Thursday, September 11, 2008

A New "Look" for a New Outlook!

Losing my job and my subsequent "retirement" has given me a fresh new outlook on life! To go along with this new outlook I have decided to "spruce up" my Blog too! My special friend Miz Minka has offered to help me and has been really patient with me! (Thank you, MM!) Right now it is still a "work in progress" but I think I am going in the right direction.

I've realized some important things during these past three months. First of all, I am realizing that as important as "money" seems to be in our daily lives...it really isn't important at all. Or perhaps I should rephrase that to say...it isn't important enough to stress about. There are so many valuable and wonderful things in my life where money doesn't even play a part. My 3 grandchildren, my Barclee, my husband, my friends (and even my acquaintances!), and MOST of all...God! Now that I am not concerned about spending money (mainly because I don't have any now!) I can concentrate on these much more important "gifts" in my life!

Second, I am realizing the incredible value of having time...time that isn't taken up with anything...time that can be spent enjoying life and all that it offers! While I do have some things "scheduled" now (like my daily yoga classes) for the most part I am now very flexible. Some days I am amazed at how much I get accomplished and other days I am amazed at how swiftly the day passed and discover I have "done" very little. Ahhhh!

Third, I am realizing the how perfectly wonderful silence can be! It seems that all of my days for years and years and years have been filled with "noise." Our house is quiet. I find myself spending hours in my quilt room with nothing filling the quiet except my own breathing...and yoga classes are teaching me how to breathe in a whole new energizing way! I love the silence. I have three beautiful Icons in my quilt room and find that in the silence and peace of the room that I can easily lose myself in prayer through the Icons for hours...where before I often had a hard time praying continually for 15 minutes.

I am continually amazed at how gently and generously our Lord takes care of each of us. When I lost my job, the people involved truly meant it for "evil." But God took their actions and made it something beautiful in my life. He loves us so completely and He is so concerned about whatever makes us unhappy. I am grateful to Him for my new outlook!

4 comments:

catsinger said...

...thanks for "following" my blog...
MM helped me get started...I'm glad that she can help you too...
BTW... Calico Quilter, who left a comment on my Piglet post just before you is a quilter[obviously] and has a really quilt-y blog... as well as a list of other quilter's blogs...
just go to the comments page for the Piglet post and click on her "name"...it will show her profile and you can find her blog...

Anonymous said...

Amen, sistah!

Hummm ... perhaps I'll check out Piglet and thereby zig over to Calico Quilter as I'm a quilter, too. Thanks! Hope you don't mind, catsinger.

catsinger said...

...Barbara...I am not a quilter...
or a knitter, etc[Mom & Grandma tried...] but I appreciate those who are crafty that way...and felt bad when Calico's blog was such a fount of quilt-y-ness...and it was lost on me...so I'm happy to encourage others who will appreciate it in that direction...

Mousie and Christy's Mommy said...

Thanks so much for the link to the Calico Quilter,Catsinger! It is truly a fout of "quilt-y-ness and I will enjoying visiting there!

Have been following your Blog even before I could "sign on." I truly love your writing. What a gift!