Get Back To It

Since it had been at least six weeks that I had last taken my last morning walk I decided that the first day of the new year was a good time to do it. The reason was that I sprained my ankle severely and I have been going through physical therapy for the last three weeks.

I can still feel the wound however I feel good when I am walking. I go through therapy twice a week and do stretches every day.  First thing in the morning I massage around the ankle and the wound. This is when I feel the pain however it is real good to do. I will walk again this morning to see how it feels once again. I was walking forty minutes every day however yesterday I started at thirty minutes figure to work my way back to full strength. Nice was that I had no after affects for the rest of the day.

How should we see this when it comes to our everyday life? I figure when we fall of the horse it is important to get back on as soon as we can. We all make mistakes in life however we have to realize that we can’t just feel sorry for ourselves. Admit the mistake and move on. This has to do with our relationships with others well as other things like me tripping and falling on my ankle. Though the ankle is weak and I continue working on building it up we have to do that with the rest of our lives. I am glad that something like this happen to learn from.

Everyday should be a fresh start for us but a new year is a good way to begin using the fresh start. This way we can be all what we are meant to be. Peace and Amen!

Happy New Year

Welcome to 2018.

We will have to see how the year will go by. 2017 the theme was to press on and this year will be let’s do it. This means whatever your purpose and destiny should be going forward. Other words let’s do what we are called to do. Often circumstances can get in the way of us doing what we are meant to do. Now we must do these things no matter what else is happening. Let you know that I am no different than anyone else. I often let other things get in the way as well. I believe to that is the lack of belief in myself as well.

What do we need to do then. The answer is to decide and choose the best way to go. This is not for us but for those of us that we share our lives with. Remember our lives don’t just belong to us but those we spend our time with. Often I know people who see my actions and tell me what an example I am to them. This is the same thing I have heard from some of you who have commented on my posts. What I hope to do this year is to go places nearby to where I live. I like to know more about these places and share them with you. Also I like to visit other coffee shops in the area besides the one I go to on a regular basis. I want to meet other people that I haven’t up to this point or even people I know but don’t see as often.

 I think it is important for us to expand our horizons as well. In the same way that I want to expand what I am writing as well. I want to learn more of my gifts and how to use them in a greater way. Another thing I would like to do is meet people of all ages where I can listen and know what struggles they may be going through or where I can learn from their strengths as well. We can all become better people because of what we learn from others. As a child I spent a lot of time talking and not really listening. Now I want to listen to others that will help them and make me a better person as well. My encouragement is that you take this year and make it your own. Let your life have more meaning than ever before. I want us to be excited to know what this year can be like. Amen

Looking Ahead

What is there to say on the last day of the year except “Happy New Year”.  I believe in living one day at a time however it is hard when others are wishing you a happy new year on this day but that is what I am going to try to do anyway.

January has always been any interesting month especially in my family because my sister Barb’s birthday is in a week then her son Connor is the day after hers, then her oldest son Ken is ten days later and then my younger brother Jack’s birthday is near the end of the month. In fact his birthday is four weeks exactly after New Year’s Day. Mother sends Barb a check so that she, Connor and Ken can go out for dinner on her. Mom has been doing that for a long time now.

One thing we can count on in January here in Western Washington it will continue to rain. Right now we are in the middle of the raining season. The Seattle Weather Station said that Seattle has ten more inches of rain this year than the normal. We have to continue to see how the rainfall goes this time.

It would be nice to see more snow this winter however having snow on Christmas made my dream come true. We haven’t had a lot of White Christmases around here. In fact I don’t remember many at all.

Whatever 2018 brings you at least enjoy this day as you ring in the new year. Don’t drink too much because I don’t want to see 2018 go out bad footing for you. I will likely stay home unless I get an offer I can’t refuse. May today and the next 365 days be a blessing to you. May your purpose and destiny flourish. May those around you receive all the gifts that you have to offer. Amen!

Our Attention

 A couple days ago an old classmate posted a story about a teenager who committed suicide and left a note. I am not sure if it was true or fake news however the message sounded true whether by the teenager or not. The teenager left the note saying that if the note was read she had committed suicide. The classmate felt so bad because of the pressure her parents had put on the teenager.

I shared with my classmate that I could relate to the teenager because when I was that age I dealt with depression myself. I never considered suicide however at times I wish that I had died when I was burned at age 4. I didn’t actually mention this in that post but I could understand the depression the teenager went through.

The problem is that today because of social media pressure is so much higher than in my day as a teenager. Not only does parents and peers put pressure on so do schools and special interest groups like LGBT. I am sure the reason that suicides among teenagers has grown. Everyone in my mind should be ashamed of themselves. Young people need to discover who they are without pressure. What is really bad that is going on with preteens as well. A great reason the country and the world is going down morally. The kids that have great parents are very blessed because no one else in general care about them and it is important that we do.

