Texas.....

My Thought for this Day........A week ago we began to see the power of Mother Nature. And for days on end, we watched her roll and wave and rain down her mighty power. And we wept, and still do. And we question, and still do. Yet, we have also witnessed miracle after miracle and in those miracles we have seen the power of the human spirit. We are not only bent; we are broken. But in our brokenness, we have fought back physically, prayerfully, and with hearts of iron. Not all are saved, for in our humanness we are never as invincible as she. But our thunder has been heard, and our lightening has been seen, and if nothing else is gained from this experience, we should realize without question, goodness still exists and this, my friends, is enduring faith and everlasting calm. In the Eye of the Storm we rise.

Eye of the Storm.......

My Thought for this Day.......We seem to be in the Eye of the Storm. Mother Nature has her sights on Texas; we are hunkered down with a Bullseye on our coast. And the only thing we can do is prepare as best we can and then wait. Sometimes there are things that are just too huge to control. And Harvey is one. Everyday I see emotional eyes of storms whirl around us all. There are things we can't control and no matter what we do, they grow into Harvey. I see devastation on young faces, and I hear it in small voices. Harvey has been in these lives for maybe a day, a month, or years. And they have no idea how to cope with such emotional trauma, and I dare say, some don't even realize it's there. So this is my Thought.......if you can, in any way, with care and consideration, help a Harvey. A small gesture, a smile, an acknowledgment of existence, a word....it costs nothing but your time. And with this tiny effort you build a barrier, fill a sandbag, board a window against Harvey. Do it for them; do it for yourself. Listen and realize we all have been in the Eye.

Boundaries.......

My Thought for this Day.........Set your boundaries. The world will pick you apart. It seems that someone is always plucking at your sleeve, asking for a little favor, needing a little time, wanting a small portion of your day. Here's the plan. Do what you can, when you can, however you can. But never allow your heart, mind, soul to be destroyed in the vortex of someone else's life. You help no one by spinning like a top on the hot sidewalk of existence. Be busy, be productive, and yes, be a wife, husband, family member, and friend. But first, and more importantly, be you, wholly and totally you. Take care my friends. It isn't selfish; it's healthy.

Power......

My Thought for this Day......What plans God has in my future may not be in yours. Nor yours in mine. But here's the thing. The blessing is to go on living no matter what your stepping stones are. Today they may be pebbles and tomorrow boulders. It is the walking in truth and light that makes your steps straight, strong and miraculous. So you stumble? Don't we all? So you're weary? Aren't we all? But nothing continues forever....not good nor bad fortune. Not sunshine nor storms. Not darkness nor light. What does continue with a certainty that has lasted from the beginning of time is the strength of the human spirit and heart. We are all touched everyday by unseen powerful forces that lift us from out depths and carry us on wings of goodness and grace. Don't you dare turn your back on this. Don't you dare disregard the power that can be yours for the taking. Stop! Think! Act! And then as is written, pass it on. For your power will lift those who stumble before you. And those behind you will carry you when you falter. Draw in this truth. It is life changing. It is how you and I and generations to come must live if we are truly to know what miracles surround us.

Cross..........

My Thought for this Day........We all are in a huge dither over monuments and symbols and erasing that which has gone before. It's as if allowing vileness and cruelty to be acknowledged as a part of our past is the key to the same measure appearing in our futures. And so we are taking down and defacing that which offends anyone over anything. As I have stated previously, slavery and racism and senseless acts of terrorism of people against people are all an abomination. Yet to try and erase the painful events from our history discredits those who fought for right, those who died for justice, those who left heart and soul on a battlefield of horror. So my Thought then veers to this........2,017 years ago there was another symbol that in our selfish daily life of righting wrongs, we seem to have forgotten, passed over, given no heed. We do it daily, without guilt, nor shame. And I wonder, no I know, had we, and if we, stop and kneel at the foot of the most monumental reminder of our past, we, in our humbleness and recognition of this act of cruelty and repugnance will rise strong, and without thought nor effort, be changed. The Cross. Although we can not remove it physically, we, as a nation, have removed it emotionally. We have in our fight for justice forgotten the one who voluntarily held the world, and holds our future in His nail scarred hands. He hung on a cross so we, in our sin, could be forgiven. And so in our current acts of rebellion, we blindly walk past the Cross to enter into the fight of violence. I'm in no way trying to dehumanize the persecution of days gone by; they happened, as did the Cross. Bow down and recognize it's meaning and power. This symbol has been forgotten, and we are blindly paying that price daily in our race to be the best, have the best, and seek revenge. May the Cross have mercy on our souls.

