(If you didn’t know, I have a thing for acrostics.)
Giving thanks can
Radically increase
Abundance.
Thankful hearts
Inspire
Thoughtful gestures.
Understand this- if you
Desire peace,
Exude gratitude.
Gratitude is my umbrella in the rain, my shelter in the storm. Gratitude and compassion bring me back to center, remind me of what is important, and lift me out of despair.
I’ll count my blessings every day, and every day I’ll have more blessings to count.
** This is a repost from last June on my old blog. Thought I’d share it for a new audience. It’s quite appropriate with all the rain and mud we’ve been having lately.
I recently began an early morning walking routine. Up every morning at the crack of dawn, tennis shoes on, earbuds in, walking, walking, walking. This has become my favorite time of the day. The solitude, the calm before the kids wake up, the fresh morning air… I love it. My route is always the same. I have a 2.5 mile loop mapped out from my house, up the street, around the corner and back. The view doesn’t change, really. I do enjoy the stretch of sidewalk beside the park, densely wooded with sunlight peeking through the trees. I like to smell the dirt and the cool, damp air. I would brave the trails through the forest, but one time one of my neighbors told me he saw bear scat back there and even though he was probably full of shit, I don’t play with bears. So I stick to the sidewalk.
While the sidewalk is happily bear-free, walking here can be very monotonous. Verging on boring, really, so I do little things to occupy my mind. I like to write haiku, so I’ll make up little verses about the things I see. For example,
Black widow spider
finish spinning your egg sac
I will walk away
or this one
turtle head peeping
come out of your shell for me
let me see your face
But mostly what I see are dried up crusty earthworms.
June was an exceptionally rainy month, and many earthworms were washed up onto the sidewalk to die, their bodies littering the path. I see them every day, and after a while I became sort of fixated on them. I think the weird combination of tramping on earthworm remains and reading a bunch of Shel Silverstein books with my kids is what inspired this piece.
Earthworms
by Amy Porterfield 🙂
It’s always the same
each time that it rains
the sidewalks are littered
with earthworm remains.
The life of an earthworm
is simple at best,
munching the soil
never stopping to rest.
But often it happens
when the rain comes down,
the worms come up
fearing they’ll drown.
Wriggling to the sidewalk
to catch their breath
completely unaware
of their looming death.
But here comes the sun,
ready or not!
Sighs weary Earthworm,
“My, but it’s hot!”
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| This photo has nothing to do with the story. |
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| Either does this one. |
Sleeping sweetly, snuggled down
wrapped in blankets, safe and sound
through the window sunshine peeks
house is quiet, mommy sneaks
to ready coats and hats and gloves
and breakfast for her little loves
Outside the world is dressed in white
soft as clouds and sparkling bright
lying in wait, the coming day
brings lots of fun and snowy play
make a snowball, then another
throw them at your older brother
Grab a sled and climb the hill
roll and tumble, slip and spill
build a snowman, dress him up
pour hot chocolate in a cup
come inside, put on dry clothes
warm up frozen hands and toes
read a book on Mama’s lap
stretch and yawn and take a nap
wake up, bundle up, and then
go out and do it all again.
© Amy Porterfield 2015
One of my New Year’s resolutions this year was to write more. I was going to write every day for at least 30 minutes, and I was going to publish to a blog weekly, or at least bi-weekly. Definitely I could blog monthly. I don’t know why I resolved to do this, and I don’t know what to write about. But I said I would so I will. So today I thought I would tell you a story.
I wouldn’t call myself a religious person. Â I didn’t grow up in church, which I don’t think is necessarily a bad thing, because what I know of God I know from personal experience. I’ve read some books, talked with different people, watched some television programs, and filled in the blanks with some ideas of my own. I definitely believe in God (the universe, Source, intention, whatever you call it, to me it is God), and I do believe that He will throw you a bone occasionally, and I appreciate that very much. So that’s what this story is about.
Every year around late January/early February I go through an existential crisis. The passing of another year… Have I achieved my goals? I never really made any goals. Am I just so jaded now that I don’t even set goals anymore? I feel as if I’m just going through the motions of life.
And every year about this time I have the same prayer, “God please help me! I don’t know what to do with my life!” Â It’s pretty vague and non-specific, I know. But I also know that it is heard, and this story tells how I know.
So I’ll get on with it already.
