Happy New Year 2011

In a few short hours, 2010 (or the year of wretchedness as I'll politely refer to it) will finally be over. I, for one, am welcoming 2011 with open arms. I had a horrible year, although I'm acutely aware that many more people were much less fortunate. I welcome some happiness and peace. I need to restore my optimisim!

I've been battling the worse case of stomach flu ever for over a week now. It sent me to the ER for dehydration and other things. Couple this with the fact that I am admittedly battling depression, and you have the makings for a very messy situation. However, one thing that is constant is my faith in God. He's blessed me in so many ways, and I have very little to complain about, especially upon hearing others and what they are dealing with. I'm fortunate, and I realize this to no end. I just feel as if a weight is upon my heart at this point in time. I suppose this is natural, but I'm an eternal optimist. This whole misery and depression stuff has thrown my mental state for a loop. I am quite certain that it hasn't helped my health, either. So, the one thing I am resolving is this: I'm going to take each day as it comes and let it be. Nothing more or less. It's not in my control, and the sooner I can relinquish the need to dictate my life, the better things will seem.

In closing, let me just say thank you to anyone who might be reading this tonight. I hope that you remember to keep believing in rainbows, sunshine and love. Good things do happen in this twisted world we're members of. Love each other, appreciate the gifts you've been given, and live well. God Bless.

Sincerely, and with much love,

Groovitude

The value of sleep

This is one person's story of the value of sleep. Or, rather, how miserable it is to be without an adequate amount. I've discovered that my creative side seems to come alive at night, which would be a great thing if not for the fact that I get up insanely early in the morning. I'm the type of person who has to be well rested. When I'm not, my mood ranges from gentle kitten to fierce tiger in a matter of, oh, ten seconds. Depending on the situation, of course. I love to write, and I try to be sensible, but sometimes that just won't happen.

My favorite thing about sleep is that I feel no pressures. It's like the world melts away and I enter the blissful universe of Dreamland. When my dreams become crazy, I tend to intercede and make them go the way I want to, meaning that they end up with me getting what I want or being very happy. It's like a movie sometimes. Sometimes I remember my dreams, good and bad. I dream in vivid color, and I have deja vu at times in my real life. I guess that's because I'm a daydreamer and a quiet person. I enjoy simplicity, and I appreciate the blissful escape that sleep allows me. Not to mention that I feel much happier and healthier the next day.

Napping is also a good thing. I don't care what anyone says, not much beats a nap in the course of a day, especially if you get to pull off a two hour leisure one. Ahh, yeah! Only a lifelong supply of fine chocolate, great music, great family and friends, and plenty of free time to pursue my own interests would top that. Since those things probably aren't going to happen (other than the friends and family), I'll take my pleasure where I can get it. I absolutely love napping. It's so wonderful. Then, when night time arrives, and it's time to sink into a nice warm bed, I get to have double the happiness. It's the simple things that make me happy, what can i say?

So I encourage you all to sleep, and try to sleep well. It's good for your health, your mind, your spirit, and for goodness sakes, it's great for the relationships in your lives. Never underestimate the value of great sleep, whether it's only a short nap or a full, long night's rest. Enjoy each sleeping moment as much as you enjoy each waking moment. It's not lazy, it's almost a decadent thing these days, almost a rarity for all of us. Savor it!

Love and sleepy, happy thoughts,

Groovitude

Update for October

I've been through a traumatic experience as of late, leaving me pretty unmotivated to write much. I'm starting to get my groove back, so yeah. I will keep you all informed of various things. I have a different blog, one which will be dealing with more serious topics I wish to discuss. This one will remain as intended, but you may find more lighter hearted posts here than previously. It's nice to have a balance, I think.

