Blog Archives

Happy New Year!

12/31/2014

Once again, we find ourselves at the close of the year alternating between reminiscing over the year past and making resolutions for the days ahead. It's a time of promise and new hope that, whatever the old year brought us, we have survived and are looking to brighter days in the new year. No doubt, 2014 has been a wild ride for me, and for many of us - but here we stand. We made it. Thanks be to God.

As we close this year, I'd like to thank all of you for your support. Whether you read my books/stories/articles, follow me on social media, check in here for blog updates, or a mixture of any or all of the above, I thank you for being here. Social media has been wonderful for connecting people, and I think it's been especially great for me as a writer because it keeps my eyes open to a wider world. I thank all of you for being here and for your support.

I also wish each and every one of you a safe and happy New Years Eve and New Year's Day. Have fun, but stay safe. May you be blessed beyond your hopes, prosper above your dreams, and succeed beyond all expectation. Here's praying that 2015 brings each and every one of us joy, peace, contentment, and abundance beyond our hopes and dreams.

Happy New Year!

Purging

12/29/2014

Whew, what a tiring day! We packed up the Christmas decorations, cleaned up the house, and finished purging some broken and unneeded things from our home. The "purging" has actually been in progress since the weekend. 4 trips to the dump and I lost count of how many loads of trash later, we have a lot more shelf, closet, and drawer space. The house almost feels a bit sparse now with all of this cleaning done! It looks and feels better, though. I think we all should do a good purging of the house, and after the holidays is a perfect time to do it. You have all of this new stuff from Christmas and need to be out with the old so you have room for the new.

I think this applies in many areas of life. So many people are focused on resolutions for the new year, but doesn't it make sense to do some purging of stuff you don't need so you'll have room for the good things you want? As I cleaned the house these past few days, I also considered some "spiritual" things I could let go of in my quest to continue improvement in 2015. For example, why don't you join me in 2015 in tossing out:

1. Pity and feeling sorry for ourselves or other people. We can't chose whether we're a victim, but we can choose whether to remain a victim, and pity does nothing but hand us a shovel to dig a nice rut to stay in with it. I said this to a couple of people and they looked at me like I was an alien landed from outer space, so it's perfect to say here: When you're down, what does it take for you to say "geeze life/the world really has kicked me in and a** and I'd like to kick it back one good time." How long does it take for you to get to the point where you look in the mirror and say "it doesn't have to be this way forever?" Or do you get to that point? I do. I get tired of being down, and I don't want to stay there. In fact, nothing pisses me off more than people feeling sorry for me, because it feels like they're trying to shove me in a trap. No, thank you, and I'll not do it to you, either. Whatever you've faced in the old year(s), now is the time to let it go; to stand up one more time; and to build what you want. How do you do this? By looking for the good, by giving thanks for it, by taking advantage of every opportunity. The old song in one of those Christmas movies has it right: just put one foot in front of the other, and soon you'll be walking out the door. One day at a time. One step at a time. If you make today suck less than yesterday and keep doing that over and over, every day, eventually you get back to better days.

2. Anger. If the anger is justified fine, deal with it and the issues surrounding it, but once that's done then it's time to forgive and let it go. If it isn't, then work on whatever issues within you caused it. Either way, get in prayer, and use discernment to figure out what you need to do to handle it effectively, and then get on with it. One thing I've learned is that people are going to do what they want, regardless of what you think or how it affects you, so it's best not to worry about it and get on with your own business. If your relationships are right, you should be able to talk to people about things and work them out.

Decompression and Evolution

12/26/2014

Ah, December 26. That elusive day when the holiday festivities are over, and you find yourself giving thanks for what has been and pondering what is to come. No doubt, the holidays are a crazy, busy time, and I hope it has been in a good way for all of you. Christmas made up for more or less missing Thanksgiving this year - Rick and I were both healed from the flu, we got to see our families, and I even got the added bonus of one more day off work on December 23. Of course I am thankful not only for that, but for all I realized in writing my holiday letter to you over the past 4 entries. I look back and realize it was quite a ride, but it also made me grateful. Death makes you grateful for life. Illness and injury make you grateful for health and healing. Difficult seasons make you appreciate how things work together. It all makes you embrace life more fully, give thanks for the blessings, and makes you into a better, stronger person.

