Impatience

Tomorrow is March 1st. We had a measurable snowfall, yet again, today. Not massive, but at least a couple of inches. I shoveled once this morning and I will have to do it again tomorrow before we can venture out.
I really don't mind shoveling snow, because with each storm there is the hope it is the last one of the season. But, if it's not, then I can have that same hope with the next snowfall. We deal with it.
But, like I mentioned, tomorrow it will be March. And, I am so over winter. I am over the freezing temperatures. I am over scraping my windshield every morning, in order to go to work. I am over boots. I am over heavy coats and gloves and scarfs. I am over being cold every time I step into the shower and every time I step out of the shower. I am over cold beds.
I am so looking forward to Spring.
Bring it on Lord. Show me the Sunshine.
Like Veruca Salt...."I want it NOW!"

Great God. The seasons are wonderful. We enjoy this great Earth and you, in your wisdom, seem to know when we've had just enough of any particular weather. Spring is a re-awakening of your bounty. We rejoice in the re-newing of your planet.
We are grateful for our abundant life.

R.I.P.

A celebrity from my teenage years passed away last week. I read about it, took note of the event, and to tell you the truth, I promptly forgot about it.
Then in a recent conversation, one of my much younger colleagues made a comment about her hair. Young women talk a lot about their hair. Older women talk about other things like I.R.A.s and out-of -control grandchildren and Medicare. Young women talk about hair, hair dressers, hair color and hair products.
My young friend stated that although she wanted to cut her hair, her significant other didn't want her to do it. So, of course, she admitted, she didn't have it cut.
Wow! I had an "A-Hah" moment! A lightening bolt of understanding and knowledge!
What would Leslie Gore say? Well, you know what her reply would be.
"You Don't Own Me." "Don't tell me what to say and don't tell me what to do."
It's hair for gosh sakes. It's temporary. It will grow back. Stand up and grow up, girlfriends!
What happened to Feminism, young women? You have the vote!
 "It's my Party and I'll Cry If I Want To.", by golly. Take charge of your young lives, before you get to old to regret it.
R.I.P. Leslie.

Grand and glorious God. You gave us free will. Praise You, we have minds. Help us make good choices and help us to do the very best we can with our lives. We are so blessed.
Amen.

Just a minute.

If each day lasts 24 hours, why do some of them seem longer than others? I don't have the answer to that question, but sometimes I wish I did.
Today seemed particularly long. I began looking at the clock above my desk around 3 p.m., hoping my 8 hour work day would end soon. Tiredness had set in. I began to think that four thirty would never come. The end of the work week was minutes away. I'd had enough of this particular  work week. It was Friday, and the weekend was near.
Quitting time came. I punched the time clock, dragged my tired body to the car, and drove home. I opened the front door, chatted a few minutes with my spouse and began to cook dinner.
Between boiling the rice and sauteing the salmon, I looked out our back window and saw eight young deer, grazing on our back lawn. Those deer were having a delightful time enjoying their feast of bushes and tall weeds.
As I watched the informal gathering, I realized that perhaps God was showing me those deer for a specific reason. Those animals were not worrying about what had happened at work today or what might happen on Monday. Maybe God was telling me to put myself in the "present". The opposite of stress is putting oneself in the present. Don't worry about the past or be concerned about the future.
"Consider the lilies of the field...."

Great God. Why do we focus on the negative? Why do we worry?We have so many blessings. Our troubles are so insignificant and really not worth the worry. Help us to live in the present. Help us to live our lives in the best way possible. Open our hearts and our minds to your will.

Too much.........

As the years pass, I seem to be getting "more set in my ways". Surprise!Surprise! We all do, in one way or another, whether we want to admit it or not. And, by telling you that I am getting "more set in my ways", I mean I am more sure of what I truly believe.
I believe, for certain, that we all have our space and limited time on this earth. It is a fact that we only have the time between our birth and our death. And, by space, I mean what we do in our lifetime. I have my space and you have yours.
Recently, I have come to the conclusion that there are people on this planet who are taking up way too much space. Celebrity is one thing, but that word used to mean that famous people were famous for doing something. Celebrities are certainly, in my humble opinion, entitled to use up a little more space than us average people
Using a little more space is one thing, but those folks who encroach on my space and your space, should just stop and move back into their own space. Kim Kardashian is taking up too much media space. I do not want to see or look at her and her no-talent family. She's everywhere. It's impossible to avoid her image. She's messing with our space, and she hasn't done anything to deserve it!
I can think of several others. Al Sharpton...too much space. Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber......too much space.
Just let me be happy in what I do and how I do it. Get out of my space.

