PEACE
Each individual determines what peace means for him or her. Each person’s priorities are different and they also change based on the season that each individual is in. With life being so tumultuous over the past year or so for everyone, peace seems to be a novelty for most. But, it is attainable. I am coming to understand what peace looks like for me but because I am new to the space, it can still be easily interrupted and I must adjust.
I woke up this morning with an anxious heart. Yesterday was a very exciting day because some new things and new people entered my life. It was a very long day and I got a lot done. I also suffered the consequences of this because I was mentally drained by early evening. I understood though that the effort had to be made because a blessing that came my way needed space made for it. As a mother though, I felt guilty because I had to focus more time on this new blessing yesterday, which took time away from the time I normally spend with my son. He only has me to interact with. Come bedtime, he and I have been reading a wonderful interactive book about emotions. He is loving it...asking questions, making comments and comparisons with his life and friends...it’s wonderful!! He has a tendency though to want me to make things easy for him and telling him what to write during the interactive portions of the book. I wouldn’t do this last night (mostly because I was exhausted). He got upset with me about it so I said goodnight, put him to bed (despite clear displeasure with this) and I went to bed. I woke up this morning with an easy heart.
Anytime, I have an uneasy heart about anything, I know that my peace is out of whack and I must sit with it and understand why. I do a calming exercise so that I can let God in, be present, and think clearly. It turns out that I am uneasy about the new blessing, the time I had to take away from my son yesterday, and the interaction we had before bed. The more I allowed myself to calmly let the feelings reveal themselves, next came the realization and remedy: reset my balance. No work after 5pm...that’s mom and son time. Maintain priorities: God first, Others second, self third. There is a place for this new blessing. Don’t jump in too fast, burning yourself out...keep your mind open and let God lead you through it.
Peace and balance will be interrupted but it’s up to you to determine why and how to get it back. Allowing yourself to feel and process your feelings is a huge part of being able to get them both back. Breathing and calming is the best place to start so that you can make sure you are in a space to be able to receive your feelings and process them and then receive the answers to get yourself back to peace. This is hard with so much going on in the world and so much going on in people’s individual lives. Nevertheless, you must be strong. You must be strong enough to let yourself BE STILL. This is a process that will require help to understand and get yourself into. Please seek it out, take it when offered, and rely on it whenever you need it.
Peace and Blessings to you all.