Just your average Joe.......

One of my very special friends at work has been under the weather for a couple of months. I watched as he started a slow decline. He started having more and more difficulty with movement. He was laboring with his breathing. But, most importantly, his declining health was causing him to lose his signature smile.
This man is always smiling. He has the most pleasant disposition of anyone I have ever known. And, even though he wasn't feeling well, he never seemed to lose his positive outlook on life.
Nothing rattles him. Sure things bother him. He sometimes can't hear his doctor's nurse on the telephone and his sons irritate him occasionally, but this man is a ray of sunshine, to just about everyone, on any given day.
But, his smile was missing. I was worried.
Last week, he went to the local hospital for some "minor" surgery. Unfortunately, at work, this is a scenario that doesn't always turn out well.
But, thanks to the wonders of modern medicine and a timely placed Pace Maker, my ray of sunshine is back. He looks terrific. He has great color and I can tell that he feels much better.
How do I know? Because that million dollar smile is back.
Miracles Happen.

Dear Lord: Why are we so surprised when things turn out well? Where is our faith in You? Life certainly has its ups and downs. Bad stuff happens, but good stuff happens, too. Throughout this journey our only constant is You. You are always with us, on every hill and in every valley. Thank you for the "Joes" in our lives. We thank you for all of the folks that we meet. Every relationship blesses our lives. We glorify your name.

"Not for just an hour, not for just a day,........."

My work colleague told me that I work too hard. He also said that I take my job too seriously. Well, what's wrong with that? Apparently, working hard and doing your best isn't expected these days. And, that my dear readers, just might be what is wrong with this country.
I'm so old, and maybe you are too, that I remember what "service" used to mean.
In the Good Old Days, doctors made house calls, gas station attendants filled up your tank, checked the oil, and washed your windshield. There were no "self check-out" lanes. And, people stayed in one job for more than 6 months, so you were able to recognize the clerks at the grocery store and the waiters at the local restaurants.
People cared. Teachers and other professionals dressed well and looked nice when they went to work. They did it out of respect for their students and their clients. Today, jeans and a wrinkled tee shirt is the norm. The highlight of the week, at many work places, is "casual" Friday. Oh Yippee! We can go to work looking like we are not working. That, sure is professional.

Well, I can't change. I will continue to work hard and provide service because it's the right thing. And, when someone comments about my work ethic, I will smile and remind myself of the Golden Rule.

Dear Lord: Nowhere in the Bible does it say, do a "half- hearted job". You have not promised us "half" or a "casual" paradise. I know there is scripture about being lukewarm...and being "spat out".
Life is so wonderful. We should give it and You our best, always. Help me to live by the Golden Rule. Always, allow me to be a model for others.

Stop it!

Whoever invented those miniature candy bars should be tarred and feathered! I realized years ago that you can't eat just one. No. No. Because the bars are so small, just a few more won't hurt. The more the merrier!
How many of those miniature candy bars, do you suppose, equal one regular sized bar?  Is it three or is it four? Or maybe you can eat five or six before you have ingested the equivalent calorie and sugar amount that credits you with eating a whole Snickers or Milky Way.
How many teeny tiny bags of Peanut M and Ms, equal a whole handful eaten from a candy jar? How many?
Those little bars come in giant bags these days. They appear right after the Fourth of July. You can pick them up at Sam's or Costco for next to nothing, and before you know it, the bag is gone. It isn't even close to Halloween, but you realize, you are going to have to go and buy more candy for the neighborhood Trick or Treaters.
Thank goodness this only happens once a year. But, then after Halloween, when all the candy is finally gone, it will almost be time for Thanksgiving. Uh, oh. Then Christmas, and then New Year's.
Time to think about all those resolutions to improve myself.
Where is my will power?

Great and powerful God: It may be that the greatest temptation of all is chocolate. Help us to focus on what we know is right and steer us away from what we know is wrong. Be our strength and when we go astray, help us to get back on the right road.We glorify your name.....always.

EH?

My Word! Just what has happened to correct pronunciation, these days? I admit that my hearing isn't what it used to be, but the language folks use these days is atrocious..
Many of the newer sports broadcasters say "corder" when they mean quarter. What they say is.....The Chiefs failed to score in the third "corder". What does that mean????
How about "axe"?  Usage being.....He "axed" me that question. There is no x, in asked! It's like crying in baseball!
And, for the umpteenth time....there is no "R" in Washington. There never has been one. There will never be one. George didn't say it like that. His name was Wash...ing...ton. His name was not Warsh..ing..ton. And, please don't say......I'm going to the warsh room and warsh my hands. Egad!
Then there is Kindygarten. If you say Kindygarten, perhaps you should have stayed there and never graduated, with honors, from Harvard!
Oh, and then you have names. There is only one Barbra......the rest are Bar..bar.. as. I have yet to meet a real Dorthy, but I know many Dor-o-thys. How awful to have your name constantly mispronounced. 
Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy.
My workmate says "sar" instead of saw, but, for Pete's sake, she's British. She has an excuse.
There is no excuse for sloppy speech.
Forgive us, English teachers of America. We are an embarrassment.
So folks, while you are doing the right thing!.....Just say the right thing.


Great and all powerful God. As we go through this journey of life, keep us on the right path. Show us your way. Speech, as fouled up as we make it, is very important, as we attempt to communicate your word and work. Help us find the right words to share our many blessings.