Good and all powerful Lord. We are very thankful for our life on this huge planet. Show us the best way we can live, so that we can do your will by serving you and others. Make others our focus.Help me to channel my energy toward positive things.

The only sure things......

Tax season is here. Our mail for the last several weeks has included several W 2 forms and notices of interest accumulating accounts. That has reminded me of the old saying "The only sure things in life are death and taxes."
Well, not really. There are many things that you can be just as sure of. How about batteries? You can be absolutely sure that if you are in need of a 9 volt battery (say, for that annoying smoke alarm that kept you awake last night, beep, beep, beeping), you will only have  AA, AAA, C and D batteries. Probably several of each kind. But, no 9 volts. That's a fact of life, and a sure thing.
Another item is an ice scraper for your windshield. It never fails. There is never an ice scraper in your car when you really need one. Ice appears and you suddenly remember that you broke the scraper on your windshield last winter or that you left it in your spouse's car last week, when he broke his own. It's just another thing you can be sure of.
I could go on and on. The sure thing is that there are dozens of life's little sureties. Ain't life great?

Dear Lord. You are our most sure thing. Your presence is eternally with us. We are your high priority and you should be ours. We are thankful and grateful for your love and care. We praise your name.

More power to you, girlfriend!

Do you know how to age gracefully? Let me tell you that I know of one lovely lady who is doing it spectacularly well.
Recently, this acquaintance of mine wrote an essay on aging. She entitled it "Gimme Gravy."
It seems, that at 94, she has done all of the Yoga, watched all of the calories and eaten all of the Kale that intends to. She is as healthy as she is going to get, so she figures, why not live a little in the time she has left. In other words, it's time to have a little gravy on all her breakfasts, lunches and dinners.
I think she's right as rain. There comes a point in life where you don't need the "lifetime warranty"that is a draw to many fine items. Those are for the folks who intend to beat the odds and live to be a hundred or so.  Over the age of seventy-five, however, just who benefits from a 30 year mortgage or a lifetime guarantee on a furnace? Well, I just don't think it's us, the aging buyers. Nobody guarantees us another 30 years of life!
Maybe after age 75, it's best to go for the cheap. After all, at a certain age a little cheap glitz and a lot of gravy makes growing older a real treat.


Great God: We humans are a funny bunch. We are all concerned with looking younger than we are and living longer than we should. Our lives here are just a precursor of what it to come in your heavenly kingdom. Help us to focus on our everlasting souls.
In your blessed name we pray. Amen.

Move it!

Since the new year has begun, I have had to deal with quite a few folks that just aren't trying. I mean, they aren't trying to enjoy life. They aren't trying to learn. They aren't trying to "do" anything. And, you know what? They aren't happy.
Good Lord! What's wrong with waking up every day? Not a darn thing. It's a sure bet that each of us  can think of ten people, in the blink of an eye, who no longer wake up every day. And, I really believe that if they could, they would be willing to switch places with us.
We all have aches and pains. (I don't know of anyone over the age of 60, who doesn't.) Getting older just hurts most of the time. It's a fact of life. But, sitting, doing nothing, doesn't help the situation. My friend, the fitness expert says that it actually makes the aches and pains much worse.
 Life isn't a bowl of cherries. We've all messed up. What we have now is the result of what we have done and how we have lived. We can't change the past, no matter how often we choose to dwell on it.
So, the cure to the "do nothings" is to "do something". Whether it's exercising our minds or bodies, or just "doing" a change of attitude, our lives are bound to be better.
Many people have many millions of dollars by preaching and teaching about a positive outlook on life. But, it is up to us to do it.

Lord: Why do you waste your time and effort on us? We are so unworthy of your steadfast love and devotion.
Help us to be more thankful and grateful for all that we have. We praise your name.