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Jim Watkins, American journalist:  Makes me wonder if he lived this like the rest of us…  Too many decisions to be made or too much hanging on for dear life…   Perhaps it was endless unemployment, or trying to finish one’s education, or trying to just live!

We have to find our courage, yes.  But we also have to understand that keeping on with that good effort every day is a given.  So I get out of bed and smile and breath, thanking God for it.  I push myself through the bed making, the shower, the toiletries, the breakfast.  I make myself SMILE.  (Actually, when I smile, it makes others smile.  It’s kinda fun!) And then, whatever challenge is in front of me, I GO! It can stink, but I go.

We’re not alone in this predicament… Even the people whose lives seem to be perfect, know that they are most certainly not.  We all have things to learn, things to experience, things to “get through.”  That persistent effort and looking up.  And, believe me when I say,  I’ve had my own moments when I’ve looked up to God and said, “Really?  Again?”  In truth? That does no good, because God expects

I suppose we all have had moments when we needed to make a stand and speak up.  It takes a lot of stamina sometimes, and others it just flies out of our mouths because passion drives it out.  We all hope that our words will land on the right person at the right time. We all hope that our words will have a good and true meaning.  And, perhaps we even hope they will last to fly out of someone else’s mouth to aid yet one or two more.  Now let’s talk about the second half of Churchill’s thought:  “…courage to sit down and listen.”

Listening becomes important when something grabs us by the soul’s lapel.  Maybe it happens because someone goes eye to eye and forces us to hear.  Maybe it’s us actually shutting our own mouths and trying to see another point of view.  But when God sits you down hard, it is truly time to be still and know that He is God… That’s another loose version of a quote in the Bible.

At this time in life, I am sitting still, no work, no thought, no anything.  Just sitting still and staring into the clouds, Earth itself, the

We’re such a geeky universe, are we not? We check our email almost immediately or our cell phones, if we have them, the minute we’re out of bed. This morning, in a sleepless funk, I started the wash and came to the computer to see who was there. First thing… A message from our son’s friend, which read, “Sending you a thousand warm hugs.” Immediately the day was better!
Sending love to friends far and near is always an excellent way to start the day. Thank someone, send them some love through a message, a card, a phone call… Ostensibly, it means connect in a positive way.  I firmly believe it will fly through the air to them. And, it will make you both feel so good to give it, whether your gift is responded to or not.
Love lives in our universe…  A powerful awesome thing that can heal souls and up-lift in a second. Give it freely, as Estefany did, give it everyday and you may find you don’t need that sedative or work distraction. You may even find yourself smiling.  (she winks and smiles at  you)
Love lives, just like our son, Nathan, who just passed to God.  And if

It had been a beautiful Monday with many things accomplished, lots of love in the air… Then at 4:30 in the afternoon our son, Creative Artist, Nathan Temple,  suffered a massive cardiac arrest.  He was rushed to the hospital from our home and at 8:35 Hubby and I were told that Nathan had passed away.  BAM!  Good day goes south, turns left instead of right, the path heads down instead of up.

Through out this week we have tried to wrap our heads around how such a young man died like this.  BAM!  We go through the motions of death certificate, burial plans, memorial service… BAM BAM BAM!  Your gut feels like a miss mash of nothing recognizable; eating is impossible… Nothing has taste, everything you see has a confused meaning… It’s like you’re living with no arms, no legs, and no mind.  (Did I make that decision?  I can’t remember.  Did I make that decision?  I don’t know, so steps are retrace  as one painful jab after another makes movement almost impossible.)

And yet, we DO go forward because we know that others are praying for us to be held up by God’s holy angels, by Christ Himself.  We cry our

I’ve always been told that there is more than one kind of love.  Human love is selfish love… Satisfying one’s self at the expense of another.  The love that really counts is the sacrificial love.  That’s the love where we give up something that is important in our lives for the well being of other(s)…  Which reminds me of another old saying:  “When you can’t run, crawl.  When you can’t crawl, you find somebody to carry you.”  Ya know anyone who needs a “lift”?  Give them a little sacrificial love.  Best… CTTemple

– Dale Carnegie

Today, as I was learning a new task I noticed that my learning curve was deeply slow.  It occurred to me that my frustration and concern for other issues I wanted to address were keeping me from being able to concentrate on the task at hand.  With a sigh, I let the latter go to accomplish my task, and found myself done in record time.  Carnegie was right!  One thing at a time… When we forget to worry and be frustrated, everything falls into place.

May you have an energetic day by doing just one thing at a time.

Best… CTTemple