Focus on the Good

I was just woken for the obligatory middle of the night temperature and blood pressure check. My mind rattling around reminded me of this photo/inspiration, joining dots in my sleep…. Last week was a tough transition back to school for Piper. An encouraging chat with chappy, an uplifting word from a teacher and some prayer from friends turned her week around. One of her chores is to update this board, which she updated with this quote on the weekend. I know she’s in a better place when she does it without prompting. (The harder task is not to get Oliver to jumble it into something less inspirational).

Earlier today I shared a very appropriate drawing from redkite/I draw kids cancer about siblings:

…that’s our girls! They had a great weekend together and at one point they were being their dramatic selves. Giving reach other a pep talk, putting emphasis on different words in this quote.
WHEN you focus on the good the good gets better
when YOU focus on the good the good gets better
when you FOCUS on the good the good gets better
when you focus ON the good the good gets better
when you focus on THE good the good gets better
etc..
At the time I just rolled my eyes and smiled.

So today, after the usual long day of waiting on the day ward we made it up to the inpatient ward. Violet lost a craft project on the way to the ward, then we got a shared room. Tears. We’ve been in this place before and have a billion mental models to try and shift to a better mindset. We’ve met some wonderful people in shared rooms over the years, but it’s nowhere near as comfortable as a single, I know where she’s coming from. As I roll out whatever I can to try and shift things (we got the window, the other bed is currently empty, we could be on a different ward, oh look there’s that cool nurse you like) Violet says to me “you know what my sister says”, “When you focus on the good. The good gets better”.

A few minutes later she’s made up an obnoxious song about the quote, she’s opened her prize for being accessed and the nurse had found the lost craft. Yay.

Many years ago I remember a sermon about universal truths (ie. a truth that applies to all places and all things, no matter the source). “When you focus on the good the good gets better” has the feel, the universal truth shown in Philippians 4:8‭-‬9 - Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.