Browsing Brings Blessings for a Blog

DREAM, PLAY, GIVE, SMILE, CHERISH -- truly words to live by. This wall mural got my attention while shopping at the At Home Store. This is the way I really want to live! Embracing this one life with as much gusto as I can.

DREAM like there are no impossibilities. Nothing is impossible with God -- so we shouldn't insult Him with small thinking -- BIG THINKING brings Him BIG PLEASURE! “Let the Lord be magnified who has PLEASURE in the prosperity of His servants.” (Psalms 35:27)

PLAY like there are no winners. My son is a marathon runner -- readying up for the Boston Marathon in April..again. He doesn't run to win. He competes against himself -- to finish. He is the winner of every race he runs. And I intend to be the winner of my race! I will finish my course AND my God-given assignment. I will be the single winner of my RACE! "And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us," (Hebrews 12:1)

GIVE like you have plenty. Generosity is about a heart for giving -- and when we have that heart -- there will always be more than enough to share. Give time. Give intentional focus to that one who needs your undivided attention. How about being such irrational givers that we start to round up when the cashier says "Would you like to donate to whatever charity they're representing?" "Give and it shall be given, pressed down, shaken together and running over" (Luke 6:38)

SMILE till your face hurts. I want my outside to reflect the inner joy and delight I have on the inside. There's just something about a "smiler" that lets us know -- something or SOMEONE lives big in them. I love Nat King Cole's "SMILE" lyrics: "Smile though your heart is aching. Smile even though it's breaking. When there are clouds in the sky, you'll get by if you smile through your fear and sorrow, smile and maybe tomorrow, you'll see the sun come shining through for you. Light up your face with gladness, hide every trace of sadness. Although a tear may be ever so near. That's the time you must keep on trying. Smile, what's the use of crying? You'll find that life is still worthwhile, if you just smile." "A cheerful heart is good medicine," (Proverbs 17:22)

And, CHERISH you and your friends and family everyday. It takes a lot to say "I cherish ME", but isn't that what Jesus meant when He said "Love your neighbor as you love yourself"? I really do cherish my friends -- THAT'S YOU -- and my family. My greatest joys and the things that money just can't buy are those people that God has given me. "Because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love which you cherish towards all God's people," (Colossians 1:4)

I'm going to keep my eyes WIDE OPEN for the "God" moments like I saw in this sign. They sure make me want to dream more, play more, give more, smile more and cherish more -- on purpose!

We Met Professor Wisdom in the School of Hard Knocks!

I head to the shopping mall just around the corner and this 1964 Chevrolet Impala passes by me and parks close to my car. Though it sure needed a paint job, a flood of memories overtakes me. I tell the young couple a short-version of our story. I ask “Is this one a stick shift?” He replies “Yes, it is – a 3-speed!” More memories came then. BTW – there were no seat belts like these back then.

My boyfriend then, later my husband, saved up his money from working two jobs to buy his dream-come-true car. Well, it wasn’t exactly the one he wanted which would have been the Super Sport 2-door model, but the one he could afford was the 4-door, black interior, 3-speed stick shift like the one pictured here. I told the couple that I had learned to drive a stick shift while sitting in his lap. Actually, I have memories of almost sending us through the windshield from trying to shift from neutral to first to second to third and almost stripping the gears. Eventually, I got it down. And, notice the seats – they weren’t bucket seats. They were full across from door-to-door seats…..where I could snuggle in as close as possible to him. That is the way we were!

I’m smiling big as I type this. Oh, if that car could have talked about those two youngsters who spent way too much time in that car…..at Love Field Airport, watching the planes fly in late at night and watching the stars shine brightly from Kiest Park in South Dallas. Sure, that’s what we were doing…just spending time watching what was going on outside that car! I pause here to remember that young love we shared. Suddenly, I’m singing “Memories…..light the corners of my mind; misty water, colored memories; for the way we were

I'll never forget how smart my husband and I thought we were starting out in life -- so very young and inexperienced. His dad tried to counsel us and offer his sound advice and wisdom to us. But, no, we had to do things "our way" -- which we thought was the much "better way". Oh, how much time, effort, and money we could have saved ourselves had we heeded his wisdom. Oh, no! We just had to go to the School of Hard Knocks. Two years before we married in 1966, against his dad's recommendations for an automatic, Ron was determined to get that standard shift car -- and it just HAD to be a 1964 Chevy Impala. If only we had listened to Dad and his wisdom. And, we learned the "hard knocks" way in so many other ventures.

Many of us are still in the School of Hard Knocks, and we're still diligently pursuing that place of success and prosperity. I assure you -- we'll get to graduate, sooner rather than later, if we'll listen to, and apply, Professor Wisdom's words that are found in the Book of Proverbs. We'll find in her "Wisdom Class" that wisdom doesn’t come automatically. Rather, it’s tested and proven in day-to-day life.

Professor Wisdom or “Lady Wisdom” is a teacher who is more concerned about teaching us valuable lessons, and less concerned about being our friend. She teaches us that the way of wisdom is not always an easy road, but she does promise that if we hang in there, and keep heeding her advice, we'll get to a blessed life. Proverbs 4:5-7 “Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of HER mouth. Forsake HER not, and SHE shall preserve you: LOVE HER, and SHE shall keep you. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all your getting -- get understanding.” Let's heed Professor Wisdom's advice, as well as to those brilliant and successful sages that have paved the way for us -- it is sure worth the investment!

School of Hard Knocks

Many of us went to, and even graduated from the School of Hard Knocks. I'll never forget how smart my husband and I thought we were starting out in life -- so very young and inexperienced. His dad tried to counsel us on so many things and offer his sound advice and wisdom to us. But, no, we had to do things "our way" -- which we thought was the much "better way". Oh, how much time, effort, and money we could have saved ourselves had we heeded his wisdom. Two years before we married, against his dad's recommendations for an automatic, Ron was determined to get a standard shift car -- and it just HAD to be a 1964 Chevy Super Sport Impala. I remember "Ronnie" trying to teach me to drive it -- and, oh my, I have memories of almost sending us through the windshield from trying to shift from neutral to first to second to third and almost stripping the gears. Eventually, I got it down. But we had many regrets about that car -- if only we'd listened. And, we learned the "hard knocks" way in so many other ventures.

Many of us are still in the School of Hard Knocks, and we're still diligently pursuing that place of success and prosperity. I assure you -- we'll get to graduate, sooner rather than later, if we'll listen to, and apply, Professor Wisdom's words that are found in the Book of Proverbs. We'll find in her "Wisdom Class" that wisdom doesn’t come automatically. Rather, it’s tested and proven in day-to-day life.

Professor Wisdom or “Lady Wisdom” is a teacher who is more concerned about teaching us valuable lessons, and less concerned about being our friend. She teaches us that the way of wisdom is not always an easy road, but she does promise that if we hang in there, and keep heeding her advice, we'll get to a blessed life. Proverbs 4:5-7 “Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of HER mouth. Forsake HER not, and SHE shall preserve you: LOVE HER, and SHE shall keep you. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all your getting -- get understanding.” Let's heed Professor Wisdom's advice, as well as to those brilliant and successful sages that have paved the way for us -- it is sure worth the investment!