The Gift of a New Year

We are peering through the window, the new year is upon us. Hopefully this next year will be a chance to learn and grow. 

Positive Pensées

Kathy King

“We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year’s Day.”

Edith Lovejoy Pierce 

The new year is upon us. 

The last year has passed us by.

Some of this year has been wonderful.

Some of this year has been a will to stay alive. 

We toiled and troubled and experienced this thing called life. 

We prayed, we cried, we had times where we couldn’t believe our eyes. 

There were times when we couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. 

There were times when we just smiled. 

Life continued to soldier on, even when our will was tried. 

Take the opportunity of this next year, make a purpose and a plan. 

Try to pick a goal that you can obtain. 

Pick that goal, try to make it, and if you don’t that is okay. 

The point is you tried to make it, to make your life a better place. 

Give yourself grace as this year ends. 

Find your place of thankfulness, make that your purpose at this year’s end. 

Most of all dear readers, give yourself some grace. 

You survived this year! 

That is something that is truly great!

To all of you dear readers, I just want to thank you for taking the time to read my little musings. It has been absolutely wonderful. My mind is always running, creating, singing, talking, wanting to do more… so I thank you. Some folks make resolutions, others do not. Personally, a new year should be a time to focus on being a better person and seeing those around us. In the last few days I have been at the hospital with a loved one. As we sat in that room for over 30 hours, I couldn’t help but see the suffering that was all around. We never know what our fellow humans are going through. We usually see through our lens. While self care is important. It is also a great service to others to try and see their struggle, their thorn in the flesh to bear. In that room full of folks, each person had a story. That story could be of loss and pain. That story could be of joy and a little pain. Each story was theirs. It doesn’t take much to say a little prayer for them. As I watched a woman come into the emergency room frantically trying to find her husband who had been taken to the hospital by ambulance… I could see the absolute fear in her eyes. She kept telling the staff to please take her to her husband. He was confused without her due to his illness. It was absolutely heartbreaking to watch. The staff was very kind and compassionate with her. That was refreshing to see. Oftentimes we get caught up in our situations and do not see the situations of others. Let us all this next year try to look through the lens of empathy. My son recently came to me and asked me to define empathy for him. I said it was the ability to share the feelings of another. I admit, there are times I struggle with this concept. It is simple to define yet hard to do, is it not? There are countless writings on the “loss of humanity” that seems to permeate our culture. A little empathy in our culture would probably go a long, long way. Look through someone else’s lens. In looking through that lens perhaps we can find our common humanity together. Happy New Year dear cherished readers. May this next year give you grace. May this next year shine with goodness and faith. May the prayers be bountiful and the joy be abounding. May the love ooze from all that is around you. May you find joy in the midst of sorrow. May you look forward to the dawn of tomorrow. May you look and see the face of God. In the trees, in the mountains, in the face of a child. May your words be full of goodness and measured truthfulness. May your life be blessed. Pass that blessing to others. Give and receive. Accept those gifts graciously. Give to those in need. Find your peace in the smallest of things. Find your cornerstone of faith. Walk forward into this new year with confidence and finesse. Again, thank you for reading, so very much. 

 

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The Quacktastic Adventures of Ellie and Lord Barks a Lot

The Case of the Missing Moo-Cow Bell

The Case of the Missing Bumbly Wumbly Bee

The Case of the Missing Wellies

The Case of the Missing Honk Honk

The Case of the Missing Ornaments

Clean it Up! Wash it Up!

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Appalachian Allegory: A Southern Novel

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Positive Pensées

The Gift of Shopping Cart Lessons

 

Photo Credit: My husband

Positive Pensées

Kathy King

The Gift of Shopping Cart Lessons

“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.”

Lao Tzu

Courtesy, kindness, looking around.

Mindfulness, gentleness, see what’s around.

Stop for a moment.

Ease the hurry.

We are all in this together. 

Ease your worry.

Why must we rush and run until we can’t go anymore?

Why is life at such a rapid pace as we rush forward?

Take time to smell the roses and gaze at the trees.

Have a conversation with someone who is in need. 

Stop to say a prayer and meditate.

