Posted: December 17, 2024
There are moments and words that impact us profoundly and change our way of thinking and life. One of those times was when best selling author Gordon MacDonald spoke at our church on his book A Resilient Life. What stuck with me was on his chapter of friendships and challenging us to have an “inner circle” of friends who will help us finish well. After his presentation I spent some time with him and we continued that deeply satisfying conversation. The process starts with honest conversations. Within the next week I put Gordon’s words into action. I contacted three friends and arranged to meet them for breakfast once a month. We continued these lovely times of intimately sharing our lives, our joys and disappointments. Around that same time I also asked two other women to join me for a Bible Study and we continued these beautiful connecting times for over…
Posted in: accumulate experiences, adventure, all alone, ask for help, ask God, ask questions, authentic, be a blessing, Best friends, blessings, Christmas joy, circle of friends, companionship, Covid-19, Forgiveness, friends, Friendship, girlfriends, growing old, happiness needs to be shared, honesty, introvert, loneliness, make time for each other, Prayer deepens relationships, relationships, resilience, resilient, spiritual friendships, we are made for relationships, we need each other
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Posted: December 10, 2023
It was May 2020 and three months had gone by without me receiving any human connection or a hug. The isolation of Covid did that to us. We were saving lives by locking ourselves up in our homes; so they said. Being single, an extrovert and someone who thrives on the companionship and joy of being with other people, I was slowly dying inside. It was the end of May and I agreed to meet my friend Joanne to remove rocks in preparation of a horse compound. We arrived together, got out of our cars, looked both ways (to make sure nobody was watching us hug) and hugged like crazy. It felt so good and right, and tears flowed down my cheeks. Oh the power of a loving hug. When we’re thrown in jail for a crime we’ve committed, the biggest punishment is being put into solitary confinement. Society knows…
Posted in: alone, alone at Christmas, Christmas, companionship, Covid-19, failure to thrive, happiness needs to be shared, hugs, isolation, loneliness epidemic, power of hugs, singleness at Christmas, suffering, we need each other
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Posted: June 13, 2021
It’s time to laugh again. We’ve toughed it out, physical distanced and stayed indoors too long. It’s time to get the limbic brain dancing. The limbic system in our brain is the seat of emotions, memories and is responsible for our well-being. In fact, if you place the limbic brain under an MRI when you’ re happy and energized, it displays beautiful colours and dances. It’s time for some colourful dancing and fresh joy. Yes, a chocolate bar or bowl of ice cream will help. But, therapists tell us that one of the best ways to help our brain do the limbic dance is to get out into God’s creation. We’ve been so caught up in the latest Covid reports, politics, vaccines, and homeschooling that many have forgotten the power of creation. God is the master creator. God is the master creator. He created thousands of orchid species and butterflies,…
Posted in: be creative, beauty, beauty and joy, Covid-19, disappointments, fresh joy, friends, girlfriends, God's creation, happiness needs to be shared, hiking, Laughter, limbic dance, limbic sytem, lower than the angels, mountain top, nature, physical distancing, rainbows, sweat a little, troubles, waterfalls, worry
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