There's something about a morning...

No matter how destructive the events of a day may have been;

while the effects may linger, the freshness of a new day brings

the margin of hope.

Indeed, 

joy comes in the morning

and 

- with it -

renewal,

strength,

and a sense that yes, 

I CAN

I CHOOSE TO

I WILL

 pick up the pieces and 

move forward.

It's the dawn of a new day.

No matter what 

plans-

hopes-

goals-

were

halted-

ended-

dashed.

Yesterday was. Today is.

It's time to take the experience, forgive where needed, and move forward; 

not forgetting but, instead, 

choosing to remember 

and grow stronger through it because

God's timing is perfect-

His mercy is great-

and His grace is sufficient.

Don't cry because it's over; smile because it happened. ~ Dr. Seuss

Stop...

When eating bamboo sprouts, remember the man who planted them. 

~ Chinese Proverb

I'm a grammaphobic typochondriac with an uncontrollable addiction to quotes.  I was quietly feeding my addiction and happily scanning through quotes tonight when my eyes stopped - and stared - as I read the above. 


No author to cite.  No one person is attributed with speaking this profound truth.  Instead, a proverb from a people.  A concept of a culture.  A way of life for a land. 


So profound.  So simple.  So something we don't think to do in our busy lives that are filled with running ahead, running amuck... simply running.  


So stop.  Smile.  Consider.  Give thanks.  


You are not alone.  Let's work together and provide for each other. 

The value of... time...

Ramblings as I sit and consider…

Time - a resource that cannot be created or repeated; an invaluable source of blessings (or a curse); a cherished gift (“the present”) that gets more valuable as a person gets older.

Time is meant to be used wisely, even when it means studying one’s navel to refocus and refresh.

Time - an effective channel to obtain information, wise counsel, and for moving forward in life.  Time hurts, time heals, and can move too slowly or too quickly.

How long a minute is depends on which side of the bathroom door you're on.

 ~ Zall's Second Law

Time is valuable: a source for compounding interest to create wealth, calming nerves, and for dealing with the challenges of life.  MUCH has been written about the "Value of Time"; typing those 3 words into Google provided: About 659,000,000 results. 

Wikipedia's explanation for the value of time comes in economic terms as an opportunity cost for decision-making and, when one reverses the order to read about time value, the discussion brings a storm of equations to calculate the financial repercussions of investing over time to achieve wealth - while their discussion of compound interest graphically illustrates the financial value of time as it relates to a$$et building. 

In Benjamin Franklin’s words: Time is money. Yes. It is.  

 And so much more.

Time is priceless.  It lives outside of a quantitative box as a qualitative entity to embrace and capture within its fluidity and with a positive, hopeful attitude of joy.  The future value of time comes from the he♥rt - not from a summation function.  An expectant heart looks at a positive value of time.  A disgruntled, disheartened, discouraged heart won’t value time, but will see it as an empty and bottomless pit that spirals downward for them.  The value of time = a choice.  A personal choice.  My choice. 

The internet is a plethora of research results, and among the results for “value of time” is an unknown source’s insights (which follow) that echo the fact that time = priceless.  Embrace time with a smile, enjoy it with enthusiasm, and experience excited expectation for what awaits ahead.  Find joy in your journey – each and every moment of it. 

Realize the value of time. Time in perspective.

Imagine there is a bank which credits your account each morning with $86,400, carries over no balance from day to day, allows you to keep no cash balance, and every evening cancels whatever part of the amount you had failed to use during the day.

What would you do?
Draw out every cent, of course!
Well, everyone has such a bank.  Its name is time.
Every morning, it credits you with 86,400 seconds.
Every night it writes off, as lost, whatever of this you have failed to invest to good purpose.
It carries over no balance.  It allows no overdraft.
Each day it opens a new account for you.
Each night it burns the records of the day.
If you fail to use the day's deposits, the loss is yours.
There is no going back.  There is no drawing against the tomorrow.
You must live in the present on today's deposits.
Invest it so as to get from it the utmost in health, happiness and success!
The clock is running.  Make the most of today.

To realize the value of ONE YEAR, ask a student who failed a grade.
To realize the value of ONE MONTH, ask a mother who gave birth to a premature baby.
To realize the value of ONE WEEK, ask the editor of a weekly newspaper.
To realize the value of ONE HOUR, ask the lovers who are waiting to meet.
To realize the value of ONE MINUTE, ask a person who missed the train.
To realize the value of ONE SECOND, ask a person who just avoided an accident.
To realize the value of ONE MILLISECOND, ask the person who won a silver medal in the Olympics.

Treasure every moment that you have!  And treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time.

And remember, time waits for no one.
Yesterday is history.
Tomorrow is a mystery.
Today is a gift.  That's why it's called the present.

Freedom!

Happy 4th of July!  I love this holiday for all that it symbolizes: freedom, independence, the rights of individuals, yet all under an umbrella of respect for one another, justice, and "the American way" of life.  I love the fireworks, the sounds of summer that accompany the celebration, and a few hours away from the grind of everyday life to think and reflect on the blessings I enjoy with my loved ones.

With that came the discovery yesterday that a long-time friend had not only passed away suddenly, but was being eulogized at the very moment I found out about his death.  So I'm still coming to grips with the meaning of his death and how his family is probably coping, as I didn't have the opportunity to spend time with them.

*Sigh*

I think of all the loved ones that died for the cause of freedom - how their families must've individually ached so I can enjoy my life.  I think of things happening around me - decisions to be made - loved ones to be cared for - life that I can enjoy because of the bountiful blessings I have.

I am thankful.  I am blessed.  I have hope.  

