Month: April 2019

TODAY THE WORDS are DREAM ALERTS. Most of us, if not all of us, have at one time or another, been awakened from a dream and we open our eyes wide open and think, “What was the meaning of this dream?” Right? We find ourselves in old homes, barns, buildings filled with items we have never seen before or which we can’t remember seeing before and it confuses us with its contents. We climb up stairs which are rickety and almost impossible to climb. We slide our cars or our bodies in mucky mud and find ourselves trapped and sweating to find an escape from this horrible event or at least wake up.  There are people who proclaim to interpret dreams; I am not sure they get it right, but who is to know for sure the meaning of dreams. People have said they dreamed of winning the lottery, invented the perfect gadget, became famous; or on the other hand, dreamed of dying, losing everything, or found themselves lost or hurt. Dreams may be a sign or they may be only dreams.

Dreams…are not meaningless…they are a completely valid psychological phenomenon, the fulfillment of wishes… constructed through highly complicated  intellectual activity. 
– Psychoanalyst, Sigmund Freud

Here are my thoughts on dreams….Dreams, especially recurring dreams, may be alerts as our subconscious minds produce dreams during the REM when our minds are more alert and we experience rapid eye movement (almost as if we are awake in our minds, but our bodies are asleep.) This has led me to believe dreams do come from our thoughts; these thoughts may have been from experiences we have logged into our memories or we have viewed by reading, viewing, and watching events. When we dream, our mind rearranges these memories into a “video” some of which are real and some of which come from the outside influences. When we have a dream which is alarming; it may awake some fear we have imbedded into our minds, consciously or subconsciously. If we can remember our dreams and think if this was actually reality; how would I react? During the biblical times, Men of God were given dreams as future prophesy. What is to say, God is relaying messages or “alarms” in our quiet time and it might be beneficial for us to encourage thoughts which come from the night’s videos playing in our heads. Look how powerful the words of Martin Luther King, Jr. when he said, “I have a dream” and maybe, just maybe, he had been given that dream in his sleep.

Quick Ways to Remember Your Dreams:

Remembering your dreams is the first step. The second step is trying to remember and record your dreams. To fully gain insight to your dreams, you must remember that dream interpretation is similar to riding a bike for the first time, or learning a new language. Starting this new exploration into to the mind requires little work, because here at Dream Dictionary, we’ve put together 5000 words and symbols for the dreamers needs. If you are the person who forgets your dreams when you wake up, then you have to follow a couple of steps to get started. The first step is to make sure you don’t rush out of bed when you get up from your sleep. The very moment you wake up you must take your time and think what events happened in your dream. You must put down every single detail even if you don’t find it relevant. The second step is to have a dream journal by your bed and write down what symbols you remember. The third step is recall your dreams in a backward sequence. Basically, start from the last event or feeling that you remember, and then go as far back as you can possibly remember. You must keep the last thought sort of like taking a picture. Also, this takes time and practice, and can be quite frustrating at times. Once you become good, you will be able to strengthen your dream memory, and later on, it will become as easy as breathing. 

To see this article in DreamDictionary.org 

http://www.dreamdictionary.org/dreaming/meaning-of-dreams/

FEATURED BIBLE VERSE:

Acts 2:17 ESV / 82 helpful votes 
“‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams;

(C) Copyright 2012-2019 Arline Miller of Sipping Cups of Inspiration with all rights and privileges reserved. Third party material is sourced to original location, if known, for credit reference.

