![I heard recently that the two most important needs for a human are to be fully and wholly loved and to be fully and wholly known. Having lost a child, there are things that I feel that not everyone can understand and leaves a lot to be desired on the fully and wholly known side of the equation.
On the eve of Mother’s Day and with Father’s Day on the horizon, it is important to point out that these holidays are not all the Hallmark commercials make them out to be. There are people who feel a hurt similar to ours in that they have children that they cannot hold, hug or see. On the flip side, there are children (of all ages) who can only imagine what their parents would be like or are trying to navigate the new normal without one or both. And a group that knows the hurt of missing both [parent(s) and child(ren)].
As these holidays creep up, say a prayer for the people that fall into any of the categories. Remember how blessed you are if you have both your children and your parents. Call or text someone you know who may be struggling with the holidays to remind them of the fact that they are known and loved by the people in their circle.
We know that only God can fully know and love us, but we also know that we are His hands and feet. The physical manifestation of a God that we cannot see.
To anyone that fits into any of these categories: I love you and pray you are able to find joy in a time you may very well dread.
To the people that have sent extremely thoughtful cards, flowers, gifts and messages: thank you for making this season more manageable. You are simply the best.
Counting it all Joie,
Ryce](https://i0.wp.com/www.rycespieces.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png?w=1100&ssl=1)
Do you see “good” everywhere? When God created the world, he looked at everything and said it was good. So throughout our days, we should find goodness in all of creation.
The person you can’t stand at work, the person that cut you off in traffic, the neighbor who doesn’t put their trash can away immediately and even the Crimson Tide were all created and God sees them as good. Even if we don’t see the same with our own eyes.
Subject: Finding Good Everywhere
Goodness is an interesting fruit of the spirit. It’s the one that challenges the way that we live and how we view the people and the world around us. How we view ourselves. During this year, we’ve seen so much good.
Think about it. When George Floyd was murdered, there were peaceful protests everywhere. I went to one and saw with my own two eyes the goodness of people. Many that look like me and many who don’t.
We saw bonding within our families in a way that we would have never considered pre COVID. We are seeing people live and be the best version of themselves despite the chaos. This is GOOD. We can’t let the media or memes make us believe that good isn’t happening all around us.
Objective: Exploring Goodness Through Journaling
Since we’ve already created our template for what we are going to do each month, the task of copying prompts and setting up this month should be fairly easy. If you are finding this page first, check out my post on how to start journaling here, then pop back over to get the prompts.
Here are a few of ideas for the end of the month recap:
- Think about the ways you can be good to yourself
- Choose a person who you can intentionally be good to even if they aren’t good to you
- Keep a running list of all of the good things that happen to you this month
Actionable Items: Find Good in What You Do
October is generally when Americans go crazy dark and try their best to be as “bad” as possible. This is why I intentionally chose to find goodness during this month. Let’s scare people by being genuinely good to them.
Similar to being kind and gentle, we have to consciously be good to ourselves and to those around us. This month, pick an area of your life that you can be “good” in.
Have you gotten the quarantine 15? Be good to your body and walk or run in the beautiful fall weather.
Does your attitude toward work need an adjustment? Be good to your coworkers and smile more.
Have you been shopping to cope with being cooped up? Be good to your bank account and save.
Remember to be gentle with yourself (we’re human), but also be good to you (and the people around you) by making adjustments where necessary.
Point of it all: Goodness Is Everywhere
When we tally up all of the experiences we have in life, we should be using the lens of goodness. That’s not to say that bad things won’t happen to us. They will. It’s just that we can allow them to be the focus of our lives.
We can find good things and goodness in every situation if we really try. Sometimes it’s difficult to find even one good thing, but when you do, treasure it.
If you have trouble finding something good, remember that: God is Good, goodness and mercy will follow you, no good thing will be withheld from you, we are to do good to all people and cling to all that is good.
It’s my hope that you enjoy this journey through finding goodness in every aspect of your life.
![I heard recently that the two most important needs for a human are to be fully and wholly loved and to be fully and wholly known. Having lost a child, there are things that I feel that not everyone can understand and leaves a lot to be desired on the fully and wholly known side of the equation.
On the eve of Mother’s Day and with Father’s Day on the horizon, it is important to point out that these holidays are not all the Hallmark commercials make them out to be. There are people who feel a hurt similar to ours in that they have children that they cannot hold, hug or see. On the flip side, there are children (of all ages) who can only imagine what their parents would be like or are trying to navigate the new normal without one or both. And a group that knows the hurt of missing both [parent(s) and child(ren)].
As these holidays creep up, say a prayer for the people that fall into any of the categories. Remember how blessed you are if you have both your children and your parents. Call or text someone you know who may be struggling with the holidays to remind them of the fact that they are known and loved by the people in their circle.
We know that only God can fully know and love us, but we also know that we are His hands and feet. The physical manifestation of a God that we cannot see.
To anyone that fits into any of these categories: I love you and pray you are able to find joy in a time you may very well dread.
To the people that have sent extremely thoughtful cards, flowers, gifts and messages: thank you for making this season more manageable. You are simply the best.
Counting it all Joie,
Ryce](https://www.rycespieces.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)
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