My old classmate feels so ashamed that she wasn’t aware of my situation as well as others. I am not here to condemn her because many of those like me have kept quiet far as depression as well. I can say too though I had to deal with bullies in my time as well the world is full of them at a greater level. Time for change and I hope 2018 will help in this regard. If you have teenagers not only listen to them but pray for them and all the other teenagers around the world. Amen!

Countdown

Including today we have three days remaining in 2017. I know that there are those who are really into the New Year thing. I have to admit that I am not really myself. I guess if I were in a relationship likely would be more open to it though staying home with that person would be my ideal.

My thought or maybe it is an opinion most that go out to celebrate bringing in the new year it is a good excuse to party and drink. The party part I don’t have a problem with it is the drinking part. I don’t want to be where there is a lot of drinking however that is me. I think a lot of people believe you can’t have a party without drinking which I don’t think is true. If I go to a party and alcohol is available I will have one drink only. I think it is OK that people drink but don’t get drunk. One thing for sure don’t drive. Also I would never stay out late. I would go home as soon as the New Year happens. The reason is so many terrible things happen in the early hours and I would prefer avoiding them.

Whatever you are doing to close out the year be sure to have a good time however be safe at the same time. Make sure you are focused on your goals for the year ahead. Continue making your plans and enjoy those you are with. Our purposes in life should be the goal ahead for us. For me the goal is to know God better and do what he wants me to do. Like my theme for the coming year “Let’s do it”.  I will continue though with pressing on as well. Peace be with you and call everything joy.  

Going Into New Year

 

 

 

Here we are ready to start a new year. I am not really into New Year’s resolution however it is important to make plans. I am sure with the new year some people will be moving or taking a new job. This definitely takes adjustments well as planning.

Currently I am a care giver for my mother who is 97 years old. She is in pretty good health for her age however she won’t live forever; at least I don’t think so. LOL.  I have some ideas what I will do when she is gone. For instance I would like to do some traveling and of course I will take you all on the adventure with me on this blog. I will have to downsize so that will take some time. My sister and brother along with their children will take some of the items while we will likely sell some as well. Going to travel I will have to put remaining items into storage. Even if I were to stay in Gig Harbor I would move to a smaller apartment. I would not need to space that she and I have right now. To stay in the current apartment I would have to take on a couple roommates which isn’t the easiest thing to do as most would know. A smaller apartment I would still look at getting a roommate to keep my cost down. With the rising of development in the area the cost of renting continues going up.

Early January most everyone here in the area will have to make an adjustment because one of our grocery stores is closing while another is moving to a new location. The new location will be at least twice as big as the current location. The store that is closing is owned by the same company that runs the store that is moving. What will be interesting is to see what moves into the old location along with the store that is closing. We have heard rumors what may move into the old location however nothing on the one that is closing. The one that is closing the announcement was just within the last month so I am sure the shopping center is only in planning stages of who may move in and agreements would have to be filed. So now this area of Gig Harbor there will be now two grocery stores instead of three. Many of those shopping at the store that is closing will likely go to the one that is opening the new location at the beginning. I actually shopped at all three grocery stores depending on the items I had to purchase. The reason is some items one store had the others didn’t. For example my mother likes a specific yogurt the store that is closing only provided. I hope one of the two remaining stores will have the yogurt. I am pretty sure the new store will have the yogurt.

Another change in Gig Harbor for 2018 is a new mayor and city council. They were voted in by a large margin because they promised to decrease the development that has been going on in Gig Harbor. The cost of living continues going up at a high rate. I am sure many other areas are going through the same thing. Seattle being about an hour or a little longer to commute depending on traffic many new people to the area taking jobs primarily in high tech are moving into the suburbs like Gig Harbor because the cost of living in Seattle is skyrocketing so that means the costs are going up here as well. The rate that the cost is going if it continued many of those like myself living here a long time won’t be able to afford living here. This was the platform that the new mayor came in to keep the cost down and the development. It is hard to believe how large the homes that are being built in the area as well. The house I grew up in was good size in its day and is one of only four that is still remaining in the neighborhood. All the rest of the homes have been replaced by a lot larger homes. In fact I would say that they are at least twice as big as my old house. Also many of the homes being built are really close to each other. Not much of a yard to speak of that is for sure.

So whatever changes that are in the works for the new year don’t go into the whole resolution thing just plan right now what you want to have for changes and the best of luck to you.

 

Technology

Ever since the beginning of mankind technology has evolved. I am sure nothing like it is today when technology continues to change on a daily basis it seems.