This is a repost from 2014 but I found it to be appropriate as we move into Good Friday.     TODAY THE WORDS are THE TIME IN BETWEEN.  We have obligations, appointments, meetings, scheduled events, etc. which have specific times set aside throughout our days, weeks, and months. We write them down and plan to be on time and sometimes we schedule several places to be on the same day to make the most of our time. While doing this, we have some unavoidable down time or some time in between. We find ourselves with a half hour, an hour or sometimes two with nothing to do. What do we do with our time in between two events? Some of us bring our iPads, books, puzzles, etc. and fill our time either wisely or just idling with very little productivity.   This made me have a deeper thought about this Easter holiday. When the events occurred on Good Friday and with the promise from Jesus to His followers He would rise on the third day; how did they fill the time in between? Did they sit around and mourn Jesus’s death as we do today when one of our loved ones die? The tomb was sealed so they could only visit the outside. Did they stay watchful or did they have the confidence to wait the days out? How did the conversation go between all of the disciples? Did they fear their safety knowing others had seen the Lord’s strength during his torturous death? Did they reminisce about His miracles Jesus had performed? How did they fill the time in between?

  All of us may know what happened on Easter Sunday with all of the celebration and miraculous resurrection; but my mind has been directed to the time in between and here is what I feel. Our lives are actually time in between. We are born into this world and then we die. All of our life is this time between birth and death and what we do is important to prepare for our resurrection into Eternity. How do we fill our time in between or in other words, what do we do with our lives? Do we fill our time with productivity and good works or do we idly fill our time with nonsense and useless activities? Do we learn, earn, live, and love? Do we reach out to help others find their way?  We are taught about Good Friday and Easter, but I think we need to spend some of our time understanding how important the time in between was.   Life is here for us and while we show reverence and love for Jesus’s sacrifice for us; let us use our time in between wisely. Happy Easter to all and a Happy In Between Time to fill with goodness.

    For positive affirmation with “the power of positive thinking” I am including a short article for you to read: The Power of Positive Thinking

“Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.”

Did you know that some of the world’s most successful people – including professional athletes, actors, business-people, artists, and spiritual leaders, attribute their success to one thing, above all else?

Its called “the power of positive thinking,” and more and more regular people are harnessing this incredible force to achieve happiness, personal success and abundance in their lives.

If you want to successfully change your attitude, it is important to know that, just like a magnet, your thoughts, expectations, and beliefs attract everyone and everything that enters into your life, both positive and negative.

Does anger, worry, fear, anxiety, and/or depression lead your emotional state and thought patterns?

If so, then experiences validating these thoughts are exactly what you will attract into your life. Good thing for you, there is a very effective solution.

What is the secret to making the power of positive thinking work for me?

Meditation. In order to manifest positive experiences into your life, you must change your thoughts, which must be done from the root: the subconscious layers of your mind.

Once meditation melts all of the layers of worry, anxiety, depression, and fear clogging up your thought processes, your new-found mind-mastery, with crystal clear thinking, and positive mental attitude allows you easy manifestation of anything you want, whether it be love, good health, wealth, more friends, or success.

Scripture Excerpt from The Bible:

• John 20:16-18 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher).  Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ”  Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.

(c) copyright 2012-2019 Arline Lott Miller. The material here copyrighted, with all rights and privileges reserved. Third party material/photos are sourced when known to original location for credit reference.

I posted this message before but this morning thinking of the upcoming Easter holiday, I revisited this thought. The old is gone and the current is here, and the future is unknown so we can concentrate on making the day the best day ever and be open minded to necessary changes but maintain the oldies but goodies in life.

GOOD MORNING! It is a brand new day and let’s start with a brand new way of thinking. Positive thoughts bring positive results. We have had enough gloom and doom for a lifetime. Where is the joy? Let’s start the parade of happy thoughts. Let’s put aside the negativity in this world. Look at the sunrise, watch a child play, follow a bird’s flight into the sky, imagine characters you see in the clouds, listen to the singing of nature and bask in life. I am feeling better already…..How about you?

Below is an excerpt from a great article which can be found in its entirety by clicking on this link:

Article dated February 18, 2017

Positive thinking: Stop negative self-talk to reduce stress

Positive thinking helps with stress management and can even improve your health. Practice overcoming negative self-talk with examples provided.

By Mayo Clinic Staff

Is your glass half-empty or half-full? How you answer this age-old question about positive thinking may reflect your outlook on life, your attitude toward yourself, and whether you’re optimistic or pessimistic — and it may even affect your health.

