Life’s Too Short

Life is too short to debate if you should or should not send that note from your heart.  (Drop it in the mail ASAP.)

Life is too short to forgo that small square of a brownie calling your name.  (Savor the treat.)

Life is too short to get upset over cold fast food French Fries.  (Give them to your dog and make his day.)

With one life to live here on earth one must learn to pick the right battles.  Time passes by way too fast to let smiles and hugs go undelivered.  Our journey is meant to be a trip filled with peace and unity.

It is so easy to get lost in the future along with endlessly dragging around our past.  Constant worrying about the future and over analyzing the past will not bring us contentment; in fact both bring on fear and regret. 

Jesus sends us greetings of peace and unity to help us along the way. 

“Peace is what I leave with you; it is my own peace that I give you.  I do not give it as the world does.  Do not be worried and upset; do not be afraid.”  --John 14:27-28

Jesus sends the kind of peace that is peaceful, untroubled, and tranquil.

Jesus sends the type of unity that reveals a close union of fellowship and harmony united with God.

Life is too short to not light the candles, to not run out and look for the rainbow, to not do the things you want to do.

We have but one life, one journey.

Refer to Jesus:  “Do not be worried and upset; do not be afraid.”

  “Peace is what I leave with you.”

Mother May I

This is no longer a game I play.  It is a prayer I say every night in faith that my thoughts and words will somehow get transported to the heart of my dear mother.  That she will realize how much she is loved, thought of, and cared about.

Prayers to my dear mother whose home is now a nursing facility, my dear mother who endures living with a disease that has captured her mind leaving us wondering who she is as much as she seems to wonder who we are.

“Mother, may I tell you once more how much I love you.  Mother, may you know how special you are to me.”

At night’s end when I say my prayers my heart goes out to her wishing her to come back so I can once more tell her of my love for her.  As I long for one more time to say “I love you” to the old her and to have her repeat those words to me once again I can’t help but remember all the wisdom she passed on. 

Wisdom only a great mother can reveal. 

In her own words she has told us:

You will never know how much you are loved by me.

I loved all eleven of you the same and if given the chance I wouldn’t have changed anything.

Sometimes it is more fun to share something special than keeping it yourself.  (Go ahead take it; I want you to have it.)

I did all of it for you, my kids.

It’s so nice to hear laughter in the house.

Don’t ever worry about me; take care of yourself and your own family first.  (Then if I need help we will talk.)

I’ll stop what I’m doing right now and pray for you.

God has given me much.

Mother May I is no longer a game, but a prayer of love. 

“Mother, may I tell you once more how much I love you.  Mother, may you know how special you are to me.”

In the silence of my prayers I hear “yes you may.”  I’ve learned from the best what it takes to be a great mom.

God has given me much. 

Wishing all mothers a Happy Mother’s Day, may your day be filled with much love.  God Bless!

Sunshine on my Shoulders

Makes me happy…a little overdone humor? Maybe, but spring is in the air.  It is time for happy thoughts, thankful thoughts, grateful thoughts, and thoughts that have the power to lift your spirit and make you smile. 

Open up the house and get some fresh air flowing around.

As I air out our home I plan to air out my soul too.  To do this I will imagine another “sun” coming into my “home” and warming my heart.  It will feel good to have my heart pumping once again without weighted down worries and difficulties.

It is amazing what a bit of fresh air can do. 

I’m happy to be alive no matter what is going on in this world.  I’m thankful for what I have and what I have not.  I’m so very grateful God hears my prayers and answers them according to His will not mine.
I have faith, hope, and love in my life.  I have a spring in my step and God at my side.  How can I not feel the sunshine within?

Take time to enjoy the beauty of the change in seasons.  Watch as Mother Nature blooms with birth and splendor.

Step outside and let the sunshine fall on your shoulders.  It might just make you happy!

Business as Usual

We all have a vocation to perform each and every day.  

It goes above and beyond our regular occupation. 

We all are expected to attend to God’s business throughout our lives.   

To fulfill God’s business means we understand that:

• God is real.  This changes everything.  Nothing comes before God.  God is first and last, the Alpha and the Omega.  Our work, our nest egg, our health, our life all depend on and flow from God.  Sometimes it is hard to realize this as we think of everything as mine, mine, and all of mine.

• He has a plan for each of us.  We are not meant to just muddle through our existence.  We are to have an intimate relationship with God.  An affair that involves both listening and talking. 

• Life continues after death.  Real believers do not fear death.  There is no room for fear, all the space is taken up by God and His promises.  Promises that bring about eternal life, heavenly life, life beyond our understanding.

• God loves us all no matter what.  Comparing oneself to another isn’t something God tells us to do; He tells us we are so special He has written our name on the palm of His hand.  Every moment of every day He is as close to us as we let Him.  His love circles around us never leaving.

The outcome of our future depends on how we pursue this Godly work.  I sense the rewards will be heavenly.

Going about life all along like business as usual?

Make it real, make it count.  Make it God’s Business!

Faithful till the End

“God hasn’t called me to be successful. He’s called me to be faithful.”

A Mother Teresa quote on faith.

So, being successful is not the most important thing in this world.  What a relief!  What a load off our shoulders this revelation is.

I don’t have to keep knocking others out of the way to get to the top of the ladder.  Good, because I’ve often heard it gets to be quite lonely at the top.  I’ve even been told by top ladder spectators that once they got all the way to the top it was not what they thought.  And coming down was a crash course; most of the ladder rungs were broken.  No one was there to soften the fall.

I no longer have to strive to be super human.  Promotions and professional titles will make little difference in the big picture of life.  My success is not to be measured in worldly possessions.

What I need to do is to become more faithful.

What I have to strive for is an endless supply of faith.  I need to understand what it means to live by faith today and every day.  Then to go forth sharing this certainty with only the love and wisdom of a faith filled person.

When times get tough I will let faith pull me through.  When others push me to the max I will take a small step back and trust in faith.  When evil and temptations coming calling my name I will rely on faith to drown them out.

Things of this world will come and go, but it is our faith that will remain. 

The simple wisdom of Mother Teresa:  “He’s called me to be faithful.”   

Faithful till the end.