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Category Archives: Contentment

Human/Nature . .

12 Saturday Sep 2015

Posted by Cheryl Ries in Choices, Contentment, Gentleness, God, Humility, Life, Peace, Wisdom

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In reading a post on a group page on a social media site about birds this morning, it was brought up for question why one type of bird might purposefully force the babies of another species out of their nest at a certain stage of their development. The idea of such a thing with no discernible reason seems perplexing to those who support the type of birds which were the babies in this scenario. This type of bird, Bird A, is routinely up to this “bullying” behavior it seems, and is known as doing exactly this to these babies, if the comments of routine observers are factual. I can only surmise that Bird A is given the task of instigating movement in the babies of the other species, Bird B, purposefully and habitually. So perhaps Bird A rile up the complacent babies of species B on purpose to encourage their movement sooner than they would deem themselves ready! Maybe this is part of a greater plan of inter-species interaction, for which we mere humans have no measure of understanding or awareness.  579151_721419587884084_1276570731_n

Just maybe this is part of God’s greater plan for the whole of the world. Perhaps what we humans observe is truly limited by our ability to comprehend His design and His purpose for all of life. In that case, we will never grasp the intricacies of nature, of species interacting, of what seems heartless and cold or disturbing and uncalled for. Perhaps our nature is to put upon all other species, and even upon members of our own, our limited perspective, bias and understanding; giving to each situation a self-inflated acceptance and awareness of life which might just be proven flawed or faulty! Imagine instead if we were to just breathe in and observe, free from our judgments and thus, our desire to intervene?! Perhaps a lot of what humans intrude into is already working as planned? Why are we always so eager to know everything, to be right and to solve every issue, to the point that we create problems where none existed? Perhaps it is just human nature.   images egotism 2

In this case, the simple question lies in that we just don’t know why! Why does one bird intrude into the happy nest of another to push the babies out? It might be a design flaw; but since I am sure God has not made mistakes in His designs, I will go with purposeful. It might be that Bird A has been given the role of assisting in this one stage of another bird’s development. Were we just to accept that we don’t know everything, letting life go on as God planned; just maybe it would run more smoothly than when we butt in with our fixes, our answers, our alterations and our transforming changes! God does have plans, purposes and reasons for His world to run as it does; if only human beings would stop trying to solve what isn’t wrong with God’s world and cease endeavoring to change what works just fine as is. Some things are necessary interventions, when people are starving or natural disasters occur. Humans meddling in the natural order of things, however, has probably created more chaos than situations it has ever calmed or resolved. But then again, human meddling seems directly proportional to the astronomical level of human ego running amok, which has endeavored with its “I know best” to render God silent and irrelevant at almost every turn! I wonder how many of His miracles we shut down in our endeavor to fix, transform, change or to interpret what was His will, thinking it to be some error?? Signature02

A Life Honored . . Anew Each Day!

08 Wednesday Jul 2015

Posted by Cheryl Ries in Attitude, Choices, Contentment, Family, Fullness, God, Life, Love

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God, Legacy, Majesty, Nature

Yesterday I had to have something precious cut down and removed because it was no longer viable or thriving, but rather dying by degree. It was hard to part with the Purple-Leaf Plum tree I first planted out back right after my dad passed, nearly a quarter century ago, in his honor. He adored nature; and it was the closest tree I could find in Phoenix back then to the brilliant hues of Red Maples which he adored! oshimoto_e45_018

I must admit, I got a bit sad thinking of the tree being cut down after all this time, and then again seeing it piled up in freshly cut pieces. I had to accept its slow demise over the last few months just to get to this point where I could even consider having it cut down! It surely seemed to be the right time to remove this beautiful specimen, which once was so glorious and colorful; but it surely wasn’t easy to accept it, lying there in pieces! At some point in my observation of the tree’s remnants, my emotions shifted from sadness to a stable contentment; there was a shift in mind and mood, in realizing there was so much more than just this one failed tree of honor connecting me with my dad’s passion for nature!   bible-verses

I realized that all of my life I’ve sought the refuge and peace of nature, enjoyed the wilderness and appreciated the beauty in almost every plant because of my dad’s influences and preferences! He shared his heart and soul’s passion for growing plants, gardening, landscaping, exploring the wilderness and seeing all the beauty found in God’s majestic natural designs with me; so I now have that same appreciation in my soul by which to honor his life’s legacy every day! God blessed us all with hearts, minds and senses by which we may appreciate the wondrous natural world around us; and I surely witnessed that in my dad’s life by example! And in the place of that beloved tree, I will create an edible garden around an old wooden picnic table I inherited just yesterday from a dear family friend. Everything continues in its seasons, for its reasons and for God’s purposes!  Signature02

My Joy Is Not Conditional . .

