Dear Me…
Dear Valentine,
Who? Me? Yes, you…I mean me. Wait! Let me start again.
Dear Me, would you be my Valentine?
Yes, I know it’s over, but I was so busy with everyone else I once again forgot to tend to you (me). Oh, I know you (I) had an indulgent evening of pure delight with friends, food, and entertainment…but I mean the everyday kindnesses I should be extending to you (me). I just get so caught up in other things I forget what you (I) need. So here’s a list of things I’m going to work on in the days ahead to nurture love within…
1. Go to bed 15 min. earlier…to start a new rhythm. Then once that’s comfortable go to bed 15 minutes before that. I stay up w-a-y too late so it will take time to reverse the habit. My goal is to be in bed by 11:30 p.m.
2. Reduce sweets they sap my strength. Notice I said reduce, not eliminate, to make it attainable.
3. Talk nicer to me. Practice kindness internally.
4. Drink more water. I don’t like water so this will have to be purposed.
5. Read more…less tv.
6. Start a gratitude list (today) to flood my mind with God’s goodness.
7. Pray before walking out door…to remind myself who I am in Christ. Putting a post-it note on door helps.
I could list more but I don’t want to discourage myself before I get started.
What year-long Valentine should you give to you??
I really like this – I need to apply some of these things in my life. I thank you for the encouragment!
Being cheerleaders for each other is our calling and our privilege-Yeah Team!!
1. Actively pursue becoming active.
2. Spend more time just me and Jesus
3. Take a vacation.
4. Go to Donald Miller’s Storyline Conference.
I think those are some pretty good goals!!!! Thanks for the encouraging post!
I love your first one. It’s that big step called M-O-V-E! I better add that to my list! I would think going to Storyline would be a vacation. He’s so refreshing and relevant!
I was thinking of combining 3 and 4, but I really just wanted 4 points to make it look like I was really more motivated! 😉 Now, I think it’s time for me to leave work and M-O-V-E!!
Thanks for the reply!
Patsy.. I love this can I borrow it just for my own purposes??? Maybe just maybe it would be attainable for me… lol..
I just read the WOF blog as well.. Lately I have been feeling so shut down and feeling my heart grow colder and colder each day.. please pray for my heart to heal (just from many hurts over the years) and that I can actually feel loved again…
Coleen, Try the gratitude list…gratitude is like a flame that warms the heart. I’m aiming over the next few months to write 500 things I’m grateful for…why don’t you join me. Add to your list everyday…it will brighten your thoughts, lighten your heart, improve your inside voice, and transform your attitudes. I need all that!!! Okay I’ll go first…I’m grateful for the sound of the distant church bells. I’m grateful for morning sun spots dancing on my wall. I’m grateful for purple tulips. Okay, your turn…
I am grateful for you Miss Patsy!! 😀 I see you every year here in Rochester, NY WOF –
I am grateful to have not one but 2 jobs to make ends meet..
I am grateful to have a son who makes me laugh – but not so grateful that he lives so far away with his father..
I think I will join you on the gratitude list, 500 is a big challenge, it will be good for me.. Thank you
Forgive myself. God has forgiven me, made me new. Why do I then want to open the door of the past and remind myself of all the “should of”, “could of”, “would of”? I belong to Jesus and He wants to continue His work in me. He wants to move me closer to His will and purpose. 8. I will drown out the voice of the enemy who doesn’t want me to continue my walk with the Lord and instead let in the voice of truth, love, mercy, and grace…the voice of my Father.
Nancy, A friend once pointed out that no where in Scripture does it say “forgive yourself,” and that’s because Christ already paid the price. We just have to remind ourselves of His finished work on our behalf. It’s humbling and hard to give up our self-judgment and breathe clean air. I know I have wasted years beating myself up for what Christ paid for by His blood and stripes. Gratefully I’m learning to lean into His mercy and walk in forgiveness. It’s really not all about us-it really is all about Him. Whew! So speak grace to yourself. It’s a new language so it will take practice…but you can start right now. 😉
Thank you Patsy
I love this! I think I will try it myself.
This is so edifying. Thank You, Miss Patsy
You sound like your talking directly to me. I NEED to do all those things. So glad I won’t be doing them alone.
I loved this, Patsy!!!! Thank you so much for the practical suggestions. All of which would improve my “abundant living” Happy Love Day to you!
Thank you for the reminder to make positive changes and to love more! I am always grateful for you (that’s the beginning of my list). 🙂
Ohh, Pinky…thank you. I’m grateful for you as well. You make me giggle, think, and grow.
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Practice forgiveness starting with myself. Pray more to go beyond myself.
Getting over myself is full time hard labor. I’ve found one way to do it is to go do something for someone else without any expectations. Also pouring Scripture into my mind helps heal my thinking. My heart is askew when my thoughts go unchecked.
Thank you! You did such a great job coming up with the goals, I think I’ll just adopt them.
