Month: April 2015

TODAY THE WORDS are LOSING TOUCH. Life can be a funny thing. We start out as children, play with our friends and family, cousins included and make them our friends too. We start school and the school mate friendships start and build with some friends staying in our lives and others leaving when we either change schools or they do. Sometimes, in life with families moving, we lose touch with friends. We think about them from time to time and wonder how they are doing. Fate steps in with unexpected encounters of seeing them and there is joy in our hearts when we still see the child or the young teen we played, laughed, had fusses (for those not in the south, those are little arguments), shared food, enjoyed a good game of touch football, swam, etc. We try to catch up with stories and updates on current status, where we live, where they live, where we work, children, grandchildren, who we married, and so forth. We bridge gaps of times past, and it seems as if we return to a wonderful time in our lives, so why do we “lose touch”?

Every now and then, I think I should stop the Facebook process and every time when I think this, I see so many of my friends that I had lost touch, and I cannot lose touch again. It amazes me how I can be in one state, a great friend in Tennessee, California, Florida, Virginia, etc. and then so many of my dear friends still living in the same hometown as I did. I also find it wonderful that my husband who lived in a neighboring town has friends who are friends with me too. By social media or getting ourselves out there and touching base with friends, we stay in touch and that is a wonderful thing.

Now for the deeper thought…..Do we lose touch with our souls? Do we do a check on the status of how we are doing in the spiritual realm of life? Or do we experience the “losing touch” with the dearest friend we have in this life and beyond? When was the last time, we checked in God’s Facebook and made sure we are listed as God’s closest friends? I think of “Reach out and touch someone!” phrase and today is as good a day as any to reconnect or stay connected!

TODAY THE WORDS are HASTE MAKES WASTE.  THIS IS A RE POST FROM 2012 AND HAS BEEN ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR PAGE VIEWS. 

Somehow, this morning when it seems as if I didn’t have enough time to do all I have to do before I go to work. I felt an urge to speed up everything I was doing, rushing through the tasks ahead, feeling a little flustered, and wondering if I would have enough time to write the blog and then it hit me as to the topic I needed to write and “Haste makes waste” was at the forefront of my thoughts. In my lifetime, and probably several of you are going to agree with my thoughts, I have allowed pressure from outside sources to overwhelm me and I have wasted a lot of my positive energy while I was in the “tizzy” state of mind. How many times have you tried to get in a hurry, only to drop things, forget things and generally end up getting farther behind. Oh, I have many times. Whew, let me breathe….have you felt that way? We sometimes over promise and it causes us to sometimes under deliver. We are not physically or even mentally super heroes, and this causes us to be coming up short if we allow ourselves to try to be superheroes. 

I thought about the 3 things drop theory and I know all of you have heard it…If you drop one thing, you will continue dropping things until you have dropped 3 things before this saga ends. Today, why don’t we try it out by dropping Worry, Anger, and Sadness! This should take care of the day and allow us to pick up Happiness. God wants and asks us to turn the overwhelming issues over to Him and we should listen. In my life, when I have turned it over to Him, it amazed me how quickly wrongs were made right and old things passed away and there was a brand new day and life.

There is a deeper thought to this message….We have a Super Hero and it is God. He doesn’t tire easily or at all; He doesn’t sleep; He needs no diet to keep him healthy and fit; and He is without weakness or sickness. Why not allow God to handle the things that we find so worrisome. If we take these things like worrying, fretting, or holding grudges, etc. out of our agenda, how much more time would we have to enjoy the good things in life? 

TODAY THE WORDS are SHOULD YOU STAND OR HAND?  Sometimes the inspiration comes from something someone has posted or I heard, and this topic came from a combination of both. What do I mean by “Should You Stand or Hand?” Many people are having a difficult time when personal rights are being challenged and everyone seems to be caught up in the confused state of political correctness (by the way, I will stand on how incorrect political correctness has been interpreted). This topic will be focused on the dilemma whether to stand your ground (this has nothing to do with the Florida law) or hand it over to someone who is not emotionally involved to deal with a situation without the drama or emotions.

“If I don’t stand my ground, people will use me; abuse me; misunderstand me or disrespect me.” can be our reaction when someone challenges our way of thinking and/or actions. I can remember when I was younger others’ opinions meant more and they seem to hurt if they were opposite from mine. I felt I had to “make a stand” for any and every thing but as I grew older and hopefully wiser; their comments or opinions became less important. I am not saying I don’t listen to others but this is all I do is listen. I practice a new way of absorbing others’ opinions; I don’t absorb I listen.  When someone now comments or challenges me; it is okay but it doesn’t mean I have to accept their thinking or go to battle with them. I “hand” it over to My Creator who can guide me to either accept this information or disregard it if it is not something I can accept. 

My opinion doesn’t have to agree with your opinion. We are free spirits and have choices to make in this life. Because I may not like something you do or say doesn’t mean I don’t like you. The same goes for you. We can agree to disagree and still respect each other. Life doesn’t mandate us to think alike, act alike, or love alike. What makes it okay is if we treat each other as an intelligent being and at least listen to each other. By listening, we may learn something new or we may disregard it as something adverse to our belief and we can “hand” it back. 

Now for the deeper thought…..We do not have to agree with everyone or every trend or even other’s beliefs. Our faith, our morals, our rights are exactly OURS. Maybe you agree or maybe you don’t but that is your right and it is only defined if you believe in A Higher Power. God gives us a choice to accept Him as Our God so we have to remember we are defined by no man on this earth but Our Heavenly Father. Of course, this is my belief and I do stand on it but if you don’t agree, I am willing to hand it off. Live Life; Love Life; and Live Life to the fullest by choosing how you want to live it as this decision is your decision and your decision will decide whether you have a great life or a miserable one.

Life is a compromise, but one partner cannot be the only one compromising; it has to be a decision as to which times is it important to compromise. Love is meant to be gentle and kind; love is not meant to be a battleground. This time around, Greg and I both agreed to disagree but respect each other. Love to us is having our individual personalities but we been have joined as one as a couple. Both of us want strong partners and therefore we cannot squelch each other’s strengths. When difficult times come, we need each other to be strong if at that time or circumstances, we feel weak. I used to smile at pictures of older couples holding hands, looking tenderly into each other’s eyes, and smiling that special smile at the other one and now, I can see with God’s grace, we could be that couple. With love comes nurturing, supporting, loyalty, trust, honesty, and a little “puppy love” to keep it together. So many of my family and friends were blessed to have their lifetime partner as their only husband or wife; Greg and I had to learn some important lessons in life, love and giving. Happy Anniversary to my wonderful husband, my dear friend, and my lifetime partner. I love you and I happen to like you!

TODAY THE WORDS are DUSTY GIFTS. In a dream last night, I saw a lot of gift wrapped packages gathering dust on shelves. Apparently they had been left behind or forgotten. It seemed they had beautiful wrapping and looked like they contained something nice. The dream continued to me thinking whether I should open them or leave them. Would the owner ever come back for them or had they left them behind on purpose? I studied them for a long time and my thoughts came as a good topic for the blog. Here are my thoughts on the DUSTY GIFTS.

In life, have you always been excited about receiving gifts? I have. As a matter of fact, I have opened gifts in secret before I was actually given them because of the big expectation. I had to change that bad habit but I tell you this to show how I love to get a present. I also remember our Mother after she would receive gifts for her birthday or Christmas, she would display them on the bed in the extra bedroom and leave them for about a week before she would use any of them. We kidded her immensely about her stash. She wanted to make sure everyone would see what she had received from people who loved her.

As to the Dusty Gifts in my dream, I envisioned them to be like gifts God gives us in our lives which sometimes we put them on shelves, in drawers, and/or in our hearts and never unwrap them. All of us  see the television shows where people, who are not young, finally recognizing a great talent they have chose to hide until dragged onto a stage. 

So many shy away from displaying a God given talent for fear of being embarrassed or perceived as a failure. Some seem to wrap those gifts in a package and it is my thought we are scared the same way when we don’t know what is in the gift package. Some people are too afraid they are going to disappoint others or themselves if they don’t use what they have been given.

Back to the dream…I decided to open some of the dusty gifts since it looked apparent no one wanted them. Inside were so many treasures, gold jewelry, pearls, statues, old books which were first editions, and on and on. My summary of wasted beauty and items which would be admired if they were on display.

