The power of gratitide

A little thankfulness can go a long way to change a person's attitude.  It is hard to be melancholy when we find something to be grateful for.  Gratitude can change the entire trajectory of a person's day.

Gratitude is an inner light that clears out the cobwebs and shows us the way to a life of joy.  The more gratitude we ingest, the more peace and joy come our way.

If you find one thing to be thankful for, it will change the moment.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

- - - - - - - - - -

I am leading a trip to Ireland October 15-24, 2024.
click here for the brochure
If you have questions, feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com

Announcing Ireland Trip 2024

Good Morning,

Several of you have mentioned wanting to travel to Ireland.  I have set up a trip for October 15-24, 2024.  The price on the brochure includes airfare from your home airport.  

Besides having a wonderful time hanging out, on the trip we will see some of the amazing sites of Ireland.  Churches, Monasteries, Castles, great places to eat, and beautiful scenery!

Cliffs of Moher

Town of Galway

Blarney Castle

The rock of Cashel

Here is the link to the brochure...

click here for brochure

If you have any questions, you can email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

waiting for God

Some people sit around waiting for God to talk to them.  They are hoping for, praying for, the voice from above that will tell them the right thing to do, the right thing to think, even the right person to date.

We can waste our entire lives waiting, when all around us there is a hurting world that is waiting for someone to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

My friend Sherry G found this quote... "If God is making you wait, then do what waiters do...serve."

Don't waste your life waiting.  Use every day and every moment that you can to reach out in the name of the lord.  Share his love, show kindness and serve.  What more could we be waiting for???

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

Joy

On July 16th, my friend Joy passed away.  I don't know what to say.  I loved her so much.  We all loved her so much.

Her dearly loved husband, Chuck, passed in December of 2021 from covid.  Since then, Joy has struggled to find the joy of living.  Her world just did not make much sense without Chuck.

Well, now they are together again.

Joy was fun and funny.  Joy sang in a rock and roll band.  Hundreds of our friends would go to hear her sing 70's music.  She had an awesome deep voice like Mamma Cass.  She sang at church too.  For years I did a sermon during lent about the crucifixion.  At the end of that sermon, Joy would come up and sing "The Blood will never lose it's power."

When friends get together now, Joy will come up, and everyone will feel a sense of loss.  A chair at the table that should be filled, will sit empty.

Dear Joy, I love you and I miss you and we all hurt for your passing.  I am glad to know that I will see you again some day.

And it is still a beautiful day in God's world, enjoy your friends and be sure to see the good.

taking people in

A few weeks ago Richard Rohr wrote a post titled, "We create exclusion or belonging."

Think of the power that you and I have.  

Exclusion means...

• turning your back on another
• leaving them out
• treating them like a number instead of a person
• taking no interest in a person
• rejecting them, shunning them

Exclusion happens when we

• put ourselves first
• don't see others as valuable
• get too busy in life.
• settle for a shallow Christianity

Belonging occurs when

• we bring another chair to the table
• when we scoot over and make room for others
• when we learn another person's name
• when we take the time to visit with and care about others
• when we remember their name the next time we see them
• when we value their opinions and thoughts

In your life are you excluding people or taking people in?  What did Jesus do?  The lovely thing about helping people belong is that it is a new skill that we can learn very quickly, and we can start today.  What did Jesus do?

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

Surgery Update

Today I am one month, post total knee replacement.  I used a walker for a week.  Then a cane for 10 days.  Now I am walking around and gaining mobility and flexibility.

Here are some take aways from the experience...

• The first three days are pretty brutal, it gets tolerable after that.
• One must strike a balance between rest and exercise. Too little exercise and you won't get the range of motion. Too much and you will swell up like a pumpkin.
• Sleeping is impossible. The knee pain wakes you up every hour or so. I have had to switch my brain to 24 hour clock living. Awake when you are, sleep when you can.
• If you get this surgery done, you will probably gain some weight because there isn't much to do besides watch tv and eat.
• I wish I wouldn't have waited so long to have it done. The longer you wait, the worse it is.

