Help! I Just Want to Hide!

Did you ever have a day when your heart hurts so bad that you just want to hide from everybody and everything? Life can pile up and pile up and sometimes the pain gets so bad that we think we going to break in two if we don't get some kind of comfort. And, right when we think we've reached our breaking point, we get another blast to the heart again!

Being a mom of 11 kids, I've had days when I've wanted to literally run away......you know those kinds of days when everything you say, do, and think is wrong, and bad goes to worse, and you can't take any more. I can't really tell you that there is a set of rules to follow that will make it all go away, but I can tell you that it helps to stop doing whatever you're doing, and sit still. Yep! You heard me. Just be still. Take some long, deep breaths, and just "get through" the day, the hour, the night, the minute, the emergency....whatever it is that has your heart and stomach tied in a knot.

Then, find a place where you can scream, kick, yell, holler, bawl, punch........to release some of that pain. If you don't, you'll eventually fall into a heap on the floor and cave. And, nobody wants that! After you've done your ranting, try to think "logically"! HA! That's a tough one -- especially when in the middle of a near breakdown crises. But, we have to do it. If we can't think logically alone, then get some help. A friend. A doctor. A pastor. A relative. Just find somebody who will listen and give some good, sound advice.

And, then.............do what I've done probably a million times in my life. GO LOCK YOURSELF IN THE BATHROOM AND TAKE A SOOTHING, BUBBLE BATH!!!!! I'm not making light of heavy situations, but in all honesty, it really does help to soak away your troubles for an hour. I used to lock the bathroom door, put on ear muffs to drown out the sound of the screaming kids, and fill bubbles in the tub til they overflowed. Sometimes, I lit a candle; most times I sipped a (tall) glass of wine while soaking in the tub. :)

My troubles weren't taken away by bubbles, BUT I did find "a healing place" to rest and withdraw from the craziness of life for a while. We all need that healing place -- that place to call "our own" where we can rest for a bit, remove ourselves from the cares of this world, wallow in our sorrows for a brief while, then refuel with fresh hope and new energy.

Take a break.........TODAY! Find that healing place of your own and use it frequently!!!
Love,
Clara
PS Bath salts are on sale at CVS this week!

Summer in Winter -- Is It Really Possible?

What would you say if you knew that you could find the warmth and sunshine of the summer in the very depths of winter? Would you go after it? Would you try to find out how this is possible? Well, if you're like me, of course you'd go running to wherever you needed to go to find the answer as to how you could do this! Well, I can tell you right now that it is possible to find summer even in the midst of the most dark, dreary, cold winter.

When life feels like it has a black cloud hanging overhead, and your heart is heavy from pain and sorrow, it's time to call on that inner strength we know as "hope" to help us rise above the dark clouds into the light of day. How do we do this? Well, there are a number of ways, beginning with changing our thoughts. We must never allow the negative thoughts to outweigh the positive, nor should we permit the negative to make a home in our hearts and minds. For most of us, this is a daily struggle -- sometimes it's an hourly struggle, but it can be done!

We have so many "miracles" surrounding us that we cheat ourselves by not opening our eyes to look at the beauty of nature and all it can give us each and every day. Have you ever studied the details of a snowflake? Have you allowed raindrops to fall gently against your face? Have you taken the time to smell the air in the autumn and to breathe in the crispness of the changing season? All of these things are reminders that "our summer" is waiting for us. Just as certain as the stars twinkle in the evening sky and the sun rises to bring forth a new day, so, too will our summertime arrive --even in the darkest of winters.

Hope is alive! Hope is eternal! Hope is our gift to use each and every day! Never allow the outer temperatue of life interfere with the inner temperature of your heart! Keep your thoughts focused on the lovely, the pure, the holy, and the beautiful and your summer will spring forth even in the middle of the frozen winter!

With love,
Clara Hinton
www.silentgrief.com
www.clarahinton.com