Gone, But Still Around When He's Needed
I'll admit it: I'm totally humbled by the simple good fortunes that come my way. I'm so undeserving, but God shows himself in every detail, whether it's a challenge or a blessing . . . One of those blessings? My dad passed away in late 2016, but I feel closer to him now, in many ways, than I did before. And I felt very close to him when he was living . . . It never fails to amaze me. When my mom is on the phone, my dad answers. Amazingly, the phone his voice is on isn't attached to anything that should intercept calls. He just does this, it seems.
Looking Inside and All Around to See Where You Are
When you start a self-assessment, do you begin with all the reasons those closest to you think you are a horrible person or the few reasons you think you’re slightly less than horrible? Asking for a friend . . . Upset about how over-commercialized Christmas has become? Blame Adam for eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Black Friday was an inevitable consequence . . . The other night, I met a priest on the way into a bar. I spent the rest of the night waiting for the minister and the rabbi to show up . . . You’re never going to know, control, or manage everything. Give up on all that crap right now, and you will be so much more content.
I stayed at a two-star "hotel" recently. I think the two stars were all about the two sheriff's deputies that had to hang out in the lobby . . . Google Maps gets REALLY upset when you basically tell it to pound sand because you're driving on city streets since you're tired and NOT getting on the freeway at rush hour . . . "Psycho Killer" by Talking Heads played the other day. That song isn't enjoyable any longer . . . Watch out when the world tells you what is important or wrong. The world only cares about itself. It doesn't care about you . . . If you can't communicate what you want, it's tough to tell you what you need . . . Words of wisdom from a friend about his professional situation: "I have a practice, not a business. I need to create a business."
Uplifting & Encouraging Is Where You Find It
Look for the wonderful and amazing in each person. It’s there, even if they seem to do EVERYTHING to hide it . . . Going to a nursing home will teach you volumes about how to think about how you hope to get old . . . Not new information: Ask way more uplifting, encouraging questions than you share uplifting, encouraging comments about yourself . . . Important reminder: Hallmark holiday movies do not represent real life. - Mike Brown