A Blessing!

A good question how can I be a blessing; you may not have thought of the answer. I know that I don’t think of it a lot of the time. The answer is simple and true. You are a blessing because you are yourself. All you have to do is ask your friends and they will tell you that is the truth.

Often we think we have to do a lot to be loved by others and to bless them. Being you is the answer in itself. Nothing else can substitute for being the blessing.  First thing in the morning get up and be you. No one expects anything more because you are enough.

You can try all sorts of things. You can stand on your head if you want to or give a nice hug or kiss. You can take the kids to the park or zoo and give them ice cream at the end however in the end it is still you.

Something we should remind ourselves every day we are the blessing. Live your life as though you are the blessing. Everyone around you will notice without saying a word. You will feel wonderful knowing that you are a blessing.

Have yourself a great day living the life of blessing. Love and joy will cover you all the days of your life. Amen!

Being Ready!

We should all be ready in life to help others. This is important part of our purpose and destiny. We never know what we have another person will need at any given time. This is the same for us as well. We don’t know when we need help ourselves.

I know some people feel that they never need help at all. I believe it is OK to feel needy at times. The need is the reason why we have family and friends. We are all in need of one another. We can’t let pride get in the way when we need help the most. I know it is good to feel perfect however I am fine that I am not.

Being ready is like being a first responder to an accident. Those people have to be ready to leave whatever they are doing without a second notice. Wouldn’t it be nice to be that way as well? In fact we really are if we care for people.  I have been in the grocery store when I have been asked for help to get an item that the person can’t reach. I go right away to help without another thought.

I am sure there have been times at the end of the day we can think back to what has happened throughout the day where we could have helped someone. It doesn’t have to be anything big. It can be to say hello or give a smile. So wherever you do today be ready for the expected and the unexpected. I am sure the people you do it for will be appreciated.

Aches and Pains

 

 

The older we get the more aches and pains we get. I figure that we have to be wise in what we do about them or we can go crazy. Of course we may anyway.

The last couple days I favored my left leg while out walking. I was able to make it all forty minutes but was not easy. I figure favoring my leg is sort of like my mother does with keeping her balance. She does a good job in walking but she is real careful with her balance. Sometimes I think she is more careful than needs to be however I do understand why.

Yesterday when I was walking and being close to the half way mark my left leg was bothering me. I figure this is another way of pressing on. I could have turned around and headed back home however I decided that I was going to make the half way mark before doing so. It wasn’t real easy but I was glad that I did. I walked a little slower on the way back however it did feel better. Again this morning I will do the same thing once again.

Exercise and stretching helps with dealing with the aches and pains; the more that I do them the less of the pain. Not an easy task however it is something we must do. Like my mother and other older people say that getting old is not fun at all.

I feel fortunate that my aches and pains are smaller than others I see throughout the day. It is hard to believe how many deal with it. They do some things that I would not ever do because how much effort it takes to accomplish the tasks.  I figure a lot of people feel that they can’t ask for help or that they don’t want help. They would rather deal with the pain than being helped.

This is the reason that I work at walking and staying in shape the best I can because I don’t want to be in a place where I do have to ask for help. I am thankful for my life however at the same time I want to live on my own terms as well in some ways. I take the medicine prescribed by my doctor and do the best in what they tell me to do so that I can keep a quality of life when being older. Not easy to do but I feel that it will benefit me in the end. God bless and good health to you!

 

 

Reality TV

Not often do I want to write about television or some other subjects but it is about life. I am not sure why people want to watch what I would call trash or the name the networks call reality television.

I am sure most people realize that reality television is not reality at all. In fact it is the complete opposite however I am sure there are those who may think of it as reality and others who watch it for entertainment. I believe that reality television is not entertainment at all or innocent if you think that way as well. I believe that reality television is truly evil. Many people have had their lives ruined by these shows. Those who are on the programs and those who watch them; if you know anyone or you watch them yourselves I would ask you to stop watching them. I am sure the networks would cancel the shows if people stopped watching them. They are a waste of time along with having no true value to them along with wreaking lives.

Children especially can get hooked to shows like these. They may believe this is what life is like or should be like. Even the most innocent of these shows are still evil in my mind. I am sure there are other programs that can be entertaining.  I don’t want you or those close to you to have their lives ruined by these shows. All I have to say about this. Until next time have a wonderful day.

What Does Pressing On Mean?

