I saw this on our son’s refrigerator. I think it solves the debate of if the glass is half full or half empty. For me, I always thought my glass was half full. I appreciate this changed perspective! My glass is full! This leaves me free to simply keep filling my mind with positive, encouraging, loving thoughts — and leaves no room for the negative things that attempt to creep into our minds. I hope this will challenge you to think about your life and thoughts.
Here is a challenge for you (and for me…..)
Appreciate and be grateful for today, (and every day) as it is a precious, unrepeatable gift. You will not have another opportunity to live today, so live it well!
Summer has arrived! I’m loving it! The vastness of the sky, the green of the hills and the snow capped mountains are captivating. I’ve heard it does not get much greener than what we are experiencing this year. It matters not. This is my first year here and I’m appreciating every day. (The scene is the same location as my header for the blog so you can see the change from winter to summer.)
I’ve been thinking a lot about time. I cannot believe how quickly it slips past us. I have a grandson graduating from high school, a granddaughter getting her temps, a daughter who turned 35 this month. …and this year is almost half gone. Where does the time go? Earlier this week I joked and said, “I think the time flies so quickly here because of the higher altitude and reduced oxygen.”
I would like some excuse for how quickly time passes. Yet knowing the ‘sands of time’ are slipping through the hourglass remind me how important it is for me to make the most of each day I live. I want my life to be a positive influence on those I come in contact with and I don’t want to take anything or anyone for granted. Like most people, my list of things I want to do is long. I don’t want to think, someday I’ll do that. My hourglass at best, only has about half the sand left. I try to balance my time between the things I want to do. Some days I feel I handle that much better than other days.
How do you handle the things you desire to do with the knowledge you only have so much time?
Mother’s Day seems like the appropriate time to think about those people who have influenced me. My life is richly blessed because of those who have impacted my life. I think about the things I enjoy doing, or some of the food I cook and realize those were gifts given by another to me. During my childhood years it was mostly family members like my grandmother, some great aunts, my mother, an elderly neighbor lady, and several teachers making those contributions. Upon reaching adulthood, those who impacted my life were mostly friends, and co-workers and my husband. Many were people I share faith relationships with.
Of the people I’m thinking about, many have left this life on earth, yet the gifts they imparted to myself and others live on. I know this is part of the circle of life, yet it leaves me wondering about what things I might be passing on to others. I hope to pass on a love of life, an appreciation for others and the gifts of nature, the ability to be gentle with one’s self and with others, and the need to have a personal relationship with the God of the Universe and Christ his Son.
My wish for you is that you enjoy the day; that you spend some time thinking about those who have influenced your life and also how you are influencing those around you.
Happy Mother’s Day to any woman who is reading this!
What is the meaning of your life?
I just wanted to share my May 1st morning view with you. Early yesterday, it was in the 70’s. These changes represent, spring in the mountains. Isn’t it wonderful?
Seventy-two hours – no phone, no watch, no laptop, no camera!
I recently returned from a women’s retreat where those were the rules. I did not miss a watch, but there were so many times where the beauty surrounding me was awe-inspiring and I simply wished I had my camera to capture the moment. I confess, I found being without my laptop a little challenging. I was not aware how connected to it I had become.
It was a wonderful weekend! I’m still meditating on all that happened in those seventy-two hours.
I would like to share one impact the weekend had on me. As a culture, we are busy and in such a hurry. So much so, we rarely take the time to share with people why we value them, or what they mean to us, what we appreciate about them or how they have impacted our lives.
Late in the weekend, I was given a bag of letters written by people who knew me. I had no idea how or why they wrote the letters, but reading them was overwhelming! They filled my heart with love and provided an insight into what my life meant to them, or why they valued me. There were aspects of my life or personality that were validated through those letters. The power of the written word to speak life into another is so strong.
My husband and I have tried to implement a tradition at least during the Christmas holidays where letters are written to our children and their spouses and they are to write us highlighting something special about the person the letter is for. Our efforts have resulted in varying levels of success. It is a lot of work, and I have caught myself wondering if we should continue the task. My weekend experience was confirmation for me we need to continue writing letters of affirmation to our children.
I realized affirming others is something needed in our culture. Instead of just identifying this is a need in our culture I can do to promote a change even if it is only in a small part of our world. My goal is to write at least one letter of affirmation to someone each month.
Have you found power in the words written to you? Did those words uplift and encourage you? I would enjoy hearing about your experiences.
Growing up as a mid-western girl, I’m enjoying, astonished and overwhelmed with the western topography! The countryside is vast! There are such drastic changes in the landscapes. I have never been exposed to so much openness and ruggedness. In driving through North Western AZ on the way to CA, I have had the same thoughts impressed upon my mind every time we drive that way. The thoughts are different from each other, but consistently come to my mind.
There are so many things about the west that interest me, I suspect I will be standing in awe many times and finding new things to research or read about for a long time. That means probably writing about it also.
I recently visited with friends I had not seen in 20 years. It was a memorable evening on so many different levels. When I knew this couple, David was a military chaplain and his wife Rose and I were involved in Women’s Ministries together. Twenty years later I find that David tried ‘retirement’ and did not find it satisfying. Something was missing for him. He is now working for the VA as a chaplain, ministering to soldier’s who return from war suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorders. It was a blessing for me to see someone who is 70 still pursuing the passions of his youth. His life is making a difference to those who want his help – and he feels blessed to be in a position to use his life’s experience to help these younger returning soldiers through difficult times in their life. There is talk that David may ‘slow down’ a little, but it does not look like he will be walking away from this job anytime soon! The visit has me thinking about passion, and wondering if many of us have something we are so passionate about we would change our way of living to fulfill. Are you willing to share your passions?
Journey to the Heights 