And now as I look toward the new year, I see how the victories and struggles have changed me, and how it's a step toward evolving into a better person. I often hear people talk about how a person has changed after a trial or struggle, and they often mean it in a bad way. Truthfully, I see it the exact opposite - if life knocks you out and you don't change, then I wonder if something is seriously wrong with you! Some things should shift your paradigm. Some things should change how you think, see the world, and live. Some things should make you into a different person. Sometimes you can't go back, and if you stubbornly hold on to what was then you've completely missed the point of why the Lord brought you to and through the trials. Life isn't a game of Perfection. When it pops and throws things all over the place, you can't simply pick up the pieces and put them back in their neat little place before the timer pops and sends them up again. Sometimes, some pieces are gone forever. Sometimes, you find new things, or things you didn't realize you had. Sometimes, things are reshaped and there's no way to hammer or squeeze it back into what it was before. Sometimes, we need to change, because life can't get better until we do. We have to evolve into what we need to be before we can handle what is to come - and we need to appreciate the blessings we have at all times.

I do like these days between Christmas and New Years Day, because it's a great chance to decompress from work, celebrations, reflections, and planning. You can just "be" for a while as you reflect on how you want to do it better next year. And that's alright. While these days may seem deflating, they may, in fact, be the most important of the entire year as we seek wisdom for what was to give us discernment on what will be.

That's all today. Take care. Have a Happy Friday and a wonderful weekend.

Bye!

The Dreaded Holiday Letter, Part 4 (Final)

12/23/2014

As 2014 draws to a close, I find myself with mixed emotions. On one hand, I’m exhausted from swinging between extremes. It seems that the whole year has been tit for tat for me, and you don’t always know what to make of it. If something bad happens, then you think ok, what good is coming? And if something good happens, you worry about how you’re going to pay for it. I know that’s not a good or proper way to think, but when your life has been a yo-yo for a full year, then you can’t help but suffer from a smidgen of paranoia or cynicism.

And then on the other hand, I also find some relief. There’s still that voice of hope in my head that says praise God, I made it! I’m not only still standing, but somehow managed to find some progress in this see-saw that life has been. One thing I’ve heard a lot of people say since Rick’s father passed is that they’re surprised that we seem to be doing ok and even thriving despite our setbacks. Just because life made us victims on several occasions didn’t mean we had to stay in that role, and we were committed to become victors over our circumstances. It’s opened my eyes in a strange way, and I see now that I need to stop fixating on things. The ghost of the past isn’t going anywhere – it can stay back there and can’t really haunt me if I’ve learned from my experiences and am applying that wisdom to the present. It’s time to let things go; to be true to myself; to do the best with what I’ve got; to stand when life throws me challenges; to always take advantage of opportunities; to work hard and do my best at all that is before me; to keep growing and learning; and to always give thanks for our blessings. I’ve made it this far and I still have a good journey ahead. All that has happened has made me a stronger person, and I am where I am for a reason. Forward is the way to go.

I do hope that 2015 brings about better days. More than anything, I want things to be better and to stay better. Life isn’t perfect, and I won’t even pretend that it’s all good and we’re alright with everything. We most certainly are not, but the world keeps turning and we have no choice but to go with it. So we do the best with what we’ve got; praying that we’re sowing good seeds for a better harvest in the future.

As for resolutions, I don’t have anything new. It seems that when I do make resolutions, they’re large, lifestyle changing type things that are a long term commitment – which is why I don’t make them lightly. I do plan to continue my journey on bringing more positive thinking and energy into my life, which was a resolution from this year that, I believe, is still a work in progress as I consider how to apply what I’ve learned to everyday living. I would also like to have rough drafts and rewrites completed on all three books of The Earthside Trilogy written by Thanksgiving. That will be my sole writing project for 2015, because I believe it will need my entire focus. I might do short stories and articles here and there, but as for “big projects,” that trilogy is the only for 2015.

So that’s our year. In closing, I’d like to leave you with the 2014 winner of my “Dose of Awesome.” As you know, I often post videos and clips that impress me, often with the title of “Your Weekly Dose of Awesome.” Well, below is your winner for the year. It’s “I’m Not Alone” from The Hobbit – The Battle of the Five Armies. This is a very small portion of a bigger and very impressive scene.