Computers and cellphones make up a big part of our lives today.  Sometimes I wonder what we did before there was either one of them. Before the internet we had to look things up in a whole different way. Everything was written down on paper for people to check out. Now paper is used primarily to print what you have found or sent from another person or business. My mother doesn’t go on the internet and I have to check her email. If it is important enough I print it out for her to see otherwise I will tell her.

The media has changed and I wonder what it will be like in the next five years. I figure most television programs will be lived streamed. Television, radio and the newspaper all do live programs almost all the time through social media. Even we can as normal citizens live stream as well. Personally I enjoy writing doing this blog each day however there could be a time where I will have to do so through video.

The church I go to in my home town of Gig Harbor live stream the service each Sunday so those in other parts of the country and world can see the service. The cost is so minimal with using a camera or two or even using a smart phone if you prefer depending on the quality you want to see. Actually it is quite amazing the quality that comes through on a smart phone. So if I travel or I am home sick I can view the service live. The church also records the messages or what is common known as sermons where you can watch or listen to them at any time. The church has classes on Tuesday night where they can be seen live or recorded as well. In five years we will have more technology that will blow our minds I am sure.

The newspaper business especially in printed form is becoming more obsolete. The local daily newspapers here are much smaller now being sent out primarily because most people go on line to view the stories. News we can see or hear about just seconds after it has happened. We can see reporters on the seen before any morning, noon or evening broadcast. The printed newspaper the news is so outdated when it shows. I do read the printed paper myself sometimes in the morning to read the sports and comics primarily. I scan the front page to see what the top stories are however most of them I have already heard about but I like seeing more in detail. Depending on the time I have I often read the stories on line as well. I have social media where I find the link to the story quicker instead of going to the website to scan. I am sure in five years there won’t be any printed paper any longer.

What I like about the whole internet and social media is that I can make a difference in others life by encouraging them like through this blog. Also I have a group that I send daily scriptures that will encourage family and friends. There are some in the group that I don’t know because family and friends have added them to the group which is fine with me. I call the group “edify” I figure it is really appropriate in what I post.

I am sure in 2018 we will see more technology then what we have right now. Most important it will be easier to access than ever before. Remember to enjoy the real world where we are in contact with others besides being on line all the time. I have been writing this blog on a desktop however last week I got a lap top and can wifi now as well. So I may write more often on this blog. I will try to write smaller posts. This one seems to be longer than most. I guess you could say I have a lot to say today. Many blessings while we look forward to the new year.

Gifts

 

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas Day or whatever you do to celebrate. Besides the celebration of Christ’s birth it is receiving gifts or what is known as presents.

The greatest gift we have is ourselves. We can share ourselves with people every day as long as we live. We should remember that we are each a gift in our own unique way. In fact within us are many gifts. We may not know all the gifts that we have but doesn’t change that we have them anyway.

The important thing is for us to share these gifts with one another. I would have to say our number one gift is our personality. Out of our personality will come several gifts.  Another gift we have is our heart and everyone sees that to on a regular basis. The important thing is not to hide some of those gifts that you have. I know this is because of fear or that you have been rejected before however it is important to bring every gift out into the open. It is important not only for yourself but for those you see whether it is your family, friends, acquaintances or a stranger you meet. Again your life is the greatest gift of all with all the others wrapped up together. Peace and happiness to you all. Amen!

 

 

Merry Christmas to All

 Hello Everyone I want to wish you all a wonderful and blessed Merry Christmas. I hope that you are spending this day with your loved ones.

Here in Western Washington we got a surprise on Christmas Eve with some snow. It started coming down in the midafternoon. Depending where you lived it was probably an inch or two which I will take.

This is the first Christmas that I remember having snow. The weather station said this was the fourth time snowing on Christmas Eve in my life time. In the past one hundred and thirty years it is only the seventh time snowing on Christmas Eve. A couple of those in my lifetime it was so little snow that it was likely gone by Christmas. I do remember a couple times when I was in elementary school we were let out on the last day of school before Christmas vacation early. That is what they called it back then. Also I remember when I was nineteen we had a pretty good snow storm the day after Christmas. I remember that well because I was working at my vocational school radio station and I had to go in to put the station on the air. I to remember it was difficult to get out of the driveway. I did get to school however I was a little late so the station went on the air not on time. I am sure the listeners were glad that we were on the air at all so they could hear my news reports and music.

I want to that you all that read this blog. I am amazed that over a dozen different countries read this and I know to you enjoy being encouraged each day. So again have a wonderful and blessed Christmas. We will get together once again tomorrow.

Love Today

This is Christmas Eve and Merry Christmas to you all. We all know that Christ was not born at this time most likely however the Christian church decided a long time ago to celebrate it on this date.

