This past week, I was asked to speak to a breakfast group for three minutes regarding our past ten years in Connecticut. As I began to prepare my remarks, my mind bounced all over the place from tragedy to victory. Thursday, I decided to write down various milestones as they came to mind, hoping it would help me focus. It took most of the day, and yet I had barely scratched the surface. Finally, I boiled it down to a two page outline, focusing on the major high and low points. Even that required ten minutes to get through at speaking speed.
Like the picture, there were some fuzzy areas. There were some ripples, some rough spots, when things weren't very clear to us. We lost both of my parents during that time, represented by the reflection of the two dead tree trunks in the water, and yes, there were many clear blue sky areas, too, including the birth of all five of our grandchildren.
While I go through phases of keeping and not keeping a journal, this was different. I found the reflection exercise therapeutic. So many things weren't clear to me when they were happening, but as I reflected on them, I realize in hindsight how blessed we really were.
Try it sometime. Reflect. Just pick a time frame or a key milestone in your life, find a quiet place, and start writing. Count your blessings as you go. At some point, someone will want to know your story, and you will be ready.
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