Tag: blessings

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Christmas Memories

Posted on by Paula Davis

As I sit in the stillness of the morning sipping my coffee with only the light of the Christmas tree my mind is flooded with memories. Each ornament on the tree holds a memory, some of places we’ve been and others of people special to us. There are replicas of childhood toys, precious ornament from Mom’s family, and a special ornament to honor my dad.

ornaments

It is often said that Christmas is for children, and for most of us Christmas absolutely brings out the child in us. How many of us turn on Christmas specials like A Charlie Brown Christmas, How The Grinch Stole Christmas or Rudolph and Frosty whether or not there are children in our homes?

I am blessed with so many childhood memories at Christmas. Some were not particularly fun at the time…the year we had to wait upstairs with Mom until 9 or 10 am because Dad had to dig everyone out from the Christmas Eve snowstorm (we walked to Grandma & Grandpa’s that year as he never did plow our driveway) but now they are fun memories.

One of my favorite Christmas memories is making Christmas cookies with Grandma and Grandpa. I can still take myself back to that farm kitchen, pressing out the spritz cookies, drizzling the icing and sprinkling the non pareils (I wonder if Grandma was finding them on the floor until Easter!) The house would fill with wonderful smells, and you could be sure Dad and Uncle Kenneth would stop in at some point to check our creations.

Christmas Cookie Kids

Christmas memories can also be bittersweet as we celebrate without those precious to us. Some are miles away, unable to get ‘home’ for Christmas, while others we won’t celebrate with again until we see them in Heaven. It can be difficult to get through some of the happy memories when they are tied to those we miss so much, especially if we’re without them for the first time.

As Christmas creeps ever closer, please consider those your life touches that may be having a tough time with Christmas memories and don’t leave them out of your holiday. Take some extra time to visit them, or invite them to participate in your activities. While we can’t take away the sadness we can perhaps help make new memories that will bring joy in the midst of the sadness.

What are your favorite Christmas memories? I hope your Christmas season brings more joy than sadness and each year brings new happy memories to carry with you through the years.

blessings & peace to you!
Paula

This post is part of the Unwrap Your Memories Campaign for Destiny USA. Check them out here: destinyusa.com

PS –  Have you joined the Christmas Kindness Challenge yet? Details are here: http://wp.me/p1ARIh-e3

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Christmas Kindness Challenge

Posted on by Paula Davis

The Christmas season is here!

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Lights and decorations are going up on homes and businesses. Cities and towns are festively decked as trees are lit and lightposts adorned. Here in Central New York snow blankets the ground. For most it is a time of wonder and anticipation. There is a magic in the air as people seem more willing to believe in the goodness of others and the possibility of miracles.

Unfortunately for some the excitement and anticipation is laced with sadness. They may be dreading the coming days. In retail shops this season brings longer hours and less time for family. Some are alone or struggling to make ends meet and Christmastime reminds them of their solitude and what they are lacking. Celebrations are sometimes laced with sadness and regret.

In our merriment and preparations it can be easy to look inside, focus on our little circle of family and friends and overlook others.

So this year I’m issuing a Christmas Kindness Challenge to myself and anyone else who will accept.

Every day from now until Christmas I will post a challenge on my author Facebook page. (you can “like” it here: https://www.facebook.com/pauladavispeace ) Most of the challenges require little or no money, but help us to think of others differently perhaps. Here’s the first challenge:

CKC Day 1

This is the time of year we celebrate the gift God gave us when His son Jesus came to earth to take away our sins and create a way for us to join Him in Heaven some day. We can give the gift of kindness to a friend or even a stranger each day.

Join me, won’t you?

Feel free to share this with others as well. Let’s make kindness contagious this Christmas!

Blessings and peace…
Paula

 

 

 

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Grateful

Posted on by Paula Davis

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Today we paused to give thanks for all we have, for all we’ve been spared, for blessings that abound.

At my house the turkey is now leftovers and we are all stuffed. Our family has gone on home…only the memories remain of treasured time together. Now we will move on from Thanksgiving.

As I settle into the quietness I am reflective.

I am grateful…

I am blessed.

And I wonder…

As we move on from Thanksgiving will we also move on from being thankful?

Give-Thanks

Will our days become filled with wants and must-haves as we put up our trees and lights, filling our homes with gifts and treats?

Please don’t misunderstand. I love Christmas and so much that comes with that precious season. I love the time to focus on the gift of Christ coming to earth as a baby. I love the sense of magic in the air as people seem a little kinder and willing to believe that the would can be good.

But I still want Thanksgiving to live on every day.

I want to live a life of gratefulness. To focus on the good…the blessings…every little thing.

I want to look at the world through a gratitude filter, finding good all around me, and bringing good to others.

Most especially I want to live a life filled with thankfulness for God’s great love for us.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.
1 Chronicles 16:34

It may seem like an exaggeration, but I don’t care.

Will you join me?

Let’s see if we can help the spirit of Thanksgiving live on all throughout the year.

blessings and peace to you…
Paula

 

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Occasions

Posted on by Paula Davis

‘Tis the time of the year to celebrate occasions. Thanksgiving is just a few days away and Christmas will quickly follow. In my family we add a couple of birthdays in between as well. So much to do in preparation and anticipation, then the day comes and goes and what do we have left? Memories, both good and bad. Scrapbook worthy moments, and unfortunately often moments we wish we could do-over.

