May 2021

  QUOTE OF THE MONTH:

*I made this to remind myself to celebrate their unique gifts and talents and personalities with the niece and nephews, but this concept obviously applies to children and adults.  God made us all unique, and people love to be seen and appreciated for who they are!

MAY GRATITUDE LIST

• Dad coming home yesterday- (I'll share more about that in a future post)
• Bill and Jill - and a great phone call with Jill that marked a turning point for me during Dad's hospital stay, from thinking it could go either way to really believing he had turned a corner
  
• Celebrating Mother's Day and JoBug's retirement
• Joining Elizabeth's birthday + century Peloton ride!
• Playing with and just watching Oreo, an energetic little Flompy-Sue puppy!
• Georgia peaches from The Peach Truck!
• Seeing friends at the flowers and popcorn event at the Wilsons
• Celebrating Carter's 6th Grade Graduation
• A lovely baby shower for Katherine Claire
• Getting a new recorder for free, courtesy of Marilyn and Teresa!
  
• Kind neighbors power-washing my driveway, which is now stain-free
• My new weighted blanket - cozy and comforting
  

What was life-draining this month?

• An unfair sense of urgency about pursuing a major life change
  
• Scrambling to cover for other court reporters as we are shorthanded right now
• Jace's strong objections to eye therapy
• Underlying stress and high blood pressure that make it harder to stay in peace 
  
• Dad's hospitalization + being in limbo + all the emotions and hard realities surrounding that
• The excessive blog drama following a political post

What was life-giving this month?

• A stranger's post in a Facebook group, along with so many comments on that post that helped me realize I am not alone in my specific type of grief
• Christine Caine on Annie Downs podcast, same thing - feeling validated and seen because someone else was honest about what they have been through (I'll say more on that in August)
• Therapy with Shannon - having a safe place to talk about the hard stuff and try to articulate how I'm feeling
  
• Prayer support and kind messages from friends and family as Dad was in the hospital
• Taking a couple weeks to do 15-20 minutes a day with Peloton instead of my usual 75 - basically giving myself grace during a family crisis but still taking some time for that because it is fun and restorative for me!!
• Little things that lightened the mood - like texting about Schitt's Creek with Chet or sharing Will & Grace clips with Rach
  
• Bringing dinner for the Fosters as Kristin recovered; feeling encouraged and uplifted in our conversation
• Writing personalized cards for friends and family members
• Quality time with the Wilson fam, including a great dinner with Teresa
  
• Lunch with Lindsay Jane - thankful for her support and encouragement
• Dinner with Kristin W. as Dad was in the hospital - always good to help me decompress
  
• Healthy conversations with Laura, Tiffany, Sarah, JEM, and Chet about politics and/or church stuff
  
• Hugs from the niece and nephews; getting to play and hang out with them
  
• The entire gratitude list above ❤
  

HAPPY LISTS

I Read:  Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (NLT)

I Listened To:

• What Happened To You: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing by Oprah Winfrey and Dr. Bruce D. Perry
  
• Stand All the Way Up: Stories of Staying in it When You Want to Burn it All Down by Sophie Hudson
• Hope Always:  How to be a Force for Life in a Culture of Suicide by Matthew Sleeth
• It's All About the Small Things: Why the Ordinary Moments Matter by Melanie Shankle.  
• The podcasts mentioned in January + The Gospel in Life with Tim Keller

I Watched:  The Pelican Brief, Notting Hill, Mighty Ducks: Game Changers and Big Shot on Disney+

I Made:  Progress in therapy; a few photo cards from Walgreens; time to rest ❤

 

*This recap was inspired by Emily Freeman's The Next Right Thing Journal, and I'm writing one for each month of 2021!