Slider Muffins My little cat's name is Slider.  She's black and white. You might say she's just a mutt.  She's crippled in her back legs due to a genetic flaw.  When she runs across hardwood floors, her back legs drag behind her.  When she is on grass or carpet she can use them, mostly. But Slider's disability does not keep her from exploring the world.  She climbs trees.  Much like a mountain climber, Slider throws one paw up and then the other until she hauls herself up to place where she can sit. Slider cannot scratch her face.  Her hind foot gets into position.  The foot trembles, but it does not move.  So I scratch her face. Slider loves to be chased across the floor.  I run after her saying, "I'm going to get you Slider!"  She runs down the hallway, around the corner, and into the middle of the bedroom where she promptly stops.  It's base.  And the prize for winning is for the loser to brush her fur and perhaps provide a pinch of catnip.   Sometimes I wonder why God put a little crippled cat into my life.  Slider can't do much for herself.  But left to myself, neither can I.  Slider's first owner wanted my friend  to toss her into the river.  But my friend rescued her and adopted her, and then I took her.  I'm also rescued and adopted by God.  Although I lavish Slider with food, play, head scratches, and love, sometimes Slider will get ornery and hiss at me.  Similarly, God provides for me, but I often find myself getting angry at God expressing my frustration at Him. So maybe God put Slider in my life so that I might learn a little bit more about myself  and God's love for me.

By a contributing blogger, David Mueller 

CLICK HERE For Living With Hope Counseling Facebook Page AND "LIKE" IT!
 


 By Diane Davidson 
                               Gammon M.S.
         Clinical Mental Health Counselor
Diane Davidson Gammon MS is clinically supervised by Michael Loftis LCSW as she pursues  LPC-MHSP licensure.

 Open Full-Time Days - Monday through Saturday
With Evening Appointments
615-556-8406
Email- Diane@LivingWithHopeCounseling.com

Sliding Scale Fee for Individual Counseling Sessions 

Free Support Groups for: Depression, Anxiety, Panic, Hopelessness, Trauma, PTSD, Abuse, and Grief and Loss (Including Miscarriage/ Stillbirth/ Infant loss)

 Have Hope! Renew Health! and...........

 

Restful sleep can help you face the new day with energy and a positive outlook.

Here are some ideas for getting better sleep.

1.  Set aside your smart phone at night.  Don’t take your phone, laptop, or other electronic device to bed.
2.  Have a nightly routine. Avoid alcohol.  Keep a pen and pad of paper on the nightstand to write down something that might pop into your head.  You can pick it up in the morning.
3.  Have a 30 minute nap during the day.
4.  Plan your sleep to account for 90 minute sleep cycles.  Waking up before the end of a sleep cycle will leave you feeling crappy during the day.  

Source:  Get better sleep: 5 powerful tips from research
   Diane Davidson Gammon MS is clinically supervised by Michael Loftis LCSW as she pursues  LPC-MHSP licensure.

CLICK HERE For Living With Hope Counseling Facebook Page AND "LIKE" IT!
 


 By Diane Davidson 
                               Gammon M.S.
         Clinical Mental Health Counselor

 Open Full-Time Days - Monday through Saturday
With Evening Appointments
615-556-8406
Email- Diane@LivingWithHopeCounseling.com

Sliding Scale Fee for Individual Counseling Sessions 

Free Support Groups for: Depression, Anxiety, Panic, Hopelessness, Trauma, PTSD, Abuse, and Grief and Loss (Including Miscarriage/ Stillbirth/ Infant loss)

 Have Hope! Renew Health! and...........

Some people experience weight gain over the winter, but it may not be entirely due to holiday foods. 

Did you know that the dark winter months may contribute to weight gain?

Researchers at the University of Edmonton, Canada found that exposure to sunlight can cause certain fat cells under the skin “tend to shrink under the effect of the sun’s so-called blue light — that is, the visible type of light that boosts attention and mood during the day.”

Researchers at this point have no idea how much sunlight is needed to contribute to weight loss, but they are hopeful that the new finding will assist scientists in their efforts find effective approaches helping people.

Source:  Weight Loss Breakthrough:  Sunlight is Key

 

CLICK HERE For Living With Hope Counseling Facebook Page AND "LIKE" IT!

 


   Diane Davidson Gammon M.S.
         Clinical Mental Health Counselor

 Open Full-Time Days - Monday through Saturday
With Evening Appointments

615-556-8406

Email- Diane@LivingWithHopeCounseling.com

Sliding Scale Fee for Individual Counseling Sessions 

Free Support Groups for: Depression, Anxiety, Panic, Hopelessness, Trauma, PTSD, Abuse, and Grief and Loss (Including Miscarriage/ Stillbirth/ Infant loss)

Disclaimer- I am not a doctor and I am not giving out medical advice. My blogs are for information and inspirational purposes. Please consult your doctor before starting a new health regimen.

