Smile and Be Joyful

June 30, 2020 Have you ever been invited to a party or celebration and you weren’t sure what to wear?   Formal, semi-formal, black tie optional…wait, let me Google that.   Maybe I just don’t get out enough (who does, these days?)   but when I do, I want to look nice, be comfortable and not be over or under dressed.   One of the most uncomfortable experiences I ever had was magnified 100-fold by the fact that I was “under dressed”.   My junior year in high school, I entered a Lion’s Club “beauty pageant” only because there was a scholarship involved.   This was my first and LAST venture into this type of event.   First, I lacked the confidence, at age 16, to walk and talk in front of a large crowd, because like most 16-year-old girls I thought that everyone else was prettier than me.   The worst moment came when I walked in and realized I was the only one wearing a short dress.   (as in, every other contestant had on a LONG dress)   I wan...

June 29, 2020  When we are having a bad day, full of challenges it is easy to think we are the only ones.   So many people “put on a good face” which makes us wonder, “what’s wrong with me?”.   But really, every person we meet is fighting a battle of some kind.   Some are fighting against illness.   Some have financial problems.   Other people’s battles are in their heart or in their mind.   These can be very lonely battles because no one else seems to understand the struggle or the person hides what is going on and no one knows they need help or support.   It is important to treat everyone with kindness and compassion because we never know when we might be the bright spot in someone’s day.   God did not promise us a life without problems, but He did promise to be there for us when we call on Him.   So, let’s pray for ourselves and let’s pray for each other in these very uncertain times.   John 16:33 (NIV) says: “ I have told you th...

June 29, 2020 Several years ago, I worked with a teacher named Sherry.   Sherry was kind, quiet and sweet as pie.   In all the time we knew each other, I never saw her angry or heard her raise her voice.   One day Sherry went to buy groceries and after putting her purchases in the car, she got in the driver’s seat but before she got the door closed, someone grabbed her door.   This person’s intent was to rob Sherry.   Their hand was in the pocket of their hoodie making it seem as though they had a gun.   There was no way to be sure.   I think I would have fainted and melted onto the ground.   I for sure would have given them whatever they wanted.   But Sherry had not had a good day even before this incident.   She was “a woman on the edge”.   Rather than letting the robber have what they wanted, Sherry began to yell at the person, “Just get out of here!   Go away!   You’re NOT getting my purse!”   Because she wa...

June 27, 2020 I found a new quote today and I think it will be one of my favorites.   “Your problem is not your problem; it is the way you look at it.”   (Max Lucado)   My kids are going to hate it. (LOL)   Just kidding!    Maybe they will enjoy a break from “Well I’m sure someone else has it worse” and “It’s not what happens, it’s how you handle it.”   Am I the only mom with annoying “mom-isms”?   I think not.   One of my most frequently used phrases is “God has a plan!”   Every time I say it to other people, I am really saying it to myself.   Recently, I have seen evidence of the truth in this statement in some very concrete ways.   Two examples have to do with one of my “college girls”.   Bonni has a learning disability and has struggled with Math her entire life.   Ironic, isn’t it, since I am a Math teacher?   I am sure that fighting the Math Battle with Bonni has made me a more empathetic Math teach...

June 26, 2020 In 2 Chronicles 20, in the Bible, the story is told of King Jehoshaphat (king of Judah) and what happened when his country was about to be taken over and destroyed.   His enemies had united against him and were on the way to fight him.   The first thing the King did was pray.   He professed his faith in the power of God and asked God to help, acknowledging that he and his people had no idea what to do.   All the people in the country of Judah and Jerusalem prayed.   Jehoshaphat spoke to his people and told them that this was not their war, it was God’s war and that they would emerge victorious without even fighting.   Then all the people praised God for what they knew he would do.     2 Chronicles 20:21 (The Message) says:   “After talking it over with the people, Jehoshaphat appointed a choir for GOD; dressed in holy robes, they were to march ahead of the troops, singing, Give thanks to GOD, His love never quits.” ...

June 25, 2020 Today I ran out of time trying to write my blog.  I hope maybe you just went back and reread a day that you liked!  Smile and be joyful!

June 23, 2020 Have you ever worn a pair of shoes that hurt your feet?   You know when you put them on that within five minutes, you will be in pain because they hurt you the last time you wore them.   Some of us just have feet that hurt no matter what shoes we wear, so we just “get used to it” because shoes are required.   (No shoes, no shirt, no service!)   A few years ago, my husband wore some boots that he hadn’t worn in quite a while.   By the time we got home, the man was nearly in tears.   He kept saying all night that it felt like something was inside his boot, stabbing him, but he just “powered through” because, well, he had to wear shoes.   This pain really interfered with his enjoyment of the occasion.   When we got home, he hurried to take his boots off and made an amazing discovery.   There were fish hooks in the toe of his boot… the treble kind, with three hooks on each one!   There actually was something stabbing hi...