Thanks for hanging in there as it spread over four blog entries. I hope you have a safe and Happy Holiday season. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

The Dreaded Holiday Letter, Part 3

12/21/2014

Life marches on and the world keeps turning, no matter what happens to you. This is a lesson Rick and I learned immediately after his father died. Rick returned to work to find out that his workplace was implementing new standards that requires massive changes not only to his day to day work, but additional certifications as well. These changes are industry wide, so he’d have to do it no matter where he worked. Still, it was a hard blow to find out that his job was changing – again – and right after losing his father. No mercy there. But at least his employer is providing and paying for these changes (some places expect the employee to do it on their own dime). To say it’s been a rough year for him is an understatement. He was ready for 2014 to be over in August, and I can see why.

Things kept rolling for me as well. Just days after the memorial service for Rick’s father, two things happened: the first book of my scifi trilogy idea hit me, and I was invited to serve on the Member Board Executive committee for the Council of Landscape Architect Registration Boards. That’s a national agency made up of all the landscape architect Boards in the U.S. and three Canadian provinces. This committee helps them keep in touch with the administrative end of the profession, and planning for the annual meetings held in September. I figured why not on both counts. So I accepted the invitation for a two year term on the committee and started writing the first book of The Earthside Trilogy, titled Fracture. I hadn’t planned to write that book for several more months, but one thing I’ve learned is that when inspiration hits, it’s best to run with it. The timing worked out alright, anyway. Nonstop to Nowhere was finished and getting prepped for publication, so there was nothing more for me to do with it; and I was finishing up Obsidian and getting it ready to send to the cover artist and proofreader.

My work sent me to the annual conference I mentioned above in late September. The conference was held in Reston, Virginia, which is about 45 minutes outside of Washington D.C. Rick went with me on this trip, and we flew up a day early so I could see D.C. for the first time. It was a great trip! I absolutely loved it, and the conference went really well. It was nice to see everybody again, especially since I had missed the annual meeting in 2013 due to schedule conflicts. The 2015 meeting will be held in New Orleans, and the committee will begin planning on that when I go back up to Reston in January. The trip was good for me and Rick too on a personal level. It did him so much good to get away for a while and just enjoy life. I have to admit that it did me some good too. It was nice to get away, to do something different, and to see someplace new. You can check out my pictures from the trip on Flickr.

When I returned from that trip, things really started to roll. I got published three times: Nonstop to Nowhere was published in The Night Life Paranormal Anthology in early October, Obsidian published in late October, and another short story titled “November” was published in the Short and Happy (or not) Anthology in early November. Plus, work was keeping me busy with end of the year meetings and license renewals. Looking back, it’s amazing that I got it all done, but by the grace of God, I did.

November and December have been low key, thankfully. Rick got the flu the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, so we were homebound for the long weekend. It was a bummer cancelling our plans, but in the end I believe it worked out for the best, because we desperately needed the rest. But then a week later, I got the flu despite having a flu shot – so the year ended much the same as it started! At least I’ve recovered and can enjoy the holidays now. And Rick did pass his Apple Software Certification Exam, which is a big accomplishment and a huge achievement. It is good to end the year on a good note, and we hope that good fortune carries over into 2015!

One thing that Rick and I have both learned over the past year is that there are times when resistance really is futile, and it’s best to work with what you’ve got. There are a great many things in life that you can’t control, and screaming and resisting them usually makes the struggle longer, harder, and worse. People kept telling us that we need to learn how to be more flexible. Well, we have, and I hope they’re happy now. But we’ve also learned to be thankful for our blessings, and that the small things in life can often be the biggest blessings. We have appreciated the prayers and support from family and friends this year.

So ends 2014. Next time, I’ll have some final ponderings on the year and hopes for 2015.

The Dreaded Holiday Letter, Part 2

12/18/2014

About a month after Ollie passed, my father-in-law’s health started to decline. He’s had Lewy-Body Syndrome, a form of dementia, for about 7-8 years, and he took a downward turn in April. It turned out that he had a subdermal hemotoma (bleeding on the brain) from a fall, and had to have surgery in early May. He rallied for about a week, and then his health really went in a free-fall. Three months, three different care facilities, and I lost count of how many hospital visits later, Rick’s father passed away on August 8. And on top of that, Rick’s mother totaled her car after one of the nursing home moves. She wasn’t hurt (fortunately), but she had to deal with insurance and getting a new car along with everything else.

