Category: Uncategorized

Posted on

Overriding Feeling of Gratitude

I’m committing to making a conscious effort to be grateful for what I have. It’s not that I haven’t been grateful in the past, but I have taken a lot for granted. What a luxury! With a bit of irony, I find myself being thankful that I have been able to take so much for granted.

It’s not that I want to live a life of paranoia that I may lose what I treasure, but rather, I want to lift my eyes skyward and say, “thank you, God, for continued good health. I know that as I age, things will go wrong, but remind me about what I still have, and remind me to be grateful for your continued care, no matter what happens.”

Not just my health is involved here, of course, although the older I get the more aware I become of what can go wrong. And I don’t want to imply that I won’t grieve losses or feel fear or frustration in the future (sorry for the alliteration). But the overriding feeling should be gratitude.

I am grateful for my friends, past and present, online and in person. I thank God for my parents and my brother and sister and all the work they do on my behalf when the situation calls for it.

Heart lately 2

Why gratitude now, you ask? I’ve come very close to losing a few things I value, and I’m grateful to have had them, whether or not they stay in my life. I’ve had gratitude journals in the past and they didn’t really work for me, but I do want to daily be grateful for the good things in my life.

So I’m holding on to gratitude. I think it makes the heart beat stronger, literally and figuratively.

Image Credits: Skyward © prosign–stock.adobe.com; Heart © Belinda O

Posted on

Six Magic Words

The first thought that came to me when I heard today is National Day of Encouragement was a baby learning to walk. Parents and others in the baby’s life are coaxing and saying things like “come on, we know you can do it!” In most cases, that’s true. The baby can learn to walk. But she may not know it quite yet.

In the same way, there are times when someone in your life needs a sincere “I know you can do it!” That friend may not believe in their own strength, but you’ve seen it. And the closer they get to the goal, the more encouragement they may need, just until that first step is taken.

And when they fall, help them pick themselves up, dust themselves off and start all over again.

Of course, babies need encouragement for more than just learning to walk. It’s more than a one-time thing for the people in your life as well. Keep an eye out for the times when someone needs an example demonstrating why you believe in them, something you’ve seen in them that lets you know more is possible.

I know you can do it! Six magic words.

Image Credit: Baby learning to walk ©evgeniy–stock.adobe.com.

Posted on

If You Are Burdened…

Many of you have already seen this post, but it’s worth reblogging. Four years ago we lost fashion designer Kate Spade to suicide, and since then many others have also taken their lives. It’s Suicide Prevention Month, and I want you to know, help is available if you are suicidal or in crisis.

Belinda O's avatarMy World With Words

I loved my Kate Spade handbag.

It was practical and stylish, two words common to describing her designs. I was lucky — I got it half-off, something the snide sales person had no problem disdainfully pointing out when I paid for it (a story for another day). Never mind him. I had my Kate Spade handbag.

I carried it for years, until the wear and tear made it too embarassing to use any more. That’s my sole connection to Kate Spade. But when I heard about her death today, I was moved to tears. The story is coming out that she committed suicide, and that breaks my heart.

A friend who was at one time suicidal described to me what she felt in this way:

“It was like there was weight on my body, an outside pressure that made it hard to breathe. All the sorrow and pain I’d felt…

View original post 123 more words

Posted on

a little ink on my hands

It’s National Letter Writing Day, and in honor of that I’m reblogging a post from my first year of being a blogger. Some of this may be out of date–I think schools have gone back to teaching cursive–but the heart of it remains the same.

Belinda O's avatarMy World With Words

There’s something so magical about a letter,

especially a handwritten one.

Back in the day, rather, the days before e-mail, texting, or messaging of any sort, I used to send a lot of letters, and get a lot of letters in return. If I’d known how rare they’d become I’d have kept more of them. The ones I have are a chance assortment of cards I liked, notes that got “filed” in an odd place, only to show up years later, or a few, very few, that really meant something to me.

laurie dave Dave & Laurie’s daughter is a sophomore in college now

Friends used to send pictures, too, of their weddings, babies, families as they grew. Some still do. My friend Melanie sends wonderful cards every year of her, her husband Tim and their children, Alec & Amelie. This despite the fact she posts regularly on Facebook. I’ve kept them…

View original post 563 more words

Posted on

First Love

“I didn’t do it,” I protested. But she never stopped blaming me.

“I love you,” she whispered. I never stopped loving her.

I was game for her dreams, from sailing the world over to catching a falling star. We perused the same books, laughed at the same movies. We were perfect for each other.

Then it happened. We drifted apart. She had friends we didn’t share and interests I didn’t take part in.

She’d outgrown me, her parents said. Over the years she’d occasionally be in contact, but the final blow eventually came.

My imaginary friend, she called me.

Image Credit: little girl and dragon © Bigstock Photos; imaginary friend © stock.adobe.com