Tuesday, April 11, 2023

things I've been thinking about

 



Happy Tuesday, friends! I hope this finds you well and off to a great start for this week. Because of life, I have been spending a lot of time reflecting lately, and I thought I'd share. I had a few things from this weekend that I was going to share today, but I was so tired Sunday night that I didn't have energy to write the post. I'll save those for my Friday Favorites post, so I hope you come back to check it out! 


Most of you know that my sister Terri died a couple of weeks ago. In thinking about her and spending time with family recently, I've been thinking a lot about all the things pertaining to life and the swiftness in which it passes us by. I thought I'd share my thoughts here today.


  • Make the phone call! I can't tell you how many times I thought of Terri before she died, and never picked up the phone to call her. I did send her some texts, but it wasn't quite the same as hearing her voice. Life is so short! We need to stop or slow down long enough to make the effort. It doesn't have to be long, drawn out conversations every single day, but how much effort does it take to spend five or ten minutes chatting with someone to catch up once a week?

  • Say the words "I love you" every chance you get. I know people who never received those words growing up, so much so that they're still not comfortable saying them to someone today. If you feel the depth of those words in your heart, speak up and say them to your loved ones. I grew up receiving those words every day of my life, as did all of my siblings, so it was natural for me to express this to our sons as they grew up. They still never end a phone call until they've told me they love me.

  • Give someone who needs it a hug. Even if it's not natural, even if it's a bit uncomfortable at first. I was struck with this thought over the weekend. Life is way too short to not offer affection to someone when they need it! 

  • Check on the people you know and love. If you're in the middle of doing something and you start thinking of a friend or family member who is sick or going through something hard, stop right then to check on them. It doesn't even have to be a phone call! A text will do wonders to someone who needs to know you're thinking of them. I can't express what it means to receive a text from someone I know who cares about me saying that they've been thinking of me and praying for me. 

  • Pray for your people. Tell them you're praying for them, and then do just that. Write their names down somewhere you'll see it often, set a reminder alert on your phone, write it on a Post-It note and stick it somewhere in your car—and then pray for them. I do this kind of thing and I don't even tell the person most of the time, I just pray for the people the Lord lays on my heart. 

  • Be invested in someone and take the time to learn about their families and to get to know them. Ask someone about their day and pay attention. Make the effort to meet up and to reach out from time to time. I understand that there are friends for every phase in life, but don't let the friendships fizzle out. Unfortunately, I have done this way too many times, and I wish I could change things. Even if I can't change it back to how it used to be, I can make the concentrated effort to do better the next time. I love the phrase, "you live and learn", because it's true. You live life as best you can and you make some (a lot) of mistakes along the way, but as long as you learn from them, it's never a wasted opportunity. God truly does work out all things for the good of those who love Him and who are called according to His purpose, just like the Bible verse says at the top of this post. 

Like I said, in light of recent life events, I've just been thinking a lot about things like this. I have more, but I'll stop with these for now since I'm needing a shower before I go to bed. Thanks for reading my blog and for always being so kind and encouraging in your comments! Many of you have told me that I've been on your mind or in your prayers, and you have no idea how much that means to me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart! Love to all, friends. 



18 comments:

  1. I do try to do these things and it is great advice.
    I get my feelings hurt easily when I think other people aren't doing this for me. And, sometimes it is family members and that makes it harder. I need to stop thinking of my own feelings.
    Relationships are so hard. And, time goes by so fast. Thank you for the good reminders today!

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  2. Thanks, Amy! I try to do them as well, but I don't always succeed. You are so right about relationships being hard and complicated, even. I'm so thankful for the ones that I have!

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  3. These are good reminders! I have been working on making sure that I pray for someone if they ask for prayers and I say I'll pray for them. I started calling one of my family members who lives alone once a day when the pandemic started. I still call this family member almost once a day. It has become a bright spot in both of our days. I can't believe how seldomly we talked on the phone before the pandemic. It's definitely a good idea to reach out and you articulated so many of the reasons why.

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  4. Thank you for writing this-very powerful words and I needed this reminder XO

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  5. Thanks, Maria! I try and do that same thing- pray for someone right then when I say that I will. I also usually have to write it down, and on occasion I even set a reminder on my phone. I did that for a friend recently who had a teenage son going through some hard times. I couldn't imagine how her heart hurt watching him struggle so hard. He came out of it, and she was grateful to have friends praying for him in support. I love that you started that with a family member and that you're still going strong! What a special bond you have formed.

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  6. Thanks for your sweet encouragement, Holly!

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  7. Yes to all of these, Jennifer :) Sometimes I'm overwhelmed by the amount of people that I wish I could keep up with, but one day it will be too late and I'll regret not picking up the phone for 5 minutes. Thanks for the reminder and I hope the Lord gives you sweet memories of your sister and little glimpses of her here and there. Have a beautiful week :)

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  8. Yes, yes, yes.. all of this! BUT at the same time it can be really hard when you feel like the only one who is always reaching out or that your calls are a bother.

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  9. I loved this post. Thankful for your prayers and I have been praying for you as well.

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  10. Great thoughts and wise reminders for all of us! I'm not a hugger by nature. I try to reach out touch others (a squeeze of the hand, or a touch on the shoulder) in other ways but there is something special about a hug. Hope you and your family are feeling God's love in a special way as you each miss Terri.

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  11. This is such great advice. I guess we just need to think "what do i have to lose?" when we think about calling or reaching out!

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  12. Debbie, it can be overwhelming with all of the people! But we can still try our best, right? Thanks for your sweet words!

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  13. Joanne, I think that is hard and I have felt like that before. I think the more we practice it, maybe the easier it would become. Then again...maybe it won't. That's a tough one!

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  14. Jennifer, those things work equally as well! I went with a hug because I am a hugging type of person, but I know that is definitely not something everyone feels comfortable doing. I had a friend hug me at work last week, and she wouldn't let me go when I pulled back after a few seconds! I thought that was so sweet, and it turns out that I needed her hug.

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  15. Tanya, that's so right! What DO we have to lose? I love that.

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  16. I have been praying for you and your family Jennifer xx

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