April 30,2008

Do you have a favorite holiday?  Do you find them all to be a hassle?  If we make holidays really special occasions it helps to make everyone happy.  My personal favorite holiday is Easter.  I am so ready for spring.  The biblical account is easy to teach to the children with the resurrection of new life all around us.  We find it in our gardens, a new bunch of baby birds, butterflies, etc.  It is a blessed time for those who choose to make it so.  When my youngest child was small I decided to make Easter into good memories for him.  I started by having a small party on the Saturday before Easter, inviting three or four of his friends.  We had the usual egg hunt and I made the sugar eggs with the hole to look through revealing a small scene.  Everyone got one as a gift at the end of the party.  As he grew, so did the party.  One year I got  a friend to do magic tricks.  Another year we had someone read books doing voiceovers.  As the ages changed, we had treasure hunts and hula hoop contest.  One year it had grown so large that I started in January to get ready for April.  That year we put golden dollars in the prize eggs.  We built a yellow brick road that lead into a group of trees.  We built  a tin man, a scarecrow and a lion.  They were as tall as I am.  We put a portable player in the trees and played the theme song from the Wizard of Oz.  That year with children, parents, and grandparents, we had about one hundred fifty people who will never forget that party.  Build wonderful memories and become a party animal....It's fun! 

April 29, 2008

Have you ever thought you were at the bottom of the barrel and there was no way out except up?  When we get to our lowest point in life we have the great opportunity of thinking outside the box.  Nothing ordinary will give us a jump start.  To be able to open your mind to new ideas you need to give yourself a close checkup.  These are some of the things you can count on.  There is only ONE you.  You are unique from everyone else.  God made you special.  The limitations you put on your life can be removed and melted away.  Add determination to your life.  Don't listen to "You can't do that", or "It will never work".  Turn those statements around and tell yourself ALL things are possible with God.  Remember David only had a rock and a slingshot.  God took him from being a lowly shepherd boy and turned him into a king.  Take charge of your life and make it count in a mighty way.  Think outside the box.

April 28,2008

One year I got involved with a social worker who needed volunteers.  My job was, once a week, to pick up "brown bag lunches" at a church that had prepared the lunches the night before, and take them to a shelter in downtown Houston.  In this shelter I learned many lessons.  The shelter provided a doctor to see the sick, a place to do laundry, take showers and a clothes closet that once a week people could received a voucher to shop for their needs.  I did the lunch delivery, but look at all the other needs the shelter had!  I stayed for a few hours each time I went and did whatever they needed me to do.  Sometimes it was filling out paperwork, other times it was handing out the lunches.   I decided I could collect clothing for their clothes closet.  I went to several nearby schools and organized a day for students to bring donations.  I collected the donations and carried them to the shelter.  Wherever you live there is bound to be needs that are unmet.  Think outside the box.  It will bless your life in a way I cannot describe.  If I could sing or play an instrument I would go to care centers and entertain.  However, if I did that, they would probably pay me to stay at home!  Do you have a gift of music?  If you do, use it!

April 27, 2008

When my older children were in elementary school, the school nurse ask me if I could take on a job to help her thru the school year.  What she needed was someone to transport children in need of dental care to a dentist who was willing to give free dental care to those children from families that could not afford the care.  For that year I took frightened children on a journey and gave them comfort and love at a time in their lives when their own mother was what they really needed.  I was what they had!  I hoped that when they grew up they would remember a time when someone they did not know tried to help them thru what they perceived as a bad time.  In the long range view, it probably saved them more trips to the dentist by taking care of a problem in a timely manner.  I have sweet memories of children sitting in my lap crying before they went in for the work and came out with a smile on their faces.  I was blessed by each of these children.  More tomorrow.

April 26, 2008

Have you ever seen yourself as a person who was the founder of something great?  Often we are in our daily rut and have difficulty seeing ahead to something better.  In each one of us are the seeds of greatness.  Find what variety that seed is and then nurture it.  For instance, someone had to conceive the idea of breast cancer runs to build money for research.  That person could have been you.  Look at that program now and see that instead of raising $1,000.00 it is now a global effort.  What interests you?  What has touched you life in a way that you could have a "cause"?  Maybe somehow doing something for the homeless, or some program you could start in the schools. When summer comes the children will need something to do.  Is there anything you could do to give them something to look forward to each week?  There may be needs that could be met by families of those with life threatening illness.  Maybe if you check at the hospital or nursing homes you will find a "cause".  Then dedicate yourself to a goal.   We will talk more on individual causes tomorrow.

April 25,2008

If my Dad was alive, today would have been his birthday.  When I look back I remember all the good things about him.  The good times we shared and the life changing moments.  If you still have your parents, appreciate them, don't resent the time you have to give to them.  Treasure every moment.  My Father was the finest man I have ever known.  Everyone loved him.  He had a wonderful sense of humor, had a kind word for everyone.  If you complained or said something unkind about someone, he would say "Oh, they probably didn't mean it that way, they were just having a bad day".  He gave everyone the benefit of the doubt. I wish everyone could have had a moment when my Dad's life touched theirs.  That would be the greatest gift I could give.  I have known people who resented their parents and the pressure of taking care of them put on their lives.  Just remember that when you couldn't take care of yourself, they were there for you.  They changed your diaper, fed you  when you cried and comforted you when you were in pain.  The rolls just change when our parents get older. 

