Month: September 2022

Posted on in Health, Life Goals, Spiritual, Uncategorized

Choosing Health

Image By Theresa Davidson. Flowers in three different stages of life.

Where I Have Been

It is time. Time for me to choose health. For too long, I have not chosen health. I have had fits and starts but I fall back on old habits. I have carried too much weight from my pregnancies. My first born is 27, I don’t think I can use it as an excuse anymore. I was on bed rest with her, and I just gained a lot of weight. It wasn’t pretty. But I have to give it up.

“The more a man uses moderation in his life, the more he is at peace, for he is not full of cares for many things. “

St. Anthony the Great
Image by Theresa Davidson. Monarch caterpillar eating milkweed leaf.

Last year my A1C crept up to 6.1. That is not terrible for a type 2 diabetic, but it is when the doctor says you either need to lose weight and eat right or you are going back on medication. My cholesterol was also going up. Menopause symptoms were getting bad again and the weight gain – just unstoppable.

Speaking of menopause, did you know menopause symptoms are so much more than hot flashes and night sweats? There are mood swings, aches and pains, brain fog, and man, if I didn’t have ADHD before, I sure feel like I do now! A good night’s sleep, what is that? My doctor (GP) wanted to put me on Lexapro when I said I had mood swings. I snapped at him and said “why do you only hear “mood swings? If I could sleep, I wouldn’t be so moody.” I had to laugh at myself later, but seriously, if I was getting enough rest, I think I could focus better and not be moody. I saw my gynecologist a few weeks later and she tried a different medication to try to help me sleep. Unfortunately, that med made my heart rate drop so low I thought I was going to die. No more of that. Still need to try something else.

Image by Theresa Davidson. Sunset picture from my deck, taken with my phone.

“Take care of your body as if you were going to live forever and take care of your soul as if you were going to die tomorrow.”

Saint Augustine

Where I Am Going

Dieting is not easy for anyone. I have tried a number of different diets and have had varying levels of success with each one. Everyone’s body is different and you need to find what works for you. With the combination of taking something for my menopause (an OTC menopause remedy), the lifestyle changes I am making with my diet (low carb/healthy fats), getting a little more exercise in, and wearing a continuous glucose monitor, things are starting to change. My prayer is that God gives me the strength to keep on this path. I want to be healthy so I can do what He calls me to do.

Another aspect of health is taking care of your mental health. I am so glad that the old thoughts on mental health issues as being shameful and weak are disappearing. It’s so important to take time to do things that “keep you sane” and do things that bring you joy. Nature photography, arts & crafts, reading, and writing all keep me sane and bring me joy. All of those things are like prayer to me. Singing is like prayer to me too and I start the day by singing in the shower – mostly Matt Maher songs. I am sure my family just loves all the noise I am making. Didn’t St. Augustine say, “singing is praying twice?’ Ah, but it brings me great joy. Isn’t it lovely to take a walk outside? Taking time to “smell the roses” is so refreshing to the mind and to the soul. Prayer and receiving the sacraments also helps stay in the right place mentally and spiritually.

“I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Romans 12:1-2
Images by Theresa Davidson. Winter bridge
Image by Theresa Davidson> Winter solitude
Image by Theresa Davidson. Junco in winter

Capturing peaceful images is also soul soothing to me. What are you doing to stay healthy: physically, mentally, and spiritually?

Peace.

printed musical note page
Posted on in Life Goals, Music

Music – It Moves Me

I love listening to music. I love singing – mostly in the shower or in the car! Choosing a favorite genre is impossible. I love it all! My mood dictates what I am listening to most of the time. Sometimes I want music to just chill with, sometimes, I want music in the background while I am working or reading (usually classical). There are times I want to rock, times I want to listen to throw backs to my youth (a lot of times this is where I land to be honest), and there are times I use music for worship and prayer.

Image by Theresa Davidson. My headphones and phone!

Music has the power to move a person or to make a person move! Here is some music that moves me. I have included YouTube links to some of the songs.

Image by Theresa Davidson; My Echo Show playing Lord I Need You by Matt Maher

These are just some of the songs that move me. What songs move you?

Peace!

Posted on in Life Goals, Spiritual

Capturing Nature

Image By Theresa Davidson 2022 Wildflowers at Loggers Lake, Missouri

“On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.”

