"Do you go for the cup or the coffee?"

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A group of very successful former students got together with their college professor. They started complaining about stress in their lives. The professor went to the kitchen and soon returned with a pot of coffee and a variety of cups— some plain and some exquisite—and told the students to help themselves.

Everyone helped themselves to the coffee, still complaining about their stressful lives. The professor, after a few minutes said, “I couldn’t help but notice that you chose all the more expensive cups for your coffee. And I couldn’t help but think that that is the source of your stress.”

“What do you mean, professor?” the former students said.

“All you really wanted was the coffee,” the professor said, “not the cup, but you chose the best cups and even eyed one another’s cups. If life is like coffee, then the prestigious things that cause you stress are just the cups, tools to hold life without changing the quality of your life. When you look only at the cup, you fail to enjoy the coffee God provides.”

Enjoy your coffee today as you listen to life and make a life, not just a living.

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"Are you tangled in life?"

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A female humpback whale wandered a little close to San Francisco and became entangled in crab traps and their lines. She had hundreds of pounds of traps and lines on her, wrapping around her tail, her body, and even a line tugging in her mouth. She struggled to stay afloat enough to breathe.

A fisherman saw her and radioed an environmental group for help. They showed up and decided that the only way to rescue her was by cutting the lines free, a really dangerous adventure because with just one flip of her tail, she could kill one of them.

The rescue divers worked for hours and finally freed her. When she was freed, the whale began swimming in circles, like she was happy to be free. Then she swam around to each diver, one at a time, and nudged them, pushing them around gently as if say, “Thank you!” Then she went on her way back to sea.

May you be surrounded today by people who will help you get untangled from the traps in life that bind you. And may you know the joy of being free and give thanks to God for those angels of mercy who help you.

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"When do you just stop?"

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It was a beautiful spring day—mild temperatures with a gentle breeze and warm sunshine. It was a day made for working outside around the farm, one of my favorite hobbies. So that’s what I was doing. I was even blessed to have a friend helping me.

Well, after he left, I thought, “Okay, I can do some more by myself” and I started scheming what to do. It was about 6:30 in the evening, but the sun wasn’t setting until around 8:00 so I knew I had lots of time to get stuff done. Just then, as I walked up the hill, I glanced over at our new meditation garden. I planted some rose bushes in a large bed, and put a glider bench there, facing the sunset. It’s quite peaceful as it overlooks one of the horse pastures.

I stopped and thought for a moment about how I was home by myself. What a perfect time to enjoy the new garden. And so I went inside, fixed a sandwich, and came back out to meditate over a gorgeous sunset.

Today, find a time and place to just stop and meditate for a few minutes. Remember you’re a human being, not a human doing as you make a life today.

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I’ve survived a lot in my lifetime, haven’t you?

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I was thinking the other day about how much I’ve survived in my lifetime. I played dodge ball and sometimes the ball would really hurt. I got hurt in a bike wreck once, but my parents didn’t sue the bike manufacturer. It was just an accident. I ate cupcakes, bread and butter, and drank sweet tea all the time, but I was never overweight, because I always played outside. And I’m almost ashamed to admit this one—my friends and I shared grape soda from one bottle, but none of us died from it.

I survived not having video games or 500 satellite channels or Internet chat rooms because I had real, not virtual, friends. I rode my bike over to my friend’s home and asked if he could come out and play. Imagine that—me out there in the cold, cruel world without a parent.

How did I do it?I guess I just survived a lot in my lifetime. What about you? We all have some help from God as we listen to life and make a life, not just a living today.

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"How grateful are you?"

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A friend recently turned 40 and her husband threw her a most excellent birthday party, complete with lots of friends and family, great food, wonderful music, and a slide show that covered all of her 40 years. After the slide show, he asked her if she wanted to say something, and she did.

She started by thanking everyone for coming, and then started to cry very softly. Now what you need to know is that turning 40 for her was more significant than for you and me. Turning 40 for her meant that she has survived breast cancer after taking chemotherapy. Turning 40 for her meant that she’s still here with her husband and children. Turning 40 for her meant a heart overflowing with gratitude to God. And that’s why her soft tears.

Trust me—there wasn’t a dry eye in the room! Gratitude flooded everyone’s spirit.

Today everything probably won’t happen just the way you want it to. But when something does go wrong, remember my dear friend who turned 40…and just be grateful to God that your life is so good.

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