Fracture......

My Thought for this Day....... When I think of something being fractured, I immediately think Ouch! Broken bone, cast, pain.... physical fracture. But, truly there can be way more in our lives that are fractured....our emotions, our families, our friendships, our finances....the list goes on and on. I wonder sometimes if we even can see what is fractured. Do we feel that heavy cast we're dragging along emotionally? I bet what is obvious to other people, may not be apparent to us. We are so busy being us, that we don't see the obvious breaks and splinters that surround us. Obviously there are times in our lives when we fracture with good cause...death of a loved one, loss of a job, sudden illness....these occurrences are part of life. We survive; we struggle, and in time begin to heal. But, and this is a big but, if you're causing someone else's life to fracture in any form or fashion, Stop It! Step back, think, repair. Fractured bones knit and heal on their own. Broken spirits, families, friendships require more than time. Sometimes fractured lives never repair. Look around you...help those in need whether you're part of the reason or not. Grab the knitting needles of life and put them to use. God gave us empathy; use it!! And if, you recognize yourself as part of someone's fracture, please step back, allow the emotional bones to heal. Madam DeFoe knew her place and power.....you should too!!

Pantry......

My Thought for this Day....We all are made by the same recipe, just different amounts of ingredients. If you need to borrow a cup of wisdom, ask one who has it in abundance. If you need a good laugh, seek out that friend who always makes you smile. Everyday, there is someone in your life, I hope, who can go to their personal pantry and pull out what you need. Then, the best happens....you can pay them back in their days of drought. A depleted pantry makes for a defeated person. Take the time to refill your pantry with those things in life which comfort. Don't ever be too busy to deny gratitude, grace, faith or humor a place on your life shelves.

Peace......

My Thought for this Day........We are spoon fed opinions and what we should think every day. We are bombarded with politicos and newscasters and ohhhhhh so smart people with each channel change and twist of the dial. We are sitting in adult high chairs while someone else fills our plates of knowledge and expects us to devour their meal. We are told by our friends and mere acquaintances just exactly how the world should be run. Well, my fellow Americans, I don't care what you think, I don't listen to, or read your blah, blah, blah. Pretty sure God gave us all brains and yes, while some are larger than others, we, with our teeny tiny grey matter can, and do, have the ability to reason. So.......I'm not listening to, reading about, nor believing your words. I'm choosing my own opinions, in my own way, without your help. And because our world has become a mixmaster of idiocy, I worry. And then, guess what, I deflate like a balloon stuck in a tree, but hallelujah, I then begin to expand once more. Dear Lord, help us in our ignorance, and our hate and our impudence and our self importance and our inability to just live without supremacy and hostility. We can not rewrite history. We can not erase what has gone before us and to try to is to dishonor those who fought AGAINST injustice. Remember those folks? There have been hundreds of thousands of people who died trying to right wrongs. We do not have the ability to change the past; but by gosh we have the ability to somehow, some way write a future that our sons and daughters and grandchildren can enjoy without being afraid to go to the mall, grocery store, or school. Get a grip. We are destroying ourselves. Raise your hand if instead of anger, you want peace. Is your hand up? Then start working on it.

Courage....

My Thought for this Day.......There is no courage in only grandstanding your strengths. True courage comes from allowing vulnerability to stand on the stage with you. Admitting that you have failures, and yearnings, and weaknesses opens you up to a world that can crush. But with this transparency comes the knowledge that you are mighty in your fragility.

Society......

My Thought for this Day......We live in a Super-Sized society. Bigger is better. We judge our possessions, our accomplishments, our attitudes by dimensions. It is American to belittle the small. But a little wisdom goes a lot farther than a lot of smarts; a little joy overrides a lot of happy, and a little courage overshadows a lot of bravado. Be careful in the way you observe the world. It can lead to a huge heartache when climbing your proverbial little mountain of success.

Find.....

My Thought for this Day.....Don't miss out on the simple things of life.....a really good book, a beautiful sunrise, deep conversations with close friends, slow walks, quiet moments. Life isn't all about seeing how fast you can run, how high you can climb, nor what you can achieve. Find your simplicity.

Dark.....

My Thought for this Day.......You are too blessed to be depressed. It's a battle. For some of us it is daily, for others weekly, for others yearly. But if you can reflect and see love, and faith, and gratitude, then you, my friend, are blessed beyond measure. The trick is to shove over the shadow and step into the light. Many times the dark is heavy and cumbersome and oh so rigid. No matter. There is light. And it is yours for the finding. But it isn’t easy, said Pooh. Because poetry and hums aren’t things which you get, they’re things which get you. And all you can do is to go where they can find you.

