Polishers.............

A wise woman once told me that we are all stones polishing each other. She said that without interaction with all types of people, we would remain rough with sharp edges. But that by coming in contact with all sorts of folks, we are polished into what we are meant to be. Specific people are put into our lives for a reason. Maybe to polish or maybe for us to polish them. So the point of this very short blog today is this.......do you have people you love? Yes! Do you have people who are constants in your life that maybe you have trouble even liking? Yes! But remember they are there to help mold you much as a potter molds clay. They build character either through enjoyment, friendship or the opposite. They maybe be a constant in your life or a flash. Whatever the circumstance, take the opportunity to grow and shine, be polished and help polish others. Life doesn't just happen, it is a definite road with the highway signs having YOUR name on them. Walk it with pride and purpose. Let your little polished light shine!

Gears............

Cars have three gears......well, to me they do. I am NOT a mechanic, car enthusiast or even knowledgeable about them. I only know they go forwards, backwards or sit still. Three gears. So we have drive, reverse or neutral. Let's put this into prospective for our lives. I think we as human also have three gears. We can set ourselves in motion....our choice.....forward into the future, backwards into the past, or we can idle. How many times have your heard.....'He/She is living in the past. I hate that. I hurt when I see people not able to get over something that keeps them looking in the rear view mirror of life, and not able to move forward. We all have things in our pasts that have hurt us, or even brought us some type of glory that we allow to define us in our present. While we need to acknowledge our heritage, to live it out every day, to only center on the good ole days, or when I had this or that, isn't healthy. Then there is neutral. We are idle. We merely exist. We are not open to the possibilities around use because we are not moving. We are those lumps of coal that aren't ever gonna be diamonds. Idle minds are the work of the devil. It is said that the human race uses only a minute part of the brain we are given. And when you allow yourself to idle, you're using none of it. And my friend, soon you will run out of gas. So my thing is put yourself in drive. Move forward, even if you hit the speed bump going to fast, at least you're progressing. You are living. You are moving toward your destiny with some effort and energy. Life is not meant to be relived day in and day out and it's certainly not meant to be neutral, allowing people, experiences and actions to pass you by as you 'couch potato' yourself until you die. Get out there and live. Do what it is that makes a difference in your life. Be who you are meant to be. Sure, enjoy your memories, and do take the time to sit and reflect and know your inner self. But then, whether you are a Ford, Chevrolet, Beemer or a Pinto......put yourself in drive. There is much life ahead of you. Don't miss it!

Unresponsive..............

I have an older computer that is a little slow sometimes. So it's not uncommon for me to get this little box that says......Page is unresponsive......Kill page.......Wait. I wonder in our lives how many times we make a choice like this without even realizing it. Do we kill our goals when not met in what WE consider a timely manner, or do we wait, work harder, aim higher, achieve more. Do we kill relationships that we don't feel meet OUR needs or do we wait, resolve issues, give a little, do a little less taking. Do we kill some of our moral code because it's just easier, or do we wait and stand for what we believe, take the criticism, refuse to conform to popular actions and beliefs. Do we kill our finances with things we really can't afford, or do we wait until we can pay rather than charge, live within a budget, not keep up with the Jones's. Do we kill our duties because we don't feel like meeting them, or do we give that extra effort to do a good job, help someone we love, someone in need, a total stranger. I think our days are filled with Waiting or Killing Pages. I wonder what today will bring for you or me to either Kill Page or Wait. I hope whatever it is, that we are all aware of the free will and choice we have. And by having that free will and choice, we do what not only is best FOR us but BY us.

Box of Chocolates..............

Famous words....'life is a box of chocolates, Forrest. You never know what you're gonna get.' True, to some extent. But I also say that life is not always a box of chocolates, and sometimes you do know what you're gonna get and you choose it anyway. You pick that lemon because, well, you just feel like being sour. You pick that peach because you feel round and fuzzy and sweet. Or you pick that lime cause you want a margarita....JJJJJJJJJJJJJKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!! Back on topic....I think at times we just have to be what we are. Not a lasting thing. Most of us aren't sour everyday, nor are we sweet wonderful peaches, plums or strawberries. But we pick for the most part. 'I'm just in a bad mood!' How many times have you said and or heard that....a bunch would be my guess. Change it! Do whatever it is to make that mood lighten up unless you're enjoying spreading your mood and being the victim. I'm short....this I can not change. But I'm prickly? Yep, that I can change. We all have mood changers.......books, devotionals, music. What is your choice? So here's my thing.....select, pick, choose whatever rings your bell for the day. Then live it, or change it. Be satisfied or move your path. Connect with whatever it is that makes your tilting glass stand up right. And if you choose not to change....then wallow in it my friends, but when you turn full circle and no one is there.....don't be surprised. True friends will stand by your side through times of trouble, but if you love them, if you want what's best for not only you, but them.....well, take that lemon and make .........you know the rest, trite though it may be. It's Friday....enjoy your day.