I’ll put a sidebar here: dementia in any form is a destroyer. It destroys the person that has it, and if you don’t toughen up then it will destroy family, friends, loved ones, and anybody that witnesses the journey too. I lost two great aunts to dementia when I was a child and in my teens, but this was the most awful thing I’ve ever witnessed. I fully believe that dementia and cancer are the two worst ways to experience or witness death. It will smash your paradigm of life to pieces and leave you not knowing what to make of all the sharp, jagged edges tearing into you in ways that words fail. Plus, the medical industry has absolutely no idea of how to handle it. A word of advice: if a doctor tells you “we don’t know what’s wrong” about an older relative, that’s code speak for “it’s dementia and we don’t have a clue” and buckle up for a bad ride. Dementia care is a badly disguised game of pin the tail on the donkey as they scuttle from one thing to another, trying to find something that helps, or at least quiets them (and everybody else asking questions) down. I still, months later, don’t fully know how to articulate what I witnessed as Rick’s father made his final life journey. All I can say is this: I learned that quality of life does matter. Being alive and actually living are two very different things.

As it was with Ollie during the winter, life went on. In fact, as Rick’s father was on the operating table in May, I received an email inviting me to serve as an editor for the feminism theme on Readwave, a writing website based in London, England. Editing is something I had thought of getting into, but I didn’t know quite where to begin with it, or whether the timing was right to do it. I did (later) accept the offer, and in the following months became the owner of the Feminism theme and an editor for the society and flash fiction themes (they still invite me to edit other themes, but three is all I can realistically handle now so I have declined further invitations). I also continued work on Obsidian and Nonstop, and I had an idea for a science-fiction trilogy. I started notes on it with an intention to begin it either for National Novel Writing Month in November, or in 2015, whichever worked out based on when I completed the projects I already had in progress.But the biggest news came in June, when Whiskey Creek Press, the publisher that I used for Anywhere But Here and Splinter, was acquired by Start Publishing in New York City. That was a really exciting development because, of course, every author dreams of having a NYC publisher, but the chances are next to none without an agent or "connections" in the business. It was really an odd twist of fate, really. I spent so many years trying to break in through traditional routes, and when I finally decided heck with it and branched out into something new, it works out in unexpected ways. Talk about the Lord working in mysterious ways!

Rick and I also celebrated our 16th anniversary on May 16 by doing something we hadn’t had a chance to do for 4 years: taking a vacation together. We went to the beach, and it was nice to take a break for ourselves and to finally be able to celebrate our anniversary like we wanted instead of squeezing in a dinner and a movie amongst other obligations. We also had a friend graduate college, our oldest niece graduated high school and went to college (just a week after the memorial service for Rick’s father), and I turned in Nonstop to Nowhere for inclusion in the Night Life anthology, which was scheduled for a fall release.

And so, the summer passed into fall, and we’ll pick up there next time.

The Dreaded Holiday Letter, Part 1

12/15/2014

Welcome all to the annual 2014 holiday letter blog! How many of you get the Christmas letters detailing every single thing that the sender did over the past year? I’m sure there’s at least one. Maybe you like them. Maybe you hate them. Whichever the case, you know the “I’m super; thanks for asking! (Even if you didn’t)” letters are on the way. Fortunately, I’m more real than that. I won’t even pretend that life was sunshine, unicorns, and rainbows this year because it most certainly was not and you’d know I was shoveling a pile of b.s. to you if I tried to sell you that line. And I don’t want to spend extra postage on my end-of-the-year review, so I post it here on my blog. You can take it or leave it, but you can’t say I didn’t let you know what’s going on in our corner of the world. Given the level of activity in 2014, I’m posting this review in 4 parts, so here we go with Part 1:

2014 opened with the flu for me. I got knocked out on New Year’s Eve, and welcomed the new year with runny sinuses, aches and pains, despite the fact that I had a flu shot. As luck would have it, I recovered just in time to return to the work from my first two week Christmas break since I graduated college. It was a bummer to spend half of my break sick, but being homebound gave me an opportunity to get back into my writing, so I started work on another novel, Obsidian, which is the sequel to Move. Fortunately, all of the staff vacancies that drove me borderline batty in 2013 were filled and everybody was trained and up to speed, so I entered the new year with a major burden off my shoulders. We also got a new pastor at church, and it was exciting to welcome him and his family after a year and a half search for new leadership. And so the tone was set for a year that felt more like a yo-yo than any other I’ve had in my life.

