HELLO AGAIN

It's been too long, hasn't it? So sorry. I had a lot of things to tend too. You know how it is. Everything is going well and then, when you least expect it, the ground is pulled out from beneath you. We all experience that at some point in our lives.
   I've missed you very much; miss keeping in touch like I used too. Before AOL shut down the journal section, going online was a real treat. I don't feel that way now, although I DO love that I've managed to keep in touch with many of my AOL friends, as well as making new friends. I'm certain many of you feel the same way.
 
I just got back from California a few days ago, was given airplane fare for my Mother's day present. It was more than a treat, for I was able to visit two of my sisters. Both of them have serious health problems. I got to visit with them and their families, as well as one of my brothers, my daughter and her family. AND...got to meet one of my granddaughter's new baby girl. She is three months old and a real beauty; looks like her Mommy. She and her husband named her Madison Elizabeth.
   .
What's going on in your world? I hope you'll take time to share with me when you're able. Have you remembered how special, how unique a person you are, and how much God loves you? Have you remembered that every trial comes to its own end, and that all things work together for good (and that includes the bad and difficult times)? Have you remembered to treat yourselves as gently and as kindly as you do everybody else, and remembered that it won't always rain? I ask these things because we all forget them sometimes. I know I have. And when I forget them, life is much harder, my burdens much heavier.

Sometimes, mostly at night, when the rest of the world sleeps, I fix myself a cup of tea, settle down in the living-room chair, and think of each one of you, remembering the first time our paths crossed; how delightful it was getting to know you: what your likes and dislikes were, what made you smile, what angered you, what set your heart upon the ground, or made you feel like the most loved, the most special person in the world. I'd take memory walks, reminding myself of your goodness, how quick you were to pray for me, to send me cards or email me when I needed prayer, how loving when my heart was broken - my spirit as well.
  It wasn't easy at first, sharing so much of myself. But doing it taught me a wonderful thing- that the tighter we cling to our pain, our sadness, our hurts, our disappointments, and our fears, the longer and harder it is to turn loose of them. Wiser it is, I think, to remind ourselves that the world runs on opposites: there is a birth- a death, a man gets hired- a man loses his job, somebody marries, somebody gets a divorce, the sun rises- the sun sets, we have a good day- a bad day follows it. But no matter what our day contains, whether good or bad, each day contains a blessing- ALWAYS.  The only way we'll miss it is to not watch for it.

I am grateful for todays gift of life, for the many who remember me in prayer, for this opportunity to meet new people and become friends, to share experiences. I'm grateful too, for the trials in my life. Without them I'd have learned nothing. I'd not have learned that I'm stronger than I believe myself to be, that what I see is not always the way it is, and that no matter how deep the pain or sorrow of the heart, a rainbow is always just around the corner.

There have been so many horrific things happening in the world, things that have left thousands of people homeless. We must not forget to pray for these dear ones. We are so blessed to live in America, to have our needs met each day.
Remember to  pray for our troops too.

This is a rather short entry, but at least I've touched base with you,
let you know I'm still around. Take care of yourselves.

Have an awsome day.

Barb

  

    

My version of the Alphabet
(only posting part today)

A- Always be yourself.
Those that truly love you will accept the person
you are; those that don't cheat themselves out of
precious memories.
B- Stands for beauty.
We see ourselves negatively when displeased with
the reflection in the mirror. But in truth, we are not what we
feel, nor just what we look like; that's just the wrapping on
the package.
Who we really are, deep down, is what our actions,
words, and desires reveal us to be.
Rejection by others reveals a lack of knowledge as
to what love really is, and is a sign of immaturity.

C- is for Courage, Caring, Calmness
Being courageous will eventually get you walking
on smooth pavement, will turn your dreams into
realities, and enable you do what must be done.

         Caring for yourself is as important as caring for others.
Nobody understands your needs better than you do.
Taking time for the person you are will strengthen you;

make it possible for you to care for those you love.
              Calmness is the ultimate high. You know this from
time spent alone, listening to Bach or Mozart.
Calmness midst thunder is a mighty weapon,
one that seldom, if ever, lets us down.

