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...

Focus on Beauty

There will be days when we must force ourselves to focus. There are so many distractions, and it's easy to be pulled this way or that. And as we're pulled, it's easy to get more and more uptight. I've found one way to heighten one's focus throughout the day is to be aware of the sometimes-small details, and the beauty around us. I typically use my early morning walks to make myself look past the obvious and focus on the details. Examples: the morning sun streaming through the window and creating shadows across the room the richness of evening light a clear reflection of a building in a street puddle the colors of the sky, the clouds, etc. a mother walking hand in hand with her child Then in the evening, I write down five of the things that stood out to me during the day. Some days, my list may include more obvious objects of beauty. Other days, the list might include small glimpses of something in passing, sights I may have previously walked right on ...

The Benefits of Lemon

About six months ago, I started a new daily habit - first thing in the morning I drink a cup of warm water with a slice of fresh lemon in it. I'd heard rumors that this was supposed to be good for you, and because I wanted to cut back on my tea with cream and sugar habit, it seemed like a good fit.  I'm kind of amazed to admit, I've noticed a big difference in how I feel. Instead of my normal somewhat sluggish/bloated feeling after my morning cup of tea - I now feel energized and ready to face the day. "Lighter" would probably be a good way to describe it... and lighter is always good! Below is a bit more information... Here are a few reasons for adding morning lemon water to your daily routine. *List originally published by the Edison Institute of Nutrition here   As a rich source of vitamin C, lemon juice protects the body from Immune system deficiencies. Drinking lemon juice with warm water every morning helps in maintaining the pH balance...