Slow your mind and set a more moderate pace.

Life already moves by quickly as you can see.

Make the most of these moments, by stopping for just a bit. 

I promise you dear readers you will have very little regret.

How many of us go to the store with a list.. Written down, noted, etc.. We get to the store and well, we still forget things that we wrote on our list? Is that only me? Some of this I attribute to the fact that I am always in a rush. Yesterday, I forgot some pretty fundamental things to go in a Pot luck dinner dish. I got home and sigh… I forgot the onions and cheese. I went back to the store to get the two items that make or break the dish. The store was actually bedlam USA. I think that everyone in my little town decided to go to the store at that time on that day. As I was navigating the aisles, I was struck at just how much no one was looking out for the other. The shopping carts were running into each other, in front of each other, behind each other, etc.. I was expecting there to be a WWE of shopping carts at any moment. To add to that, those that were not looking gave each other not quite nice looks. I got to thinking as I continued to shop about slowing down. I wondered if the hurried pace caused this confusion and lack of manners in the store. We all go to the store from time to time. This is a place you can kind of gauge the spiritual zeitgeist at the moment. Yesterday it was HURRY! It was almost like that old game show where the contestants ran through the store getting as much stuff before the buzzer went off. I thought, “Why the rush?” Sure, some folks may have had a time crunch and shopping to me is a tedious yet necessary exercise but really? Why must we always hurry? Did you know that there is an actual term called, “Hurry Sickness?” Well, it is not an actual sickness but the term was coined in the 80s. Basically folks that always hurry can develop heart issues because it is considered “Type A” behavior. Also, you focus on productivity and very little else. It makes you irritable, tired and worried. No wonder in our society of instant fast gratification we are a bit harried much of the time. When you stay in that state it is very hard to look outside of yourself. One behavior that I struggle with is hurry. Bar none. My husband constantly reminds me to slow down. Do you know why? Because I miss things. Sometimes those things are of little consequence while other times they are meaningful. What to do? Well, practice mindfulness. Slow yourself down from time to time. Breathe. Close your eyes for a few minutes and listen to your favorite piece of music. In the words of one of my elderly clients named Patrick: “Slow down sugar, you youngins’ if ya don’t slow down your gonna blink and be my age looking at the twilight of life.” Today my husband and I did something that I don’t believe we have done in years, we slowed down and took a Sunday drive. We had no destination, nothing in mind. We just drove and took in the waning color of fall. It was a nice change from hurrying much of the time. I have shared this quote before but it still rings true. “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, even you.” Anne Lamott. Slow down the shopping cart in your mind that is racing down the aisles like a supermarket sweep. Take a mental and physical Sunday drive to calm and cool days that are refreshing.  Happy Thanksgiving week friends!

Source: Masterclass.com

My books are on Amazon!

The Quacktastic Adventures of Ellie and Lord Barks a Lot

The Case of the Missing Moo-Cow Bell

The Case of the Missing Bumbly Wumbly Bee

The Case of the Missing Wellies

The Case of the Missing Honk Honk

The Case of the Missing Ornaments

Clean it Up! Wash it Up!

Coming Soon!

Appalachian Allegory : A Southern Novel

The Gift of Changing Seasons

This is at Berry College in Rome, GA. Each season highlights this beautiful area.

Positive Pensées

Kathy King

The Gift of Changing Seasons

“Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting, and autumn a mosaic of them all.”

Stanley Horowitz

Have you ever heard the phrase, to everything there is a season? 

This phrase is written for a very specific reason.

There are seasons in life that are sometimes like winter.

Or there are times when life is like fall in all its colorful splendor.

The rustle of spring when flowers come to life.

Or the lazy hazy days of summer where lemonade, lightning bugs and long hot days grace our life.  

Life is much like seasons, where we can find some beauty.  

Whether that day may be a day drenched in white snow, a blank canvas for beauty. 

Life may be a bouquet of thrift flowers with their purple and blue hue.

Or the fiery red leaves on a crisp fall day.

To everything there is a season!  Embrace that phrase.

May the beauty of each season grace all of your days. 

