Gratitude's and Celebration Journal - Week 82 - Hot, Hot, Hot!

Gratitude's and celebration Journal

Well, we are finally here, in sunny Barbados!  We have been here for 2 weeks so far and it feels like months already.  I have promised to keep another blog going with the transition, but I have been distracted, with all the newness of everything, and by the time I think about getting round to it another day has passed!

I still do want to share for those who are interested in the journey and so will have to set aside time to start writing and it might be a daily post until I have caught up, so bear with me!

We have been in the throws of unpacking and putting things where we feel they should go, there has been some negotiation needed when we decide on the shared areas.

All my art supplies so far have turned up and I have been arranging my new studio, I have more space than I dreamed of and it will take a while for it to operate exactly how I want it to with all my supplies to hand.

My new studio taking shape

 I am grateful, so very grateful.  I take stock on the journey that we have made so far and have yet to make, one full of adventure, risks, uncertainty, new environments, tastes, smells, creepy crawlies every now and then, friendships, and hot sun to top up my vitamin D deficiency and a new flavor to my art and creativity.

I also think about my family and friends and celebrate the deeper connections that we can make even if we are a plane ride away:)

Gratitude and Celebration Journal - Mixed media art

I am on a creative journey in my journal and hope you come along and join me. Why not start your own journal, keep it as simple or complex as you wish, but do something!

Gratitude and Celebration Journal

Gratitude's and Celebration Journal - Week 81 - Home

I am having to reassess my view of home.  Having been in my current one for the past 20 years we are in the process of moving and it has brought up a lot of emotions for me.  I have also been making changes to my mums home and the impact of that has also stirred up different emotions that I will share another time. 

They say one of the biggest stress factors to our lives is marriage, death, divorce and moving home.  Having to pack up my own home and my mothers has meant that I have at times had to go on automatic pilot to get through.  

I am not the first or last person to move home, I guess it's the feeling of familiarity that I will miss, as well as family and friends being so close - sometimes taken for granted that they will always be there.

Home is where the heart is....

and a new home calls..

Along with adventures anew we make ready, things packed waiting to be shipped, a thousand thoughts running through our minds, each of us with a different perspective.

I am grateful and celebrate the home that I am leaving and look forward to settling in and making the new home an environment that is full of Joy, Peace, Love and Creative outpouring....

I am on a creative journey in my journal and hope you come along and join me. Why not start your own journal, keep it as simple or complex as you wish, but do something!

Gratitude and Celebration Journal

Gratitude's and Celebration Journal - Week 77 - Health

Every so often I get an urge to turn my health around, usually prompted by some ache or pain and it pushes me to take action.  This time round was no different, but it was also coupled by the desire for all round change.  I found a Groupon voucher recently that enables me to take 10 swims at a reduced price and that is what I've been doing, I have tried to go daily, having to be at the pool between 6.30 am and 9 am really has challenged me to make the effort to get to the pool.

I am always surprised at how much I take my health for granted and going swimming 3-4 times a week has really made me value the health I have.  There is always some weight to loose and a eating habit to either break or cultivate. It has meant that I am eating healthier as well.  I make a smoothie full of fruit, seeds and vegetables and this keeps me going until around 2pm.  I want to start adding more raw foods to my diet.

There are some illnesses which we are susceptible and also impact on family so where possible it is vital that you take steps to avoid mistreating your body and look after yourself.

I celebrate and I am grateful for another opportunity to do something about my health now, that will affect my health tomorrow.

Take a moment to think how you can impact your health in a positive way and see what steps you can take today.

I am on a creative journey in my journal and hope you come along and join me. Why not start your own journal, keep it as simple or complex as you wish, but do something!

Gratitude and Celebration Journal

Gratitude's and Celebration Journal - Week 74 - The Ideal

There is no situation or circumstance that is ever going to be perfect, and often we wait until we perceive it is the right time, when things fall into place, when the planets align or someone says those words that we were longing to hear.

We can prevent ourselves from using our gifts and talents, and as an artist there has been many a time when I didn't want to share a piece of work, because I was worried about what people might think, how they would see me or who they would compare me to, but whether or not they want to compare me it doesn't matter. 

At the end of the day, you can't stop yourself from doing things purely because of what others might think or stay in the neat little box that they try and confine you to.  You are a unique individual and you have to value yourself where you are, stop playing small and appreciate yourself a bit more.

There is a world out there with your name on it waiting to be explored, ideas that are waiting to be birthed by you that others are praying to see, and experience.  You have to step out of that shell you have been hiding in and show all your colours - you are extremely beautiful, I hope you know that!

There will never be an ideal moment, so start now, there will never be the right time, so take that step,  You are beautifully and marvelously made - have faith that if you fall, you will get up, and take another step, embrace those difficult times as an essential part of your training that will allow you to look back and celebrate how far you really have come.   

I celebrate and am grateful for this moment that is right here, when I can tell someone somewhere in the world reading this post that you matter.  Don't wait for the ideal moment or time, step out of your comfort zone now and live life to the full!

