Graduation, Birthdays, and a Thank You
I've missed journaling...LOL As I look back at May, I didn't journal a lot. It was a busy month...hehehe Now it's June and I'm still finding it difficult to make time to journal. That's okay. I'm making the time tonight...hehehe
First things first...Malachi graduated high school! Yay!!! And with his Core 40 diploma!!! Extra YAY!!! He had a tough high school career. But he completed it well. I'm one very proud dad! His health hasn't been great for almost 3 years now. So, those last few years of his scheduled time in high school were rough. He had to extend to a fifth year of school to complete it. And complete it he did!
His final year was through a special online school. So, he was able to complete the work from home at his leisure. Also, it was setup so that he could test out of homework. He had already taken all of the classes in the school in his city. But he didn't pass them because he was too sick to attend regularly and get assignments in on time. His old school didn't allow him to work virtually from home. By taking the tests instead, at this new school, he was able to prove he had the knowledge. I'm grateful this school existed for him. And it was God timing. This was the inaugural year for this particular school! God provided just what Malachi needed at just the right time he needed it ❤️
After his graduation, I headed back home. So, I've been home for the last 3 days getting back into my routine. Sort of...hehehe I'm being less routine oriented at the moment. With the Big Bang schedule for a few weeks, plus my trip to Indiana, I haven't had much of a set routine for awhile. This week, I'm somewhat going with the flow. It's like I'm riding the tail end of the wave that has been my life for about a month...LOL And I'd have to say I really like it.
Something I started doing yesterday was logging what I've been doing. I setup a notebook on my Kindle Scribe to track things at a high level. I don't track what I'm doing at work. But I am tracking things like when I get up, how much sleep I got, when I eat and what I've had for meals, and when I do various activities like walks and Bible stuff. I even logged when I started writing this journal entry...LOL I'll do this for a little while and see if I can garner any insights into my life. Perhaps find if there is a routine to be set or if I like the randomness of what I've been doing for weeks...hehehe
Yesterday was my niece's birthday. Sweet 16! Someone, I imagine her parents, gave her a kayak for her birthday...hehehe She texted me and said she'd like to join me sometime. Funny thing is I was beginning to feel like I'd have to give up kayaking...LOL But I have a renewed hope in being able to get back on the water if she'll join me. She also wants to hit up Disney...hehehe Perhaps we'll get to work out some sort of special uncle/niece trip or something. Maybe her dad, my brother, can join us too! He loves to do these 1 on 1 things with each of his kids. And my niece and nephews love to have their Uncle Greg around. They invite me to things when they come down and I gratefully accept when I am available...hehehe
Today is Katie's birthday. I haven't seen her in months. I sent her a text this morning wishing her a happy birthday. I remember spending the day with her on her special day 2 years ago. It was a really fun day. I miss having times like that with friends. Especially her. It's too bad that didn't really work out past 2023. I saw her a few months ago when I met up with a few other friends. It was good to see her again. Maybe someday I'll get to hang out with her at Disney. Although our friendship isn't like what it was a few years ago, it isn't completely lost.
A few weeks ago I made an important post:
My present self would like to tell my past self a little something... Thank you for not giving up when you felt like you needed to. Thank you for making the changes then that impact you now. Thank you for…being you 🤗❤️
The motivation behind that post was this whole health journey I've been on for more than 2 years now. I've been working on a book adaptation of my journal from last year. It begins with noting how just a year prior was when I began that journey. I talk about how one small change created a ripple effect that impacted my spiritual, mental, and physical health. 2023 was a rough year. I'm grateful to my past self for making a change that led to other changes. I'm grateful my past self didn't give up when he felt like he needed to or felt like he should. The toughest year of my life led to the best year of my life. And now, that best life has bled into this year.
I just needed to tell myself thank you. Not in a selfish or narcissistic way. It's actually very humbling to look back. I honestly don't look at any of it with pride. It was extremely tough. I can't even really find the words to express how much I wanted to give up...LOL I had given up plenty in years past. The fact I didn't this time wasn't exactly an accomplishment in the truest definition or interpretation of that word accomplishment. I sort of stumbled upon, and often tripped along, the path I found myself on. Through God's providence, I came across something that worked really well for me. It all started when I decided I didn't want to keep living life the way I had been living up to that point...LOL
Something that stands out about this retrospection is just how many people were there to keep me going when I felt like giving up. I don't think anyone really knew how I felt in those moments. But God provided the right person with the right words to remind me of who God created me to be and why I was on this new path along my journey. The transition from running away from my past and all of the negative voices I heard in my soul, to running towards my future and all of the positive voices, was life changing. So, I'm not only grateful that I didn't give up on myself, I'm equally grateful I didn't give up on those who support me and the God who created me.
That was 2023. 2024 was a much better year for me. I suppose my thank you for my 2024 self would be that I kept going. I didn't allow the momentum I generated the prior year to stop. And the same goes for me this year. I've continued to build on the progress I've made since that first intentional decision over 2 years ago...hehehe And to be perfectly honest, I suppose there were some amazing decisions made from the end of 2021 to the beginning of 2023 that impacted all of this as well...LOL
One of my hopes for a post like the one I made a few weeks ago is to invite others to appreciate themselves for the choices they've made in the past that make a positive impact on their lives today. Whether we feel it was a series of accomplishments, or simply small sustainable changes that all add up, we should appreciate what we've done to make change happen in our lives. Life isn't easy. It's very hard. God gives us what we need when we need it. When we choose to accept what we need, we can begin to feel good again.
As a final note, I also want to thank YOU for not giving up. Thank you for still moving forward when life felt like a series of setbacks. And thank you for coming along on my journey. Together, we've got this. I know this to be true because God's got us. With Him in our hearts and lives, everything will be okay.