Random Acts of "Kindness"

Archive for January, 2017

GRATITUDE JOURNAL

January — grey skies, freezing temperatures, cold wind — it is enough to make anyone depressed. Blue skies, sun, green grass — hiding for days. Various vitamins, teas haven’t helped. Since I’m trying to regain some of my flexibility, I’ve committed to exercising EVERYDAY, except for Sunday. I haven’t seen a decrease in weight, and depending on the day, I’m not seeing a change in flexibility yet. But I have just started — I’m not giving up yet. I will admit that the soreness in my knees isn’t helping.

Recently we were at Wal-Mart and I happened to find a daily planner that had pictures to color. At first I wasn’t going to buy it. I already have two journals that I use on a daily basis. I have an inner reflections calendar that tracks the day of the week. It has lovely photos and inspirational sayings. I use it to write down important happenings of the day. I’ve used a new version of the planner for many years.

I also have a weekly/monthly planner in which I log doctor appointments, planned travel and other important notes. It has facing pages for the month — easy to see when we have plans for a specific period of time. I log the titles of my blog — trying to make sure I have something written. The daily pages I use to note the food I have eaten, how many steps I have walked and how much I have slept. I don’t use calorie counts or measurements on the food. That might explain why my weight is staying the same. This is the third year that I have searched for this particular planner. I’ve discovered that having the month in my face helps, especially since now I log in my husbands sugar numbers. It has allowed me to change doctor’s appointments when we have had a conflict.

Since I have these two books — why do I need another? I put the book back on the shelf and explored other spending opportunities. Checking off items on my shopping list, I remembered something my husband wanted. After I found the item, I found myself back in the aisle that had the planner. No surprise, it was in my hand, and checked out at the cashier. I still didn’t know why I was picking it up.

What to do with the new planner? I’ve decided to try something new. I’ve decided to make this planner my gratitude journal. I log in my exercise for the day and earn the opportunity to color a bit of the picture. The space for writing is very small. Sometimes I can easily fill in all the lines. Sometimes I’m digging for anything to write. I’ll admit that almost each day of my life contains something to be grateful for. Especially if I’m out and about. I might be in the right place, at the right time to help someone. I might hear a bird or meet a neighbor. I don’t always remember. Writing them down helps. If the day has been quite, If nothing else, I can always write down that I woke up. I will also admit that I don’t feel the need to finish coloring the picture.

I haven’t been doing this long enough to know if it helps with depression but it is a start.

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HIDDEN

Changing calendars, copying important notes (passwords), getting ready for 2017 — I stumbled on two things. First — I saw a lovely picture of my young mother. Sadly she passed over when I was four — I never got to know her. Relatives have told me that I’m like my mother in many ways. I’m sure some of the things I have copied were good. I never found a mother substitute either. My mother remained hidden in the background of my life until my father left me a message that he was fine — on the other side. Of course, I didn’t put one and one together to make two. My father was fine, I didn’t think about my mother or brother or others.

Before my father passed, I visited the cemetery, Queen Of Angels on Wolf Rd. Miraculous things were happening there. People were taking pictures of heaven, rosaries where turning to gold and other unexplained happenings. I visited on more than one occasion — by myself and with a friend. On one occasion my rosary turned to gold (it still is) and the scent of roses filled the air. For the longest time I couldn’t remember the name of the cemetery. I also had trouble remembering the name of the church were I went to Mass in the country. I referred to it as the church in the name of the town. When my husband and I took a trip to South Dakota — the cathedral a short block from our hotel had the same name as the church in the little town. Could I remember? NO! The names where blocked until after my father passed over. Was my mother trying to remain hidden? Now I don’t think that she is the same person as our blessed mother BUT she does share the same name — MARIA! The name in the church in the little town is Our Lady Of Perpetual Help. The cathedral in South Dakota shared the same name.

What brought this on, you may ask. When I saw her picture — I took the time to thank her for ALL the help she provides for me on a regular basis. Did it start when she passed over? I don’t know and does it matter. Sadly our world is in horrible shape. New Year — New TRADGEDIES — the body count grows. North Korea wants to develop a long range missile to target the United States. Isis continues its bloodshed. We will soon have a new president who wants to improve on our nuclear weapons as well as other things.

The second thing that brought this on is I stumbled across a thought ramble titled UNIVERESE WHISPERS. I wrote it in March of last year — a relative had recently passed over and my girls were in from out of town. I was feeling my age. I’m feeling my age TODAY. I told a friend (who is older than me) that I’m tired of feeling 90. She should have warned me.

Part of the thought ramble contained these sentences. “The universe starts with a whisper. If you don’t listen, the whisper turns into a massive holler.” Is our universe yelling? Is anybody paying attention?

Our universe needs our prayers! Hopefully there will be a world to leave to our children.

