2015 Minute to Win It Challenge: As we move toward the end of this year which has passed entirely too fast, I think if each of us stop and allow a full minute to pass with only good thoughts to be allowed we might find it useful to perform this mental task each day. Do you realize if everyone in the world would do this, 7.125 Billion Minutes of Good Thoughts would flow around this world. I think it could change the world in a positive way. Accept the Challenge and You will win A Positive Daily Approach in 2015. If you accept this challenge, please comment You Accept the Minute to Win It Challenge to take a minute a day to think positive thoughts.

In November 2013, I was encouraged to start a blog from my postings on Facebook by a life friend and published author, Peggy Mercer. Not even knowing what a blog was, I thought what?? I went on to look at several blogs and thought this would be an adventure. It is with appreciation to Peggy for her encouragement and support. 

Once the blog started and people actually started reading it, commenting, sharing it, and told me they related to this one or that one and I kept writing. It is now about to be 2015 with 65,000 views and 70 countries viewing it. 

I found it to be a great discipline tool for me and it has even amazed me that I have written over 600 posts on various subjects. I have re-posted a few of my favorites, but mainly they are new. It has given me a regular outlet for my out of the box outlook on life. Some are funny, some are very serious, some will pull at the heart strings, and some are probably too outspoken; but they all contain a life lesson which I learned.

TODAY THE WORDS are DO YOU HEAR WHAT I HEAR? With a lot of celebration and seeing family and giving and receiving gifts last night, this morning at 5 am; I woke with a song echoing in my mind and it is “DO YOU HEAR WHAT I HEAR?” As it strummed through my head, I thought should we be so excited about Christmas gifts and all of the build up? I seemed to ponder this for a few minutes and then it seemed the answer to my question came. The gifts are a symbol of love to each other and no; we don’t have to have any gift but they are nice to feel love and sharing. The biggest reflection which came along with this thought was the Wise Men came bearing gifts to mark the biggest celebration of birth this world has ever known or ever will know. While this was being shown to me; the revelation of the “Gift” we received when Christ was born was Christ himself. 

At Christmas, we are festive with decorations, glitter, lights, wrapping paper and ribbons all in bright beautiful display. We celebrate with family and friends; we have beautiful desserts; we dress up sometimes; and we sing Christmas carols. It is a wonderful time; it is a festive time; it is a loving time; but it is rightfully so that we celebrate and congregate. When this song came melodically streaming in my mind; I seem to hear, “Listen, my child. I was born to save you. You are right to celebrate My Holy Birth and give and receive as I gave and all I ask for you, my child is to Love Me and Worship in My Name. I ask you to love people as I love All of You. I ask you to forgive others as I have forgiven you. I ask you to humbly respect My Divine Power and if you hurt or need healing ask for My Gift of Healing as I AM THE GIVER OF ALL THINGS and I Love to Give. You see, my child I was born to give You My Life so you may live.”

Said the night wind to the little lamb,

Do you see what I see

Way up in the sky, little lamb,

Do you see what I see

A star, a star, dancing in the night

With a tail as big as a kite

With a tail as big as a kite

Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy,

Do you hear what I hear

Ringing through the sky, shepherd boy,

Do you hear what I hear

A song, a song, high above the trees

With a voice as big as the sea

With a voice as big as the sea

Said the shepherd boy to the mighty king,

Do you know what I know

In your palace warm, mighty king,

Do you know what I know

A Child, a Child shivers in the cold

Let us bring Him silver and gold

Let us bring Him silver and gold

Said the king to the people everywhere,

Listen to what I say

Pray for peace, people everywhere!

Listen to what I say

TODAY THE WORDS are I DON’T NEED MY PRESENTS WRAPPED. Sometimes, the topic for the blog comes out of nowhere but this one came about when Greg and I were discussing we had the presents wrapped or in gift bags as we always do. It is an inside family joke for everyone to save their bags as they will see them again next year. This got me to thinking because my most precious gifts I have ever received don’t need wrapping as I can see them clearly.I thought I would share my “favorite” things with all of you.

