Ali has definitely given us something to think about with this prompt, “Spirit.” One definition of the word spirit is: “The non-physical part of a person that is the seat of emotions and character; the soul.
It’s no secret that I have a positive outlook on life in general. That’s not to say that I am always happy or that things never go wrong. It’s more of a deep seated feeling that everything happens for a reason and even though I don’t always know what the reason is at the time, eventually it makes sense.
Maybe my “Spirit” or soul is at peace with myself. I remember as a child my mom would rock us to sleep and sing a song that was just a simple tune and it started like this: “Mommy loves Janet, Daddy loves Janet, Sister JoAnne loves Janet, Sister Judy loves Janet…” and she would proceed to sing that everyone in our family loved me. What’s not to love about this girl?
I sang the song to my kids as well. If I was having a particularly rough time getting them to sleep sometimes the list of people who loved them would extend to cousins and neighbors, the mailman, etc. before they’d fall asleep!
I’m sure part of it has to do with my religious upbringing. I was raised Catholic and went to Catholic grammar school for 8 years. Although I am not a “practicing” Catholic now and I don’t always agree with everything the church teaches, still I feel a calmness come over me on the times when I do make it to church (maybe once every 5 or 6 years?) and I believe the basic teachings about God and his love for us.
I try to pass that peaceful feeling on to others too, that’s why I am such a proponent of the smile and the power it has. I think everyone should try smiling more often!
That’s my take on Spirit. What about you? What’s your spirit like? Remember any songs your mom sang to you? Share!
from Blogger http://asmile4ufromjanet.blogspot.com/2018/10/observations-in-october-2018-spirit.html
via IFTTT
Like this:
Like Loading...
About scr4pl80
I'm a 60-ish, married, mom to 3, creative soul looking to make the world a better place one smile at a time.
Janet's Smiles 
That’s really sweet. I made up songs for my kids, to the tunes of well-known nursery songs. Now and again we still sing them.
I think my spirit is playful 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I would agree with that assessment. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I don’t remember my mother singing me to sleep but she had a lot of silly songs she sang to me and my brothers.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Those are the best kind of memories! There was another song that my mom used to sing to us all called “Cowboy Jack” and I made a little mini-album of it for her and my sisters.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Love it that your take on “spirit” brought you back to thoughts about your family. I don’t remember my mom singing any songs to me, but my dad used to sing “Bicycle Built for 2” and “You Are My Sunshine” to put me to sleep!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Laurie. “You Are My Sunshine” is another good one. How fun that your dad sang “Bicycle Built for 2.” I can just see you riding with him.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Aw, lovely post – and your smiles always make me smile! I prayed like that with my kids as they were growing up, even before they were born. My mom sang “Jesus Loves Me” when I was growing up. I can’t carry a tune, but that one for some reason I can and I would sing it to my kids when they were young too. Keep smiling – the world is a brighter place because of you!
LikeLike
I love this! Your sweet spirit comes across in your posts, comments, and content–everyone loves you. I don’t remember Mom singing to me when I was little, but I sang to my daughter, “You’re my honey bee, you’re my sweet pea pod, you’re my baby girl and I love you so.” I’d alway change it up for whatever was going on, “You’re my punkin’ pie, you’re my smarty pants, you’re my gracious girl, and I love you so.” Then, in the teen years (we still laugh about this), “You’re my smart-ass teen, you’re the PMS queen, but you’re still my baby girl and I love you so.” Love those memories. Blessings to you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Cute song, Dawn! I stopped singing to the kids when they got old enough to put themselves to sleep! Now I sing with them to our favorite songs. Both ways are fun. Thanks for your kind words! Nice to see you around again. Happy Friday.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My Mom sang “Sweet Low Sweet Chariot” to me. There were other songs, but that’s the one I remember the most. I guess she wanted me to know that my spirit would end up in a good place despite whatever I did. I liked the band of angels imagery in that song, now that I think about it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s a good one, Ally. Very soothing. Just curious, did it take away the fear of dying?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m not sure that I understood the concept of death at the time she was singing it. I just liked the tune and being sung to. And the idea of a band of angels on my side seemed good to me then– and now.
LikeLiked by 1 person
We all need our angels for sure. Happy Friday!
LikeLike
Same to you!
LikeLike
Spirit is being up for anything, willing to try new things, and fully participate in whatever you’re doing
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s it too! Giving it your all.
LikeLiked by 1 person