Grief

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Sometimes the news comes quick. Sometimes the news comes slow. No matter how or when it comes, grief travels in the wake of the news. Grief is heavy, weighty, a burden, especially when it involves someone deeply loved. Grief is not meant to be carried alone. It’s too heavy and may last a while—and that’s ok. That’s what family and friends are for, to share the load. Jesus stood outside the tomb of his friend and wept but He did not weep alone. It was a deep, human moment. “ Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted ” (Matt 5:4). If anyone knows how we feel in grief, it’s Him. But His grief did not linger long, as at the mention of his name, Lazarus came forth. We are not meant to dwell in grief, but should leave room enough for it. Let it run its course. Like the song says, “ Every Storm Runs Out Of Rain .” Another song says, “ The storm We will dance as it breaks The storm It will give as it takes And all of our pain is washed away Don't cry or be afraid Some things...

A New "To Do" List

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New year, a fresh start. Thankful for friends and family.

Throughout 2019 I tried an approach that helped my daily routine immensely and I want to share it. What I did was simple.

IF NOTHING PREVENTS ME

Instead of writing "to do" somewhere in my dailies and closing it in a box, I wrote "If Nothing Prevents Me" and left the space open. Instantly I had more flexibility and less stress. By not closing the box did not force me to fill it. And if something did not get done, oh well. I mark it as "IP" (in progress) and move on. At some point later in the day I went back and filled in the space around the list with a journal entry or artwork.

COUNTING THE HOURS

Inspired by Benjamin Franklin, I occasionally number the hours down one side of the page: 5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12. At each hour, I wrote in what happened, such as "Wake and day-prep," and "commute" and "Meeting" and "Gym" and even "sleep." This prevented me from making a full-tilt diary but gave some account for how I was using my time. Here is a picture of a page from Benjamin Franklin's journal as a model of what one might write.


One feature I'm integrating this year into my journal dove-tails into the "If Nothing Prevents Me" list. I plan to list "everything in my plate" and from that sort out what is within my control and what is not in my control. From these two categories, I think I should be able to determine what I can delegate, what I don't need to worry about, and what I can realistically accomplish.

FINALLY

 My niece found this really cool channel on YouTube called "Chillhop Music" that runs live stream music. Just enough music, just enough beat, and no distraction. One artist called "Sleepy Fish" caught my attention. I'll share this chill instrumental to close things out. Hope there was something helpful here today.

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