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Expansion Encounters - with Dusty As we wait upon spring to show its new beginnings, I am reminded that the Lord created all things to include cycles of procedure and completion. Do you recognize a cycle in your life throughout the year? I recently realized a pattern of activity. The pattern has four seasons. Spring brings new birth. New ideas begin to formulate. Summer brings activity. Those ideas begin developing into projects. Autumn brings completion. We see the projects finished. Winter brings rest. We express gratitude for the growth that has taken place through the past year. Gratitude: Thank you for the seasons of my life, Lord, from being rooted through resurrection. Thought for the Day: God has created a time for all circumstances in my life. Creating Personal Time Through Organizing Our Habits - by Dusty Reed Today’s world appears stressful with chaos abounding. There are myriad activities outside the home, household chores, communication with the family, and, as a result, inability to find desired quiet time for ourselves. We can experience a peaceful lifestyle. How? “Let it begin with me.” Possessing habits means being consistent, repetitive. We all have many. Many are good; some are less preferable. How do we release the less preferable? It seems the more we try, the harder it becomes to let go. By using preferred habits and focusing on organizing them into our time available and our flow of activities, the less preferred eventually effortlessly get tucked away and forgotten. Other preferred activities take precedence. One such habit that is favorable to most is eating an evening meal. This comes in various styles, according to surrounding family activities. Rather than attempting to fluctuate meal time around the various activities of other family members or fussing at them for not being available at mealtime, we can let the family know when the meal will be served and stay as close to that schedule as possible. Others will learn when the meal will be hot and work their activities around it. This is not to say that something like this has to be on a rigid schedule but the family is entitled to know, ahead of time, when meals will be on the table. This helps the person preparing the meals, as well, to organize other activities in compliance with this schedule. Another way to create personal time is to schedule various necessary errands for the same day each week. It may seem tiring to have to stop seven or eight places in one day but it is worth it. This takes personal discipline, planning ahead and not giving in to run a quick errand or two on non-scheduled days. Once this organized pattern becomes habit, it offers stress-free time. The rest of the week is free, except for some unknown emergencies. It is also good to delegate some errands to other family members, offering trust that they will take care of them. If necessary, a chart or calendar for chores and errands by family members can be posted in a familiar spot. What about household chores? Our ancestors had their reasons for “washing on Monday, ironing on Tuesday, and baking bread on Thursday.” Our reasons may be different than for those of the past but we can benefit from this type of schedule. Children can be taught at a very young age to make their bed and put their dirty clothes in the hamper. Weekly rewards are a good enticement. Meetings? Choose one or two evenings a week, maximum, for attending meetings of any kind. Give wholeheartedly to those interests. Keep other evenings free for family and preferred leisure. Invest relaxing time with your spouse. Communicate. Ask questions. Listen. Since, in the evenings, my husband enjoys watching television movies that I do not care for and I invest a good deal of my free time on the computer, we enjoy an extended “coffee time” together each morning. Sometimes we reminisce – a delightful experience – sharing something that happened before we met or giving our interpretations to an event that we participated in together. Recalling healthy memories is good medicine. A special time for meditation is always a good habit to develop. Along with the spiritual aspect, it brings our lives into perspective. At birth, we are given the power of being. We have integrity, strength, surety and ability. We are responsible beings and have confidence and authority. We have the choice of how we desire to invest ourselves in this life. We yearn to experience peaceful lives. It is easy to blame others for stepping in and putting our lives in chaos. It is easier still to ponder peace and say, “Let it begin with me.” Taking responsibility by organizing one's lifestyle provides the nutrient that gives strength for growth. Each person has the power to do this. Commitment offers the key to attainment. Growth - by Dusty Reed In growth I left the gr-r-r far behind. I took an oath to journey Love's path. It knows what I need and when it is needed. By being conscious of my walk moment by moment, I am being led through new life continuous and effortless. It shows me the rainbow, not the storm clouds. It gives me the bubbles of joy not the needle of complaint. It keeps my thoughts favorable with no avenues of defeat. I left the gr-r-r far behind when I took the oath . . . For growth. (`~`*`~`)`~`*`~`(`~`*`~`)`~`*`~`(`~`*`~`)`~`*``~` (`~`*`~`) Some sites I recommend: Support American Troops And, for anyone who enjoys playing at ebay, lots of goodies (records, books & post cards) are available at Dusty's eBay You are welcome to forward this newsletter to friends who might be interested! If they would like to subscribe (at no cost), they can write to me at Dusty Thanx muchly! Working toward consideration and to better humanity, we want to encourage free enterprise, free speech. We are Life Now, a spiritual happening on and off the Internet. Back to Expansion Encounters Archives PATHWAY ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ LIFE NOW ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ |
