TODAY THE WORDS are AIRPLANE WATCHING. For many of you who read the blog on a regular basis, the conversation sometimes goes to making more time with your children and being in touch with what they are watching on tv and also what games and social medias they participate. I have seen so many missing children ads on FB and hear of so much violence provoked by children and it warrants a warning to all parents. I thought I would go back in time for what my parents would do for our entertainment. I am not suggesting this as a literal event or outing; I am trying to suggest there are many things and outings which are not expensive parents can do with their children and not break the bank but start a savings account (or in other words, saving your child account) in your children’s name and start making deposits of your time. The “interest” can build over the years and produce a large return on your investment. When we were young, our parents provided for us with the necessities but they didn’t have a lot of leftover money. They did take the time for trips to the park, picnics, and then there were the trips to the airport. No, we didn’t actually go into the airport; we parked outside the airport and watched the planes take off and land. This was in Chicago and O’Hare airport was busy so we didn’t have to wait long for many planes taking off and landing. We would have a lot of fun and would talk to each other and tell funny stories and laugh. Momma would have us something to eat because we didn’t have the money for “fast foods” but even eating her goodies was a good experience. This may not sound very exciting to many of you who are reading this and you have to remember, I have been around the country flying to many cities and have flown overseas; but at that time I could only dream of flying! There are plenty of places and events if parents will plan for their children and not cost a lot. I do see some parents making this time with their children and I applaud all of you for making a special effort to “deposit” into your child’s life account. They will be adults soon and they too need special memories to share with their children the “good ole days” and hopefully they will smile when they say to their children, “Let me tell you about……”.
Live life, love life and live life to the fullest!
DAILY FEATURED BIBLE VERSE:

Deuteronomy 6:6-7                     
And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.(c) copyright 2013 Arline Lott Miller. The material here copyrighted, use only by permission

TODAY THE WORD is WATERMELON.  With the summer in full bloom, kids out of school, vacations in progress, summer vegetables being canned or frozen and mostly eaten, and the heat rising, what better subject than the coolness and refreshment which comes from watermelons. I love watermelon and look forward to the new crop every year. I like the seedless but I would never turn down a watermelon with seeds. I hadn’t tasted a yellow watermelon in years until a few weeks ago; it was good but there is something about the brilliant red bordered by the white and surrounded by a deep striped green rind. I have a special fondness for watermelon stemming from a childhood memory. My Mother’s Daddy, Granddaddy Holt, was a head guard at a prison work camp. That’s right the prisoners actually worked while incarcerated on farms. Granddaddy Holt loved to have his grandchildren come visit him and there were times when I and one of my cousins would stay for a few days. Granddaddy Holt was a big man, to the prisoners a strong one, but he was so good to us, spoiling us rotten while we visited and he taught me how to mix my eggs, bacon, and grits together and to this day, when I mix them, I still smile at the memory of Granddaddy showing us how to do it.
Each afternoon, if we wanted and we always wanted, he would send trustees with the truck with a couple of watermelons to his house from the prison fields. They would cut the watermelons open and we could eat “the heart” and more until we were about to burst. Oh, we loved Granddaddy and his melons. He was of the old school and for Christmas would roll fruit to the children. We didn’t care that it rolled on the floor, we loved the thought of love. So watermelons and fruit were gifts of love and they were so sweet. The deeper thought….When we stop and cherish sweet moments of our life, we find the things that may not have cost a lot mean the most to us. The important thought about the watermelons was Granddaddy took the time to care and spend time with his grandchildren. He loved sharing both his food and his valuable time. He didn’t take us to town all of the time; he didn’t try to buy our love; he gave his love! Watermelon is so good; Granddaddy’s love was so much sweeter!
DAILY FEATURED BIBLE VERSE:

 1 Corinthians 10:31                
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
 (c) copyright 2013 Arline Lott Miller. The material here copyrighted, use only by permission.