1) My daughter who came into my life and changed it forever for the better. She is such a joy for me to be called her Mom. Each call, each visit, each card, and each hug is so precious to me. No diamond on this earth can compare with her brilliance. I would not want her beauty to be hid under some wrapping paper as I love to see her beautiful blue eyes and her million dollar smile and nothing can compare with the “I love you bunches” from her on a text.

2) Even though my wonderful husband came later in my life; he has made up for lost time and made a woman who wondered if true love existed a true believer. We laugh, we cry together, we tease each other, and we can take whatever life throws at us because we know we will get through it together. He had me at hello; I never want to say goodbye. He is the head of our household and what I appreciate is he wants my input. Oh, he will argue and say I run the ship but he knows how much I value his “take charge” attitude. He didn’t ride in on a white horse but he certainly fits my Prince Charming and I know him; he would never agree to hide in a box so I love his strength; I love his caring self; and I love he will go to anyone’s rescue.

3) My sister is so precious to me. She is my link to our family which has shrunk. She is my link to my childhood. She is my friend and she is so beautiful to me. Now, I could see her letting me string her up with ribbons so we could laugh together but I had rather just stick a bow on her head and giggle together but I would want to see her face. Her family is my family. Her husband is my “brother” instead of an in-law. Her children have always been more to me than niece and nephew. No, I want her out where I can see her and say to her how much I love her and her family.

5) My relatives and friends are too plentiful to fit in any container except my heart. I love all of my aunts, uncles, cousins, and some who may not be blood relatives but have come to be dear to me. I have been blessed to re-connect with so many classmates and friends from years ago. I feel they are like added ornaments to our family tree and fill in the missing spaces. 

6) Our little pets, Bandit and Buster, who show us unconditional love and mischief. They provide us with stories and adventures to talk about without judging us. I might want to put Buster in a box to keep him out of trouble but I couldn’t do without him. Bandit is that comforting, quiet, sweet dog but Buster keeps us laughing and running while Bandit gives.

TODAY THE WORDS are WHO STOLE AMERICA? We have read the story and seen the movie The Grinch who stole Christmas but the subject for today is “WHO STOLE AMERICA?” Watching the news and seeing so many things which are not part of what I believe our country was founded on….I wondered where did the America…The United States of America….our beloved country go and who has stolen it and its principles.

I don’t think our country or any country is perfect and maybe it is because I have gotten older and perhaps wiser; I see our country being hijacked. People claim they want equality but more than equality; they demand someone who disagrees with them be silenced. People scream acceptance; they however don’t accept others beliefs. People say, “Separation between church and state”; they don’t want prayer unless it is a non Christian religion and then oh yeah we have to allow that. The same folks say keep God out but put Muhammed in school books. What’s up with that? I feel we should allow both. Give people a choice and not demand either. The reason I say this and I am a Christian is how this country was founded. Let’s take a look.

People who felt they did not have freedom of religion and speech. Let’s not go backwards in our country. I may not feel a certain religion matches my personal convictions; but I feel everyone should be able to express their beliefs without feeling of persecution. Wasn’t that the very thing our forefathers fought for and many died. My rights should be honored as others are honored. I want to touch on what I heard as “micro-aggression” mentioned on the news. Now, if I may give you my thoughts on a touchy subject. What if a person doesn’t believe in God…do they have rights? God, who I believe in supports “choice of belief”. But my thoughts are that is their choice; not mine and my beliefs should not be subjected to their non belief. There are so many things which exist in this country and world which I don’t agree with or believe in. This doesn’t mean I have the right to do away with them or say I can’t see them. Who has that power? 

TODAY THE WORDS are A TRIBUTE TO WHISKERS. With our latest rescue dog, Buster making a lot of commotion; we get caught up in his antics. He had filled a void in our hearts and Bandit, our rescued Yorkie when Whiskers passed away a few years ago. I thought I would pay a tribute to our Whiskers or as we would teasingly call him our little Wikki man. 