For now, Blessings and Peace,

Me

Lemons, Lemonade, and a blog Update (July 7, 2010)

Well, hello strangers! It's been a long time without me expressing my opinions, but I'm sure by now you've grown accustomed to this. I do apologize, but absence makes the heart grow fonder, no? :)

Anyway, my life has mostly been quiet for the last few weeks. It's been busy in the respect of having to work more on the weekends, and some things that happened here on the homefront. We had some unfortunate circumstances with my mother, and she has been dealt a few health setbacks. As of now, she's in good spirits, but in pain from taking a severe fall (or two) on Monday morning. At least she didn't have to be hospitalized. Hard cement floors and arthritic knees that tend to give out do NOT make a good combination. I love my family, and we're doing all we can to make things easier for her. She can walk, but it's painful, so we're bending our schedules around and making it work. She has been dealing with health things since May, when she had to be hospitalized with pneumonia, but she's a fighter who has a strong belief in God. He carries her burdens a great deal these days. My father and I are helping in caring for my little nephew, who can be a trying little guy, but what young kid isn't? I'm sure we all can remember things we've done in the past.....yeah.

The good thing that I find comes from all the tribulations and experiences in my life is this: I've never allowed myself to falter in my belief in God and all He has provided me. He has carried me through so very much, I have no doubt of his existence. My heart believes, although I do question myself at times. I sometimes feel as if I'm not doing right by God, I don't read the Bible enough, I'm not doing this or that. I have to remind myself that I'm still growing in my relationship with God, and any relationship worth having takes time to nourish and thrive. I'm not perfect, far from it, and yes, I have a lot to learn and change within myself. I'm taking the journey and keeping my footing on my path, though I tend to stumble lately. I can change that, though, and I can take control of my human frailities, rather than let them lead me down the wrong paths. That's one thing I do well. I accept that I'm not perfect or even good enough. I'm a human who messes up, sometimes royally. I do things I shouldn't, think thoughts that aren't purified, but I'm also a kind, caring, generous person who is growing spiritually and emotionally every single day. It's okay to mess up, but one has to own that. Accept the consequences, and realign ones self with what is truly valuable and necessary. I liken my life to the concept of lemons and lemonade: I am an optimistic person, but sometimes my "Lemons" overpower me and hinder my spirit. However, I'm not a quitter, and when I want to change things, I do. Hence the ability to make "lemonade", which I might add feels a whole lot better. It takes determination and faith, and the ability to see that God will always guide me, if I just allow him to do so. I'm not the one controlling my future, so I need to remember to let go and let God do what He does best. He's never failed me yet.

Now that this post has gone on forever and a day, let me just close by saying that I appreciate anyone who is reading my blog. You must have patience of Saints the way I don't always update it. The writer's block I've been bothered by is slowly fading, so maybe I'll throw more scraps your way in the future. Stay groovy.

Love,

Groovitude

Quick Messages and Update

Well, I want to say, firstly, way to go to all the bloggers who were in the DR last week. The Blog For Hope campaign seemed to really go well. I'm very proud of all of you for what you do!

I'm sending out my thoughts and prayers to everyone affected by the flooding in Nashville. I was there only one time in my life, way back in 1993, with some friends. My first out of state road trip. Loved it. Praying for those who have lost so much, those who are missing, and every single person affected. I send you love.

Lastly, Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's out there. Remember, you don't have to be a blood relative to be a "Mom" or "Dad" to someone. I know that from firsthand experience. Maybe sometime I'll blog about that, but not tonight. I'm a little too tired to focus clearly. Enjoy your special day, moms! Be blessed.

I'll be working harder on getting this blog updated on a more regular basis. I love to write, but sometimes life gets in my way. Anyway, hope you are enjoying the content so far. If you'd like to follow me on twitter just look for @groovitude2007, and you can continue to find me here, as well.

I'd like to recommend www.1000awesomethings.com to all of you. It's nice place to be reminded of the simple things in life that make you smile. I'm awaiting the book in the mail and I'll let you know what I think of it when I finish it. Speaking of books, I finally finished "hear no evil" by Matthew Paul Turner, and I loved it. Check it out if you haven't, people. You're missing out. I loved the music aspect and learned a lot about faith, too.

That's it for this time around. It's late and I need to get myself to bed so I feel good tomorrow. God Bless every single one of you. I appreciate you all reading my blog, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy writing it. You all are special to me. Be safe, well, happy, content, and blessed.

Love and Friendship(and blessings, too),

Groovitude

Untitled

I've been getting the opportunity to go home early from work a lot, lately. This is a blessing and curse. I mean, on the one hand, it's relaxing. The other: no money and it gets annoying to have to listen to people complain due to that fact. Oh, well. I enjoy getting away from my job, sometimes.