I am sure all of us have our own meaning of what pressing on means. Since it is what I wanted us to consider for the 2017 to press on to our goals it is important to know the meaning as well to accomplish these goals.

We are called to a purpose and destiny to press on for me means that we do not stop moving on toward meeting the purpose.  At times there will be opposition to us meeting our purpose so we can’t ever give up. Actually we are in a battle where Satan wants to stop us from meeting our purpose. In fact that his number goal is that we never meet our purpose so he will do everything he can that will stop us. We have to realize that pressing on is what we must do to achieve the purpose and destiny but he will put doubt in our minds. Other words he will make us think that we can’t meet our purpose or even greater that we don’t have a purpose and destiny. This is where most people live not knowing their purpose and destiny. They are stopped because they don’t believe.

For us that do believe we must never give up and press on to meet our purpose and destiny regardless what is happening in our lives. I am not saying it will be easy because honest truth it will not be. In many ways the battle is a major part of our purpose and destiny. Whatever you do never give up and walk the path you meant to be on regardless how tired you may become. In the end each of us will be victorious in our purpose and destiny. I encourage you to press on no matter how long it takes. Remember it is not about us but all the people. We can not only meet our purpose but help others to meet theirs as well. No matter how difficult it may be we can do it with a smile as well.

Have a Positive Monday

I decided to add another post for today. I think that I may do so on occasion when something comes to mind. It won't be as long as my normal post.

 

I know that not everyone enjoys going to work on Monday's however I think it is important that we have positive approach to Monday's like we do other days especially Friday's when people are looking forward to the weekend.

 

Tomorrow I am going to write about what I believe pressing on means. Since it is the main purpose for 2017. I hope that everything that you are doing to encourage others is working out for you. My thoughts are of you all the time. I am sure that you are making a difference in world though may be one person at a time. God bless you all.     Herb

Taking a Cold Shower

This week with record hot temperatures in the northwest reminded me so much about taking cold showers. We have had so many straight days without rain. In fact today ties the record of 51 days in a row without rain and likely will be broken tomorrow.

I did take a few cold showers this week however I had to start off with hot water and then add cold water. Last night I started out with cold water and it was chilling. I added in hot water but that didn’t help that much. So I recommend if you want to do a cold shower start out with hot.

This reminds me to the times as a kid going swimming in cold lakes and other locals. I grew up on the waterfront of east Gig Harbor where we had our own dock. A few small boats were tied up on the dock and there were times I went fishing off the dock as well. The water of Gig Harbor was quite cold even in the middle of summer. My brother Jack and cousin Judy would go swimming often there and I thought they were nuts. If the weather was hot like we had this week I would jump in hopefully not thinking about how cold the water is. I would scream and then get out as quickly as possible.

Whenever our family would go to Twanoh State Park on the Hood Canal I would take my time walking in slowly to go swimming. It did take a little while to get used to. It was warmer than Gig Harbor. There were times where I ran into the water hoping that would help getting used to the water faster. Not usually just screaming would happen. In those instances I would swim out to the dock and lay for a little while before deciding to swim back to shore.

Even swimming pools that have warm water I always found it takes a little while to get used to it as well. Our bodies take time to adjust because of our body temperature compared to the water temperature. Something I don’t really think about though.

So whether you swim or take a cold shower remember time for your body to adjust. Good way to deal with being hot however can be shocking to your system. Another wonderful part of life and have yourself a good week.

Sharing My Life With You

I find it a privilege to share my life with you whether we have met or not. I consider us to be friends for sure no matter where in the world that you live.

I think it is important to share what is good going on in my life along with the not so good. Also the memories I have of the past though many of them I don’t remember.

I think it is great to encourage you to be the best that you can be as well. We all have a purpose and destiny in this life though sometimes we don’t feel that way. Life gets busy and we go back often to the person we thought we were. Remember in these times when you don’t think well of yourself it was lies that you were told. You are great no matter what some people told you otherwise.

I look forward to writing more everyday no matter what mood that I am in. I hope the mood is positive than negative however how I feel at this time is what I want to share. I want others to know they can finish the finish line even when they want to stop right now.

I pray that your health and that of your family is good. If not that you recover in a timely fashion. Yes I believe in miracles. For one thing you are here today and that is a miracle in itself.

Keep your eyes open for those who are hurting. They are all around us. They may not say the words and try to cover it up but that is truly the truth. All of us want someone to talk too even when we deny it. You don’t have to say much but do say something. You can be at the grocery store, coffee shop or walking the streets everyone needs to feel wanted. At the very least smile and give a warm handshake or wave your hands at least. Even if they don’t acknowledge you at least you have done your job.