I guess I would comment on the importance of sacrificing something, going through some pain for the common good.  No discomfort is ever easy, but we have to keep the ultimate outcome in mind.

Finally I want to thank everyone for their cards, prayers and well wishes.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

from here on out

You probably know that I had a rough childhood.  I blamed my parents for everything for years.  I groused and was sour about what had transpired.

When I was 28, I had a revelation.  "What was in the past was on them... what is in the future is now on me."

This is a wonderful thought.  It opens the door for me to forgive my parents.  It opens the door to healing.  It opens the door to my future possibilities.

Whatever you have done in the past, what ever has happened to you in the past, well the past is the past. What happens from this day forward is on you. Make it all good.

My friend Bruce sent in this quote... "The good news is that we have the power to choose who we become from here on out. We can change and we must. Change is about winning the war in our hearts."           
                                           John R Wood

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

God's will, our will

In my life I have heard lots of interesting things about God's plans and God's will.  I can't tell you how many times two love birds told me that God brought them together - later, they somehow found divorce.  I know of pastors that will say that God gave them a vision to build a building... then they left and moved on, leaving the congregation with millions in debt.

If we believe in free will, and I do, then God gives us leeway to make our choices.  The road of life is not a straight line where we follow the lightning bolt will of God.  The road of life is more like a tree.  We are born on the trunk and as time goes by we have choices to make.  Will I branch off this direction or the other.  Sometimes our choices are good and sometimes, well, sometimes our choices bring regret.

My point is this.  We can't sit around and wait for a revelation from heaven about our life choices.  Our life is our responsibility to live to the best of our ability.  We must get up every day and give thanks to God for the gift of the day.  Then we need to make the best choices that we can.  God is with us, no matter what direction we may go.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

Why I remain a United Methodist

I think Sue Blume sent this to me.  I love it!!!


Why I am United Methodist:

Because we see flowers where others see weeds.

It’s all about grace and seeing people as children of God; it’s not about “us” and “them”, and a God that needs defending, but a world that needs to be loved.

It is about open hearts, open minds, and open doors, and though we are not perfect we are on that road to perfection.

We hold as our mentors, Good Samaritans and Prodigal sons, faithful prostitutes and generous widows, unclean lepers and thieves on a cross. We realize we are all that strange mixture of Saint and sinner.

It’s never about being right but always about doing right. Our mission is not to defend the church but simply to do all the good we can, to all the people we can, in all the ways we can, for as long as we can.

We see flowers where others see weeds, because we figured out long ago that we were weeds that someone watered with grace and love.

In a world that sees only weeds to be pulled, I am thankful for a church filled with God’s grace that sees things in a different light.


It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

Appreciating the small things

So when I was an active preacher, I had a bible that I used every Sunday.  The same one for 30 years.  In the front I put a sticker that said, "open my mouth with worthwhile stuff and close it when I've said enough."

I still have that Bible.  It also has two bookmarks in it.  One was given to me by the children's department in 1994.  The other I received in 2002 from Denise Lehmer.  Not sure why, but they were the two bookmarks that I kept for all of those years.

On my last trip to KC I ran into Denise at Tiff N Jays.  It was great to catch up.  I told her about the bookmark.  I told her that it was special.  I thanked her.

Saying thank you is always good, always appropriate and always appreciated.

Still have the bible.  The stand I have as well, was 
given to my by Bill and MaryAnn Wiley in 1994

bookmark

 Denise out side of Tiff N Jays 2023

Thank you for your kindness!

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

7 gold jars

Yesterday's post reminded me of this story...

A barber was passing under a haunted tree when he heard a voice say, "Would you like to have the seven jars of gold?" He looked around and saw no one. But his greed was aroused, so he shouted eagerly, "Yes, I certainly would." "Then go home at once," said the voice. "You will find them there."