June 24, 2020 Do you picture God far away or close to you?  Some people picture Him up in heaven, just doing his own thing.  You know, looking down, just kind of monitoring all the situations, telling the angels, “Keep an eye on that guy and let me know what happens.”  Nothing could be farther from the truth.  God is as near to us as our next breath.  He is concerned and involved, but not in a pestering kind of way.  He is there to encourage and protect us, but we must acknowledge His presence.  He is always thinking of us.  We are the ones who forget to think about Him.  In times of trouble when we need help the most, He provides us with the peace of God.  In his book, “Anxious for Nothing”, Max Lucado says: “Note, this is not a peace from God. Our Father gives us the very peace of God. He downloads the tranquility of the throne room into our world, resulting in an inexplicable calm. We should be worried, but we aren’t. We should b...

June 22, 2020 Have you ever tried to hold a squirming, struggling toddler who wants to get down?   If you’re in a safe place, putting them down might be the best option.   But if you’re near a street or in a crowded mall, you must hold on to them for their own good because you want them to be safe.   You know what is best, but they are unable to understand why you won’t let them go.   You try to explain and comfort them, but they won’t stop their struggling and listen.   They just want their own way.   I wonder if God sometimes thinks of us as toddlers.   Life seems to be going along fine.   We are making our way along our path, headed where we want to go, when suddenly God scoops us up and says, “No.   Sorry.   That is not what you need right now.” Rather than saying, “Okay.   I accept your plan and your wisdom,” we enter into a power struggle with Our Father.   We really want that new job, new car, new house.   O...

June 21, 2020 Today is Father’s Day, so I got up thinking about my dad, the man who has been there to support me every day since I was born.   His loving concern and wise advice (and loans) have gotten me through a lot of challenges.   Believe me, I know that I am very fortunate to still have my dad in my life, at my age.   One of the hardest things about the quarantine and Corona virus situation has been not being able to get a hug from him.   Dad grew up in Galveston, Texas in the 1940’s and 50’s.   He remembers being in school when the big Texas City refinery explosion happened in 1947.   The force was so great that it knocked him out of his desk from miles away.   After that school was dismissed and all the children took off running for home on their own.   (Lockdown had not yet been invented.)   Dad’s family didn’t have much, but occasionally, his mom would give each of them a quarter and they would get to go to the movies. ...

June 20, 2020 Some friends of ours have a beautiful lake house that they are kind enough to let us use every summer.   The house is up on a hillside and there is a dock for boats, fishing and swimming on the shore below.   The lake, Lake Buchanan, is part of a chain of lakes made from a series of dams along the Colorado River in central Texas.   Because of its association with the dam, the lake’s water levels are ever changing, and the dock is adjustable.   It is anchored to the rocky shore line, connected by strong cables and an automatic pulley system with a metal bridge for accessing the dock.   When the lake water level is high, the bridge is shorter, and the dock is closer to the shore.   When rain is in short supply or for some other reason the dam at the head of the lake is not being released, the dock must pull out farther from it’s anchoring on the shore wall, in order to be able to float.   When this happens, the metal bridge we cross...

June 19, 2020 Every mom has their menu of cures for “whatever is ailing you”.   My standard list includes Neosporin and a band-aid, gargle with warm salt water, put a warm compress on it, get a bag of peas from the freezer and take some ibuprofen.   The other day I mentioned to my mom that someone thought they were getting a sty and she said, “rub it with a nickel”.   Really?   I’m not sure about that one.   I also found many interesting home remedies on Google if you need a little entertainment.   Besides cuts, bruises, headaches and cold sores, another common ailment among humans is dissatisfaction.   Max Lucado, in his book, “Anxious for Nothing” says that the widest river on earth is the one called “If Only”.   What we don’t have is on the other side and we are afraid we will never have it, so we fret and worry and forget to look around at what we do have on this side of the river.   He also writes this: “Gratitude leads us off th...

June 18, 2020 God has answered so many prayers for me.   He has provided resolutions and healing to situations and troubles in ways that I never could have imagined.   There is one situation I remember most when I am thinking to myself, “I have no idea how to solve this problem”   and I need reminding that God can do anything.   He came through for our family in a big way in 2004.   We were living in Cypress but still owned a jewelry store in College Station.   (My husband commuted an hour each day to the north while most people struggled to get to downtown Houston.)   Our business had been floundering and Clay’s health was suffering the consequences of too much stress and worry.   He became unable to work.   This left us with a store full of inventory, tools and equipment and a hefty monthly store rent that we could not pay.   I was teaching and our five children ranged from two in preschool to a junior in high school.   I ...