06 Monday Jul 2015

Posted by Cheryl Ries in Attitude, Choices, Contentment, Faith, Joy, Positivity

≈ 2 Comments

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Faithfulness, God, Joy, Peace of Mind

It feels great to consider the possibilities of a new day joyful, even though there are many unexpected moments and uncertainties ahead. My joy is not conditional. It won’t come or go, untethered, as if adrift in some wind’s changeable currents. Joy is a state of being, a decision of one’s soul and spirit. It is not really changeable, unless the soul or spirit renounces it in favor of unease, negativity, misery and inner unrest. bible-quote

Joy comes from living contentedly, at peace and in faithful rest by purposeful choice in God and His will. Joy isn’t the same as momentary happiness, it goes so much deeper than that! Real joy dwells within the emotions and temperament of a determined and disciplined soul; and thus is tied to the self-control of emotions and the attitudes consistent within. No outer influence can take your joy, unless and until you cede your joy from within as a result. Things happen which take our happiness for a time and even bring us great sadness; but joy is a rebounding state within, whereby the soul refuses to don the gown of misery, negativity, faithlessness or hardness forever as a result.  bible-verses-4

Joy is the soul’s chosen acceptance of life’s bounty, beauty and blessings, in spite of moments of unhappiness and periods of great sadness! Being joyful is to keep one’s heart focused on the very blessings of life and the promises of God with faith, hope and a sense of calm; concentrating on what is positive and uplifting rather than to hold onto what saddens, breaks or strips from us our hope. Joy belongs to the over-comer; who with faithful expectancy and hope, sees each new day as a priceless gift regardless what is looming, what actually happens or what may yet come! Consider this new day joyful, for that is your choice!  Signature02

Some Will Never Grasp . .

02 Thursday Jul 2015

Posted by Cheryl Ries in Choices, Contentment, God, Hope, Joy, Peace, Positivity, Uncategorized

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Faith, God, Hope, Love

Some will never grasp how much beauty and joy there is in life. They’ve made up their minds that because they don’t live in a bigger house or have all they want or make more money or realize all their dreams or . . well, they just find endless ways or one reason to write all their life off as failed, terrible, rejected, horrible, miserable or worthless. No matter the beauty around them, the love of others, the gift of one more day or the bounty of life’s miracles played out each second, they’ve decided to view all of life as negative. Perhaps they’ve endured tremendous things which took their joy. But in letting their joy lapse every day since, they’ve given their power over to others or to situations or to circumstances which negate their contentment, joy and peace of mind for the rest of their life! If I tried to convince them that there were blessings all around them, joy in precious moments, gifts of time and breath, or a bounty of life they’ve chosen to waste, they simply would not believe me easily or readily. They’ve made up their mind, this life sucks!    96022541

Unfortunately, they would miss seeing the examples of others whom I have witnessed. Perhaps they have not taken notice of those souls, pressed with possible peril or up against unbelievable odds themselves, who are determined to be joyful in spite! Possibly they refuse to notice for themselves the very nature of life’s daily persistence; how it pulls us into each new moment we’re given whether we like it or not! How I pray daily that every soul could experience such a sense and awareness of life’s preciousness and meaning; as well as the very worth of each person, every creature, each bounty of abundance or the infinite blessings in every single day. Unfortunately, some people have made up their minds that this life wasn’t bountiful enough. Sadly, they’ve chosen to believe nothing is a real blessing, not even their own beating heart. Tragically, they don’t respect or value their own infinite worth, much less believing that about others. All of their life is lumped into the negative overall mindset they have created for themselves or experienced. Maybe it takes God’s hands and His will upon our lives to realize our own failings in that regard; for that would be my explanation as to why I see everything as I do. It would be my response as to why I refuse to give into life’s overwhelming negativity and the daily chaos which threatens my peace of mind and my positive spirit.  I am not sure even then that some souls will ever understand the true value, meaning and purpose for their lives, if they refuse to let God be a part of theirs. I only know that without an understanding as to what love truly is, from Whom it comes, people feel dejected, adrift and lost more often than not. Life becomes increasingly meaningless when there is nothing of meaning to enrich it. God is my tether in calms seas and storms! He gives my life its meaning! 306528_10150979705179939_409182314_n

