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.