D- Duty & Day

Duty requires doing necessary things, but our duties
are not always what others claim them to be, or demand
that we do. We alone know where to place the boundary line.
Place yours wherever it protects you. Keep yourself safe.
A Day--
A day is 24 hours of moments given us to spend as
we wish. Don't allow other people to dictate to you how
you are to spend yours, nor tie your time up taking care of
things they alone are responsible for. I wish you success
in learning how to live in the moment.

E- Everlasting
That is what God's love for us is.
But not all things last forever, even those things we try
so hard to believe in. Seasons come and go in spite of us,

as does time. Changes can occur rapidly, leaving us
devestated, angry, alone, heartsick, insecure, and
worried. Fortunately, though there is no security found
in people, places, or things, we are always able to call
upon the LORD, who is always home for His children.

F-Family
Our perceptions of family differ according to our
background, beliefs, and nurturing, or lack of it.
The hardest thing, I've been told, about families is
that we have no choice as to the one we're born into.
We are who we are, have the family we have.
It is our final choices, after all, that determine what
our ending days will be like: who is in our lives or
not, and whether we'll have comfort, or even a
hint of understanding.

G- Greatness of courage, of dreams, of accepting
difficult things is what introduces us to the strong,

positive side of ourselves.
H- Hope
Hope is the flame that keeps us alive; keeps us
creating dreams - building towers in the sky.
Hope is what keeps us alive in spite of ourselves.
Without it life disappears.
I thank God for the hope within you,
however dim that flame may be.
I'm aware that it is hope that has kept you.
Don't let go! Don't let go no matter how
discouraged you may become. God has planned
your life and with you at all times, loving you more

sweetly, more fairly, more unconditionally than

any human ever could. I cannot explain this.
I just know it to be true.

I- Individual
Most people lives and sentences revolve around

themselves, while we had to teach ourselves to care
for the (i) that we are. It's been difficult for us to
recognize and understand that we're entitiled to the
same kindness, compassion, love, and patience that

we extend to others. You ARE important.
Remember that!

J- Justice
There isn't much around any more, or so it seems.
Life hasn't always been fair to you, nor have many you
loved and trusted. But when you think about this, you
can know you always went the extra mile for
other people. It will balance out in the end. I promise.
I know this to be true because God has, and

is still, setting straight the crooked paths of my life.

K-Keeping On

Keep on keeping on no matter how steep the hill.
The rewards are always greater than the trial just
experienced. Keeping on is  a form of control.
Others may not recognize that but we know it
to be true.
You've perserved: climbed when you wanted to sit,
worked when you wanted to rest, lived when you
wanted to cease living. You may not be aware of it
but you ARE winning.

I've been going through some of the many journals I've kept, some going back as far as 1954.  While reading them I came across part of a letter I'd sent somebody. I'm posting it, hoping its contents may uplift somebody, encourage somebody, or  comfort somebody. 

FROM SILENCE- FROM SOLITUDE


1- My life is a barren desert, Lord; flood it with rivers of living water so it
   will flourish as a garden.

2- Lord, you have changed my speech--softened my words,

   changed my heart--softened my touch,
   changed my mind--gentled my thoughts towards others,
   and changed me into sombody I can like.

3- Faith not exercised is where doubt comes from.

4 -Never look back to yesterday. It served its purpose: was only intended to be used once. If you must reflect upon it, reflect upon memories that are good, inspirational, taught you something, or helped somebody. If there are none, leave yesterday alone.

5--Reading is a wasted effort if what you learned is not applied to life.

6- Nobody can change your attitude; YOU are in control of that.

7- We think we know ourselves until we see our reflection in somebody else's eyes.

8- We always believe what we tell ourselves.

9-Friendship disappears when abused, leaving the fool to stand alone.

10- Put others before yourself; love is like that.

11- Thank you for your hand upon my shoulder, Lord,
       every day, and  every night.   

12- Perfection, aside from the LORD, is when heart and mind together,
      walk a straight line.

13- Unwavering faith can handle anything!

