Do you know what is your purpose here on earth? So, while others are bemoaning 2020, I am grateful for it because, I’m now aware of the things for which to be most grateful - the understanding that beauty resides within, and that we are here to serve a purpose. All are beautiful and serve an important purpose. I enjoy experiencing tranquility that only being still can bring.įlowers, trees and grass grow in stillness, and the sun, moon and stars move in silence. I no longer need these devices to keep me company. Either I sat with the television blasting, turned on the radio to bob my head, or looked to a book to steal away. Before the coronavirus hit the scene, I was intimidated by silence. Being still stops the busyness in my brain and anxious thoughts that come with it. It’s like a calmness that I can’t explain, like harmony in motion. This stillness brings comfort to my soul. Regardless of the turmoil that has gone on all around us this year - from COVID-19 to civil unrest, I have learned the art of stillness. These two words – Be Still – carry an invaluable meaning and life lesson about not moving and being quiet. My list this year also includes the art of being still. I have discovered the difference between wants and needs. My normal Saturday routine was to hit the major retail outlets to shop for household items I didn’t need (how many hand towels, bed sheets and water glasses can one family use?). Instead of going out to dinner every Friday as we generally did, we order carry out or cook at home. With limitations on how often we should go outside the home, interact with others, dine inside a restaurant and go shopping, I have saved more money. My list includes being grateful for the things I already have. I am grateful to my beautician, nail technician, mechanic, letter carrier, colleagues, legislative assistant, and YOU, my constituents.Īt the Thanksgiving table when it’s my turn to share what I am most grateful for, I will look lovingly into my husband’s eyes (yes, that’s right, we’ll be the only ones at the dinner table this year, thanks to the unfair, unwanted and ungrateful pandemic!) and express how 2020 has caused me to examine all aspects of my life and determine what is really important. This year, however, I added a few others to the list, all of whom I could easily take for granted, but am careful not to. I am forever grateful to have them in my life. As I created the list, I couldn’t help but notice that I was jotting down more heartfelt gratitude statements than ever before.Īs a rule (self-imposed), I no longer list the things that I consider “a given.” Family, friends and loved ones are permanent placements on the list. I’ve done this for the last four years during October, my birth month. Flu Vaccination - Schedule an Appointment Today!ĭespite 2020 and all its ups and downs, twists and turns and uncertainties, I managed to continue my tradition of writing a list of things for which I am grateful.Small Business Saturday - November 28th.Did you find the benches in District 7?.

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