Indeed, some studies show that personality traits such as optimism and pessimism can affect many areas of your health and well-being. The positive thinking that usually comes with optimism is a key part of effective stress management. And effective stress management is associated with many health benefits. If you tend to be pessimistic, don’t despair — you can learn positive thinking skills.

Understanding positive thinking and self-talk

Positive thinking doesn’t mean that you keep your head in the sand and ignore life’s less pleasant situations. Positive thinking just means that you approach unpleasantness in a more positive and productive way. You think the best is going to happen, not the worst.

Positive thinking often starts with self-talk. Self-talk is the endless stream of unspoken thoughts that run through your head. These automatic thoughts can be positive or negative. Some of your self-talk comes from logic and reason. Other self-talk may arise from misconceptions that you create because of lack of information.

If the thoughts that run through your head are mostly negative, your outlook on life is more likely pessimistic. If your thoughts are mostly positive, you’re likely an optimist — someone who practices positive thinking.

The health benefits of positive thinking

Researchers continue to explore the effects of positive thinking and optimism on health. Health benefits that positive thinking may provide include:

• Increased life span
• Lower rates of depression
• Lower levels of distress
• Greater resistance to the common cold
• Better psychological and physical well-being
• Better cardiovascular health and reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease
• Better coping skills during hardships and times of stress

It’s unclear why people who engage in positive thinking experience these health benefits. One theory is that having a positive outlook enables you to cope better with stressful situations, which reduces the harmful health effects of stress on your body.

It’s also thought that positive and optimistic people tend to live healthier lifestyles — they get more physical activity, follow a healthier diet, and don’t smoke or drink alcohol in excess.

Even though we face a lot of obstacles, a positive attitude will keep us focused on the good things in life and not the good life busters that come our way. Always keep in mind, the memory of the deep sigh of relief when a tense moment or event is over and we move forward.

Until we read again…..Arline Miller, blogger and positive thinker. LIVE LIFE; LOVE LIFE; AND LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST BY LIVING IT TO THE MAX.

(C) Copyright 2012-2019 Arline Miller with all rights and privileges reserved. Third party material is sourced to original location for credit references. Photos are not exclusively property of Sipping Cups and sources if known are credited.

MISERY LOVES COMPANY This post is one of my favorite blog posts and merits re-posting. Join me and see if you find a reason to be positive instead of the pitfalls of attracting misery in your lives.  the theme for today. I am bringing back a post I B to Stop Feeling Miserable and Start Being Happy | Huffington …www.huffingtonpost.com/..I think you will enjoy the following post about Miser

  TODAY THE WORD is MISERY. Isn’t this a switcheroo? Miss Positive herself, is writing about misery. I was driving yesterday for several hours and this word came to mind about how people encourage misery in their lives. Why, you may ask, would anyone encourage misery since no one desires to be miserable? I don’t know if any of you watched the movie, Misery, with James Caan, Kathy Bates, that was filmed in 1990. It is a grueling story of how one fan became so obsessed with an author she kept him captive and made him write the next book. She subjected him to so much misery and pain. I see people who subjectively put themselves in misery and pain by the choices they make.

Life throws people enough curves on its own without us making it simpler for life to cheat us out of the blessings that are meant to come our way. How is this possible for one to encourage misery as it seems more natural for us to want happiness, peace and contentment? For some reason, and it may be subconsciously hidden, I think people who have low self esteem crave attention and that opens some doors that should remain shut. Any attention is better than none; and therefore the problem manifests itself. The victim status comes into play. No one likes me; I am not pretty enough; I can’t find a job; my spouse doesn’t treat me right; I am too fat or I am too skinny; and on and on until the person starts believing they are a victim. I am a compassionate person but I say do not encourage “playing victimitis” when you hear someone make the comments seeking attention. True hardships as I was speaking earlier warrant our compassion while at the same time, compassion given to the attention deprived victim is harmful. In place of the compassion, give encouragement in the good things about the person to build the self esteem is my philosophy.   Why add misery to misery by agreeing with a trivial whine? Could we try when someone says something negative, to say something positive? Misery loves company, so help that person out of their “misery status” to a more productive status. “I can’t find a job” may be an opening to “Where have you been looking” or “Have you tried there?” instead of “I know, you won’t be able to find a job in this town”. Happy people have bad days too: they just deal with them better. Don’t invite Misery in for dinner; it may never leave!

