It is interesting that whilst Canada is celebrating Thanksgiving as they head into the bounty of their Fall (Autumn) harvest, 'down under' we are heading into Spring and the warmer weather, but whatever the season, there is still so much to be thankful for. I also think it is important to look at the little things as well as the big things; a perspective that my Mom always maintained. I am pretty sure that I have shared this in previous blog articles, but Mom knew that God was interested in all things in her world; the little things, like being on the look-out for her for the right parking spot at the shopping center so she could park the van with no dramas or at which table she should sit at when she went to a function as well as the big ticket items - her family--her children, her grandchildren, her siblings and extended family and her friends. Of course, one of her big ticket items was Dad, her husband before he passed away.
Spring is often a time to do some stock take and clean out the dust bunnies that have found a hiding space during the cooler weather and also to tidy up and throw away clothes and items that you have not used or worn in a while. You may have heard the saying that if you have not used it or looked at it in over a year, chances are you never will. This is a challenge for me, indeed! But alas, I am endeavoring to have a go.
More on that later, but I wanted to go back to being thankful for the little things first. So, Peter and I watched a movie recently which was about a young man who had the ability to travel through time. No, I am not going to recommend the movie 'cause whilst its message was ultimately a good one, well, let me just say that I would have been embarrassed several times if Jesus had watched the movie with us; which He actually did, right? I am getting off track again. So, the young guy could re-live moments of his day and correct things that he wished he had done better or help out others along the way, but alas, in the end, he stopped his time travel but made a conscious effort of being thankful for each day and all of the moments in each day, some good and some not so good.
No, not a new approach at all, one that we should be exercising every single day but alas, life gets busy and hum drum or hard and we lose our grip, we lose hope, we lose sight of what is important to us. We continue to do the same thing every day and expect a different outcome. HELLO? Sometimes we need a reminder, a wake-up call and at times, these can even be painful ones, too.
So, as I have begun the process of my spring clean, this is a great opportunity to take stock of my own life and clean out any dust bunnies that are lingering there, too, metaphorically speaking. In addition to the clean out, it is a timely opportunity to reflect on the good stuff, too. In fact, I came across a very special gift yesterday - more like a treasure, a keepsake - that allowed me to do a bit of time travel of my own. I hope that some of my dear friends and colleagues from ODSP read this blog post actually because I am incredibly thankful to all of you who took the time to write a message to me. Your words were a timely reminder of who I was and gave me the courage to return to the present stronger, and although change can be scary and hard and it usually does not come without a cost and pain, it will be worth it.
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| Only as high as I reach can I grow, Only as far as I seek can I go, Only as deep as I look can I see, Only as much as I dream can I be. |
I mentioned in my last blog article, I have started looking for a new job and yeah, it is scary, but I know that I could not continue to do the same thing every day and hope for a different outcome and I shall challenge myself to look for the little things as well as big things to be thankful for each and every day.
