Category: RWISA

DAY 17, MARCH 17, 2024, TRULY, I AM THANKFUL

Good Morning, Everyone,

The sun is out, and unlike yesterday, when it showed splotches of itself at various times in the sky, it is brightly shining, and for that, I am thankful.

When I compare the sun’s radiance to yesterday’s brightness, the words of Jeremiah, the Prophet, rattle within my soul like a child shaking its baby rattling toy.  

Through the LORD’s Mercies, we are not consumed. Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning. Great is His faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23, NkJV) 

A deep flood of gratitude storms into my consciousness, reminding me that I awoke in my right mind; I was able to perform self-care myself, to discern putting one foot before the other when I walked, to go down my stairway without fear of falling,

to see the sunrise and marvel at its beauty, to see and feel the warmth beaming right now through my living room window.

Yes, His mercies are new every morning, and His faithfulness is great. Such thoughts awaken the yearning in my heart for a long, hot summer.   

I won’t be bundling myself into a heavy coat today. After finishing this article for the challenge, I will go outside and let the wind caress my face. I have long discovered that it is not the big things in life that make me happy but the little things that I sometimes take for granted, like the soft caresses of the wind and its gentle touch to rejuvenate my face. At the same time, my skin protects my cheekbones, forehead, and chin from debris that could harm me.

Thankfulness is what uplifts me, and not my emotions. My feelings are fickle. They look at my circumstances. I need someone greater than me and all humanity. Someone who’s got me whether I’m confused or troubled, sad or happy. I need the presence of the invisible Creator and Ruler of the Universe, the source of all moral authority. The one who spoke and things came into being. 

Getting to know Him is my pearl of great price, and Truly, I am thankful.    

Have a lovely Sunday, everyone. See you tomorrow. 

Shalom shalom

Pat Garcia

DAY 15, MARCH 15, 2024, WORLD SLEEP DAY

Good Morning, Everyone,
I thought long and hard about today’s calendar topic because I always contemplate and ask myself when the world will wake up. I don’t mean that to sound sarcastic, either.
When I hear the news on television, read various newspapers, or listen to specific podcasts, when I examine the unrest among the different nations and the wars that are taking place, I can only shake my head at what I see and hear, and I wonder why others don’t see it.

We are at fault for disturbing the circadian rhythms of our internal clocks. It is time we wake up to see that our behavior patterns keep us from sleeping.

I don’t know of any child who can sleep on an empty stomach or while bombs are bursting all around them.

All the elements needed for a good night’s sleep will be available when we change our way of living and stop bickering and fighting against one another in wars.

Have a lovely day, and take care.

Shalom shalom

Pat Garcia

DAY 14, MARCH 14, 2024, NATIONAL WRITE YOUR STORY DAY

Good Morning, Everyone,

We are approaching the halfway mark, and today, I will talk about NATIONAL WRITE YOUR STORY DAY, which I think needs to be banned until a person reaches eighty or eighty-five.

We have many books written by writers everywhere who want to tell their stories. The number of authors in the genre called Memoirs is continuing to increase. However, it is my humble opinion that writing a memoir between the ages of thirty and eighty is questionable. What have you experienced in that short time that may help someone else? 

I hear you yelling, “At thirty, life is over!” But who told you that? Some school of thought or some adult who may be unhappy at living? When I read the Memoirs of Victor Hugo, Victor Frankl, Corrie Ten Boom, Gail Sheehy, Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, and many others in my digital library, I found them telling me differently about writing their stories, and they lived worthy lives that told of their overcoming!

Therefore, I am not one of those people who think life is over at thirty. To be honest, I don’t know if I will write an autobiography about myself because my story is still ongoing, and I don’t know if I want to expose myself to an audience where I have to defend the messes that will go in the memoir I would write about myself. 

Thus, I won’t be taking advantage of National Write Your Story Day, at least not yet. I will wait until I turn eighty-five or ninety, and maybe then, I will begin writing one. 

Take care and have a lovely day.

Shalom shalom,

Pat Garcia

DAY 13, MARCH 13,2024, HAPPY NATIONAL GOOD SAMARITAN DAY!

Good Morning, Everyone,

I’m using National Good Samaritan Day as a shout-out for all those who refuse to close their eyes to people’s hunger, thirst, nakedness, homelessness, and many other ills of the human condition that we close our eyes to because it’s scary, or we’re afraid that we will have to give or do something to help minder the needs of those people.