I wrote this exactly a year ago. I am still trying to figure out what season our lives are in at the King household. One thing is sure. I will wait and pray until it is apparent what this seasons of our lives holds for us.

It is fall here in the south. There is a freeze warning set for tomorrow.  In the south, where summer sometimes seems like it goes on forever, the first sign of a crispy colorful leaf gets some of us quite excited. The neighbors have pumpkins and fall garland decorating their porch.  This season just sends a great sense of warm and cozy anticipation for things yet to come.  Life is so much like our seasons.  Each season is markedly different yet full of beauty.  In the winter, the first snowfall that blankets the landscape absorbs all the sound and looks like a painting.  Spring, the world comes to life, the greens are varying shades of beauty.  The flowers are peaking through to make their grand finale in the summer.  So much beauty to be had.  In the fall the mountains look like an absolute painter’s canvas of color, adding the crispiness of the cool days and a warm fire.  You are in a space of absolute delight.  In the summer the trees and flowers mature.  The ferns put on a show.  The twinkle lights and fairy lights sway while the wind gently blows.  How can we learn from seasons?  They are very much like life.  If we don’t change, if seasons don’t change we stagnate.  We become inactive and dull.  When we become dull we lack the vividness and brightness life can bring.  While change and growth can most certainly be painful it is quite necessary to grow.  That is what seasons teach us.  Always start each day with a sense of purpose for that season in your life.  To be more honest, to be more empathetic, to take a moment for yourself so that you can recharge to help others.  So much of life in the last few years in the public sphere has been base and argumentative.  Let us, the everyday people embrace what divides us and walk across the aisle and find what unites us.  There is a great fear that humanity is in a season of distress.  I believe most of us would agree.  The way we change those who cleave to dullness, stagnation and never changing seasons is to find what is beneficial in that season and move from there.  Embrace the seasons in your life!  The changes are an opportunity to make you a better person.  Much like the mum in the fall that blooms with great beauty, it has to be deadheaded so that more growth can occur.  Much like flowers in the spring and summer need to be pruned to encourage more growth. As flowers begin to bloom in spring, some parts do not fully germinate because it would be detrimental to the rest of the plant.  This serves for greater growth.  Finally, in winter when things become dormant and rest.  That rest is to serve to bring a productive, beautiful growing season through the rest of the year.  Seasons can teach us a great deal .  Let’s grow through each season.  

The Gift of You are Worthy

I am not sure who took this photo but it reminds me of a fresh start and love. 
It is a beautiful church in Iceland. 

Positive Pensées

Kathy King

“You are worthy now. Not when you get that job, not when you lose twenty pounds, not when more people know who you are. Now. Simply because you exist.”

Tiana Barrow

Do you see those words above?

You are worthy simply because you exist. 

You are worthy because you are. 

You are worthy both near and far. 

Your soul matters, your spirit as well. 

You are worthy.  

Keep telling those words to yourself. 

Make this a part of your mantra.

Say it each and every day. 

You are worthy in each and every way. 

Sure we all have our foibles, but thank goodness for grace. 

Practice active forgiveness and accept God’s grace. 

You are worthy of much care. 

You are worthy dear reader. 

Stop beating yourself up. 

Take those small steps to know your self worth. 

Those steps will become wider and longer in duration. 

You will go farther with each day you see your dedication. 

To your worth, your life, and love all around. 

You are worthy dear reader. 

Grasp those words, make them a part of you. 

When you do dear reader, you will blossom as you were meant to do. 