Without sensing a purpose greater than themselves for being, life itself must seem tragic, cruel, hopeless, fatiguing or brutal at times. God gives my life such infinite sense of worth, purpose, hope and love; like a big safety net around my soul, He gives me beauty for my chaos, a will to not cave in and a hopeful desire in His promises to faithfully expect what awaits me beyond this breaking world. Some may think me foolish for believing as I do; but if they believe THIS is all there is to life, only the chaos and madness of this world, I would believe them the fools! Comparing and contrasting the mayhem, failings and futility of humanity to the promises of God is always going to leave humanity lacking. And so we have a glaring perspective on what is happening in the world right now. Humanity is failing more and more the further it extricates itself from God! Souls are perishing in the futile void created by human will without hope, faith and an understanding of their value in life or God’s will for their lives. A life with God is not going to be trouble-free or seem idyllic. In fact, there will be challenges as a believer which often can make things seem harder! But His love, promises and the hope which He instills offsets the challenges, difficulties, trials and failures; washing over the faithful, restoring and renewing their souls and spirits. How sad for those who miss the chance to have contentment, joy and peace of mind in this life as well; in knowing God and His love!  Signature02

Cleanup, Maintenance and Restoration . .

30 Tuesday Jun 2015

Posted by Cheryl Ries in Attitude, Choices, Contentment, Discipline, Joy, Maturity

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Faith, Hope, Joy, Perseverance

A little rain, a lot of rumbling . . after last week’s monsoon, the one last night seemed a wee bit gentler and efficient. It was just progressively darkening skies, which promised rain and finally delivered with thunderous claps; there were no huge dust storms carried in by disturbing wind gusts. No more tree branches came down and not much debris was scattered.  I hope it washed away some of the remaining mess from the last storm last week, which just blew a lot of stuff into new places!  article-2011713-0CE2031700000578-751_964x626

Earlier yesterday afternoon I had warned my friend Joe, while he cleaned my pool, that there were storms hovering nearby. He looked all around the sky for proof, not really all that convinced. In jest he told me that once he cleans all the pools for that particular day in Summertime, during our monsoon season, he goes home and shuts the windows and shades in his house to effectively shut out the fact that a storm might come and eradicate all that day’s hard work out in the heat and humidity! It would have been hard to silence last night’s storms in that way, booming with such resonance! I hope he was successful though. I’m sure that it is frustrating to have cleaned all those pools yesterday, only to have a storm roll through and mess them up anew.  1394793942827

But isn’t that life’s real conundrum for us all in some way . . our real lack of control as mere mortal human beings in setting circumstances and keeping them just as we want them, neatly, tidily and ideally?? Each day we take what comes, giving everything our best for that day in hopeful planning, reaction and response. We must loosen or release our hold and our sense of control on most everything but our emotions; and faithfully, we must learn to wait to see what comes next in life. Rarely do things go entirely as we had planned or envisioned in our minds eye. Clean up, maintenance and restoration is not just left to those who clean pools in Phoenix during monsoon season. It’s just a part of life we must all come to expect and to tolerate! Most of the time, because we can only control what comes from within us . . . we must learn how to adapt, to alter and to amend our plans when life doesn’t play out as we planned. If we want to enjoy our lives overall, we must not let the unexpected and unplanned stuff which happens that is out of our control overwhelm us or impact us for too long. We must resolve ourselves to cleanup, maintenance and restoration each new day.  Signature02

Appreciation Must Not Wait . .

24 Wednesday Jun 2015

Posted by Cheryl Ries in Attitude, Choices, Contentment, Gratitude

≈ 2 Comments

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Appreciation, Contentment, Gratitude

Appreciation must not wait until we have all we want or everything we think we need. To appreciate life means we start by assessing what we’ve already got or already have had as having value, knowing that even our breath and heart beating this day is reason for our gratitude. Often we become so empowered by our desires and wants that we forget to be thankful and content in all that in which we’ve already been blessed!   1240126_703685716311915_1942277022_n

