The view from the sixth floor

 If we ever move, I really, REALLY want to be sure to have a view! My home doesn't have to be fancy as long as I can stand by my window and behold. 

Today my part time job took me to a little apartment complex in the downtown area of our little city. When I looked out the window of the tiny dwelling, I stopped wiping and paused.  I could live here, I thought. With a cute little apartment and this view, I'd be quite happy. 

I imagined my favorite chair arranged just so, so that I could sit comfortably to observe the goings on and admire the view. 

Of course, I'm not really ready to live in an apartment, and I think I'd probably wither without a little bit of greenspace of my own.  Where would the grandchildren play? And where would my husband work on his car renovation projects, if not for a garage or workshop? I remember having a conversation with him a while back  about downsizing to a condo (hypothetically speaking) and he responded by saying we'd have to have a really good cable package if we did that. Yikes!  That was his way of showing a strong disinterest in the idea.  

It was fun to day dream of downsizing and simplifying, but no, we're not ready for that YET! 

N is for Night Terrors

Most of the time when our little toddler grandson stays over our house, he sleeps soundly through the entire night. A couple of times, however, I have awoken in the middle of the night to hear him crying.

I turn on the hall light and head downstairs to his room. There he is, sniffling and crying. I pick him up, wrap him in a blanket and settle into a chair with him. Rocking back and forth, I hold him tight and hum quietly. I tell him Oma loves him and Jesus loves him, too. I sit in silence with him. His breathing slows and deepens and I know he's falling back to sleep.

When I'm pretty sure he is calm and content, I slowly lower him back into his bed.

It's inevitable that we will have difficult experiences in our lives that steal our peace. Those can be very dark times. Sharing our fears and finding consolation in our friends, family, and faith can bring much comfort.

~B is for Blanket~

Who doesn't love a warm, comforting blanket to snuggle up with? Blankets here, Blankets there, Blankets everywhere! Enzo is slightly spoiled. He knows that he is loved because of all of the many places he is allowed to nap. His favorite spot is on the bed with a neatly folded fleece blanket on top of him. Heavenly! Everyone needs a soft place to lay their head, figuratively and literally. Be a good friend and be that safe, comforting place for your loved one!

#AtoZChallenge

~Comfort~

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Sometimes we need a little comfort. To me, that might mean being snuggled up on the couch with a cup of tea and a good book. Sometimes that means meeting a friend somewhere and having a good chat. Sometimes it's just a warm hug. 

Sometimes we give a little comfort. We can comfort others just by listening to them. It doesn’t often happen that someone listens without interjecting their own thoughts. I know I have to catch myself doing that. The goal is to pay attention 100% to what the other is saying, not to what my response might be. How comforting is it to be really listened to?

 Are you comfortable? What does that really mean? Able to comfort?  A chair comes to mind. A comfortable chair is one that a person can relax into without really thinking about the chair. It’s there to support you and because it’s doing its job, it isn’t thought about. I suppose a good friend can be like that. We are so at home with this person, that all we know is that we feel safe and heard. We aren’t worried about what they think, what they will do with what we say, or whether they’ll still be our friend after what we have shared.  They are comfortable. 

Being able to comfort and able to receive comfort are both important aspects of our emotional wellbeing.

I’ve  joined the 31 Days of Five Minute Freewrites. Read more about it here.