Pause

Monday.  Again.  Do you also sometimes feel that time is just rushing past at breakneck speed?  The week-end has been merely the blink of an eye.  This day is already past halfway, yet my inbox is still piled high.  Everybody wants their pound of flesh, and I can hardly breathe.  Yes, you know that feeling.  That feeling of overwhelm.  Well, it is time to press the pause button.  No, I am not talking about taking a vacation, that is too far into the future, and chances are you will suffer burn-out before then.  I am also not talking about a week-end breakaway.  I am talking about hitting the pause button right now.  A moment before your next meeting, before answering the next call or handling the next crises.  We usually are so busy tackling our to-do list, catching up on e-mails or scrambling from one deadline to the next that we forget to breathe, we forget to take a moment to just be calm and re-assess our next step.  We run from errand to meeting to telephone call and we grab a coffee on the go.  Pause.  Now!

   Breathe.  

Pour yourself that cup of coffee, and sit down.  For two minutes just savour that warm aroma wafting past your nose,  taste it's warmth, feel it slipping down your throat.  Empty your mind of all the to-do lists, all the hectic talk echoing through your head.  Just focus on this moment, don't rush off into the clamour of your thoughts.  Pause and breathe.  

Take your lunch hour, it is your sacred time and step outside the office.  Take a walk along the pavement, smile at the passers-by, listen to the laughter of children, notice the colours of the sky and the flowers blooming in the cracks.  Clear your mind of any thoughts about work, about the afternoon meeting, the worry about your children's homework or what is for dinner.  Pause and enjoy where you are right now, name your blessings and your joys.

So often we are taken hostage by our thoughts, our fears and our emotions.  They sweep us along on a path of worry, anxiety and destruction.  We loose sight of the shore, of what is real and we are so overwhelmed by it all that we feel as if we are out of control and drowning.  Pause.  Take a deep breath and regain your focus.  Reboot.

Yes, I hear you say, but what if....

What if you take just a few moments, fill your thoughts with stillness.  Be calm.  Psalm 46:10 says , "Be still, and know that I am God."  When life becomes too hectic, when fear and worry threaten to destroy your peace, when your emotions want to overwhelm you, just take a moment and press the pause button.  Breathe.  Let calmness flow into you, envelop you and lift you higher.

Pause.

Then play again.

Spring, beautiful Spring!

How wonderful!!! Yes, it is that time of the year again!  Here in the other half of the world Spring has sprung!  It is in the air, it is in the way the sun falls merrily upon my face.  The trees are sprouting tender little leaves and my cat is basking in the mellow sun.  It feels as if a window has been opened somewhere in my soul and the fresh breeze is filling every corner, chasing the last gray of the winter out.  It hardly matters that a cold front might be looming ahead, Spring is here, it has shaken Winter's cocoon from its wings!

I love Spring.  The rebirth of the Earth always fascinates me.  I am surrounded by the promise of new and wonderful things to come, I am filled with renewed energy and excitement, I want to drink in the crisp air with huge gulps of joy.  I am ready for new and wonderful projects.  What would it be this season, I wonder. Maybe a new lick of paint for my lounge, fresh bedding or a new craft project?  No, none of that.  This Spring I want to give thanks.  I want to give thanks to my Creator's wonderful mercy and love, the blessings He has bestowed upon me, my family, my friends.  I want to actively live a life of gratitude.  When I look at the world, at all the sadness that we read about every day, strife and war, the horrors of natural disasters, then I am humbled by how much grace we still receive every day out of our Lord's hands.  I feel so small, so undeserving.  It makes me realize how seldom I just give thanks.  So, this Spring it is time for me to reflect on all I have to be grateful for. 

Yes, I know, some of you who are reading this post might feel as if you can't think of anything to be grateful for, maybe you do not feel so particularly blessed.  Maybe you have had to face hardship or sadness, maybe a loss or ill health.  Maybe you have had so many difficult times that you do not believe in blessings any more.  However, I want to tell you, no matter what your circumstances, the Lord is there in it with you, he knows your path.  You are not alone and if you take the time to look, to really search, you will find that one little flower managing to grow in among the thistles and thorns, that one little blessing.  We often mistakenly believe that it is happiness that makes us grateful, but the truth is that it is gratitude that makes us happy.  Mostly we think that blessings are found in the big things in life, but the truth is that it it most often found in the little, seemingly insignificant, things in life; my husband's warmth next to me when I wake up in the morning, the rich aroma of my early morning coffee, the smile on my daughter's face, my dog's excited bark when he sees me.  Once we stop recounting all our problems and start counting our blessings we will be amazed by all we have to be grateful for.

I leave you with a quote by Melody Beattie : " Gratitude turns what we have into enough."

If you flutter by here, please share with us what it is you would like to give thanks for.  I would love to hear from you.

The Gift

Every Friday morning a few of us get together to paint, draw, chat and doodle.  All week long we rush around, taxi children, do chores, but come Friday it is our time, it is the start of our week-end.  For those few hours we create and recharge our batteries.  No critics are allowed, no negative talk and no self-sabotage!  What we all marvel at is the fact that although sometimes one of us might not feel in the mood, or might feel tired or depressed, by the end of our session, we all feel energized and on top of the world.  In fact, we find it extremely difficult to stop what we are doing, the creative sluices are wide open.

Being creative is one of the best forms of therapy, it brings healing and peace beyond our understanding.  I think the reason for that is that through the creative process we draw closer to God's heart, because He is the great Creator, our creativity is not from ourselves, but from the Lord.  He bestows the gift of creativity on each and everyone of his children, with no favouritism, but somehow we allow the world and its critics to steal that gift away from us.  We fall for the lies we are being told by the world - you are not talented enough, you are not creative, your talent is of little use, etc etc. 
It is amazing to watch little children drawing, painting or doing anything creative.  They do it with such absolute conviction and confidence.  Not for a second do they question that blob of red paint they've put on the paper, it IS a dog, a cat, a cow.  Of course the sky is green, the river purple and a giraffe has three legs.  They do not doubt their artistic ability or criticise their own efforts, and they are equally enthusiastic about their playmates' artwork.  Unfortunately, too soon the words and ideas of the world creep in and plant the ugly seeds of criticism and self-doubt, and that flamboyant young artist becomes an adult that 'cannot even draw a stick figure'!
Pablo Picasso said that all children are artists, the problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.  It is definitely time for everyone to close the doors to the opinion of the world and reconnect with that artist hiding inside.  Life is a canvas - so come on, throw all the paint you have at it!!!  Do it today!
Have a look at Friday's page, it's a great way to entice that artist out of his/her hiding place.

If you flutter by here, please feel free to leave a comment, or to share your thoughts on creativity with us.  Just click on the words "no comment" or "1 Comment" and follow the prompts.  I would LOVE to hear from you.