Living Intentionally

The month of May is an interesting month for many people. For me, May is the month of my birth which is always a reason to celebrate. May is the month when flowers begin to bloom decorating trees and bushes with beautiful colors and scents. In the South, where I live, many schools and colleges conclude their academic year with parties, proms, awards, commencement, and graduation ceremonies during the month of May.

May is also the month that we celebrate mothers and motherhood. While this holiday is celebratory for some, many people are challenged by an overwhelming sense of grief due to the loss of a mother, grandmother, mother figures, or the loss of a child.

This year the month of May has a particular sense of joy and sadness for me. I’m living in the tension of the joy that comes with celebrating a milestone birthday and the sadness that comes with the loss of my mother. I’m living in the tension of the joy that comes with celebrating my daughter, Ariel’s graduation from The Ohio State University Graduate School of Music Choral Conducting Program on May 7th and the sadness of the anniversary of my mother’s passing on May 28th.

However, I have discovered a place in the middle of this tension called “Living Intentionally” When coaching the women enrolled in my Harmonize Your Life Intentional Self-Care Program, my role is to help them develop deliberate, strategic, purposeful plans for self-care. We review the unique components of their lives to work through how they will engage in meaningful, refreshing, life-giving habits, rituals, and routines.

The antithesis to intentional is accidental. When we approach life accidentally, we live our lives unplanned, by chance or fortuitously. Accidental living inadvertently leads to feelings of hopelessness, complicated grief, and unable to embrace all of life with joy, peace, and harmony.

Life happens. Life happens to all of us. Trust me in 60 years of living, I have experienced success, and failures, victories and defeat, joy and sadness, aloneness, and togetherness, lack and abundance, betrayal and loyalty, the birth of children and the loss of loved ones. Yet, I’ve learned to look life’s challenges in the face, glean from lessons learned, celebrate, and live intentionally.

May is the month of my birth and the anniversary of my mother’s passing. I plan to cry, grieve, laugh, remember, reflect, tell, and listen to stories about my mother. I plan to celebrate my 60th Birthday with my husband, children, family, and friends. I plan to praise, worship, dance, and rejoice in honor of my 30th year anniversary in preaching ministry. I plan to spend time in my garden, spring clean my home, run another half marathon, brunch with girlfriends, and travel on an Alaskan Cruise.

I’m living intentionally! I invite you to join me this month, all year, and for the rest of your life….

Dr. Toni