What???

Surprise me.
I love surprises.....surprise visits, surprise gifts, surprise announcements, surprise weather. Surprise, in my opinion, keeps us on our toes and makes life interesting. Surprise can be challenging, but, life can be pretty dull, without a surprise or two.
Not everyone feels the same way, however. I do realize that many people do not like being surprised, in any way shape or form. Routine is what some folks want. Routine loving people do not want to be challenged with change and surprises. Change can be very frightening for certain people. When we become distressed by change and surprises, it can cause a lot of stress.
Every day, at my workplace, I encounter both kinds of folks. Surprise happens to everyone and some of us can cope with it, while others cannot.

Which type of person are you?

Good and all powerful God; Our only constant in life is Your steadfast love. No matter what happens to us, you are always there. Strengthen our Faith. Calm our uneasiness.
We praise Your Holy Name.

Short

I am SHORT in stature. I have always wanted to be taller. Maybe just a couple of inches. Maybe tall enough to eliminate my ever present and ever needed foot stool. Maybe tall enough to have made it to the second row of a group photo.
Sometimes, I am SHORT with people. Being calmer, quieter and more understanding, should be my goal. I am too impatient. Remembering that the first one to finish life, isn't necessarily the winner, should be upmost on my mind..
Life is short. We all have family members and friends that have left us too soon. There were so many things we could have said and done, and now the opportunity is gone. We must remember that we have not been promised a tomorrow. Say those important things, now. Today.
Sometimes, we feel we get the SHORT end of the stick. Life just isn't fair. When we're down and feeling really put upon, it always helps to count our blessings. Everyone has something to be happy about...something for which we should be thankful.
The word SHORT is longer than the word LONG.  Life is always a surprise.

Dear Lord. We are your blessed children. Short or tall, we have your undivided attention.  Give us patience and courage.

Ouch!

Here is a rhetorical question for you. Why are we so critical?
So many folks want to voice their opinions about each and every thing. For some reason or other, these extremely vocal folks think that their opinions matter.  They think that the rest of us care what they think and say.
News alert!
We don't.
Why can't we keep our opinions to ourselves and realize that our critical words are hurtful?
I am making a vow right here......."I will attempt to curb any criticism that I may be tempted to level, on any unsuspecting victim."
Please, hold me to it.


Dear Lord. We should be sorry if the words we say hurt other people. We know that we are too critical. It is so easy to see the faults in others and to ignore our own. Forgive us.
Lord, help us to be kind to one another and to measure our words.

$11.06

I try to eat healthy. I really do. I watch my fat and sugar intake. I eat as many green and yellow vegetables as I possibly can. And, I don't eat as many starches and desserts as I would like to. I have never been called "slender", but, I can still get through an average door frame.
However......
Sometimes, a girl just has to have a greasy burger and fries. Once in a while isn't all that bad. Right?
Well, last night I stopped by a local burger joint. I was by myself and feeling pretty guilty for not going home and eating left overs, which I usually do. Anyway, I waltzed right in and ordered the single combo.....burger, fries and a soda. Since that's the only thing on the menu besides doubling, tripling and quadrupling the burger size, my decisions were minimal.
I love this joint. Wood tables and mismatched chairs, plastic advertising on the wall, greasy food, and oldies tunes played on a video screen (jukeboxes aren't being made anymore, I guess). The place reminds me of life 50 years ago, in the town where I spent my formative years. When I go there, I always visualize the burger places of my youth. I think fondly about The White Grill, The Ottoway, Griff's and Ned's.
When my food was served, I had just heard the original "My Girl", and "Why Must I Be a Teenager in Love?" was just starting to play. I was fifteen again!
Another customer, at the counter, placed her order and I heard the clerk say, "That will be 1106".  Oh my, 1106 was the most famous and the greasiest burger joint in Pittsburg, Kansas. Coincidence? I don't think so.
Life is pretty special and full of great little pleasures......even if you have a tummy ache for the rest of the evening.

Dear Lord. You act in mysterious ways. We are not meant to understand You. We know that you love us and that you will be with us, always. Help us to keep Faith.

Returning to Normal

My husband fell and broke his leg, two weeks ago. It was a fairly serious break, as far as leg breaks go. For all of you  readers who don't remember your 8th grade anatomy lessons, there are 3 major bones in a human leg. Two smaller ones from the ankle to the knee and a larger one from knee to the torso.
Being the over achiever that he is, he, of course, broke the big bone.
Recovery will be long and difficult, but the prognosis is good. We have been promised that life will return to normal.
I have been eagerly awaiting a return to NORMAL.
But, today a wise woman shared with me the definition of NORMAL. The real normal, she said, was a setting on a washing machine!
She's right. What is normal? If it means going back to the way things were, before his fall, then I'm afraid I am going to be disappointed. Things just aren't going to be the same. Our life may be a whole lot better, or maybe a little worse. But, our life won't be the same. Things will be different.
We're going to experience a NEW normal. That's okay.
And, we are blessed.

We thank you for our blessings. Life is good. We are traveling a long road, full of smooth spots and rough passages.
We have your assurance that you are always with us on our journey.

Huh?

In these days of Twitter, tweets, texts and emails, we seem to be living in a world of perfect communication. But, beware. The written word, because it does not give us the nuances and emotion of the spoken word, can be terribly misleading.
We truly cannot write what we really mean.
For example, often, in our haste to comment, we press that convenient "Like" button upon reading a comment. Well, in the case of a tragic incident, we really don't mean that we "like" the comment, we mean that we appreciate being informed of the matter and we care. We really don't mean that we "like" that your spouse or parent passed away, or that you have just been in a car accident!
A terse response to a question, might be perceived as blase' and unfeeling, rather than the intended short and sweet. We often forget or don't take the time to write "please and thank you" in our notes to one another. We opt for short and it comes across as impolite and rude.
Sarcasm, because it is often delivered with a wink or a smile, cannot easily be conveyed in written communication.
Our favorite responses, such as "there you go" or "just saying", have no specific meaning, but because we pepper our oral language with such phrases and leave them out of our written messages, we don't write like we talk.
It's very easy to be misunderstood.

Dear God, we mean to do the right things. We strive to say the right thing, too. Help us to do your will and guide our words and minds. We are blessed in so many ways. Show us how to use our gifts and graces to glorify Your Name.

Fair to middling.

A new year. A new number, 2017.  It seems like only day before yesterday it was 2016.
Our lives are filled with numbers. Why do we find them so important?
Early in my life, I remember being very concerned about my age. I was always 6,7,8, or 9 and a half. The half was always added, immediately after my birthday.  I always wanted to be just another year older. I wanted desperately to add another number. Well, that desire ended a long time ago.
Then, being a really cool teenager and running with the "in" group, we all frequented 1106 (the address of the local grease burger joint). We listened to the top 10 hits, and we wanted our high school sports teams to all be number one. Oh, and my boyfriend was number 51, on the football squad.
As adults there have been W-2s and 1040s to fill out. And, 401 Ks, etc. etc.
Then, as seniors we watch our weight, our blood sugar numbers and we count calories. I know people who are obsessed with taking their blood pressure. They chart every number, every day.
Number, numbers at every stage of our lives.
On tombstones there are two sets of numbers......our birth date and the day of our death. In reality, the dates really have little significance.  It is,of course, what you do between those two numbers, that gives your life meaning. How you have influenced others and what kind of legacy you leave at your demise.
Between the numbers. Concentrate on what's between them.

Dear God. Help me to be a better person this year.