Every day of life, every friend who walked beside us, every supportive and loving family member, every day of sunshine, each day of rain, every beautiful flower we beheld and each phenomenon we treasured, every mile we journeyed and every adventure we made it through safely, every day of good health and every thing we’ve overcome, every passage and every milestone, every significant matter and all achievements, every gift and each staple of our daily provision . . each and every second of every day of all of our lives we’ve been given something in which to appreciate life and to celebrate with gratitude! If only we would look at the sum of our lives, not measuring it by only what we’ve lost or never had. If only we would see the sum of great treasure which we inherited at birth, were given over time, met as dear souls, came upon as gifts to us, or have already earned by our labor and efforts. So many people are caught in what they’ve not gotten, that they forget to appreciate fully all that they’ve had. Many are mourning what they had and lost, not realizing all they still have left around them. Many never know to be thankful for their abundance even though by comparison, they would surely be assessed as more than blessed; they might even covet others for what seems enviable in their lives! And many never know to see even their own breath and heartbeat as valuable; for in each breath and in every beating heart lies the seed of life’s potential and plentiful reasons for gratitude.   246170384_5PTKhJj9_c

It’s so easy to forget all that life has placed within our reach, focusing on all that we’ve yet to grasp. And it’s even easier to proclaim our lives as worthless, unproductive or valueless when we measure our joy or success in terms of what we’ve lost or never gained, or in comparison to what others have. With appreciation, with gratitude, all of life starts to take on value; we realize all in which we’ve been blessed, even what we once might have taken for granted . . our breath and our beating hearts, our being alive! When we view our own lives through the eyes of gratitude and appreciation, we no longer put all of our focus on things which deplete us of our overall joy, contentment and peace of mind. Signature02

Rolling With the Changes . .

02 Tuesday Jun 2015

Posted by Cheryl Ries in Attitude, Change, Choices, Conquering Fear, Contentment, Courage, Growing, Joy, Lessons

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Acceptance, Change, Maturity

I’m rolling with the changes . . otherwise the brakes of resistance I try to apply wear out from fighting against the natural state of things. Life is ever-changing and though we might believe ourselves easily rocked by all the change we experience, we are only able to truly grow and develop when we’re forced out of our comfort zones. Change is life!  Persistence-and-Determination

We begin as babies incapable of fending for ourselves or appraising our own course; were we not to change, we wouldn’t even understand that we had life! So why does it often become harder to accept all the change of life by the middle or perceived end? I suppose it is our awareness having awakened us to the realities of life’s abruptness and unfiltered truths. Life can seem so hard once we understand loss, brevity, failure, fear, doubt, worry, anxiety, lack, need, and all the emotions which push upon our souls. But at the same time, life is supposed to have prepared us each step of the way for exactly what comes next, known or unknown. We should know by now that we’re not invincible, infallible and that our time is not infinite here on earth; but we should also believe ourselves successful at having made it this far!  Socrates-Quote-on-Change

We’ve learned, grown, developed, overcome, strengthened our minds, bodies and spirits for the journey yet to come! Why then be reticent when changes happen? Without change there can be no actual growth or development in us or around us, in which we might take great pleasure in having mastered another life skill or challenge! Life wouldn’t be much at all were we to remain as we once were. If we keep applying the brakes to our life as it changes around us – hiding or diverting from the changes we fear, dread or imagine – we risk stalling, crashing or disabling our own lives in the process. In the end, life is really the sum of all that we met and overcame in pursuit of some level of contentment, inner peace and joy within our souls! We should welcome the changes as new tests and testimonies for having stood tall and strong in this life!  

Signature02

Live For Today!

02 Saturday May 2015

Posted by Cheryl Ries in Attitude, Choices, Contentment, Happiness, Lessons, Positivity

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Hopefulness, Joy, Optimism

Here on the cusp of Summer . . which I always mark as the season which begins with Memorial Day, persists through the 4th of July and sort of ends (although not officially on the calendar or even by temperature) with Labor Day . . I wonder how it can be that this year is already almost half over? Soon it will be Mother’s Day, then Memorial Day; there’ll be talk of vacations and the thrush of Summer activities like picnics and 4th of July fireworks festivals. There will also be talk of swimming pools, lakes, oceans, suntans, sunburns, adventures and back to school. Everything seems to slow down and life sets itself upon a new pace of easy and breezy. But even in that altered pace, life goes on!  images

If we aren’t stopping to mark and to make each day we are alive special in some way, all we’ll be able to see is the multitude of x’s we make as we cross off our precious days with no recollection of having truly lived them! And live them we should! Each day is ours to toil and be busy, with gratitude and a sense of purpose; or to toil and fill it just for the sake of awaiting expectantly and hopefully some other day more than this very one. If we toil hastily, hurriedly and with our hopes waiting for another day, we might spend our precious days into waste. How many Summer seasons pass so quickly because we make plans for months in advance, only to wait upon our special plans so eagerly, that we miss enjoying the days leading towards them? How many parents dread the end of school, wishing for school to restart just so that their lives are made simpler again? Such a shame we cannot learn to give equal precious weight to every day we’re given, as none is promised but the one we’re living!  labflowers

This day matters, this one counts most, this one is meaningful and this one is all you truly have. Before you mark it as over and done on the calendar, make it something which matters! Don’t wish your life away waiting on some better day, or expect better days ahead rather than making this one your best so far!   Signature02

Savor This Day . .