The barber ran all the way home. Sure enough, there were the seven jars - all full of gold, except for one that was only half full. Now the barber could not bear the thought of having a half-filled jar. He felt a violent urge to fill it or he simply would not be happy.

So he had all the jewelry of his family melted into coins and poured them into the half-filled jar. But the jar remained as half-filled as before. This was exasperating! He saved and skimped and starved himself and his family. To no avail. No matter how much gold he put into the jar it remained half-filled.

So one day be begged the king to increase his salary. His salary was doubled. Again the fight to fill the jar was on. He even took to begging. The jar devoured every gold coin thrown into it but remained stubbornly half-filled.

The king now noticed how starved the barber looked. "What is wrong with you?" he asked. "You were so happy and contented when your salary was smaller. Now it has been doubled and you are so worn out and dejected. Can it be that you have the seven jars of gold with you?"

The barber was astonished, "Who told you this, Your Majesty?" he asked.

The king laughed. "But these are obviously the symptoms of the person to whom the ghost has given the seven jars. He once offered them to me. When I asked if this money could be spent or was merely to be hoarded he vanished without a word. That money cannot be spent. It only brings with it the compulsion to hoard. Go and give it back to the ghost this minute and you will be happy again.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

Enough

"The secret to life is to know when enough is enough."
                                         Dr. Vincent Ryan

Oh, we poor Americans. Most of us are infected with the disease of wanting more. Don't we realize that 98% of the people in the world would trade their lifestyle with ours in a heartbeat?

But we want more. More TV's better TV's the latest TV's. New cars. [nothing wrong with the old one] We want the best food. We complain when we don't like the service. We want money. More of it.

Years ago, a survey indicated that most Americans would be happy if they had 20% more than what they currently have.

Why not choose to be happy now? Why not choose to be happy in our present circumstances? It is hard to enjoy the moment when you are clamoring for more.

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 1 Timothy 6:10

It is a beautiful day in God's world. Beautiful, just the way that it is. I don't, we don't need more. Stop, take a moment and see the good.

a distraction

I was reading a note from my friend John who reminded me that "worry is a distraction." Yes it sure is. Most of what we worry about, never comes to fruition. Most of what we worry about will be forgotten soon.

Even if we worry, we cannot fix a thing by it. Jesus made that clear:

Mt. 6 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

Every moment that we worry is a moment that we cannot be kind and gracious to another. Every moment that we lose to worry, we can never gain back. Worry is a diversion.  It keeps us off mission.  It makes sure that we are focused on our loss instead of reaching back to the world with love.

Don't waste your time with worry.  Instead, engage positively with life.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

Golden Rule

When was the last time that you thought about the golden rule? Do unto others as you would have them do unto you?

We should think of this one from time to time. It should be pasted on all of our refrigerators. The golden rule is present in one form or another, in all major religions. Yet religions tend to focus on, and embrace, doctrines, and write beliefs that distract people from the golden rule. This ultimately causes divisions and attitudes of separation.

What if we all went back to the golden rule?

And we can one person at a time. It starts with you and me. Stop worrying about and stop arguing about all the other crap. Just focus on the central theme of Jesus life.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

Friendship part 2

I am fortunate to have two friends named Bruce. Bruce M and Bruce L.

Bruce L and I have had many discussions over the years regarding friendship. Recently he shared these thoughts with me...

A friend is one who loves unconditionally. With this understanding, I ask, do we need friendship? Do we, as part of the human experience, need to be, or have a friend? Do we need to share ourselves with or have more than one friend? Are there emotional and physical benefits to friendship?

Science research professionals have studied these questions in depth and have presented outcomes that support the benefits of friendship both physically as well as emotionally. Some of these benefits include: healthier bodies that lead to longer lives, reducing stress and strengthening self-esteem that enhances our psychological well-being, and increases feelings of joy and happiness. Also, studies show that the quality of friendship is more important than quantity of friends.

With this information, I am thinking that there is more to friendship than I would have imagined. That, on a deeper level than my shallow understanding, as part of our existence, I need, we all need to be a friend and build friendships. We need friendship because we need love!

