2:48 p.m. - 2008-01-17
Harmony and Balance
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Thank you for your sweet thoughts. Today is a better day. Thankfully one of the family members is opening up to her mother and I think telling all the details will help her get through this. They are leaning towards prosecution or at the very least, having the police contact the young guy and his parents to let them know that this was reported. My young family member's 16th birthday is today. What a memory she will carry for this birthday.... She asked to see a doctor to make sure she is going to be ok. I think that is very healthy and hopefully the doctor will be able to give her assurance that she wasn't to blame.
Moving to other things.....
Yesterday's Simple Abundance essay was A SENSE OF ORDER; CULTIVATING CONTENTMENT. The message was basically that keeping your living area in order also makes your mental state feel in place as well. Or if you feel overwhelmed - sometimes doing some mundane simple tasks like laundry or cleaning helps you relax. Your mind is on simple tasks but it helps you sort out the other things going on in your life.
"It's not the tragedies that kill us, it's the messes."..... DOROTHY PARKER
"If you feel constantly adrift but don't know why, be willing to explore...what that order....or lack of it.... plays in your life.
Begin to think of order not as a straitjacket of "shoulds" (make the bed, wash the dishes....) but as a ...foundation for the beautiful life you are creating." "Put back what you took out, hang something up that you took off and teach those who live with you to do the same." (Yes, I KNOW....that's the hardest part.)
Today's essay is entitled "HARMONY: ACHIEVING BALANCE IN OUR LIVES....
"Harmony is the inner cadence of contentment we feel when the melody of life is in tune. "....we strike the right chord...balance the expectation of our families and our responsibilities on one hand with our inner needs for..growth and personal expression on the other." "This is one of the most difficult challenges any woman faces...it requires that we make choices...usually the distractions of daily life deplete our energy and the first thing we eliminate is the thing we need most....quiet, reflective time, time to dream, to think, figure out what is working and what's not...."
So for today, try slowing down. "Listen to music that uplifts your spirit and pause to consider how all those individual notes come together to give expression to the entire song. With harmony as your goal...trust that your everyday moments will soon begin to make a beautiful song in your heart." You may have to "replay" the song over and over but soon it will be the tune you are humming throughout your day.
For today one of my simple pleasures was shopping at the grocery store. I found a tiny little baby's doll on sale for $1. I think I know someone who will love that in a few months. It's sweet and cute and cuddly...just what a baby and her new mommy might enjoy.
I got an e-mail from a family member who feels reassured that her daughter will get through the abuse and come out ok on the other side. That seems worth more than a simple pleasure today.
I also had the simple pleasures of so many lovely caring comments on both of my blogs. Thank you again for your thoughts.
My husband will soon be home from work and we will have a nice dinner together tonight and talk about our day... and our plans for the weekend. A very simple pleasure that not everyone has.
"So it shall be with your world."