Now for the deeper thought….In my dream when I opened the gifts I could see the beauty in the gifts which had gone unrecognized and lay idly by while the intended recipient went their way in life and nothing good came from the giver’s loving intention. I see the moral of this dream. If we are not appreciative or if we are scared; we have the best gifts of life to sit on a shelf and gather dust. It may mean if we don’t unwrap the gifts we are given; someone else later in life might unwrap our gifts and lavish in the beauty and appreciate what was intended for us. Unwrap God’s gifts by writing your thoughts, singing your song, building something out of nature’s provisions, crochet wonderful gifts, knit or quilt, cook or bake, or do charity or volunteer work. I think you get the idea as the ability to do any of these things are gifts given to you by Our Creator and Let No Gift Gather Dust.

 DAILY FEATURED BIBLE VERSE:

TODAY THE WORDS are SHOW A LITTLE LOVE. Today is a good day to show compassion and support for our friends in need. Reach out, say a special prayer, and give love to those hurting. So many times in life, a person can feel that the situation is more than they can bear and all of us know the scriptures that apply but sometimes, God will allow us mortals an opportunity to touch another’s soul and God loves to give what I call double blessings….one to the person in need and the one He chooses to bestow that comfort! 

We wonder what can we do? It can be a phone call, a visit, an email, or text to say you are loved, you are thought of, what can I do, do you want to talk about it, it will be okay, or I am so sorry to hear this. People are not looking for someone to cure the ill, solve the problem, or make the hurt disappear. They usually want the shoulder to cry on, the hug, the love, the understanding and the compassion. 

We live in a world which seems to be growing numb of others’ feelings and/or pain. We have become “conditioned” to a world of violence, name calling, disrespect, obscenities being accepted, and some  have adjusted emotions in a sci-fi manner…if it is not happening to us; it is not happening.

Now for the deeper thought…If it is happening; it is happening to all of us. None of us live in a bubble and what happens to any of us has an effect on all of us. We need each other; no man is an island. Little things may be exactly what someone needs to save their life or their soul. The time we spend on social media can be spent reaching out to someone in need. I am giving myself some self advice on this one. What will it cost to spend a little time with a loved one or even a total stranger. The last time I checked those are not monetary things, but our precious gifts from God and even if we give them away, we never lose anything but gain a blessing from doing something for someone else. Step outside your own problems and find someone in need today. You will feel AWESOME!

TODAY THE WORDS are 24 HOURS. Do you ever think about why it was decided twenty four hours would make a day? I may over think things sometimes, but mysteries have always intrigued me with the whys, when, and who, but especially the whys.

 According to Wikipedia, A sundial is a device that measures time by the position of the Sun. It measures local solar time. Before the coming of the railways in the 1830s and 1840s, local time as displayed on a sundial was used by government and commerce.

This may have been the reason due to the division of placement of the sun on the dial. But let us remove ourselves from the historical reason and think about what can happen in 24 hours in our normal daily activity. In any given 24 hours, most of us sleep from 6-8 hours (I understand some of the insomniacs are shaking their heads and would love to experience that many hours, but we are talking averages). We spend about 1 hour (sometimes more) on personal care, such as bathing, styling, dressing, creaming, brushing teeth, etc. When we are among the working class, we usually work 8-10 hours working (or as most bosses say, at least showing up for that many hours; just kidding). So how many hours does that leave us with (taking the max)? Six or Seven hours and what do we do with it? It is those 5, 6, or 7 hours I wonder if we use to the best advantage of life. How many hours do we spend watching TV? How many hours do we spend eating (or overeating)? How many hours do we spend cleaning? How many hours do we read? How many hours do we spend talking about things or people we cannot change? How many hours do we spend with God? How many hours do we spend with our family with quality conversations?

If today, you will stop a “minute” and actually be quiet for that length of time, you will be amazed as I was on how long a minute or 60 seconds really is and that brings me to thinking…..If only a minute is a long period of time and we have at least, 5 hours not obligated to work or sleep or personal care, how can we figure out what is the best way to spend our “free time”. Years ago, and I am going to admit this, I never seemed to find time to “devote” to God’s word or prayer. It wasn’t that I couldn’t have found time; I didn’t take the time. Shame on me! Now, living a different life with no added minutes or hours as I still work, still eat, still take care of myself, still watch TV, read, etc.

