TIME

 I have in my possession a beautiful antique china clock that belonged to my grandmother.  I wind it once a week, and its quiet ticking reminds me that time keeps ticking on.

I think about when my grandma used to hear its ticking.  That was in a whole different world than the one we live in today.  

I think about what the world was like when this clock was made, over 100 years ago.  

I am reminded that just because things are the way they are today, does not mean that they will be that way tomorrow.  Sometimes that makes me sad.

I am feeling that my “time” for writing a weekly blog is coming to an end, which makes me want to cry.  I LOVE writing this blog to you each week.

I am feeling that it is my “time” to shift to focusing on my new podcast.  

I want to do both, but it doesn't feel right, at least not right now.  

I hope you know I love you dearly, and that I think about what to write to you all week long.  You are in my heart.  Your life ticks in my ears.  I hope we can stay connected as I make this shift.

You can find my podcast "Just Love Them" on your favorite podcast platform. (google podcasts, Spotify, apple podcasts, I heart radio, radiopublic, and much more.)

Much love,

Shiree

Drops of Goodness

 A couple of years ago my daughter gave me one of those books that helps you tell the story of your life by asking you questions that you write your answers to.  The other day I was working on the question, 

                        "What are some smells that you associate with your childhood and why?" 

I happened to be doing Marco Polo (video chat) with some friends during that time, so I mentioned the question I was writing about.  They all chimed in with their own answers to that question.

Later I learned that one friend had all her grown children over for family dinner that afternoon.  She had asked her children the same question.  She described the fun conversation that they all had around the table as a result.  

Another friend says she plans to ask that question at her next family dinner in a few weeks.  I think I will too! 

I thought about how we can influence those around us by what we talk about, and how it can create positive or negative feelings and memories.  The positive ones are like drops of goodness.  It's a positive ripple effect, and so easy to do in today's world.

I invite you that as you send messages, post on social media, and carry on conversations to be mindful of what drops you are sending that may ripple outward into the world.  Let the drops you send be drops of goodness.  

Today I Launched a Podcast

Today I launched a podcast!

It is not something I ever thought I would do.  It's not something I ever even wanted to do, but sometimes life takes unexpected turns, and here I am.

This podcast is unlike any other.  It is designed to help people whose loved ones have left their faith find understanding and peace.

This is a topic close to my heart and filled with emotion.  I've heard it said that your mess becomes your message, and that is certainly the case with me.  I struggled through years of raising my seven children in my faith, only to have six of those seven choose a different path than the one I had envisioned for them.  

I have struggled through all the emotions - sadness, guilt, anger, heartache.  Relationships have suffered.  I have been brought to my knees, and learned and grown.  Now I feel prompted to share my story with you, and anyone who will listen, about what I have learned, the love I have come to, the perspective I have gained.  

This podcast will also feature interviews with others, including a man who was raised in a religious family only to leave his faith for many years before returning, a woman whose husband left the faith along with several of her children, and how she has kept her relationships strong, and a child who is on the other side of that faith and her perspective and insight on how to love and help.  

Today I encourage you to listen to my story, and to share this podcast with anyone you know who is going through this experience and can benefit from the understanding and insights of others.

Listen to "Just Love Them" on your favorite podcast platform, or click here.

Much love,

Shiree

An Empty Inbox

When did you first get an email account?

I was a little late to the technology party.  As far as I can tell it was about 2006.  Since that time my inbox has never been empty.  Some people don't care about stuff like that.  Some people do.

For me, it bothers me not to keep up on my email the same way dishes piling up bothers me.  If I don't keep on top of it, I get overwhelmed.  

I'm good about marking stuff as spam, unsubscribing from unwanted emails, and reading and dealing with "real" emails.  I keep things in my inbox that I currently need to deal with.  

I have tried for years to actually get to the point where my inbox was empty.  I just knew it would feel like a great personal accomplishment, the way having all the dishes done feels like a great accomplishment, lol! 

On December 6, 2023 I finally did it!  I actually dealt with everything in my inbox and emptied it completely for the first time in 17 years!  I was so excited I took a picture!  What a huge accomplishment!  (Silly, I know, but it felt like such a win!)  I went to bed a happy woman.

The next morning I got up and turned on my computer to see if it was still empty.  It wasn't.  14 unread emails!  What?!  After I got over the shock, I started laughing.  It's like dishes.  There's always going to be more.  It's just part of our modern world life.  And that's okay.

Newton's second law states that anything left to itself will move from a state of order to a state of disorder.  

Working with this law takes effort, whether with the dishes, the weeds in the garden, the email inbox, or anything else in life.  Why do we do it?

I don't know about you, but for me order just feels good.  

It feels like I am creating something. 

It feels like I am in charge of my own little world.  