April 24, 2008

Do you set goals?  In order to set a goal, you must have a dream.  What is your dream?  Your dream is very special because it belongs to you.  If you want it bad enough, you will organize a path to reach that dream.  Many people never reach their dream because the goals lead such a crooked path that you can get lost along the way and give up.  Years later you may look back and say "I really wanted to do that in my lifetime, but I got sidetracked".  Because you set a good path to meet your goals to reach your dream does not mean you give up everything along the way.  Don't proceed with such drive  you end up leaving your loved ones behind.  Include your family.  Do it together and stop and smell the roses on the way.  Don't make new years resolutions and think that is you goal.  Get a dream.  Make it a big dream, and then make a plan to get there.  Don't let anyone stop you .  Work hard, enjoy your journey and never forget your dream.  I wish you happy success!

April 23, 2008

Have you learned to listen?  Do you ever try to help others finish their sentences?  If you do this, try to think about the other person and respect them enough to let them say what ever they have to say without help.  If you do this, you will find the other person will trust you more and be more likely to listen to you when you talk.  They might even take what ever advise you may give.  Even if they don't, they will have considered it out of respect for you.  We all need respect.  If you give it, it will return to you.

April 22,2008

My doctor, who delivered my firstborn got to know me very well over the years.  I was a problem patient.  My first child weighed four pounds and was blind at birth.  Then I had three miscarriages.  After that I delivered a baby boy that we lost.  My doctor helped us to adopt a baby girl.  Thru all of these years, my doctor had a profound impact on my life.  One time she said to me, "We are all three people in one.  We are the person we see ourselves to be; we are the person our friends see us to be; we are the person God made us to be".  If you are too hard on yourself or your friends criticize you, just remember God knows the true you!

April 21, 2008

Have you got a hobby?  Take time for yourself to see to your personal needs.  Do you sing?  Maybe you play a musical instrument, play a sport or do you like board games?  How about taking pictures, or art? Find something you receive satisfaction and joy from.  It can be one or several things.  It is important to be sure your own needs are met.  It is amazing how much enjoyment can be received when you pamper yourself a little.  Maybe you even need to take a weekend trip doing something very different from everyday life.  We have always had owls living in our yard (and all the neighbors yards).  One of the things I did years ago, before the neighborhood built up, was put out birdbaths so there would always be water for the wild animals. The owls have landed on various objects beside where we sit and several times I have sat with my camera and gotten pictures.  Every time I look at the pictures it brings back the peace and stillness that the experience brought into my life.   So, when things get hectic  and unbalanced in my life  I can sit down and go thru pictures and think about when they were taken and it will change my outlook from night to day!  Any hobby that brings you satisfaction will help you when your stress level increases.  Try it!

April 20, 2008

When you do something nice for someone else, do you expect something in return?  Do you keep a balance sheet on what others owe you?  Last month I baby sat for you and you haven't repaid me by babysitting for me -  or - I helped you by taking you somewhere when you had no transportation so what are you going to do for me in return?  You lose you blessing if you expect something in return.  When we do for others it should be selfless and we should never expect anything in return.  That is like giving a gift and being sure the person we gave it to knows what we paid so that they will spend the same amount when they buy my next present.  God loves a cheerful giver and when we give it should be with no strings attached.  You may think you have nothing to give.  You may be so close on money you barely make it from one month to the next.  Gifts do not have to cost money.  Give of yourself.  That is the most precious gift.  Today I start my day by saying thank you Lord for the blessings you have given me.  Thank you for life, thank you for my family, thank you for my friends and loved ones,  thank you for health, for protection through the day, thank you for being with me, giving me strength for each thing I encounter.  Put kindness and understanding in my heart so that I will be able to help others and not be critical.  Show me a way to make a difference in some else's life.  Help me each day not to forget to say thank you.

April 19, 2008

Each day we encounter brings us opportunity to leave our own special mark on the lives we touch.  If we awake and begin our day in the negative, the marks we leave will not be happy and might be hurtful.  Making a decision to influence the people whose lives meet ours in a positive way will end by your own being blessed.  It is easy to get into the rut of rising to the burdens of preparing the children for school, getting ourselves ready for a job, spending the day under pressure and returning home tired, worn out and facing homework and preparing another meal.  Do you smile?  What do the children see when looking into the face of the most important person in their lives?  They need to see approval, love, encouragement.  Often we get caught up in our own needs and are blind to the others around us.  Start your day making a special effort to say or do something extra at home.  If you work, carry the attitude with you to your workplace.  You will make a difference in everyone you see that day.  It may not happen immediately, but the kindness you share with others will come back to you in ways you cannot imagine.  It is much like the saying "you can't out give God."  Try this for one month.  You will see changes in your life that you will have a hard time explaining.  Then do it for another month!

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