This week my inspirations come from the Doctor’s Office. As I waited to get my knees injected there was a sign in the intake office that hit home.
It was a simple sign “Grow Through what you go Through”
Immediately I thought of a Priest who serves as the Chaplain for the Knights of Peter Claver in the Birmingham Diocese.
I’ve heard him give homilies many times and for some reason it’s one of his taglines, that you must go through it, to get to it.
The same principle, just the words are in a different order.
When I look back over 2024, how fitting as I reflect on what I went through this year to get to it.
By the way, Happy New Year to all who are contributors to my blogs.
Life is challenging enough, and we must permit ourselves to fail sometimes.
I’m also reminded of the phrase “What you resist persists.”
What did Carl Jung mean by what you resist persists? – Control Your Mindset
Having studied the works of Carl Jung. “What he meant by that is the more you resist anything in life, the more you bring it to you.”
We can procrastinate and resist various things or eventually, we will meet that task head-on.
I enjoy studying the brain including reading nonfiction books that will help my self-development.
In doing so I continue to learn that we can have either a fixed mindset or a growth mindset.
I chose the latter.
This week, with many making New Year’s resolutions, I wonder how many are going to choose to have a growth mindset moving into 2025.
Think about, what is it that we are afraid to accomplish that we put off in 2024 that still haunts us each day in 2025.
“Understand that open doors may lead to unexpected destinations in God’s Plan.” ~ Rick Piña
Therefore, when God opens a door, walk through it with trust and confidence which I have in 2024.
Each of us has grown over the last 365 days and I’m quite sure we have learned a few things about ourselves, myself included.
As we prepare for Inauguration Day 2025 with President Trump swearing-in on a federal holiday, this year, it overlaps Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Today, I think about what we all have gone through to get to this moment.
We are also in the United States preparing for President Carter’s Funeral who died just before the New Year began (December 29, 2024).
What we know about funeral plans for former President Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter’s 6-day state funeral begins with a motorcade through south Georgia
Later this week, President Jimmy Carter’s, national funeral will be held at the National Cathedral on January 9, which President Joe Biden marked as a National Day of Mourning and has called on U.S. citizens to assemble “in their respective places of worship” to pay homage to the former president.
As I think about all that took place with President Carter and what he had to go through to get to this point it’s amazing.
Particularly when I read that two eulogies are being read which were written for President Carter.
A eulogy, written for Carter by former president Gerald R. Ford, will be read at Carter’s funeral, and another political, former Vice President Walter F. Mondale – who served as VP for Carter.
Gerald Ford died in 2006 at the age of 93. His son, Steven Ford, is expected to read his eulogy to Carter.
Walter Mondale died in 2021 at the age of 93. His son, Ted Mondale, will read the eulogy for Carter.
It’s a matter of what type of legacy we want to leave behind.
Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States and the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize for his post-presidential work, was the longest-lived U.S. president in history and the first president to reach the age of 100.
On Thursday, January 9, 2025, I challenge you on this National Day of Mourning to think about what others will say about you in your journey of “grow through it to get to it!”
“The journey is never-ending. There’s always gonna be growth, improvement, adversity; you just gotta take it all in and do what’s right, continue to grow, continue to live in the moment.” ~ Antonio Brown
“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” ~John F. Kennedy
I believe Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States lived by his words!
Your thoughts challenge me. Just what I need on this first Monday of the new year. My mindset for the new year is growth. Linda Ellis’ poem, The Dash. Poetry expresses my heart much better than words I can say.
The Dash
I read of a man who stood to speak at a funeral of a friend. He referred to the dates on the tombstone from the beginning…to the end.
He noted that first came the date of birth and spoke of the following date with tears but said what mattered most of all was the dash between those years.
For that dash represents all the time they spent alive on earth and now only those who loved them know what that little line is worth.
For it matters not, how much we own, the cars…the house…the cash. What matters is how we lived and loved and how we spend our dash.
So, think about this long and hard; are there things you’d like to change? For you never know how much time is left that still can be rearranged.
To be less quick to anger and show appreciation more and love the people in our lives like we’ve never loved before.
If we treat each other with respect and more often wear a smile…remembering that this special dash might only last a little while.
So, when your eulogy is being read, with your life’s actions to rehash, would you be proud of the things they say about how you lived your dash?
Linda Ellis (www.LindaEllis.life)
Dr. Ola Fox,
We all need a challenge very now and then. I
M very familiar with Linda Ellis Poem “The Dash.” For me it a reminder about all the things we do in life just as it was written “on the tombstone from the beginning…to the end.”
Thank you for sharing it because it’s a needed reminder.
McKinley
I was fortunate to have parents who seldom criticized what I did. This gave me a strong foundation for self-confidence. However, my life has also been filled with challenges, including situations where others tried to bring me down for various reasons. Yet, I always managed to persevere.
When raising my own kids, I focused on instilling confidence in them. However, I sometimes sense that their expectations for their own children may be too high.
My challenge now is learning how to communicate effectively with my kids to help them adopt a more positive approach toward their children.
My New Year’s resolution is to build trust with my kids, so they feel comfortable communicating with me. I also hope to encourage them to let their children grow up with the same confidence I tried to instill in them.
Caroline,
Today I would say continue to count your blessings. I know for me it’s an honor to look back and see how my parents played a role in my life. When you grow up in a home with eight or more siblings not all get treated the same. I was not as fortunate as you, which is why I say count your blessings. I admire the fact you want to build trust with your children, so they feel comfortable communicating with you. Today that is challenging, and I know it. Best wishes in 2025 in all your endeavors.
McKinley
Happy New Year McKinley. Thank you for your words of inspiration as we enter 2025. My goal for this new beginning is growth in my spiritual, personal and professional life. I hope to achieve a full and charitable life like President Jimmy Carter.