Genealogy Pinterest Challenge Day 15

I have joined a genealogy challenge on Pinterest. You can learn more about it here: Genealogy Girl Talks.




Challenge Day 15: My daddy, Jimmy Ray Gunter, died of a heart attack. Daddy had just had his 71st birthday 6 days before. My father-in-law, Robert Bruce McClendon, Jr., died of a dissecting aneurysm of the aorta. He was only 52 years old. There are many cardiac events sprinkled across our family history.

Our oldest daughter has Marfan Syndrome, which itself comes with a multitude of heart issues. My husband has Marfanoid Syndrome. He met most, but not all, of the criteria for Marfan Syndrome. There is nothing that we can do to prevent Marfan Syndrome to my knowledge, but there are things that we can do to help protect the heart. Eating healthy foods, the more natural, unprocessed, the better, and we can exercise at a safe level for our individual bodies. Avoiding alcohol abuse and not smoking can also help protect our hearts and other organs as well as those of our loved ones.



Paid Advertisement

Genealogy Pinterest Challenge Day 14

I have joined a genealogy challenge on Pinterest. You can learn more about it here: Genealogy Girl Talks.






Paid Advertisement

Genealogy Pinterest Challenge Day 13

I have joined a genealogy challenge on Pinterest. You can learn more about it here: Genealogy Girl Talks.




Paid Advertisement

Genealogy Pinterest Challenge Day 12

I have joined a genealogy challenge on Pinterest. You can learn more about it here: Genealogy Girl Talks.




Paid Advertisement
  

Genealogy Pinterest Challenge Day 11

I have joined a genealogy challenge on Pinterest. You can learn more about it here: Genealogy Girl Talks.

Genealogy Pinterest Challenge Day 10

I have joined a genealogy challenge on Pinterest. You can learn more about it here: Genealogy Girl Talks.

Genealogy Pinterest Challenge Day 9

I have joined a genealogy challenge on Pinterest. You can learn more about it here: Genealogy Girl Talks.

Genealogy Pinterest Challenge Day 8

I have joined a genealogy challenge on Pinterest. You can learn more about it here: Genealogy Girl Talks.

Genealogy Pinterest Challenge Day 7

I have joined a genealogy challenge on Pinterest. You can learn more about it here: Genealogy Girl Talks.

Genealogy Pinterest Challenge Day 6

I have joined a genealogy challenge on Pinterest. You can learn more about it here: Genealogy Girl Talks.

Genealogy Pinterest Challenge Day 5

I have joined a genealogy challenge on Pinterest. You can learn more about it here: Genealogy Girl Talks.

Genealogy Pinterest Challenge Day 4

I have joined a genealogy challenge on Pinterest. You can learn more about it here: Genealogy Girl Talks.

Genealogy Pinterest Challenge Day 3

I have joined a genealogy challenge on Pinterest. You can learn more about it here: Genealogy Girl Talks.

Genealogy Pinterest Challenge Day 2

I have joined a genealogy challenge on Pinterest. You can learn more about it here: Genealogy Girl Talks.

Genealogy Pinterest Challenge Day 1

I have joined a genealogy challenge on Pinterest. You can learn more about it here: Genealogy Girl Talks.

Here is my pin for Day 1.

#Gratitude Challenge Roundup

This is a 14-day gratitude challenge. You can read more about it here: Personal Excellence.

The overview page has the task list and the links to all of the posts on the host site for the challenge. There is also a link to a list of participants.


Reflection

As a follow-up post to the 14-Day Gratitude Challenge, we are asked to answer the following questions:


How has the gratitude challenge been for you? (Have you found the tasks helpful in cultivating gratitude?)
Some of the tasks were easier than others. Some of the tasks caused frustration because it made me have to think about things that I am trying hard not to think about these days (and am failing at not thinking about them!) Overall, though, I appreciated the challenge and tasks presented. It helped me to put more thought into just how grateful I am truly being and that there is much to be grateful for, even when it doesn't seem so on the surface.


What has been your favorite task(s)? Why?
Day 3's task of writing a gratitude to someone was probably my favorite task. Writing it helped me to feel more connected to my grandma, if it is even possible to feel more connected to her than I already do. It put to words how much she meant, and still means, to me.


