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Reflections on Faith: Invited to the Throne Room
Do you ever just get struck by something about God that leaves you full of amazement and love for Him? I had one of those moments recently and wanted to share it.
I was listening to a podcast (this one, which I recommend) that is based on the book of Esther. After hearing the speaker read a few verses, I had to push pause because I was thinking about the throne room Esther was preparing to enter, and how much it contrasted to another throne room in the Bible.
Here’s a summary of the verses: Esther the queen is Jewish, but nobody, not even the king, knows it. She learns about a plot to kill her people, so she takes on what she sees as her God-given duty to save them. The problem? She has to go talk to the king, and he’s in the throne room. If you haven’t been invited there, the king could sentence you to death for even coming in—unless he extends his scepter to you as a sign that he’ll spare your life (Esther 4:10-12).
After listening to these verses, A LOT of thoughts were going through my mind.
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Cinderella as Rosie the Riveter – Altered Coloring Book Art #3
I’m excited to share the latest of my altered color book pages.
I’ve been wanting to more coloring like this (as I mentioned in my list of easy ideas for summer fun).
I love coloring in general, and have found it even more fun to inject some originality. This is my way of keeping the creative juices flowing in spite of the limitations of chronic illness and chronic pain.
This post contains affiliate links.
If you love coloring too, or are wanting to give it a try, here are some insightful tips from professional art therapists about how to benefit most from coloring.
So how do I get ideas for changing up a coloring page? I flipped through my book (this one) and Cinderella’s handkerchief on her head reminded me of Rosie the Riveter.
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Activities for Summer Fun #2—Low Cost, Low Energy + A Free Printable
Summer is my favorite time of year! Now that summer is officially here, I want to make the most of it by making some plans. So I’m sharing a list of fun activities with you all.
Last year, I blogged about ideas for summer fun that are easier for those of us with health issues (and included a free printable you can download), and this year I’m expanding on that list.
While most summery lists are geared toward people who are healthy, my list is achievable for people who deal with chronic illness and chronic fatigue. I’ve put together ideas that are adaptable for a variety of energy levels. I hope you’ll use this list as a jumping off point to craft a beautiful summer full of sun, novelty, creativity, and friends and family.
Find out how to get this list as a free printable at the end of this post. I enjoyed checking off items on last year’s list and seeing just how much I was able to accomplish!
Also, these ideas are mostly free or inexpensive, making them perfect for anyone who wants to save money. These would make great experiences for families with kids home for the summer too.
For some with chronic illness, summer can mean symptoms ease up a little, but for others the heat can actually exacerbate illness. You’ll notice that most of these ideas would be something you could do year round. If summer is rough on you, tuck this list away for another time of year when you have more energy.
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Update on my 2019 Reading Goals
It’s (somehow!) already June, so I’m posting an update on my reading goals now that the year’s hit the halfway mark. As I blogged about earlier, this is my first year setting reading goals for myself. If you’ve set goals too, I’d love to hear about it!
I’ve been a little hit or miss on my goals so far (I’m going to blame brain fog at least in part for that. You’ll see I completely forgot about one of my goals below!) There’s still plenty of time to work on my goals over the next six months, so I’m glad I’m reviewing them now. Summer seems like the perfect time to dive right into this list and be a little more intentional about reading.
(If you haven’t set reading goals for 2019, why not set some now? Or set some for the summer?)
Here’s the progress I’ve made so far.
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Review: I tried a movie theater with recliners because of my chronic health conditions
I FINALLY got to see Avengers: Endgame a few weeks ago!
(Don’t worry, this post is spoiler-free!)
I’ll share what I thought of trying a movie theater with recliners for the first time, as well as some tips for going to the movies with dysautonomia, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, and other chronic illnesses.
I had been wanting to see Endgame for weeks, having waited a whole year after that cliff hanger. I was carefully avoiding spoilers in conversations and online. (I had to quit Pinterest after seeing two spoiler-y things. And I’m glad I didn’t look up the meaning of two things I saw on Facebook—I figured they were Marvel-related, and after seeing the movie, I’m so glad I didn’t, because they were indeed spoilers!)
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How to Benefit from Organizing When You Have No Energy
Sometimes I just want to go on an organizing or cleaning spree. I’m one of those people who gets an inordinate amount of satisfaction from tidying things up and putting things in order. I love the feeling of looking around and seeing everything tucked away where it belongs—it’s like a puzzle piece clicking into place. An organized space helps me to feel accomplished, refreshed, and peaceful. When I need to de-stress, organizing is actually very relaxing.
I would very much love to benefit from organizing, but my energy level simply says “no.” My chronic health conditions mean I burn out super easily—something as mundane as taking a shower or sitting at my computer for 20 minutes can make me feel as if I ran a marathon.
I was super bummed to think I’ve lost a major way to de-stress that I depended on. Now more than ever, I could use some tried and true ways to decompress!
So instead of throwing out organizing, I’m rethinking it. How can I still benefit from tidying even though my energy is nonexistent? I’ve thought of some ideas to share with you.
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Interesting Around the Web – May 2019
I’m going to try a new post style and gather together some of the links that have caught my attention recently. Here’s what I’ve discovered while browsing blogs and articles.
May is #MEawareness month, so in honor of raising awareness for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (also called Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or abbreviated ME/CFS) my links for this month are focused on this illness, as well as tips for living well with debilitating fatigue. This is one of my chronic health conditions, and hopefully raising awareness will lead to further research, understanding, and—eventually—an affective way to treat this condition.
10 Low activity creative hobbies forspoonies
(A Journey Through the Fog)
“Creative hobbies do not have to be difficult. Many of us lack the confidence to start, but something as simple as colouring is a great, therapeutic and low energy way to express our creativity.”
11 Benefits of Living with Chronic Illness & Autoimmune Disease
(Healthy Habits Reset)
“If you’ve ever experienced chronic fatigue, you know that there are no words (at least in the English language) that could possibly encompass all that is: chronic fatigue.”
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May 2019 Musings – Regrouping, Investigating, Boosting, Setting & Reviving
I’m excited to participate in A Chronic Voice’s link up for the first time! Link up parties are a fun way for bloggers to connect and write about similar themes, and this one is geared towards those of us in the chronic illness community. I’ve never had a chance to participate in one before, so I’ve been eager to give it a try. Let me know what you think of this style of post in the comments.
The themes for this month are Regrouping, Investigating, Boosting, Setting and Reviving.
It was a nice change to have guidelines “assigned” for writing a blog post. (I think Andy Warhol was onto something about having a “boss on retainer.” Having the framework for a post given to me felt a little more structured—like having a boss vs. winging it on my own.)
So, using A Chronic Voice’s five writing prompts for this month as a jumping off point, here’s what has been going on with me lately.