You may recall in last year’s letter that our parakeet, Oliver, was sick. He was immobile with leg problems, presumably from a kidney infection that caused nerve inflammation in his legs. Unfortunately, he didn’t improve, and we were surprised to find that he had been misdiagnosed and actually had a spinal tumor. We had him put to sleep on February 27. It even surprised the vet. He just couldn’t believe that a three and a half year old parakeet could have cancer. But it is what it is, and there was nothing that could be done for poor little Ollie. An earlier diagnosis wouldn’t have helped since it was on his spine, so there was never anything that could have been done to help. It was a heartbreaking loss, because Ollie was the first pet I had put to sleep. Plus, he was a rescue, so it really stung. We took him in wanting to give him a long, happy life. We had three and a half years. We’ve had to accept that it’s one of those things that we’ll never understand. We still miss him, of course, but are getting along with Zack and Chloe. The two of them were naturally puzzled, but I think they adjusted to the loss better (and definitely faster) than Rick and I did. They’re fine, by the way, and have been a tremendous comfort to us, as they always are.

Of course, this journey didn’t happen in a vacuum. The day after Ollie died, Dad retired. I hated to drop the news of Ollie’s passing on him when he hit such a major milestone, but such is life. He and Mom have really enjoyed retirement and being home together. They’ve been to the beach several times and even took a trip to Cape Cod in October. He still does an occasional job with the company, but he has sold out his shares in the company and does the work as it’s convenient for him.

While we were dealing with Ollie’s illness, I got an invitation to contribute to a paranormal young adult anthology titled Night Life. I decided to rewrite a story that I did several years ago titled Nonstop to Nowhere that was never picked up for publication but was perfectly suited for this project. It was more work than I anticipated, but well worth it, and I’m happy with how it turned out. My writing was keeping me busy between Obsidian and Nonstop and my book sales picked up in the first and second quarter of the year, so I was glad to see my writing continuing to build.

But that’s only a third of the journey. Stay tuned for what came next as winter turned to spring.

Nostalgia

12/13/2014

It was strange to drive by our old home today to find the place so plain and up for sale, while my grandparents' old house was fully decked out for Christmas. 30 years ago, it was the other way around. My grandparents weren't in great health and usually didn't decorate, since they came to our house for the holiday dinners. I remember the Christmas tree glowing with those huge lights in the living room window. I still dream about it every now and then. And then as we got older, I remember my brother outlining the house in lights for quite a spectacular show. Oh, the place was completely pristine and looked great. Immaculate, in fact, but still empty with the "For Sale" sign out front.

Such is the way of life. It moves on. I got another reminder later as we went out to lunch to celebrate Rick passing his certification exam. We went to a nice restaurant near the University of South Carolina campus, and discovered that the students were in finals. At least, that's what the clerk at the store we stopped by after lunch told us. I told him I remembered those Saturday exams when I was a student. In fact, the fall semester my junior year, I remember that I had two Saturday exams, at 9:00 and 2:00. It was so weird being on campus all day on a Saturday (and a non-game day). That would have been 19 years ago, in December 1995.

As we came back across town, we passed both the first office building and the last building I worked in before my 2010 office move. The parking garage I used both times is still there, but the Capital Center has BB&T on it now. The State House grounds still look the same as always, of course. USC campus changed so much that we barely recognized it, but that area of downtown was still much the same. Well, with a few more vacant places, of course.

I think the trip down memory lane today was oddly appropriate as we celebrated Rick passing that certification exam and hopefully coming into better days. There have been plenty of ups and downs in life, but all of these memories of times and seasons passed reminded me that life is a journey, and it's brought us where we're at for a reason. We've made it this far, and have learned so much to move forward with. There's still plenty of journey left ahead of us too, and we can stand and face whatever comes, good or bad, if we decide that we not only can do all things through Christ who strengthens us, but that we WILL do all things, because if the Lord brings us to it, then He'll bring us through it. Today's nostalgia is plenty of proof that He's done just that so far, and it's promised that He will continue to.

As I heard a therapist say on television while I was sick with the flu, you have to make a conscious decision that you will be ok, no matter what. You don't have to always feel it. In fact, you won't, and down times are natural. What matters is making a conscious decision that you have the faith to come through all things, and continuing to make that decision no matter how you feel in the moment. Because feelings are fleeting, but decisions are lasting.