What have you learned in the challenge? What have you learned about gratitude? Elaborate.
One thing that I learned is that it is a whole lot harder to find something to be grateful for in an adversary than it is to pray a good prayer for them.

Many years ago, my grandpa told me about praying good prayers for the enemy, that hot coals of conviction would be heaped on them. I asked him how come I couldn't just pray for the hot coals on them because I didn't really feel like praying for anything good to happen to them. He said it didn't work that way, we shouldn't wish bad things on people. In reality, I knew that, but that didn't stop how I was feeling. I took his advice and started praying for this adversary. At first, the prayers were asking for help to be able to pray good prayers instead of bad ones for this person. Eventually, I was able to pray good prayers for them and things changed, although only temporarily in the end.


How do you plan to integrate gratitude into your life moving forward?
I will continue to try to write at least three things per day that I am grateful for or at least contemplate them each day even if I don't put them here on the blog.


Anything you would like to see at PE moving forward? If so, what is it?
I can't think of anything else that I'd like to see on Personal Excellence at the moment. It is a great site just as it is!


Daily Journaling: Three Things I am Thankful for Today

1. I am thankful for those that are trying to gently lead us into a more peaceful existence.
2. I am thankful for challenges that cause me to think and ultimately lead to personal growth.
3. I am thankful for a long weekend.

#Gratitude Challenge Day 14

This is a 14-day gratitude challenge. You can read more about it here: Personal Excellence.

Day 14: Give Thanks for Your Mistakes

Two mistakes stand out to me right now. One ended a friendship; the other one ended up being a fatal for another person...a child.

Many years ago, probably nearly fifteen years at this point, I made a comment on an e-mail list that I was on. It was taken badly by someone and she attacked my parenting abilities. This woman had recently gone through a brutal divorce. In my moment of rage, I retaliated with, "Well, at least I have a husband to help with my children!" I felt horrible about having said such a thing to her, but I had already hit Send, so what else could I do but immediately send an apology. She never responded to my apology and I sent several after that. I never heard from her again. While I still feel badly about having said such a thing to an also hurting sister, I felt that I had done all that was required of me. I sent her a genuine apology. The rest was up to her.

Three things that I learned from this experience:

1. I should not respond to something that I disagree with right away.
2. I should pray before I respond to hurtful things.
3. Some friendships aren't necessarily forever and some hurts just can't be "gotten over".

In the fatal situation, I acted, or more to the point, didn't act, out of fear. I was afraid that I would be seen as crazy. The Holy Spirit clearly laid a message on my heart involving a child that was very sick, unbeknownst to her parents. I was afraid to tell them of the prompting, so I didn't tell them right away. Her health was degrading and, finally, I just couldn't stand it any longer. I couldn't continue to keep to myself what was becoming more and more evident as each day passed. At my urging, they took the child for further testing and she was found to have cancer. She died a little more than a year after the diagnosis. I should have spoken up the moment Heavenly Father laid the prompting on my heart. I should have trusted Him, as well as my relationship with this child's mother and told her right away. I didn't. Maybe this little one would have passed away even with earlier notice, but she wasn't given that opportunity because I kept quiet out of fear. Her mother forgave me years ago, but I will carry this guilt to my own grave.

Three things that I learned from this experience:

1. I should have faith and respond immediately to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.
2. When something involves the health and/or safety of a child, I should speak up, no matter the potential outcome for myself.
3. Some friendships can overcome anything, even indescribable, devastating pain.


Daily Journaling: Three Things I Am Thankful for Today

1. I am thankful for friendships that can stand the test of time and torment.
2. I am thankful that JM was allowed the time that she had on this earth and wish that it could have been much longer.
3. I am thankful for forgiveness from others, even when I can't forgive myself.

#Gratitude Challenge Day 13

This is a 14-day gratitude challenge. You can read more about it here: Personal Excellence.

Day 13: Do a Gratitude Meditation

The task for this particular post is to meditate over two goals. I have never been one to do official meditating. I do contemplate things that I would like to do. I want to lose weight and I want to finish the prompt book that I have started, but I never actually visualize these things. I just try to make progress towards accomplishing the goals that I have set.

I was told years ago that one way to achieve goals is to put pictures of what you're trying to achieve on the refrigerator, which is a way of visualizing it. It may work for other people, but apparently I need a wee bit more than a picture on the refrigerator to accomplish my goals. Beside, if I want to lose weight, I need to stay away from the refrigerator as much as possible!

