Prepared.......

My Thought for this Day.......Every day your ship sails out of its harbor and begins its journey of life. Some days the seas are calm and you enjoy a wonderfully joyful cruise. Some days the seas are dark and tumultuous and you feel tossed about by huge waves of despair. Here is the most important thing. If you have fitted your ship with the Lifeboats of Faith and Assurance, then no matter the seas, you are at peace. And when your ship re-enters its port at night, you swab your decks, then step ashore and welcome your next day's cruise. For you are prepared.

Aisle......

My Thought for this Day.......Maybe your world today is not in a picture perfect box tied with a very shiny bow. Maybe instead it is in a plastic bag with a hole and one broken handle. We've all been there. Many of us may be there now. Problems and sorrow and burdens of every kind weigh your plastic bag down and your fear is that all the pieces will fall out and never be retrieved and never be stored again in that beautiful box with that bow. The weight of that bag can and will weigh you down and do exactly what you let it. STEAL YOUR JOY! Guard your heart with the promises given that you can carry your load and that you will be victorious. Life isn't always the candy aisle. Sometimes you have to be in the loading zone of burdens. But here's the joy. When you carry that burden, and then when you turn into that candy aisle, you have not only found your strength, you have been given the tools to help others when they are at their own loading dock. Be strong in your problems. Life abounds even when your choice isn't chocolate.

Purpose.......

My Thought for this Day.....Sometimes life comes at us hard, sometimes on silent feet. No matter the delivery, life continually happens. And our mission is to embrace each day knowing that they are not only numbered, but labeled with a purpose that is singularly ours.

Choices.....

My Thought for this Day.......You can look at this world through disappointment, or you can look through joy. Negativity sits alone and breeds resentment, suspicion and bitterness with its darkness and doubt. Joy sings like a bird on a branch sure in her knowledge that the tree will hold both her and her nest. I choose Joy; I choose my song to be trilled to the Heavens. I choose to turn my back on the valley of the shadow.

Titus.......

My Thought for this Day..........Our memories are things to be stored in our hearts with wonder. Both good and bad, our memories hold our past in their hands. Some we want to forget; some we cherish; but all are our story. This is my memory from one year ago today. Titus was one week old and a little over 3 pounds. It was my first time to hold this amazing creature and whisper to him my hopes and prayers. He, my first grandchild, was tiny and fragile and hooked up to wires and monitors, yet was an enormous force of life. What an incredible year for this little boy. How can we not kneel and give our Father our thanks for holding us all in His mighty, adoring hands.

Crumbs.....

My Thought for this Day.......When the crumbs of yesterday clog up your vacuum cleaner of today, you might need to rethink your diet.

Roots.......

My Thought for this Day......We all have emotional roots that stem from the soil of our past. Some we need to fertilize; some we need to spray with Round-Up.

Fathers........

My Thought for this Day.....It is said the best thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother well. While I have never been, nor will ever be a father, I truly believe this. With his actions a father teachers a son how to honor and love his wife, and he teaches his daughter how to be loved and honored by her husband. What great joy it is to be a living example of this. We have responsibility in our actions. We have consequences, and we have rewards. My hope is that each and every father will reap the rewards of loving the mother of his children. Do it well. For as each day passes, your time to teach by example grows shorter. Happy Fathers Day.

Trust.....

My Thought for this Day........There are so many things we trust without too much angst. We trust the walls of our house to stand. We trust the roads in our lives to lead us to the usual places. We trust our eyes to see, our ears to hear and our tongues to speak. We trust that today will follow yesterday, and lead to tomorrow. But sometime our trust is misplaced and these times usually involve people, not places or things. Agreed? So my thought is this....be that person who can be trusted. Be that someone whom friends, family and strangers can rely on to just do the right thing. Be the walls of a house, the road that is traveled. When you can be trusted, you are making a difference in lives around you. And do it consistently, without doubt. Do it, not because you have to, but because you, deep in your soul, realize that trust placed in you, is a rare treasure indeed.

Matter......

My Thought for this Day.........We all have been given a 'lot' in life. Some of us have Rolls Royce lots, some Chevrolet lots, and some have 'Tote the Note' on a clunker. No matter your particular lot, you are also given wheels to drive off and make your lot matter. So what if you have to air up your tires every day. There is beauty in advancement. There is strength in trouble. There is a road that, when followed, will leave the potholes behind and become pavement. All you have to do is believe that you matter. Even if you show a little rust, and your windows are cracked, you matter. We don't all start on the same lot. But we all are given the tools to fix our chassis to carry us to where we want to be. You matter.

Better.......

My Thought for this Day............We all are wounded in some way or another. Life has a way of doing that. It happens to each of us. I think there are lessons abounding everyday, and it is our responsibility to learn them. And grow. Don't be bitter; be better.

Purpose......

My Thought for this Day........Don't ever forget you are given each day for a purpose. It is an honor to possess a purpose, and a disgrace to ignore it. Your purpose might be little or mighty. But the fact remains, you can and do and will make a difference in the lives of those around you. Make sure that difference is Honorable and Blessed.

Party.......

My Thought for this Day.......Life is like a party. You invite a lot of people; some join you; some laugh with you; some don't come. But in the end, after the fun, there are only a few who stay and help clean up the mess.

Question......

My question for this Day.............When is your someday? We all have them. I'm gonna go there someday. I'm gonna slow down someday. I'm gonna call that old friend to reconnect someday. So I repeat, when is your someday? Is it today, tomorrow? I'm going with a no for your answer. And that is troublesome, because you see, today or tomorrow may be all you have. Hope not. Hope you have many today's and tomorrow's. But not even today is promised. So listen, is it just me, or does it seem foolish to waste precious time that might be in really short supply? Quit shaking your head and saying you have no time to do these things. How do you NOT have time? True, maybe you don't have time to take that two week dream vacation, but you do have time to dream it. Five minutes of dreaming it, seeing it, planning it and I promise you will be in a better state of mind. Connect with someone in your life.....maybe an old friend, new friend, everyday friend. It doesn't matter. It's the tether of the heart reaching heart. The listening to a friendly, interested voice is so full of spirit restoration.......whether it's a five minute chat, or an hour long conversation. I just want you to know that a life spent racing, fretting, and worrying is a life wasted. Please shift your gear to park at some point everyday. Ease up on the gas pedal of life. Make your SOMEDAY.....everyday......in one form or another. You are surrounded by miracles and blessings that when ignored vanish into the air of the past. Your time is not infinite; don't dishonor it.

The Present.......

My Thought for this Day........I think we all live in the Big Picture. We dwell in the past, look forward to, or dread the future. When actually, life is simply about the now, the present, the realization that truly all we have is this. Certainly, we should plan for the days to come, and revisit the successes and failures of yesterday. But not to the extent that it blurs the todays we are given. Live well in the moment. The now will never return.