TODAY THE WORDS are INTOLERANCE. In our country for all races to be at peace, there has to be NO tolerance for violence against any innocent people! We will never have racial equality when we do not address all sides and believe we are all important to our survival. If we knew earth was being attacked by aliens; would it matter what color skin any of us have? We would ban together to fight enemies and not ourselves. If we stop and think….What better way to destroy America is by tearing us apart. For me, when a child, man or woman gets killed by no fault of their own, I realize the hurt the entire family goes through. My brother was killed by a white man and it didn’t make it hurt less what color he was. Our nation should recognize it is not the Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, or Whites that are being played one against the other; it is all Americans by those who would rather hate and spread vicious hate amongst people for their own popularity. Too many agenda minded and self serving people who find themselves in the spotlight are spreading the wrong message. We need to forget the “race” card and remember “God’s children’s” card. It is not a matter of color; it is a matter of innocence. I have been watching since a young man, African American was killed and no matter what your feelings are toward the outcome of the jury whether it had been guilty or acquitted, he was still gone from this earth. I have seen matching stories where a white child unarmed was shot by a black neighborhood watchman who was acquitted for self defence, which have not gotten any public main stream media attention and while this seems to be racial injustice too, why are we not trying to fix both problems? Why does it have to be a race issue or a “too easy to shoot someone” issue? Before anyone gets riled up and takes a gun control side; I was brought up in a home with a policeman who never locked his gun up but taught us not to touch it. I do advocate keeping guns locked up since parents don’t seem to have the control like our parents did over us. All of this being said, “Listen world, it is not always about black or white, American or another nationality; it is about caring about others.” Parents need to return to paying attention to what they are teaching their children, watch and see what kids are watching on TV and video games, hear how their children are talking to their friends and you as their parents, be mindful of how, parents act toward their children,and take positive action in the home as that is where I think ALL races are failing. If children are taught to respect parents, siblings, friends and teachers as well as other adults; we start making an impact in all races. God is love and He asks us to love each other and that means everybody. We need to stop thinking who killed who and work on stopping the senseless killing! I love America and I want America to be admired and held high in esteem and not become a joke to the world. I have traveled to other countries and have seen their beauty as well so it needs to be an international jump start to ending “hate” and sharing God’s love to each other.
DAILY FEATURED BIBLE VERSE:
Galatians 3:28                     
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
(c) copyright 2013 Arline Lott Miller. The material here copyrighted, use only by permission

TODAY THE WORDS are AFTER THE SONG HAS ENDED. First, I would like to reflect on yesterday’s topic, Lyrics. I received such  a moving comment from a FB friend who added more emphasis on how touching lyrics can be to her. Her story was a personal reflection on how her late husband had such great intentions for their future. Even with those great intentions, he left for work one day and didn’t return as he was t-boned by a semi. The Travis Tritt song “Good Intentions” reminds her of this emotional time in her life. I felt it was important to take a step further into this topic “when the song has ended”. How many times have we been listening to a song and it ended; we were left wanting to hear it longer, and we were ready to sing another verse when there wasn’t one? We hit replay and that is a fortunate thing for us; life doesn’t usually give us a replay. We have to go forward. We can make changes in the future; we can apologize and repent for things in the past (in other words change the lyrics of life) or we can keep doing the same things we did in the past (keep singing the same song). Our life is our song, the lyrics are ours alone, and we do write the lyrics, and whether the song becomes a “hit” or “miss”, we are given choices for the chorus (direction from God). How many times have we heard a certain song and thought of a certain person? This is a way artists pull from their experiences or others and put them to music. As I wrote yesterday, some songs bring us to tears and some make us laugh. Now for the deeper thought…..One day, we will face the end of our song. How do we want people listening to it play for the last time to feel about us? Recently, I attended a funeral for someone special and while I was sitting there listening to this person’s last song, I found it amazing that I couldn’t remember anything negative about him. I heard his lyrics, some funny, some thoughtful, some kind, and none that was bad. He never became famous, but he was a star in his family; he was a rock. What a nice song he sang during his life! As my friend so truly feels, “Good intentions” are good but they may never come into play. May we sing our life’s song in such a beautiful melody that when our song has ended; our song will be the one which plays over and over in someone’s mind. When you smile, you have placed a musical note in someone’s mind; smile a lot and make a melody.
DAILY FEATURED BIBLE VERSE:
James 5:13                     
Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.