Touched By..............

Ok....sappy though it is, I have become a renewed fan of the television show Touched By an Angel. I truly believe it's Roma Downey's accent that I love so much as well as always having been a Della Reese fan. I know...shows my age, but she is such an imposing figure of a strong woman. So anyway....this entire thing has made me wonder about all the things which touch us daily that we are so ignorant and unaware of..... things both evil and good. I don't think anyone understands the magic of life to even a milli-bit of it's amazement. It's truly like a stage play. We see the main actors and the bit players, but for the most part, we are unaware of what's going on behind the scenes. We have no clue of the all the people and circumstances that are not the Stars of our Lives or even the Supporting Cast. We are oblivious. There are so many happenings behind the Acts of each of our days that we merely drift by them without a glance, thought, thanks or fight. So here's my thing......there is good and evil in this world and I hope that each day you are aware of this. Appreciate the good; I don't mean just appreciate I mean truly from the bottom of your gut realize the wonders of your life. Draw on that good, that fineness, that genuine joy. But also, realize that there is evil that lurks, unseen, probably not even felt, but there, none the less, and there to steal and overpower the good. We've all heard Put on the Full Armour. Well, do it! If you don't understand it, you can't fight it. And if you don't fight it, then you are missing out on the little miracles that float and pop and surround you daily with your joy. So I ask you this, please don't only pay attention to the main characters and the bit players of your day to day existence. Instead, be aware that each breath is a gift, a big ole beautifully wrapped present for you to take the time to open with astonishment. That's your life my friend. Win not only the battle, but the war.

Drawn Away...........

What have you drawn away from in your life? Anything? Anybody? I know this for a fact, we all draw away from things at one point in our lives. Sometimes this is a good thing and we need to stay away. But sometimes, it's not so good...we have drawn away from things that make us better people...both physically and emotionally. I think when we pull away and don't immediately return to those wonderful things in life, then we start losing a battle. Because then it becomes a habit....not a habit to do good, experience wonder, fulfill life, but a habit to lose out in whatever we should be doing. Be careful about relaxing in the promise of life. Every day is your battle and you need to be that person who sees it as just that. Evil and hurt and worry and stress lurk around every corner. Don't pull away from those things that make you strong thinking it will not hurt. It does. Don't loosen the ties that bind you to yourself....your true, whole, miraculous self. Look at your habits. Examine your moments. Cut the rope on those things that hurt and steal your joy, health and happiness. But if you find you're letting habits of physical and emotional and faithful health slip, gird them now. They are like wisps of fog that will suddenly break away and become unseen. You need them. Keep them and be ever vigilant. It is your purpose.

Beliefs.....No Explanations.

I believe we are all given a life we waste. I believe that we allow minutes, hours and days to pass without true appreciation. I believe the earth is wondrous and the greatest art ever painted. I believe we possess more talent than we can ever imagine. I believe the Bible is the most read, respected AND neglected book on the planet. I believe we will never truly know the meaning of love in this life. I believe the human body is a machine so complex that no doctor, nor scientist can or will ever truly understand it, and its MAKER, the molder of life. I believe we don't give ourselves the chance to develop our true strengths, nor realize the hindering of our weaknesses. I believe if we all contributed what we are capable of sharing, the outcome would not be understandable. I believe we are living in a world of instantaneous rewards and regrets. I believe friends are absolutely, without a doubt, one of the biggest phenomenons in our lives. I believe families should at times unite and also at times separate. I believe children are the most mold-able creatures alive. I believe we are at the tip of the iceberg of what technology will reach and that none of us has the capacity to see what is before us. I also believe this technology is a blessing as well as a curse. I believe when we become robots, we lose our usefulness.I believe to open one's eyes to a new day is to have another chance to make a difference in ourselves as well as what surrounds us. I believe most of us squander this opportunity. I believe that the uniqueness of each of us, both separates and draws together. I believe faith is one of, if not the most, important emotions of life. I believe we owe not only ourselves but those who have come before and those who will come after the respect of taking care of our fellow man. I believe we, for the most part, are selfish creatures who turn our backs on needs that are in our own back yards. I believe no one lives the life of power of which they are capable. I also believe with 100 % of my heart that Ask with true Faith and Goodness and you will receive that which is meant for you......and then it is up to you to take that gift and share it with a world full of need. These are some of my beliefs. These are some of my faults. These are some of my biggest blessings.

