Wednesday, March 2, 2016

My Burdens Are My Blessings

I didn't much feel like getting awake and getting my day going this morning. I have lots of those mornings. Most folks would never suspect that about me. Observers would see me as a "jump out of bed while already moving" type of person. When my live-in nephew was still alive, he said it tired him out just to see me get going in the morning.

It's not that I move fast. It's not that I accomplish much. I'm certainly not physical. But I do get up and begin thinking about what's on my plate for that day. When I was working, as my feet hit my slippers to get started, I was already thinking about what was on my desk at work and whether I had to make any stops on the way to work.

Sometimes it tires me out just thinking about what I should do on a particular day. "Should do" takes a back seat to "must do". My "must do" list if the one I work to each day. And that is my burden and my blessing - cool - so my days are B&B driven, right?

For instance - I do not have children running around me but I do have a cat. She's the only shelter-cat I've ever had and has emotional needs none of my previous cats ever had. She's not the most affectionate cat I've had but she's got ways that let me know she is more and more happy with me each day. So she's on my "must do" list. I must feed her. I must clean the litter box. I must brush her because she has a thick but fly-away-fur coat.

Twice a week, I have a "must do" trash day. I leave my trash take-out duty until the morning of trash day. Many folks do that the night before. I like to wait until at least 6 a.m. so that I can make sure everything that's going out is getting out.

On my "must do" list is my volunteer status of 13-years standing, writing, editing, printing, stapling, and partially delivering our monthly senior mobile home newsletter. There are months when I consider dropping this obligation. I always change my mind because it keeps my mind sharp just gathering info to share with our over 400 senior households. It keeps my technology knowledge at least on the playing field because I need my computer to be working. It keeps my body happy after I finish delivering to almost 200 homes each month. That delivery is the only real walking I do.

Another thing on my "must do" list is the charity crafting group I began back in '09. Every Friday I must go to our clubhouse for our two-hour session. Even if no one turns up, I must be there because I schedule it and oversee it. So, during the week, I try to make at least one item, or work on an existing larger item, for the group.

There are many, many other instances like this. Many times I hear myself saying, "...but I really don't feel like doing this ... or that..."

Then I realize that each of these things were something that I chose to accept.

And then I also realize that without these things, I'd have no purpose for getting out of bed each day.

Father in heaven, you who created every cell in my body, and breathed breath into my soul, thank you for the loving burden of my blessings.  

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