GotBlessing.com

In all of our lives, there are times that we just sit back and wonder why we do it.  Perhaps your job is super stressful and you don’t seem to be able to dig out of your paper work.   Perhaps you work for a service type industry and people are constantly calling you for your service and it seems you never get a break.   Perhaps your teenagers are constantly wrestling with you and you wonder why you bother.  It would be “easier” to throw in the towel.  

We all wonder if it is worth it.  We get darts thrown at us from all directions, and we want to quit, give up, run away, shut down.  No one will care anyway.   That couldn’t BE more wrong. 

You see, when we are “in” the situation, it is often difficult to see the big picture.  But the big picture is fantastic.  For example, my family has their own business.  They own a Durable Medical Equipment company.  What they do is actually quite a blessing.  My brother is a seating specialist among other things.  He will go into a home of a disabled person who maybe hasn’t gotten out of a bed in years.  Many times their bodies have “hardened” misshapenly, where they are huntched over and bent.  It is painful for the patient to be in these positions and their quality of life is low.  My brother will go to them, measure them and create a seating system to go along with  appropriate mobility equipment to not only make them feel better, but improve their quality of life.  My Mom, brother and sister-in-law, everyday get to bring dignity to people that many people look at as worthless.  However, sometimes, with all the pressure to provide quality service, timely deliveries, dealing with insurance companies and doctors, it gets overwhelming.  Aggravation grows and my brother, mother and sister- in- law get uptight and wonder if it is worth it.  They have even thought about shutting down.  But here is the thing.  They are fantastic at what they do, and they bring so much blessing to others.   I was talking to my brother tonight shedding light on my thoughts about this, and he had a neat thing to say.  He agreed with me. He shared with me that a woman who has a disabled child came into the store the other day.  She met my brother when he did a consultation at her home.  There was so much that he wanted her to see, so he suggested she come into the store.  She did.  After the appointment, this woman thanked my brother.  She said, that in this short visit, he took the time to educate her on things for her child that no one, not even the doctor, bothered to do and she was so grateful!  How cool is that!

So, as we go throughout our days, it would be great if we took time daily to write down who we blessed today and who blessed you?   So my question to you now is:

What can you do to affirm yourself and remember that what you do makes a difference?

Remember, that journals are private and for you only.  Be honest in your answers.  If you didn’t bless anyone today,  understand that there is always tomorrow.

I went to a funeral several years back and it really changed my life.  It was in a small baptist church in West Palm Beach, Florida. It was for a woman who had a very freak car accident. My husband taught her son  guitar lessons for several years.  They were such a wonderful christian family who also homeschooled their children. I never had the opportunity to meet her, but after her funeral, I felt like I had known her for years.

She died by driving in her car one day after seeing friends and going to the store.  While on the highway, she was involved in a car accident involving a semi truck and another vehicle.  You see, no one knew she was involved.  No one saw her car plunge into a canal.  No one came to her rescue.  After a day of being missing, police discovered the vehicle, except it was too late.

I was horrified hearing this news.  How could a mom of 6 children die?  How could no one have seen her go into the water?  I was so upset.  I didn’t even know her.

My husband and I went to the funeral service.  It was something I had never experienced before.  I was expecting immense sorrow, but what I witnessed was amazing joy and amazing love.  Person after person stood up and shared their thoughts on this beautiful woman.  They talked of her strength, her faith in God, her servant’s heart, her love for her husband and her kids, her homeschooling adventures, and her awesome pumpkin bread.

I heard dozens of people share about this amazing woman that I had not met, and all I wanted at that moment was to know her.  How I wish I got the chance.  But, even in her death, her life impacted mine.  I left there, different.  I left there desiring what she had.  She had a belief in God that could not be shaken.  Living her life with God as her CEO was how she lived each day and is how she taught her family and all that knew her to live. 

After much prayer and searching and having an open mind and heart, I too understand the love and faith she had in God. God is my CEO and I am so grateful that even though I didn’t meet her personally, those that remembered her that day, gave me a glimpse and blessed my life tremendously.

One day we will all die.  All of us have the same hours in a day.  What kind of impact do you want to leave behind?  I want to be remembered like this woman.  I want people to see and feel God’s love from my life and be blessed.

Happy Saturday to you!  Here is today’s journal idea.

 What do you think is holding you back from achieving all that God has for you?

I know this may be impossible to answer in just 5 minutes but it is a place to start.  By realizing what potentially holds you back, may get you closer to seeing your blessings in the everyday.