09 Thursday Apr 2015

Posted by Cheryl Ries in Attitude, Choices, Contentment, Joy, Peace

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Contentment, Gratitude, Peace of Mind

 

 

 

 

I’m savoring the cool mornings we have right now . . windows open, birds chirping and the first rays of that sun rising to greet the day. It’s a bit of perfection, this time of year, this season. I know to be appreciative because it will soon enough change to something different. And although different doesn’t necessarily mean worse or in some way lesser quality, I want to be present in this moment because it cannot remain this way; this day will never come again, nothing is promised besides now.  th8LMLQURJ

I looked at all the peaches forming on my peach tree; each blossom once dotting the branches now becoming a small, forming fruit out of the beautiful, soft pink eruption of Spring’s first days. Although the blossoms had time to shine, now it is time for the fruit to prevail. In every thing there is purpose no matter longevity or brevity; in every day there is possibility and the opportunity to form something from the nothing of its dawning. There is growth and change from what once was to what now is. And so it is again with this day, my chance to seize upon this near-perfect start by making what is to come something as blessed as this moment right now!  thZ6KM4MMC

I believe it will be up to me as to how this day is played out and remembered. If I want this idyllic start to continue throughout the unknown day ahead, I better keep within me the attitude and appreciation which first enabled me to recognize the moment as it happened and then to be grateful for it! My attitude about this day shall direct my overall assertions about this day when all is said and done. I’m learning to take time in my day to realize how special the day and how blessed the moments, each unique, each precious and each serving a purpose in my journey.

Signature02

Constant Spring . .

08 Wednesday Apr 2015

Posted by Cheryl Ries in Attitude, Christianity, Contentment, Faithfulness, Joy, Peace

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Attitude, Contentment, Peace of Mind

Every day of Spring is a new taste of beauty, nature, something unfolding after a period of closure and even near death. Winter is brutal, life seems to struggle to a silent demise or into a quiet surrender. The harsh climate of Winter is like the season of a person’s life in which death is near. But then comes Spring again! And with that new season, we are reminded that all is not lost and neither are we!  Lamb-sheep-30710619-1280-853

Spring wakens the lifeless, breathes hope back into the quiet and cold; it is the season of life which harkens to our need as human beings for continued faith and hope. In Spring, we can see life unfold anew, we feel warmth upon our skin again. We notice buds promising new leaves, new flowers, new growth and more reason to hope. In every creature newborn into the world each Spring, we can imagine how persistent life is regardless how near our own Autumn or Winter we are in life; and we see life overcoming our own fear about life ending. With Spring unfolding eagerly around us, we forget that life is dimming, dulling or lapsing. All we notice with Spring is the way in which life refuses to cede to death! And that is the message of God’s promise through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, at Easter-time, in Spring.  homeguides_articles_thumbs_10_best_plants_to_grow_in_winter_cover_jpg_600x275_q85_crop

He came so that we might know God; but He also came so that we might be with God eternally! That was His purpose in facing Crucifixion upon the Cross. He took our sin for all time so that we might live eternally with God. In Him, therefore, we have reasons every single day to await life; regardless the season and our condition! We might be overwhelmed, sickly, breaking down or facing turmoil; but when we realize we have seen God’s promises fulfilled through Christ having overcome death on the Cross, we can have faith and hope to live life regardless! Our hope and faith, like God’s grace, is new each day! We needn’t feel depleted or without our source of faith and hope in Christ because He overcame, and so shall we! So instead of feeling so low, wounded, broken or disturbed by life, we can take great comfort in the constant state of God’s promises to us. We are living a constant Spring every single day because no matter what comes of life, no matter the season, we have eternal life just because we believe! And in that eternal Spring we’re promised, we should sense as much if not more joy, contentment and peace as we do in each day of each yearly Spring we experience!  Signature02

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