Ever-Changing......

Life is full of commas, not periods. Certainly we'll all have a period at one time...at the end of life. But as for now, if you're reading this, understand that your life is at this moment full of commas, semicolons, quotation marks, exclamation points, but not periods. Ever-Changing. My family is facing some wonderful changes, but also we've had some pretty big challenges in the last few months and years, and what I've learned through this is that the commas, semicolons and quotations are just the curves and hills and valleys of our lives. If you stop and think about your life, your family's lives or the lives of your friends, I think you'll understand what I mean. You certainly have had some periods in your life....not YOUR period, but the end of life for loved ones. Those are the periods that must be mourned, but also cherished because you were allowed to see and enjoy the commas in their lives as well. We all face changes, and for the most part they must be accepted for what they are.....life. So I think the point is to not feel like you are looking at a period, maybe a comma, maybe a semicolon, maybe an exclamation point, but not a period. Whatever it is you're traveling through right now will change...for the good? For the bad? For the whatever......change. That is the reality of life......commas, semicolons, not periods. When the period of your life comes, and it surely will, I hope you can look back and realize the wonder that you beheld, the preciousness that was yours, the purpose that was meant for you, and that you never saw a period, but that you understood that throughout the years that the present was to be cherished and loved and lived and enjoyed for what it was. That commas were there, and that after those commas was more life. Enjoy today. Love today. Be amazed. Seek your purpose. Make those commas be fruitful, not hateful. For your period will come as surely as the sun will set. And at that time, you will have had your chance. Don't blow it my friends. It's a gift so big as to nearly be incomprehensible.

Beginnings.............

We all have so many beginnings in our lives. And I truly think we don't realize just what a blessed thing this is. YOU GET TO START OVER!! You get to write on a clean slate. You have a brand new notebook and newly sharpened pencil and you have the ability and the chance to start that first page. We can break beginnings down to years, months, days and yes even seconds. Each tick of the clock is a new beginning.....a new chance to change old habits, or try new things, or see new places or just be the same because that is what you are meant to do, be and see. Being a teacher I always think of beginnings this time of year. I will get to begin to do my part in shaping the lives of my students. They and I will have a new beginning. We will be both positive and most probably negative in each other's lives at some point in the next 177 days. But we will BE together in this and we will have the opportunity to learn and share and give and take. When your feet hit the floor each morning, you are beginning. When you walk in the door at your job, you are beginning. When you come home to your family each evening, you are beginning. Realizing the beginnings in your life is living in the present.....not dwelling on the past.....not looking to the future and ignorantly going about your day missing out on the here and now. So your life isn't great right now.....BEGIN something. So you have problems......BEGIN to solve them. So you feel stuck in a rut.....you get the picture! I love firsts.....that first sip of coffee...that first page of a really thick book....that first bite of a truly delicious dish. Please don't let your beginnings sail by unobserved, unappreciated and under utilized. You only have so many. Cherish them for what they are. Begin!!!!!

It's Just a Matter of ....................

What? Time? Money? Luck? Desire? Strength? Help? What is it Just a Matter of that's keeping you from doing, being, living, achieving your best? Maybe you have. Maybe you've arrived. Maybe you're there! Where are you? Where is there for you? Is there the best, farthest and highest you can go? Well, if you're there and if you've done whatever it is you need to, want to and can do, then congratulations! But I'm going to bet that for the majority of us we really aren't THERE! And maybe for you that's okay. And if that's the case then great. It's okay to be okay. But if for you It's Just a Matter of.......then figure it out. Don't miss out on what is your best. Whether you're 18, 34, 49, 66, or 78, you can still achieve. You can still progress. You can still hit that home run, make that touchdown, win that race. I'm not sure anybody ever reaches their full potential, but you know what? I think most of the time it's not actually the reaching, it's the trying. It's the all out, heart in hand, sweating, gasping, pulling every ounce of try we can out of ourselves. So here's the challenge. Figure it out! And if you come to the conclusion that maybe, just maybe, you aren't there and you want to be......then figure out what It's Just a Matter of....................

Mariposa...................