(c) copyright 2013 Arline Lott Miller. The material here copyrighted, use only by permission.

TODAY THE WORD is LYRICS.  The night of the 4th of July, they had the usual show at the Capitol with entertainers singing special songs and I found it quite fascinating when Neil Diamond took to the stage. When he started singing America, if I couldn’t have seen his face, I still would have known it was him and would have known almost all of the lyrics to that great song. If you don’t feel the passion of America when certain songs are song, you are missing one of the great gifts we, as a nation have to offer. What sent some chills up my spine was when he offered to sing “Sweet Caroline”. This is his trade song and even when others have sung it, this song belongs to Neil. That set the mind working to how we identify ourselves in life, with lyrics of certain songs. Whatever state you live in, if someone has written a song about it; if it starts playing, a big tug at the heart. I was present at the Kentucky Derby one year and when they cranked up and everyone started singing “My Old Kentucky Home”, I was even feeling some tears as everyone else was. Being from Georgia, Ray Charles could send the tingles up the spine with “Georgia”. If you think back to different relationships (you may only have the one special relationship and that means you are indeed blessed) and remember “the song” attached to it. As for me and Greg, “You had me from hello” is our special song and no matter how far between my hearing it, it still has the same effect. I know you are hearing your “song” in your mind as you are reading this and that is the reason for this topic. As lyrics play such an important part in our personal history and true history of our country, we are affected by both the lyrics and the melody behind the words. Now for the deeper thought….We are singing our lyrics of life as we go about our daily tasks. We are writing our individual song with choices of what lyrics we insert into our lives. It can be a fast, moving song as some of us like to make things happen and we like to move. Others may choose a slower, emotional, tugging song as these are the people who are intense people and they have deeper passions but also can have more strife than those who outrun the problems and move past them. Then, there are the ones who like both rhythms, and this is the most well rounded people; full of passion but able to move past the troubles of life. When you feel the music and the lyrics of Amazing Grace; know that God moved on the heart of the writer and lyrics of Salvation came into existence of music. Sing in life; sing in joy; sing in the voice of salvation; the lyrics will charge your soul!
DAILY FEATURED BIBLE VERSE:
Psalm 95:1-2                
Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!

(c) copyright 2013 Arline Lott Miller. The material here copyrighted, use only by permission

TODAY THE WORDS are RUBBER NECKING. We went to my Husband’s home town for our oldest grandson, Abram’s, 5th “big boy” birthday party. He was our first and of course there is always such a special bond since we experienced all of his new tricks, walks, words and special times when he would crawl into bed and snuggle in with Nana while Granddaddy cooked him grits and eggs. How fast they grow up. I could spend the entire blog on all of our grandsons and each one of them has a place in our heart. Our trip was great and everyone looked like they needed a nap (we might have been in that category). Sometimes, when we travel after lunch, Greg likes me to drive while he takes the nap. This suited me and I took over and got back on I-75 and jumped right in with the traffic. I had not driven even 5 miles and traffic came to a screeching halt. Wreck, I thought, and I hoped no one got hurt. It slowed to a crawl, then we got to resume a nearly normal speed and then it would stop again. It didn’t matter which lane I moved into; another slow crawl was in store. I thought, ah, ha; law officials must be out in force; but no again as we only saw a few patrol cars. Stop and go; slow and go; stop and go; this was the regime for the return trip. For the entire trip until we got about 20 miles from home, we snailed and snailed our way through each torturous mile. Greg managed a nap during most of this and woke when I exited off the interstate. During the calm 3 miles from the interstate to our subdivision, I had a thought about how people rubber neck, not only on the highways; people rubber neck throughout their lives. We speed up; we slow down; we change lanes only to find the same problems in the other lane only to want to move back into the lane we were in before we switched. We have to hit our brakes and then speed up again. How this plays out in life, you ask? When we are young, we are at top speed. We make decisions fast and we really don’t think it through or even look ahead in the other “lane” to see what lies ahead. We move over, and we say to ourselves, “Oh yeah, this is going to be better.” Then we see the “big 18 wheeler semi blocking the flow of travel (obstacles in the new relationship, job, home, finances, etc) and we start questioning why did we make the move? We settle down and wait for the lane to clear up (in life, we start working through any issues, problems, finances, etc. We start cruising again and we start to pick up speed and we put some time in a career, school, marriage and faith. There are always some orange barrels along the way (friends and family) to keep us from getting into trouble on the road of life.
Where the problem is during the ride of life, if we lose control of our temper, anxiety, love, patience. Traffic of life is never the same. Sometimes the ride is easy and smooth and there are times when it is so bumpy, you have to put both hands on the steering wheel and say a prayer that nobody was hurt in the wreck of life. May you drive smoothly through the traffic jams and try not to rubber neck.
DAILY FEATURED BIBLE VERSE:
     