Not too much going on. Just thought I'd give a quick update to say hello. I haven't written in a bit, so I wanted to make sure everyone knew I was still around. :)

Take care and be blessed.

Procrastionation

Yep, I'm most certainly procrastinating today. I have a huge cleaning project to be done, but I did a lot Friday night, and now I don't feel like doing it. I can't process the idea. It's so uninteresting, and I'm not in the right mood to accomplish much. I admit that I'm totally guilty of procrastinating, and I need to change it. Maybe tomorrow. LOL. Anyway, I hope you all are well, and I will get back to my project. Later. Much later.

Peace and Love,

Groovitude

Easter Season

Okay, first off, Happy Easter! It is much more than those chocolate bunnies and colored eggs. My dad told me of a survey that basically said most people don't truly realize what the real meaning of Easter is. It is the celebration of the resurrection of Christ (Jesus), a beautiful event. It's shameful that even a lot of us who claim to be Christians get so involved in the commercial aspect, or are just so uninformed, that we don't take the time to reflect on the true meaning of Easter. It's the same way at Christmas, and I guess I get discouraged by that. I'm not perfect, and I love the whole fun aspect of baskets, eggs, candies, all that, but even I remember what the true meaning of the day is. It's a day for celebration and reflection, in my opinion. Let's try to keep that in mind.

With that said, I'm off the soapbox. Now, I'm going to move to the other part of Easter. The whimsical and fun part. We bought some precolored eggs this year, and store bought goodies. The original plan was that we were going to bake homemade things, color eggs and just do it ourselves, like always. Unfortunately, various illnesses and misfortunes made this whole week off kilter, and we just couldn't accomplish our goals. My mom did put up some decorations, and the dining room looks very cozy and happy. I think our artificial bunny statues may have been doing some procreating while they were packed away, as there seemed to be an unusual overabundance of them, some whom I don't recall from last year. Bunnies do like the "bunny hop" after all ;) so I guess I'm not surprised. I'm glad we don't have real bunnies as pets. Don't want to consider that. We had some really cute ones, including a precious baby one, who lived outside last year, but the stray cats spooked them away. Their rabbit holes are still in the yard, and I almost tripped over one that was covered in snow. The irony: I was chasing a stray cat away at the time. Stupid thing wouldn't even leave. I guess I wasn't scary enough. 

I think I'll close by wishing you all a Happy and Blessed Easter day. Please remember the true meaning of the day amidst all the fun you might be having. My little nephew will love his basket of goodies, I'll love having the family together, and I am going  to take a moment to reflect on it all as well. A nice balance. 

Pondering Life

I find myself thinking about everything these days. There are a ton of personal issues happening around my home, and I feel a bit unsettled. My faith is carrying me through. I have to ask a question: God's Love is meant to bring us all together, right? So, why is that very principal tearing people apart? Can we not put aside our petty differences and recognize that we are all God's children? Why do we always have to be right? Can we not learn to let go and move past our hurts, to forgive and find redemption within ourselves? I guess I just don't get it....

Chocolate and Sleep

I'm going to have some chocolate therapy! Then I'm off to Dreamland! Two of my favorite pastimes are sleeping and eating chocolate. Seriously. Chocolate should be moderated, handed out in rations to me, because I'm the type who can just eat it non stop. Not good for health, but good for the soul. As for sleep, I'm tired. I'm very behind on sleep, for various reasons. Yet, here I sit writing in the blog...hmmm...perhaps I should consider going to rest so I feel better tomorrow. Then again, if I'm in a daze, I won't be all that aware of the crap I deal with at my job. I'll be in my own personal paradise, daydreaming while appearing to be dedicated. Like always.

At any rate, I am going to use some common sense and log off the computer, though I'd much rather write than go to work tomorrow. In due time. Be blessed, and hope you enjoyed the read.

Love, peace, and chocolate,

Groovitude

Should I just discontinue this blog?

