 "This is a wonderful day. I've never seen this one before." ~ Maya Angelou Good days, bad days and everything in between. We all have them, but I sincerely hope your bad days are in short supply in your corner of the world. For quite some time my family was riddled in deep grief and sorrow after a lengthy period of profound loss of several family members, including my precious mom. Since that time I have personally declared this year THE YEAR OF JOY for that reason. I am bound and determined to find joy anywhere and everywhere, even if some days it is harder to spot. Most of our days generally speaking seem quite ordinary, yet even those run of the mill days are full of many gifts if you open your eyes to see them. Let's highlight a few of my personal favs. The gift of waking up On one of our local radio stations the DJ would always say "If there is air in your lungs today, praise the Lord as He is the one who put it there." This little phrase has always resonated with me. Every day we wake up to face a new day, as mundane or routine as it may seem, is a true privilege that some do not get. My mom unexpectedly died in her sleep. We were totally shocked and heartbroken. No one even considered that that particular Thursday would be her last, and that she would go to bed and never wake up. For this reason I am MORE thankful for EVERY day God gives me to love and honour Him the best I can. For a while I had been caught in the rut of "counting the days" instead of "making the days count." It is my goal now to strive to find meaning in each and every day to the best of my ability. I woke up to face another day. I am blessed. The gift of God's word Photo by John-Mark Smith at Pexels Starting each day with a devotional and reading God's word sets a wonderful tone for my day and gives me something positive to take with me as I head out the door. Since I was a child, my mom would help us memorize scripture and tell us to "tuck God's word in our hearts." I continue this routine and find God's word so meaningful and comforting on all my types of days. If reading scripture is new for you, there are many different translations and types of Christian bibles and you can find what suits you. Some examples are: the King James version, which is more like old English writing, using words like thee, thou and thus. Then there is a version called The Message Bible which puts scripture in everyday words that you and I use today. It is a matter of personal preference. The important thing is to READ the Bible, and a good place to start is Psalms and Proverbs if you are new at this. Having God's word at my fingertips helps me to know I am blessed. The gift of hot coffee Where are my coffee loving friends at? You are my people! That first cup of coffee, especially in the morning, really hits home. It is very special to wake up in the quiet of the morning before all the activity picks up and savor a hot coffee and some peaceful moments. I am drawn to all my favourite mugs. Lots of them have cool stories behind them, like the Charlie Brown one I just got from one of my students. This is my current favourite hands down. Sip, savor and smile. I can wake up and have a warm cup of coffee in my hand in minutes. I am blessed. The gift of so much clothes and food Photo by Liza Summer at Pexels Every day I get to CHOOSE what I will wear. I am sure many of you are like me and have many options of what to wear. Recently I packed up 3 bags of clothes for the thrift store and it did not even make a dent in my closet. My fashion options are many. I am blessed. My fridge and cupboard are also full and I realize this is often not the case for many. So much food for my family, and I do not have to worry about where our next meal is coming from. I am blessed. The gift of my own car Photo by Mike Bird at Pexels For many years we had only one car. I felt stranded all the time and often had to walk or bike places. Then we got a second car and well with two young adults sharing it with me, let's just say I was the one often asking friends for rides. Recently however, my daughter purchased her first car and something AMAZING happened for me... FREEDOM! With my own car now I feel very liberated. I can come and go as I please without making an elaborate car sharing schedule. Having a car to myself is a daily gift I am enjoying immensely. I am blessed. The gift of my career Photo: Little Lessons Learned by Dana My teaching job is a BIG answered prayer. For many years I tried to get a teaching contract but it was difficult as full-time jobs were scarce and in Ontario, Canada you must supply teach, day to day for quite a while before getting a permanent job. When I FINALLY got a contract, my superintendent told me to "shout it from the the mountaintops," and my principal at the time literally danced with me up and down the hallway. IT WAS A BIG DEAL! I have a great job. I am blessed. Well my friends, I hope my little walk down the path of the ordinary day, gave you something to think about. I know it sure did for me. I am working on being more grateful in all areas of my life. Being thankful for ALL my days, even the ones that are less noteworthy, is a great place to start! Until next time, Dana Ephesians 5:20 ~ Always give thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Little Lesson Learned: Always remember the things we often take for granted every day is what some only dream of.