June 17, 2020 I love the invention of the rice grain sized “chip” that you can have put in your dog in case he gets lost.   Since dogs can’t talk, it must make them feel better to have this little piece of information in there in case they wander away from where they belong.   But wait, can’t a collar with a tag accomplish the same thing?   And actually, isn’t that a more visible, easier to access piece of information for those of us who are constantly rescuing other people’s lost dogs?   I guess the difference is that a collar can come off and a chip is under their skin permanently.   I am, of course, joking about the chip making the dog feel safer.   It is the owner who can sleep better at night, knowing that if Fluffy digs out from the fence again, she will somehow find her way back home.   Some people are even more proactive than that when it comes to protecting their dog.   My sister lives “in the country”, but near two rural highways...

June 16, 2020 “Look at a day when you are supremely satisfied at the end. It's not a day when you lounge around doing nothing; it's a day you've had everything to do and you've done it.”  (Margaret Thatcher)  This quote resonates with me.  I’ve always liked it.  I guess it goes back to my checklist mentality.  I start every day with a list, but I have learned to write my lists in pencil or in the notes on my phone so that they can be edited as needed.  If I am forced to “cut and paste” an item from today’s list into tomorrow’s list, it is not the “end of the world”.  (When I do this with the same item multiple days in a row, that is called procrastination.)  If you are reading this and can’t relate because you are a “play it by ear” kind of person, to you I say, “How do you keep all of that inside your head and not go crazy?”  I am not judging you.  I am just incapable of that kind of mental juggling.  I admire those who can hea...

June 15, 2020 Have you ever lost a child in a store?   I thought I did once.   I was freaking out.   It turns out, she was just hiding inside the clothes a little and I could not see her.   Another time, this same child thought she was lost so she found an adult and told them she was lost.   One minute she was in my sight and the next, she was off “saving herself”.   If she would have called my name, I could have located her, but she panicked.   Both times, those few moments of not knowing exactly where she was “took about 10 years off of my life”.   When we find ourselves full of fear and worry in our daily life, it is important to remember that God is not hiding from us, we are just forgetting to look for Him.   He is not lost, we are lost.   God is in his heaven, watching over us and cheering for us.   He knows what we need and when we need it.   If we feel alone or afraid, we need only to call his name.   The m...

June 14, 2020 Change in the world begins in individual hearts.   I n Ephesians 4:31-32 (TLB) Paul says: “Stop being mean, bad-tempered, and angry. Quarreling, harsh words, and dislike of others should have no place in your lives. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God has forgiven you because you belong to Christ.”   These are Jesus’ words in Luke 6:31 (TLB): “Treat others as you want them to treat you.”   And Jesus’ words in Luke 6:45 (NIV): ” A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of .”   Let your heart be full of Jesus love!   Smile and be joyful!

June 13, 2020 I remember, as a kid in the 1960’s, standing next to our black and white television and turning the knob, while my dad decided which of the three channels he wanted to watch.  (I was his “remote”.)  Ask any child of the 60’s about the first time they saw the NBC Peacock in color in their own living room.  They probably remember it.  In the early 70’s, my mom got a microwave oven for Christmas and we all stopped unwrapping gifts to go into the kitchen and watch it make water boil.  We were amazed!  While “home movies” (watched on a reel to reel projector) from my early days were in color, there was no sound.  I am so glad that when we watch our kids’ videos, we can also hear their little voices and giggles.  In my lifetime, phones have gone from being rotary dialed and attached to the wall, to voice dialed and attached to our hands.  We thought a “princess phone” was the ultimate in sleek and sassy (see picture above) and ...

June 12, 2020 There is a lot of chaos in the world right now.   From individual homes and families to worldwide arenas, unforeseen and unwelcomed events are occurring.   There is a health crisis plaguing us, people have lost their jobs, the entire economy of the world is hanging in the balance, many people are at odds with each other and the government.   In short, the world is a scary, unpredictable place right now.   This is the perfect environment for growing fear and anxiety.   Fear and anxiety steal our joy.   They are the weeds in our flower garden, choking out the things that we want to grow, such as joy and happiness.   The Reverend Billy Graham said, “ Some people spend so much time worrying about what might happen that they never enjoy what is happening [now] . . . Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.”   He also said, “ When worry is present, trust cannot crowd its way in.”   So, if that is true (and it is), th...

June 11, 2020 Do you ever have one of those days that from the time your bare feet hit the floor, you are swamped with things to do; a day that comes with a list so long that you know there is no way to get it all done?   When I have a day like that ahead of me, I have to get into “fighting mode”.   Not fighting like quarreling but fighting like “attacking the day”.   In my mind I’m like, “Ok, Thursday, bring it on!   I can do all of this by sunset!”   On days like this, I want to just grab my coffee and drink it while I get dressed, brush my teeth and hair and GO!   But something I have learned in the last 87 days of writing this blog is that finding this time to pray, read, listen and write will make my day go WAY better.   On paper, if I plan out my day, I do not have time for this, but when I make the time, the rest of the day goes more smoothly, and I have a lot more joy in my heart.   This kind of reminds me of how my mom used to say...