Image used with permission of gifted photographer Susan Etole; Visit her lovely blog!
I looked at my running to-do list: "Bake cookies for camp." Oops! I forgot to bake cookies (*) yesterday for today's morning snack at 10 a.m.
It was still early, I ran to the store to buy cookies, then I dropped them off by 9:45 a.m.
Then I paid attention to my self-talk.
"How could you forget?!!!" Self-condemnation. In the past, I would have laid on the negative self-talk like a pig rolling in the mud. The more the better, after all, I deserved it.
If you are a recovering perfectionist, like me, you can relate.
But I'm learning to pay attention to what I tell myself. More importantly, I am learning to pay attention to God.
"I waited patiently for the LORD..." Psalm 40:1 NASB
God whispers truth to my heart: "It is not a big deal. You remembered before it was too late."
"And even if you did, there were other parents, who remembered to bring snacks." "Take a deep breath."
I notice the sunshine. And I see kids smiling, and laughing as they play.
I thank God for happy children, and for time and money to buy cookies. (Life has not always been like this, so I give thanks.)
In the grand scheme of life, this may seem like a small, and even silly example, but the necklace of life is made of little moments strung together.
Paying attention to our thoughts is to pay attention, ultimately, to our lives.
“Sow a thought and you reap an action; sow an act and you reap a habit; sow a habit and you reap a character; sow a character and you reap a destiny.”- Ralph Waldo Emerson**
Paying attention to God's gifts by giving thanks with Ann:
- Counting over a 1000 gifts in my gratitude journal
- Our girl surprised me, and made me a certificate of achievement for reaching 1000
- For God's tender mercies each day
- For the treat of a good cup of coffee
- For God reminding me when I wait patiently for Him, He will eventually give me a new song of praise to sing (Psalm 40:1-3)
- For you reading...for your friendship :)
- For sweet tomatoes off the vine
- For crunchy cucumbers from the yard
Being able to give this lovely print (below) by talented Jennifer of Studio JRU to our girl.
What are you paying attention to today? What helps you to pay attention to God?
* By "bake" I mean bake already-made frozen cookies, and not from scratch.
** Source of quote: http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/416934-sow-a-thought-and-you-reap-an-action-sow-an
Linking with sweet, and gifted friend Laura for a play date
and giving thanks with wise Ann
and talented L.L. Barkat
and the amazing Jen
© Soul Stops/Dolly Lee 2012.