things I've been thinking about

 

Happy Tuesday, friends! I hope this finds you well and off to a great start for this week. Because of life, I have been spending a lot of time reflecting lately, and I thought I'd share. I had a few things from this weekend that I was going to share today, but I was so tired Sunday night that I didn't have energy to write the post. I'll save those for my Friday Favorites post, so I hope you come back to check it out! 

Most of you know that my sister Terri died a couple of weeks ago. In thinking about her and spending time with family recently, I've been thinking a lot about all the things pertaining to life and the swiftness in which it passes us by. I thought I'd share my thoughts here today.

• Make the phone call! I can't tell you how many times I thought of Terri before she died, and never picked up the phone to call her. I did send her some texts, but it wasn't quite the same as hearing her voice. Life is so short! We need to stop or slow down long enough to make the effort. It doesn't have to be long, drawn out conversations every single day, but how much effort does it take to spend five or ten minutes chatting with someone to catch up once a week?

• Say the words "I love you" every chance you get. I know people who never received those words growing up, so much so that they're still not comfortable saying them to someone today. If you feel the depth of those words in your heart, speak up and say them to your loved ones. I grew up receiving those words every day of my life, as did all of my siblings, so it was natural for me to express this to our sons as they grew up. They still never end a phone call until they've told me they love me.

• Give someone who needs it a hug. Even if it's not natural, even if it's a bit uncomfortable at first. I was struck with this thought over the weekend. Life is way too short to not offer affection to someone when they need it! 

• Check on the people you know and love. If you're in the middle of doing something and you start thinking of a friend or family member who is sick or going through something hard, stop right then to check on them. It doesn't even have to be a phone call! A text will do wonders to someone who needs to know you're thinking of them. I can't express what it means to receive a text from someone I know who cares about me saying that they've been thinking of me and praying for me. 

• Pray for your people. Tell them you're praying for them, and then do just that. Write their names down somewhere you'll see it often, set a reminder alert on your phone, write it on a Post-It note and stick it somewhere in your car—and then pray for them. I do this kind of thing and I don't even tell the person most of the time, I just pray for the people the Lord lays on my heart. 

• Be invested in someone and take the time to learn about their families and to get to know them. Ask someone about their day and pay attention. Make the effort to meet up and to reach out from time to time. I understand that there are friends for every phase in life, but don't let the friendships fizzle out. Unfortunately, I have done this way too many times, and I wish I could change things. Even if I can't change it back to how it used to be, I can make the concentrated effort to do better the next time. I love the phrase, "you live and learn", because it's true. You live life as best you can and you make some (a lot) of mistakes along the way, but as long as you learn from them, it's never a wasted opportunity. God truly does work out all things for the good of those who love Him and who are called according to His purpose, just like the Bible verse says at the top of this post. 

Like I said, in light of recent life events, I've just been thinking a lot about things like this. I have more, but I'll stop with these for now since I'm needing a shower before I go to bed. Thanks for reading my blog and for always being so kind and encouraging in your comments! Many of you have told me that I've been on your mind or in your prayers, and you have no idea how much that means to me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart! Love to all, friends.