7 May Stress Busters

May 1, 2018 by 2 Comments

Happy May to one and all! Not only does the arrival of a new month have us looking at what’s in store in the weeks ahead, but here on my blog it signals it’s time for the next installment in my year-long Stress Busters blog series. Fingers crossed that you look forward to each one!

Since I started sharing the stress busters last September—and with the way time is flying—it won’t be long until I’ve completed the full set of month-appropriate stress busters. I so hope they have blessed you.

The month of May is often second only to December in its busy factor so I pray the following May stress busters will provide the refreshment you may need. Here’s to making it through May with interludes of peace and joy in the midst of the end-of-the-school-year dashing to and fro. Be blessed my friends!

May Stress Busters

  1. Since April showers bring May flowers, soak up the beauty and fragrance of flowers at least one day this month. Go for a walk through a flower garden or a park that features a generous display of flowers. Or if you have the chance, visit a botanical garden. Let the amazing and delicate wonder of flowers refresh your spirit.
  2. In spite of the extremely busy schedule you may have this month, take time each day to be with God. Whether looking up to the heavens or kneeling before him, spend moments in praise and worship. Talk to him, telling him all of your concerns. Hear his voice as you read his Word. Commune with the Father and let him fill you with peace and joy.
  3. If your mother is still with you, treat yourself (and her!) to a visit or a nice long phone call or FaceTime session at some point around Mother’s Day. Mothers are often our best encouragers so let her love, support, and encouragement minister to your soul. If this isn’t possible with your mom for some reason, do it with another one of the great encouragers in your life.
  4. Be intentional about taking rest. Schedule it on the calendar if necessary. It may mean leaving Saturday mornings open so you can sleep in. Or you may need to say no to Sunday afternoon commitments so you can luxuriate in the all-important Sunday afternoon nap. For others, it may be blocking off time to relax with a good book or a round of golf. Whatever form it takes, provide yourself with respites of rest.
  5. Join in the celebrations of May (end of school year, graduations, weddings, etc.) or create one of your own. Not only accept that invitation to a party, but decide to celebrate something—no matter how big or small—that’s going on in your own life. Let celebrations provide joy in the midst of the pressures of life.
  6. Like December, May is another good month to opt for simple meals. Take a few hours early in the month one day and prepare some freezer meals or go outside and grill up a variety of meat to keep handy in the freezer. For other days, plan to fix your easiest meals or take advantage of your favorite take-out places. Ease your stress with no hassle meal prep this month.
  7. With Memorial Day in mind, spend some time writing down or recording on video some of your favorite memories and stories of loved ones who have passed. Our memories savored internally are wonderful, but wouldn’t it be great to have some of them recorded for yourself and others? Don’t make this harder than it is—relax and let your memories spill out of a heart of love. This interlude from present day demands will be good for your soul. 

May these stress-busting ideas help you relax and refresh during the whirlwind otherwise known as May. Blessings to you, my friends!

“‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’” Mark 6:31 NIV

*Which of these stress busters would you like to try this month?

*The next issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter, comes out this week. One lucky subscriber will receive a $15 gift card to Barnes & Noble and a signed copy of my book to use personally, give as a gift, or donate to a library. Sign-up is free and to the right! (If you’re on a mobile device, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click View Full Site to find it.) p.s. It is too late to get in on this issue’s giveaway, but if you subscribe, you will be included in all future Life Notes giveaways.

*For info about my book Mother of the Bride and also my Wedding Inspiration cards, check out my Books/My Work page.

*My photo — featuring my darling grandson Isaiah :)

Filed Under: advice, celebrate, family, fellowship, flowers, help, holidays, life, memories, refresh, rest, simplify, stress, variety, worship Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A Prayer for Your Summer Plus My May Blogging Break

May 16, 2017 by 2 Comments

As I mentioned in my Spirit and Soul Refreshment for Busy Lives post a couple of weeks ago, May can be one of the busiest months of the year. And this year is no exception for me. Probably not for you either, huh?

To do my part in allowing a little breathing room, I’m taking a blogging break the last half of this month. So no worries if it appears I’ve abandoned my blog over the next couple of weeks. I’ll be back with regular weekly posts sometime when June is bustin’ out all over. Let’s say June 6th. June should be in full bustin’ mode by then, right?

Before I break away, though, I’d love to pray for us all as we prepare to head into summer and all that it holds. May this prayer be a blessing to you as we gear up for the upcoming summer season. Feel free to keep it handy to give needed encouragement and refreshment as the days and weeks unfolds.

Pray with me, won’t you?

Lord, you are the Maker of every season and we thank you for the gift of summer. It’s a time to break from many of our normal routines and enjoy more time outdoors in your glorious creation, more time with our families and friends, and more opportunities for travel adventures. Thanks so much for such a wonderful gift.

Guide us, Lord, as we make plans. Help us not to pack so much into the fleeting weeks of summer that we end up feeling stressed rather than refreshed. And please grant your blessing, Lord, that all logistics for special activities and travels will flow smoothly so we can have truly refreshing times instead of those marked by frustration or disappointment. We don’t take mercies like this for granted so we ask humbly and thank you in advance.

Please protect us, Lord, as we do things like hike and swim and play sports. Watch over us, please, in our travels so that we will arrive safely at every destination. Protect us as well from our enemy Satan as he continues to try to undermine our relationship with you and with others. He doesn’t take a season off. Please surround us with your protection.