Occasions are often seen as times to look back. We remember holidays of the past, what has changed and traditions we still treasure. We remember special times spent with ones we love. These are precious memories to be held in our hearts.

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I’m afraid too often – especially on our birthdays (although other occasions as well) we may look back with regret for things we have done, or perhaps opportunities we feel we have missed. It’s easy to look in the rear view mirror of our lives and play the would’ve, should’ve game. And while we can learn from our past, we should never dwell there.

Truly nothing can be gained by dwelling in the past. If we settle in times gone by for too long our focus begins to change. We either long for those good times that are now just memories, or we lose momentum we’ve made in our lives moving forward from times we wish we could go back and change. In Philippians 3:12-14 the apostle Paul gives us a great example to follow.

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Throughout the books Paul has written we never see him settle for less than God has for him. While he certainly may have had regrets of how he treated God’s people before he was saved by the grace of Christ’s salvation, once he accepted the forgiveness offered he only looked ahead. We read of Paul stating that he was content in his life, but we never see him stagnant. He continually looked ahead towards the ultimate prize of Heaven…and did all he could to take others along with him.

As the occasions of the next few weeks and months come our way, treasure them. Remember the good of occasions gone by and allow God to take away any regret for those that you wish had been different. Focus on making new memories for yourself and those around you.

Remember we have the opportunity to make every day and every encounter an occasion in itself. When we focus on staying in touch with the Holy Spirit and allow Him to work through us we can touch lives and change each moment into an occasion. It may not be one for the history books but may  leave an impression that makes a difference to someone else.

There is a wonderful movie called Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium (created from a book by Suzanne Weyn) I leave you with my favorite quote and hope you’ll carry it with you:

Life Occasion

Blessings and peace to you on this occasion called today.
Paula

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Loving The Unlovable

Posted on by Paula Davis

Yesterday a friend of mine challenged us on Facebook:

Consider as you walk today and for the weekend:

“..if you love those who love you, what reward will you have?”

There’s value in loving those who are difficult to love.

As I read it I contemplated just how well I do with this as I go through the mundane sameness of every day. I thought about the difference between putting myself in a position to love someone who is difficult to love and choosing love or acceptance toward someone who crosses my path in everyday situations. I actually think the latter is more difficult.

Challenge accepted, I began my day and headed to the orthopedic office where I work at the front desk. I prayed that God would give me the proper responses to those around me and that I would react as Jesus would when placed in difficult situations. As I got to work I encountered:

  • The impatient caller who was worked up because she didn’t get the answer to the message she left quickly enough.
  • The inefficient drugstore clerks who can’t seem to get people through a check-out line in a timely manner.
  • The grumpy patient checking in who didn’t have his insurance cards and didn’t want his time wasted signing forms.
  • And my favorite…the pickup truck who barreled out of a parking lot and almost hit me on the way home.

There were others of course, too many to list here. In my job we talk to so many needy patients on the phone and in person that there are numerous opportunities to choose. And I will admit I didn’t always choose love when someone was ranting on the other end of the line. I was reminded just how difficult it can be to not fall into the trap of grumpiness, sarcasm and gossip. Thankfully there were several times I caught myself softening my responses mid-conversation or looking that grumpy person in the eye with a smile.

When I changed my responses to a more loving, accepting tone I saw a change in the other person as well. It was sometimes subtle but to me it was significant. I knew I had made a difference, however small.

Bestselling author Harvey Mackay said,

“Little things don’t mean a lot, they mean everything!”

Take a minute right now to reflect over the past day or two and the little things others have done for you that brightened your day or lightened your load:

  • Did someone hold the door and let you walk through first?
  • Did a stranger smiled as you passed?
  • Perhaps a co-worker shared your workload…or a sweet treat!

….you get the idea.

If these little things made such a difference to you, imagine the difference you might make to others.

And in these situations it’s not a stretch to consider you are making a difference for eternity.

Truly I tell you,
whatever you did for one of the least of these
brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.    Matthew 25:40

So today I am issuing the challenge to you. As your weekend begins and you encounter the grumpy, impatient and rude people who are a part of our everyday life, make a choice, and make a difference.

Least of These

Please come back here and share with us how your encounters made a difference. I’d love to hear about them!

blessings and peace to you!
Paula

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Delight ~ Words Worth Remembering Week #15

Posted on by Paula Davis

The Lord delights in those who fear Him,
 who put their hope in His unfailing love.
Psalm 147:11

 

DELIGHT

1: a high degree of gratification : joy; also : extreme satisfaction
2: something that gives great pleasure
What do you delight in?
Does it take something grand to bring you great pleasure
. . . or do you find joy in the simple things of life?
I have a little dog who loves to wander around the yard. She will sniff and sniff, then suddenly she stops – and down she goes!
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She rolls and rolls, doing a dance of sorts and delighting in that sweet spot she has found.
And I delight in watching her.
This week’s verse says that God delights in those who fear Him…
But this fear He speaks of is a sense of awe, not to be afraid of Him.
Do you look at a sunrise or a sunset in awe of its beauty? God did that!
Do you find awe in the creation all around you? God’s responsible for that too!
God desires only good for those who love Him and longs to delight in us.
When we put our hope in Him, trusting in His love for us that will never fail that is just what He will do!
And maybe…just maybe He dances in Heaven with delight over each one of us.
Praying you will find delight in unexpected places today,
and that you bring delight to our Lord in the process!
blessings and peace to you!
Paula