Madison Sanders Writes

Day 5 of the Love Myself Challenge. One thing I am thankful for is my body. While it may not move as easy as most people's, it gets me where I need to go. I am thankful I can get out of bed every day. I'm thankful I can dress myself and brush my teeth. I am thankful I have arms and legs. Some people don't. I know several people who have a more severe form of cerebral palsy  than  me and they can't do anything for themselves. They can't see. Some can't talk at all. I'm thankful for every day I see the sun come up in the morning. I am thankful I can hear the laughter of my niece and nephews. I am thankful for the life I have. I get frustrated, sure, but I know it could be so much worse. I should have been a statistic. I shouldn't even be alive today, but I am ONLY because of the grace of God. I don't take that for granted. I am so grateful for the life I've been given. I am so grateful for every opportunity I get to make someone smile. I

Today is day 4 of the one thing I love about myself challenge. One thing I love about myself is my ability to live simply. I'm a person who is easy to please. I don't need a lot of material things to be happy. Many people want the latest and greatest. They think that will fill that void. For me, you could give people a lot of stuff and they would still be empty on the inside. When I live simply, it is freeing. It gives me the chance to love life more fully. I looked up the definition of simple and one the synonyms is uncomplicated. I like that perspective. I do try to live an uncomplicated life. I want my life and mind to be at peace, so I try to rid myself of any unneccessary things and/or drama. What about you? What do you love about yourself? Do you live simply?

Today is day 3 of the Love Myself Challenge. One thing I love about myself is my creativity. I love that the thoughts in my head don't have to stay there. Writing and singing helps me to express myself when I can't do it another way. Being creative helps me decompress from a stressful day. It helps me feel alive and gives me a way to connect with others. I also love finding creative ways to make people smile.

Today is day two of the daily challenge of writing about one thing I love about myself. One thing I love about myself is my ability to empathize with others. Empathy isn't to be confused with sympathy. Sympathy is when you feel pity for someone. Empathy means I feel for other people who have walked similar paths to me. I empathize with people who have had multiple hospital stays. I empathize with people with disabilities. I empathize with people in wheelchairs. I empathize with people who deal with depression and anxiety. I empathize with people and families who have gone through divorce.  My heart goes out to them because I've been there. I know the struggle. Because of that, I try to offer encouragement and just listen. Too many people talk these days. They talk and talk, telling everything they know. People rarely take the time to listen. And even more rare, people hardly ever listen to understand. I want to listen to understand so I can grow as a person. I don&#

I'm finishing up the Live Original devotional book by Sadie Robertson. The one I read today said, "How are you going to love who God made you to be this week?' I'm going to find one thing I love about myself each day. I think I will write about it here each day for a week. One thing I love about myself is my determination. Some people even say I have a gift of determination. One thing is for sure. I don't know where I'd be if I wasn't determined. I know I would still be bedbound and sick. Without determination, I wouldn't have graduated high school, let alone college. Without determination, I wouldn't have overcome my many surgeries and seasons of physical therapy. Wthout determination, I'd be lost. I would have no motivation to try and work harder. Without determination, I would have settled for status quo living, never challeging myself or the limitations others tried to put on me. I have gone through many trials with an unflinching

Take me back to the place of awe and wonder Take me back to the place where I wasn't jaded I wasn't cynical about places or people Take me back to the place where I was free Take me back to the time when all was right in the world I am not looking for an anchor in a specific place I am searching for the anchor within myself Take me back to the time I was rooted and grounded Where I wasn't swayed by every whisper or gesture Take me back to a place of confidence Take me into myself Let me behold my true self Let me see a reflection of purity Not a mucky, blurry reality Take me within Help me block out the noise Help me quiet my mind And still my soul And the echoes Let the only echo I hear be one of truth Take me back for a moment in time Move me forward Launch me forth as I regain myself As I find my footing And celebrate my voice A website talked about the deeper meaning of an anchor which says, " It is a  symbol  demonstrating that