Happy Journaling!!

I hope that you all had a great Thanksgiving.  We sure did.  From beginning to end, we relaxed and enjoyed our company. 

Now, on with the post.

November 23 was Black Friday.  I have always said that I would never go anywhere on Black Friday.  I’d say, about all the people that do, which is about the majority, that they are all nuts.  Nuts to deal with all the people pushing and shoving, and fighting over a parking space, or  fighting for the last digital picture frame that is on sale.   I said it.  Never!!  But, I now have to eat the word NEVER!!  So the saying “never say never,” is haunting me right now. 

Anyhow, my husand and I saw a couple of items in the newspaper that we thought we should get.  One of the items was the 5th season of “24″.  I am a “24” junkie!  If you have never seen it, check it out.  ”24” is not full of blessings however, so be cautious.  I took my time this morning.  Slept in,  relaxed.  I know people get up wicked early to do the Black Friday thing, but I was not going to be one of those. Even though I agreed to go shopping today, I was not going to fight the early crowds. Besides,  I am grouchy in the morning and fighting people was the last thing I wanted to.  I learned something though.  If you don’t get there early on Black Friday, you don’t get what you went for.  Another saying is haunting me now too.  You know, “the early bird gets the worm.”  Bummer I say.  (I did get the 5th season of 24 (the last one) and it was a great price.   Yahooo!!) 

I have to say that my experience today was just that,  an experience!  I got out on the road heading for the stores.  I got lost, got pulled over by a policeman for the 1st time EVER, got 24, didn’t get the other stuff I wanted, hugged a sweet salesperson at JC Penney, had Starbucks and went home. Nothing terrible happened as I imagined it would on Black Friday.  Even being pulled over wasn’t that terrible.  The officer was really nice to me, so no ticket and my record is still clean!! Yea!

I will leave the details of that experience for another post.

Enjoy, experience, be kind to others, relax~  Words I didn’t associate with Black Friday.  But it was a good day. 

Happy Thanksgiving.  I hope that you are having a wonderful day.  As you go throughout your day, make mental notes of all of the wonderful things that happen today ~ Great conversation, needed rest, yummy food, great company!  Realize that these things are blessings.  I pray that your day is full of wonderful things, that can be made into treasured memories.

Journal idea:  

As the close of Thanksgiving 2007 is nearing, what events, or things stand out in your mind that you want to remember?  These things can be funny, loving, joyful … anything that comes to mind, just jot them down.

Enjoy your day!  Happy Thanksgiving.  Be joyful, feel content, and above all be grateful.

Today, people are getting ready for a time to share with family friends.  Homes are being cleaned, yummies are being baked and people are rushing around to be ready for a special holiday, Thanksgiving.  As I wrote in an earlier post, called Happy? Thanksgiving? I broke down those two words to better understand the idea.  If you haven’t read it yet, I encourage you to do so. 

In the craziness of preparation, don’t forget to take some time to reflect on all of your blessings this year.  Even if you are struggling with tons of stuff, there have been “God Winks” throughout the year that you can be thankful for.  Were people kind to you?  Did people reach out to you?  Did your kids hug you?  Did you make someone else smile?

There is always something to be thankful for.  Close your eyes, and believe.  You are special, you are loved.  You are God’s baby and He wants you to be happy, and feel loved.  That alone is a huge one to be thankful for!

Happy Day before Thanksgiving.  Slow down and enjoy it all.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving.  I thought is fitting that we have our journal entry today be about thankfulness.  Here is the question:

Who and What are you Thankful for?  Why?

Remember to share your thoughts with the people in your life that you are thankful for.  Tomorrow many of you will get together with those you are thankful for.  Share with people.  You will bring joy to others when you let them know that you are thankful for them and share a little reason why. You never know, you might be the start of a new tradition.

As you prepare for a busy day tomorrow, take this time to be thankful.

Check in tomorrow for your next entry.  Please feel free to forward this on to others so they can be apart of this too. 

Being needed is so important.  It is for me.  When I don’t feel needed, I feel a little lost.  I love when someone asks me to do something that I can do, like sing for something, or when my kids come to me for a hugs, because they need me. 

Not feeling needed is something I think we all face at some point in our lives.  I remember my Grandmother commenting about it.  After my Grandfather died,  she went to volunteer and be apart of the local senior center.  They needed her.  She rolled silverware EVERYDAY!!   She still drove and got to take some of the other seniors around to either doctor appointments or shopping.  It made her feel special.  It gave her a purpose. 