Until next time it is nice to have you as a friend no matter how far or near we are to each other or whether we have met or not. Many blessings to you.  

Enjoy the Coffee

Since I have been writing a lot of serious things of late I decided to do a little more not so serious. I think we can say that is how our lives go to. We sometimes go from one extreme to another depend on how life is going.

When it comes to life and the purpose of it a lot of adults include coffee in it. Personally I am not a big fan of coffee. I do go to my neighborhood coffee shop almost every day. It isn’t a Starbucks though there are plenty of them in my neighborhood. My drink of choice right now is an iced Americano with white chocolate. I know it has coffee in it but the reason for the white chocolate as well. On Sunday mornings at church I put in a little bit of coffee and whole lot of milk or cream. White chocolate, milk or cream takes out the bitter taste of coffee for me. 

I notice a lot of kids get hot chocolate at the coffee shop. I would do so but it is not good for me. Now you say well coffee isn’t either. You are correct so I have decaf in my Americano. Also I only have one cup per day anyway. I am not a big fan of tea however I do have one of them once in a while. I may have a frap or a smoothie once in a while as well. The Americano is my drink of choice right now but that could change soon as well.

Another drink that a lot of adults like for life and purpose is beer. I am not sure about that one either. I don’t like beer either so I haven’t had one in a long time. I remember having beer when I was nineteen and came down with a hangover. At that point I decided that was it. Usually if I have alcohol it is a glass of wine. I don’t drink a lot of pop as well. When I do it is usually seven-up, sprite or lemonade. I am not a fan of cola’s either so I never drink them unless it is a choice between them or water. Most of the time I choose water though I am not a fan of straight water too; as of late I have been drinking sparkling water with a flavor like mixed berry or orange mango. I heard that mangoes are good for us so have them in smoothie form sometimes as well.

Ok so a good purpose of life is what we drink. I know that food is in the mix as well. I mostly eight chicken along with fish and once in a while a burger. Since I am trying to lose weight which by the way I am doing pretty good right now I try not eat chicken, fish or any kind of meat three times a week. On those days I stay with vegetables and fruit only. I do try to drink sparkling water between meals.

So enjoy your purpose of life in whatever form it comes in. Until next time enjoy your weekend.

Swinging High

A few days ago I saw on social media an old swing set. Someone ask if we remember them and I certainly do.

The swing sets I grew up on were two of them. One of them was at my elementary school and the other was at the city park.

The one at the park was in the same area as our little league baseball team had our home games. It was right next to where the seats were to watch the ball games. Now the park has moved the swing set. Actually it is a new set the old one has been gone for a while.

The swing set at school was next to where the teachers parked their cars which wasn’t too far away from the school building. The swing set is no longer there because the school is no longer there as well. I can’t remember how many years it has been now but the school district built a new school at a different location. Where the school was is now city hall including the police station.

I still have good memories of the school. When I went to the school it was brand new. It was opened when I started in first grade. My older sister Barb went to another school. At the time it was the only elementary school within the city limits. The other schools were outside the city limits.  Goodman Junior High where I went later was in the school limits however Peninsula High School where I graduated was in nearby Purdy.

What I remember most about the swing set at the park was seeing how high I could go without falling off. I was amazed by some older kids who could go really high and not fall off. I know later on when I got bigger I was able to go higher but I am not sure whether I did as much as those kids did. Usually I spent the time on the swing when we were at the park for a picnic. I didn’t do much on them before a ball game.

The one memory I really remember quite well on the swing at the elementary school our dad left my brother Jack and I off on his way to work. He did that often however this day was different. This day while we were on swings an earthquake hit. The largest one we have had for some time. Most of the other kids were on the school bus or still at home. Jack and I were the only kids at school. In fact not many teachers had come either yet. When the earthquake hit my teacher had just arrived. She was bringing things in for our popcorn and candy sale. This was to raise money for our trip to the Woodland Park Zoo up in Seattle. The next year was when we took the trip by train. It was the first time on the train for me and I never was another one until I took a trip to Europe as an adult. What I remember that day of the earthquake the doors of the school started swinging open and I went to help my teacher the best I could to get everything for the sale indoors. It was one of those memories you always remember even if not all the details.

I really enjoyed going on the swing sets. There is so much fun to do so and laugh a lot at the same time. I am sure most everyone has a memory of being on a swing set. Laughter is always good medicine.

