Spring has sprung

Well spring is upon us. Birds are tweeting all around my house and the rabbits are out and about. I know it won't be long before we see baby bunnies! My favorite!

Our beautiful daffodils have pushed their way up through the ground and are now showing their beauty. Some are all yellow while others are yellow with little orange faces. When we planted all hundred and some bulbs I thought I was going to pull my hair out in clumps. That was just way too tedious of a task for me! My husband had no problem doing it though because of the anticipation of the beauty he knew we'd see. I am so glad now that we planted them. I really enjoy admiring the flowers whenever I drive down our long driveway. The daffodils, along with the hyacinths that are keeping them company, welcome me home from work everyday.

I marvel at the beauty God placed around us. He really had a good time when he was creating all these colorful things. It's such a shame that we so often miss out on appreciating it. We're too busy zipping from one place to another, picking up things, doing errands. It's just not worth it. Take a moment out to stop and enjoy the beauty of smell the roses as the saying goes.

What are you missing out on today? Take a look at your window and note all the gorgeous things God put there for us! Don't miss out on it another day!

Wishing you "Blessings from Above,"
Denise

What to Do When You Don't Feel Blessed

Let's face it. We all have times in our lives when we just don't feel like things are going our way. We focus on the negative and dwell on it. It becomes hard to see the good amongst all the bad. But you can't live your life that way and be happy. And if you are a Christian, there becomes this nagging little feeling inside that how your feeling just isn't right. Believe me, I've been there and done that, and still do it on a occasion. I really have to work at staying focused and positive, and since I am human, I don't always succeed. The result? A pity party with me as the guest of honor. So how do you work your way out of the pit of despair? How do you count your blessings when things feel so hopeless? It's not easy, but here are a few things to try:

• Make a list of positive and negative things in your life. Split the column vertically and brainstorm. List everything you can think of. I think you'll see that your positives are a lot lengthier then your negatives. Dwell on that for a while.


• Stop and think about all the people you know that have things so much worse than you do and then be grateful for what you have. Before you move on, remember to pray for those less fortunate than you.


• Read the Bible. It will give you hope and remind you of those that suffered far greater.


• Say thank you and give praise to everyone who makes you happy, including our great Creator. Make a conscious effort to say thank you to everyone for every good thing they do. You'll begin to hear yourself sounding like a broken record in a good way, helping you to realize how much you have to be thankful for.


• Change within. While this make take a little more effort and results may take a little bit longer, this one's worth it because it helps to make a long term change. Sometimes we have to stop and realize that the problem may not lie in the outer world. It may be within us based on negative things we've learned growing up or because of negative people in our lives. Sometimes our reality isn't the real reality. It's only what we think and we can change our thoughts to be more positive. Realize that your life may not be as awful as you think. It's just a matter of perception.


• Pray. Ask that God make a change in you to help you see things more clearly and to improve your circumstances.

Just a side note: please don't think that I am perfect and that I have all the things master. Quite on the contrary. I can use this list just as much as any one else. I get down too.

Wishing you "Blessings from Above,"
Denise