Human Rebooting
Much like a computer, there are times when we humans could use a complete rebooting. Following the 18 month long campaigns to elect a new President of the United States and the ugliness and divisiveness that has prevailed, I have found myself in need of a complete reboot. I feel I need to start fresh, to re-center myself. I want all the mess to fall away and to engage a new day filled with love, patience, kindness and mutual respect. So, where’s the Escape button?? Instead of searching the keyboard, my plan for the big reboot is first to pray to God for His guidance. He never steers me wrong. He immediately knows who’s calling and He is always there, never too busy. So, He reminds me that in the scriptures I find my answers… “Follow me,” Jesus said. What? “Come to me all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest.” Luke 18:22 Ah, there it is. “Heavily burdened” and then, “rest.” I need an emotional rest and I bet you may as well. “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 “And now these three remain. Faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13: 13 That’s it…hit that spiritual button and its, indeed, a new day!! A day of renewal, fresh and full of decency, humility, love, and hope for ALL. Praise God from Whom ALL blessings come!...
Read MoreMake Each Day Your Masterpiece
Coach John Wooden, the historic & successful men’s basketball coach at UCLA, spoke one of my favorite life quotations, “Make Each Day Your Masterpiece.” Quite a tall order, but certainly one to aspire to accomplish. It has served as a guiding principle for me for the last 16 years following my breast cancer diagnosis in 1999. We experience days in our lives where we are changed forever by tragedy, loss, disappointment and the thought of making that day…those days a masterpiece seem impossible to do anything but grieve and try to survive. That is being human and those pains and anguish are very real. And yet, we see over and over people getting beyond their great losses and living life in joy. What we don’t see is the way God’s Holy Spirit, the Holy Comforter, is at work in their lives giving them a “peace that passes all understanding.” (Philippians 4:7 KJV) So, thinking about creating masterpieces with our daily lives, there are plenty of days when I think, “OK, this is where I am today, this is what I’ve got,” and I wonder “how on earth am I to make today a masterpiece?” The real truth is that what may seem very mundane or even worthless to us, just may seem to be a masterpiece to someone else in their circumstances. When a smile or showing kindness comes so naturally to us, sometimes it is seen by someone who needed so badly to receive it that a masterpiece was created without our knowing it. A street performer or salesperson who obviously needs every coin or dollar they earn, offers you their “creation” which you don’t need but, out of kindness and appreciation, you give them your money and suggest they give their “creation” to a child who comes along later. In my love and appreciation of God’s creation, as I am in the lovely wetlands of South Florida observing and photographing our wildlife, I try to capture the essence of the beautiful herons and egrets and spoonbills as they court, breed and build their nests in which to raise their families. I look for their beauty, uniqueness and displays of God’s masterpiece to share with others. To inner city middle-school students, some with behavioral issues, they need to know there is beauty and love and respect and hope for a better future out there. When I substitute teach, I usually share three 8 x 10 photos I’ve taken to demonstrate to them that there is another life out in our world and they can live among it. I realize from their reactions they are seeing a masterpiece when looking at my photos. I am humbled. I know it gives them hope to see new things and to realize that finishing school, getting a job and earning the money for a decent camera (not the expensive best) that they too can create a masterpiece with their lives. When I see the joy and hope in their eyes, they, in turn, have shown me their masterpiece moment for that day. Well, I’m sure you can think of all sorts of masterpieces you can create in your days of life. How you interact with people during your day, the reports you write at work, the cookies you bake at home & share, etc. The important thing is to give it some thought and with your awareness, CREATE!!!...
Read MoreBe The Reason
Being kind to someone is one of the easiest things to do that has the greatest impact on the life of another person. Kindness is an extension of a loving heart. Charles Dickens said ” A loving heart is the truest wisdom.” A word of encouragement, the gift of a smile, acknowledgement of worth and value all speak acceptance to others and we all have a need to belong. Each of our days is filled with one opportunity after another to extend an act of kindness to others, to live in harmony as opposed to discord, to be an enabler instead of an obstacle, to make good things happen as opposed to creating conflict and to make hearts feel good, tummies to be satisfied and faces to smile. Sometimes we may not think that we have anything to “give” to another person. But we should think about the people at work, customers, suppliers, family members, our friends, the people we meet in traffic or out shopping…they all have their own needs, problems and joys. Its amazing what a spoken or written word of appreciation to a co-worker can do to help heal a heart that perhaps was wounded prior to arriving at work. We have the opportunity to influence others with just being ourselves and sharing a smile. Be the reason someone smiles...
Read MoreKids Can Get It So Right
Band of Brothers Belonging. Acceptance. Valued. Loved. Everyone is unique and for some, being “different” can lead to a life of heartbreak and loneliness. But, other times, a bunch of kids who really know someone who might fall into that category of being “different” can come together and wipe away those deep, deep feelings of rejection or being bullied. Kids are still learning about life yet they manage to keep a positive perspective to reach out and truly make a life-changing difference in another child’s life. Changing it forever. Kindness. Courage. Being there. Loving. Conquering....
Read MoreA Sleep Clinic Test But NO Sleep?
Here we are, it’s 2013, the world did not end as the Mayan Calendar alerted and many of us are pondering what our contribution to the world will be in this new year. So many of us make New Year’s Resolutions, some of which we accomplish and others may fall by the wayside. I certainly have made many that belong in both categories! Last night, I reluctantly spent the night in the hospital having a “sleep test” which my cardiologist ordered. One of my health issues is fibromyalgia and most patients that are AFFLICTED (yes!!!) with that, struggle with sleep issues which impact one’s quality of life greatly. For over 17 years now, I have learned how to live with fibromyalgia and have somewhat conquered the CURSE of “cycling” back and forth between level 1 and level 2 sleep thanks to my docs, a couple of meds and routine. Those who never get to levels 4 and 5 where one gets restorative sleep are doomed…maybe the Mayan calendar even mentions that! I reported in at 10:00 p.m., got all wired up to several types of monitors and and began the attempt to go to sleep. The hospital beds have never been my friend…too hard for my arthritic body. I recall when I had my first mastectomy and stayed one night in the hospital, I gave up and got up at 2:00 a.m. and sat in the recliner which was more comfortable. So last night during the sleepless sleep study, my hips and back were in too much pain that I simply could not go to sleep. I talked with God a lot…world problems, people I pray for, everyone in the hospital for healing, and then I switched my conversation to what God would like to see me do in 2013. He gave me a lot of good ideas; we chatted about how many in our world are hurting (not just their hips and backs from a hard mattress) and that discussion led me to thinking about how even a kind word or just listening to someone’s problems, giving them a smile or praying for them can make a difference in their lives. Mark Twain says that “Kindness is a language that the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” Well, I am still constructing my list of resolutions (I move slowly, I know) but extending kindness to people whom I encounter is at the top of my list. What’s really cool is that God said He would give me hints on just who might be needing it. Isn’t that kind of Him! So, “Sleepless in Statesville” actually turned out to be a good evening. I’m moving very slowly today, but my mind is going to...
Read MoreWhat's Your Passion?
National Audubon Society
Help support the efforts of our National Audubon Society in conservation of natural bird habitats. Visit: www.birds.audubon.org