“That it will never come again is what makes life so sweet.” Emily DickinsonIt's almost dusk on the last night of the fair. The livestock were silenced when their dinner arrived. A while later, lights flickered on and rides colored the sky with neon rainbows. In the distance bands were playing hits from the 70’s and 80’s. A slight breeze cooled the evening carrying with it the scent of corn dogs, funnel cakes, nachos, and cinnamon buns. Little girls were practicing cart-wheels and younger children chased balloons. Their parents sitting in the food court visiting. Teens walked hand-in-hand making their own memories, while older folks enjoyed rock-n-roll songs of their youth. I had a brief de'ja'-vous. Where had I experienced this moment before? It came and went so quickly. But rather than give it even a minute of attention, I returned to the present and drank in the evening, taking a deep breath and savoring the moment.
My memories are a joy and a comfort; they recall some of the best times of my life. But still I have to focus myself on the present, to make a new memory. I have to choose, to put away the cares of yesterday and concerns of tomorrow...to see, smell, feel, hear, and experience this moment to the fullest. I don't want to miss today.
Are you taking advantage of the simple pleasures each day brings? Are you even looking for them? What one change can you make right now to add gratitude to your day, today? Lord, thank you for the simple pleasures in life. Amen “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24 What are your thoughts? Libby Note: Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (1830-1896), an American poet, gardener and accomplished baker. Few of her 1800 poems were submitted for publication in her lifetime due to the extensive editing publishers insisted on for conformity to the accepted style of the day. Not until 1955, when Thomas H. Johnson published a collection of her work as The Poems of Emily Dickinson, were her poems available in unedited form.
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“Your value will not be what you know, it will be what you share.” Virginia RomettySaturday I spoke with a former nurse who didn’t think her nursing experience was still part of her skill set since she had spent the last seven years on the mission field. Yet, when we finished talking she had added to her list of skills: ‘calm in a crisis,’ ‘good judgment,’ ‘able to make quick decisions,’ ‘resourceful,’ ‘leads by example,’ and ‘experienced at coaching trainees.’ When we parted, she was pleased. But I was thrilled that I could make a contribution to boost her confidence just prior to her interview. My home life as a girl did not offer much encouragement. No one challenged me to set goals, go to college, or to dream. My grandmother had the gift of encouragement, but she lived too far away to have much of an impact on me when young. I admired my grandmother’s gift so much that for years I’ve prayed that I might also gain the gift of encouragement. I think the result of this is, now I have a passion to encourage young people; to let them know that they have endless potential. I want to see them dream and strive and achieve and accomplish. So, in a way, I am reaching my goal by helping others reach theirs. Did you have someone who encouraged you when you were young? Do you think you need the gift of encouragement in order to encourage? Who is in your life today that you can encourage? Lord, thank You for showing me the blessing that comes from speaking Your encouragement into the lives of others. Amen “Therefore encourage one another and build up one another,” I Thessalonians 5:11; “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works…encouraging one another” Hebrews 10:24-25 What are your thoughts? Libby Note: Virginia Rometty (1957- ), an American business woman, the oldest of four children from a broken home where her mother worked multiple jobs to support the family. She attended college on scholarship and went to work in the Detroit auto industry. Today she is the chair, president, and CEO of IBM.
Maya Angelou (1928-2014), an American poet, singer, civil rights activist, speaker, dancer, journalist, actor, writer, director and producer of plays, movies and public television. Angelou was the first Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University and worked with both Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. She made around 80 appearances a year on the lecture circuit, which she continued into her eighties. “There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” Albert EinsteinI’ve heard it said, “The best way to enjoy Disneyland is to take a child and watch them experience it for the first time.” There is something about seeing the wonder in the eyes of a child. I've experienced a child’s wonder; it was infectious. We weren’t in Disneyland, but we might as well have been. I had accompanied Kerr, a three-year-old boy, and his mother to the zoo. Kerr had learned how to make the sounds of all these animals. Some that decorated his bed, as stuffed versions, were now walking before his eyes.
Are you only focusing on the problems and to-do lists of today? Or, do you make time to appreciate the miracles around you? How can you incorporate a bit of wonder in your life today? Lord, I'm so grateful You make it possible for me to experience wonders at my age; what a joy to be able to put aside cynical perspectives and see the world in all its marvels. Amen “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:2-4 What are your thoughts? Libby
“Don’t speak unless you can improve upon the silence.” Quaker Proverb
I’m learning—very slowly—that when I get a thought based on what someone else is saying, it’s frequently because I’ve experienced something similar. But it isn’t necessary to share my experience when a nod of recognition will do. I likely still speak too much (ask my sisters), but I believe I’m talking less than I used to. Do you hear others talk and you think of a time a similar event occurred in your life? Are you tempted to interrupt their story with your been-there-done-that experience? What can you do today to add focus and listen, thereby demonstrating to your friends your interest in them? Lord, thank You for helping me hold my tongue; I could not have done it on my own. It’s so much nicer to show my friends that I really do value them and what they have to say. Amen “Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble.” Proverbs 21:23 What are your thoughts? Libby
“Very often the only way to get a quality in reality is to start behaving as if you had it already. That’s why children’s games are so important. They are always pretending to be grown-ups…” C.S. Lewis
Talking with another learner from the same course I discovered she had been more task-oriented when she took the class years earlier and now her results showed that she was more people-oriented. She gave me the idea of acting-as-if I was more personable. I began with emails.
