Self Examination

Reflection during this week of Thanksgiving

Using the Lord's Prayer as a pattern of self-reflection 

- Wendy Wright / 

Openings by Larry James Peacock

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be thy name:  

How have you noticed God's holy presence in your life this week?

Your kingdom come, your will be done:

How have you sought God's will, worked for God's kingdom?

Give us this day our daily bread:

What is the bread that sustained you?  With whom did you break bread, and to whom did you give bread today?

Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us:

How have you experienced God's forgiveness and offered forgiveness to others?  With whom do you still need to reconcile?

Save us from the time of trial and 

deliver us from evil:

Where was your faith tested?  In what ways were you delivered from difficulty?

For the kingdom, power, and glory are yours, now and forever:

Give thanks for God's kingdom and power, and thank God 

for the blessings you have received.

Finding peace as we give thanks with our hearts

If you find yourself in sorrow or feeling helpless and can't seem to find anything to be grateful for, take a leap of faith and say "You're will be done."  Give everything you are and have to God.

He will make a way for you.

Find peace

Be kind to yourself

I am grateful for 

each of you

my hubby Henry Dean

my family

my friends

my health

my home

my island

my culture

my freedoms

Mental Health and You

Mental health is a topic I have never discussed with any one.  However, I do take note when it's brought up by others, in the news, overhearing something from family or friends.

I think it's something that makes people uncomfortable, myself included.  What is it that makes us uncomfortable?  Perhaps it's not knowing what it actually is?

Dictionary.com definition 

mental health

---

noun

psychological well-being and satisfactory adjustment to society and to the ordinary demands of life.

the field of medicine concerned with the maintenance or achievement of such well-being and adjustment.

Merriam Webster definition

Definition of mental health

1 : the condition of being sound mentally and emotionally that is characterized by the absence of mental illness and by adequate adjustment especially as reflected in feeling comfortable about oneself, positive feelings about others, and the ability to meet the demands of daily life also : the general condition of one's mental and emotional state

2 : health care dealing with the promotion and improvement of mental health and the treatment of mental illness —often used before another noun

I understand physical health a bit more.  We probably all feel more comfortable talking about physical fitness and related topics like getting fit, diet, machines at a gym, etc.

Both definitions on mental health, above, mention the "demands of ordinary life".  Ordinary life...hmmm.  Let's think about that for a minute.  

There are many, many pressures and demands in each of our lives.  Think about how you fit into everything and all you do for others.  Make a list.  Look at it later.  Did you miss anything?  Now make time to just breathe deeply for at least 10 seconds.  Tomorrow make it 30 seconds, the next day 60 seconds.  I'm not expert, but I do know allowing myself to get all stressed out is no good for anyone around me.  I challenge you to make lists every day until you feel ready and willing to meet the day's tasks.  Start with 5 minutes in the morning and before you go to bed.  Increase those minutes to 30 over a week or two week's time.  Assess how you feel doing this.  Add it to your daily routine.  Notice how others react to your "me-time".  Adjust as needed; and keep talking to those you feel truly listen to you.  

If you are just feeling like there is no help, no cure, no winning, please get some professional help.  Call a hotline.  Go visit your doctor and share what's going on with you.  You're taking care of yourself.  This is a good thing.

The following Pinterest pins are ones I appreciate and chose to share with you, my readers.  I hope it will spark good, thoughtful questions and guide you to answers.  I think many of us have our own mental health that needs to be given the care and tenderness we all deserve.  

Whatever you are going through at this moment, at any given moment, deserves our full attention.  The part we play in the lives of others, our loved ones, family and friends, coworkers, acquaintances, and fellow human beings is important enough for us to always make time for being mindful, living each moment and self-care.  Our #mentalhealthmatters; yours, mine, theirs.

One last thing, during the holidays it's quite easy to feel harried and harassed especially with our cultural and traditional demands.  Asking for help is a good thing.  I know personally that it's darn stressful to do something all by myself because I just prefer it this way.  I've learned to put aside my pride and ask for help and boy has it been much easier to make grand plans and pull them off with just a little help!  

As the Thanksgiving holiday and weekend arrive, I wish you all good health, happiness, and many blessings.  

Y O U matter!

Blessings for this year

Blessings!

November is the month of our annual Thanksgiving holiday.

We come together, family & friends, and share good food, good drinks, and good company!

As we celebrate our blessings, let us remember those we have loved and lost.