It's easy to get frustrated when you are around others who may be creating chaos faster than you can create order.  Take it from a reforming control freak, trying to keep everything in order is an exercise in frustration, and not worth it, for your sanity and theirs.  

Order takes time and patience.  My order took 17 years to accomplish and that's okay.  

The Shift

I have a question for you: 

If you could look ahead to next year on this same date, how would you like your life to be different than it is right now?  

I'm not talking, "I wish I had a million dollars" kind of thinking.  

I'm talking about YOU, who you are, and how your life is going.  So, if you could magically look into the future one year from now, and have a shift in your life, what would that shift be?

Can you draw that?  Take a minute and draw something that represents what you are thinking.

I'm serious.  Stop reading and draw a picture.  You'll thank me later.  (What show is that from? lol)*

Done?

Now add a few words to your paper to help you remember.

Why do you want this shift?  Flip your paper over and write a sentence or two detailing WHY this matters to you.

Great job!

I invite you to put that paper somewhere by your bed where you will see it frequently throughout the year.  

For example, if you read before going to sleep, consider using it as a bookmark. 

If you are in the habit of praying, put it by where you pray so you can remember to talk to your Maker about it in your prayers.  

Are you a vivid dreamer?  Keeping it on your nightstand and imagining it as you fall asleep at night will get your brain working on it.  

You get the idea.

These are all examples of ways to turn your brain on to thinking about what you want.  Why?  Because you have to create something mentally before it can become a reality in the physical world.  

This is true with everything you do.  You create things mentally constantly; you're just not aware you're doing it.  You create conversations, construct your day, and even eat according to what you create mentally first.  Why not do it on purpose?  

As you keep this thing you want in the forefront of your mind, don't be surprised if ideas and opportunities start coming to you.  

It's kind of like when you get a new car and suddenly you notice all the cars on the road like yours.  They were there all along, but your brain wasn't paying attention.   It's the same thing.  There are ideas and opportunities around you, but your brain needs to pay attention.  

As those ideas and opportunities come, ACT on them. (keeping it legal, moral and ethical, of course)

 

Next year on this day, you will be able to look back in amazement at what has shifted!  

*Quote from the TV series "Monk"

The Gift That Does Not Repeat Itself

 My father-in-law died on Saturday.  It wasn't a shock, but then again it was a total shock.  He had gone into the hospital right after Thanksgiving to have a pacemaker put in.  Instead of a successful surgery, he was told his heart was failing.  There was no surgery, and he was put on hospice.  But this man was stubborn.  He was a fighter.  Even after a couple of close calls where we thought it might be the end, he would rally to the top again, and I would hear of him walking around the block the next day.  I thought he would hold on for a lot longer.  Saturday morning the call came that no one wants to make or receive.  He was gone.  He went quickly and to me, unexpectedly....well, you know.... 

It kind of boggled my mind to think that for 90 years this man, this being, has had a presence on this planet.  That's a long time.  So strange how all of a sudden that can change.  You just kind of think your loved ones are going to live forever, ya know?

Let me say again what I said a couple weeks ago: 

Time is a gift that does not repeat itself.

Christmas is a time when we tend to think about these things more than usual.  

This Christmas I invite you to gather those you love around you.  Be present with them.  Cherish the moments.  Glean every ounce of enjoyment.  Hopefully you have a million more moments to come.  Make them count.  

Little ones grow and change.  Older ones grow and change.  Take pictures.  Laugh.  Listen to them.  And be grateful for the gift of time.  You only get this Christmas once.  

A Different Kind of Gift

It's that time of year.  We tend to think more about giving right now than at any other time of the year.  

Did you know that in the United States more than one third of annual donations (33.6%) happen in the "season of giving" between Thanksgiving and Christmas? 

I recently heard about a very different kind of gift someone was offering this year, and it costs...nothing, yet it is something we all want.  It's very valuable, and much needed.  AND it helps both the giver and the recipient.  Any guesses?

This person told me that their gift to those around them this Christmas-time is to 

not judge people.  

I started thinking about that.  What if each of us chose to accept everyone they encountered for who and where they are this season?  What would our world look like if we did that?  

What if we each judged one third less between Thanksgiving and Christmas?  What would that do?  

That could include not just those that are easy to judge because they are different than you, like the homeless, those struggling with obvious addictions, the super rich, those that look way more beautiful than you, or have way more than you do, but 

                                                 ESPECIALLY

those that might feel your judgment, such as your partner, your children and their choices, your siblings, your parents, other relatives you may or may not love spending time with, your friends, neighbors, and yes, even that person in the car that just cut you off in traffic.

Wouldn't it be an amazing gift to extend love and acceptance instead of judgment?  

I know I want to be loved and accepted for who and what I am in all my imperfections.  

I know you want that too.  

Can you imagine how differently you (and they) would feel if you gave that gift this season?  If we all did?