It’s a beautiful day in God’s world, be sure to be a friend.

Alan Arkin

Well known Actor Alan Arkin passed away a few weeks ago.  I find it interesting that we see people on TV or in a restaurant, we make judgments about them, but we actually know very little about them.

My friend Bruce M sent this Alan Arkin quote in to me.  If it is accurate, then it appears that Mr. Arkin was more than an actor.  He was a kind actor.

What ever your role in life, what ever your station in life, at the end, may it be said, not just that you were a teacher, but that you were a kind teacher.  Not just a janitor, but a kind janitor.  Not just a pastor, nurse or taxi driver, but the kindest person ever in these professions.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good. 

I hate this question

So if you have been a reader of this blog, you know that there is a church not too far from our house that posts things on their marquis sign that I do not like.

Here is the latest sign posting that I do not like...

What have you done for God lately?

I wonder how non-Christians read that message?  "God wants you/needs you to do things for him, and if you haven't been doing the right things to help God out, then he might be mad..."

In my opinion, this is another well meaning human attempt to help God out.  Unfortunately, guilt is not a good motivator.

Does God really need our help?  I don't think so.  If we do nothing, I think that he can still get his stuff done.  But I do think that he likes to use our hearts and hands in his service.

I would rather see their sign post something like:

"share love, you will be glad that you did"

"be the hands and feet of God"

"joy comes in giving"

I think that there are many ways to share the message about loving others without the manipulative pressure.

Guilt is a bad motivator.  Find a way to share God's love and encourage others without piling on the shoulds and oughts.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to be the good.

Snake!!!

As Harrison Ford put it in the first Indiana Jones movie, "I hate snakes!!!"

I don't know why I have a phobia of snakes, but I do.

About a week prior to my surgery  I was leaving a client's home in the next subdivision.  There was a crowd of landscapers blocking an intersection with their vehicles.  I was able to slowly maneuver around and through all of them.  I wondered what was going on.  

I slowed to a crawl and did a rubber neck.  And I saw it.   They were all marveling over a very large copperhead that one of their crew had caught and killed.  I joined the party.  I stopped, got out of the car and took a picture.

This is/was a very large poisonous snake.

Why am I writing a blog post about this?  I guess that I would tell you that sometimes we are afraid of things for no reason.  As long as we just let this snake alone, he would have gone on with his life.  But we have irrational fears, and sometimes we act upon them.

Are you afraid of things that are really just a part of God's normal world?  Are you holding fears for no reason?

Let them go.  

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

pastor quote

When I am in town, and not laid up from surgery, I attend church at Ft. Pierce First United Methodist Church.  I love the people there and I love our pastor, Tim Barton.

He is everything that you want in a Pastor.  Friendly, well spoken, thoughtful, welcoming and normal.  In my book, normal is a big deal - especially for Pastors.  Sometimes we pastors and former pastors forget that we are normal people and we forget how to relate to normal people.  So, I love pastors that are down to earth, normal people.

Pastor Tim is a one of the good ones.

On Sunday June 25, my last Sunday in church prior to my knee surgery, he said this in his sermon... "You are not too anything to be welcome here and to find your place here."      

THAT IS SO JESUS!!!  You are not too old, not too young, not too republican, not too democrat, not too white, not too black, not too gay, not too straight.  

You are not too anything to be welcome here.

Why is that idea so hard for some people?

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

We don't know what to say

My friend Kim sent this in...

Most all of us have lost a loved one.

I lost my 12 year-old cousin to a motorcycle accident, and his funeral was my first day of junior high. As we drove to the cemetery, I thought to myself, “Hey, everyone, I just lost my cousin, can’t you all just pause for a few minutes and recognize that?”  But no one did.  No one acknowledged his death.  No one talked about it.  Everyone just kept on going about their business; it was like no one noticed or no one cared.

Then, when my son was a senior in high school, one of his friends was killed on a motorcycle accident. We were all so very sad.

