Many people are alive but don’t touch the miracle of being alive. 

Thích Nhất Hạnh

After last night’s post, I decided to commit to black and whites for a while. I mentioned that I wasn’t sure why I haven’t done more—since I love them so much—but after working on the image that I’ve featured here, it all came back to me; they aren’t easy to do, and they can be pretty tricky.

Actually, I think that’s exactly what was needed right now; something to challenge me a little and push me to learn.

On another note, I received an email the other day about “One Word that will Change Your Life.” Instead of making New Year’s resolutions, you choose one word that you want to focus on for the year. Of course, the first words that came to my mind were “healthy” and “fit,” but I knew that if I chose a word like that I might as well make some resolutions. It’s pretty much the same thing I list every year; “Eat healthier, start exercising… Yada yada yada.”

I kept thinking mind, body and soul, and “wholeness” was the word that I was leaning toward. I’ve already made huge changes to care for my mind and soul, but for some reason I always let my “body” fall to the wayside. I also considered relationship, because I haven’t been praying like I used to, and I can feel the tension building inside of me and my will seems to grow stronger every day. I did pray for God to give me the word though, and what I came up with today was “mindful.”

Mindful: 1. Giving attention (to). 2. Careful not to forget about something. 3. Deliberately aware of your body, mind, and feelings in the present moment, in order to create a feeling of calm.

My mind has been wandering a lot lately, and it seems to travel far, far away… far from where my body might happen to be, so I want to work on that and start being present more often. I need to be mindful of God and prayer, on a daily basis, and I need to be mindful of what my body needs—healthy food and more physical activity. I’m sure there’s a lot more I’ll learn, and I’m excited to see where this word journey takes me in 2019. 

I’ll be heading home tomorrow, and this upcoming week will be all about getting ready for Christmas. If I don’t make my way back to the blog before it comes upon us, I hope that everyone has a beautiful, blessed holiday!

Life is good… and God is Great!