I am on a journey and hope you come along and join me. Why not start your own journal, keep it as simple or complex as you wish, but do something!

Gratitudes and Celebration Journal - Week 73 - Integrity

It has been a busy week of dealing with services that help with mum and it has not been an easy week.  I have found many people who work in healthcare that don't really care about the service user and the families that support them at all.  The very same people who need the care are the ones who worked every day of their lives and never took a day off sick, and these are the very men and women who are now the octogenarians who are being treated badly and seemingly thrown on the heap.  I have become frustrated at some of the actions and thoughts of the services that I have to deal with on mums behalf as their idea of care means leaving the elderly isolated and on their own.

Who Cares

I was told that it is alright for me to leave a 91 year old woman with severe dementia on her own at night, despite the fact that she cannot do anything for herself or discern when she is in danger.  I know that there are many elderly people who live on their own, but for the ones who are ill or frail appropriate measures need to be considered and put in place so that they can still feel like valued members of the community.  My mums borough has never recognize the need for support for night time care, I asked what would happen if she felt out of bed, which has happened as she wouldn't be found until the morning and I was told I should use the crash mat - which is supposed to be placed beside her bed, or what would happen if she got out of the flat and fell down the stairs - would she have to wait until morning to get help for that as well?

Regardless of how I feel about the role of carer, leaving my mum on her own was something we stopped doing since around 2004.  It has not been easy having to go backwards and forwards and the times that I had to console my son because he was missing me broke my heart.  But knowing that mum could walk out of the house and no one knows where she had gone is something we never want to relive again and my heart goes out to anyone who has been in this situation.

Creating problems and not finding solutions

The fact is regardless of the strides some councils have made it isn't enough.  The way that the elderly are treated and regarded is appalling especially if you happen to be frail or have an illness or disability.  Carers who shoulder a lot of the financial, physical and emotional burdens are not appreciated and those who work in the healthcare field are undervalued.  It would seem that they are brushed under the carpet until someone exposes mistreatment or someone dies then you have the politicians running around saying how shocking it all is and that their party will turn things around.

With millions of pounds of cuts being made in around the country the first services that were affected were the elderly and those with disabilities.  The staff at the center that my mum attends many of whom knew the service users were told they had to leave or face a pay cut, new staff were brought in either fresh out of University so they could pay them peanuts and felt undervalued to those who just didn't have a heart for the role in health care anymore, and didn't seem to like interacting.

The caring role over the years has taken a toll on my health and well-being, but I do it, not because I have to but because I want to.  There are times when exhausted I cry out that I don't want to do it any more, and I know that at some point I am going to have to make a decision about where mum is cared for, but knowing and doing the right thing for mum out weighs anything that I am going through myself. 

I am grateful and celebrate the creative tools that are available to me that enable me to express how I feel, to have a voice and can find a place of peace and comfort.

Share one thing that you are grateful for, stay blessed and be a blessing.

I am on a journey and hope you come along and join me. Why not start your own journal, keep it as simple or complex as you wish, but do something!

Gratitudes and Celebration Journal - Week 72 - Joy

Welcome to the word for today's Gratitude's and Celebration Journal.  The word is Joy and I guess that it has different meanings for any..... the Joy of the Lord is my strength, and I have found that my faith and belief in God has been the thing that I have found to keep me going.

I have found that in the midst of the turmoil we must search for joy, and holding on to those little moments actually enables us to make our way out of what can seem on the outside as a never ending night mare.  

In my times where I have been lost, seeking an answer to a problem, trying to negotiate doors closing at what seems like every turn, I can take comfort in the simple things which reminds me that this isn't all there is, there is more.

When we stop rushing around and take stock of our lives and those of our loved ones we see more, we can breath a little more and our surroundings hold pockets of joy depending on your perspective. 

Sometimes looking in on the details is all that it takes to turn something around, noticing how precious life is, or the breath that you take.  The laughter of a child to the simple meal shared by friends.....

Whatever circumstances or situations you are in, hold on to the joy, seek it out, share it and watch the changes that can be the turnaround in a situation, just because you allowed joy some room.

I look forward to the journey and hope you come along and join me. Why not start your own journal, keep it as simple or complex as you wish, but do something!

Gratitude and Celebration Journal

Gratitude's and Celebration Journal - Week 70 - Kindness

Welcome to this weeks journal page, we arrive at the word kindness.  Thinking back over the 70 weeks of post and the journal itself I think I have come quite a long way from its beginning in week one nearly a year and a half ago.

As the months have progressed I have just got stuck in and it has become a routine now that I make sure that I do.  There have been some weeks when I haven't got my act together and just moved it to the next week.  I have had to remind myself that the only pressure I will be under is the one that I set for myself, and so I have tried to remain flexible, preparing where possible the background pages, but trying to think about that week and where and what I need to be thinking about.

