Celebrating Life...

The resurrection gives my life meaning and direction and the opportunity to start over no matter what my circumstances. ~Robert Flatt

Easter has come and gone, and what a celebration it was. This year we had the added blessing of it being my son’s birthday week, so the whole week was full of parties and dinners to celebrate, in addition to all the activities our church offered. It seemed we were doing something every day and night to celebrate one occasion or the other, and the warm and fuzzy feelings have already lasted well into this week.

But before all of that was Lent. This year, if you’ll recall, I decided my motto would be “Just say no.” For six weeks, I vowed not to take on anything new, make any new goals or commitments, start any new projects, or try to meet any new people. I would only work on projects I’d already started, complete classes I’d already begun, honor commitments I’d already made, and focus on the friendships and relationships I already had in my life. I would take the time to appreciate what I already had, take care of what was already mine, and take care of all those little projects I’d been telling myself I would get to “one day.”

It started out well, completing one small project a day. Books got read that had been lying around for years, pictures were hung, closets were cleaned, letters and notes were written, and my to do-list shrank daily. About three weeks into it, I stumbled and fell, and started saying “yes” again, but quickly caught myself and within a few days was back on track.

Still, I now knew I wouldn’t get it all done, and needed to readjust my focus to concentrate what was important to me.

I attended what may well turn out to be a life-altering speaker series at our parish mission that generated many good ideas, but unfortunately, have had no time to implement. I added a third Qigong class to my week, and found it made an amazing difference in my energy level and attitude. Even Louis can’t stop commenting on how much more relaxed I am, and how much easier I am to get along with :). I was able to visit both Louis and Marc, and am happy to report that each of them has never been in a better frame of mind, or more at peace with their circumstances and situations. Many prayers have been answered in that regard.

But I wouldn’t know that if I hadn’t made it a priority to go and see them, to find out what was happening in their lives. Commitments with my son kicked into high gear with the school play moving into production week and performances, so I missed the Lenten speaker series at church, but I was able to attend the women’s speaker series, which only reinforced the message I got at the parish mission talks. During Holy Week I attended morning services and a walk through of the church that explained the symbolism of the Mass and Easter. I also had my first experience as a reader.

While my spiritual life was getting a boost, and my life was being enriched, my blogging suffered. I simply haven’t had time to write about all the changes I’ve been going through. Through Myfitnesspal.com, I finally figured out the secret to losing weight. Easter and my son’s birthday week wreaked total havoc with my ability to stay on track there, but at least now I know what needs to be done to succeed. Through Qigong, I’ve managed to find my own inner peace, and learned how to call on it at will. Thanks to the mission speaker and women’s series, I now know what direction my writing needs to take.

Unfortunately, that means less blogging here. I will, however, try to post something once a week, so you know I’m still around :).

I even came up with an idea for a new novel with all the space “just saying no” created.

In the end, I didn’t make my goal of having everything done before Easter. As the day approached, I got more and more stressed, knowing I wouldn’t be finished—until I decided to “just say no” for another month. So that’s where things stand now. Through May I will continue my own personal Lent, keeping up with my exercise program, fitnesspal, Qigong, and taking care of me—hair, nails, massage, and nutrition classes—while continuing to clear my desk of current projects and formulating ideas for new ones, but this time ones that bring me closer to where I want to be, rather than taking me further afield.

So my Lent was a success. Taking time out for me opened up the time and space to bring several creative ideas into clear focus, and thanks to my new perspective, I will be able to accomplish them a lot faster than I would have on the scattershot path I was on two months ago.

Be blessed, and remember that “Easter is the demonstration of God that life is essentially spiritual and timeless.” ~Charles M. Crowe