What do we say? What do we do? Is there really anything to say? The planning. The funeral. The flowers. The pictures. The hugs. The "I Love You’s."  It is hard to know what to say or do, so sometimes we say and do nothing.  Or worse yet, we give a bunch of shallow pat answers.

And then … It’s the day after. The week after. The month after. The year after.

Time goes by and we wonder...  Is it too late to share a memory or a story?  Will it make the mom or the dad or the friend too sad to talk about them?  Will we be reminding them, and will they not want to hear our story or our memory?  No. It is never to late to share a story or a memory.  They didn’t forget that the person died.  What we are doing when we are brave enough to share a story or a memory is we are reminding them that they lived.  And that is our gift to them.

It is never too late to celebrate a person's life.  Such a discussion may open up doors to the heart.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

we are blessed indeed

Earth's Population Statistics in Perspective

The population of Earth is around 7.8 Billion. However, if you condensed 7.8 billion into 100 persons and then into various percentage statistics, the resulting analysis is relatively much easier to comprehend.

Out of 100 :

11 are in Europe
5 are in North America
9 are in South America
15 are in Africa
60 are in Asia

49 live in the countryside
51 live in cities

75 have mobile phones
25 do not.

30 have internet access
70 do not have the availability to go online

83 can read
17 are illiterate.

33 are Christians
22 are Muslims
14 are Hindus
7 are Buddhists
12 are other religions
12 have no religious beliefs.

26 live less than 14 years
66 died between 15 - 64 years of age

8 are over 65 years old. (Their are more then 8 I'm
sending this to)

If you have your own home,
Eat full meals & drink clean water,
Have a mobile phone,
Can surf the internet or have gone to college,
You are in the minuscule privileged lot.
(in the less than 7% category)

Amongst 100 persons in the world, only eight live or exceed the age of 65!

If you are over 65 years old, be content & grateful.
If you did not leave this world before the age of 64, like the 92 persons who have gone before you, you are already the blessed amongst humankind.
Cherish every remaining moment.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

staying down

I like action movies.  A pretty good movie, but lots of action and all that goes with it is Extraction, available now on Netflix.

There is a quote in the movie that I wanted to share.  A man was bemoaning some pretty bad failures in his life.  A wise young person told him this...

"you don't drown by falling into the river, you drown buy staying submerged in it."

I don't think that this needs much explanation, but I am going to comment briefly.  Tough spots come to us all.  It is easy to get down.  Just don't get stuck there.  Don't stay down.  Keep working on seeing the good.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

Songbird

My friend Courtney sent me a song title "Songbird" by Josh Garrels.

click here to listen to the song on youtube

In the song, the singer uses the word, "sarwen."

I had to look it up...

It is an uncommon personal name, but it also is a name or word filled with meaning, just as we would name a person "Grace" or "Faith."

This is what I found as the description for the word/name Sarwen:

Sarwen is a person who is full of love. Your beautiful emotions create harmony and balance for anyone who is lucky enough to become your friend.

Always graceful and charming when dealing with others, your emotional intelligence is very high.

Bringing people together for a common cause or to solve disagreements is part of your skills. Professionally you could become an amazing mediator. Seeing both sides of a coin lets you constantly find new perspectives to solve any and all disagreements.
It is easy to be gracious because you strive for balance. Knowing the importance of balance in your life makes you into a good negotiator.

That is also why you never close any doors so that there is room left for compromise. Creativity probably runs through your veins. It is up to you how you want to use this artistic ability.

The impression you usually give to people is that of playful elegance and safety. Even if you have a hard time with something, to the outside world you seem to be doing just fine.

People around you feel safe because you give them joy. Giving joy to the world is one of your greatest gifts.


Wow. Would that be a name to live up to. What admirable characteristics!!! May we all strive to be people filled with love.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

wrong with you, wrong with me

My friend John sent this meme to me.

It reminds me of the old adage, when you point the finger at another person, you have three pointing back at yourself.

