was by laying it all down at the cross. Gratitude
encompasses many things...
grat·i·tude
noun
- the
quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to
return kindness.
Let me pose a question to you...when was the last time you stopped and thought about all you are thankful for? A few years back, I made a Gratitude Journal. It consisted of 365 days of things I was thankful for. Remember when.
I am going to challenge you today to stop what you are doing and write down 3 things you are grateful for. Can you do that for me? If you can, I'd love to hear what you are grateful for. If you can't, why not? Are you carrying hurts, unforgiveness, doubt, or fear? Are you feeling hopeless because living in the moment has become exhausting?
There were times that a specific day only had one word on the page in my Gratitude Journal. Living in the moment...
Sometimes, being grateful and being able to express that gratitude takes a great deal of energy. I would encourage you to be grateful because you want to be, NOT because someone expects it.
Gratitude...
For me, not only does the word GRATITUDE means being thankful, but it also gives me HOPE.
Gratitude offers me an expectation that I WILL be thankful and appreciative of something each day. For instance, I am thankful that I woke up today. I am thankful that I have breath in my body. I am thankful that I am a wife. I am thankful that I am a mother and a grandmother (regardless of what life has thrown at me). I am thankful that I can create beautiful crafts. I am thankful I am living. I am thankful I can listen to the birds singing. I am thankful I can play with our fur baby. I am thankful I can forgive others AND myself. I am thankful that my sins have been washed away and that my past doesn't dictate my future. I am thankful for change. I am thankful for resolutions. Even if they are not on my terms...
Gratitude means I will stand tall. I can give to others regardless of anything received in return. That is NOT the expectation. Gratitude is from our heart. COMPLETELY...with no reservations.
Gratitude is not entitlement...it is something that I can extend to another human being or better yet, to myself. I am GRATEFUL for life...I am GRATEFUL that I CAN live in the moment of today.
Remembering when living in the moment was carefree and nothing else mattered.
Remembering when no matter what, I stood tall with my head held high just living in the moment.
GRATITUDE...no matter what!
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