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AWARE

Depending on the season, “my friends in high places” may be more active. I’ve noticed more activity around birthday’s (mine and theirs), anniversaries of passing’s, Valentines Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Let’s not forget New Year’s Day. Hopefully you have gotten the idea. It really doesn’t matter what is going on. Either I need “help” and they are more than willing to lend a hand or they are moved by the “spirit” and like to play.

If I’m aware I catch onto what is going on. If I’m not, if I’m asleep, it might take a couple of actions before I wake up. Yesterday was an ABSOLUTLEY LOVELY DAY. For winter, the temperature was warmer than normal. I have to admit that I spent more time outside. Any “work” I had scheduled for the day disappeared. At the store, I bought a new issue of FIRST FOR WOMEN. My husband needed to get his driver’s license renewed which because of his age, entailed a driving test. I figured the magazine would make good reading while I waited.

I had looked at the schedule for TV programs and decided I would like to watch a cooking program on Vietnamese cuisine — I liked the chef. At the time of the broadcast, although it said it was Vietnamese Cooking, I watched a chef learn how Italian tomato sauce was made, then proceeded to show how to “put up” a jar of tomato sauce without additional ingredients. BACK IN THE DAY — I used to can tomato sauce. Although I still have all my canning equipment and jars — it has been many years since I have used them. Canning one pint of tomato sauce intrigued me. He followed that up with a guest who specializes in stress free cooking using fresh ingredients. Since my husband is diabetic, and I have sodium issues, healthy cooking is ALWAYS interesting to me. They gave her website but I haven’t had a chance to investigate it yet.

The new magazine came in handy. I read parts of it while I waited for my husband at the driver’s license bureau. Dr. Oz is suggesting that soup might play a big role in weight loss. (My yelling knees say I NEED TO LOSE WEIGHT.) He provide guidelines for the soup. While waiting INSIDE for my husband –(where it was warmer,) one of the clerks told her co-worker that her Doctor wants her to drink wine. When I took the opportunity to talk to her, she confirmed that BOTH her old doctor and her new doctor both had the same advice. (Red Wine is in my glass on a regular basis.)

We stopped at Target on the way home. I found myself at the display case for fresh vegetables. I really don’t know what I was looking for but I spied bagged stir fry vegetables marked down two dollars. Brussels sprouts, cabbage, kale, carrots already cut up — perfect for soup. On the way home I realized I needed more low sodium chicken broth. My husband was SO HAPPY that we needed to make another stop. Getting back in the car, I found a SHINY new penny and a shiny dime. “THANKS” was all I could say. One — Two — or more, does it matter?

The Election results — the violence in our world — all worry me. I’M VERY GLAD TO HAVE FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES. Daily prayers for our world, country and city — All I can do! What about you?

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NEW YEAR

NEW YEAR

A person whose blog I read doesn’t use titles for her blog — she uses numbers. Since I have written more than 250 thought rambles and have a very hard time coming up with a new title — I admire her forethought.

So Christmas is right around the corner and evidently I’m receiving more “help-“. I know than I AM NEVER ALONE, but usually my “helper’s” remain behind the scene, not actually visible to others. Whatever is going on with the formation of this thought ramble IS NOT OF MY DOING!

I planned to bake cookies, my husband and my son suggested that I should save my energy for other tasks. We are trying to reduce our weight — good cookies wouldn’t help. My daughter also agreed. I guess I have listened. Don’t mark your calendars since it doesn’t happen often.

There are many new books published to help with weight loss. I guess I’m with many others who have tried and tried, Weight Watchers, Fast Metabolism and others. Since I eat healthy, don’t guzzle soda, or snacks — their programs don’t produce the desired results. Not that I’m giving up — I’m trying to find something that will work for me. I’ve learned that diet programs DO NOT. If anything surfaces that actually works — I’ll share. I have good motivation — my knees hurt or yell depending on the day.

Since my family thought I shouldn’t make cookies, I decided to bake bread pudding. Looking through my cookbook — the first book I actually put together — I found so many recipes that reminded me of friends, and parties of by gone years. Many of the recipes have a footnote — who the recipe is from or the occasion.

I was looking for a recipe for bread pudding and I actually found one that referenced my father’s mother. She didn’t like to share her recipes so I’m not sure where the recipe was from. It also had a note that it was too sweet, so I cut the sugar and it was still too sweet. But the first batch was very small, big enough so that I could sample. My son liked it too so I doubled the batch. Fast — easy — worked for me.

I’m not making New Year resolutions. They NEVER seem to work for me. I’ll resurrect ones that I have made in the past — this year I might succeed. New this year — DAILY PRAYERS FOR OUR WORLD, COUNTRY AND CITY. Sadly the trouble and violence is growing.

My wish for you — safe and healthy 2017.

Just so you don’t think I have completely lost my mind — the spacing I saw as I wrote my thought ramble, completely turned to normal when I posted it on Wandering. I guess they like to “play” too.

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