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Friday, July 22, 2005

"Do you smell the roses?"

You may have heard me talk before about how much I love growing roses. One of the reasons why I love growing roses is because you can give them away, and the more you give away, the more the bushes produce flowers.

So recently I gave away some roses to a friend who came over to our home and did our daughter’s make-up on prom night. I was simply returning a favor.

Well, my friend loved the roses. And she later told me how much she enjoyed smelling the roses on the way home in her car. The delightful fragrance was blown around by her air conditioning and made the whole car smell good. “Instead of stopping to smell the roses,” she said, “I could just keep on going and smell the roses!”

You know, in our hurry-up-and-get-there world today, that may be a better picture for us to carry in our spirits. Not too many of us, no matter how desperately we need it, will stop and smell the roses. So maybe we can keep on going and smell the roses as we listen to life!

Thursday, July 21, 2005

"Do you pray in the bad times and the good?"

I guess it’s just a part of who we are as human beings to pray the most when something’s not going right in life. We pray when we’re in trouble, or worried about our health or a loved one’s health, or scared, don’t we?

A father asked his son one evening, “Gary, do you pray every night?”

“Yes sir,” Gary said, “I sure do.”

“Well good for you,” the dad said. “And do you pray every morning, too?”

“No sir, I don’t,” said Gary.

“Why not?” the dad asked.

“Because,” Gary said, “I’m not scared in the daytime.”

I’m like Gary sometimes, aren’t you? I only pray when I’m scared or in trouble or worried. But you know, there are other times to pray like when something good happens to you and you want to thank God for blessing you. Or, when you or a loved one recovers from an illness and you’re grateful.

When you listen to life and make a life, not just a living, you pray in the good times and the bad because you know God is always listening.

Wednesday, July 20, 2005

"Are you laughing?"

Five-year-old Phillip lives in Poland. He was born without fully functioning optical nerves which means that he sees only shadows and shapes. Phillip and his family came to the U.S. seeking medical opinions about his condition. They stayed with some distant relatives.

These relatives include a four-year-old cousin, Joe. At first, Phillip and Joe didn’t play much together. Phillip doesn’t see well and only speaks Polish. Joe sees fine and only speaks English. So there wasn’t much for them to do together…

…until they discovered a swing set. Both boys could swing. And when Joe’s mother started pushing them and saying, “Vroom!” each time she pushed, the boys began laughing and playing together.

Later that night, Joe said, “If I lived in Poland like Phillip I would speak Polish, too.” And his mom said, “Yes, that’s right Joe, but you and Phillip spoke the same language today. You laughed!”

God gave us laughter as the universal language. So laugh today as you listen to life and make a life, not just a living.

Tuesday, July 19, 2005

"Do you take life too seriously and need to lighten up?"

Here are a few thoughts for those of us who take life too seriously:

If you think nobody cares, try missing a couple of payments.

Plan to be spontaneous tomorrow.

I’m diagonally parked in a parallel universe.

Change is inevitable, except from vending machines.

42.7% of all statistics are made up on the spot.

Inside every older person is a younger person wondering, “What happened?”

Why do psychics have to ask for your name?

Honk if you love peace and quiet.

Remember that half the people you know are below average.

A day without sunshine is like…night.

If you take life too seriously, lighten up and listen to life!

Monday, July 18, 2005

"Do you smell?"

Isn’t it amazing how certain smells trigger your memory? You smell a brand of lotion and you remember your mother’s hands. You smell an after shave and think of your father hugging you. You smell coffee brewing and relive an early morning with someone special.

I was doing some life coaching with a woman recently. She talked about her grandmother’s furniture, specifically that she has her grandmother’s dining room suite including her buffet. It’s really beautiful furniture, she said, but that’s not the best part of having it in her home.

She remembers her grandmother baking yeast rolls. Her grandmother was an excellent cook generally, but her signature dish was her yeast rolls. Evidently she made them quite often, because every time my friend opens the long drawer in the buffet, she smells her grandmother’s yeast rolls. And that, she says, is the best part of having her grandmother’s dining room furniture.
As you listen to life and make a life, not just a living today, make sure you slow down long enough to smell and remember the good times God gives you.