Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Weighed down...

 Let's not let the world get us down...
 


From Asbo Jesus....



Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Super Bowl

I doubt there are many in our country that don't now know that Seattle and Denver will be playing in the Super Bowl a couple of weeks from now. It is refreshing to be able to hold up one of today's premier athletes as someone to be looked up to...

"Like my dad, I make it a point when I speak to groups to talk about priorities, and when it’s schoolkids, I rank those priorities as: faith, family, and education, then football. For me generally it had always been the big four: faith, family, friends, and football. And I tell all of them that as important as football is to me, it can never be higher than fourth. My faith has been number one since I was thirteen years old..."

Check out the entire article here...

Sunday, January 19, 2014

True love...

Although I originally posted this in 2009, I felt there was someone out there that needed to see it in 2014. Needless to say I am thrilled to all who check out the blog, but I'm not vain enough to believe anyone has the time (or the desire) to go back through all my posts...so, from time to time when I feel the call, I pull them up, dust them off and repost them.

God and dog...


Saturday, January 18, 2014

2 1/2 hours of love on a plane...


Kate's Mom felt nervous about who would wind up sitting next to her three-year-old daughter Kate during their flight from Orlando, Florida, back home to Canada. The reason? Kate has autism and could have meltdowns. 

When a businessman carrying papers sat down and Kate started rubbing his arm, Mouland feared he would give her the look that says, “Manage your child please.” Instead, he engaged Kate in conversation and asked her about her toy turtles. Kate felt such a connection that she started calling him “daddy,” not because she thought he was her actual father, but because he gave her a sense of security. 

Towards the end of the flight, Kate had a meltdown, but even then, the man tried to help. Shanell felt grateful. As she wrote in an open letter on her blog to this man whose identity she didn’t know...

Take a moment to click on the link and read the letter...
 "Daddy" showed Kate and her Mom that sometimes people are angels too!

And, if you have an extra minute, go here and meet "Daddy"...

Friday, January 17, 2014

Dust


Haven't been able to locate information about the author but I had to print it anyway...it's called perspective!

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Mistakes

Why is it so hard for others to let us get beyond our past? When we stumble and fall or learn and grow we make progress. We mature, we evolve. We are constantly becoming our better selves.

In our lives, there will always be those, who refuse to let go of what we may have been. Who continue to see us as young and immature or refuse to recognize that we have outgrown our mistakes. In their minds it must be brought up, time and again.
Most particularly to those who may not know the story. 

But to what purpose?

As a warning so that we will not fall back to our former selves? As an example for those younger ones who might be kept from making the same mistakes? Or just to remind us that they remember who we were. The last sentence may sound harsh, and it is. Especially when these reminders come from one that was grown and mature before ever we first met them. We do not have information about their young selves. We don't know what type of child they were. They need never worry about anyone bringing up their past mistakes. They are safely tucked away.

We must always be careful of bringing up what we perceive as weaknesses in others. While we might feel we are performing a "service", in reality all we are doing is showing the world who we are, deep down.

Monday, January 13, 2014

Life Lessons


Written by Regina Brett

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 50 lessons life taught me. It is the most requested column I've ever written.

So here is the column:

1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.
8. It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.
12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don’t compare your life to others’. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don’t worry; God never blinks.
16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.
17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.
18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.
19. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over-prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: “In five years, will this matter?”
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.
35. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.
36. Growing old beats the alternative – dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.
38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.
41. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
42. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
45. The best is yet to come.
46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
48. If you don’t ask, you don’t get.
49. Yield.
50. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift
.

Saturday, January 11, 2014

Love...

Beautiful story of a lifetime of love...Oh Sweet Lorraine!


Baptism

Even though this is the Archbishop of Canterbury speaking from the viewpoint of the Church of England...it is familiar to us all. And, even though he is speaking of the baptism of Prince George, it has meaning for us all...

Perhaps the best quote is that with the baptism of a child the parents are "bringing God into the middle of it all".

Thanks to Rich for showing this on your FB page...and for reminding us that this Sunday we celebrate the Baptism of Jesus!


Friday, January 10, 2014

Truth...

I’m talking about simply being a mom.

Excellent encouragement for the Mom's (and many Dad's) of the world...take a moment to read it...you'll know what she's talking about. 

Another beautiful part is that it never stops...the itinerary changes, but they'll always be your children and you'll always be Mom (or Dad).

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Friday, January 3, 2014

Goals vs. Systems

Perhaps we've been going about it the wrong way...

We all have things that we want to achieve in our lives -- getting into the better shape, building a successful business, raising a wonderful family, writing a best-selling book, winning a championship, and so on.

And for most of us, the path to those things starts by setting a specific and actionable goal. At least, this is how I approached my life until recently. I would set goals for classes I took, for weights that I wanted to lift in the gym, and for clients I wanted in my business.

What I'm starting to realize, however, is that when it comes to actually getting things done and making progress in the areas that are important to you, there is a much better way to do things.

Thursday, January 2, 2014

Children in Church

I've posted similar thoughts before, but just because it's so important...

I see them learning. In the midst of the cries, whines, and giggles, in the midst of the crinkling of pretzel bags and the growing pile of crumbs, I see a little girl who insists on going two pews up to share peace with someone she's never met. I hear a little boy slurping (quite loudly) every last drop of his communion wine out of the cup, determined not to miss a drop of Jesus. I watch a child excitedly color a cross and point to the one in the front of the sanctuary. I hear the echos of "Amens" just a few seconds after the rest of the community says it together. I watch a boy just learning to read try to sound out the words in the worship book or count his way to Hymn 672. Even on weeks when I can't see my own children learning because, well, it's one of those mornings, I can see your children learning.

Read the entire post, here...

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

New Year




“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”    M. Twain