DAILY FEATURED BIBLE VERSE:
Proverbs 15:15-16

15 A miserable heart means a miserable life; a cheerful heart fills the day with song. 16 A simple life in the Fear-of-God is better than a rich life with a ton of headaches.

(C) Copyright 2012-2019 Arline Miller with rights and privileges reserved. Third Party Material Sourced, if known for reference credit.

As this year is producing another season for our sweet day lilies, our excitement is mounting. I thought I would pull up a prior post of our many varieties for anticipation for the delicate, short lived blooms. Each one has its own “personality” or flower power. As our 2019 crop blooms, I will assemble the pictures and I will post them later in the season. Enjoy the photos and the life lesson from them.

WHAT IS IN A DAY……WHY A DAYLILY FOR SURE! My husband, Greg and I cut up and post Miller Garden Pictures but our “estate” is on a half acre but it is our home and we love to share the beauty of the flowers, plants, and butterflies. This year we didn’t have our hummingbirds or at least so far and they have been missed. What we missed in hummingbirds, we have made up in day lilies. I will not be able to post all of the day lilies we have but I wanted to share some photos and an excerpt from a flower in herself, Lynn Polk, who is an inspiration to all of us who are privy to receive her messages of love and hope. I saved her response when I posted some of our day lilies.

First a little background, my precious Mother

When she was alive, found so much joy from her collection of day lilies and other plants in her little yard. She knew her day lilies by name and took pride when each one bloomed. She knew when to fertilize and when to cut them back. When it was time to thin the plants out, many of us stood by with anticipation of obtaining a few of her beauties. It was her giving of love when she shared her plants and she expected us to take as much pride and care as she had. We were asked to give updates on her babies. A lot of the photos you will see are from her yards and I can assure you Greg takes wonderful care as he feels Momma watches from her heavenly gardens.

Here is the message Lynn responded after I posted Daring Dilemma:

This exceptional Day Lilly absolutely captures the essence of God’s beauty in creation and its name, “Daring Dilemma” captures our human sin condition from which the goodness of God’s Grace frees us from and transforms us into the perfected image of His Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ. Don’t you just love when the perfection of God’s nature calls to the depths of our souls to experience the transformation that only He can bring to our lives. This is an example of how human beings can experience the power of God through beauty of His creation without ever have read or heard the Word of God. The power of God’s Creation speaks of His existence. How awesome is that.

Lynn Polk Thinking about how a tiny seed goes through the process of transformation into a perfectly beautiful Day Lilly in the loving care of its Gardner as it is given the water and light of life. So, too, is our transformation from our Daring Dilemma unto Salvation and Sanctification process until the Day of Christ’s Return for us, His perfected Bride, when He takes us Home to Heaven our Eternal Reward. Wow! That’s OUR STORY, THE GOSPEL STORY told through the beauty of a flower.

Thanks Lynn for giving us another reason to love God’s beauty. I feel you have given us the deeper thought so I will post more of our beauties on loan from God and hope that all of us take time to enjoy each gift we receive whether it be in the form of a wonderful flower, an ocean with its wonders, a smile from a child, a laugh from an elderly person who still finds joy in life, a quiet moment in reverence for Our Creator, or a kiss from a loved one. We can find comfort in times of need and given thanks for all things in every day life.

(C) Copyright 2012-2019 Arline Miller with all rights and privileges reserved. Third party material referenced to original source. Permission required to use.

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We love to share our day lilies with our blog readers. This beautiful time of the year passes very quickly so it is our pleasure to open our garden gates to view the splendor of nature.