God Bless America - and Happy Birthday to YOU!! 

Can I put this day in a jar and open it again... soon?

Saturday.

Sunshine!

71 degrees.

Almost no humidity.

Thankful today for a beautiful day...

There is absolutely NO schedule

 - no firm plans - 

- no long to-do list - 

- nothing squashing my face - 

and everything to be thankful for.  

Hubby is home.  

Cat is healthy and following me everywhere as 

I wander freely through my house, 

simply accomplishing things without pressure.

A gentle breeze flows into our open windows 

and filters through the open blinds.

Birds are singing, sheets are hanging out on a clothesline drying, 

and simple pleasures are being enjoyed.

This is the day the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it! 

(Psalm 118:24)

So thankful for my Daddy's genes...

As I look ahead to next Sunday being Father's Day, I admit that I miss my Dad even though it wasn't the easiest life with him.  He was rough around the edges, but he left a legacy of himself within me and I'm thankful for him.  He was unique (as each of us is) and the genes he passed along gave me some of his uniqueness.

From my Dad I inherited an innate ability to wake up at any given time without setting an alarm.  There is something he had that I inherited which is not unlike an internal button of an internal alarm clock.  When do I need to wake up at?  Done. No problem.  My eyes open at that time the next morning.

He also gave me mechanical aptitude: an ability to fix objects and figure out what's wrong with non-working things in my realm.  He was a car mechanic in the old days, when parts were parts and a well-oiled machine was simply that.  He could gerry-rig anything to get it back together and working, and my hands have a similar sense of finagling pieces together to make them functional.  Not like my Dad, but enough so I can say “thank you” for his legacy.

And more... Persistence.  Stubbornness. An intrinsically, internally, intentional passion to get things done and completed with quality and excellence, knowing that the completion will hold my name as a signature of the project. Starting and not finishing a job makes me intensely frustrated – just like my Dad.  I will literally go without anything and everything until I can say, "It is finished" and give up my proverbial ghost – then move on to the next, and the next, and the next project.  Life.  A series of new projects! 

My Dad blessed me with the animal personality of a beaver/lion.  He had a humongous work ethic.  So did my Mom.  Because of them, the genetic pool that fills my inner being can never be a calm lake, but churns relentlessly like a white-water rafting river.  Task-focused.  Details.  Checklists. To-do's beckon for my hands and, like a magnet with a refrigerator, I'm on them.  The lion within doesn't just sniff, but bites down hard on work with passionate glee, chewing it over and over until it’s ready to be swallowed.  Need something done?  Want something done?  I'm here for you, and I'm on it with a big smile on my face. If my Dad were alive I would hear him growl, "Git 'r done!!" but my heartbeat is already there. Thanks Dad!  Your genes fit me well!

And I have my Daddy's eyes.  BLUE.  I have a picture of the two of us, taken when I was 12 and there is no mistake - the eyes are matching sets.  Intense blue.  Freaky blue, as one of my daughter's friends told her.  They came from my Dad, and I am his daughter: his only daughter.  The only girl to wear his genes: my Daddy's well-worn genes.

Genes can be both a blessing and a curse.  The beaver/lion within me can roar, bite, and be a bit scary at times - both to me and to others.  Stubborn persistence, untempered by love, can mow other, less focused people, down into the ground – and hurt.  Non-morning people, such as my loving husband, aren’t so fond of early morning internal clock followers (Proverbs 27:14).  So the internal nature that I inherited from my Mom; the sensitivity, service, and a passion for God, provides a bit of balance within me, and for THAT I am incredibly thankful.  Thanks Mom, and a happy belated Mom’s Day to you as I remember you with love after saying goodbye to you so many years ago.  Gone – not forgotten. J

Happy Father’s Day, everyone!  If you are fortunate enough to have your Dad with you, thank him for his legacy within you.  Then hug your Mom, because she’s the one who carried and birthed his child…

You. J

Last year I hit a deer with my Jeep.  First time ever – hopefully last.

It was one of those absolutely awful moments that literally smacked out of nowhere.  I was driving along a country road towards home around 10 o’clock on a warm early summer night when, out of nowhere there were… running deer - right THERE!  BOOMP!  I had exactly NO time to do anything about hitting one of them except… HITTING IT.  One moment serenity, the next... in a split second...

Stunned deer in headlights!

Many thoughts have run through my mind following this encounter with the inappropriately running deer.  How quickly life happens.  How quickly I could’ve died…

     had I been driving a small car,

           if it were a bigger deer,

                    if it would’ve been thrown through my window on impact, or…

But I didn’t.  I’m still here with things to do.  Yuh HUH!  *fist bump* 

So I put myself in the deer’s place.  Running… on a warm summer evening… running,

     running,

          running

                until the moment splits and…

*YIKES!*

Stunned deer in headlights!

Immediately the deer has 3 choices:

> become road kill

> bolt and get out of the way

> jump onto the moving vehicle and hang on for the wild ride.

And I think to myself…

How many times does “life” hit in a moment?  How many times are we simply living our days and…

     running,

          running,

                running

                         until the moment splits and…

*YIKES!*

Choice needed!

> Freeze?  Become road kill.

> Bolt – FAST – and get out of the way?

          Or……

> Jump and grab.  Grab that thing of life and grab it tight.  White-knuckle it and HANG ON – eyes wide open – adrenaline rushing – feet flying – for the wild ride.

There are times you know - immediately – in an instant – that the last choice is THE one and…

          when you jump,

it may take your breath away for the short term but, 
          when the car of life slows down just a bit…

You’ll probably look back and *sigh* be so glad you took the jump and...
          GRABBED for it…