A wee bit of BS

I was just reading through (be it ever so briefly) past posts on here. It has been a year since I started my efforts to create simplicity in my life. I was not surprised at how complex it can be to create simplicity. With everything that happened in my life this year I lost sight of that desire to live simply. Now it is time to restart that vision. I never make New Year's resolutions anymore. I am always looking at ways to make myself a better person. As a Christian, I hope I am always looking at my motives, thoughts, actions and beliefs to see they help me bring blessing to others. Even during this past year which has had more hurts than usual, I want to remember this too shall pass. I can still be looking to give even when I have less than usual to offer. So instead of making trivial resolutions just because someone decided January 1st is a great time to start something we could not during the whole previous year, I will continue on as I have for the first 39 years of m...

Well December is almost done and I made it through another year! Ok, there was no doubt I would. December just happens to be the worst month for me. Tomorrow would have been my dad's birthday. He passed away 7 years ago. Some days that seems like a really long time. Other days it feels like just yesterday. And yet, as time goes on, I work my way through what the loss means to me. Yes, I miss him. And yet I carry on. I always thought losing my dad would be the worst thing that could ever happen to me. But if that was the worst, I'll be ok. So tomorrow I will probably go to the cemetery. It is peaceful there. It is a good thinking spot for me. I pray. I remember. I look ahead. It also happens to be my best friend's birthday. That reminds me of the present. I am here. I have life to live. I have things to do. I have joy to experience. I have family and friends who love me. I also happen to love them very much! My nieces and nephews are old enough to ha...

"I hate my birthday" is usually my first thought on December 4th. I absolutely love getting older but I hate the day itself. This year I was tired of simply resorting to that line of thought. I wanted to figure out where it is coming from. I want to enjoy my birthday. I was thinking it may be similar to why I hate Valentine's Day. I think it is a silly thing really. Surely we don't need a date on the calendar to remember to tell others we love them. Shouldn't we be doing that all the time? I wonder if that is how I look at my birthday. I am blessed with many great people in my life. I have friends and family always telling me they love me, appreciate me, helping me, blessing me. Why should they do anything out of the ordinary on December 4th? Am I suddenly extra special today? Then I wondered if that was more of a Western culture mindset. Do we love someone more if we spend more money on them? Spend more time with them? Laugh more at their jokes? ...