A quiet Morning in January, and Thoughts on Health

 

No matter what hemisphere I have been in, January always seemed to be the light, bright month. When I think of January I see soft white. Months and days of the week have their own color.

I had company today and needed to prepare something in a hurry to serve. Oatcakes and cheddar cheese sandwiches were simple and did not seem very elegant but teamed with steaming cups of hot tea, the textures were so pleasing.

 

 

 

I wanted to show you the cute notepad and pen my friend brought, which looks like a slice of cake and a candle. It had no brand name anywhere on it so I do not know what company makes them.

Holiday Issue of Tea in Texas Magazine

 

While I do not like to make resolutions, I want to share some ideas about how home keepers can preserve themselves throughout the year. These are not rules, but just good health sense.

-Making your communication with Christ your top priority (by letting Him speak through His Word, and by answering through prayer and lifestyle) will arm you with the protection and strength you need. Sometimes you hear things via the media or read things in he social media that are very disturbing to your spirit and can effect the way you live at home. Other times people say things that are insulting or demoralizing. If you arm yourself each day with the Word of God, these things will not be able to devastate you.

The point is, if you allow people to run you down, you cannot function at your best.

-Keeping your emotions healthy by learning to respond appropriately. It is not wrong to say and do what is good. It is not wrong to correct false teaching, and it is not wrong to guide your family in the right direction. Learn that people who are walking in darkness, even temporarily, will react strongly against you when the light is suddenly turned on. If they are destructive to your home life and you feel you cannot accommodate them, learn that you do not have to host everyone or like everyone or tolerate everything that wears you down emotionally.

It is not wrong to decline social activities or situations that make you feel pressure, nor is it wrong to delve I to things that give you personal peace and satisfaction. As you grow older, you may find you want to preserve your emotional and physical energy for what is important for you and what builds yuk up. It is good to practice not being over-extended with your time and your thoughts when you are young. That way, you will be well trained when you are older.

If you do not keep your emotions healthy while young, you may end up weak and sickly when you are older. Reach deep within and bring out happiness each time you are devastated by something. I knew a lady who got tired of bad news in her personal life, so each time someone tried to disappoint her or make her feel less than dignified, she proclaimed it was time to get out her best tea service. She cheerfully announced "Tea!" like the Jane Austen literary character, Fannie, in "Sense and Sensibility." It lifted her emotions and created a better mood for everyone around her. Eventually she trained herself not to allow anyone's bad opinion, foul mood or rudeness depress her and demotivated her.

-Take care of your health. it is easy to neglect yourself while you are absorbed in making the home a happy place for family and visitors. It is easy to skip the fresh green-drink because of the time it takes to cut up the vegetables or get out the blender.

It is more convenient to put off going to a special place for a few hours of physical holiday, when there is always something not quite completed at home. It is easy to skip your grooming in the morning when there are so many urgent things to do.

It easy to neglect your quiet time or leisure activities. Even reading a favorite magazine or making something pretty but unnecessary seems frivolous. They do not seem like "serious matters" ; they seem trivial and indulgent. These things are body-builders and mind-builders. When they are neglected, you may wear down earlier each day until you find that all you can manage each day is to get up in the morning and go to bed at night.

Perhaps women have been intimidated by the belief that women at home have it too easy, that they do nothing important. Even if you need to recline to rest your muscles in the afternoon, it is doing something. No one would think it would be wise to neglect your motor vehicle by using the wrong kind of oil or by neglecting to have it repaired. Look what happens to a house when it is allowed to go untended and uncared for. Your body and mind are the center of your personal ministry and your work. It has to have daily care, without guilt or apology. I had an aunt that, even when we were visiting her on the for arm, would just disappear for an hour in the afternoon. Everyone knew she was resting.

-Prepare and partake of the best food you possibly can, as close to its natural form as possible. Eat also what gives you pleasure. It is tempting to cut corners on food but it is wise to buy the best. My family decided many years ago that we could cut corners on many other things we needed, but never food. We reasoned that high quality food was less expensive than poor health. This does not mean the food bill will be higher. Good quality food means that it satisfies the appetite and reduces the need for constant snacking. Food is not just for the body, but for the mind and the senses, so the way it is prepared and presented is important.

-There is nothing wrong with trying to look pretty every day. It is part of building up your personal dignity and reflecting what a great God and a great King (Jesus) you have. The members of his kingdom should dress their best. Dressing up puts you at an advantage, in that you feel more confident in life and look professional in public. A lot more could be said about this that would fill a volume.To summarize, dress so that you are prepared in case you are called to go out of your home for some reason or in case someone comes to see you. Buying good products for your hair and skin, and having nice clothes, are part of God's material blessings.

-Do not let your house demoralize you. Part if your health has to do with how well he house serves you. Put things away and move things around if it helps you function better.

-Never neglect loveliness. Rooms cannot be only functional. There can be aesthetics in your house also. You can make the things you must have in your home, such as your table setting or your couch, and chairs, beautiful. Pictures, cushions, glassware and other things can be useful and beautiful. Scents and sights in your home are all part making the home memorable and appealing. The state of the house contributes a lot to the state of your health.

-Guard your home and your time and your stresses. Learn not to take on everyone else's stress. Know what your limits are.

-Sleep is a huge factor in restoring the body and mind and in healing. I do not use alarm clocks. If you will wake naturally, you will eventually become an early riser and get more satisfaction out of a day.

These are things I have observed that are important to the well-being of women at home.

Homemaking is sacrifice and hard work that can result in times of privilege and pleasure.

 

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