(C) Copyright 2012-2019 Arline Miller with all rights and privileges reserved. The photos are property of Sipping Cups. Third party material is sourced to original location for reference source.

In our lifetimes, we can make promises, sometimes the same one over and over. Today on the blog, let’s take on promises, what they mean, do we mean them, and what can happen if we break them. Promise me to read this to the end.

NOUN

promise

• 1A declaration or assurance that one will do something or that a particular thing will happen.‘what happened to all those firm promises of support?’with infinitive ‘I did not keep my promise to go home early’More example sentencesSynonyms
  1. 1.1in singular An indication that something is likely to occur.‘dawn came with the promise of fine weather’More example sentencesSynonyms
• 2mass noun The quality of potential excellence.‘he showed great promise even as a junior officer’

VERB

promise

• 1reporting verb Assure someone that one will definitely do something or that something will happen.with infinitive ‘he promised to forward my mail’with clause ‘she made him promise that he wouldn’t do it again’with direct speech ‘‘I’ll bring it straight back,’ she promised’with two objects ‘he promised her the job’More example sentencesSynonyms
  1. 1.1archaic with object Pledge (someone, especially a woman) to marry someone else; betroth.‘I’ve been promised to him for years’
• 2with object Give good grounds for expecting (a particular occurrence)‘forthcoming concerts promise a feast of music’with infinitive ‘it promised to be a night that all would remember’More example sentencesSynonyms
  1. 2.1 Announce (something) as being expected to happen.‘forecasters were promising a record snowfall in Boston’with two objects ‘we’re promised more winter weather tonight’More example sentences
  2. 2.2promise oneselfContemplate the pleasant expectation of.‘he tidied up the sitting room, promising himself an early night’

Once we have the definition both as a noun (substance) and a verb (action) we can dive deeper into how we feel about both. I noticed in the verb definition the word assure is used. How comforting is assured to your mind? I like that word as it reflects an investment by the giver of commitment. When we promise, we are giving a vow of commitment, right? It is not a flippant remark but an assurance we will fulfill the statement. It is more than a casual statement but one made with all intentions of making it happen or keeping it as it is. Expectation from those remarks or as we are saying a promise is created.

As the noun, I see the word declaration. What comes to mind when you hear the word declaration? To me, declaration sounds important, something we should listen to and also serious and almost statesmanship level. We look at wedding vows as a promise to commit to the union or as a bonding relationship. We think seriously when we make a promise……or do we?

I found a great article on When Promises Become Lies and I am including the link if you choose to read it as it is lengthier than I like to excerpt but worth the read. I have included the steps to follow when you have not followed through on a commitment. For the entire article, Go to https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/rediscovering-love/201706/when-promises-become-lies

Until you learn to promise only what you actually are able to deliver, here are six simple steps to follow if you’ve let your partner down:

1. Admit your mistake up front. Take responsibility for your end of it. It’s really not that hard.

2. Genuinely apologize for your misunderstanding, unsuccessful prioritization, forgetting, or just making your agreement less important than it was for your partner.

3. Ask your partner if this is a recurring disappointment, and if you’ve used those excuses before. If the answer is “yes,” commit to never using them again.

4. Recognize and validate your partner’s right to feel betrayed. Don’t argue, invalidate, or erase his or her feelings.

5. When you next make a promise or agree to a commitment, write it down with your partner, and put it where both of you can see it.

6. Only promise what you know you can do. Even if your partner seems disappointed at the time, he or she will learn to trust you when you do make a commitment.

Bloggers Note: I grew up in a generation that your “word” was your bond and it was taken as a commitment. We shook hands, but even that was not necessary. A common phrase was “you can take that to the bank” so I take commitments very seriously in business and personal life as well. This has helped me in seeing more successful results. LIVE LIFE, LOVE LIFE, AND LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST BY SAYING WHAT YOU MEAN AND MEANING WHAT YOU SAY.

(C) Copyright Arline Miller 2012-2019 with all rights and privileges reserved. Third party material, including photos, are sourced to the original location if known for credit references.