2 Timothy 1:7                     

For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

(c) copyright 2013 Arline Lott Miller. The material here copyrighted, use only by permission.

TODAY THE WORD is DESIRE. Since I have changed my eating to a healthier process, I have thought about the fattening, delicious foods which are no longer on my menu. I say this to certainly describe what I consider the perfect description of the topic of today, “Desire”. Oh, yes, I have desired those sugary, high fat foods, and especially junk food, but I “desire” good health more! I found a quote by Napoleon Hill describing how “desire” is so important to the achievement of any attempt. Here it is:
“The starting point of all achievement is desire. Keep this constantly in mind. Weak desires bring weak results, just as a small fire makes a small amount of heat.”
– Napoleon Hill (Think and Grow Rich)
I find this very important in our life. Let’s go to our thoughts for a minute and think back on our own history and how the events, challenges, goals, etc. were accomplished by a “desire” to make them happen. When we see disabled people, male or female accomplishing what society would deem impossible, and we look at their faces; see the desire and the determination. I feel determination is the dessert at the meal of desire; we want it (or desire) so much that we create a determination to achieve that desire. Desire can be an enemy of life if directed in the wrong direction. Desire for unhealthy foods; desire for popularity or center of attention; desire for inappropriate behavior; or a desire to be non responsibility in a relationship, work, or community. Desire, directed into healthy, moral, kind, and/or charitable acts will develop an incredible determination to “make it happen”. We start setting goals, we start the action which will develop results, and we get the right mind set for success. Now for the deeper thought…..Do we condition ourselves to desire “unhealthy” things or actions or do we constantly keep our thoughts, mind, and souls desiring the healthy, moral, and charitable choices? God has commissioned us to seek the word and act accordingly. We have been given the choice of making choices. If desire is the starting point, I feel parents insert this action into their children. Are our children being exposed to good events, healthy food, moral issues, etc. or do we, as parents, only show our children the things popular with society and celebrities. When I look at the popular celebrities, I fail to see good examples with the exception of a very few. Desire the positive and be determined to build on the positive influence that goodness can develop.
DAILY FEATURED BIBLE VERSE:
Psalm 37:4                     
Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.


(c) copyright 2013 Arline Lott Miller. The material here copyrighted, use only by permission.

 