I am not going to really comment a lot on this particular quote today. I did however feel compelled to share it. Do you struggle with low self worth? Low self worth is a belief. Low self confidence is a bit different. It is more circumstantial. Such as a hard work task or any number of daunting tasks that life hands us. Low self worth means that you feel unworthy of love, unworthy of having any sort of grace in your life. If life has taught me anything, and believe me… I am still learning..Is that you are worthy. We all struggle in our own way as humans. I would encourage you to practice an attitude of grace. Be kind to yourself. When we were children we were taught the phrase: “Sticks and Stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” I take issue with that phrase. Words can be painful. I read a little passage yesterday that changed the sentiment. “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will cripple my pitifully fragile sense of self worth.” How many times have you let something someone has said sit over your head like a storm cloud? I am guilty of this action on many occasions. I am not talking about the selfie Me! Me! Me! Culture that we see. But rather, take that little child that is still in you that is huddled in the corner and let them know that they are worthy. It might make all the difference in both yourself and others. I will leave you with a couple of quotes that spoke to me as I was researching this topic. “It’s not what you are that is holding you back. It’s what you think you are not.” Anonymous. “Low self worth does not keep you humble, it keeps you small. So small that you may even become invisible. It starts with you. Begin to love this human being which is you. Not for what you do but for who you are. Cherish the moments of this life gifted to you. Joy, purpose, and love flourish within fulfilled hearts and lift all those they connect with.”  Doe Zantamata

My books are on Amazon!

The Quacktastic Adventures of Ellie and Lord Barks a Lot

Clean it up! Wash it Up!

The Case of the Missing Honk Honk is live today!

Coming soon:

The Case of the Missing Ornaments

Appalachian Allegory

The Gift of Salt

Just like water... a little salt can be refreshing as well.  

Positive Pensées

Kathy King

The Gift of Salt

“Always have a unique character like salt, its presence is not felt but its absence makes everything tasteless.”

Unknown

Salt.  It’s just a mineral right?

Salt adds so much to a dish.

It can make a bland dish come to life.

Salt can preserve, brine, and scrub things clean.

Salt is an intricate part of human history.

Salt was used as currency in some places. 

The high cost of salt helped start a revolution.

Salt was traded for gold in some traditions.

The virtue of salt in human history is unrivaled to some other culinary additions.

Have a character like salt.

Add some taste and brininess to all that you possess.

Not too much because too much salt might ruin the dish.

Make your life transform from tasteless to a culinary masterpiece seasoned to the perfect degree.

In our home there is always a small container of kosher salt on our counter, I also keep iodized salt, Himalayan salt…. Etc..   If we run out it would be a great catastrophe in our house.  When we cook we throw a little over our left shoulder for a pinch of luck.  Salt is probably one of the most basic building blocks to a recipe.  So much so that folks that cannot have salt there are salt substitutes galore.  Salt has a very long history in humanity.  Phrases like “Salt of the Earth” means someone who can be counted on. In the South being called a Salt of the Earth person was a very high compliment.  Salt in the Biblical sense is to practice good deeds to lead others to both continue the cycle of good acts and lead others to God.  Too much salt is not good in a dish, too little can really cause the dish to not be as tasty.   Salt in history can be traced back quite long ago.  Salt at one point in history was one of the most important trading commodities.  Salt was used as coins in some societies.  This little spice that we can find quite easily and use regularly was once so very important in society.  So why be like salt?  Because we can build up others around us.  Be just enough salt to others so that they can be a better version of themselves.  Not too much as it would spoil their life dish, but just enough.  One practice that a friend of mine imparted to me was to find a stranger and compliment them on their hair, their eyes or their smile.  Just watch how they light up.  After putting that suggestion into practice, wow! Their smiles were infectious.  For those who are in your life on a regular basis.  Try to find a new way to listen by saying, “I hear you saying fill in the blank”.  Just to be heard is what others crave.  My husband is constantly reminding me… the talker… that we have 2 ears and one mouth. Which means we should listen more, right?  Sometimes others just need us to listen.  If you think about all the shows on television, how many of them yell over each other rather than listen respectfully and then give their answer or rebuttal.  Restoring civility requires us to be more like salt.  Salt is needed in our professional life, our personal lives and even in the lives of those we do not know.  In closing dear readers I leave you with this quote.  “People don’t enjoy salt.  They enjoy what is salted.  We are the salt of the earth. We do not exist for ourselves.”  John Piper.  Go and sprinkle a little salt all around you.  

Source:

Forbes.com

Britannica.com

My Books are on Amazon!

The Quacktastic Adventures of Ellie and Lord Barks a Lot

Clean it Up!  Wash it Up!

Coming Soon!

The Case of the Missing Honk Honk

The Case of the Missing Ornaments

Appalachian Allegory

The Gift of Darkness to Light

I took this on one of our early morning walks...