For those who lost a loved one this year, I keep you in my thoughts and prayers that you find peace and comfort in the memories of your loved one.  Keep their memory alive by talking about them and sharing these with everyone around you.

LIVE every moment.

LOVE beyond words.

LAUGH every day.

Live, Love, Laugh... I see may people posting this all over on social media, but are we each truly living, loving, and laughing?  I love the sentiment, but I'd love to see everyone actually engaging in living, loving, and laughing, truly, madly, deeply. I will try to do so myself!

Wishing you ALL you NEED at this moment.

Wishing you all the happiness in the world.

Dreams come true.

Kindness you spread returning to you always and just when you need it.

Age truly is just a number.  I did not understand this thinking until recently when I found Chip Conley and the Modern Elder Academy, and I'm 51!! LOL

Wisdom Well is a brief & thought provoking newsletter for all of us also published by the Modern Elder Academy... Baby boomers, GenX, GenY, GenZ, and Millienials.

My blessings!

Health, husband, family, friends, GWHS Class of 1986 friends, coworkers, acquaintances, kind people who open the door for me or let me go first in line.

As November comes to a close and you celebrate your Thanksgiving meal with loved ones near & far, I wish you peace, love & light to carry you to Christmas and into the new year.

Blessing of Friends

"Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, 

and it is only by this meeting 

that a new world is born." 

- Anais Nin

Of course!  Life is always better with friends... as kids our first friends are our brothers and sisters.  For me, our first cousins became our best friends.  From toddlers to school age, we grew up together, sharing toys, ups and downs and secrets and crushes!  Eventually, we started growing in all ways and made friends from middle and high school.  Those individuals remain friends to today.  Some become our mali and pari, Godparents to each other's children because we wanted to maintain some connection to each other always.

Good friends will always be a treasurer.  

They may come and go, but will always be remembered fondly and with heart.

Some friends just connect without rhyme or reason.  It just happens!  

We make the other's life complete.

Always better together!

In good times and in bad times. 

 Always there for each other.

Chosen family.

We don't get to choose our parents 

and siblings, but we get to choose 

our friends who often become family!

Angels are often sent as friends.  

You get that one or two friends who come 

into your life just in time!

Love your angels!  

Angels and friends are gifts from the Holy One.

Abiding in love, A Friend

My Daily Round

For as long as I can remember, my family and I have prayed, in all things and on many occasions, both happy and sad.  

My mom was a beautiful woman who called us together as children to pray together.  The first prayer I learned was to my guardian angel.  Short and sweet and easy to recall.

Prayer to Guardian Angel

The Morning Offering prayer is the second prayer of my daily round.  As I rise, I pray the Guardian Angel prayer.  After restroom duties, I make time for my morning prayers, giving thanks for my many blessings and receiving a new day,  then The Morning Offering. 

Since Christmas is coming, I'm sharing the following St. Andrew's Christmas Novena prayer.  This prayer I was fortunate to learn about several years ago and have added to my daily round, every year from Nov 30 - Dec 24. I pray it several times a day.

Sunday mass, the greatest prayer, was a must and as I write this, I realize as a family we never missed mass since we were born.  Our parents took us to mass every Sunday as children until we received the sacrament of Confirmation.  After that we were expected to continue as adults.  They guided our prayer life and made sure we received the sacraments of Baptism, First Holy Communion, Confirmation and we were blessed to have them celebrate the sacrament of Marriage with us.

The Holy Rosary is another favorite prayer taught to me & my siblings by my mom.  Seeking Mary and meditating on the Mysteries allow us to seek Jesus through His holy mother.  

My daily round consists of morning and evening prayers.  Sunrise, midday, 3 o'clock, evening and before bed.

I give thanks and praise God, make my special requests through additional prayers for us and for others through the Holy Rosary and novenas to special saints depending on needs at that time.  However, I've been praying a novena or two recently with an app I found online.  It's called PRAY CATHOLIC NOVENAS and it's a free download.  There are some novenas that have to be unlocked and there is a monthly fee to get all the novenas, but I just pray the ones that are free until I can afford to make payments.  For the more known novenas, ones I love, I just go online and Google and I can find all of them and use that site.

Help me, Lord, to carry my daily crosses 

with love & resignation.  Amen.

Ever grateful for God's grace, mercy, and blessings!

Thank you for allowing me to share 

MY DAILY ROUND with you.  

I will keep everyone, including you, in my prayers.  May you be blessed with health, happiness, and contentment all the days of your life.