14- If you lack faith pray for trials; you'll soon learn to respect those
      who now possess what you hunger for.

15-Success comes when we  recognize how much we yet have to learn-
     then learn it.  

16- Allow your children laughter; there is enough sadness in
      their tomorrows.

17- It isn't easy to forgive.  If  you are struggling with this today, just
       say the words and ask God to help you mean what you say. 

 HAVE AN AWESOME DAY. REMEMBER, LIFE IS SHORT, SO CREATE A BEAUTIFUL MEMORY
 TODAY.

REGARDING SUFFERING

I was requested to reprint an entry I did in 2001. The entry was a reply to a friend wanting my opinion about suffering. The following is that entry.

MY REPLY REGARDING SUFFERING

If I get requests to write about something, it's almost always on suffering. When I respond to these letters I point out that my viewpoint is based upon two things: 1-the way I interpret what I've read, and 2- my life experiences with suffering.
   "Why do I suffer when I love the Lord, and try hard to do the right things"
That's a question I get asked a lot, and always, my immediate answer is
"Why not? Why should we not suffer? "Because I'm a Christian and trust in God" is the usual reply.
   I suppose I should have asked, " How could we not?" as well. How could we not suffer if we share a planet where so many don't believe in, or love God? We've all heard  the expression "we reap what we sow," which is true. But let's not forget that not only do we reap what we sow, but reap what others sow as well.
   If we do a good deed others are blessed. But if we do something bad, others reap the pain of that bad deed.
   When I ask why shouldn't we suffer, I am, I suppose, asking, are we better than Christ? He didn't sow evil, yet suffered because of the evil others sowed - and so shall we.
   We're not entitled to comfort simply because we wish to possess it. And how unrealistic to think we can rid ourselves of suffering and stress simply by wishing for it, without first seeing to understand and recognize that quite often, our darkest moments contain the greatest blessings.
   Those things that soften our hearts and enable us to think in ways that
enrich our lives are not upon us when we enter this world. The world is a
harsh taskmaster, demanding perservence, courage, patience, humility,
wisdom, faith, loyalty, compassion, and understanding. Those things are acquired through suffering: how could this not be so?
    We cannot even give definition to these words until we've first experienced them, and when we have, we're ready to come to the aid of others.
   Suffering, even in the smallest of ways is a blessing, in that it enables us to appreciate the Lord in a much more personal, deeper way. Good people do experience harships, but the hardship eventually come to an end. This is true of bad people as well. To all that has a beginning - there is an end. Our life, here on earth, is temporary.
     Most Christians view life as a school of learning, and most seem to agree that only by experience does understanding grow.
    The Scriptures say " all things work together for good..." I interpret that verse as meaing that everything will come out right in the end. But I understand too, that the {ALL} in that verse includes the bad: the low points in our lives, the disappointments, the heartaches and sorrows; the things that rob us our of our dreams and lay our hearts low, upon the ground.
   I doubt any man would wish pain upon himself, but  pain is something we all share. I strive to reach that place of Holy Indifference, as I believe Paul did.  Of what is suffering to me? It may flood my eyes with tears, might steal away those who claimed to love me, might throw betrayal in my face, might leave me hungry, restless upon my bed at night because of pain, might prevent sleep from finding me or throw worry darts at me, trying to fill me with dread, but it cannot remove from my heart and mind the knowledge, the awesome presence of Christr within me. Suffering of itself cannot touch that part of me that is GOD's. If I live- I am the Lord's, and if I die, I am yet His. Either way I win.

ODDS & ENDS

Good morning,

Not all of you have been truckers, like my Johnny and I were, but I bet most of you love traveling, would love nothing better than to pack a couple of suitcases, a cooler, pull out a little extra cash then hit the road; not having a particular destination in mind.
   Every time I look at the above picture I recall the first time I saw a Redwood tree, (a real tree, is the way I thought of it then). I grew up in small towns that were surrounded by sagebrush, cactus, and sometimes wildflowers - and this odd kind of tree (can't recall the name of it now), but it had an odd smell, always made me sneeze.
    I told my Mother I wanted to some day see the rest of where I lived. Thinking I meant California, she said it wouldn't take that long; California wasn't as big as some of the other states. I hadn't meant Calif., I'd meant that I wanted to see all of United States, every state. I thought of the other states as home too, so when my husband and I got the opportunity to go trucking, it was a dream come true.

