 "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 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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