I love words...duh! I love the sounds they make coming off the tongue. I love to read words. I love to write words. I just love words. And MARIPOSA is one of my very favorite words. Ok, I can see you non-Spanish speakers scratching your heads saying............Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa? Mariposa mean butterfly. So not only do I love the way the word sounds, I also love what it means. Butterflies are some of my very favorite things. They just seem to flit along from flower to flower, drinking their nectar. They appear to sail with ease on puffs of air, putting out very little effort in life. But not so. We all know.....remember your science classes......what a butterfly must go through in order to become that lighter than air being. So this gets me to thinking. We are all Mariposas. We have all battled struggles to get where we are today. We may not be sailing and flitting; we may still be pushing and shoving to get out of our cocoons. As a matter of fact, we all still have those days of nectar AND those days of conflict and power drainers. But here's the thing. We survive those days in order to enjoy the days of twirling and soaring and drinking the nectar of life. So my wish for you is to realize that if you are in a cocoon now, your Mariposa days are ahead. Whatever you're fighting, bearing, living is at some point going to end. You will survive to be that beautiful being that enjoys your garden of flowers. Spread your wings my Mariposas and fly!

I Understand..............

No, you really don't. You don't understand my life and I don't understand yours. You don't understand my pain, sadness, joy, relief, duty, worry, exuberance, or any one of my life's circumstances. I just find this such an interesting concept. O girl, I feel your pain, I've been there. NO YOU HAVEN'T!!! Here's my thought this very early Friday morning. We do, in fact, all share the human experience. But what is different, what makes us NOT understand each other's circumstances is the fact that we are all very unique in our responses to whatever life throws at us. How many times have your heard AND said...well, I'll tell you what I'd do and what you should do. NO, you don't know what anybody else should do. You do not and never will live another's life. You have no idea exactly how you would react to the circumstances playing out before you in the life of a friend or a family member or whomever. Yes I do you say! No, you don't because while you may have had the same life experience, you don't have the same genetic makeup and therefore, don't truly understand reactions and emotions of another. I don't react to challenges the way you do. You don't react to problems the way I do. We are all made so uniquely that to even begin to think we should have the right to tell someone what to do in any of life's circumstances is arrogantly absurd. Now wait a minute you say......what if I'm asked for my opinion..then by all means GIVE it....but don't be presumptuous enough to TELL someone what to do then criticize when your advice isn't followed to the letter. What I'm trying to say and doing it very poorly I might add is this. We do experience similar problems and joys and wins and loses. We are on the same playing field called life. BUT, we aren't the same personalities, brains, emotions nor souls, so therefore, while we live the same circumstances from time to time, we don't understand the paths of others. So please think before you criticize. Clamp your mouth shut even if there are a thousands of words that want to spew out. Be ears not mouths.

And They're Off...............

This is dedicated to my many friends who are watching their children leave for college. Right or wrong you have done your job. You were given 18 years to prep this meal and now you are setting it on the table. Some dishes will be too salty, some too sweet, some too bland, but all will be on the table of your child's life and mixed together they will be the beginning of such an adventure. Whether you are watching them leave for college, trade school, a job ....you are watching independence. There is not an emotion in your entire being that you won't feel. But know this.......the culmination of all your hard work is beginning to pay off. Mistakes in the future? You bet! After all, you raised a human. Anxiety? Of course. After all YOU are a parent. But I'm gonna go out on a limb and say deep down in the very recesses of your heart you wouldn't have it any other way. For to have it any differently...to keep that child tethered to your proverbial apron strings is to deny him or her the right to spread those wonderful wings and fly. And what an unbelievable meal it is to share. Please take this with the love with which it is given.......you have imparted as much as you can, and yes, while there are still many lessons for them to learn, they will be learned without you standing directly in front of them. They will hurt, they will cry, they will break dishes and drop forks, but o yes!.....they will also feast on the opportunity of becoming who they are meant to be. I could go on and on for I have been in your shoes. I have cried rivers of tears and also wanted to reach across miles and wring necks. But I have also smiled and glowed and swelled with pride at their accomplishments. So I'm going to close this way. You have set the table. Now say Grace over it. Not today but EVERY day. Then step back and know that you have laid the tablecloth and dishes the best you knew how. It is now time to allow your child to eat.

Just Not Feelin' It....................

Are there days when you just aren't emotionally attached? You don't feel the sun or the breeze or the joy of life? You don't feel the love of friends or family? You don't feel the importance of you? I think we may all have these days, and I think that's just fine.............UNLESS.............they are stacked up back to back......one on top of the other. Maybe you haven't lost touch with all your feelings, but just some in particular. There is a gaping hole. And again...fine if for a day or two....not fine if for day after day after day. Life is not meant to be spent blindly walking through the hours just putting one step in front of the other waiting for the sun to go down so you can go to bed. Your journey here on earth isn't a job, a duty, an endless series of mind numbing tasks to be dealt with then forgotten. This journey of life is a trip of a lifetime. Now, stop and think about that......I'm waiting...............a LIFETIME......your only lifetime. So, my friends, if you are that person who is as dull as a piece of unpolished sterling, get out the rag and start on yourself. Rub and polish and seek whatever and whomever you need to get yourself back in shape. If you won't devote time to yourself, you are robbing the people you love of the enormous wonder of you. They don't want to miss that.......don't make them.

