January’s Blessings and Reminders

Posted on February 3, 2024 by

38 Comments

Sunset January 29, 2024

January felt like a long month to me. I need binoculars to turn back and catch a glimpse of Christmas. From those I have talked to, the majority seem to feel the same.

Although it was a long month, it wasn’t necessarily a bad month. January held many highlights for me. My eye surgeries were one of those highlights. Two surgeries, five appointments, and countless eye drops might not sound like a good thing. But this reminded me that we can hold onto peace and contentment, even when our worries try to pull our focus. Putting our trust in Jesus is key. He is the one that led me over the rocky paths.

Another highlight was receiving a Christmas card from my parents. Even though my father mailed it early, it truly was snail mail and made it to me over three weeks later. Since we thought it was lost, finding it in my mailbox gave me joy. This reminded me to hold on to hope and to enjoy the little blessings in life.

I also received something in the mail from a friend in Kentucky. When I first received her envelope, I thought it was another delayed Christmas card. But when I opened it, I found a postcard on which she wrote that she was praying for me and my family. I thought that was sweet of her. At the time, my husband and I were heading out to the store, so I set it aside. Later I looked at it again and discovered there was something else in the envelope. My friend made a bookmark for me with a Bible verse that is a comfort to me when circumstances in life are discouraging – John 1:5. This reminded me to look deeper in life. Many times we are moving too fast and we only catch the surface. But when we pause and look deeper, we find more to the story. And we find blessings that we might have missed otherwise.

With each appointment and surgery I had, my husband chauffeured me. He didn’t have to in every instance. There were some when he did, due to anesthesia or dilated eyes. But he did so even on the days when it wasn’t necessary. On one occasion, we had a scheduling conflict. So he dropped me off and my sister-in-law picked me up. This reminded me to appreciate the people in our lives.

I spent a lot of time waiting in the doctor’s office and the outpatient surgery center. I didn’t mind too much. In some cases it was peaceful. This reminded me of the beauty we find in the present moment.

Something I didn’t get to do in January that I would have liked to do was to see my parents for their birthday. I did talk to them on the phone, but seeing them in person would have been better. This reminded me to appreciate the times we do have with our loved ones. Things in life are always changing, and time is precious.

I did well in the beginning and middle of January. But towards the latter part, I was exhausted. And even being exhausted, I haven’t always gotten a good night’s sleep. This reminded me that even though I thought I was handling all of the stress well, the truth is that stress is still stress. It was a lot on my body and mind, and taking care of ourselves is important.

I can come up with a few more items to list here. But instead I will ask you to take a turn. Tell me what blessings and reminders January held for you.

Thank you for reading. I hope you have a blessed weekend.

© 2018-2024 Bridget A. Thomas. All rights reserved.

Category: Seeking GodTags: , , , , , , ,

38 Comments on “January’s Blessings and Reminders”

  1. I actually had the opposite time experience, Bridget. How is it February 2024 already? It seems like we were just thinking about gratitude and it was November 2023! Terri has been struggling with her eyes as well—for the better part of a year now. There is a lot of added stress that this puts on her. Looking back, there were tons of blessings, especially seeing people from all over come and lend a hand during our recent inclement weather event. I’ve recently had someone ask me to create a piece of artwork for them. We have a roof over our heads, food to eat, and a warm bed to sleep in. We can take a shower, wash our clothes, and pay our bills. We are blessed.

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    • You had a whirlwind January, so I can see why it went by quickly for you. I’m sorry about Terri’s eyes. I can understand how stressful that is. Your line of work has a lot of stress, but yes it must be a huge blessing when you see folks rallying to help those in need. Congrats on the request for artwork. That’s wonderful. And to all you said at the end – Amen and Amen! Praise be to God! Thank you for sharing some highlights, Rainer!

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  2. Wow, so many things to pick from the post. Awesome post.

    These words got me.

    But this reminded me that we can hold onto peace and contentment, even when our worries try to pull our focus

    This reminded me to appreciate the times we do have with our loved ones. Things in life are always changing, and time is precious.

    God bless you Bridget and May God continue to keep us all.

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    • Thank you! I’m glad this post was encouraging. I hope you had some blessings to reflect on from last month as well. God bless you too. And I love the way you put that – “May God continue to keep us all.”

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  3. I enjoyed reading about your journey through January. Thanks for sharing. You reminded us that God is there each day in every moment. What you said here really spoke to me, “Things in life are always changing, and time is precious.” The Lord has been reminding me life is full of various seasons so we have to appreciate each one because they will eventually change. Even in the difficult seasons there is a lesson to be learned. And those lessons are part of our growth. My January has been one of learning to trust God with difficult situations, listen for His voice of instruction and not to be afraid to move forward in obedience. Have a blessed weekend. I pray your eyes are continuing to heal well. 💛

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  4. January actually went by steadily for me, until it didn’t. I started feeling poorly on the way home from school last week–more upper respiratory crud. Friday night, and again on Saturday night, I tested negative for COVID. Then, on Sunday night, I tested positive. This meant five days sitting at home and working (some) remotely. Thankfully, though flu-like the virus never invaded my lungs or made my O2 blood saturation plunge. It was certainly a gear down, or two, for me, though. God used this time to remind me that He’s in charge of the mountains and valleys in my life.