Whiskers came to us by fate. I was brokering group health insurance in Augusta and called on an auto repair business. I had dressed in a suit with heels and was sitting in the waiting room when I saw a sign (which we still have) “Free puppy to a good home” on cardboard attached to the counter. A small bowl of water and food was below. As I waited, the owner came over to me and told me it would be a few minutes before we could meet and oh by the way, “Do you want a dog?” I quickly answered, “No!” since I traveled and we didn’t have a fenced in back yard. I immediately told him, since he did business with my husband through the car business, not to tell Greg about the dog since he had been “hounding” me for one for about a year.

Long story short, and with me not knowing “Whiskers” was behind the door where I was sitting close to it, he opened the door and out came Whiskers. He made the rounds in the room, stopping in front of each person sitting and his tail was wagging whether they were old, young, white, black, or Hispanic. Whiskers loved people and even though he was friendly to all; when he got to my chair; he looked up with his brown eyes at me and claimed me. He sat down and waited. I text Greg and asked, “Do you want a dog?” and my husband didn’t ask what kind, how big, or anything, but immediately text me, “GET THE DOG!!” So off we went, me in my suit and heels with Whiskers in my arms to be our dog. We later heard the stories of how he had been abandoned in the neighbor’s yard with a note, “We can no longer take care of Whiskers. Find him a good home.”

  And now for the rest of the story….We found out Whiskers had seizures and the vet said he was around 1 1/2 years old and was a mixed Terrier and Schnauzer so in other words, a Schnerrier as we like to say. When he was 9 1/2 years old, after being told dogs who have seizures normally live only a few years, we had our last night with a dog who had made our life one adventure after another. He made us smile; he would greet us in the afternoon after being left all day long on his hind legs like a child with his legs uplifted to take me. He entertained and was ready to ride at any given moment. Each seizure would make us wonder if this was the one who would take him from us but after he made it through; he would act as if he was asking us “What happened; I am ready to play!” Oh how we enjoyed our Whiskers. He and Bandit played and in the end, Bandit came and gave Whiskers some ear sugar as if he was telling him it was okay. He stayed close until Whiskers took his final ride to the sky. If we humans would love like dogs love; if we would be unselfish as they are; and if we would be as forgiving as dogs are; life would be a great adventure. 

TODAY THE WORDS are CHRISTMAS PAST. With the upcoming Christmas season fast approaching, I thought it would be a good idea to step back in the past and stir up some memories of the most favorite times in our lives. This should bring a lot of warmth and nostalgic emotions as it certainly does for me. 

Our family was never wealthy in anything but love. We had our share of problems and to a lot of people, we had to be dysfunctional in so many ways. One of the ways which counted as normal was during Christmas time. Momma and Daddy struggled to make ends meet, but somehow Christmas was always special. Momma would bake a fruitcake and I know how many of you cringed; we loved it and still do til today. We would watch as she would bake it and then wrap apples over the top to keep it moist; we then had to wait. Santa seemed to like our house as he had a habit of storing our presents there. Oh well, you already know what we four children would do; we hunted for the presents and if we found “Santa’s stash”, we carefully unwrapped them, looked at them, and carefully taped them. If I could bottle all of the adrenalin from that adventure, I would be wealthy today. We would act so surprised when it came time to open our unknown presents and would giggle together. As dysfunctional as it was, it brought the four of us children so close. Our parents were pretty smart and I feel they figured it out many times; they never let on to our little secret. I remember my Dad, with Momma’s approval reaching out to other families who were in need. 

People today are so swept up in their own family’s material needs, I feel a lot of that special charity has disappeared. It might be a good idea to bring back “Christmas Past” and share more with our fellow man. I would love to have a piece of Momma’s fruitcake and hear both of my parents laughing and smiling at the wonder of little children. Enjoy this special time of year, share love and gifts with each other. Remember the reason for the season and when you give of yourself, think of the wonderful gift of salvation the Christ child brought to us by his earthly birth and death.

TODAY THE WORDS are TAKE MY HAND. This morning, as I occasionally change my cover photo on my face book page, I came across one of my most treasured photos of my Mother and me. As I posted it, and it is the photo at the top of this blog too; I thought of the times my Mother, who had been an independent, “do it myself” person would say to me, “If you can take my hand; I can still walk.” Off we would go, with her small hand in mine to see something or take a walk in her yards.