Hope......

My Thought for this Day......We all hope. We sit and wait and hope. We work and play and hope. The true art of hoping is not to disrespect today, but to gently lean toward tomorrow. I feel like those with no hope are souls who simply fade into the walls of life and wait helplessly for those boards to crumble and crush. The wrongfulness of hope is to allow it to so succumb the present that we aren't living each moment, we are merely waiting for that which we hope. We see our lives as tomorrows, not todays. That diminishes us. No, it isn't wrong to hope. Just tuck it in your soul and know that while it fills, it doesn't fulfill.

Compare......

My Thought for this Day.......I am an avid Podcast listener. The other day I heard these words from Robin Roberts, " Don't compare your despair". She said this was a well used phrase of her mama's who is now deceased. I think we do compare our despair, and I also think we compare our joy. We size up our problems and our blessings against others. And many times we come up winners in the despair department and losers in the joy department. Our despair is larger, our joy lesser....or perhaps the opposite. How impertinent this is. We have no idea the depth of anyone else's despair, nor the height of their joy and frankly, it is none of our business, unless asked to be there. So stay out of the analogy game. Your yardstick is defective anyway. The very act of equivalence is offensive and discourteous to your own essence. It takes up valuable energy and is always seen through a mirror of distortion. We teach our children to live lives of comparability each and every day. With this the Compare your Despair theory is alive and well and generational. Stop! Making your despair larger, or your joy lesser does nothing but bring you emotional pain which adds fuel to your already bitter journey. We are meant to live our lives with 100% effort for success, gratitude and generosity. You will never achieve this by spending countless hours looking out of your grimy window of correlation.

Story.....

My Thought for this a Day........What will your mirror reflect today? Consider this.....each word, deed, action, thought, all that is yours, reflects back on you. And seen or unseen , in your heart, if you're honest, you know the reflection of your day tells the story of you.

Humble......

My Thought for this Day........Realize who makes your life more abundant. And if you just thought no one, then turn your eyes outward, rather than inward. There are those who go before you everyday and clear a path. I dare you to spend a few moments and acknowledge them in your heart. Then go one step further and say thank you when you get the chance. Gratefulness to others is a sign, not of weakness, but of honor and humility.

Forever.......

My Thought for this Day.......One of those nights.......my first thought as my eyes popped open at 4:15, and I knew sleep would elude me no matter how hard I tried. And then, I chose to not toss and turn in anger, but to get up, brew the coffee and let the new day begin to settle around me. And with these brand new 24 hours comes this thought. Life comes hard, life comes strong, life comes bumpy, but thank you God that life comes. Today I will choose to be glorious. I choose to be mighty. I choose to bask in the glow of being alive. And with this, I know that I am not alone, for my God has my back and always will. My Thought for this Day.......Bow down in the presence of your Almighty God. For his love abides forever and ever.

Intent........

My Thought for this Day........I think at times we live our lives day in and day out the way we always have. It's a habit. We chase our tails running in mindless circles because we always have. We follow a set of rules that govern our lives, whether to the betterment or not because we've always followed the same rules. We set our caps each morning in the same way because, frankly, we don't seem to allow ourselves change. We are, in fact, robots, working on life standing by a conveyor belt that pushes the same things, in the same manner in front of us, and it's usual and easy and well, our custom, our manner, our mode. And in this habitual process we lose the beauty of life. We don't stand by the ocean. We don't seek the clear air of the mountain top. We don't wonder at the moon and the stars and the rainbows because we can't take our eyes off the conveyor belt. It takes effort to change, if even for an hour. It takes courage to walk toward that rainbow. Don't let your habits rule you, instead rule them. Live with intent. Live with purpose. Live like you mean it.

mydaywithyou: Chapter......

mydaywithyou: Chapter......: My Thought for this Day.......Each and every one of us has a story. And in that story, we have chapters we don't want printed. As unique...

Chapter......

My Thought for this Day.......Each and every one of us has a story. And in that story, we have chapters we don't want printed. As unique individuals, we deal with these chapters in our own way, in our own time, with our own pain. The thing is that we deal. And it can be hard, and gut wrenching and impossibly sad. The honor is to allow ourselves and others to deal in whatever way heals the sufferer. Exalt yourself and others by being the silent presence, or the wise whisperer. It takes courage beyond the realm of existence to heal that which has pierced our soul. We each have a chapter, to be read silently or aloud.