January 2019 - Page 5 of 5 - Writing From The Kitchen

hope

Hope is Regenerative – Day 8

January 9, 2019January 9, 2019by Erika K Rothwell10 Comments

My apologies for posting a little late. My mom, our Bubby, had a total knee replacement operation and it took the good part of a day to focus on regenerative hope.

Hope is regenerative. Our bodies breakdown from the stress of life and a destined aging process. Our choices can seem futile and our dreams fade with the daylight hours.

Yet, through the example of three amazing human beings, I feel the power of hope surrounding me at the end of this day.

Regenerative hope moved my son to run 22 plus miles through the darkness of negativism after it struck his equilibrium of contentment and drove him to push his physical body to the breaking point as he made it to the other side…positivity, cleansed by exhaustion.

The belief in a better quality of life motivated my mother to overcome her fears, focus on optimism and go through a knee reconstruction surgery in her 80th year of life on this very same day.

I was left in the dust. Yes, I’m focusing on hope this year. However, I was challenged by fear. I lost my father two years ago after surgery. The circumstances were very different, yet the memory is raw and ignited the core of helplessness when you watch your “as is” slip away into an “as was”.

My father “lives” with all of us in our stubborn resolves to not only survive but excel in this life as we continually strive to better ourselves. His ongoing search for the fountain of youth points to the regenerative quality of hope. And as I viewed my mother, his wife, today after difficult reconstructive surgery, I saw evidence of that fountain, as her contagious smile of victory and proof that hope is regenerative lit up the room.

-Erika K Rothwell

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hope

Hope Finds Appreciation – A Ray of Hope – Day 7

January 7, 2019by Erika K Rothwell2 Comments

Nothing sparks a ray of hope quicker than finding appreciation. Through the eyes of appreciation, our grateful hearts can be ignited.

This morning delivers sunshine, the ability to workout, and friendship. I am grateful and moved by the simpleness of today’s exercise as I recognize the gifts surrounding me and the possibilities within my reach each day if I take a moment to reflect.

If I were to write this message to myself only, I would not feel the sunburst of hope as when I write to you, my readers. It is the act of giving that energizes my day. And I appreciate you.

Monday’s motivation found it’s way into my blog to encourage hopefulness, looking through a lens of appreciation as we can all view the week as a refreshing opportunity to start anew.

-Erika K Rothwell

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Growth, hope

Hope for the Best – Day 6

January 6, 2019January 7, 2019by Erika K RothwellLeave a Comment

It is Day 6 of my hope journey. The struggle exists to continue focusing on hope. There was a time in my life when I forgot to hope, gave up on dreaming, and fell down a deep dark rabbit hole.

There appeared to be no escape. My fate was sealed. I was a horrible person who deserved no remorse. The judgment I dealt myself was harsher than imaginable. I lost hope because I forgot to believe in a power stronger than myself.

My power ran out. There was no battery or charger. Energy could not sustain my desire to fight. There appeared to be no me and I was hopeless.

Love brought me back to hope. And hope brought me back to believing that we are all loved, and every day is a new day to hope. We are not alone.

The more I tried to control my life, the more I lost control. And so I learned it is from a place of humble acceptance of what exists that hope is discovered. I’m here for a reason other than my survival. My gifts were granted me to be shared with others.

This does not require grandiose or newsworthy actions. It may mean only a smile directed to another at the right time, or maybe a kiss on the forehead of a loved one who may be suffering from a cold. The importance of the question, “What can I do to help you?” is too often minimized, as we overlook the opportunity to generate hope in our daily lives.

Sometimes the strength to survive exists in supplying others what they need, while trusting and believing that our needs will be met in the process.

I rose from the ashes of surrender because loved ones didn’t give up on me, and so I didn’t give up on me either…for them.

P.S. I still struggle on a daily basis to let go of my need to control events and others to feel safe and secure, but my journey of hope reminds me of what is possible when we are able to just let go and hope for the best.

-Erika K Rothwell

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hope, Personal Growth

Hope – 2019 – Daily Posts

January 5, 2019January 6, 2019by Erika K Rothwell3 Comments

Renewal has turned to hope. This first day of the new year with its call for resolutions reminds me of the accomplishments of the past year. Allowing myself to open up to others through my writing brought renewal.

Recently, a question was presented to me, “how do you stop agonizing over the past? My answer was a window into my motivation for sharing my writing publicly through the creation of my blog, as I responded “Embrace the moment, celebrate what you know now from what the past served to you. Accept your wounds as a badge of honor. Help others heal.”

Thus begins my personal journey of hope. I once heard an acronym for hope as “help one person every day.” There is no quicker way to move from a state of sadness, irritation, or any negative emotion than to reach out and look for an opportunity to help. The world needs helpers and I need hope.

We all have something to give, and even if not always easy, my goal this year is to find a moment every day to do so.

I will share my 2019 hope journey each day with a brief post chronicling my life. You can see the most recent by clicking on the menu or scrolling down to the bottom of the page for all days. I will also continue to post my longer essays as well.

-Erika K Rothwell

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