Unrest

 Last time there was a plague, it was followed by the 100 years war. After what we’ve been going through in the world, it’s safe to say I’m a little bit nervous. The reason being when people die, their loved ones go through a grieving process, in which one of the steps of grieving is anger. Many of us have lost loved ones and it seems as if the entire world is going through stages of grief together. This is possibly a reason why the 100 years war followed the Black Plague long ago. 

We, as human beings, this time around, have evolved since that last happened and hopefully, have become sophisticated enough to be able to avoid that type of consequence to the pandemic we’ve been going through. In this situation, are we better together, or are we better alone? 

The Unseen

 Our local Starbucks store has this wonderful wall full of notes. Each note is a quote that can help brighten our spirit. You choose a note off of the wall and read it. I usually get at least one for each member of our family. 

Today mine had this quote: “Faith is unseen but felt, faith is strength when we feel we have none, faith is hope when all seems lost.” - Catherine Pulsifer

I believe God exists within each one of us. When we go through difficult times or read a news story that is horribly sad, etc. it can sometimes cause us to question. The stories, when our collective attention is brought to the situation, could be God’s way of helping those involved. Together, we are better in those regards. What happens to each person is between God and that person. Only God knows how he/she was guided and protected through the moments the rest of us hear about, read about, etc. Faith is in the trusting that God is good and will carry us through the most difficult moments we’ve had to and will have to endure over the course of our lifetime. 

The Cocoon

 The caterpillar is sorta like a sperm before it meets the egg. Once it meets the egg, it’s similar to a caterpillar turning into a cocoon. Once the butterfly emerges out of the cocoon it takes a little time for it’s wings to dry and until then it walks around trying to fly. The process can be compared to a baby being born from the womb and taking time to learn how to walk. 

Our caterpillars have now left what they once were to become what they’re destined to be. 

Keep at it

The Forbes article from yesterday inspired me to first of all, set intentions. I set intentions today and when I woke up at 4:45am, my intentions changed from good to great! Something about waking up early helped me to create even better intentions than I’d set last night. Once in a while, that happens, but sometimes when we set intentions, they’re slightly altered or we don’t follow through as we’d planned. If you set goals such as I am going to quit drinking coffee, or I am going to cook and clean every day for a power hour, it often takes several tries to accomplish the goals. If you set a goal and you want to accomplish that goal, keep at it. It might take a little while or several tries until you accomplish what you set out to do. 

Have a Great Day

In an article from Forbes by Nancy Collamer, 5 steps to having a great day are mentioned. 

“1. Set your intentions.

2. Practice distancing.

3. Plan strategic downtime.

4. Focus on one step at a time.

5. Practice gratitude.”

The article also mentioned some key questions I think are worth posting:

“Given my priorities, where do I want to focus my attention?”

“What will I think about this a month or a year from now?”

It can often be a challenge to think that we have control of what happens in our daily life when factors exist that are outside of our control. It is, on the other hand, refreshing to be able to set intentions as well as time to take a break from the expectations we make for ourselves. The theory of we are all doing the best we can, with what we have, where we are helps us to focus on the now.  

Thank you. :) 

Smiling Hope

Sometimes it’s difficult to write when there is so much sadness going on in the world. When do you tell someone we may not understand the way God works for a great while? Or that if you just hang on through the moments you don’t think you can get through, those moments will get you through to the next moments and so on and so forth until it gets better. When do you offer words of condolences when you don’t even know what to say? Or that it gives you hope to see someone else smiling, so when you have the chance to be happy, be happy. 

It can be an arduous task to watch the news, read articles, learn about current events, but oftentimes, our combined awareness is sufficient. When we are called to promote the general welfare, this is what it’s all about. Our combined efforts make it possible for people to get through what they have to go through. If your parents can’t get you a present for Christmas, Santa probably can. How can we promote hope, encourage wellness and practice healthy habits? Wash your hands, wear a mask, stay safe, if you have symptoms, get medical attention, quarantine, etc. 

Free Enterprise

 Free Enterprise is not an easy process. If you look at any successful business/enterprise, it’s foundation rests upon the basic principles given to us by our creator. These are: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and like I’ve mentioned prior to this post, these rights are ours only if we can keep them. The way we maintain our rights is by respecting our rights as well as the rights of others. The rest of what happens, sometimes only God knows. 

Great businesses/enterprises are built upon this type of foundation. The top priority is usually people and the main goals are usually to help people in some way or another. What happens when we join a great business? Lots of training. Learning about our rights, how to respect them, as well as respect the rights of others also takes the type of practice and training we encounter when joining a great business.