How easy it is for me (especially during Lent, it seems) to “get down in the dumps” and stay there for a while, not able to think about all the times when I was joyful or when I felt light-hearted. And rainy days don’t help at all either!
Not wishing to stay in that mode for very long, I devised a way for me to escape and remember the good times.
Whenever something happens to me that “spurs me on,” makes me smile, or picks me up in some way, I record that experience in a journal because I don’t want to forget it.
And, now, whenever I find myself not so joyful or feeling sad, I pick up that journal, start reading it, and recall all the good times God allowed me to have. Sometimes, it can be as simple as an unexpected phone call from a friend, a compliment from someone, a Gospel message, a 3-year-old nephew’s hug freely given…the list goes on and on.
In addition to making me feel joyful once more, I become grateful again, to our loving God, the Giver of all good things!