And finally, Lord, please bless us with lots of sweet times with you and with loved ones this summer. Grant us memories that will make us smile for years to come and also grant us periods of rest that will refresh and re-energize us to get back to normal routines in the fall. And may we shine the light of your love everywhere we go and in all that we do. May you be glorified in our summer, O Lord! In your precious name we pray, Amen.

“May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us” Psalm 67:1 NIV

*Do you have any special plans or activities that you’re looking forward to this summer? I’d love to hear about it!

The new issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter with a giveaway in every regularly scheduled issue, came out early this month. It’s not too late to receive it. Sign-up is free and to the right!

*My photo (taken in the Cleveland Botanical Garden)

Filed Under: blessing, leadership, prayer, protection, refresh, rest, summer, thanks, travel Tagged With: , , ,

Spirit and Soul Refreshment for Busy Lives

May 2, 2017 by 2 Comments

Is your schedule full to overflowing? Your to-do list never caught up? I’m willing to bet most of us will have to answer one or both of those questions with a resounding yes.

Some of us even find ourselves in busier-than-normal busy seasons—busy on top of busy—due to current life situations. And I bet the month of May will increase our busy levels even more. For many of us, May ranks second only to December as the busiest month of the year.

If you are feeling pressed today, allow me to serve you up some spirit and soul refreshment straight from the Word of God. Most of us have our go-to methods of stress relief, but if drinking from God’s Word isn’t on our lists, we need to add it pronto. Nothing can give the deep spirit and soul refreshment quite like the Word of God.

So my friends, come apart to a peaceful oasis and allow me to share some passages with you today that I pray will be just the balm your weary souls may need. From God and me with love—may you be encouraged and refreshed!

“‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.’” Matthew 11:28-30

“The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake . . . You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” Psalm 23:1-3, 5b-6

“‘Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders.’” Deuteronomy 33:12

“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:28-31

*Which of these passages encourages you most today? Do you have another passage you’d like to share?

*The new issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter with a giveaway in every regularly scheduled issue, comes out today. It’s not too late to receive it. Sign-up is free and to the right!

*My photo (taken in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park)

Filed Under: comfort, encouragement, help, peace, refresh, stress, Word of God Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Midweek Morsel: Rest During Demanding Times

September 17, 2015 by 4 Comments

3475199344_22c0327a80_z“‘. . . even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest.’” Exodus 34:21b

God knows what we need, doesn’t he? As Creator, no one knows us and our needs better than he does. The Bible, his Word to us, is full of his instructions, exhortations, commands, and wisdom that are for our benefit. We are our wisest selves when we listen and heed his words.

One of the things God knows we need is rest. He not only gave the commandment about resting from our work on the Sabbath when he gave the Ten Commandments to Moses, but he went on to emphasize in the passage above that even during the plowing season and harvest the people were to rest. Yes, even during their busiest times, God said, “you must rest.”

If people in Old Testament times needed rest during their busiest seasons, don’t you think we need rest today during our most demanding times as well? I can’t help but think that God knows us so well he knew we’d need explicit instructions for busy seasons. He knows we’re tempted to push too hard when we’ve got more work than hours in the week.

But if we’re wise—if we’re honoring and obeying God—we will rest. And it will indeed benefit us.

“‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’” Mark 6:31b

*What are some of the benefits of rest?

*Flickr photo by Meagan, Creative Commons License

Filed Under: refresh, rest, time, wisdom, Word of God, work Tagged With: , ,

Good Intentions Lost in the Shuffle

June 1, 2015 by 2 Comments

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We’ve all been there—moments when we make mental note to carry out a certain action at a later time. A time that’s more convenient, more sensible, or simply more doable. A time when we actually have a chance to see some white space on the current page of our lives.

That’s right, sometimes we are in the midst of situations or schedules that make it next to impossible to add anything else to our to-do lists. I bet many of us are just now emerging from such a time. The month of May fills our calendars to overflowing, becoming second only to December in pushing us to our limits.

For me personally, my busy season started several months ago. In addition to the regular demands of life, some caregiving responsibilities presented themselves as I helped care for my husband after his injury and then began making trips to help take care of our twin grandbabies.

During such demanding seasons, it’s easy and natural for our good intentions—those moments when we make those mental notes—to get lost in the shuffle of life.

During one of my out-of-town trips, I received an email update from missionary friends sharing news of their rather abrupt and early retirement. I told myself I’d drop them a note later when I wasn’t on duty at baby central. After I returned home, however, it seemed to only cross my mind at other hectic times—which, of course, was nearly all the time since I was busy playing catch-up amid the normal pulse of life. I hate to admit it, but it was over six weeks before I made good on my plan to jot that note to my friends.

When we fail to carry out our good intentions—and some of them are much more critical than writing a note—we tend to get down on ourselves, but instead, let’s give ourselves some grace and then go ahead and carry out the action. Like the old adage says better late than never.

Who knows, my note arriving weeks late (in my estimation) may have come at just the time for my friends. And other good intentions, whether starting an exercise regime or investing quality time in a relationship or learning a new skill, can still be carried out regardless of the delay in getting started.

Let’s not miss out on blessing someone or being blessed because our good intentions get lost in the shuffle of life. Let’s reclaim those good intentions and remind ourselves that it’s not too late to act. Let’s live in grace and victory!

“But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.” 2 Chronicles 15:7

*Do you have any good intentions you need to reclaim?

*Flickr photo by m4r00n3d, Creative Commons License

Filed Under: accident, encouragement, fail, time, victory Tagged With: , ,