Jesus Christ birth that leads to his death in his early thirties on the cross to die for our sins is a love story by God. You see God loves us so much that he wanted each one of us to be with him heaven however only the righteous can enter heaven. You see none of us can or deserve to be in heaven because of our sin. You may believe that you’re a good person but if you have sinned even once than you have disqualified yourself to enter heaven. The truth is no matter how good we think we are we all have blown it. We all have sinned so on our own we can’t enter heaven however God decided he had to find a way for us to be righteous. The reason we die is because of our sin which goes back to the time of Adam and Eve.

So God decided to send his Son Jesus Christ into the world to die for us. He had no sin however he put every sin on himself that has ever been committed by all mankind when he went onto the cross. So you now are righteous if you believe in Jesus Christ and accepted to enter heaven no matter how many sins you have committed. The key is to ask for forgiveness and turn your life over to him. I know it may be simple however it is the reason so many can’t believe because either they can’t believe for being so simple or they don’t deserve to be forgiven. Whatever the reason you may have not accepted Christ yet this can be the day that you do. This day can be the day that your life changes forever.

When the wise men or the three Kings or whoever they were came to bring gifts at the birth of Jesus Christ they thought he was the Messiah. This is who he was however they didn’t know that he was much more. They had no idea that he came to live for the reason to die on the cross for them and all mankind. Rejoice in the birth of Christ and accept him today. This is what true love is today! Amen!

Patience

In life something we all have to work on is patience. This is especially true this time of the year when family and friends get together.

Often we can feel impatient with others. This is especially with those who we may have some disagreements with. Also this is really true when going shopping and there are a lot of other people doing the same thing. We have to be patient that our turn will happen.

Like many other things in our lives it may take many years if not our whole life to be patient. I am sure those who are patient can tell us stories how they got that way. Other words the road I am sure was rocky and many times went flat.

Most of the time I am patient but I do catch myself once in a while where I still know that I have a ways to go in that department. Like most of us we will fall down and have to get ourselves back up again. The important thing is that we realize this is a short coming in our lives and we want to make it better.

So while we work on becoming more patient let us enjoy this great and marvelous holiday season. Amen!

Catching Up

I believe it is always good to have a reunion regardless of who it is with and for how long. Thursday Mother and I had lunch with my cousin Christy and her husband David for a short period of time. We caught up with the recent news though did get a Christmas letter from them and we are on social media as well. Also we saw loving pictures of their two granddaughters. The oldest is twenty-five months and the youngest is about four months. They are happy having the granddaughters in part because they have three sons and no daughters so this is a very best thing.

Earlier in the day I stopped at my favorite coffee shop and there were two young women who met up together. It looked like they hadn’t seen each other for a little while at least. I am sure they are college students who are home for holiday break.

I know to that not all families get along and I am fortunate with blessings that my family does. Next to my relationship with God I believe the time I spend with family and friends is very important no matter how long it is. Even seeing someone for a moment and waiving hands is a blessing in my book. We all should make as much an effort to get along with as many people as we can. Of course we won’t be able to with everyone because of personality clashes or there are those who don’t really care about others. In these cases we should put a smile on our faces and do the best we can. At least this time of the year we can say “Merry Christmas” or “Happy holidays”.

Although I will be disappointed because I  will only be with mom for Christmas far as family goes it will be great to talk with them on the phone. Remember to enjoy those you are with at any time. We don’t know how short our time is here. God bless and peace be with you. Amen!

The Year Coming to Close

It is amazing to think that 2017 is now coming to close in a few days. For those who still write checks will have to remember to enter 2018 instead.

I hope that everyone have had a wonderful 2017 that can be remembered with a smile for some time. I am sure we have known someone or more than one that passed away this year. Fortunately no one in my immediate family died which is always good news.

The theme for 2017 has been to press on no matter what has happened this year. Discover more what our purpose and destiny why were created by God in the first place. The everyday grind can get in the way of fulfilling our purpose and destiny. The important thing is to wake up in the morning and ask God to help us fulfill our purposes. In many ways these purposes can happen in small ways. Our lives can be where we wonder if we are doing anything with our purpose. I give you an example if you are a mother your purpose is to raise your children in becoming good if not great adults. Of course mistakes will happen however the importance is to the best that you know how. Needing to have any assistance go to your mother or someone that you respect as a mother. This will go for fathers as well though you have responsibility to work as well. Those that are working mothers don’t feel bad if you are not there for everything that your children do. These days often both parents have to work.

If you have any time available for this next week or so write down your accomplished that you have succeeded this year in one column and in another column what you would like to accomplish next year. Put in a safe place where a year from now you can see how well you did. Of course you won’t be perfect however you may even do better than you thought.

The theme for 2018 I feel should be “let’s do it”.  What I mean is for those of us are discovering our purpose and destiny go out and do it. If you are already than continue to go further. This is where plans should come in. Maybe it is important to add to what you are already doing or replacing what you have been doing with something new. The importance all together is doing what you were created to. Amen!