I'm getting ready to just say bye to this blog. I don't think anyone reads it, anyway, and I never remember to update it. I must admit, though, it is therapeutic to write my emotions out, and it always has been for me. I just feel like other bloggers have better information and abilities. I feel a little lack of confidence, here. You know, though, everyone has their skills and talents. We'll see. Maybe it's just because I feel sore today, and I think everything is out to get me. LOL. Forgive me for rambling. I must need to express some crankiness. Move on. Next post should be much better. Be blessed.

Groovitude

(edited on 2/11/2010 to say: just disregard this post. I was not in a happy place. I'm keeping my blog, even if it's just for my own satisfaction. Groovitude is here to stay, so rest easy if you read this at all. :) )

Depression and Confliction

I feel conflicted. How is it possible for someone to consider themselves a Christian, to want to follow Christ with all their heart and soul, knowing that you need to trust in God and put your faith in HIM, and still grapple with the concept of depression? I don't understand. Perhaps my spiritual growth is stunted, and maybe I'm losing my ground. Perhaps I need to be more focused. I'm not sure why I feel depressed. I can't comprehend how I can consider myself a Christian and still battle this depression, still feel all that worry inside. I realize that humans aren't perfect, but if I was truly firm in my Christianity, wouldn't that override any sadness I have in my heart? Wouldn't I be able to know that God has me in His hands, and be able to feel enlightened? I am just writing from my heart right now, feeling burdened and confused. I've begun reading my Bible more throughly again, and I'm focusing on strengthening my relationship with God, but I still don't really understand why I feel the way I do. If anyone has any insight to share, or if anyone has any ideas of how I can become stronger and overcome this obstacle, I'd truly love to hear from you. I feel a little lost, but my faith is unwaivering. I know God will pull me through, but I just don't know how to move past this and focus on better things. Feel free to give my your ideas or suggestions. Or, if you'd like, say a prayer or think of me, because I could really use it. Thanks, all.

On a much less selfish note, one of my friends is going through a very rough time right now. His oldest nephew has been diagnosed with cancer, and the family could really use some prayers and love right now. So far, they all seem to be keeping an optimistic outlook, trying to keep a sense of humor. Kind of puts things in perspective, as far as life and how fast it can change, how God's plans don't always make sense to us, but He places us in the situations and areas we are meant to be in, for his own reasons. We just need to trust and oblige. It's never going to be an easy win. We have battles to fight. Some more intense than others. I'm starting to really think over all of my views, questions I have, decisions I've made, how I can better myself and be a better servant. After I read my friend's email, my heart sank, but I also know I can give the gift of love and strength, be there to comfort and help. Isn't that what it's about, ultimately? To really love your fellow brothers and sisters, whether they are your friends or complete strangers. To give, not to receive, but out of love and compassion. Everything seems to come into it's own perspective in time. I feel that I needed to share and ask for help from others. My words are born from a deep part of my soul, tonight. I had to share. Blessings and peace to all.

Groovitude

Personal Revelation

Yesterday, while my little nephew was napping, I had some free time. I used it to catch up on my Bible reading. I had missed a day, and I felt compelled to make up for it. I feel a spiritual hunger. I will nourish that, allow it to grow within my heart. It feels right, and I feel more balanced. I truly enjoy reading my Bible. I want a stronger relationship with God, and I'm grateful to have accepted him in my life. He is everything! Without faith and devotion, dedication and commitment, it will flounder rather than flourish. This is both needless and pointless. Unacceptable in my eyes. My heart feels less burdened, more alive than I've felt in a long time. I'm fortunate to be able to attend prayer meetings once a month at my employment, and I'm going to continue to go to them. Fellowship helps one grow and thrive. The last one was very nice, and I'm glad I chose to attend. I'm maturing and seeking guidance, wisdom, and strength. I believe strongly in the power of prayer, and I pray each day. My faith is strong, but I still have a long path ahead. This journey isn't easy, but it's the most important and enlightening one I'll ever take. The sun is shining, both outside and inside my soul. I feel like a path is being lit, showing me the way to go. I may get lost and wander, but I'll never stray so far I can't find my way back. I know that with all of my heart and soul. I'm grateful for this opportunity, and I look forward to what the future brings. I seek, and I shall continue to find. God Bless.

Blessings,

Groovitude