Yes, I said, “Those people.” We tend to separate ourselves from the reality of what is happening around us. Good Samaritans don’t.

We ignore a child walking around in winter with strappy sandals or no shoes, placing the responsibility of their need on the parent or parents, but again, Good Samaritans don’t. Instead, they go to the next shoe store and buy shoes that fit and cover their feet.

We watch children shivering with cold, snotty noses and crying for food and fresh water, and some of us are confounded and others overwhelmed, but Good Samaritans aren’t. They usually buy food and clothing and leave it on the doorsteps of the homes to protect the dignity of the ones they are helping out.

Don’t get me wrong. I am not saying that giving to organizations to feed and clothe the needy is wrong. This kind of giving is needed too, but others like Doctors without Borders, Mercy Ships, Charity Water, and many other smaller organizations volunteer in person, giving medical care, building houses, and bringing clean water to people who die because of not having medical care or clean water.

Good Samaritans give not only of their money but also of their time. They use their hands to work on ships and travel to the sick and hurting, binding up wounds, and they use their hands as they go to countries to build water vessels for people who have never tasted a glass of clean water. These people are the Good Samaritans who donate their time freely; this shout-out goes to them. I applaud you.

Have a lovely day, and take care.

Shalom shalom

Pat Garcia

DAY 12, MARCH 12, 2024, HAPPY NATIONAL ORGANIZE YOUR HOME DAY!

Good Morning, Everyone,

I am smiling about this special day because I have been in the process of organizing my home since February 2024. I decided last year that anything I wasn’t using, regardless of what it was, would be going to a junk house, which in German is called Sperrmüll.

In our communities, one fills out a card and sends it to the people responsible for picking up old furniture, electric items, and small things, like flower vases, chairs, etc, to dispose of. We pay for the privilege to do this through our municipal taxes, which are paid yearly.

Therefore, I am remodeling my home, and the first step I am still doing is packing everything downstairs in a room in my basement so that it can be picked up after I have turned in my card requesting pick-up.

I am downsizing, and I want to. There are only so many glasses you can drink out of, coffee cups you can enjoy coffee in, or chairs you can sit in. Since I know you can’t take it with you, why should I keep it? Thus, I have promised myself to enjoy my home and not clutter it up.

By the way, the picture of my stairway that I showed on my blog on DAY 8 is the first part of my home I uncluttered.

Now, I can sit on my stairway and dream whenever I want to. And that is an incredible feeling.

Have a lovely day and take care.

Shalom shalom,

Pat Garcia

DAY 11, MARCH 11, 2024, HAPPY NATIONAL NAPPING DAY!

Good Morning, Everyone, 

I take naps, and there is nothing I enjoy most other than reading, writing, playing my piano, playing bridge, bid whiz, or chess. However, it was only that way once I stopped trying to make my body take naps when it didn’t need to. In other words, I started listening to my body, paying close attention to my body rhythm, and taking naps when needed. Thus, I am an advocate for taking naps.

I sleep irregularly, so I don’t sleep eight hours at night. I’m a writer, and whenever the creative spirit wants to give me a story or change something I write, I get up and do it. 

Also, I have a concert now and then, which means late hours. 

I am a voracious reader, too, and when I start reading a book that draws me into the story, I don’t usually go to bed after an hour or two. I read the book until the end. 

Therefore, I had to develop my own plan for napping. 

Because my creative spirit wakes me up in the middle of the night to write, if there’s a story or an incident concerning my book or an article that it wants me to change, I have to get up and do it because sleep evades me. It may take me three to four hours to incorporate the changes before I can return to bed. Thus, afterward, I drink my coffee, meditate, and have breakfast, and then I sit in my recliner and nap. I am not a heavy coffee drinker. I drink two cups daily, so coffee does not keep me up. 

 My naps are not structured around time but based on my inner clock. It doesn’t matter what time of the day or night it is. It matters only that I take a nap when my body needs it. Sometimes, I even nap throughout the day in intervals and let my body relax because that is what it wants to do. 

Thus, National Napping Day is something everyone needs to do. If we adhere to our inner clocks, we would not have as many accidents, sicknesses, aggravation, or stress as we have today. 

I am glad that I finally have the type of career that lets me order my time according to the inner clock within me. 

If you can, listen to your inner clock today and nap when your body’s inner clock decides it. 

Have a lovely Monday.

Shalom shalom,

Pat Garcia