wednesday, August 27, 2025 Quote of the week

“What we are familiar with, we cease to see.”

Anaïs Nin

As a teacher, I learned that children thrive on routine. School procedures provide safety and stability, and according to an article in Newport Academy this month, there is substantial evidence proving this. Practices and schedules at schools and regular routines within the home all provide the structure children need. Adults too!

However, how difficult is it to recollect the day before because there was nothing out of the ordinary to remember? Perhaps the daily drills lack the luster they once carried, so maybe a change is needed. Educators often vary instruction to incorporate a new initiative. Perhaps your family has taken the same vacations every year, so this too needs revisiting. Getting out of the familiar can open wide our eyes to things never yet seen. Eleanor Roosevelt said, “Do one thing everyday that scares you”, or at least to do something that is outside your comfort zone.

Novelist, Paul Coelho, said, “If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine. It’s lethal.” Alright, perhaps not lethal, but in our spiritual, mental, and emotional health, I agree he is on to something! While grieving, it was comforting for me to stay turtled in a routine. It made sense to me like a simple math formula; if I plug in the correct actions, I will get the anticipated result. The world seemed too big for me, and I wanted to withdraw from it.

Encouraged by friends and family, I signed up for an evening class at the community college a few months after Jim crossed. I was terrified. With each new adventure, I’d ask myself, “What am I doing?” How am I going to do this?” You likely have asked yourself the same questions. “Some things are so unexpected”, Leo Rosten said, “that no one is prepared for them.” Grief is heavy and sudden, so we all have to do the best we can with what we have left.

With each new adventure, my world got a little bigger, a little brighter. The restraints of the mundane eventually loosened. Where I once saw a world so intimidating, I now have opened my eyes and my heart to find adventure. Saying yes allows us to see the possibilities that are just ahead. Sure it’s scary, but so is staying in one place for too long.

Say yes to the adventure.

wednesday, August 6, 2025 Quote of the week

“Healthy boundaries…are gates and fences that allow you to enjoy the beauty of your own garden.”

Lydia Hall

Time is measured in twenty-four hour increments, and we all have a limit to what we can do in one rotation. Educators returning to the classroom have a plethora of things to accomplish before that first day. Besides work, we also have family, friends, appointments, obligations, and hopefully eight or more hours of uninterrupted sleep are all in the grasp of one metered day. So, when do we allow a few stolen moments to ourselves?

When I think of a boundary, a monstrous wall or a Keep Out sign jumps into my head. However, Hall’s quote speaks of boundaries as a subtle suggestion; they instead can be gates or fences. Those provide an opening, an airy passageway where we hold the ability to either pull it closed or hide behind it. They guard when we need time alone. Grieving only adds to the multitude of commitments and responsibilities we face in our daily lives. Therefore, boundaries help us determine how we can best seek the solace our souls crave.

We don’t have to steal moments because it is not selfish to replenish our being. Reconnecting with ourselves is crucial to honoring our loss. Our spirits are so fragile when grieving, and as 1 Corinthians 3:16 states, “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?” By setting boundaries, we are honoring our holiness, and all that makes us who we are. “Setting boundaries,” Michelle Maros writes, “is not about keeping people away, rather it is a powerful act of self-care.”

You know what your limits are and when you need to cry uncle. When we allow ourselves time, we channel our Creator because the silence is when we hear the biggest voice. Mother Teresa’s reflection reminds us that, “God speaks in the silence of the heart. Listening is the beginning of prayer.”

Take in order to receive reassurance and balance.

Storylight A transformational journey SHARON M WIBLE

wednesday, August 27, 2025 Quote of the week

wednesday, August 6, 2025 Quote of the week

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