"Do you always say what you mean?"

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I don’t know about you, but I don’t always say what I mean. I know what I mean, but it doesn’t always come out just right when I say it or write it.

With that being said, here are some real excused-absence notes written by parents to their child’s school.

“My son is under a doctor's care and should not take P.E. today. Please execute him.

“Please excuse Lisa for being absent. She was sick and I had her shot.

“Dear School: Please ekscuse John being absent on Jan. 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, and also 33.

“Please excuse Jimmy for being. It was his father's fault.

“Please excuse Jennifer for missing school yesterday. We forgot to get the Sunday paper off the porch, and when we found it Monday, we thought it was Sunday.

“Sally won't be in school a week from Friday. We have to attend her funeral.”

God knows what you mean when you’re talking. So talk to God and just say what’s on your mind as you listen to life and make a life, not just a living today.

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"Do you remember being fed at 2 a.m.?"

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Do you remember your mother and father getting up at 2 a.m. to feed you? Now I didn’t ask you if you remember getting up to feed your child at two o’clock in the morning. I asked you if you remember when you were an infant lying in a crib, screaming your head off because your stomach is growling, and all of a sudden, this bleary-eyed person appears over your crib, reaches down, picks you up, and holds you close. You feel the warmth of that embrace. You hear a soft voice. You are fed. And the next thing you know, you fall asleep again, back in your crib, totally satisfied and happy. That’s what I’m talking about. Do you remember that experience?

Of course not. Even though it happened night after night, you don’t remember those gracious acts of compassionate kindness your parents offered just because they loved you.

And you most likely don’t remember all the gracious acts of kindness God has done for you out of love. But just because you don’t remember them, you can still be grateful.  So listen to life and make a life today, grateful for God's love.

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"Do you know God makes life easier on you?"

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One of our friends, who listens to life with us through our website at listentolife.org, recently emailed to say, “Just wanted to let you know how much I enjoy your stories everyday. Today the story about the hummingbirds was great. This past Sunday morning it was such a joy for me to watch them. Just so you’ll know, there is a hummingbird plant that is wonderful and it returns every year. It has small trumpet blooms that are red. With the hummingbird plant, all the little birds have to do is stick their tiny snouts in and drink. God made it just for them and they don't have to work so hard.”

God makes life easier on us, makes it so we don’t have to work so hard, by designing life just for us. All we have to do to enjoy God’s blessings is to stick our spirits in and drink deeply of the sweet goodness of life.

Of course, seeing life this way—as full of abundance—means you focus on making a life, not just a living, as you listen to life today for what God has to say.

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"Do you love cookies?"

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Finally, somebody created a theme for a month that I can truly celebrate. This month is National Cookie Month.

What’s not to love about cookies? I mean they come in all sizes from mini’s to humongous, birthday cake sized cookies. There are all sorts of flavors—oatmeal raisin (my favorite), chocolate chip, macadamia nut, peanut butter, macaroon, pecan, walnut, gingerbread, lemon, chocolate with crème filling, chocolate with peanut butter filling, chocolate with mint filling, and…I’m getting hungry so I’d better stop. And don’t start talking about how fattening they are because there are no-sugar, low-fat, cookies, too. Why, there’s even a Cookie Monster!

Cookies are kind of like people. There are all sorts and sizes and shapes. And no two are exactly alike. Sure, you prefer some over others, but you still love them, right?

The next time you hear yourself starting to judge, criticize or accuse another person, think “cookie” and listen to your life today for what God has to say.

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"Do you follow directions?"

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A woman’s dishwasher quit so she calls a repairman. Since she’ll be at work when he comes to fix it, she tells him, “I’ll leave the key under the mat. Just leave the bill on the counter and I’ll mail you a check. And don’t worry about my Doberman, he won’t bother you, but whatever you do, do not, under any circumstances, talk to my parrot.”

So the repairman goes to the woman’s home, finds the key, and discovers inside the biggest, meanest looking Doberman you’ve ever seen. But just like the woman said, the dog doesn’t bother him so the repairman fixes the dishwasher. But the parrot drives him nuts, yelling and calling the repairman all kinds of names.

So when the repairman finishes, he’s had enough of the bird so he walks over to the cage and says, “Shut up, you stupid bird!”

And the parrot says, “Get him, Spike!”

It’s usually best to follow directions, don’t you think? Get your directions and follow them by listening to life today for what God has to say.

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