Copyright: © 2024 littlelessonslearnedbydana (Dana Romualdi) Tags: blessings, gratitude, ordinary days, thankfulness, perspective
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 Photo by RDNE Stock project "Confidence isn't walking into a room with your nose in the air, and thinking you are better than anyone else. It's walking into a room and not having to compare yourself to anyone in the first place." @LifehackI recall a situation years ago when my then teenage son came along with me to do some errands. As a teenage boy, I am sure it was the "thrill of his life" to run errands with his dear old mom, but to add insult to injury on the list of things to pick up with the bottled water and toilet paper was yes wait for it people … a new bathing suit for me! Ugh! Just thinking about this upcoming purchase was causing me great stress and believe me it had nothing to do with my son coming along. I debated about postponing the bathing suit ordeal, yet I knew my son is cool about that sort of thing, so I went for it. I am a blessed woman because not only did he not object, but he even gave his opinion on the various suits I tried on. I would say I have a son who is an excellent sport and off to a great start of being a compassionate and patient husband one day!  Photo by Pixabay Well ladies, I am sure I am not alone in my feelings here. It is not a fun experience to try on bathing suits at my age I can tell you. After two kids, three abdominal surgeries and being in my mid-fifties, what often looks huge on the rack, seems to magically shrink in the change room. Tell me I am not alone here ladies! I find myself almost every time behind closed doors mortified trying to squish my body into what seems like the swimsuits from hell. Then to make matters worse, I have the "pleasure" of viewing myself from every angle with the full body mirrors. Oh, that’s lots of fun, I tell ya! I usually feel like the judges from American Idol with each and every one. You know the standard line “Ah, it’s a NO from me!” Funny though, by some divine miracle I did end up finding not one, but two suits that actually looked decent on me, so I did what any self-respecting woman of my age would do. I bought them both because at my age, you just never know when you will find another suit that looks good on you again. True story!  Photo by SHVETS production There is so much pressure all around us for women to look good. We fuss over our hair, our weight, our skin and our wardrobe just to name a few. This list goes on and on. I remember even when I was in my early 20’s about to be married, I put great pressure on myself in this area. Weighing about 125 lbs, and in great physical shape, I drank Slimfast shakes faithfully to hopefully shed a few unwanted pounds before the “big day.” In hindsight I see how unnecessary that was for me at that life stage, but at the time I could not see it. In university, I participated in a psychology study that left a lasting impact on me. To say it was an eye-opener was an understatement. When I arrived for the assignment, the grad student was flustered and clearly unprepared for me. She apologetically asked me to take a seat and encouraged me to look at some fashion magazines while she got ready. In a few minutes she announced that she was ready. She asked me if I felt that I had any body image, self-esteem, or weight issues. I answered “absolutely not,” as I clearly did not really feel I had any of those. She then had me stand in front of a screen and I am not sure how she did it, but just like those crazy fun house mirrors, she morphed my image to look as flat as a pancake. It was very humorous, as I looked like a paper doll. Flat Stanley had NOTHING on me. She then instructed that as she had obviously made me very paper thin, she would gradually morph my image to what I really looked like. I was instructed to tell her to stop when she reached the “real me, “ in my opinion, which I did. Next, she did the opposite. She started with a very obese version of myself