Yesterday had been a tough day. It had been preceded by a couple of other tough days and I was having trouble getting out of may own way. I feared I had exhausted the people in my life I rely on to pick me up when I start to crash and burn. So this morning, before I got out of bed on the wrong side, I said a little prayer for me, that I might remember something from my long life that might help.
A half hour or so later, I went into my closet looking for something else and came across a brown box tied with a maroon ribbon. It had been a birthday gift given to me 7 or 8 years ago by one of my dancing social worker friends and other InterPlay improv colleagues and playmates. Opening the box revealed a blue and purple 7½ x 5½ inch hand-made pottery bowl still nestled in its protective straw bedding. The sticker label on the bowl read in gold letters, “Blessing Bowl,” and a kind of delight sprung from inside my belly as I knew this was exactly what I needed to rescue myself from the negative muck and mire I’d fallen into.
There were birthday wishes, a poem, and a photo of a painting, Seeing these I remembered there had been a copy of a Facebook post from my son for that birthday in 2011. His message had meant so much to me that I had posted it on the bulletin board in my former office. I climbed the stairs to see if it might still be there, and it was, covered over by other notes and postings. If you have adult children you will understand why this item was singled out originally for a prominent place in my house. “Happy Birthday Mom! I am so proud of the Life you demonstrate of Joy, Purpose and LOVE.” I know people always want to be proud of their children, but it’s also pretty special to have them be proud of us.
In these times when, as Pogo says, “We have met the enemy and (discovered) he is us,” we need encouragement to get back on our path and to keep on keeping on. The directions on the Blessing Bowl said, “find a special place for it to hold your blessings” which I will do, but since my bowl was empty of recent additions I went to my computer to find more testimonies to copy and include. As I read and copied messages to put into my bowl, my spirits began lifting. Nothing had changed about my technology problems with my database, and I still haven’t solved the problem of having to spend so much time on things I’m not good at. But I can see how making the Blessing Bowl a daily or weekly ritual could give me the encouragement I need to not define myself by my struggles. Following the Blessings Bowl directions, I aim to let each item remind me of my worth and wealth.
What blessings would you add to your bowl?
Sheila
