I just take a day of rest and do what I want. Mostly I spend time in quiet meditation, and find solitude. But lately , I have taken joy in this.
Self-care used to be hard for me. I have a very busy job and some days I get going and don’t settle at all til the evenings…rather late… Yet this picture here helps me find that and remember it. I try my best to make Sundays a Sabbath. The last few Sundays I have been pretty good with this goal. I’ve been successful in finding rest. Some try to often make us feel guilty for resting, but no, not I. For me, Sabbath is a place of resolve. And if I cannot find it at all…in any given day, then something’s wrong with my time management and self-care paradigm. I don’t care who tries to make me feel guilty, I won’t accept it.
Even from my husband .
(And he’s the one that initially turned me on to Sabbath! Interesting how easily we can get out of routine, huh….)
Want to rest with me on Sunday?
Here’s how I do rest:
I get a cup of tea.
I spend time with a friend that may like to contemplate or quietly write.
I go to a cafe’ and drink and journal.
I spend time if it’s nice outside – drinking in the sun.
I spend time near a body of water or in nature .
I read a good book in a quiet corner.
I laugh. I find a comedy movie, a friend who likes to tell jokes, and just chill.
I gather perspective and I may go to yoga.
I catch up with a friend or spend time writing a letter to them.
“The voice of the mother is kind, soft, serene, nurturing, warm.
The voice of the mother is instructional, healing,
encouraging
The voice of the mother watches out for her young,
Tailors their lives on the path of hope.
The voice of the mother warns her babies of harm or danger of the need for safety.
The voice of the mother brings life to death situations.
The voice of the Mother is guidance,
She arms her young wisdom, endurance, love and description.
The voice of the mother teaches, shares, develops. The voice of the mother is stirring, firm, positions, directs –
The voice of the mother reaches, questions, inquires, searches and mends.
The voice of the mother is empowered, informed by struggle and ensures by experience – is focused.
The voice of the mother is growth .
The voice of the mother stills, quiets, hushes brings attention.
The voice of the mothers sings .
Is beautiful lovely .
A fragrant, comforting
the voice of the mother is peace.
So …today I’m home from work and just taking a day. And quite pensive.
I’ve had a completely FULL week and it took more emotional, mental and physical strength than I’ve exerted in quite some time. Sitting and allowing the sun to hit my feet and soak up sun, is just: peaceful.
There were transitions for people in my life and who were ordained to cross my paths. And whether by prayer, conducting acts of service, or simple conversation,… I completed the tasks – so I’m worthy of the much needed rest.
Sometimes I’m not fully aware how much virtue leaves me when I’m completing such tasks. This led me to blog a bit about this story of being tasked to “assignments” versus being tasked to “ajob“. I realize there is a difference.
There’s what some of us call: employment and then what employs us- that being a call to work in conjunction with other to fulfill their own destiny.
And that was last week, for me.
So .. that’s all folks.
So think about it: Which are you fulfilling?
Your calling or your assignment? Or are you working in futile places, barely being fulfilled?
Do we need to pursue our calling so that we can complete our full assignment?
Who assigns it anyway?
Is it us, …. God…or the ” little gods ” we serve: (work, people, houses , cars or the things we own):
And …what can you do to ‘reduce yourself’ to less of what you desire, so that your life might be full?
Selah.
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Quiet is my safe space. I get quiet, and my whole world changes. It’s wisdom for my soul.
I’ve learned over the years that quiet is not just a way of being. It’s a healthy place. A place where growth happens. A place where the world stops and all its ‘chaotic-ness’.
Quiet is a place of security. Where I become my best friend.
Quiet is where I practice self-love.
Quiet is hope for my future.
Quiet is a soft, soft, song. And sometimes without words.
Sometimes I go to this place knowing it will free me and rejuvenate me.
Other times it’s when I lack courage and need to nurture and feed myself only ‘good words’.
And then there are times when Quiet helps me rest. Long for myself and my identity , again. To remember who I am, ‘Whose‘ I am, … and where I belong that’s safe and calm.
Yeah, quiet is my best friend.
It’s a concrete and completely divine way of remembering
I’m the ‘baby’ of the fam.. what that means is you often feel “special” when you grow up… and even when your don’t feel special- you feel special because your have a lot of favor, with everyone in the fam. For this reason I’ve favored, I believe ‘special relationships” have always been like really important to me. Growing up, I would try to make every kid I know feel special… especially the little friends I had who were easily hurt by words because they didn’t look like everyone else, smell like everyone else, or have a family like everyone else.
They
The ‘friends’ I knew would be people lI found time to be kind to because I knew they didn’t have the same resources I had, or seemed lonely. My mother noted that when young, I was really compassionate. I didn’t understand how people who had so many needs could be treated so unkind by others. It just didn’t seem fair. And so, whenever I could, I would try to smile or talk to them and just be a kind face and notice them. My mother taught me the importance of kindness. She was a teacher, and would take me to school sometimes with her and she’s show me how to treat the kids kindly – because some of them had special needs, in her classroom setting. I learned how to be considerate of others, very young. My mother didn’t know, (or perhaps she did know) that I was a “social worker in the making.”