that was very difficult to witness and kept making me smaller. Too bad that did not exist in real life! I was instructed to tell her to stop when I thought she reached what I would feel would be my "ideal" weight. It was to be the me on the screen where I would feel beautiful and satisfied, and so I did. That was it and then we sat down to talk. What she proceeded to tell me next has impacted me ever since. First of all, she said the magazine viewing was not to fill time, but a planned part of the experiment. It was to fill my head with what society deemed as "beautiful." Next, she said that what I perceived as the “real me” was about 30-40 lbs over my real weight and my “ideal” me would be very anorexic if that was actually me. I was shocked because for someone who did not think I had any body image issues, this was a very enlightening experience. Often, I have shared this encounter to make people aware of the fact that even when we think we are not affected by the world’s view of beauty, we sadly often are.  Photo by JavierCapturesTheWorld Even young girls feel this pressure to look a certain way. I teach eight-year-old students. I remember doing a lesson on new year’s resolutions. We discussed many options for them to consider of what would be a good new year's goal for someone their age and I can assure you that weight loss was not one of them. When each was asked to share individually what goal he or she had selected as the most important, one little girl said her goal was to "lose weight." It broke my heart that at that age that was the most important new year’s resolution she could come up with. I jumped in and explained as children are always growing and changing, it would be more appropriate to say as a goal, “I would like to become more physically fit.” She was content with that, and it made we feel better as eight years of age is just too young to be fixated on a weight issue. The Bible says that “man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” ( 1 Samuel 16:7) We can be so hard on ourselves as women and people in general. It is not wrong to want to look nice, but when too much emphasis is put in this area, great problems can result. Focusing on our inner qualities is just as important, yet we often fail to realize this. Inner beauty is in God’s opinion what he truly values. God looks at us through a loving father’s eyes. He does not see a flawed, mediocre person, who is unworthy of love and acceptance as he or she is. Instead, he sees a unique and amazing person that he created with a calling and specific purpose. He looks down and says “That’s my kid!” I love what author Max Lucado says. He says “If God had a refrigerator your picture would be on it. If he had a wallet, your picture would be in it." Face it friend he’s absolutely crazy about you!” Every one of us is so unique and special. We need to stop looking at the world’s measure and standard of beauty and look at what God says about us. He cares so deeply for each one of us and longs to have a relationship with each one of us. He desires a friendship with us, to love on us and reveal his unique will for each of our lives. See yourself the way you were meant to be seen, as the truly special and beautiful person you are. Don’t look at the photoshopped versions of perfection, because you like all of us, will always fall short. Focus on who you are, not on who you are not. We all have room for improvement, yet we all have amazing qualities too. Next time you look in the mirror, let it truly sink in that you are incredible and that the world has become a much brighter place simply because you are in it! Self improvement strategies are wonderful, but let’s not lose sight of who we really are. Here’s to the beautiful person you are no matter what you are wearing, even though I know you are going to ROCK that bathing suit! Until next time, ~ Dana Psalms 18:19 NCV - Because he delights in me, he saved me. Little Lesson Learned: See yourself the way God does. You’re perfect through his eyes of love!
