Girl Who Reads: Wildflowers 99 Cent Tour

Girl Who Reads: Wildflowers 99 Cent Tour: "This story deals with some strong issues, so it is not for the faint of heart." ~ Christina "What a beautiful and sad...

Home

We’ve all heard the saying that home is where the heart is. Home can be more than the house you live in. There are multitudes of people who move away for a job and reside in another state. While they may refer to their house in that state as their home, you will often hear them say, “I’m coming home for a visit,” when they schedule a trip back to where they are from. Why? Because a piece of their heart is still there, so it is home.

We don’t travel much, but when we do, it always feels good to pass the state line and see the exit sign to our small community. Why? Because our state is our home, and our community is our home, but even better than that is walking in the door of your house, seeing your pets, loving on them, and climbing into your own bed! Ah, the elation of home...where the heart is!

Physical Health and Emotional Health

When I was younger I had no comprehension of the connection between physical health and emotional health. I was extremely thin, so when my doctor kept insisting that I needed to exercise, I kept brushing it off as unimportant. I thought, I'm skinny. People exercise to lose weight. Why do I need to exercise?  I was battling depression, and we couldn’t find any prescription medication that seemed to help. Eventually he found one that helped to a certain degree. After giving birth to my fifth child, I decided that I should start exercising. She was two, and I was still carrying extra weight. I knew that forty was not too far away, and it would be more difficult to get control over my weight at that point. I was not on antidepressants because I had just weaned her. I set my mind to getting in shape, and after about a month, I felt better, not just physically though. I realized that I was no longer depressed. I finally understood what my doctor had been trying to tell me all along. I had thought being thin meant I WAS healthy, but I was far from it. After six months of a regular workout routine, I was able to wear the clothes I wore at 106 pounds, yet I weighed 120. I was finally healthy and no longer required medication for depression. Being physically healthy was the best medication I had tried! Understanding the connection between emotional health and physical health is extremely important to anyone battling depression.

Innocence

The Blog Flash for today is innocence. As I pondered what to say about innocence, I thought of the missionaries to an orphanage in Guatemala who came to speak at our church. The country of Guatemala is only about the size of Tennessee, yet there are over 200,000 innocent children living on the streets.  Some are abandoned by their parents, and some are so severely abused that they flee. Being inspired by the stories I heard, I wrote this poem about innocence.

“Innocence”

Innocence is often wrapped

In a bundle of joy,

Or seen through the smile

Of a child receiving a new toy.

Innocence is the purity

Staring through the eyes

Of the crying newborn

Left in a dumpster to die.

Innocence roams the streets

Not having a clue

Of the evil that surrounds it,

Or what he or she is to do.

Innocence has a heart

That will easily forgive,

The lashings that a mother

Or father can sometimes give.

Innocence sees through eyes

Shining with pure light.

As he or she walks through

The blackest and darkest of nights.

                                                      Schledia Benefield

 

 

 

Technology

Today’s topic for the Blog Flash is technology. Honestly, technology is something I shy away from most of the time. I’m new to much of it and stay away from the majority of it. I get mad when Facebook decides to change its layout because I’ve usually just gotten the hang of the one I have, and then I am forced to have to learn a new version. When I went back to college in 2002, I had to take an introduction to computers class. My hands visibly shook as I placed them on the keys of the computer. I remember clearly the teacher telling me that I wouldn’t break it. My high school was just starting to get computers that students had access to when I was getting out of school, and my children were introduced to computers in kindergarten! Life has definitely changed due to technology. It is something that often frightens me because of my lack of knowledge, but it is something I must learn to accept. Technology is out there for everyday use, and it is only going to increase. I guess that means I should buckle down and apply more of it to my life.