Empty Chairs

Positive Pensées

Kathy King

“Always remember that you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” 

Winnie the Pooh

There is an empty chair at the table this year. 

In some cases more than one. 

As we sit and reminisce of times gone by. 

You can’t help but look at that empty spot. 

You miss them, their voice, their general presence every day. 

You think, “What are they doing? Are they okay?”

You pray, you call, you message and you wait. 

You want to see their precious face. 

Why is that chair empty you may ask?

Well that chair is empty because someone is doing freedom’s task.

They are serving, working, and giving of their time. 

So that we can enjoy a fine meal in times that are quite sublime.

Sublime you say? I don’t know about that. 

But if you take a minute and really think of those who are supporting freedom’s task.

They are giving of their time, their talents of free will.

Could you do it if you were called?

I am sure only a few will.

Remember those families with the empty chair. 

Remember that this is a chair of someone of whom they have great care. 

They have little to recourse but to pray.

Their prayers ring out each and every day. 

That empty chair sits at the table as a reminder to you and me.

That there are those who think outside of themselves for the cause of liberty.

Whether that time be on a massive boat, the sandbox, or the trees. 

Remember those who are without family.

Thanksgiving in itself is a time to pause and reflect. 

Reflect on those things of which we are blessed. 

So please in all of your turkey, dressing, and various sundry things. 

Think of that empty chair that sits at the table. 

Bring others to mind. 

This will elevate your will to be kind. 

To be thankful. 

To be full of gratitude. 

That is what the empty chair would want. 

Remember the empty chair that can’t enjoy the day. 

Remember the family, they too have a hollow place. 

They know in their hearts that their loved one is doing the right thing. 

It’s hard. It is a weighty feeling, there are at times no words to convey. 

Just what that empty chair means. 

Today after going to the store for what seemed like the four millionth time… I checked my attitude. Rather than complain I prayed. I felt an overwhelming urge to write this. We are missing some loved ones terribly this year. This is for you brave ones who sacrifice. To all of those mamas who are having their first holiday without their babies. My prayers are with you. The very first time our son was in the sandbox I missed him terribly. I knew what he was doing, I knew the cause, I knew that he would go without reserve. My husband and I were well aware that this comes with the territory of deployments. It doesn’t make it any less hard. Prayer is a must. Absolute must. There is nothing worse than being a mama bear who cannot do anything but pray for your baby that is seven thousand miles away. You don’t know exactly where they are located or what they are doing. But if you could… you would be there at a moment’s notice. To those who have lost their loved one. I cannot imagine your pain. I pray that you will be comforted on this day and every day. This year we find ourselves with another kid that is across the pond. We will miss our loved ones terribly. Very terribly. But we know that this again would be a possibility. We pray. We Wait. We anticipate. We stay still. We listen. We ask for God’s grace. We sing. We cry. We know that in time. They will be home again and that chair will be back to where it should reside. God Bless those who serve. God Bless those who sacrifice. 

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 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 Thanksgiving

Positive Pensées

Kathy King

The Gift of Thanksgiving

“Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.”.

William Arthur Ward

Thankfulness is a mindset.

A chosen way to be.. when all you see around you is calamity.

The news, the zeitgeist, the leaders and all that folks convey, is sadness, madness, and general dismay.

Thankfulness is a knowing, a spiritual mindedness.

That even when times are ridiculous, you can possess a mindset, a perspective that lends itself to be humble to know to count all the blessings that surround you.  

Even the ones you cannot see. 

So please practice thankfulness and you will see a change in your perspective that will help you in times of catastrophe. 

 

Thanksgiving is upon us. Wow! I cannot believe how fast this year has gone by. I am looking forward to the dressing. I believe folks from up north call it stuffing. In the south we call it dressing. I could take or leave the turkey. I started to ponder thankfulness on this very cold first day of November. Do you ever look through your pictures and think, “That was a wonderful day!” You could think of a variety of emotions, beauty, joy, and even sadness.  How do you cultivate an attitude of daily thankfulness?  To be sure it is no easy task. Some folks come by the practice quite easily.  Some refer to those folks as the cup is half full not half empty people.  I am quite confident even those folks struggle from time to time with an attitude, a longing to find something to be thankful for. I have a friend who is going through quite a difficult time.  Her relationship of many years has dissolved, she has to find a new place to live and to top it off, se has to find a new job as well.  I was prepared to give her a I am so sorry you are going through this, I wish there is something I could do to help this situation.  Before even uttering the words my friend stopped me and said, “I am at peace with what is happening in my life.  Rather than looking at this as an impasse, I choose to view this situation as an opportunity to start over just a little older and wiser.” Wow, I was flabbergasted.  To have such a dire situation and so many changes he maintains an attitude of gratitude.  She did say that she did struggle with a great deal of sadness but she chooses to let the emotion both be her guide and teacher.  What can we glean from my friends point of view?  I would say several ideas and suggestions.  In any given situation, you can choose to take the path of “woe is me” or the path of “what can this teach me?”.  Each road can lead you down a wave of emotions that to be quite honest is quite different.  Let us consider the woe is me path.  When you feel sorry, anxious, or even just have a little party who does it build up or help?  Certainly not yourself… and trust me, I am so guilty of the woe is me path. Much like planting seeds when you plant a seed of woefulness this can most certainly yield a crop of bitterness, resentment, and even anger.  Is it ok to feel those feelings?  Absolutely.  My husband tells our children when they encounter a moment of adversity or even depression he says, “Give it 48 hours, after that don’t stay in that pea soup of bad emotions.  Get up!  Take a walk, try to read something positive to pull yourself out of that egregious place.”  Now, if you proactively choose the path of, “What can I learn from this situation?”.  What would that yield?  Your crop most certainly would be a bit more thankfulness, learnedness, and even a vision to see how you can proceed with your future.  Study after study has shown that your attitude, your way of looking at the varying situations of life directly impacts your health and your outlook.  Even in the most dire of circumstances how can you cultivate an attitude of thankfulness?  By making the purposeful conscious choice to do so.  It may not always be the easy path.  But, in the words of Jesus Christ, “Enter through the narrow gate.  For wide is the gate and broad and easy to travel is the path that leads to destruction and eternal loss, and there are many who enter through it.”  Wise words to heed.  Let us be thankful, mindful and grateful. Turn your common day into a Thanksgiving!

Source:  Biblehub.com Matthew 7:13

My books are on Amazon!

The Quacktastic Adventures of Ellie and Lord Barks a Lot

The Case of the Missing Cow Bell

The Case of the Missing Bumbly Wumbly Bee

The Case of the Missing Wellies

The Case of the Missing Honk Honk

Coming soon!

The Case of the Missing Ornaments!

Other books by Katherine:

Clean it up! Wash it Up!

Appalachian Allegory