Thank you inspiring such a great 7-day reflection for us this past week!

Memorial Day truly felt like the first day of summer this year. I am grateful for that, for my mind and my ability to think critically, and also for my loved ones, who have been so integral to my success and happiness in life. I am also grateful for the opportunity to do this 7-day reflection, as thanks again! ❤️

I remember when this COVID stuff first started a few months ago, and initially I was paranoid, looking at everyone around me as a potential risk factor in my life. However, as time wore on and I saw that everyone was as anxious as I was, it helped to humanize the experience. Let’s remember to pray for those who worry as well, that their discernment might be forthcoming.

Sleep and rest can often be two different things. I can feign sleep at any time, if only just to create a quiet space to recharge. Being truly rested, however, is a much harder state to find, as the distractions and stresses of modern life show. How, then, can we best achieve rest effectively? Breathe, for a start, and follow these peaceful steps. 🙂

For me, a fear of being alone sometimes has been in the back of my mind. What happens if I cannot truly connect with others? Trusting one’s neighbor is difficult, but trusting God, that is one of the hardest parts of human existence. I cannot say that I have truly mastered this struggle yet, but I continue to better myself on it day by day.

Given that anxiety is one of my biggest challenges in life, this meditation is truly poignant. I often spend too much time trying to escape anxious feelings when they arise, rather than trying to get to the root of why they are there in the first place. Once I know that, then I can begin to repair them through the work of God’s Own Hands.

Such a useful article!

Hello Mermy! I am sorry to hear about your double knee surgery, and am glad that you’ve been able to gradually transition back into seeing your family! I think this stuff has been particularly hard on the grandparents and the kids, who love seeing each other regularly. And yes. Thank God for Zoom and FaceTime! Huzzah! To your future good health! ❤️

That was how I felt yesterday, as though the mundane “waiting” period had suddenly ended. God bless! In gratefulness. ?

I have noticed these things too! Also, taking a days or two a week to do errands instead of every day is helpful, because it helps you learn to plan better and chunk your time.

The brain, in particular, needs a welcomed break from all of this worry, I think. Kudos to your rest! 🙂

Absolutely! Therefore, the trusting is that much more difficult, but also that much more important once you accomplish it! 🙂

I agree with you! Trust is one of the hardest things to accept, implement, and, interestingly, to enjoy, in life. May we trust in ourselves and in our Creator alike!

Peace as well Manuel!

For ALL of us to do! You’ll get there! 🙂

The start of all things positive and joyous, ultimately, I find! 🙂

I love cardinals! Though the females are more drab in color, I always notice them more, because their specific drab color is found very few places in nature. And yes, all of these, for me as well, are gentle, and refreshing, gifts as spring blooms around us!

That is a very interesting observation. One thing that this quarantine has done is make me almost too comfortable with life away from constant stimulation and worry. Yet, it’s that same stimulation which, in the right amounts, helps us to grow as individuals. Perhaps they still hold us as a way to pull us into better understandings of ourselves personally, as well as better ways of interacting with the world?

Thanks Peg! I’ve found that it’s often the simplest things, the very rudiments of positivity and gratefulness, that connect me immediately to that space in which God calls. I feel the same when I see a beautiful flower, or a picture of my grandmother, who passed several years ago. These are connections to ourselves, to calm, and, ultimately, to Christ. ❤️