Tags: self esteem, self worth, see yourself in God's eyes, you are valuableCopyright: © 2024 littlelessonslearnedbydana, 2nd edition, 2014 first edition (Bathing Suit Season)
 Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko “Lord, keep me in the moment. Help me live with my eyes wide open. `Cause I don't wanna miss what you have for me. ~ Jeremy Camp I found myself crying in Mcdonald's last week. It was supposed be just like any other coffee run. I had my code in hand. I was ready to get my points and about to get on the road for a fun weekend getaway with my husband. As I approached the counter, everything changed, however. You see the "customers" right in front of me couldn't help but get my undivided attention. There they were, the most adorable brother and sister duo, proudly placing their order for "2 waters." Their beautiful mom was beaming, watching them closely, and protectively from the side. They had their meal but wanted to order something on their own. Instantly I was swept back in time and there Tyler, age 7, and Shannon, age 5, stood in front of me. They even resembled them. It was uncanny. A wave of nostalgia and sadness engulfed me. The tears unexpectedly flowed behind my dark sunglasses. I had a moment that my mom often described as an "I miss my little people" moment. Have you ever experienced this? I am sure I am not alone. My kids are adults now. They are 28 and 26. Despite my mistakes along the way, they are two of the best humans out there. I am so blessed to have them in my life. Even so, there are just those moments that come up from time to time that get me right in the heart. I miss their little voices, their chubby, little hands in mine and their bedtime giggles and cuddles. Can you relate?  When Ty and Shannon were a baby and toddler, I wrote a poem which was entitled “Someday.” It was my first publication, and I was so proud. In this raw and honest poem, I talked of all the things that annoyed me at this stage like wishing I could: get a solid night’s sleep, shower without an audience, and watch Oprah instead of Barney. I realized too however, that there was so much I would also miss about that stage as well though like: infectious baby giggles, seeing the world through a child’s eyes and bedtime prayers for Goliath and the Teletubbies. I never wanted to wish this stage away, as hard as it might have been at the time. Everyone tells you to appreciate it all and since I became a mom, I know it is so true. Kids grow up way too fast! I felt like I blinked, and now my kids are adults.  Photo by Cup of Couple There can be many tough times and circumstances that come into our lives at so many stages. Life can be just plain hard sometimes. We struggle. We wish that our circumstances would change overnight. We don't know how much more we can take at times. During the tough times I have prayed that God would step in and change my circumstances time and time again, but that is not guaranteed. I have felt like I was in the waiting room and wondering like Rapunzel from the movie Tangled, when will my life begin? Many of us struggle to "stay in the moment" because we don’t like where we are right now. Many of us are facing big struggles, challenges and heartaches. We become overwhelmed and so weary of it all. If we have an attitude of what can be learned from our current circumstances whatever they may be, we can usually see that there have been some positives that have come from these times. When you stay in the moment with your heart open, you can see them. You Got This Photo by Prateek Katyal I have been teaching for 20 years. Retirement is fast approaching. It is so easy to look ahead and wish the time away. It is a challenging career and has changed so much recently. The needs of kids are so much more complex these days and the job of a teacher is truly not what it used to be. Rather than fantasize about leaving the profession on my worst days, I am working on reframing my thoughts to focus on the here and now. Who can I encourage right now? What good can I do each day? There is still work for me to do to impact this school community. The door will close on this chapter of my life soon enough, but not just yet. I want to enjoy it and make a difference where I am, while I still can. I encourage you to do the same when possible, with whatever stage of life you are in.  Everything is for a seasonThere is a season for everything in your life. Some seasons are amazing. Woo-hoo! You are overflowing with joy and fulfillment. This may be you. Some seasons are stressful, very difficult and we wonder how we can even get out of bed. This may be you. Please know that these times of hardship will not last and with God, his mercies are new every morning. He will give you the strength you need to make it through even your darkest of days. Whether something is an ordeal or adventure is up to you. We can so easily wish times away, but I encourage you to ask God to keep you in the moment. It is in some of our hardest times, that God reveals himself the most. It may be hard to believe as well, but the very things you dread today, surprisingly may be what you end up missing the most later on. Life is funny that way. Stay strong my friend. You got this and I am standing with you. Until next time, Dana Psalms 118:24: This is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it. Little Lesson Learned: Those with open hearts see things that others miss.
