Tag Archive for: happy

Don’t Give Up

Needing some me-time, I traveled to my sanctuary place near the water and pen these words:

I go to my Sanctuary
Quiet reigns
Except for quacking geese
Nearby culinary smells of
Freshly baked bread
American flag flutters over the boat stern
A solitary sailboat with jib hoisted
Moves slowly across the lake
Peace prevails without
From within, my spirit begins to calm

There are no guarantees for a happy or healthy life. Even or especially in the middle of this all-encompassing COVID-19 pandemic. There’s a verse that’s meaningful to me. I hope it is for you too.

The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged – Deuteronomy 31:8.

He tells us not to be afraid or discouraged. I have to admit that I’ve been both throughout most of this past year. Even today I wrestle with fear, anxiety, and doubt. I feel jittery, tense, wanting to be someplace else. If I can keep the above words in the forefront of my mind, they’ll give me calm assurance. Confidence. Trust in the One who’s got this whole mess under control. He knows the beginning from the end.

He will not abandon me or you in the middle of a crisis or afterwards. Just knowing He is there beside me each step of the way causes my mind and heart to feel at peace.

When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hang on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn,” – Harriet Beecher Stowe

*When’s the last time you felt unable to focus because of anxiety and worry? What’s it like for you?

*What are you fearful or discouraged about right now? How can you get past those negative thoughts?

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What makes you happy?

What makes you happy and rejoicing over just being alive? I take pleasure in the common, ordinary things of life such as changing of the seasons and fall leaf colors. I’m thinking of joys such as:      

Autumn Leaves by Steve Lasher

     *  The smell and feel of a new book or magazine

     *  Feel of a pencil or pen on paper

     *  Cleaned and vacuumed car

     *  Watching a sunset over the horizon

     *  Walk outdoors and inhaling fresh, clean air

My husband jokes and says it doesn’t take much to amuse some people (I’m guessing he’s referring to me). And that’s okay!

I’d like to hear from you…what makes you happy and lifts your spirit?

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Merry Hearts

Silly smiles and goofy grins…modeling Grandpa’s hat…throwing snowballs and building snow forts—that’s what children do. They just want to have fun, enjoy life, and be loved.

Playing with building blocks, creating, dreaming. This is the stuff that creates a happy, merry heart within Nana and Grandpa. 

“A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit…the cheerful heart has a continual feast” (Proverbs 15:13, 15).

“A merry heart doeth good like medicine” (Proverbs 17:22).

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