Dear Me …
Please stop being so hard on yourself. Remember God does know what He is doing and He doesn’t need any help from us. Breathe deep the grace of God so you can in turn be an aroma pleasing to God. Amen. (p.s. stay away from the chocolate – the headaches are too painful and take too long to go away)
Amen. Some things are NOT worth the price they cost us.
Thank you so much for all the great things you write!! I would never even think to give myself a Valentine. I need to be reminded to treat myself better and to purpose to do things for me also! I am going to try to make these changes too. They are all things I already know I need to do. Thanks again, You are such a blessing!! Nancy Key
Seeing and loving other’s through the eyes of Christ…beyond the flesh, personality quirks and flaws. Thank you Patsy for always keeping it real. You are such an inspiration to me!
It really is SO easy as a wife and mom to always put taking care of myself as last on my ‘list.’ Over the last couple of months, God has been helping to remind me to take care of myself, of my ‘temple’ in which I want Him to dwell. After all, who would want to hang out, or dwell, in an unkempt place? This, I find, begins in caring for my mind and in how I place value and priority in caring for myself. Not in an unhealthy way, mind you, but in caring for myself in regards to basic necessities like exercising my body, mind, and spirit and feeding my body, mind, and spirit good things. Only then, have I been finding, that I can have the energy, joy, and stamina required to take care of others well. If we think we can give away what we don’t already have, we are fooling ourselves. We must be filled with Him first so that we can pour that into the lives of others. Thank you for this post, Patsy, and for the reminder that I’m on the right track! Enjoyed you so much at All Access this past weekend!
Being good to me, hmmm, haven’t thought much about that lately, but maybe now that Jack is finished up with Chemo, I can get on with that. Just so glad that God made me His servant and groomed me for the task. My grateful list is a mile long already maybe I should start another one.
Patsy, thanks so much! I really needed to read this! I’ve almost let self pity slip in as I’m going through a very trying time. My faith wavered & I was a basket case. Thanks to my Lord & Savior, Jesus Christ for letting me have the ability to look beyond my weaknesses to all my blessings. God is so good to me!
Dear me,
Just 15 minutes. That’s all you need of extra downtime in the evening, at lunch, somewhere because with that hectic schedule you’ve imposed on yourself you’ll lose your mind. You’ll trip. And to accomplish your dreams you’ll need that balance.
Love, me
Patsy,
My gratitude list starts with All Access. It was such a relationally rich, God focused time!!! Talking to women from all over the country that have the same core, God loving beliefs and are living them out was more than inspiring, and then having you and the other porch pals talk to us, and sing with us…….wow!!! Thank you so much!!!!!!!! As a single mom who has just been blessed with a job, what a time of hearing all let God use all, including the difficult, for His glory!! Thank you!!!! You inspire me!!!!
I so love this valentine message. On valentine’s day we all think of the one we love an d that is great but, also awesome to change that thinking to … we love ourselves!!
Thanks,
I loooove this, Patsy. I need to sit down and write myself a heartfelt letter…
Was so great to see you and Les last week!
Wow Patsy! What an awesome day-late Valentine message! I always put everyone else before me. That’s why my one word for 2011 is “care”. I want to take better care of myself spiritually, physically, emotionally. I also want to take better care of my relationships with my husband, family and most importantly My Creator!
I marked this post as a favorite. 🙂 Thank you!
goodness gracious…you must stay up LATE. i am a mess if i stay up much past 11. and i sleep til 6 or 7. i think i might have sleep issues. my bed is just so comfortable.
It is my desire to allow the Holy Spirit to speak louder to me than my worst “woe be gone” day. Negative self-talk can be very crippling spiritually. It can also zap energy, health, love, etc., etc. Lots of etc.
This week I went to be at the same time as my husband (faint) and got up early (faint). By yesterday morning, Thursday, I had trouble keeping my eyes open. Man, I don’t know whether I’m coming or going!! So you see Valentine’s Day was given to my husband and my son. I’ not very good a reading the Bible. Most of the time I don’t even. think of it. I do pray a lot while I am working at home and sewing in my studio. Most of the time I am depressed and push myself to get things done, but that’ another story. I think you’re the greatest Patsy. I understand and indentify with the agoriphobia because it kept me from using my free ticket to the Women of Faith Conference.
Okay, so now I have to re-reply to Dear Me.
1.I would continue to go to bed earlier
2.and I would take up reading the Bible.
3. I should drink more water. Thank you Patsy for that reminder.
4. I like to remember I not stupid and that I am very, very intelligent. I can’t say that
enough..
P.S.
I’m just learning how to do these Blog these. Anyone who would like to teach me a few things please do so. Deborah fro MPLS
Patsy, This is WONDERFUL!!! Don’t we all need a reminder to be kind to self. As far as the gratitude goes (which will also tie into your reading goal), I don’t know if you have read One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voscamp. It is all about gratitude and her quest to record 1,000 things she is grateful for, which in turn changes her life and forms a beautiful new discipline of eucharisteo, thanksgiving! So profound and practical for any of you out there looking to change your perspective on this life the Lord has given us. Thanks for your honesty and heart!