Category: Story Time Saturdays
Buon Giorno! How are we doing on this favoloso sabato? I am up early, ready to face the day and all the great things to come! Giddy Up! Yes, that was a little Italian for you this morning, I’ll explain all about that another time though.
This morning I begin one of the first posts of my writing pieces to debut on Story Time Saturdays. As you know everything these last couple of weeks has been revolving around affirmations. Being able to start the day off with identifying things that we are working on and that we are grateful for; whether it has already come to pass or has yet to be. In my prior days of writing out these thoughts on a daily basis, my mentor told me to change it up. It is easy to wake up and write these things down. At some point though it becomes a part of our routine, the words are written, the message is getting there but over time it can lose impact. So she said to me, take one thought that will come to be. Visualize it. Write down what you see.
Now to give you some clarity on what you will read later today, I will give you the journey leading to this visualization. Four years ago I was very happy with myself. However, I lacked a bit of focus in the love department. I would always hear, “How are you not taken, you’re such a catch.” I knew that I had some issues concerning relationships but wasn’t sure how to approach it. We all want to be happy but certain aspects of our lives are confusing and honestly, we don’t want to deal with them at all if we can help it. I didn’t want that to always be the case though. I was ready to move forward.
In March of 2006 an affirmation pertaining to love was added to my list. The love of my life is out there looking for me. So then I thought where is he. In July of 2006 I changed it to, The love of my life will find me. I am an excellent wife and mother. As time progresses, the day changes, our priorities shift and we’re left wondering what else should we be doing. In 2007, my affirmations became The love of my life will find me. I am an excellent wife and mother. I intend to send my children to school. It changed again in June to The love of my life will find me, marry me, and we’ll have tons of kids, at least four….to a ton of health children at least 5…
At that point in my life I worked rather hard to understand why I was afraid of being in a committed relationship. How could I be saying to myself every morning what a wonderful wife and mother I was and the love of my life still hadn’t found me. I learned that it was a couple of factors coming into play that were sabotaging my attempts at committed bliss. One day I will write in detail about this journey, so stay tuned for that…One of the main things I did learn is that in life, we get a certain picture in our head. Especially when it comes to relationships. We get to a point where we are comfortable and we come to expect a certain outcome. Unfortunately, sometimes wrenches are thrown into the mix and that can throw our “pretty” picture out of whack. My original picture of the “pretty” committed relationship was shattered. Crazy glue would not put it back together. Like a 500 piece jigsaw puzzle, an image would come to life and just as I was about to put in the last piece, I couldn’t find it. Something was always missing. I sought guidance from a complete stranger but she was someone who was experienced in helping people find their path. She asked me the questions that I was very afraid to answer. It meant having to face what had been bothering me and I never truly faced because I had pushed it into the farthest corner of my mind. After that session I learned a lot about myself and how the relationships I had experienced, whether it have been my own or someone else’s, had shaped and molded me without giving it a second thought. I came to realize that I was letting past situations control me; instead of facing it, dealing with the situation, digesting it and moving on. So I did, with help of course. Some journeys in life do not have to be taken alone, thanks be to God for that!
In August of 2007 my affirmation changed yet again.
I am open and honest, and excellent with communication with everyone that I have a relationship with, romantic or otherwise.
In November of 2007, I found myself in a committed relationship. Imagine that. So the post to follow later today is what I wrote a few months later, instead of my normal list of positive affirmations. I wrote a vision, A Glimpse Into The Future.
Let me know if you have ever tried this particular visualization technique. Of course there are other visualization techniques and I will share another kind that I have used next Therapeutic Thursday, so STAY Tuned for that.
By the end of my vacation I had finished reading Eat Pray Love and was very sad. You follow Liz on this amazing quest to find balance and inner peace and you just wish you had a year to take off and do the same thing!
I cheered up a bit when I read that there was a continuation in Committed, as Elizabeth shares with us her journey of marriage with the sophisticated champion she meets in Bali. Let me know if you’ve read it or have it to read! It is on my to BUY list.
I leave you with this last quote that made me feel at ease as I knew Liz finally found what she needed.
Prayer bead 87 or Chapter 87…
“…I’ve been here only a few weeks and I feel a rather mission-accomplished sensation already. The task in Indonesia was to search for balance, but I don’t feel like I’m searching for anything anymore because the balance has somehow naturally come into place. It’s not that I’m becoming Balinese (no more than I ever became Italian or Indian) but only this– I can feel my own peace, and I love the swing of my days between easeful devotional practices and the pleasures of beautiful landscape, dear friends and good food. I’ve been praying a lot lately, comfortably and frequently. Most of the time, I find that I want to pray when I’m on my bicycle, riding home from Ketut’s house through the monkey forest and the rice terraces in the dusky late afternoon. I pray, of course, not to be hit by another bus, or jumped by a monkey or bit by a dog, but that’s just superfluous; most of my prayers and expressions of sheer gratitude for the fullness of my contentment. I have never felt less burdened by myself or by the world...”
Prayer can be such a powerful tool in our lives, to get us through the bad and remind us of the good!
djrelat7
PS Stay Tuned as I share with you my thoughts on the end of Harry Potter #7
Keep that in mind on this lovely Saturday morning 🙂
“My name was Salmon, like the fish; first name, Susie. I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973…”
I started reading this book in January while at Jury Duty. I purchased this book in 2002 and after getting it home I couldn’t understand what had compelled me to buy it so it stayed on my bookshelf until I finally packed it into a box and put it in storage. A friend of mine gave me her copy in August and insisted I read it. Jury Duty seemed like a good time if any to read it. The Lovely Bones is a must read.
The first page or so left me fighting back tears as this young girl describes her murder, how heaven is for her and how her loved ones are effected. After the first chapter I put it down for a few months and picked it back up in April. I won’t go into great detail in case you haven’t read it but it was one of the most moving stories I have ever read.
Children are precious. I do not have children yet but I could not EVER imagine having to go through the loss of a child to such horrid means. It is a scary thought to teach your child the dangers of strangers and to yet be polite and respectful simultaneously.
My heart goes out to those who have lost a child, by any means. If you haven’t read this and plan to do so, you’ll read it and never be the same!
Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.
Djrelat7