Family was important to me when i small, and still is important. Several of my siblings are compassionate. I have a sibling who have bee pastors, another who’s been a coach, and several who are social workers in my family. When I was little my big brothers and sister were ‘everything’ to me. This ‘specialness’ I found came with certain privileges- and because of the privileges – I’ve always was wanted to be around them, up under them, would try to sleep in my brothers rooms often and my sisters , too…at times. Some would call it spoiled, other would call it ‘well-loved’.. and whatever it was , i’m learning today, it was really ok. It didn’t ruin me. This kind treatment showed me how to love on’ folk. And that was just plain ole’ goodness.
I remember most of this goodness as being special memories with my family- how as a family we’d go on long car rides to the country ; and go to cabins in the woods ; trip rides to LaGrange, GA and do things together as a fam… because that was family to us. I just loved being with my family.
Family was so special, It never occurred to me that one day I wouldn’t have my own biological children. I am grateful for those who have become family, for me and weren’t even related to me. My womb did not naturally produce my own children, and this is huge. I have what i consider to be “children” who are mine, and others have birthed – yet they are my kids, because spiritually I’ve played a huge part in their development. ( They may not know it, but I’ve been there.) There’s a scripture in the Bible that says: “more are the children of the desolate one-she will have many more children.”Galatians 4:7 This means something to me. (It means I have more children than I really know.)
I searched the word ‘desolate’ & it led meto the word agape. Agape means a “God-kind of love”- in the purest sense of the word it means the highest kind of love you can give humans. I had to pause here, because it made me think less about what I didn’t have, and although children were never born from my womb; the children I couldn’t have – gave me a greater love that was borne for those who needed it, perhaps even more than those born with their naturals parents. And “crossed my paths” they did! Crazy . Inasmuch as I would have loved to have bio children, the blessing of not having children has made me more spacious for welcoming and cherishing and inviting more ‘children ‘ in – more space to love on and be warm and kind to those who come across my path to nurture more fully.
Agape love is a love that’s redemptive; lasting and eternal. It’s more than enough. Hmm…Fits perfectly.
Grateful to know God chose me as His ‘carrier’ of such love. I’m definitely feeling the impact and the grace it’s left over these 54 years of life and in my profession, ministry and life path. As a teacher, professor a social worker, chaplain, leader, diversity trainer, missionary, therapist and life coach… life has shown ‘my children’ to have so much more because I had the precious time to invest in them. Selah.🦋
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If someone asked you how you felt, would you be able to tell them?
Feelings can be hard to pinpoint sometimes.
Someone close to me asked me the other day how was I feeling and I really didn’t have words.
This is a good chart to use when you’re lost with your feelings. Knowing how you feel can help to have perspective on life matters when you don’t know where you stand on a matter.
For instance, if you’re confused, you may need to process with a friend or counselor those feelings before you share them with anyone else, and get clarity.
If you’re sad,… do you know why? What can you do about your sadness? Do you need a day off from work? Do you need to have a break?
Are you exhausted?
What needs to change?
Do you need some perspective on life balance what it means to have it?
When you have perspective, you make better decisions, you feel empowered and more confident in life.
When you can’t identify your feelings you find negative and adverse ways of coping, you shore up your hurts, have major misunderstandings, because you fail to communicate them, and you often feel insecure and falter.
Choose to feel, today.
Take control of your life, risk feeling vulnerable and be in control of your emotional life. You’re so worth it.
Did you enjoy this reading?Want to know more about dealing with challenges surrounding your feelings? If so, visit my newsletter and get regular updated reading in which you can practice self- actualization exercises. We are located at the Mentor My Sister site, simply click here.
How can you tell when you have been motivated and then.. inspired?
I did an exercise today and noted a few things that motivated me; first, then I asked myself what about those five things caused me to be INSPIRED??
children
families
hope
creativity
love
What INSPIRES ME about the FIVE SUBJECTS – Is that children being successful, …achieving; children who grow up to be adults and they break generational curses! Children who decide they will live better, stronger lives than those before them.
Families nurturing one another; families with high esteem; families that make other families by examples Hope – hope giving; hope in culture hope for another 100 years by the lives we led before them. hope by example , courageous hope , inspirational hope that lasts inspires creativity.
And creativity inspires ME. It helps me laugh, helps me to trust myself on another level. It helps me stand with my head held high; and it helps me stand with pride and look back on my culture with love and high esteem.
I just came back from The National African American Museum in Washington, DC and BOY was I inspired! So proud of the gift in storytellers and historians and curators…because to tell stories, and share stories of empowerment and to inform and tell history… what a leah at they have left for several African American people. To know the truth and allow it to make you free..wow because where would we be without it!
The National Mall in Washington, DC– Loved this place. Please visit. Life-changing.
Oh and here is what inspires me about LOVE…
Love inspires me how it GIVES ME JOY;
Love helps me feel whole.
Love helps me treat other unconditionally .
Did you enjoy this reading? If so, visit my newsletter and get regular updated reading in which you can practice self- actualization exercises. We are located at the Mentor My Sister site, simply click here.
If someone asked you how you felt, would you be able to tell them?
Mentor💜MySister 