validation

Today my husband was in an art gallery getting a gift for his mother and while he was there he asked the owner all about what she would need to put up some of my photography. To have my work validated by him in this way was a huge lift to me. After I sat down here to share this, it struck me that recently a lot of things in my (unquestionably very good, full, productive, and contented) life have left me feeling a little bit drained and a whole lot under-appreciated. So, what my husband did and said made this day different than a whole lot of other days leading up to today. For that, I'm very grateful. 

And, I'm going to take this as an important "a-ha!" moment and am going to make a point to lift at least one other person else up tomorrow with words of praise, recognition and kindness. Tomorrow and the next day and the next day and the day after that, in fact, until it's engrained in my hard heart. 

Which reminds me of a verse I found convicting when I was on a retreat earlier this year and which I made a personal prayer for that day and some days after.

I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God.
-Ezekiel 11:19-20

It's time to return to that prayer. It's time to renew my prayers to have my heart softened, to be transformed, and to then move in His will in this hurting world. 

And, now, after plowing through this thought process only after making myself sit down to do my obligatory NaBloPoMo post, I can say that I have learned the value of daily blogging. Validation indeed.