Skip to main content

Friday’s Gratitude – Dig Deep



“To see a world in a grain of sand,
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And eternity in an hour.” —William Blake

This has been one of those weeks when amidst all the joys of life, there has also been those trying and sometimes sad bits of news. A friend’s mysterious “spot” that showed up on a MRI scan, learning of the deaths of two old high school classmates, a young woman’s fight with cancer that appears to be untreatable. This is the kind of information that momentarily takes your breath away — and not in a good way.

And so, as best I could, I cleared my day and opened up some time for quiet prayer and reflection. Part of this adjustment in my day was reading from a book I just started called: “The Gifts of Imperfection.” In it was a section on “digging deep” where the author identified what people who live wholeheartedly do when life’s circumstances demand that they dig deep. I was pleased and relieved to discover that the author’s and my experiences and observations are the same.

Here are ways to “DIG” when having to dig deep:
Deliberate in thoughts and behavior through prayer, meditation, or simply taking the time to set intentions.
Inspired to make new or better choices based on your insights, prayers, meditations, or intentions.
Going…taking action…next steps, etc.
 And so, on this beautiful Friday afternoon, if you find yourself needing to dig deep I encourage you to take the time and know that once you do, life will return and perspective will be restored.




Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Perfect Comfort Food - Pumpkin Apple Bread

A perfect comfort food, especially when spread with cream cheese, Pumpkin Apple Bread has become a tradition of mine every autumn – Enjoy!   Pumpkin Apple Bread from Celebrate the Rain - Seattle Junior League 3 cups all-purpose flour 2 tsp baking soda 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp ground nutmeg (can use freshly grated) 1 tsp ground cloves ¾ tsp salt ¼ tsp ground allspice   2 cups (16 ounces) pure pumpkin puree (I use fresh / steamed and pureed pumpkin – you may also use canned) 2 ¼ cup sugar 4 eggs, lightly beaten ¾ cup vegetable oil 1 large or 2 medium Granny Smith apples: peeled, cored and cut into ¼ inch dices Cinnamon Sugar Topping 5 Tbs sugar 1 Tbs all-purpose flour 1 Tbs butter at room temperature 1 (heaping) tsp cinnamon For the topping – Combine sugar, flour, butter and cinnamon. Blend with fork to an even, crumbly texture. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour two 9- by 5-inch loaf pans. Sift together the flour, baking s...

A Simple "Hello"

Not to start on a negative, but this is one of my pet peeves...people who send condolences or RSVPs, a written invitation or congratulations or any other such personal communications in an e-mail. I mean really, how sincere is it when the receiver knows that this is something you popped off on your iPhone while waiting at the dentist? As Alan Weiss points out in his Balancing Act Newsletter, “Texting ‘I feel 4 U’ is not the same, somehow, as writing four sentences of sympathy and support. We can all afford the ten minutes.” In this day of “instant” everything, have we forgotten how to pick up a pen and a piece of paper? Here’s an easy way to make sure this type of “never have time for” correspondence doesn’t happen to you. Purchase five cards or post cards. Purchase stamps. (These first two steps are honestly the hardest part of this!) Put your favorite music on, settle in and think of five people you love and “never” write because you “never” have the time. Possibly one of your five ...

Anniversaries

“If I could only turn back time to the place we left behind – I’d find you there...”  Happy and sad—bitter and sweet… Birthdays and days of passing—weddings and funerals… Public festivities where extended friends abound—private retreats where only close friends, family or Time spent in solitary reflection, enough to fill one’s soul. This weekend is the anniversary of my mother’s passing 26 (short) years ago. When I think of all the things she’s missed: Her granddaughter’s growing up. Getting to know her two grandsons-in-law. Watching her two great-grandsons’ and one granddaughter's lives expand. Traveling around the world to see them and be a part of their lives. She is also missing: Tea with me and the adult conversations we would now be able to have; when she passed away, I was 32 and in the middle of caring for young children, raising horses and taking care of the farm.  We could now sit, two women, expanding our relationship deeper and farther than ...