Filling our cups... What are you doing to fill your cup today? What do I mean? Well how can an empty cup, river or stream give to anyone else? As parents we often let our own needs slip to meet everyone else's then we can find ourselves empty and unable to give. So again I ask what are you doing to refill your cup each day? Yes, each and every day!

There are many things we can do but the important thing is that we do something that works for us. For me I need to have a quiet time with God which ideally consists of some reading time and some journaling/prayer time. I have found 15 minutes in the morning is usually all I need to change my perspective on the day. Other things that work for me are taking nice long showers or baths with candles and soft music, yoga or water aerobics, a hike in the woods, a bike ride, reading something completely mindless and happy, phone calls with my mother-in-law (it is true), and whenever possible walks on the ocean beach (sadly I live hundreds of miles from the beach now).

The point is to find something that fills you up and to do it regularly. We need to be happy people to be giving people. We want our children to grow up to be happy people and so we need to demonstrate that and the best way to do that is to assure we are finding time to do things that help us be happy. It doesn't need to be long, set your timer for 15 minutes and relax. Remember you can do anything for 15 minutes, everything else will wait and you will be better for it.

Love,
Tenn