It gave me the inspiration for this blog.

Life is such a simple circle and it is only because we sometimes choose to step outside the circle; we find difficulty. Let me elaborate on this theory: A small child starts out laying on a surface or held by the Mother or Father. The child as it begins to focus and see things; the motion in the arms and legs are more actively seen. As time and curiosity advances, the child begins to scoot or roll and the movement begins. A child is seen attempting to use the legs, buttocks, or even head to begin the crawl. The idea of how they change their view encourages the movement and they begin to explore. 

We then go through life feeling indestructible and we don’t want any help. We get confident we can handle it all. We don’t need the hand holding; we run; we seek; we sometimes find our way; we sometimes get lost; and all in all, we usually don’t reach out for the steady hand. We stumble; we rise; we fall; and we try again. This is all part of life and this is the part I refer to us stepping outside the circle.

Then we get discouraged if we are not careful from the falls and having to get up again. What is easy to do is to stay down and not try again. We can blame this or that; but we stay down. The ones who realize what they learned as a child reaching a hand out to the parent for steady walks; it is that time again. Reach out for the Master; Our Eternal Father and with Him holding our hands; we begin to walk again. The old gospel hymn comes to my mind, “Take my hand, Precious Lord“.

Now for the deeper thought……As we age, our gait becomes unsteady in the physical realm; our spirits can remain strong and steady by holding on to the Father’s Hand. My Mother knew to ask for help in both ways; she depended on her loved ones to help her in this life; she held God’s hand and thanked Him regularly for holding her heart and soul in His Hands.  

A former classmate of mine in her Christmas attire, Clara Knight enjoying the Season.

TODAY THE WORDS are JINGLE JINGLE.  As the Christmas holiday is nearing, I have noticed a change in the atmosphere in a lot of people. I hear a recount of what there is to do and I agree there is always a lot to do around this time of year, especially for those of us still working or the families with small children or grandchildren.

I would like to share a lesson learned from getting older and hopefully wiser. All of the hoop de la is not the real reason for Christmas. I have had my share of trying to find the right present only to see what I call “the look” when the person opened it. It used to be such a hassle to please everyone; if that is even possible. I have spent years of baking, cooking, cleaning, wrapping, planning, only to find out not everyone likes everything I cook, bake, or buy. I made myself miserable to make the very dish I thought would be the best; the dish they would be talking about forever……..trust me I made myself miserable. I have looked back at the pictures and have seen how tired I looked. For me, I was giving of myself to others. Not! I was trying to impress! I had to learn to be sane during holidays. 

Here is how I figured out how to remain sane and actually enjoy the family gatherings and myself during Christmas especially. It doesn’t matter what everyone likes to eat. Try to make the traditional dishes with a lot of diversity and lots of sweets. It is one meal, not a lifetime of healthy eating. All of the skinny ones just grin and bear this one meal. You will not get fat from one indulgent meal so for all of the meal preparers, make all of the dishes you want to make and have the ones who have to watch their physique or as we say in the South, their figures; to bring a salad and be miserable. Christmas gift cards work fine and everyone gets what they want…..cold and non feeling you say? How many times have you seen “that look”? Oh it is not cold; it is smart thinking and so much less to wrap. I may start giving the gift cards out on Thanksgiving and let all of the young people fight Black Friday. They can buy the gifts, wrap them and bring them to our house for the gift exchange. At least “the look” wouldn’t occur. 

The Reason for the Season, Jesus Christ is born.

Now for the deeper thought…… As if it can get deeper…….Jingle bells, jingle bells! I want to enjoy the special birthday party and relax in the spirit for the season and forget the commercialism of Christmas! As you read this, I already know this will not be the case for many of you; I have been there many Christmases and now older; I see the “Light”. Christmas is LOVE and not for the presents. We received the best present when Jesus Christ was born.  May your Christmas be blessed and May God’s love shine in the midst of the commotion.