Inspirational Short Story, Female Fantasy Art, Relaxing Music

Caring is everything;

nothing matters but caring.

-- Baron Friedrich Von Hugel

Inspirational Short Story, Female Fantasy Art, Relaxing Music

The caring we receive from someone we love when we're sick can heal us just as much as the medicine we take.

For children, Mom is usually the one who makes sure we get enough rest by having us stay in bed.

By bringing us juice and aspirins she helps us keep our fevers down.

She also lifts our spirits when she tells us a funny story.

Perhaps the next time a loved one is sick we can do the special and caring things.

We can bring a favorite magazine or a cold glass of water, tell a joke, or just sit and be there for a while.

Whether the sick person is a parent or a brother or sister, when we help care for another, we complete a circle of caring begun by a parent so long ago.

Bad moments, like good ones,

tend to be grouped together.

-- Edna O'Brien

Inspirational Short Story, Female Fantasy Art, Relaxing Music

Once in a while, we have days when we think the whole world is against us.

A parent has reprimanded us, a brother broke our new game, or the teacher at school disciplined the whole class.

We sometimes let our thoughts center on a cluster of bad moments and forget the good moments of the day.

We shouldn't forget about the two ducks we fed part of our sandwich to, the friend who made us laugh, or the gym teacher who praised the whole class.

Deciding to think about these good moments can allow our spirits to rise and make the bad moments fade away.

After all, if life were all good moments, we would take them for granted.

Let us accept the bad ones gratefully, then, as opportunities to appreciate the good.

Inspirational Short Story, Female Fantasy Art, Relaxing Music

Listen to your feelings.

They tell you when you need to take care of yourself,

like finding a friend if you feel lonely,

crying if you feel sad,

singing and smiling if you feel happy,

and acting frisky if you feel good.

-- Pat Palmer

Inspirational Short Story, Female Fantasy Art, Relaxing Music

When we get too much of anything -- too much fun or too much work -- we may feel really crummy when it's over.

One way to listen to our crummy feelings is to say, "Here comes the letdown after all that fun."

We can imagine a spaceship falling to earth, floating on the ocean.

Coming down to earth is as much a part of the adventure as the countdown and blastoff.

A letdown for us means we need to let our bodies and minds rest, just like the spaceship, bobbing around without any special direction.

We need to take it easy, do nothing, put off making plans.

Then we can ask God to help us let go of the crummy feelings that come along with a letdown.

We can ask the spirit within us to guide us through this time of change. Then we will let down and let go.

__________

03/05/2014

Dividers and candles from Mark and Cindy Cooper at The Graphics Barn (dead link 10/2002)