Next entry, I'll commence "the dreaded year end holiday letter," but I think this is a good note to lead up to it. It certainly has been a roller coaster of a year, but we're still standing. Thanks be to God.

That's all today. Take care, and enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Bye!

The Truth About Positive Thinking

12/10/2014

As you know, my journey this year has been to bring more positive energy into my life. Certainly there have been struggles, as you’ll see when I commence my “Dreaded Holiday Letter” which will come in 4 parts over the next couple of weeks in this blog, but I have learned a great deal. It seems that positive energy really boils down to what is commonly referred to as the power of positive thinking – but how exactly do you apply that to everyday living?

I think it’s because we don’t understand how to properly utilize this power. As someone once told me, life happens, and when it does, we often find ourselves at odds with what is and what we believe should be if this is supposed to be working. In addition to the power of our thoughts, there are some universal truths that we must reconcile ourselves with in order to work in harmony with the will of God in our lives and the circumstances we face in reality. Some of these truths that we tend to stumble over are:

1.       Faith is the cornerstone of the power of positive thinking, and you have to get alright with not being able to understand everything. There are some things you can’t control, and you have to accept having questions without answers. They key is in our attitude and how we choose to think about the situation. I didn’t expect Ollie to die. I knew that the dementia would eventually win with Rick’s father, but I had no idea it would unfold the way it did. The thought of getting the flu twice, a sinus infection for 2 months, and a torn tendon in my foot never crossed my mind. And yet, all of these things happened. I don’t know why. I have no idea what good could come from any of it. I could only commit myself to standing through the trials and trusting that I would come through with the Lord’s help; that I’d be a better and stronger person because of these unexpected journeys; and that it did work into the “big picture” of overall good in the end, even if I never understood how or why they were necessary this side of Heaven.

2.       Timing does matter. God’s time is not our own, and we have to trust it. I respectfully disagree with The Secret that time doesn’t really exist, and that the power to bring things to fruition depends on our ability to channel positive energy. Folks, that’s crap. Time does exist, and we have to work with it. Furthermore, bringing positive things into live does take time for three reasons: we must be prepared, the circumstances have to be prepared, and other people have to be prepared. Last week while I was sick, I watched a sermon by Charles Stanley on waiting on God’s timing and he said this. He followed it by saying “God’s not going to let your blessing hurt others. You have to wait for everything to be right and ready, because he loves other people, too.” The audience laughed. He said, “what, does that surprise you?” The room went silent, but I think Dr. Stanley hit on a very important point: it’s not all about you. Yes, you do matter, but so does everybody else, and often there are more things that have to be worked out and prepared for our success than we realize.

Last night, I was going through some old books and came across some things I read when I started my journey toward being a published writer back in 2001 – 2002. I was absolutely amazed, because I thought wow, the future doesn’t look anything like I envisioned. I realized that if I had actually been successful in traditional publishing, then I would not only have made a tremendous mess of things, but I would have missed out on a great (and perhaps historical) opportunity. Ebooks have changed the entire landscape and horizon of reading and writing, and thanks to my early failures, I have matured and learned enough of the writing and publishing processes to actually gain a foothold in this brave new world. Yes, there’s still plenty of room for progress, and I’m not sure why it’s so slow in building – but after all I’ve seen, I’m certainly willing to trust that it’s building up to something great and am very happy to take one step at a time, and to fully enjoy the journey each step of the way.

3.       It isn’t magic. This isn’t “name it and claim it” theology and this isn’t the key to forcing your will on the world or the Kingdom. You can’t control the world with the power of positive thinking, and you certainly can’t control other people. There is still a “big picture,” and no amount of your own mind power will take that from God and put it in your hands. You can only control your own mind and life – but then again, that’s the only thing that’s your business, so tend to it the best you can and trust God for the rest.

4.       It’s the hardest work you’ll ever do, and you have to commit yourself to it anew every day. Changing how you think is the hardest thing in the world to do, because it's a habit. Our thought patterns are habits. Our emotions and emotional reactions to things are habits. In order to channel the power of our thoughts, we have to take our thoughts and emotions captive frequently, and often. Just like achieving your dreams requires tremendous commitment and a lot of work, so does changing our thinking. And yet, everything depends on it. You have to commit yourself to being grateful for what you have and for doing the best you can with it all the time. You have to commit yourself to seeing the good instead of dwelling on what irritates you and makes you angry. You have to commit yourself to taking advantage of every opportunity, to nurturing your relationships, and to being a good steward of everything the Lord has put in your hands. You have to commit yourself to stop and take a time out when your thoughts derail and try to send you into worry, anger, depression, or frustration to ask youself why you feel that way, commit the problem to the Lord, and set your mind on a new and better way of thinking.