Diane Davidson Gammon MS is clinically supervised by Michael Loftis LCSW as she pursues  LPC-MHSP licensure

Oh - the week of Valentines Day! This week is difficult for many people. 



Our society focuses on couples, point blank. This can make the week of Valentines Day especially difficult.

Then add in that it is still very cold weather for many of us. This can contribute to having the blues.

I want you to remember that you are never alone! YOU ARE THE PRINCE OR PRINCESS OF GOD! 

God loves you and is always with you. 

He loves you with an everlasting love! 

Make Him your Valentine this year!

Free Support Groups for: Depression, Anxiety, Panic, Hopelessness, Trauma, PTSD, Abuse, and Grief and Loss (Including Miscarriage/ Stillbirth/ Infant loss)

CLICK HERE For Living With Hope Counseling Facebook Page AND "LIKE" IT!
 


 By Diane Davidson 
                               Gammon M.S.
         Clinical Mental Health Counselor
Diane Davidson Gammon MS is clinically supervised by Michael Loftis LCSW as she pursues  LPC-MHSP licensure.

 Open Full-Time Days - Monday through Saturday
With Evening Appointments
615-556-8406
Email- Diane@LivingWithHopeCounseling.com

Sliding Scale Fee for Individual Counseling Sessions 

Free Support Groups for: Depression, Anxiety, Panic, Hopelessness, Trauma, PTSD, Abuse, and Grief and Loss (Including Miscarriage/ Stillbirth/ Infant loss)

 Have Hope! Renew Health! and...........

 

The cold during wintertime can be less than motivating when it comes to exercise.

But there are some ways to beat the cold and still get moving.

• Dress in layers and then go for a walk outside.
• Go to the mall and lap walk.  
• Take the stairs at work.  Run a contest with your co-workers to see who can use the stairs the most.  
• Use the local gym.  

Exercise will not only help you stay fit through the winter, but exercise improves your mood.

Source:  Want to Avoid Winter Weight Gain? Exercise

CLICK HERE For Living With Hope Counseling Facebook Page AND "LIKE" IT!

 


   Diane Davidson Gammon M.S.
         Clinical Mental Health Counselor

 Open Full-Time Days - Monday through Saturday
With Evening Appointments

615-556-8406

Email- Diane@LivingWithHopeCounseling.com

Sliding Scale Fee for Individual Counseling Sessions 

Free Support Groups for: Depression, Anxiety, Panic, Hopelessness, Trauma, PTSD, Abuse, and Grief and Loss (Including Miscarriage/ Stillbirth/ Infant loss)

Disclaimer- I am not a doctor and I am not giving out medical advice. My blogs are for information and inspirational purposes. Please consult your doctor before starting a new health regimen.

Diane Davidson Gammon MS is clinically supervised by Michael Loftis LCSW as she pursues  LPC-MHSP licensure

In some ways God’s work of sanctification might be like painting a house.

The painter prepares the exterior by power washing away the mold, mildew, dust, dirt, and loose paint.  But the surface is not yet ready.  The painter must scrap away the remaining loose paint and sand the surface.

But even then the painter may still have more work to do. He may prime the surface, fill holes, replace rotten wood, and caulk as needed.  All the while going over every square inch of the surface looking for details that need to be corrected.

The painter then applies a coat of paint.  He waits until it is dry, and then he applies another coat of paint, making it fit for the owner of the house.

God washes us clean with the blood of His son.  And like a meticulous craftsman, He proceeds to go over every square inch of our lives, identifying problems and sins, correcting, smoothing our rough edges, clothing us in love and glory, making us fit for the kingdom of God.

With some of His projects, God is on pace to finish quickly. With others, God takes His time finishing and refinishing until He refines us according to His plan.  

 By a contributing blogger, David Mueller 

CLICK HERE For Living With Hope Counseling Facebook Page AND "LIKE" IT!

 


   Diane Davidson Gammon M.S.
         Clinical Mental Health Counselor

 Open Full-Time Days - Monday through Saturday
With Evening Appointments

615-556-8406

Email- Diane@LivingWithHopeCounseling.com

Sliding Scale Fee for Individual Counseling Sessions 

Free Support Groups for: Depression, Anxiety, Panic, Hopelessness, Trauma, PTSD, Abuse, and Grief and Loss (Including Miscarriage/ Stillbirth/ Infant loss)

Disclaimer- I am not a doctor and I am not giving out medical advice. My blogs are for information and inspirational purposes. Please consult your doctor before starting a new health regimen.

Diane Davidson Gammon MS is clinically supervised by Michael Loftis LCSW as she pursues  LPC-MHSP licensure

Some of the hardest things to do in life is the mundane stuff.  The tasks that are repetitive, uninteresting, or just exasperatingly boring.

But it’s in those mundane, repetitive tasks where we grind out the daily Christian life.  It’s where we learn to be faithful in the tasks given to us.  It’s where we learn, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”  

Few of us are called to do exceptional things for God.  For most of us, the most exceptional thing we will do is to learn to be faithful in the ordinariness of life.

