In times of strife, times of global unrest, times like these where pandemics race across a planet causing suffering, death, sadness, and disruption, it’s easy to lose track of ourselves. It’s easy, when chips like this fall, to forget to take care of ourselves, to take care of those we love, and most simply, to remind them constantly that no matter what happens, they are loved. It’s not always feasible, but if I’ve learned anything over these last decades it’s this: The more we live for others, the happier we will be. I think this often gets misunderstood to putting ourselves last, and this is not the case. It’s consciously choosing to remind those in our bubbles (pandemic and otherwise) that they are valuable, they are loved, and they are taken care of. We forget that the simplest words, actions, and deliberate offerings of kindness can turn a day around, what’s more, they can often save a life.
May I please share this with my church congregation on Sunday morning?
I have the opportunity to give the closing prayer and I would love for this to be it...
You never cease to amaze me. You are a giver.
Please receive this with sincerity -
YOU ARE LOVED
YOU ARE VALUABLE
YOU ARE LIGHT
YOU ARE HOPE
YOU ARE WISDOM
YOU ARE SURROUNDED BY SO MANY WHO CARE FOR YOU - and even from a distance - you have a brother who is there for you...even on the days that you don’t have the words to say...
Over the past week, I have been doing exactly this - reaching out to friends who are grieving. One lost her mother to dementia on January 2nd...she says her mom wasn't going to let 2020 get her, and held on to the new year. The other had to say goodbye to the family Labrador on Tuesday, while at the same time rushed their pug to the vet for a medical emergency (turns out the poor thing is diabetic and was in crisis). There is a non-profit organization called "The Dragonfly Project" where you can buy small notecards for a few dollars with a story about how dragonfly larvae morph into a different life, never to see their friends again, and this is like our loved ones when they pass on. It includes a small keychain with a dragonfly. I've sent these to my friends this week in memory of the loved ones they lost, and I hope it makes their day just a bit brighter.
Tyler...a million times thank you!!!
May I please share this with my church congregation on Sunday morning?
I have the opportunity to give the closing prayer and I would love for this to be it...
You never cease to amaze me. You are a giver.
Please receive this with sincerity -
YOU ARE LOVED
YOU ARE VALUABLE
YOU ARE LIGHT
YOU ARE HOPE
YOU ARE WISDOM
YOU ARE SURROUNDED BY SO MANY WHO CARE FOR YOU - and even from a distance - you have a brother who is there for you...even on the days that you don’t have the words to say...
YOU ARE NEEDED, TYLER KNOTT GREGSON!
Grace and Peace to you and yours~
Over the past week, I have been doing exactly this - reaching out to friends who are grieving. One lost her mother to dementia on January 2nd...she says her mom wasn't going to let 2020 get her, and held on to the new year. The other had to say goodbye to the family Labrador on Tuesday, while at the same time rushed their pug to the vet for a medical emergency (turns out the poor thing is diabetic and was in crisis). There is a non-profit organization called "The Dragonfly Project" where you can buy small notecards for a few dollars with a story about how dragonfly larvae morph into a different life, never to see their friends again, and this is like our loved ones when they pass on. It includes a small keychain with a dragonfly. I've sent these to my friends this week in memory of the loved ones they lost, and I hope it makes their day just a bit brighter.