The day of this epiphany was pretty nondescript. A chilly, overcast February day. I had my children, the oldest aged three and the baby three months, bundled into the car headed to my mom’s house for dinner. We stopped at a gas station, and as we pulled in I saw a lady just kind of wandering around the parking lot. Â She was an older lady, african-american, dressed in all black except the collar of her dress was white. It looked to me like a priest’s collar, so I surmised that this was some kind of religious outfit. (Please pardon my lack of knowledge of religious rituals and outfits. I already told you I was a heathen.) Anyway, I took note of her, then dismissed her and got to the business of pumping my gas. That’s when she snuck up on me.
I’m standing at the gas pump, and this woman approaches me. I think she’s about to ask me for money, which I don’t have, so I try to avoid making eye contact. Then she speaks. “I know you don’t know me, but will you take me to church?”
Immediately I’m torn. I have my children in the car. I know that it is not a wise idea to pick up strangers, but I also had the feeling that if I was to go to hell for anything I’ve ever done, it would be for not taking this little old woman to church. Somewhat reluctantly I agreed and she got in the car. She started talking as soon as she got in, and didn’t stop. At all. Until she got out.
“You know, God told me to ask you.” That explains how she ended up in my car. Â She went on to tell me how her friend was supposed to meet her at the gas station, but she hadn’t been able to reach her, so that’s why she needed a ride. She was such a prolific talker I can’t even remember everything she talked about, but I know that some of her words were meant just for me. Because out of the flood of words spilling out of her mouth, these bits of wisdom floated to the top, and they have stuck with me ever since.
“You know, that’s when people get in trouble, when they think they know better than God what they should do. Just be happy and do good where you are, and God’ll move you.”
That was it. That was the answer to my prayer. Just be happy and do good where you are.
We arrived at her church, we said good bye and she got out of the car. Â I drove on to my mom’s house contemplating all that she had said and what it meant for me. Â Get your ego out of the way. Stop worrying so much. Just be happy and do good where you are and God’ll move you. So simple, and yet so profound.
This chance meeting took place four years ago, but her advice still resonates with me. Whenever I have my little crises I remember her words. Whenever I’m struggling I tell myself, “Just be happy and do good.”, and somehow everything falls into place. It reminds me of the quote by Thich Nhat Hanh, “There is no way to happiness, happiness is the way.” Â It is a universal truth.
Hopefully if you’re reading this, her words will be helpful to you, too, wherever you are along your spiritual path.
My oldest has his first loose tooth! This was such exciting news…a few weeks ago when we first discovered it. It’s since been overshadowed by a birthday party, a new phone, a stomach virus, an ice storm, and myriad other life events. I’m beginning to wonder if the tooth is really loose at all, or if it was just wishful thinking on all of our parts. The child just turned seven, and all of his friends have already lost teeth. When he got his school pictures back he said, “I look like a man, except I have baby teeth.”
The wait for this milestone has been agonizingly long.
It was his anxiety over his baby teeth that inspired this story.
I haven’t lost a single tooth,
and now I’m six years old!
But each time I complain to mom
this is what I’m told,
“Mother Nature can’t be hurried,
you can’t rush Father Time,
so don’t you fret and don’t you worry.
You’re growing up just fine.”
I’m afraid someone will giggle
at my tiny baby teeth.
But I can’t get a single wiggle
from up top or underneath.
Mom says, “Mother Nature can’t be hurried,
you can’t rush Father Time,
so don’t you fret and don’t you worry.
You’re growing up just fine.”
I’m trying to be patient,
but it’s really hard, you see.
My friends talk about the Tooth Fairy.
Will she ever come see me?
Mom says, “Mother Nature can’t be hurried,
you can’t rush Father Time,
so don’t you fret and don’t you worry.
You’re growing up just fine.”
I guess I’ll stop complaining.
I mean, really, what’s the use.
After all, they’re only teeth.
Wait a minute…
Is this one loose?
© Amy Porterfield 2015
Darn my circadian rhythm anyway.
I’m a morning person. As soon as the sunlight hits my window I’m up and ready to seize the day.
I love the quiet solitude of my mornings, before the frenzy begins and the little people I live with start making demands. I putter around quietly, making sure not to wake any of the people who are sleeping all over the place because there is no structure in this house. I’m the queen of my castle for about an hour every day.
I wake up feeling excited and invigorated. Then the first child wakes up and suddenly I’m exhausted.
Morning Song
From beyond the quiet walls
dawn is breaking, morning calls.
Come with me!
Awake! Arise!
Beckoning with brightening skies,
rousing us from comfy beds.
Awake! Awake, you sleepyheads!
Come with me, begin the day!
It’s time to learn and grow and play!
So much to see, so much to do!
So many adventures in store for you!
Follow the sun as he leads you along
and sings to you his morning song.
Just moving my blog over here to see if I like this format better. That is all.
playing in the dappled sunshine 