Hi friends. Welcome !
Coming to you mid week after being off last Friday celebrating my girls 14th birthday in high style (kind of).
Now given the season I thought you might be especially in need of a little breather and a few quiet minutes to yourself before Christmas arrives. So grab a cup of something nice, put your feet up for a bit and enjoy a few good things I’ve put together with just that in mind.
A Good Word
“If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy.
Don’t hesitate. Give into it.
Joy is not made to be a crumb”.
Mary Oliver
A Good Look
What good things do you hold in your hand right now?
A Good Christmas
Ha ha – Christmas According to Kids
A Good Idea
Do You ?
from Karen Harrison
Do you live with another human? Hug them. Look into their eyes. Hold their hand. Tell them you love them. Have you? Your circumstances do not dictate how you should love this person. Love them. Period.
Do you own a fridge? Is there food inside? Does it nourish your body? Savour it. Make your mealtime sacred and slow. Give thanks for it. Sit down when you eat it. Light a candle. Make it special.
Do you have a dog? Take 2 long walks a day. Look at the sky. Find the moon and marvel at its shape. Are the trees blowing in the wind? Does your face feel warm or cold? Feel something. You are ALIVE.
Do you have a pair of slippers? Put your feet in them in the morning. They are blankets and blessings for your arches. You’ve walked this earth a while. Take care of the feet that have taken you where you needed to go.
Do you own a bathtub or shower? Let the warm water baptize you. Cleanse you. Refresh you.
Do you have a window? Open it. Feel the rush of air coming inside. Look out of it. Dream. Imagine. Wish.
Do you have a sink in your kitchen? Wash your dishes and think about the bowl, the cup and the spoon. Without them, how would you eat? Be thankful for the porcelain, the glass and the metal that bent and broke to become these things for you.
Do you have a front door? Every time you open it to step out, being mindful that you get to come back home to it.
Do you have a child? Ask them, what would you like to do today. I would love to spend time with you. If it’s no, fine. But ask. Keep asking. Doesn’t matter if they are 8 or 12 or 49.
Do you have $20.00 in your bank account? Be generous with it. Take someone out for a coffee. What warmth can your money provide, sitting in the bank?
We have so much more to give away and be glad for than we know.
Make a list.
A Good Listen
This ones beautiful
A Good Read
A Christmas Message for the Weary Plate-Spinners
I grumbled not so under my breath as I scraped wilted bits of lettuce and bread crumbs from my freshly cleaned countertops. In theory, it’s the season of goodwill and giving. In my heart, not so much. Such is the life of a mother come holiday season. Even during a pandemic, the calendar somehow swells with busy-ness. New tasks materialize as soon as old ones are ticked off. And people still require dinner, even though it’s December.
By nature, I am a helper. I am empathetic and relational, but I don’t need to be needed, which may sound like a contradiction. I’m simply saying that if there are needs I can meet, I will. If someone in my midst is anxious, if there’s a problem I can fix or relief I can offer, I will gladly and instinctively do it. I will gladly and instinctively do it until I suddenly hit a wall from all the glad and instinctive doing of things.
In the last couple of weeks, I have repeatedly run up against the wall – – – keep reading
and this one from my favourite Cup of Jo because Christmas is a lot about smells. Read through the comments too
What Smells Do You Love?
This weekend, I ducked into a home store, when I was stopped in my tracks…
I picked up a soap to smell through my mask, and suddenly I was transported to my Michigan home three decades earlier. The soap smelled exactly like my dad did when we were growing up — a mix of shaving cream and musky aftershave. I felt like I was 10 years old again! – – – – Keep reading
Keep reading
Thanks so much for reading friends and remember you can browse through the previous articles and posts linked to in The Friday Recliner right HERE.
And if you enjoy The Friday Recliner would you be kind enough to copy the link and send to a friend to enjoy as well.
Till next week, have a beautiful weekend and Happy Christmas xx
Water Into Wine 