Time to Capture Thoughts

I sit at my desk, smelling the coffee steaming in front of me and simply reflecting. The dog snores beside me and the cat pushes at my back from where he sleeps behind me in my chair. I love these quiet moments, and I forget to appreciate them far too often.

It’s been a crazy year. I haven’t done a book signing since January, but I’ve developed a novel, moved over 2,600 miles, and set up a completely new office. Many say this year’s been hard, and in a way it has been challenging, but it’s also been good.

There are people who probably don’t agree with me. That’s fine. I saw a comment on Facebook the other day that said something to the effect of, “Instead of telling our children how much they’ve lost this year, let’s teach them how much they’ve gained.” It went on to focus on the family time, the time spent outside hiking or walking in a quiet park, the ability to eat home cooked meals, and more. There’s an underlying principle to this that I believe applies to all of us.

We believe what we constantly tell ourselves.

If we’re constantly telling ourselves life is hard, or we’ve lost so much, or we can’t stand the isolation, life will be hard, we’ll focus on the loss, and isolation will drive us crazy.

But we don’t have to be victims of our own thoughts.

So here’s my twist on this year as I capture the bad and look at the good:

There’s a book sitting on my desk with my name on the cover. I turn a little giddy every time I see it.

There’s a cup of coffee steaming at my elbow and a couple furry creatures keeping me company. The Writing Sidekick is even howling just to hear himself howl and I can’t help but laugh at his antics.

My husband, who thankfully has a job despite Covid, will be home later and we’ll get to eat dinner and enjoy an evening sharing about our day in this new location we call home. I cherish the time we spend together.

The heat just kicked on and the clear, fall sunlight is streaming through my office window, highlighting the spines of the books on the wall. I’m thankful for a warm home and the beautiful daylight. I look forward to reading one of those books soon.

I choose to be grateful, to focus on the beautiful, and to cherish the family God’s given me. As usual, I will be taking the rest of December off from the blog to more fully focus on those things, especially the family part =)

I will be back next year, and I’m excited to start posting adventures on the blog again! It’s been far too long. Until then, I pray you enjoy the season with those you love.

Blessings,

Jennifer

P.S. What are you thankful for this year?