Kindness

I am not always kind to myself and have at times been quite harsh, and I ask myself would I treat a friend the way that I treat myself.  We talk about treating others the way we treat ourselves, and sometimes even the dog or cat is treated better and we put ourselves down or devalue our self-worth.

You have to treat yourself the way you want others to treat you, that means to respect and value your worth.  You were brought into this world for a purpose (yes I will continue to say it if I have to in each post), you might not know that or feel that, and I can say that there are times I wonder if I have got anywhere near my purpose cause everything just hit the fan!

At the end of the day you have to be able to nurture yourself the way you would nurture a child, be gentle to your dreams and treat yourself with kindness being patient and loving to your heart.  Do something nice just for you, find some encouraging and inspiring words that you can say to yourself on waking up and going to bed.  If you are stuck check out my Word for the week and Quote Wednesday for inspiration, but do something positive.  

As I go and take my own advice, I am grateful and celebrate today, a day that I have the opportunity to do something kind to myself and extend that to someone else.

Gratitude and Celebration - Kindness

What act of kindness will you do for yourself?, share, comment and let me know how you get on.

I look forward to the journey and hope you come along and join me. Why not start your own journal, keep it as simple or complex as you wish, but do something!

Gratitude and Celebration Journal

Gratitude's and Celebrations - Week 69 - Knowledge

At what point in your life did you realize that you had a purpose?  That the life that you were leading meant something, if not to yourself, it meant something to someone else.

We often stumble around our lives as if we were insignificant, and didn't matter.  It is not always our fault, but has a lot to do with the circumstances and situations that we find ourselves in.  From the years of neglect, and abuse there are many who have had to live through so many bad experiences that for others they could never come close to imagining how hard or bad the situation could have been.

Yet still some make it through, they have a strength and purpose of who they are called to be, and the life they have been called to lead.  I feel that we all have this calling on our lives to be more that we think we can be.  It first starts with the having the knowledge of who you really are.

Despite the situations and circumstances we all have a deep seated yearning to make a difference to our lives and even if you don't go on to change the life of millions, you could be instrumental in changing the life of just one, who then goes on to impact the millions.

Don't be afraid of knowledge, growth or of your calling and every time you feel afraid, know that even if it is only one person in this world whose life you make a difference to, then you have done something worthwhile.

I am grateful for the life I have been given, and I celebrate those lives who I may impact through the things that I am passionate about.  What can you learn about yourself today that could help someone else tomorrow?

I look forward to hearing about your journey and hope you come along and join me. Why not start your own journal, keep it as simple or complex as you wish, but do something!

Gratitude's and Celebration - Week 67 - Shine Your light

When we switch on the light or lamp we don't try and hide it or put it under cover, we don't put our light under the bed but we use it to illuminate the room.  When we think about all of the lights that are in our home we use them to allow us to see better, to locate those things that are hidden or out of view and to enable us to do other activities as well.  

As this light shines it not only shows us the thing that we are looking for but it also shines on other things as well.  If we wanted to focus the light we might use a torch or spot light, but generally speaking the main light is the one that will brighten the whole room.  There are some things that we don't want in clear sight and we might put them away in draws and wardrobes behind doors that invite a peek or we hide them behind other things.  As a collector of things there comes a point where you have built up layers and layers of things and barriers build up stopping the light from reaching the four corners of the room.

The bible tells us that we are to shine our light and my understanding is that we have to be all that we are created to be, without hangups, doubts, insecurities, and fear, and where these things are present then we have to work at doing something about it.  We have all been given talents, abilities and gifts, some of which we haven't yet seen manifest, we are to make sure that we are using and making the most of them, we shouldn't hide them under stuff or the cares of the world, we can't lock them away and pretend we don't know we have them, carrying them around in your bag or backpack afraid of your potential.  

When we are using our gifts talents and abilities it can impact like the torch on specific areas at a time or as with the main light switch in the room it can impact on many people from different walks of life and in different ways all over the world - look at the many gifted and talented people that have impacted on the world that spring to mind and have inspired you.

I hope to shine my light through my art and my words bringing meaning, wisdom, knowledge and understanding, and also to be effective in helping others to think about what they have been gifted with or to work on those things that they have been yearning to do in their hearts giving them the courage to make that step,  I think we all have that ability to inspire someone else and we can't take it for granted.

As you learn to shine your light and be more than you thought you could be others may try to stop you and those who will want to accompany you for the ride, but more often than not it is the journey that you have to make by yourself discovering your strengths, you have to be willing to do the work and take the necessary steps to get to that place where your insecurities no longer stop you but enable you to soar!

I am grateful and celebrate today the light that I carry within me, one that we all carry and it is our responsibility to use the talents that we have all been given to help others and be a blessing to others. I hope as always that my words carry encouragement and that when you have read this post that you feel encouraged to shine your light, to think about how much more you could get from your life if you turned it up a notch.  What ever has been laid on your heart in a years time you will have wished that you started right now!