tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35733798888239278082024-02-07T01:31:40.811-06:00Like My LifeStories to inspire and warm your heartLikeMyLifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10348834629372261783noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573379888823927808.post-61417903382337810012019-03-29T11:40:00.001-05:002019-03-29T11:40:05.299-05:00Live like Dan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnUL0Db9YgR0-UG9ptwREsCYE-AH-hiktbodtDNmaI1-9tajkCXo2qJ_XEYRtYMINsP_BN_s3le53TWY86YH3l1kPyVMK8Xn5j9Y9aWpwlr-D1YFdcIVIS-s9dnrvn_D2BM0f7FeHDrjeM/s1600/walkdylan.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="880" data-original-width="1321" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnUL0Db9YgR0-UG9ptwREsCYE-AH-hiktbodtDNmaI1-9tajkCXo2qJ_XEYRtYMINsP_BN_s3le53TWY86YH3l1kPyVMK8Xn5j9Y9aWpwlr-D1YFdcIVIS-s9dnrvn_D2BM0f7FeHDrjeM/s320/walkdylan.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
The reality of Dan’s death is just sinking in. A week ago, I
made the trip south to visit with this dear family and Dan’s friends. The
spontaneous conversations. The stories, oh the stories. I listened and smiled.
The stories weren’t about Dan; they were about the way Dan lived life, times
Dan did something that made life better for someone else. The people there to
honor him knew Dan as a teacher, principal, superintendent, golf buddy, mentor.
I knew Dan as a 4-H dad and granddad. I was lucky, but the Price family always
made me feel like I won the lottery. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I think many of us will feel lost for a bit. May I suggest
in our “lostness,” we honor Dan’s memory by living like Dan lived. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">1. Help others find
their passion and potential. <br />
</b>Dan encouraged others to take a risk, to take the next step that would
elevate their life journey. Whether it was work on an advanced degree or apply
for a job, Dan put others on the path they hadn’t seen themselves taking, then
supported them through the process. Dan saw the superfantastic part in each of us,
and reminded us of it when we had forgotten it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">2. Get your hands
dirty.</b><br />
Dan could have dictated tasks from above, but more often, if there was dirty
work to be done, Dan would be just as deep in it as us. By example, Dan taught
us: there are no shortcuts; life is not easy; do it the right way the first
time; work harder than you want; get out of bed and get the job done yourself;
don’t ask others what you can do yourself.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">3. Walk your own
walk.</b><br />
He did have a unique gait. I don’t know if it was always that way, but his walk
was his for as long as I knew him. None of his best friends even attempted to mimic
it in their farewell speeches. It was his, alone. We all have those things
which separate us, define us. You can try to hide it or live in it fully. Dan
chose his walk. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">4. Put family first.</b><br />
You didn’t have to wonder what mattered to Dan. Family came first. Always. And,
putting family first meant being physically present in the lives of his children
and grandchildren. It didn’t happen by accident; goodness never does. Dan made
a deliberate choice every day to be the man his family needed.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">5. Be loyal to
something.</b><br />
Dan was a Cardinals fan, and he wasn’t bashful about it. To live like Dan means
to go all in, through good and bad, in sunshine and rain, whether it’s easy or
hard. Commit to something and defend it every chance you get. If Dan ever
doubted he could get a new grade school built or a new gym floor, you never saw
it in his face or by his actions. His gambles were never gambles; they were
sure bets. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">6. Stop complaining.</b><br />
Really. Stop. You can’t be “superfantastic” while complaining. Dan’s legacy
will be the inspiration he gave us all to let a positive attitude guide our
daily walk. It wasn’t a catch phrase or marketing gimmick to Dan, it was a philosophy
of how he chose to live his life … and we all were the beneficiaries of his
light. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Go out there. Face the day. Be someone else’s Dan, and live
your life with meaning and purpose and joy. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />LikeMyLifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10348834629372261783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573379888823927808.post-1396697780438523352016-12-02T14:11:00.002-06:002016-12-02T14:23:28.433-06:00You crossed the line<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Those who know me well know that I go a long way for others,
but there comes a time when you cross a line that you can’t come back from. You’ll
always be on the other side of the line to me. Always. Maybe that makes me a
small person. Maybe. And if that’s true, I guess I’ll live with being small-minded.
