By: C. Michelle Bryant
I love spring! It’s my favorite season. Things are blooming. Lots of color, growth and beauty surround my world, and I relish in it. Since we are entering spring I wanted to expand on something I heard and share it with you. I’m sure you’ve heard the sentiment in various ways, but this is my version. In any given day in our lives we experience many emotions on various levels. Sometimes we are elated and content.
Other times we are depressed, downtrodden or upset. I would like to share these two very different measures with you and give you one result to a happy day, a peaceful mind and a joyous life.
It’s only natural when things are going well and we are content that we tend to overlook our blessings or the “little things” in our lives. We tend to disregard good health until we receive a potential diagnosis or a threat to our body. We forget how much we use our thumb until we smash it or cut it and it is immobile for any length of time. We overlook the tiny things a spouse often took care of for us until they are no longer with us to bring those memories to light. We disregard green lights when we are running late or up-front parking spaces when we have a blister on our heel. There are so many moments in our lives that we never notice until almost forced. What have you forgotten? What or whom do you take for granted because your world is content and all is well?
Or are we drawn by drama? For some it is the chaos that draws us—to prayer, to each other, to accountability, to take notice of our surroundings. When things are less than we hope, when we are sad, depressed or melancholy, we tend to forget the same things—the blessings, the good, the reason for us to get up every morning. Why are we so run by our emotions and by our world around us?
Like spring after winter you can be assured that there is hope. There is a glorious flower beneath the beautiful, pure snow. In our contentment we can find ways to remind ourselves daily of our blessings in an attempt to not take a single thing for granted. In our chaos we can reassure ourselves of the knowledge that we truly are alive and have much to be joyous and grateful about. In either situation ask yourself: “What do I know for sure?” No matter what emotion you are carrying at any given moment ask yourself that question. I encourage you to make the list. List at least 10 things that you KNOW without a doubt—things that no one could convince you otherwise, no matter your mood or emotion.
I was asked that question and came up with my own list. I’d like to share it with you. I have only included the short version. The explanations and expansions are only necessary to mi. But I think you will still understand and appreciate the list, its sentiment and its intention. These are things that no matter my mood, my emotion, time of day or night I cannot be convinced otherwise for these are things I KNOW deep within mi, within my very core to be true…for mi.
By reminding myself of these things, this “knowledge,” every day I am reminded of how no matter my mood, my day or my circumstances my life is still beautiful, rich and full, and I AM truly blessed. May your spring and all your days be filled with new beginnings, blessings and growth, and may you find your own peace in your knowledge.