For the last few years I have been working to incorporate the following into my life. With the events of the last few days, it seems appropriate to share my thoughts about these guidelines for living a healthier life.

Just for Today

• I will not get angry
• I will not worry
• I will be filled with gratitude
• I will show devotion to my duties
• I will be kind to others and myself.

Here are my thoughts for each part of this verse.

Every few weeks I write down topics for my blog articles and share them with my son. He uses the topics as guides for taking pictures which I pay him for.  When I write, I may follow the topic but it depends on my mood and events in my life at the time. This week’s topic is abundance and I’ve been struggling with what I could write about this topic.

As I write this blog, I find myself attempting to write an entry that deals with normal events, such as the harbingers of spring, small celebrations and other activities that I took for a granted just a little over a month ago. Yet in the background, the presence of this virus, the changes in my life are still there and I have struggled with a post this time.

The month of February is winding down, with an extra day added for the leap year. In many places in the US, winter still has a hold, with snowy weather, freezing temperatures and few or no signs of spring.

The year is drawing to a close, the nights growing ever longer as the days grow shorter. The winter solstice is almost upon us, just one of many holidays people celebrate this time of year. These celebrations, Christmas, Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, Kwanzaa, and New Year’s Eve are examples of diversity while sharing the goals of celebrating light, hope and kindness during a dark time of the year.

The topics for my blogs are planned out in advance, with a faint hope that I might work ahead instead of scribbling something out the night before. My son and I are collaborating on topics and this week he suggested the theme of birthday, specifically my birthday.

With some time off, I find myself wanting to write an extra piece for the holiday. WInter isn’t quite here, but there are shorter days and longer nights. With less sunshine, more darkness and cold, it can sometimes be hard to remember brighter times. The holidays help, with the gathering of family and friends, yet there are still times when that absence of light starts to seem like a lack of hope. negative associations with winter. We may wonder if the weather will ever warm and if spring will come again.