It’s more than a full time job, and you do it all the time, on good days and bad, whether you feel like it or not. Sometimes it feels like a fight, but it’s one worth having. And the good news is that you never lose, because you can always start over. Even if you’re derailed in this moment, you can start anew in the next – you don’t even have to wait for the morning for the Lord’s mercies, because they are new every moment. Start by embracing that truth, and incorporating it in your life. A miss now doesn’t mean loss forever. Hope is alive as long as you are.

As with all things, it’s a balancing act, and balance requires constant tending, maintenance, and adjustments. It’s a good journey, though, and I’m happy for what I’ve learned and excited for what I’ll discover as it continues.

That’s all today. Take care, and enjoy the rest of your week.

Bye!

Interstate Musings

12/8/2014

What a dreary day, I thought as I pulled on the Interstate shortly after 5:00 today. The sun didn’t come out all day. It didn’t rain, but it didn’t warm up, either. Just another cold, grey day. It made me miss the long, warm days of summer. Oh well, summer would come again. It always does. For now, I should enjoy the fact that it’s Christmas season again, and I’m healing. Christmas only comes once a year, after all. I should enjoy it. There’s no reason why I can’t.

Despite the dreary day, I was grateful to be able to be out in it after being homebound for 4 days with the flu. It was good to feel better and be able to go back to work. I was tired and there was still room for improvement health wise, but I was glad for the healing that I had – and glad that the grey landscape wasn’t illuminated by red brake lights. No traffic backup. That was good. It meant I’d be home sooner.

I know several people who rarely get sick, and I wondered if they appreciated the small miracles of health. Do they realize what a gift it is to be able to get up and go about their business without battling micro-organisms that are trying to take over their bodies, and throwing their immune systems into a full blown battle that knocks them out? Do they know what a miracle it is to be able to breathe clearly, and not battle aches and pains? Do they realize what a blessing it is to be able to sleep all the way through the night without your sinuses waking you up every 1-2 hours blocking up or running out of control? Do they know how lucky they are to not have to stand at the pharmacy counter nervous and wondering if you’ll be able to buy more decongestants so you can continue healing? Or if you’ll be blocked because you’re too close to the federal limit for the month because you’ve been sick and all the meth heads have made it neigh-on impossible for you to get the medicine you need for a health issue that you can’t help but that the federal government treats you like a drug addict over? Or are they spoiled by too much wellness and don’t realize what a good thing they’ve got going, and how the rest of us envy them?

I pulled off the Interstate and saw a man standing on the corner and another man walking up the street, around the area of the hotel and restaurants at the exit. Now there were a couple of people that would appreciate something that I hadn’t even thought of yet – a heated car! It was definitely too cold to be out walking. That’s what happens in a city with little public transportation. I thought of Washington D.C. and wondered which was worse: walking in the cold, or long waits on slow metro and bus rides. Six of one, half a dozen of the other, I suppose. But at least all these people needed was close by. Even walking, they’d be indoors soon.

The sky seemed a bit darker as I turned on my street. Glancing at my dash clock, I saw that it was 5:15, the exact time that my weather radio had given for sunset today. There was still a bit of light in the sky. I recently read that you still see that light due to the bend in the horizon. Still, it was dark enough to see the bright glow of Christmas lights, including the ones on my own front porch. Home at last, and I entered to Zack and Chloe greeting me as Rick was preparing steaks and potatoes for supper. One of my favorites! He must have known that I was tired of soup and ready for some solid food now. My appetite is coming back. That’s good.

Sometimes, it takes being knocked out by illness to appreciate the little blessings that make a normal day. No doubt, I’ll continue to recover. My energy will return with my appetite, and I’ll dive back into the hustle and bustle of everyday life without any mind to what it takes to keep it moving. I just hope I don’t lose my perspective of the little things like this drive home that make ordinary days special.

That’s all today. Take care and have a good week.

Bye!

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