Let the Light Shine

When darkness comes in it is important that we recognize it and let the light shine in.

Darkness can overwhelm us however the light can bring us love, hope, joy, faith and peace.

 

We all need help at one point or another because of the darkness. Don’t be afraid to ask for the help. Go to someone that you trust and let them know that you are struggling with darkness and you want the light.

There are ways to recognize the darkness. We will feel depression and have self-pity. We will be focusing on ourselves a lot. This can last a few minutes or for hours. It is important to call out for help.

Life is so important to enjoy. We all have times of despair however we can overcome the darkness.  In Psalm 23 it mentions though we are in the shadow of death we don’t have to fear because God is with us. Fear is our enemy and faith, hope and love are our friends.

The battle will never end however God will be with you at all times and allow you to win and overcome. He is your rock and Savior. Peace be with you today. Amen!

Always Lifting Ourselves Up

When it comes to hearing we often need to be told over and over again several times. In fact I was once told that for us to get the message we need to hear it at least seven times. The message will have to be told in different ways so the person doesn’t realize that they have heard the message many times. This goes for being encouraged by others and ourselves.

We all want to be encouraged in one way or another. Life isn’t easy so we are insecure in one way or another so having others to tell us that we can make it or be affirmed too.

Not always do we have others to encourage us so we must be able to encourage ourselves as well. I believe the best way to do that is for us to meditate. Take a few minutes every day and meditate on the good. Other words have messages that we have heard before that are positive. Every day I read five Psalms out of the Bible and I can get something good out of them. Other things to meditate on are words of encourage that friends have told us in the past.  I find meditating on one word or phrase throughout the day can change our lives.

Although we want to be encouraged by others it is not always easy to find someone to do so that is the reason we must do so ourselves.

I found in the past that I would get depressed and I didn’t know how to get out of the dark side. Usually this happens because we spend too much time thinking about what is going in our lives. We get on our own pity party and after a short time this is when we get depressed. Usually what happens is that we get jealous of others on what they have and what we don’t have. I believe this starts when we are children and so we continue on this being adults too.

You may believe that you don’t have the time to meditate and encourage yourself. I recommend doing so first thing over breakfast or when you are at lunch. Find a place that you can’t be disturbed. If neither of those times are good than take the time after getting off work. The important thing is to do so the same time every day. Oh by the way I have to take my advice to. Until next time I hope that building yourself up well make everything better

Hello August

I am sure most people are aware that July went by very fast. It wasn’t the month that I had planned either. I expected to go visit my cousins in British Columbia however wild fires kept me out and my cousins had to evacuate for a couple weeks. Fortunately they are back home without a scratch though some of their friends were not so lucky when it came to their property.

Right now I don’t have any plans for August. My cousins won’t be home so I can’t go to British Columbia in August. My sister, her eldest son and my brother will be coming in September so the only time I may be able to get to British Columbia in late September or early October. My plans may change to where I may have to wait until next year.

Anyway hello August you are going to start out real hot here in the Pacific Northwest. The temperatures are expected to be mid-90s to almost one hundred degrees for the remaining of the week beginning on Wednesday. Many of us are not used to the temperatures being this hot especially for several days in a row.

When I think back in my memory I don’t remember it ever getting into the nineties when I was a kid. In fact the mid-80s were unusual back in the day. I have always liked that the temperatures have been reasonable during the summer unlike some other places. It is nice that we don’t have to deal with humidity very often. Last week we had humidity at seventy percent and I didn’t even feel it. That high is uncommon around here unlike many places in the United States.

I hope this heat wave last for this week only and that August will be more normal temperatures in the 70s and 80s.  I will go for my walks early in the morning however I will have to go into hibernation the rest of the day. You won’t find air conditioning around here because we don’t need it most of the time however this week can be the exception. I am sure stores that sell fans will be out of them in a hurry.

I know that with us to have temperatures being this hot that the rest of the USA will be even hotter.  Eastern Washington often has the temperatures in the nineties and over one hundred but we don’t on the western side. Eastern Washington temperatures usually are ten to fifteen degrees hotter than we have. A good place to visit if you want to have hot weather however I stay away because I like the temperatures we have most of the time in August. This is a great place to visit in July and August so much because the temperatures are lower for those who come from other places. August is a great time to go hiking and camping. The reason when I was in boy scouts we went on fifty mile hikes in the Olympic Mountains every year. Wherever you are enjoy August.