Sparklers

Fog has been thick on this first day of 2017 here in Georgia.  As I type I look out, my view softened by the gray shroud worn by the trees as they share it’s caress with the mountain on this cold and rainy day.  Yet I can close my eyes and see my beloved woods and mountains with the majesty of spring, inhaling the sparkle of newness before giving way to the laziness of a southern summer.  Or, I can choose to see the majesty as the sun touches each tree and bush bringing forth blazing colors, peaking in their beauty prior to the last phase of their yearly life cycle as winter descends, now stark with waiting.

I was cleaning my closet as is my tradition – if you are interested, it was a previous blog on De-cluttering the Soul, January 2016.  Today I paused in mid-toss, submitting to my worrisome thoughts on this New Year’s Day.   I knew I could not put them in that bag of “get around to it”  and that no amount of de-cluttering was helping because these thoughts were not in that closet.

Grasping my favorite gel writing pen and one of the numerous spiral bound notebooks that I keep handy, I flipped through my book of scribbles until I came to a clean page. With great enthusiasm I cleverly  wrote 2017 across the top, underlining it for emphasis.  Then I just stared,frozen into stillness.  I kept staring, waiting.  And waiting some more, eyes locked on the page until finally an amazing thought popped into my head, it’s a blank page!

No applause needed.

I love a blank page because, well it’s a blank page.  One can write anything on a blank page. So, I began to write about the thoughts that were demanding to be written!

Priorities

Pleasing/helping others

1. Accepting what I cannot change
2. Having only two speeds

I love to write and I love to write the way I want life to be – not how it actually is. I do this because I want to offer a sparkle of light, ever so bright, that meets a need of someone going through a dark time. I forget that what I think may not be what they needed after all, and just accept what I can’t change.

I’ve been told, far too many times, that I have two speeds: full speed ahead or off.  This is true and not without a cost.  I’m searching for that speed somewhere in the middle.

My Blessings

1. My children
2. Friends and family
3. My health

My children have grown up to be what every mother wants – decent human beings. I am honored to share them with the world. Please know that my dog Teddie and my grand-dog Roxie are included in this classification; picture below and I am shameless yes…

Friends are often family and family are often friends. ‘Nuff said?

I’m blessed with good health, but with anything worth having, it’s worth maintaining which gets harder with every birthday but I keep giving it a ‘go!

Things I’m sure of

1. God’s unconditional love
2. Teddie’s (my dog) unconditional love
3. My own imperfections

Teddie’s love taught me about unconditional love and that in spite of my imperfections,  he loves me just for me alone.  It took me a long time to understand what God’s unconditional love meant and even longer to accept it, but I finally did — with no strings attached.  God loves us as individuals, as His child that He created. God, Father, Abba, Jehovah – it makes no difference in His unconditional love for us whether it’s for woman or man, child or adult, with light or dark skin  – one is the same as the other under His love. Might our own love given without labels get us closer to sharing that same kind of love?

Things I can do

1. Prioritize
2. Exercise/eat well
3. Be a better person

Things I will do

1. Find a true speed
2. Find peace through accepting unconditional love
3. Find joy and meaning in my life by living in an intentional way

I experienced quite a spark of awareness after I wrote on my blank page the things I can do followed by the things I will do. Honesty with self can be liberating!

Try free-form writing on your own 2017 blank page and please share them on this page and watch the sparks fly!