Are you eager to develop a particular character quality? Is there a job skill you want to acquire? What will you do today that will help you act-as-if until you reach your goal? Lord, thank You for the grace to change such an ingrained habit, and for the coaches that helped me. Amen “Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.” Proverbs 15:22
“Que sera' sera', whatever will be will be, the future’s not ours to see, que sera' sera'.” Ray Evans, songwriter for the music composed by his partner Jay LivingstonI think my husband is tired of hearing me talk about our future trip to Europe; a week-long river cruise followed by another week in Europe and a week in the British Isles. He’s talked about going, and I don’t want to be too old to walk the miles needed to see all the places we want to visit. Is it wrong to plan a trip? So many people say, you have to set a date and plan to go or it will just be a dream and you’ll never actually go. I’d like to think my planning is really about being prepared, knowing all the things we want to do and see. On my last trip to Europe I remember the planning was half the fun. Another thing I remember from that trip was, we grew tired of spending just one or two days in each location, packing and moving to a new Bed & Breakfast every other night felt like we were spending more time traveling than sightseeing. So we made a decision at one point to skip Bath and spend an extra two days in Stratford Upon Avon.
“Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will take care of itself.” Matthew 6:34a What are your thoughts? Libby
“He that knows least commonly presumes most.” Thomas FullerI’ll be the first to admit I’ve had that knee-jerk reaction more than once. An announcement is made. A list of FAQs is published, but it raises more questions than it answers. So I tend to fill in the blanks with assumptions until more information is available. And in all those examples, I’m certain I’ve never jumped to the conclusion that everything is going to be wonderful. Recently I was in a meeting where I was the one leading the change. A single piece of information slipped out before we were able to do a detailed communication of the change. Others responded just as I might have if I were in their shoes. They assumed the worst and reacted out of fear of the unknown. At that point we went into damage control which put us back weeks in our progress. From that experience I learned: I may not be able to control change communications that happen to me, but I can control change communications that come from me. Having now been on both sides of poor communications, I’m committed to be sensitive and exceedingly careful when I communicate potential change. How many times have reacted negatively to a change announcement? Do you ever need to communicate news that you suspect will not be received well? How will you give (or receive) an announcement in the future that will shed a more positive note on the topic?
What are your thoughts?
Libby Note: Thomas Fuller (1608-1661) an English author and historian known best for his book published after his death in 1662, Worthies of England. He was a prolific writer, one of the first English authors able to live by his pen (and his many patrons). “Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” T.S. EliotSo often I hesitate unsure of God’s will for a given situation or a project I’m about to start. But if I would trust God to withhold His help if it’s not His will for me, or to support it with His grace for success when it is in His will for me, then I might be more willing to tackle great tasks for God’s kingdom. I wouldn’t be crippled by thoughts of, “I’m not able to…” or “Who am I to do…?” In all honesty, I don’t have to wait. There are at least two projects hovering in the back of my mind that are waiting for just such a step of faith. I will commit to you – my readers – right now, that I will tackle one of these projects today. It may be a while before I see where it goes and whether God either removed obstacles or closes doors. But I will report back to you when I learn. Until then…. Are you struggling with taking risks? Is there a task hovering just outside your conscious thoughts trying to get your attention? What will you do this week to take a step of faith and see if God opens the way to success? Lord, thank you for quotes that inspire and encourage me to go beyond my comfort zone and into a new realm of grace and blessing. Amen “For God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7 What are your thoughts? Libby
“Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day.” Henri J.M. NouwenI will always remember this as my most unselfish prayer. My father had lung cancer. He lived with me in his last days. That Sunday morning was especially difficult when I prayed, “God, he’s suffered enough, please take him home this morning.” Grief has a way of mixing multiple emotions until they are indistinguishable. But one think I remember clearly was thanking God for answered prayer, right down to the timing. My father was no longer in pain; he was in the presence of God. But through my thankfulness to God and peace that he was no longer in pain, I was still wracked with the most severe grief I’d even known.
Are you struggling with emotions that are dragging you down? Have you looked for things to be grateful for, despite your circumstances? What can you do right now to replace your reliance on emotions with a choice to be grateful? Lord, thank You for one of the most memorable days of my life. Today, instead of a painful memory I look back and treasure those last minutes with my father. I still miss him terribly but thankfully I no longer suffer from grief...thank You. Amen Note: Henri J.M. Nouwen (1932-1996) a Dutch Catholic priest, professor, writer and theologian interested in psychology, pastoral ministry, social justice and community. He taught at University of Notre Dame, Yale Divinity School and Harvard Divinity School before going on to work with intellectually and developmentally disabled at the L’Arche Daybreak community in Richmond Hill, Ontario.
“It is easier to confess a defect than to claim a quality.” Max Beerbohm
This is a tough one because I don’t always recognize when I’m doing it. So I’ve turned it over to God and asked for Him to show me when I’m copping to a fault just to keep the peace. Then I ask God to help me be more honest and genuine in my responses. Are you familiar with your character defects? Can you graciously accept a compliment? What can you do today that will help you identify and work on your weaker qualities, and better own your good qualities?
Max's Self-Caricature
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WelcomeI love the wisdom of the ages gleaned from relevant quotes. In them there is a connection to the human experience that crosses all borders. Join me as I relate my personal experiences, and link the wisdom of the quote to the Source of all wisdom: God's Word, the Bible. Enjoy, Libby Categories
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