The month of March started out with frustration for me, since I couldn't get my web host to open and allow me to type this blog. After much help from family, who are much more technically inclined than I, the blog is up and running.
There are many things going on in the month of March. This coming Sunday, March 10th, we set our clocks forw
The month of March started out with frustration for me, since I couldn't get my web host to open and allow me to type this blog. After much help from family, who are much more technically inclined than I, the blog is up and running.
There are many things going on in the month of March. This coming Sunday, March 10th, we set our clocks forward for Daylight Savings Time. On March 17th we celebrate St. Patrick's Day, March 20th is Good Friday, and March 31st Easter. So many good things to celebrate.
As I was looking into all the holidays and things going on for the month of March, I found a new celebration day that I hadn't heard of before: March 20th, International Day of Happiness. Well, that sounds like a good cause to celebrate.
Since my motto for the year 2024 is "Determine to be happy", I sort of like the idea of a "day of happiness". It made me think, why isn't every day a day of happiness? We allow many things to steal our happiness. Let's focus on what brings us joy and let go of some of the things that bring us frustration and worry.
"Whenever my busy thoughts were out of control, the soothing comfort of Your presence calmed me down."
Psalm 94:19 (TPT)
"Three treasures - love, light, and calm thoughts."
-Samuel Taylor Coleridge
"There is a calmness to a life lived in gratitude, a quiet joy."
-Ralph H. Blum
"Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows. It empties today of its strength."
-Corrie Ten Boom
"The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another."
-William James
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"One of the best ways to reduce stress is to accept the things you cannot control."
-M. P. Neary
I read the above quote and had to take a moment to absorb it into my heart. We may try to control things in our lives, but in reality we cannot control everything.
There are some things in our life we do have control over; possibly our thoughts
"One of the best ways to reduce stress is to accept the things you cannot control."
-M. P. Neary
I read the above quote and had to take a moment to absorb it into my heart. We may try to control things in our lives, but in reality we cannot control everything.
There are some things in our life we do have control over; possibly our thoughts and our actions (or reactions). Let's work to make sure we are thinking clearly and right. We can think more clearly when we are getting proper rest and nutrients. To think more clearly we may need to take some quiet moments and not rush into a hasty decision. We should never make rash statements or resolves when in a state of confusion, anger, or frustration. The old saying "sleep on it" makes good sense. Pray about it, then go to sleep and rest for a time. We will then be better able to think more wisely with a clear head and a calm spirit.
We might need to let some things go and accept them, or we may need to work toward our goal in a more productive and more positive manner.
We do not have control over other people's thoughts and actions; only our own. Be happy this month and let go of some of our worries. I love a quote by Christina Rossetti: "There's no time like spring when life's alive in everything."
Things may not be going exactly as we would like. We may be facing problems beyond our control, but let's determine to be happy. People may ask, "How can I possibly be happy when so much heartache and hurt is surrounding me?" It's all in our perspective - how we choose to think.
"Let God's promises shine on your problems.
-Corrie Ten Boom
"Glance at problems. Gaze at God."
-Sarah Young
"More smiling, less worrying.
More compassion, less judgment.
More blessed, less stressed.
More love, less hate."
-Roy T. Bennett
The above picture is of my grandson, Austin, and his sweet wife, Olyvia. This past Saturday we had a gender reveal party and found out we are having a girl. It is an exciting time for all of us, and we can hardly wait! God is good. All of the family have been praying for this baby, and she is so loved already.
The party was outside, as y
The above picture is of my grandson, Austin, and his sweet wife, Olyvia. This past Saturday we had a gender reveal party and found out we are having a girl. It is an exciting time for all of us, and we can hardly wait! God is good. All of the family have been praying for this baby, and she is so loved already.
The party was outside, as you can tell from the picture, and we were praying for a pretty, warm day. In March we will have some beautiful, warm days and still may have some cold, dreary days. You, like me, may be anxious to get outside and enjoy the pretty weather on those glorious days.
Whether it is an alfresco picnic or a cook-out on the grill, get outside and enjoy any warm days in March. Our family enjoys sitting around a fire pit in the back yard in the springtime. This time is magical. When the sun goes down a fire still feels really nice. And there is just something about sitting around a roaring fire with loved ones or friends that makes life better. Let's enjoy the month of March and savor the moments of sunshine and warmer weather.
Flowering shrubs and trees are filled with buds in this month, and bulbs of spring flowers are sprouting up from the earth showering us with pops of yellows, pinks, and purples. Pale green tints are starting to show on the trees here in Tennessee. I always remember with love my Mother and Grandmother in the month of March, because we would go across the countryside and pick buckets full of buttercups (some people call these jonquils, but we called them buttercups). These are some of the first flowers to bloom in the spring and their scent is heavenly. I picked a bouquet this week and put them all through my house. A single buttercup was by my kitchen sink, and I picked it up and smelled and immediately thought of Mother. It's amazing how smells can make us remember a loved one gone ahead to Heaven.
"God grows fragrant flowers of hope in the ashes of loss."
-Karen Kingsbury
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