Tags: patience, endurance, parenting, strength in trials, life lessonsCopyright: © 2024 littlelessonslearnedbydana, 2nd edition, 2021 first edition
 Photo by Andrea Piacquadio "Life is 10% of what happens to us and 90% of how we respond to it." ~ Chuck Swindoll A tale of two viewpointsThere is a story that is told of two men in the hospital. They were roommates. One man was in a bed far away from the window and the other had a bed that was right beside the window overlooking a beautiful and spacious courtyard. Each day the man by the window would describe all he could see in vivid detail for the other man. He would describe young families enjoying a special day together, giddy couples strolling hand in hand so much in love, beautiful flowers blooming in gorgeous colour, glorious sunrises and breath-taking sunsets. The list went on and on. At first the man away from the window really enjoyed these daily descriptions of interesting activity, but it was not long after that he became increasingly jealous and resentful. He did not want to simply HEAR about the flurry of activity outside his window, he wanted to SEE it too. One night the man by the window started having a medical emergency and begged the other man to call for the nurse. Due to his jealousy, the other man refused and completely ignored the man by the window's desperate pleas. Sadly, medical attention came too late, and the man by the window passed away. As soon as it seemed appropriate, the man who was far from the window asked to be moved to the bed beside the window. He could hardly wait! He was desperate to witness the incredible activities firsthand for once, not just vicariously through his roommate. Excitedly he lifted himself to get his first glimpse and what he saw left him absolutely speechless. All that could be seen was a brick wall. This story is a cautionary tale yet serves to reiterate the incredible importance of a positive attitude and perspective.  Reframe the situationI am realizing more and more that mindset is everything when it comes to how we view various life scenarios. Whether something is an ordeal or adventure, a steppingstone or stumbling block, often lies with us and how we choose to perceive it. Sometimes in life we need to reframe a situation to grasp what the true life lesson is, or to give it a positive spin. Two people can be experiencing the exact same scenario yet "see" it very differently. One may see it as an amazing opportunity, and the other may see it as a worst-case scenario. We often talk about the glass "half full or empty" illustration, but our attitudes towards life in general are instrumental in how we succeed in life. When it comes to a marathon, some want to win, and others just want to finish. I tell my students to focus on self-improvement and to not compare themselves to others. Their goal should be to be their own competition and focus on being a little better than yesterday when it comes to their goals. I remember one little guy that I taught would try so hard in class but what he would usually get was C's on his report card. He would get so defeated when he would get his marks back, but one area he really excelled in was Visual Arts. He was a great artist, and I will never forget when he got his first "A." He was in a state of shock! He kept saying "Thank you Mrs. R.!" I said "Don't thank me. You earned it! You did amazing!" He then said "But you don't understand. This is my first A! I can't wait to show my mom!" This was so much more than one mark to him. This became a catalyst for change as he then started to believe in himself more and that affected his whole school experience in a very positive way.  See the goodIt is so easy to complain. If I am not careful, I can go down this path easily. I must train myself daily to reframe some of life's frustrations and put a more positive spin on them. It is not always easy to be positive. Sometimes it takes work. Here are some recent examples in my home that I did the old "switch-a-roo" on.
You get the idea. Life is good. Often what we have some could only wish for. It is easy to get caught up in negativity, but that only leads to discouragement. I specifically seek out people who have positive mindsets. They keep me grounded and help me get back on track when my attitude needs a change. They are my kind of people. They share their stories of hope and healing. They let you know you are not alone and remind you that usually much of what we stress about doesn't really matter in the end. Life can be just plain hard. Believe me, I have been there. There have been seasons of my life that I thought how can I possibly handle any more pain and heartache? As hard as it was though, I knew that If I kept the faith and believed that I was given this pain for a purpose, I would eventually come out on the other side and that has been the case, time after time. Staying positive is difficult. It can be an uphill battle when negativity and stress weigh you down, but by reframing the situation and looking for the good in the scenario you are moving forward when the times are tough. Is your response in certain areas, weighing you down? I know I have needed to reframe many situations lately and it is a very effective and handy life skill to develop. Care to join me? I highly recommend it. Until next time, ~ Dana Romans 8:28: And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Little Lesson Learned: Looking for the positive or learning opportunity in a negative situation can make all the difference in the world. Copyright © 2024 littlelessonslearnedbydana 2nd edition. 1st edition 2022 Dana Romualdi, the copyright holder reserves all rights to the content on the blog and website Little Lessons Learned by Dana, including the right to reproduce, distribute, and display the content. No content or photographs may be reproduced or modified. Blogs may be shared on social media platforms in their entirety only with full credit given to the owner. Any photographs used by other photographers are used with permission and are also protected. All rights reserved.
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