 By a contributing blogger, David Mueller

CLICK HERE For Living With Hope Counseling Facebook Page AND "LIKE" IT!

 


   Diane Davidson 
                               Gammon M.S.
         Clinical Mental Health Counselor

 Open Full-Time Days - Monday through Saturday
With Evening Appointments

615-556-8406

Email- Diane@LivingWithHopeCounseling.com

Sliding Scale Fee for Individual Counseling Sessions 

Free Support Groups for: Depression, Anxiety, Panic, Hopelessness, Trauma, PTSD, Abuse, and Grief and Loss (Including Miscarriage/ Stillbirth/ Infant loss)

Disclaimer- I am not a doctor and I am not giving out medical advice. My blogs are for information and inspirational purposes. Please consult your doctor before starting a new health regimen.

Diane Davidson Gammon MS is clinically supervised by Michael Loftis LCSW as she pursues  LPC-MHSP licensure

Free Depression, Anxiety, Trauma, Grief Support Group- 

Tuesday, Feb. 6th for adults of all ages.

Pre-screening and pre-registration is required for each meeting.

 Email Diane:
Diane@LivingWithHopeCounseling.com or call or text 615-556-8406 to register or for more information 
   Diane Davidson Gammon MS is clinically supervised by Michael Loftis LCSW as she pursues  LPC-MHSP licensure.

CLICK HERE For Living With Hope Counseling Facebook Page AND "LIKE" IT!
 


 By Diane Davidson 
                               Gammon M.S.
         Clinical Mental Health Counselor

 Open Full-Time Days - Monday through Saturday
With Evening Appointments
615-556-8406
Email- Diane@LivingWithHopeCounseling.com

Sliding Scale Fee for Individual Counseling Sessions 

Free Support Groups for: Depression, Anxiety, Panic, Hopelessness, Trauma, PTSD, Abuse, and Grief and Loss (Including Miscarriage/ Stillbirth/ Infant loss)

 Have Hope! Renew Health! and...........

Lest you think that you are here on Earth by accident, consider what the scriptures say.

The prophet Jeremiah writes, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.”

In Psalm 139, King David writes, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; you works are wonderful, I know that full well.  My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.  Your eyes saw my unformed body’ all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”

The apostle Paul writes, “For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence.”

The first person to whom Christ revealed himself was another child in the womb.

“When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.”  

God has been thinking about you even before you were made.  And that should be an encouraging thought.

 By a contributing blogger, David Mueller 

CLICK HERE For Living With Hope Counseling Facebook Page AND "LIKE" IT!

 


   Diane Davidson 
                               Gammon M.S.
         Clinical Mental Health Counselor

 Open Full-Time Days - Monday through Saturday
With Evening Appointments

615-556-8406

Email- Diane@LivingWithHopeCounseling.com

Sliding Scale Fee for Individual Counseling Sessions 

Free Support Groups for: Depression, Anxiety, Panic, Hopelessness, Trauma, PTSD, Abuse, and Grief and Loss (Including Miscarriage/ Stillbirth/ Infant loss)

Disclaimer- I am not a doctor and I am not giving out medical advice. My blogs are for information and inspirational purposes. Please consult your doctor before starting a new health regimen.

Diane Davidson Gammon MS is clinically supervised by Michael Loftis LCSW as she pursues  LPC-MHSP licensure

Sin should never surprise us.  We are after all sinners.  In a sordid way, sin is expected of us.

What should surprise us, however, is when God empowers us to obey him in some matter.

In John 15:5, Christ says, “For apart from me you can do nothing.”

Any obedience on our part comes from Christ.  None of it comes of ourselves, our strength, or power.

God gets all the credit.

Author Barbara Duguid writes, “God is glorified in our weakness in so many ways.  How would we ever know his patience if we did not sin time and time again?  How could we ever plumb the depths of his love if we did not sin against it over and over again, only to find that his forgiveness is endless and his love unshakable?”


By a contributing blogger, David Mueller
  Diane Davidson Gammon MS is clinically supervised by Michael Loftis LCSW as she pursues  LPC-MHSP licensure.

CLICK HERE For Living With Hope Counseling Facebook Page AND "LIKE" IT!
 


 By Diane Davidson 
                               Gammon M.S.
         Clinical Mental Health Counselor
Diane Davidson Gammon MS is clinically supervised by Michael Loftis LCSW as she pursues  LPC-MHSP licensure.

 Open Full-Time Days - Monday through Saturday
With Evening Appointments
615-556-8406
Email- Diane@LivingWithHopeCounseling.com

Sliding Scale Fee for Individual Counseling Sessions 

Free Support Groups for: Depression, Anxiety, Panic, Hopelessness, Trauma, PTSD, Abuse, and Grief and Loss (Including Miscarriage/ Stillbirth/ Infant loss)

 Have Hope! Renew Health! and...........