 I had no idea I'd experience so many different languages and accents,  food and dress, different kinds of weather (from one extreme to the other). And  the people? Awesome! Everybody we met was so warm and open, so friendly and helpful. It was such fun to run into other truckers and their families from time-to-time; to sometimes have dinner together, or just a quick cup of coffee, while drivers swapped stories, each one trying to outdo the other.
                                                          
Our country is made up of so many beautiful things:  sunsets, diamond filled skies, forests, mountains, oceans, and flowers of every color, each one permeating the air with it's own unique fragrance. The deserts are dry and dead looking midst the noon day sun, but come nightfall, the view can bring a man to his knees.

It's amazing what nature can teach us, or a photo, and  our world is one huge photo, isn't it? Everything we look at can teach us something, if we're willing to learn and listen.
   The photo in todays entry is quieting, soothing, reminds me to not keep my comfort zone too small, to stretch it? Why? Because limiting myself causes me to miss out on some of life's best experiences.
Life is meant to be  lived! We are to be participants, not just observers.
Without jumping into it with both feet, without daring to try new things, we'll just exist; will  do nothing more than what we did yesterday, and the day before that. Routines are good; but for life to be balanced we need variety.
   A little variety goes a long way. It lessens depression, keeps us from being bored, and if we've added exercise to our "To Do " list, it lowers blood pressure, and stress levels. We'll sleep better, feel better, and if we 'stick with it', perhaps we'll even rediscover what it means to have fun.

Life  is difficult these days, it's true.  But we can't allow the difficult moments to overshadow today's blessings. We have to remind ourselves that the kind of day we're going to have  depends upon the choices we make, or don't make; upon the things we've been telling ourselves, positive or negative; and how much courage we have.
       The better our choices, the better the day goes. And the more courageous we are, the quicker we discover that we're much stronger than we believe ourselves to be.
    Each trial we go through is one somebody else has already
experienced. It's not as if we're alone. The One who created us is as near as our breath: ready to uplift, strengthen, assist, guide, forgive, and sustain. He was there yesterday,  is here today, and will be here tomorrow, so keep singing, whistling, and making love. Keep playing with your children,  and enjoy your spouse: do something together. Do something for somebody in need too, somebody who wouldn't expect it.

HAVE AN AWESOME DAY. 

It isn't easy, as our tears fall,  to believe something good will come out of our sorrow, is it? Harder yet, to imagine rainbows and clear skies returning. But they do, and always will. It's difficult to believe that though, when our sorrow is dark and deep, so painful we have no words to describe it; difficult to believe, when at the moment, we're struggling to remain strong, doing all we can to prevent that first tear from falling, doing all we can to keep from letting anybody know we hurt so much.
   Life is a roller coaster, oftentimes buckling us into the passengers seat without bothering to ask if we even want to take a ride. Life's road is difficult. We can go to sleep believing everything is fine; family is good, life is perfect, only to wake the next day to find out we're losing everything. It is happening to millions of people every day. Millions of people each day, are waking up sorrowful, doing their best to be strong, struggling so hard not to cry.
     For some reason, each of us struggles so hard to be brave; to put on that happy smile, adjust that happy attitude, fight our best to shove the burden down, to not cry. Why do we make things so hard for ourselves?     I've had male friends tell me they can't allow themselves to cry, because if they did, their loved ones would see them as weak. I've had others say they fear crying, are afraid once they start they'll be unable to stop.
   I view crying as a necessary thing, a healthy thing, the other side of JOY.
You cannot experience one without having experienced the other. We would not appreciate joy without having first tasted sorrow. They are sisters in life, joy and sorrow. One puts such agony upon your spirit that tears flow, whether or not you wish them too. The other so fills your spirit with happiness that again, the tears flow.