Psalms 145:5

Within a few months of the covid pandemic, I knew I would want to spend a lot of time outdoors. I needed something better than my phone to capture the beauty of the outdoors. I was very lucky to happen upon an ad for a barely used Nikon D3500. It’s a nice entry level DSLR. The man whom I bought it from, bought it for the same reason I was buying it. He decided within months that he loved photography so much that he was going to upgrade to an even better camera. This camera makes me very happy, but I will probably upgrade when I retire and have more time to really get out there.

Image by Theresa Davidson – my camera (picture taken by my phone!)

I just love to get outside and take pictures of all of the wildflowers my husband has planted trying to convert some of our land back to native species. Some of the pictures I take are of non-native flowers (they are so pretty; I can’t help myself). I am not great at bird photography, and I probably need a better lens for that, but I have managed to get some good shots. I have captured dragonflies and butterflies too!

Image by Theresa Davidson: Goldenrod
Image by Theresa Davidson: I could not stop myself from taking this picture of a curly vine growing on this tree.

Being in nature always brings me closer to God. Seeing his wonderful creation always leaves me in awe. I always thank him for the beauty all around me. I can only capture a little snippet of what I am seeing (even if it’s a landscape). Many of these pictures will be used to create watercolor or acrylic paintings at some point! Practicing that will bring me great joy!

Image by Theresa Davidson, Turtle on branch at Lion’s Club Park, Rolla, MO.
Image by Theresa Davidson: Mushroom in my back yard.
Image by Theresa Davidson: Dragonfly at Lion’s Club Park, Rolla, MO

I will leave you with this quote below. Let me know how you like to enjoy nature. Peace.

“Let all creation help you to praise God. Give yourself the rest you need. When you are walking alone, listen to the sermon preached to you by the flowers, the trees, the shrubs, the sky, the sun and the whole world. Notice how they preach to you a sermon full of love, of praise of God, and how they invite you to proclaim the greatness of the one who has given them being.”

St. Paul of the Cross
Image by Theresa Davidson: Loggers Lake, MO
Posted on in Life Goals, Spiritual

Doorways – part 2

“And when they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast and the door was shut. Afterwards the other maidens came also, saying Lord, Lord, open to use. But He replied, “Truly, I say to you, I do not know you. Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” – Matthew 25:10-13

Here is another doorway we will all be faced with. It is a little scarier to think about this one. I mean, it’s joyful on the one hand – described as going to the marriage feast! Who doesn’t love a wedding party. Or more specifically, who doesn’t want to enter the gates of heaven? This passage tells us we have to be ready to enter through that doorway at any time – or else we will be wailing on the other side! We don’t know the day or hour of our death or the Lord’s coming. It’s sobering news, isn’t it?

How do we get and stay ready? We need to be so grateful for God’s mercy. We need to stay in relationship with Jesus! I used to hear that, and I wasn’t sure what that meant or how to do it. We do it through prayer, through reading the Bible and pondering His words. How is He trying to speak to you through the Word?

We are supposed to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). What does that mean and how do we do it? There are many books explaining various ways to do that, but I will share what I try to do (I definitely need to keep working on it). For me it can look like reading the mass (bible) readings for the day – and read or listen to a reflection on it. If I am really on my “game,” I will try to relate it to my life, I may even journal on it. Throughout the day I try to thank God for different things. If I am bird watching or just out in nature in general, I am always overjoyed and amazed by God’s creation and artistry. I pray for the ability to be a good steward of God’s creation. I also pray for the ability to somehow capture His creation creatively – either through my art or my photography, writing (this blog, poetry (been a while), or in my journal). I thank God for getting a green light when I need to get somewhere, or for a red light when I need to grab something in my car!

Image by Theresa Davidson – Sunflower after rain 2022

I ask the Holy Spirit to guide my words if someone needs my counsel or to help keep my mouth shut in situations where my temper may be tested (I really need to work on both of these because well, let’s just say, I need help). I like to use a prayer journal and pour my prayer into it. And of course, I attend Sunday mass.

We also need to make sure we are right with God. I am so grateful for the sacrament of reconciliation. I make not like it – it’s so humbling, isn’t it? But I am grateful for the gift of God’s mercy.

Stay ready for that doorway to open to you! I would love to hear ways you pray constantly or your favorite form of prayer.

Peace.

Image By Theresa Davidson at C&O Canal in Pennsylvania 2022