When an elderly person no longer feels needed, I think is when they begin to fail.  I think though, that we all tend to fail when it seems we are no longer needed. 

Do you help other’s to feel needed?  Do you reach out and let them know that you need them?

Here is your 5 minute journaling idea.  Just take 5 minutes, a quiet place, and a notebook and yet your thoughts go.  Free yourself and enjoy watching your blessings unfold.

Who made you feel needed this week?  I mean really needed.  Who was it and what did they do to make you feel that way?

Send me a comment so I know you participated!  Enjoy!

What does Phillipians, Chapter 4, verse 6 say?  The New Living Translations (NLT) states, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.  Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.”  This verse gets me because I have always been a worrier.  I think too much and try to figure things out.  I have had times that I just can’t seem to quiet my brain down!!  But, when I recall this verse, and reflect on it, I find myself calmer.   You see, when I release it all to God, is when I feel His peace and I can then see His blessings are all over the place. 

Don’t you find that when you are at peace, and feeling good, that it is easier to be open enough to receive God’s blessings? But what happens when tragedy occurs, or your life is full of stuff and chaos?  When we worry, we accomplish very little.  Am I right? We even make ourselves seriously ill from too much worry.  (I have heard worry can lower your immune system.  I need to check into that one.) God does not want us to worry.  No matter what, He wants us to come before Him and lay our lives at His feet.  He can’t help us if we are not willing to be helped.  I know that there are many times that I am being stubborn,  (I am a Leo) and just not listening.  I am doing my thing, trying to fix things myself.  It is in these times, that I have tension headaches, and snap at everyone around me.  Why, because I am worrying.  Worrying about my kids, worrying about my health (which is fine but every now and then I scare myself for nothing!!), I worry about - whatever.   I know that this isn’t what God wants for me and I really don’t like it either.  I am much more at peace when I put my life in God’s hands.  When I trust that He will carry me through and I don’t have to do it all, I am more peaceful and more able to do the things I am designed to do.

Have you ever seen the poster about the rules of the house:

1.) I am always right!

2.) In the event I make a mistake, refer to rule #1.

 Okay ….

Let’s do the same thing with Phil. 4:6.

1.) Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done.

2.) In the event of tragedy and chaos and worry, refer to rule #1.

Be peaceful in God’s arms.  Get peace, be blessed.

It is the time of year for counting blessings.  I recently wrote something about counting blessings.  It is so important to do that. 

I once again, while at the grocery store for the 9,000th time for the week,  noticed another magazine article from Good Housekeeping.  It was the cover story that caught my eye.  It has Meredith Vieria on the cover.  It says on the cover, “Meredith Vieira on staying strong in tough times, raising kids in the spotlight - and counting her blessings.” 

The article’s title is “Counting Her Blessings.”   It is about Meredith Vieira being grateful for her family, her career on the TODAY show, and more.  

I bring the idea of counting our blessings up again because it is one of those things that we should never tire doing.  As challenging as our lives get, as bleak as life seems at times, we must realize that life is full of seasons.  Literally,  Winter will be here before we know it, and it will turn into Spring, which will turn into Summer, then finally Fall.  And guess what? It will happen all over again and again as it has already done.   As the bible states in Ecclesiastes, chapter 3, verses 1-8,

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:

a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war, and a time for peace.

The chapter continues to say in verses 9-13: “What does the worker gain from his toil? I have seen the burden that God has laid on men.  He has made everything beautiful in its time.  He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for men to be happy and do good while they live.  That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil - this is a gift of God.”

We  need to realize that in every situation that we encounter, good or bad, there are great lessons to be learned!  It is when we choose to learn from those lessons, like little children learn from their parents, that we will grow and see the blessing in the situation.  

Whatever season you are in now, take a moment to see the blessing in it.  If you have an illness, perhaps a terminal illness, and it is impossible to see the blessing,  put yourself in time-out and try to see yourself outside of your situation.  Who is your illness bringing closer?  Are people growing closer to God as a result of your illness?  Are relationships being restored because of your illness? Are there people in your life that haven’t spoken in years, and now have found the strength to forgive?

As hard as it is sometimes to see your blessings, realize they are there.  You just need to see them.

It is the time of year that people are counting their blessings.  Are you?  Remember the verse, from Ecclesiastes, chapter 3, verse 13, it is written that ” I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live.” 

When you do good, don’t you feel happy?   Count your blessings, one by one!