Catherine Corley - Gratitude!

A new year and a new beginning!  Last year, my resolutions included getting healthy, losing weight once and for all, and keeping a gratitude journal.  

This coming year is only my second time in my adult life that I won't have to make weight loss a New Year's resolution!  Wow, that feels pretty great.  I still need to get healthier, but that is a process.

So today I am going to talk about gratitude.  One of the greatest things you can do for your own mental health is to keep a gratitude journal.  I have a journal called "Journal 10+."  Actually, I have two of them.  One to use as a regular journal and one to use as a gratitude journal.  You write on the same page for each date for eleven years, about four lines per day so it's easy to keep with it.  (Google it, it's worth the $40.)  There are carry-over pages in the back for days when you want to write more.  So each day you can see what you wrote that day on every year before.  It's really cool and a great way to remember where you have been and how far you have come.

Studies show that people who keep gratitude journals or lists of things they are grateful for live happier and healthier lives.  I didn't do the study, obviously, but I know in my own life, if I wake up every morning and one of the first things I do is write down five to ten things I'm grateful for, my day starts on a happy note.  I try to do it every single day without fail.

I read a great book at the end of 2011 by Debbie Macomber called "One Perfect Word."  She has written a few great non-fiction books, but that one was so important to me.  She said to choose a word for each year (I often choose a secondary word for each day).  I chose my word then for 2012, which happened to be "Gratitude."  By the way, I would be very grateful if I could meet Debbie Macomber, her non-fiction books have inspired me to be a better person.  Meeting her is on my bucket list!

Gratitude - The quality or feeling of being grateful or thankful.  A small word but it packs a punch.  

I have met my 2012 New Year's resolutions.  I lost the weight I needed to lose.  I got a healthier, if only by a portion (some things are out of my complete control).  I kept my gratitude journal and I know what I am grateful for each day.

I'm grateful for my faith and the incredible members of our church (which I am happy to be back to having grown up there).  I'm grateful I was raised by amazing parents who loved me unconditionally, I still miss them every day.  I'm grateful for the love of women in my church who nurtured me as a teenager to help me become the woman I am.  I'm grateful I have life-long friends who I still keep in touch with or see on regular occasions.  I'm grateful for new friends I've made who make me laugh, smile and keep on going!  I'm grateful for the people who read my blogs and who care what I have to say!

But, most of all, I'm grateful for my loving, wonderful, insane blended family and the fun we have together.  Jim, Kate, Jon, Molly and Ruth!  I am so grateful for each of you and how you take such good care of me -- emotionally and physically.

I'm grateful for hope.  I'm thankful I found love.  I cherish all my memories.

I'm grateful I understand gratitude and I hope I never take anything I have for granted.

Take care of your health!  And start working on your emotional health be beginning a gratitude journal of your own!



Please check out my other blog SimplePathsForward.blogspot.com where I am going to start posting fitness and weight loss advice

Catherine Corley - Endurance With Joy

"[We pray] that you may be invigorated and strengthened with all power according to the might of His glory, to exercise every kind of endurance and patience (perseverance and forbearance) with joy."  Colossians 1:11 (Amplified)

A couple of days ago, I received some distressing news from my doctor.  I have to wait until December 17 to even have the test done to confirm or disprove the speculations about my health and then wait several more days for an answer and/or analysis.  

As usual, the Lord sent me the right verse on the right day.  It happens all the time!  I read Colossians 1:11 in every version of the Bible I could and, although I usually prefer the NIV translation, in this instance, I am claiming my verse in the Amplified translation because it is a BIG problem and I need an AMPLIFIED answer while I wait!  

So I am going to dissect my verse, as I usually do, and look up definitions, as I usually do, only this time with you.  Don't blame me, blame my mother.  She was an editor and we used to dissect sentences, conjugate verbs and discuss grammar and usage while driving in the car...didn't everybody?  You didn't?  Oh, but I learned a lot from that amazing lady!  She wouldn't have liked some of the incomplete sentences to follow, but she would have understood the point I am trying to make.

Let's break it down, shall we?  

We pray that you may be invigorated--filled with life and energy.  That sounds good!  I especially like feeling energetic.

We pray that you may be strengthened--of great moral power, firmness and courage--with ALL power.  I could use that!  

According to the might of His glory--the physical strength or superior power to do or accomplish the splendor or bliss of Heaven.  Wow, that sounds awesome!  I can barely accomplish my daily to do list.  

To exercise every kind of endurance--the ability or strength to continue or last especially despite fatigue, stress or other adverse conditions.  How?  With every kind of patience--the quality of being patient, as the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, irritation or the like!  Hmmm....without complaint, loss of temper, irritation or the like...maybe I should write that on my hand!  Just a second...

With perseverance--steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc. especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles or discouragement.  With forbearance--refraining or abstaining from something; patient endurance, self-control.  Self-control?  I've been working on that one!  Maybe He is trying to tell me something!

Finally, here's the powerful ending--with joy!!!  Not with whining, complaining, and crying, but with joy!  Joy, the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something especially good or satisfying; keen pleasure; elation!  It makes you want to smile, doesn't it?  

When we go through the rough times, we know God is in control.  We don't have to whine and complain (although I frequently do, I confess).  No, we can hold our heads high and rejoice!  We can feel joy even as we wait on a medical test or wait to find a job or wait for a problem of a loved one to be solved.  Anything!

Again, that gives me HOPE!  I love hope!  And I love writing with exclamation marks!

Have a blessed day and take care of your heart!