Where are you today?  I'd like to share a few of my favorite lines from one of my favorite authors. From his book "The Prophet""When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is
only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy.
  When you are sorrorful look again in your heart, and you shall see that
in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight."
-KAHLIL GIBRAN                                                     
 
  I pray your day is a good one. Remember that the world runs on opposites.  When we remember this, our low, depressing, sad, or blue days, are much more easy to handle.

God Bless you.

BARB


    





 

I just love this photo. It makes my heart smile, reminds me of little it takes to
be content, to fill one's heart with pleasure. I never see a picture of colorful
bubbles without thinking of my Mom. She taught me something that truly
changed my life; enabled me to see the best in everything, enabled me too,
to make even chores seem pleasant.

When I was a young girl, around nine or ten (not sure which), I was told to wash dinner dishes. I hated washing dishes. Of all I might be asked to do, dishes was the chore I hated most. So I dragged my feet, found one excuse after another as to why they were not done.
   Mom, after telling me for the fifth or sixth time to "get it done,"asked why I hated doing them so much. I recall shrugging my shoulders - saying |
 "I don't know."
  "Let me show you something," she said. She took a glass, filled it with dishwater, put her hand on top of the glass and shook it. Then, moving her hand back just a little, she let all the water drain out of the glass, then held it up to the light. "Now look." she said.
   The once dirty glass now shimmered with colorful bubbles inside. She
handed the glass back to me, and said, but not angrily, "Now get these dishes
done, okay?"
  I got them done, but let me tell you it took me a long time. I had such fun
washing those dishes, mostly because I kept filling a glass with bubbles in-between washing everthing else. I never minded doing dishes after that. I
always found myself looking for ways to make my other chores more enjoyable.



Mom believed in me when others didn't. We all need to  have that, the
knowledge that somebody believes in us. I pray we can begin within our homes,
with our children and spouses.
     I would like to encourage you too, to believe in yourselves; to not forget that you are more stronger than you believe yourselves to be. If you doubt that, take a backward look at your life, at how far you have come- at all you have accomplished, all you have overcome.

Here is something I read that I took to heart and it serves me well. If
If you apply it to your lives, I believe it will serve you well too.

"Get still; tell your heart the Truth;
act on it; leave the results quietly to God."
Have an awesome day.
Love you much.

Barb

See the hammock? Can you imagine yourself in this spot, in the hammock, eyes closed, the breath of a breeze kissing your skin -its touch soft as a butterfly? I can, and often do. Imagination is a magical thing, is able to take us anywhere we wish to go, whether that be Paris, Jerusalem, Greece, Mexico, or New York. It can also enable us to cope better, helps us to wind down after a stressful day.
    Some people have told me (when I was younger), that I needed to grow up, needed to put away childish things, to stop daydreaming so much. It used to make me very sad, made me feel as if they were asking me to stop being myself- and in a sense they were.
   Children's imaginations help them cope with difficult things, enables them to learn how to put themselves in another person's shoes, helps them stretch their comfort zone, develop creativity, and in my case, it allowed me to distract myself from painful experiences. When hurting, I'd imagine how it would be later on, when everything had settled, when the adults had settled their differences. It got me through the sad and difficult moments.
It still does.

Sometimes, when my children were younger, they would ask me questions or tell me things that made me smile, reminded me of myself at their age. For instance: my daughter had a difficult time learning to eat veggies. One day, at the dinner table she was pushing  them around her plate with her fork, making the most horrible faces. "I don't know how these little green trees can be good for me when they taste so bad."
   Her younger brother laughed- told her, "Pretend they're Christmas trees then."
   Another time she asked if Jesus liked Spaghetti. "He might," I said.
   "Good, was her response. I'm going to save some of mine for him."

