Almost Always Fun

I was golfing with my friend, Dave, last week and after I hit a good shot and then hit a bad shot, we started talking about how golf is a lot like life. It is almost always fun, but yet extremely challenging and totally impossible to master.

And that got me thinking. He is right. I am 67 years old now and although I’m having a lot of fun, I’m still finding life to be very challenging at times. And what upsets me the most is that I still make stupid mistakes, mistakes that could easily be avoided. I know I’m a lot smarter than I was when I was younger, so why is that? How can I avoid making stupid mistakes?

As I pondered that question, I realized something. One of the biggest faults I have is spending too much time focusing on myself and my problems, instead of thinking of others. So what if I were to turn that question around and ask, “How can I help others avoid making mistakes?”

The answer might be simple… as simple as words and stories. Words can be extremely powerful, whether spoken or written, and when they’re weaved into personal stories, real events that happened to us, or life lessons we have learned along the way, they can truly make a dramatic impact. But they have to be shared.

Therefore, today I will pick one person that I love. It might be a friend, it might be my wife, it might be one of my children. But whoever I choose, I will write them a short letter about a life lesson that I learned. I encourage you to do the same. At the same time, let them know they are loved and offer them encouragement because even though life is challenging, hearing that someone loves you and cares about you, is definitely always fun!

Life Lesson #582

Try to see things from the other person's perspective

The greatest mistake you can make in this life is to be continually fearing you will make one.

  ~ Elbert Hubbard

Self-Cut Hair

I recently lost my Mom whom I loved very much. At the same time, I also became reacquainted with a woman I knew as a child. She is a decade older than I, and she obviously leads a spiritually faithful life. This path has blessed her with abundant joy in every one of her days, no matter the circumstance. This woman stands out in a crowd. She lives to please Him and to be in praise of Jesus for her rich blessings. Her focus is on Him, continuously throughout her day. 

When she rises in the morning, she prays and gives thanks. She then runs a comb through her self-cut hair, pulls on simple clothing and shoes that she has had for years, and proceeds to tend to her family. She spends no time in a mirror or a closet, nor with a makeup tray. She ignores social media and television. She is plain, natural, some might even say homely, and yet abundantly beautiful. Happiness just radiates from her. No makeup or outfit can enhance the boundless joy that she finds simply by living a day fully with Him.

Her children and grandchildren are drawn to her delightful energy. She recognizes the smallest wonders the unfolding day provides and whispers a word of thanks. This awareness provides a shield for her heart when the tide turns and challenges present themselves. For this she whispers thank you; for adversity allows her to grow in her faith with Him. She knows with certainty that the good and the bad are equally part of Gods plan for us, and she knows that Jesus is at her side as she tackles both gracefully.

There is so much for me to learn from this wonderful woman… at a time when I really need it. She is proof that if we put our focus on Him and trust Him wholeheartedly, praying “Jesus, help me to be in your Peace”, we can relax in the certainty that Jesus listens and is with us always. If we choose to give thanks we will overflow with happiness… no matter what our hair looks like!  

“You will call to me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you. 

You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart”.

~ Jeremiah 29:12-13

Ever Bubbly

I pride myself on being a fairly positive person, but I have to admit that life can be pretty hard at times. I say that partly because I attended a funeral for a beloved family member this weekend, which was really heart breaking, but also because just making it safely down the 405 on a typical Monday morning can be extremely difficult.

Fortunately, I had visitors at my home this weekend. My son, his wife, and their two young children came all the way from Washington to attend the funeral. It was fun to have them stay with us for a few days, and while they were here I was reminded that kids can often express the type of worldly wisdom that we adults too easily tend to ignore.

I will explain. My super cute, red-haired, ever bubbly, always smiling, 9-year-old grand-daughter took me aside Sunday morning and told me she wanted to show me something that she created. Curious, I stepped out onto the patio in the back yard, and she handed me something she wrote. She explained to me, “if you ever have a rough day, just read this!” I read it, it’s simple, and yet it makes so much sense!

Stay Positive and you got it.

It’s that easy!

I love these little people. And it is not a slight thing 

when they, who are so fresh from God, love us.

~ Charles Dickens

Made To Bloom

What would the world be like without flowers? Strange question, but I asked myself that question as I stood on my patio last week looking at the most beautiful pink and yellow rose I have ever seen. Our new home has a planter that surrounds our patio, filled with a wide variety of roses and other colorful flowers, and beyond the planter is a huge expanse of manmade green grass framing the 9^th hole of the Coto de Caza golf course. The golf course view is awesome, but I often find myself focusing on the bright colors brought forth by the flowers and can’t help but smile. There is just something about natural beauty, created by God, that can’t be outdone by man. Or can it?

Flowers start as the tiniest of seeds, rising from the dust of the earth to become objects of beauty. (Hmm, that story sounds familiar.) It takes a while for them to grow, and they definitely need water. But if they are nurtured with loving care (and maybe a little manure) they will eventually bloom and create joy for all who have the good fortune to pass their way.

And that got me thinking… Didn’t we start out as the tiniest of seeds, rising from the earth just like a flower, to become objects of joy, not just for our Creator, but for each other as well? And if God has placed so much beauty in something as simple as a plant in a garden, how much more beauty has He placed in His finest creation. And yet it’s up to us to remember that we are at our most beautiful… only when we make others smile!

Every flower is a soul, blossoming in nature.

~ Gerard de Nerval