Now for the deeper thought…..What can happen in 24 hours? It is your day, your time and your way. I try to remember this: If I take time to thank God for what He does for me and others; If I take time to read His Word; and if I take time to use my time wisely for His Purpose; God will find time while seeing about All His Children to help me when I need help. Live life; love life; and live life to the fullest by spending time wisely!

Matthew 6:6                     

TODAY THE WORDS are WHILE WE WAIT. This morning, and many mornings, all of us seem to be waiting on news of some kind. What we do while we wait is the focus of this post and I had some amusing thoughts and some serious thoughts concerning “While we wait”.  

Let’s go through some events which cause us to wait. Please feel free to comment with your personal moments of waiting.

1) In school waiting for a test result can bring on anxiety even if you felt you studied long enough and knew the answers to the questions. The waiting brings on an adrenalin rush. The results can bring either euphoria or the biggest let down.

2) While waiting to see if you are being hired for a job you have interviewed. You thought you did well or you felt you really bombed the questions. Either way, the waiting builds up tension and every time the phone rings, you jump, right?

3) Waiting on the medical results of tests can be devastating as the mind will allow thoughts of the worst scenario and even when the results come in and are normal; your mortality has been exposed. If the results are not favorable, it is the worst day imaginable.

I could go on and on as the truth is….We wait a lot in life and while we wait, several thoughts go through our minds. We can be calm, but usually we aren’t; we can be productive; normally we just wait. We can be positive; being positive all of the time is a gift which many do not possess.

Now for the deeper thought……Waiting is waiting and whatever is going to happen is what is going to happen. In other words “It is what it is”.  A person dear to my heart asked “If God has His Plan and knows what is going to happen, why do we need to pray?” I have given this some thought as I pray many times during the day. My answer and many of you may have different thoughts is “I am not praying because I have any power to change anything; but God may change HIS plan and show mercy and grace.” I exercise prayer to show humbleness and to be reverent and obedient as a child of God as we all are. I ask for comfort during difficult times and for others going through difficulties. Prayer is like talking to your best friend and we listen more carefully to their advice than when a stranger talks to us. I hope my daughter always feels like she can discuss any thing with me as I feel I can discuss anything with My Heavenly Father while I wait. Life is never guaranteed the results we receive after waiting will be the one desired but usually the efforts put into life will pay off in the long run.

TODAY THE WORDS are HITTING THE MARK. No, my fellow gun lovers, this post is not about gun control but is dedicated to marksmanship in life. In other words, how sharp are our skills in our daily living? When I was old enough to learn to shoot, my father took me as well as my other siblings to practice shooting the safe way, the correct way, and the accurate way. He knew what he was talking about since he was a policeman and had gone through the department training. I learned how to steady the gun, make sure I had the target in sight, and fire at the target. I shot many cans, jugs, and other home made targets (didn’t have printed targets). 

As we grow up, we find new marks for us to aim. We find love and relationships. Sometimes we hit our mark the first time and spend our lives with the one we love. Sometimes we miss our target and have to start over. Relationships, without the steady input of expressions of love, caring, support become hard to aim at being the most loving and stable. Work without the commitment to excel and that takes plenty of practice to be creative, punctual, and focused. Financial goals fit in this continuous practice and strong determination to “hit the mark” is necessary for all of us who want to see the stockpile of successful marks on our target. 

TODAY THE WORDS are EASTER EGG  HUNT.  Coloring or decorating an egg as a symbol of rebirth or fertility goes back to ancient times, and Christians adopted the Easter egg in the 13th century to show the new life, rebirth depicting the resurrection or rebirth of Christ so therefore, the Easter Egg tradition entered the scene. Going back to my childhood, I can remember the excitement of coloring or as some people refer to dying the eggs (I prefer coloring). We had those color pellets and had to dissolve them in a glass of vinegar and wallah, a blue, yellow, green, red, pink, etc. would be created. We had the wax pencil and did we get creative. Dressing up for church with all of the Easter frills, we were off. Sunday, after the meal, we gathered in the car, drove to the park, and the hunt began.