I didn't spend much time with my father growing up, so treasured the times I had him to myself. One day he took me with him, can't remember where we were going. What I do remember is the conversation.
   We passed under a bridge. I asked, "Dad, how many boxes of oleo could you stack from the ground to top of bridge?
     "Not sure. Quite a lot, I imagine."
     "One hundred?
      "Maybe."
      "More?
      "Don't know?
      "Less than?"
      "Not sure."
      "well guess."
         He changed the subject. I asked then, how far the stars were, what made them shine so bright, asked how did the man who made our car know how to do that; asked  where rubber came from, how old would he grow up to be? I asked who invented paint and how come the water we drink is a different color than ocean water. After awhile he began to get frustrated. He didn't get mad, just sighed and said," Doesn't your mind ever shut down?"
  I guess it doesn't. A car passes our house and I wonder where the people in it  are going, if they are happy, sad, if they believe in God or not. I go to the store, and while shopping, notice everything and everybody; wonder if the lady in front of me knows what a good example she is being for her child, by being so patient and kind to a rude checker. I go to the park, and see a couple sitting quietly on a bence nearby; notice the way the lady is sitting, head down, kind of hugging herself, gently rocking back and forth; notice the way the  man next to her is patting her shoulder, but not looking at her. He is staring into the distance, a sad look upon his face. I find myself imagining the worst of things going on in their life, find myself grateful, though I'm not sure why, that it is not me on that bench,
     Imagination is a wonderful thing. With but a little imagination we can often find solutions to problems, come up with a new and different approach, perhaps the one that will WORK this time.

Keep on dreaming. Don't ever give up on your dream. Some of the most beautiful, wonderful, delightful things in the world began with that first step. We don't come into the world knowing it all, but are capable of learning many things.

I woke to sunshine this morning, no wind, no snow, no rain. I hope, whereever you are you woke to something that lifted your spirits too; if not the sun, then perhaps knowing how loved you are, that your daily needs are always met, that you have a best friend, and a brand new day offering you a  DO OVER. Gotta love that!
    I have a lot to do today so am going to sign off now.
    REMEMBER: Life is short. Create a beaiutiful memory today.
    Love you much.
   

Keep On Keeping On

No two ways about it, life is HARD. And I think sometimes we make it even more difficult without realizing it. How? For two reasons (at least two that I

now recognize). The first is forgetting that the world runs on opposites:  a child is born- another child dies; a man finally gets the job he needs - another man loses the job he's had for twenty-five years; a couple is getting married
while another is getting a divorce; somebody is cured of cancer- another person isn't; one child becomes a success - another winds up in prison; today, a storm rages today - tomorrow the sun is warming our bones. Viewing life realistically, remembering how truly unpredictable it is, enables us to not be caught off guard so much. It teaches us to embrace the better, sunnier, brighter, more joyous moments, to appreciate them more. 

The second way we make life more difficult, in my opinion, is by making our trials, hurts, sorrows and disappointments our point of focus. A man cannot look at both sides of a coin at the same time. Neither can he be both happy and sad at the same time; he's either one or the other. We forget, I think, that we DO have control over how we feel. This is not to make light of depression (I've
struggled with it my entire life). I'm just trying to encourage those of you who may be experiencing stormy weather right now, as I am.
  
Like many of you, I got up this morning with the same set of trials I went to

bed with. But this morning I determined that they were not going to pull me under. I reminded myself that yesterday is gone, and just because things didn't work out then doesn't mean they won't now. Sometimes, we just have to accept that we were wrong about something, and move on.

Each new day offers opportunites to do things differently, to improve ourselves, to learn more. I've often reminded you that "IT WON'T ALWAYS RAIN."

And I have also said "A new day= a new way."

We need to try to remember that; to not forget that yesterday, with all it's pain, fears, worries, disappointments, mistakes and sorrows is gone, is behind us now.

Each new day is a brand new gift box, filled with blessings, both large and small.

They are there, I promise. But sometimes, especially when life is hard, it takes us longer to recognize them.

                           Todays Food For Thought

           1-Listen to the what you say- and the tone used when you say it/

           2- We believe what we tell ourselves.

          3- Think before speaking- or doing.

         4- You may feel alone sometimes, lost even, but in truth, you never are,
             because God keeps track of His children.

         5-If forgiveness seems impossible, just say the words
            and ask God to help you mean what you say.

        6-Our lives are what they are because of choices we made,
           or didn't make.