One Bad Apple...............

And I don't mean a broken Iphone, Ipod, or Ipad. It has long been said that one bad apple can spoil the bunch. So here's my question. Do you let one bad apple spoil your minute, hour, day , or week? Can one word turn you into a red ball of rage, or a fountain of tears. Can one bad action make your attitude turn on a dime? Can a careless happening, something totally random and out of your control take over and suddenly what was a normal day, become a disaster? Now, I'm certainly NOT talking about a major happening....a horrible diagnosis, a car accident, the loss of a loved one. I'm merely speaking of something that is of very little consequence, but in a split second it has taken charge and you are not the person you were five minutes before. Jealous has appeared. Envy has wrapped itself around you. Feelings have been hurt. Your attention is fixated on the negative. You have in fact let that bad apple turn your fruit salad rancid. I think if this happens that one of two things exists. Either you are for whatever reason vulnerable at that moment. OR, you, my friend, need to get yourself in line and figure out that you and only you are responsible for your joy. We are all vulnerable from time to time. Stress, illness, finances, job issues, whatever, can knock our feet out from under us. But if this is a way of life, a big old tear apart and put back together is in order. Tear down your house of straw and build back that house with bricks of thankfulness, with shingles of gratefulness and with doors and windows of glass so you can survey your world and realize just how darn blessed you are. Recognize bad apples for what they are. And when you do, put them down the disposal of life. You will not only benefit yourself, but those whom you love the most.

Memories.............

Memories are crystal vases that you hold up to the light and see a kaleidoscope of colors. Not all colors are happy, because not all memories bring joy. But everyday as you live this gift of life you are making memories. They are tucked away somewhere in those little compartments of your soul and at some point in the future you will bring them out to examine and relive them. If your days race by and you seem to stay on automatic pilot for most of the time, then you are losing out on memories. Things don't bring memories, people do. Granted, we all have to do mundane everyday things that make life possible. And not every second, minute or hour of every day is a memory to be captured in your vase, much like fireflies in a jar. But some seconds, minutes and hours of days deserve to be memories. Honor those moments. They will NOT come again. And they will be like long lost friends when you at some point in your life, bring them out and examine them. You probably wish that all your memories would be light and airy and swirly and joyous. But we all know this isn't the case and truthfully, we need memories that may the opposite. These are called lessons. These are the things that make the other remembrances so very special. Dark vs. light. Free vs. oppressed. Laughter vs. tears. Trials vs. victories. It's all life. It's the human experience. It's the things that ground us and lift us and move us to highs and lows. My wish for you is that not all your memories be smooth and wonderful. My wish for you is that you honor each memory and that by doing so, you learn that this life is yours. And how you use it fills the corners and compartments of your soul.

Maintenance...............

If you own an home, you know exactly what I'm talking about. So many things to maintain. Floors, paint, appliances, roof, yard....never ending. But let's talk about a more personal home.....your body. I wonder just how well you maintain your own everyday, live in, work in, play in, use up body. There of course are generally well known rules..eat right, sleep 8 hours, brush, floss, exercise...the list goes on and on. But that's not the only part of your body that needs daily care. You have several 'parts' of a body that make up the whole. And although the physical one is very special and needed....so is the emotional one. How are you at maintaining that? What do you do to keep yourself in sync? O, well, I'm just fine there...I don't need to do anything. Yes you do. We all do. We all need to balance our lives both physically as well as emotionally. I believe there are many paths to emotional health and you must work hard to find yours. Is it by volunteering, is it by reading, is it by simply sitting on the couch or porch with a favorite libation, spending some alone time? Is it chatting with a friend about deep thoughts or simply nothing of consequence. Each and every day, you NEED emotional healing. This big bad world is after each one of us. It hands us problems daily. You are battered and beaten and held hostage by unseen things that want and sometimes do steal your joy. Fight back with whatever it takes. Be smart. Do your thing...even if it's just for a half hour...and YES you do have a half hour of every 24 when you can be you. Be a blank slate and then begin to paint. Be a empty jar and then begin to fill. Be a lined page and then begin to write. You are a gazillion cells of talent, and thought, and existence. Don't waste even one. Find your balance. Be your very best friend. Love yourself.