Here are my goals:

1. Lose seventy pounds ultimately, but twenty pounds before the as yet undetermined surgery date.
2. Complete the prompt book and have it available on Kindle before Christmas 2013.

Ways that I plan to work toward, and hopefully achieve, these goals:

Weight loss
1. Increase water intake and decrease soft drink intake
2. Eat more veggies and less meat
3. Continue on the tread mill, increasing time and eventually speed
4. Continue to do sit ups, increasing quantity done per session
5. Add more weight resistance exercises

Prompt book:
1. Add at least one prompt per day to the file
2. Search my memory for various events that could be viable prompts
3. Read and contemplate what I've read to create potential prompts
4. Complete reading through the formatting for Kindle book, trying to eliminate potential formatting issues
5. Proofread as I go and have someone else to look over it, too



Daily Journaling: Three Things I am Thankful for Today

1. I am thankful for many sources of information that can help me to do what is best for the health of my family.
2. I am thankful for the part of my brain that is still working and hopeful that the rest will be working again soon.
3. I am thankful for broccoli and Brussels sprouts!

#Gratitude Challenge Day 12

This is a 14-day gratitude challenge. You can read more about it here: Personal Excellence.

Day 12: Take Action on Your Plan from Day 11

In order to show my loved ones how much I love them, I will spend more time talking to them and listening to them as they share their likes/dislikes, hopes, and dreams with me. I will spend more time playing games with them, listening to the music they share with me, as well as trying to understand more the things that are weighing on their minds.

In order to make progress towards the ultimate goal of a vegan lifestyle, I only purchased one main dish meat at the grocery story. The majority of the purchases for my husband and myself were vegetable, bean, and pasta items. However, we are not forcing a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle on our adult children that still live with us. The other meat items that were in our cart were for their consumption.

Daily Journaling: Three Things I Am Thankful for Today

1. I am thankful for the natural healing properties that Heavenly Father has created in our bodies.
2. I am thankful for people that understand how different things in nature can help to heal our bodies of some pretty nasty illnesses.
3. I am thankful for the homesteading and farming bloggers online that show me a more natural, simple-though-not-easy, life is possible.

#Gratitude Challenge Day 11

This is a 14-day gratitude challenge. You can read more about it here: Personal Excellence.

Day 11: List 3 Things You Tend to Take For Granted

This is a really hard one for me. I don't generally take things for granted. I don't assume that this or that will "certainly" be here tomorrow. We've lost everything, had to rebuild our lives, more times than I can count, it seems.

The things that I come the closest to taking for granted at this point in my life or have taken for granted in the past, I guess, would be as follows:

Monet "Sunrise" @wpclipart.com

1. There will be a new day. Like the song says "The sun will come out tomorrow." However, we aren't guaranteed tomorrow, so we shouldn't take it for granted. We should live and love like this is our last moment on earth.

2. Grandparents live forever As a child, I couldn't imagine ever being without my grandparents. I had never met death and so didn't think about it happening to them someday. We are mortal beings, so they didn't live forever, at least not here on earth. They are alive and well with our Heavenly Father.

3. Health. Although I started out life with respiratory issues, I never could have imagined as a child the health issues that I am facing today. As far as I know, COPD didn't even have a name when I was a kid. I've abused my body in a multitude of ways and it has been abused by others. I can't just assume that everything will be fine tomorrow. COPD is progressive; it will just get worse.

Ways to address the above issues:

1. I will try to be more into the current moment and make sure that my loved ones know how much they mean to me.

2. I can't change my childhood thoughts regarding my grandparents. However, learning from them that no one lives forever, I should pay more attention to those that are here with me now and, again, let them know how much I love them.

3. I will continue to research ways to improve our diets, ultimately achieving a pure vegan lifestyle. I will continue to do what I can to reduce my exposure to harmful chemical fumes. I will increase the breathing exercises that are meant to increase my lung capacity. I will also continue to try to find ways to earn money from home so that we can move to a more rural area, out of the shadows of the coal plant that is within sight of our home.


Daily Journaling: Three Things I am Thankful for Today

1. I am thankful for reliable transportation.
2. I am thankful for newborn kitties (we have 4 new ones!)
3. I am thankful for the rain that we have been getting over the last week.