I guess I would say that we can disagree with someone and not hate them. We can see people act out of their brokenness and feel sorry, feel pity, and feel compassion for them.

When we react with judgment, it only reveals a brokenness inside of us.

Judgment comes from a broken heart. Compassion comes from a heart that is whole.

May we all grow to be a part of the solution. May we all grow in kindness and generosity.

Judgment will be pushed out of our lives if we can find enough compassion, understanding and love.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good. And be sure to be a part of the good and contribute to the good.

On waking up

Yesterday's post was about how people are asleep.  They are not paying attention.  They are on auto-pilot.  They react to things in this world and do not see the good that is there around them.

They do not see the good. 

They are asleep.

Here are some thoughts about how we humans can wake up and experience lives that are truly full.  Yes these thoughts are repetitive, but it takes practice to change our behaviors.

• See every person as a valuable human being.  One person at a time, treat them with kindness.
• Practice gratitude.  See the man blessings that we have.
• Do not be threatened by new ideas.  Relax, they cannot hurt you.
• Notice your breath.  Notice your heartbeat.  One day it will all be gone.  Appreciate the moment.
• Be thankful for the simple things [yes, gratitude again] When we find something to be thankful for, our attitude changes.
• Invest yourself in others.  Show them extraordinary kindness and you will find joy.

It is surely a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good!!!

Asleep

One of my daily reads comes from the De Mello Spirituality Center.  I loved this one...





Most people, even though they don't know it, are asleep.

They’re born asleep. They live asleep.

They marry in their sleep.

They raise children in their sleep.

They die in their sleep without ever waking up.

They never understand the loveliness and the beauty of this thing that we call human existence.

You know, all mystics no matter what their theology, no matter what their religion—are unanimous on one thing:

That all is well, all is well.

Though everything is a mess, all is well. Strange paradox, to be sure.

But, tragically, most people never get to see that all is well because they are asleep.

On appreciating a day

Today is my birthday. I am 66. I am glad that I made it to that age. My mom passed three days prior to her 63rd.

Recently I have had some thoughts on appreciating a day. I had knee surgery on June 28. So June 27 was a very special day for me. I knew it was my last day before I would be laid up and I made the most of it. I wrote this on June 27...

Today is June 27. It’s my last day of freedom before knee surgery tomorrow. It’s the last day for weeks maybe months that I’ll be able to get around, drive around, or climb a ladder. I’ve been making lists and getting my stuff done so when I have to sit and recoup, I don’t have to worry about all the honeydews. It’s kind of a fun day. It feels like Tim McGraw's song, "live like you were dying." I went skydiving I went Rocky Mountain climbing I went 2.7seconds on a bull name foo-man-shoo, and I loved deeper and I loved sweeter...

It was a very cool day.

Contrast that with a few days after my surgery when I was in pretty serious pain. Stuck in a chair. Lots to complain about if I wanted to.

But I want to appreciate those days too. Thanks to all of you who sent cards and notes and well wishes. I love you all.

Everyday is a good day. I prefer whole days to broken, recuperating days, but it is great to be alive!!!

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

Memories of the 4th

Today has always been a special day for me. It's the forth of July. It's the day before my birthday. It has always been a highly anticipated day, and a day filled with anticipation. Consequently, it is filled with many memories.

- I remember dad taking me out to the boonies, to the middle of nowhere to buy fireworks. 95th and Nall. When I was a kid, there was nothing there.

- I could not wait to shoot off my black cats. Dad insisted that I wait until 8am. All year long I cannot get out of bed, but on the night before the 4th, I can't sleep. Finally 8 o'clock arrives and I am hard at it. Setting up army men and blowing them up. Blowing up cans and bottles and anything I can find. Throwing my firecrackers at the cat, the dog and my sisters. Ahh, the 4th of July was a good holiday for a young boy.

-I remember learning to throw a firecracker, and the painful feeling you get in your fingers when you let go of them just a little bit late.