Positive Pensées

Kathy King

The Gift of Darkness to LIght.

“In order for the light to shine so brightly, the darkness must be present.”

Sir Frances Bacon

Do you feel encompassed by darkness?

Do you feel the weight of its might?

The light just can’t permeate, you just want to give up the fight.

You try to find your way, you crawl and use your hands. 

You feel around in the darkness. 

You try to stand. 

You are not sure you can find your footing.

You squint your eyes to see.

That one little pin prick of light, that will guide you to luminosity.

You stand and pray.

You hope and dream that this light will come to be. 

Your prayers lead you to firm footing, and you think that you just might see…

A small bit of shining as your eyes adjust to the dark, could it be?

Your spirit is bolstered, your heart starts to beat with a quick pump and a start.  

You take those ginger steps towards that small source of light. 

It becomes brighter and brighter as you squint with all your might. 

The prayers, the tears, the heartache, the storms.

You see them start to dissipate.

As the light just comes a little brighter with each step you take. 

When you have your sure footing your steps become more sure. 

Dear One, it is most certainly darkest before the dawn. 

Of that you can be sure. 

Don’t give up, pray, stand up in the dark.

So that when the sun begins to shine you know you made it even when times were dark.

Give thanks, feel the light, know your strength. 

You can do this, you are stronger than you think.

Today I was pondering the phrase, “It is always darkest before the day dawneth.” This phrase was uttered by theologian and historian Thomas Fuller. He uttered this phrase when he stood on Mt. Pisgah.  Moses stood there before his death to see the promised land. There are times when I feel that we are in a very dark time in humanity.  We have so much as compared to other places. Yet, well… we think it is too little. Recently I read a book about places in Appalachia where there are folks who cannot read, they don’t have running water or heat. They are destitute in poverty.  Right in this country.  It really caused me to convert my, “Ugh, I have to go to the store.” to “I am so blessed to be able to go to the store.”  This past year in our home has been dark, there have been health issues galore with several family members, other traumatic events as well.  Top it all off with the news cycle, social media, the division of folks. It just seems dark, right? You often hear people equate dawn and sunrise.  When in fact they are completely different. Dawn is when you can detect a little light in the sky.  Sunrise is when the sun makes its first peaks over the horizon.  I have shared many writings about my dark:30 walks with my husband.  This morning it was early, cold, and honestly I did not feel like doing it.  What a great attitude, right?  But in my move towards changing my line of thinking I stopped.  I thanked God that I woke up, I could walk, and as we were coming down the driveway, I saw the first pin pricks of light announcing the dawn. A lot of the time we have to tread some darkness to bask in the full light of day.  What is the real point of this musing? Keep going, keep the faith, keep praying, keep that strength.  Crawl, walk, stumble towards the light.  When the path is clear and lit, you know you have made it.  Let us pray for our world.  Let us pray for those who are in the midst of harsh war. Let us pray for our country. Let us pray for each other.  I leave you all with a quick story about Cpl Duane E Dewey.  He fought during the Korean war.  Earlier he had been significantly injured by a grenade during an attack during the night.  They were outnumbered and outgunned. Cpl. Dewey saw a grenade land in the midst of the soldiers.  He told everyone to get back and he selflessly jumped on top of the grenade. He was lifted off the ground and still survived.  When he was taken for treatment, they also found a gunshot wound in his stomach.  He was the recipient of the first Medal of Honor ever presented by Dwight D. Eisenhower.  Cpl. Dewey thought nothing of saving his whole squad in a very dark time.  We probably won’t ever be faced with a situation as dark as this (God willing)..... But we can appreciate his bravery of climbing from deep darkness into light.  Keep searching for that pinprick of light.. Eventually your path will be gloriously illuminated. 

Sources:

Uso.org

Bookbrowse.com

My Books are on Amazon!

The Quacktastic Adventures of Ellie and Lord Barks a Lot

Clean it Up!  Wash it Up!

Coming soon:

The Case of the Missing Honk Honk

The Case of the Missing Ornaments

Appalachian Allegory