Forwarded Messages

I admit it. I love the office shredder. It might be because I am  mesmerized by loud machines that destroy things. But I am also  fascinated by the process. After a document is run through, there is no  way to reconstruct it, no way to put it together again, and no way to  know what was originally there. We use it to destroy sensitive  documents, addresses, and any material we do not want seen. I also use it for something else. I use it to destroy my mistakes. If I  print the wrong form, misspell a name, or use the wrong name -- a quick  trip to the shredder and it is as if it never happened. It is gone  forever.

I walked into the grocery store not particularly interested in buying groceries. I wasn't hungry. The pain of losing my husband of 57 years was still too raw. And this grocery store held so many sweet memories. He often came with me and almost every time he'd pretend to go off and look for something special. I knew what he was up to. I'd always spot him walking down the aisle with the three yellow roses in his hands. He knew I loved yellow roses. With a heart filled with grief, I only wanted to buy my few items and leave, but even grocery shopping was different since he had passed on. Shopping for one took time, a little more thought than it had for two. Standing by the meat, I searched for the perfect small steak and remembered how he had loved his steak. Suddenly a woman came beside me. She was blonde, slim and lovely in a soft green pantsuit. I watched as she picked up a large package of T-bones, dropped them in her basket.. Hesitated, and then put them back. S...

From toddlers to teens to travel-weary parents, the question is inevitable. "When are we going to stop?" Depending on the driver the answer differs dramatically. Some commandeer the driver's seat like a general taking his troops to their target. There is only one objective and that is "to get there." Nothing will stop them. Woe be to the small child with an equally small bladder who asks the question.

I have learned along the way that failure is riddled full of success, if you open your eyes to it. Even though most people would count our venture as failure, it was the start of our 'adventure' to get a grip, and swing it all back around. Objectively speaking, it is our finest moment. To come back from this type of overwhelming adversity in the present economic climate is utterly amazing. So many things that could have sunk our battleship along the way have not presented themselves. We dealt with situations that came up. But, we always seemed to come up on top. We have been blessed time and time again. The Fight is Engaged: If you find yourself at the bottom of the stack and you are retching because you feel that you have been kicked in the gut from all directions -- that is where we were. We decided to 'fight'! But we decided to fight in a different way . *** FOCUS  We decided what we wanted -- our 'target' at the end of the tunnel we could focus ...

When we list our desires, wants and life goals, we often omit "failure." We must fail if we are to risk living passionate lives. We live in a culture that has become soft, in that it conditions us to seek comfort and avoid discomfort. There is a lack of appreciation for the wisdom that hardship bestows. There is an illusion that it is possible to live in a world where things come easily and failure can be avoided, and if your life is not "this ideal," there is something is wrong with you. We will naturally take the path of least resistance, clinging to the familiar, staying within our restricted safe places in an attempt to control the outcome.

You might read this several times already, but it is better to refresh our memory and be reminded of - The Purpose Driven Life: Don't date because you are desperate. Don't marry because you are miserable. Don't have kids because you think your genes are superior. Don't philander because you think you are irresistible. Don't associate with people you can't trust. Don't cheat. Don't lie. Don't pretend. Don't dictate because you are smarter. Don't demand because you are stronger. Don't sleep around because you think you are old enough & know better. Don't hurt your kids because loving them is harder. Don't sell yourself, your family, or your ideals. Don't stagnate!

Every human being has the right to choose how they feel; you can choose happiness or sadness. You may be depressed or heartbroken, over something that may have happened to you or something you did a long time ago, maybe even years ago, to yourself or to others. But you need not stay in that depressed state any longer. There is no need to carry that pain any longer inside of your heart, day after day, year after year. You must not let it grow continuously because soon enough, that one issue you are sad or depressed about will turn into your normal way of thinking. Negative thinking has a domino effect!