-We always went to the pool on the 4th. My sisters swam and swam, I swam and sat in the shade. When I was younger, I had a terrible sun allergy. If I was out in it for very long at all, I got really red, and really itchy. Still to this day, I am cursed with red blotchy skin. At night, after swimming and watermelon, we would lay in the grass and watch the fireworks in the sky. Being good parents, my mom and dad would always tell me that the fireworks were for my birthday.

-I remember the year that we hooked up with 3 or 4 other families. Late at night out in the street, the parents were drinking. Someone had some m-80's. A neighbor who was not well liked had left his trash cans out after trash pick up. An m-80 is loud, but an m-80 is really loud when when it is inside the neighbors metal trash can. Dad bought the neighbor 2 new trash cans.

-After I had kids, the 4th of July was about making sure that they got to blow stuff up too. The girls outgrew that pretty quickly and moved on, but Scott is a demolition expert who is following in the footsteps of his Dad. Boys love fireworks!

It's a good day for reflection. I am thankful for a free country. I am thankful for the ability we have in America to travel, to worship and to pursue happiness. I am thankful for every person who has served in the military to preserve and protect our freedoms. Americans should be a very grateful people. I hope you are, I am.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

I don't like you anymore

I can't think of more horrible words:  I don't like you anymore.

I don't ever want to hear anyone say that to me.  And I don't want anyone to feel that feeling when they think of me.

Everyone deserves to be liked, to be loved, to be cared about and valued.

I like you.  Yes we might have had that moment, but I still like you.  I still love you.

May we all work harder to like people and to make sure that everyone knows that we value them.  Even when, especially when, there might be differences.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

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2 kinds of people

My friend Bruce, who is a great thinker, sent me this quote...

My father said that there were two kinds of people in the world, givers and takers. The takers may eat better, but the givers sleep better. 

Marlo Thomas


that quote reminded me of this one. One of my favorites...

My grandfather once told me that there are two kinds of people: those who do the work and those who take the credit. He told me to try to be in the first group; there was less competition there.
Indira Gandhi, Bits and Pieces, April 1990, p. 11.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good. 

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facing the challenges of aging

I remember something that happened when I was 20.  I went up to the local track at Center Jr High to run a couple of 440's.  My time in high school was around 57 seconds for that lap around the track.  Not exceptional, but not bad.

So I looked at my watch and took off around the track.  I ran just as I had been taught by Coach Sullivan on the Leland High School track team.  You divide the race into four quarters, four 110 yard sections.  The first 110 is the start... get out to a good start.  Not too fast.  The second 100 section was about position.  Determine your position among the runners and hold it.  The third 110 was about surviving.  Hold, hold, hold the pace.  The final 110 you can guess... you unleash hell.  You let go with everything that you have left.  You give it your best kick and head for the finish line.

I gave that lap my best, but my time was 65 seconds.  I was disappointed and I talked to my Dad about it.  I told him that getting old was not easy.  He laughed and said, just wait.  He knew much more about aging than I did.

Today I am mindful that I am in the last 110 of life.  I am almost 66 years old.  We can deny the fact of our aging, or we can see it for what it is and embrace that which is unavoidable.

Here is some advice that I have for myself, and for anyone else that is willing to consider it.

Advice as we grow older...

1.  when you look in the mirror, don't think of what was, don't think of how you used to look.  Instead, consider your current image to be an award for traversing the many challenges and joys of life.

2.  Stay active.  Just because you can't run a 110 yard dash does not mean that you have to sit in the rocking chair all day.

3.  Take time to rest.  When I was young, I laughed at the rocking chair on the front porch.  Now I see it's value.  Stay active, but also listen to your body.  It is ok to sit and rest from time to time.  A good deal of good thinking takes place when we sit down and rest.

4.  See what is really important.  As Connie Zweig says, it is no longer about roles, it is about souls.  Learn to see people and value them.

We all have a choice as we age, to get bitter or to get better.  I choose to pursue the better, I hope you do as well.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.  Send replies to jsbrink57@gmail.com