    I hope your eye continues to heal nicely. I’m praying for you, Bridget! God Bless.

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    • So sorry about that, David. That does not sound like fun. But a good reminder that God is “in charge of the mountains and valleys.” And I’m so thankful we can trust Him through it all. I pray you are on the road to recovery. 🙏 And yes my eyes are doing great. I went for a check up this week and the doctor was happy with the way they are both healing. I continue with eye drops and go back in three weeks. Thank you! God bless you too!

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  5. I was going to make a comment about where do you find those magical binoculars to look back in time, but then saw the part about your eye surgerys, and thought better of it. But wait, didn’t my just saying that actually make the comment?

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  6. In January I think God was teaching us patience and waiting on His timing. Four times we scratched off a visit to my mom & sister due to weather (dangerous travel conditions) or surprise meetings. We hope to go this week, Lord willing.

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    • Oh no, I’m so sorry. That sounds frustrating. But I like that you looked at the bigger picture to see what God is teaching you. Learning patience and waiting on His timing are things many of us need to get better at. I hope you are able to go for your visit soon! 🙏

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  7. Blessedly, though the neighbor’s a few doors down had a fire, no one else’s home was affected, and though they need to replace the roof, the rest of the house is in pretty good shape, as far as I know. Though I suffered from a sore throat, due to the smoke, it kept me home before I caught a cold so I didn’t share it with anyone else. The cold was blessedly mild. We had cold days, and my house heater worked and the fireplace/heater worked. We had lovely days when I could leave the door open. I visited with friends and enjoyed doing some baking. Life is good.

    What a delight to receive the card from your parents as a bonus gift. How sweet of your friend in Kentucky. Congratulations on successful eye help! Bless your husband for being so supportive and your SiL for helping.

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    • A lot of bumps in the road for you in January. But I’m glad you were able to find many blessings too. I agree – Life is good. Some days we have to be more intentional to look for God’s goodness. Thank you, Judy. Yes, I did have many things and people to be grateful for in January. I hope you have a blessed weekend, my friend. ♥️

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  9. Kudos to you for seeking out the blessings, Bridget, during the stressful month of January. Mid-January we took care of two granddaughters (ages 7 and 10) while their parents went to India for nine days. I’m praising God that all went well and no one got sick!

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  10. It’s amazing reading the comments here. It seems God teaches us every now and then, and there is so much God brings to view in a month.

    We can pick this up and reflect after every month and we would be surprised, what we would have learnt.

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  11. I agree, it seems like time was going so fast that Christmas flew by!!
    I’m thankful your eye surgeries went well and that you have blessings to count in the midst of all of that. The book mark your friend made is neat, did she paint the landscape part too?

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  12. Bridget, there are so many beautiful reminders you share in this post. I appreciated each one of those as it made me reflect on how I should respond. Through each thing we can learn and choose how to respond. My January ( as it was still summer break) always tends to feel like I am fighting for some semblance of a routine and trying to stay on track with my time in the word and with God.

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    • Such a good point – we do have a choice on how we will respond. And keeping our focus on the Lord also helps us to remember that He might be trying to teach us something. I have often heard / read where Charles Stanley said that when we going through a difficultly we should ask God what it is He is trying to teach us.
      I can understand what you mean about your month being a little unsettled. Our routines can easily get off balance when our schedules change. I hope you can get into a groove in the coming weeks.

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  13. For me it was a month of doctor appointments for my husband who has multiple myeloma, a blood cancer that there is no cure for. But the blessings each week were that I made it a point to have coffee with a sweet friend either from Church or from the neighborhood. GOD wants us in relationship and blesses our time together when we gather together. All of those “coffee times” filled my heart with joy and encouraged me in my current season of life.

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    • I’m really sorry about your husband’s multiple myeloma. I can’t even imagine how hard that is on both of you. But I’m so glad you found blessings among friends each week. It’s beautiful how God gave us the gift of relationship with others. 🤍

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      • YES so very thankful and have found much comfort in GOD’S word in the book of HABAKKUK. My most recent post explains this. Blessings on your eyes. May GOD heal you completely!

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      • I will be sure to check out your post. I look forward to reading it. My eyes are doing well. I will go back in a couple of weeks for another checkup. Thank you so much for your sweet words. Your encouragement truly means a lot to me. ♥️

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      • OH I pray you heal more and more every day and then you will be thrilled when you will see more clearly. Truly a gift! Bless your heart!

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    • Thank you, Crystal. Yes, everything went well. And the healing process is also going well. I went for a checkup a few days ago and the doctor was pleased. I am still doing eye drops and will go back in a couple of weeks for another checkup. Thank you for the prayers. I hope you are doing well. 💜

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© 2018-2025 Bridget A. Thomas. All rights reserved.