Good Morning everyone! I hope you are all feeling peaceful
and happy today. I took a couple of vacation days this week (yesterday and
today) and am heading out today on a “Girl’s
Day-trip” to a State Park about 80 north
of here. The park has several hiking/walking trails through the oldest white
pine forest in the state. I’ve never been there, but I’m anticipating a
wonderful, relaxed day with my new friend, Marcia (the woman who does my
Graphic Design work and photos) and her daughters. One never knows what kind of
adventure this might be but part of the fun will be in discovering new and
wonderful things along the way….perhaps a garage sale (or two); maybe a thrift
store; maybe some ‘hidden marvel” of God’s creation. I’m approaching this ‘day-trip’
in the same way as I approach my journey to wellness: with the mentality that I
will look for new and wonderful things along the way and rejoice in the process
of “getting there” as much as the destination. Enjoy the journey for God is
present all along the way, not just when we get to our goal.
Yesterday I took a different road trip to a DNR fish
hatchery up near Honor, Michigan. My friend had been there years ago and he thought
I might like to see it. It was pretty cool, and although it wasn’t operating at
full capacity this time of year, it was a nice ride on a very lovely day and
the company was pleasant. Northern Michigan in the summer time certainly is beautiful.
Three years ago I would never have even considered taking a road-trip;
certainly not anything like this week that involved walking. It was just too
difficult at 400 pounds and I would have spent any “day-off” lying around and
medicating myself with food…but not anymore! I am abundantly blessed.
I’ve been thinking this morning about what I need to pack
for my journey and adventure today. Because I’ve never been to my intended
destination, I’m not sure what I will need, but I’ll pack a change of clothes
and the basics I need for a picnic and a day spent outdoors. Without a doubt, I’ll
be bringing “way more stuff than I need” because that’s my nature. Taking along
unnecessary baggage is an area of my life that I need to work on; I can’t ever
take a weekend trip without at least 10 pair of shoes and more clothing than I could
possibly wear, as well as a plethora of stuff “just in case. WHY, Theresa,
WHY? Just in case of what??? Today will likely be no different…..and yet….
I really know that I don’t need to carry around things that are not necessary. Hmmm….
I think there is a lesson here to be learned; this sounds very much like my
journey to wellness. Sigh….
I took a little break from this post to reflect on that last
statement about my need to carry around stuff I likely won’t need and I ultimately
ended up back at the same lesson that God has been speaking to me about for
several weeks: I really don’t need to hang on to the ‘emotional” stuff that
only weighs me down. Things like resentment; disappointment; past failure;
lingering sadness; unworthiness; and needless worry are only going to weigh me
down and make my journey more difficult. I certainly don’t “need” those things in order
to be peaceful and happy and even if I just “leave them packed away in the
closet of my mind” they are still there and will have to be picked up and moved
eventually if I need to find something I really need some day. Isn’t it time to get rid of them once and for
all? Hmm…. This will be my silent prayer
today as I walk amidst God’s creation: to surrender….truly surrender….those
thoughts, feelings, doubts, and hurts and LEAVE THEM behind. I may take them
with me on this “day-trip” but I hope to leave them behind today for good.
I once heard that we
need to put our burdens, concerns, and needs in God’s hands and leave them
there….not picking them back up and trying to handle/fix/deal with them
ourselves. This reminded me of the many times (yes, more than once) that I put
stuff out at the curb at night for the
trash man, only to change my mind and go get it the next morning before it was
picked up. Or worse yet, I donated several bags of clothing to the St. Vincent
DePaul Thrift Store and went and bought some of my own stuff back the next
week! Yikes, girl...Let it go!
And so AGAIN today, I will be reflecting on those things
that I am carrying around that might be hindering my journey or at least making
it harder and asking for God’s grace to totally surrender them so that I might be
truly free. As I’ve said before, this seems to be a theme these past weeks, so I’m
guessing it’s something I really need to work on. How about you? Are you still carrying around unnecessary
pain and hurt? Are you still doubting
that you CAN and you WILL change your life and that THIS TIME you will be
successful? Are you still listening to
that voice in your head that says, “You can’t do this…you’re not going to EVER
reach your goal….you’ve tried before and failed….You’re not worth it…..and many
others?” Are you still harboring
resentment and/or unforgiveness? If so, I
encourage you today to join me in my attempt to surrender and get rid of these
unnecessary burdens. I know that carrying them around will only slow down my
own progress and make the journey more taxing. Let’s pledge to get rid of the
emotional weight as well as the physical weight today!
I hope you enjoy whatever you have planned today and make
good choices. I’m packing a cooler full of healthy food so that I’m tempted to
hit a drive-thru or eat junk throughout the day. Make a plan to stay on track
and have a wonderful day. Please keep
one of our group members, Richard, in your prayers this weekend. His mother is
in the end stages of her life and Richard has been her care-giver for many
years. This is an extremely difficult time for him. We have others in the group
that are carrying heavy burdens of illness and pain as well.
Keep smiling….be peaceful….and know that I’ll be taking you
along with me in thought as I venture into the woods today.
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