Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. Four words that tell us something about your July?

Clearly I didn't read the question well....I have no idea what I read...lol. Four words:

Celebratory, unexpected, grief, peace.

Well, at one point I would've said it was going great, and overall it has been great. We celebrated my grandsons 3rd birthday, we enjoyed the 4th with friends (though I didn't watch any fireworks sadly). But it has also contained sadness and grief. Last Thursday, the 22nd, my dad passed away. It was unexpected though not a surprise. His health hasn't been great and he wasn't very happy because he couldn't live the life he wanted to live. That has been an interesting journey to navigate. My mom passed away 17 years ago, so to not have parents is weird. I'm thankful my In-laws are so amazing. 

2. Four of your favorite summer foods?

Hamburgers, corn on the cob, BBQ chicken/ribs, S'mores

3. What were you doing at a quarter past four yesterday? 

I was at work! I work for a postal annex...we have mailboxes for people and we do shipping, packing, faxing, copying, you name it...sometimes we're apparently secretaries, problem solvers, counselors...lol. I Love my job. 

4. fore!, four letter word, four sheets to the wind, ten-four, 24/7, four eyes, these four walls....pick a 'four' phrase and tell us how you relate currently

Hmmm....I guess I would say 24/7 in general, but not in a negative way. I'm thinking of it in the sense of how we choose to live our lives 24/7. who we are 24/7. Is it consistent? Do we take time to rest, to recharge, to be true to who we are? We are given 24 hours a day, 7 days in a week...what do we do with that allotted time. 

I also was thinking about these four walls, and how sometimes we keep things within the four walls of our home that should be shared with others. I'm thinking of my dad who wouldn't let my sister share with anyone what he was dealing with physically...to me, that wasn't fair to her (that's a big weight to bear), or to anyone else. I also think of the Amy Grant song "if these walls could speak". It was always one of my favorites. We want to create love, joy, memories within the walls of our homes, but we also want to get outside those four walls and explore, adventure, spend time with others

  ;

5. Something you own that is four years old? 

Hmm....wow. I'm not entirely sure. Maybe my camera...that came to mind first. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

At the moment, my most random thought is to love your people well. If relationships are strained, love to the best of your ability. Don't hold regrets, walk in forgiveness, let go of anything that puts walls up to healing. It doesn't mean we don't have boundaries, it just means we care enough about ourselves and others that we do what's necessary to be healthy physically, mentally and emotionally. Holding on to things is not healthy. 

With Joy Unquenchable,

Kirstin