TODAY THE WORD is SPARKLERS. With today being Fourth of July, it brought back memories of the excitement surrounding sparklers. With more safety restrictions, we don’t see sparklers like we had when, as a child, we celebrated The Big Fireworks holiday on the Fourth of July. We knew of no danger; we only knew we were going to have fun when the box of sparklers came out. I can see the box now and remember the anticipation of being given a sparkler (one for each child). When it was lit; it was ON! The sparkling an crackling brought smiles, laughter, oohs and ahs, chatter, and lots of fun. We weren’t privy to any sizable fireworks and we would go to the stadium for the town’s big fireworks display; but we had Sparklers! We would write our names with the sparklers in the air. Once the sparkler went out; we anxiously awaited the next gift of glitz and sparkling light. This was such a great time with each other by doing the sparklers as a family. We would load up in the car, travel to the stadium and wait for it to get dark and then the fireworks would start. I remember us laying a blanket on the car’s hood, roof and trunk so that we could watch them. We never went into the stadium; we had too much fun in and on the car! Look at that one; see the bursts, wow was that one big; and Oh that was a loud boom! We compared each one with the brilliant colors and size. By the time for the finale, we were stoked all right! Then, it came with a constant barrage of color, shapes, sounds, and a lot of giggling, chatter, and some of our parent’s warnings to behave. All of this being so wonderful and we were taught about how this country was fought for, how independence was won, and how we were to appreciate this country. We were told of the sacrifices many had made for us to be a free country, live in harmony, and respect those who served our country. Now, for my deeper thought on this, our Country’s Fourth of July…..Our freedom, our freedom of speech, our freedom of religion, our belief in equality, our independence are our sparklers and we have to keep them lit in our minds as we never want them to burn out! The brilliance of our country needs to be bright as we enjoy all of the comforts we have had. God has blessed us and we have to do our part for our Sparklers to keep sparkling and lighting up the sky. Never, for one second take it for granted. Pray everyday for our country and for the world. The USA needs to shine brilliantly as a beacon of hope for the countries struggling. We don’t need arrogance; we need compassion. We don’t need to boast; we need kindness. We don’t need control’ we need love. Have a wonderful, fun Fourth of July and thank God for His Protection and Grace! Do a little sparkling yourself!
DAILY FEATURED BIBLE VERSE:

Matthew 4:16

The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up. 
(c) copyright 2013 Arline Lott Miller. The material here copyrighted, use only by permission.

Proverbs 22:1-2                 

A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold. The rich and the poor meet together; the Lord is the maker of them all.

 



Luna agrees with Bill Cosby. Photo courtesy of Missy Haas.

“A word to the wise ain’t necessary – it’s the stupid ones that need the advice.”

 TODAY THE WORD is QUOTING.  All of us have quoted someone, copied and pasted some great quote, laughed at the funny quotes, or used motivational and/or spiritual quotes at some time or other. I use bible verses that are usually fitting for the topics of the day. What does it mean when we quote someone else? It is flattering to the author, I am sure if they knew how many times someone used a quote from them. When I am researching a phrase, I find it interesting on the origin of many day to day phrases we use. So many people, with the use of YouTube, are becoming popular and we find ourselves using their phrases such as Honey Brown saying, “Ain’t nobody got time for that”. How many times have you repeated this after seeing her video. The phrase, “Just Do It” became an advertising logo for one of the biggest companies and I don’t even have to tell you which one as you thought of the company when you read this (or at least some of you did). Quotes are important for inspiring, motivating, or reaching people. We find ourselves having an AH HA moment when we read something that touches, reaches into our souls or we find it amusing enough to laugh with ourselves. It is similar to the game show who played the first few notes of a song and the goal was for the contestant to guess the title of the song by listening. Words or music have such an impact on our emotions. How many of you have listened to a song (which is based on a lot of repetition of words or phrases) and cried? How many times have you laughed? Now for the deeper thought……When so many of the people whose phrases became quotes were saying them, do you think they realized their words would become famous? I doubt it! And that brings me to this thought….WE are speaking into the microphone of life each time we open our mouths. You never know when something you say will be heard and repeated. You never know when something you say will touch someone’s heart and change their life. Here is a little tidbit for us to remember too….You never know when something you say will destroy another’s life by hurtful words. Words are so powerful; they heal or kill. Be careful how you say what you mean when speaking to others. I found out a little time ago, when I write, my mind works pretty fast and I know what I am trying to say, but I get messages from some who take my message in a different route than intended. This taught me “people cannot read my mind”. Listen well, speak slower, and interpret with your heart.
DAILY FEATURED BIBLE VERSE:

Proverbs 15:1                
A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

(c) copyright 2013 Arline Lott Miller. The material here copyrighted, use only by permission.