But just maybe getting to that line took so much out of me, that I dare not let
you back in.<br />
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When you charge batteries, you keep like-charged batteries
together; you never just replace one … even though it’s tempting and it keeps
the flashlight going at half the cost. Why? … <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the lower-charged battery SUCKS THE ENERGY out
of the good battery. It just can’t keep up always providing the energy in the
partnership and carrying the load, so it soon loses its charge… faster than if
it had been teamed with a battery of similar juice. You might be tempted to fault the new battery that lost its charge faster than you thought it should, (or lost its patience) when the cause is really the damn old battery that isn't trying to do its share.</div>
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I’ve drawn my line… my personal boundary … my space. I won’t
let you back across. You are a dead battery to me. </div>
LikeMyLifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10348834629372261783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573379888823927808.post-69866384808204183092016-08-31T18:00:00.001-05:002016-08-31T18:00:27.674-05:00Sunny-side up kind of life<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">I needed a change. Drastic change. The only thing that needed to change was how I looked at things. So, for about a week now, when asked, I've replied I'm having a 'sunny-side up' kind of day. In my mind, I'm a big ole fun, bright yellow egg yoke, smiling up at the world... in a sea of white, perfectly round, solid. (stay with me, it gets better) So, today, someone poked a fork in my big ole happy</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; display: inline; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"> egg yolk, broke my smile and beat the crap out of it. (i told you) I fretted for a bit, then slowly scooped as much of the yolk back into a pile in the middle of my egg, and went on with my day. Sure, it's a little sloppy. Life gets messy, after all. A life well lived, sunny-side up. (Because you needed this as much as I did.)</span>LikeMyLifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10348834629372261783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573379888823927808.post-54916605019250873852015-12-03T18:06:00.001-06:002015-12-03T18:06:19.840-06:00Calling it even <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Come Friday, we’re even.”</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I had called the man years ago looking for a job. The man had worked for years and
years at his job, and though the hours were often long (well over 40 hours) and
the pay was not good, he continued to pick up his pay check each Friday and considered
his account even.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Square.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Paid in full.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">No matter how difficult the task
had been, in his mind, the check he received at the end of the
week covered the debt. Each week, he marked the account paid in full and moved
on.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Do you?</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Or, do you, like me at times, look
at your compensation for a job well done and complain that it isn’t enough,
complain that you aren’t appreciated more, complain that the task was more than
expected, complain that the glory doesn’t equal the effort?</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></span></div>
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</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">To make matter worse, each week we
keep carrying that balance forward, adding a little more to the “what’s owed
us” column.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We will never be paid what we think
we’re worth. We can never be appreciated to the extent we think we should.
Friends will never be as loving as we think they should. Traffic will never go
as fast as we think it needs to. </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></span></div>
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</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Peace of mind can only come when we
change what we think . . . </span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">. . . when we get to the end of the
week and <i>mark it even;</i></span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">. . . when we get to the end
of the day and balance the books with our friends and family; </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">. . . when we realize that give and
take sometimes means <b>giving</b> <i>more</i> and <b>taking</b> <i>less</i>.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And when you’re okay with that,
you’re finally okay with everything.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">PHOTO: so why Jenny Mae? Because I don't know anyone who lives this philosophy more than she does. This is a photo of her after the Chicago Marathon... 26.2 miles and still smiling, regardless the finish, regardless the time. Every day she accepts what life gives her and calls it even. </span></i></span></div>
LikeMyLifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10348834629372261783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573379888823927808.post-52961830059663251052015-03-08T12:57:00.000-05:002015-03-08T12:58:27.685-05:00I am who I am, and that's enough<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgocMOlzxAj5gHQZ9-39Gw1ST2T4rxDInMNcxiSHtqCRpBqa3knB3zKiEQ-20c-I8IQPnv_fca4ZsSB5749SU6zy5AaWv775U1n67EHOv2Y9RyFOPXauMwM04jFp_Yzv_ZwXf_rUljaWf0W/s1600/DSC_0119.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgocMOlzxAj5gHQZ9-39Gw1ST2T4rxDInMNcxiSHtqCRpBqa3knB3zKiEQ-20c-I8IQPnv_fca4ZsSB5749SU6zy5AaWv775U1n67EHOv2Y9RyFOPXauMwM04jFp_Yzv_ZwXf_rUljaWf0W/s1600/DSC_0119.JPG" height="214" width="320" /></a></div>
“Do you swear you are the person you attest to be?”<br />
I read the question on the application again.<br />
<br />
“Do you swear you are the person you attest to be?” I couldn’t help but laugh out loud and was tempted to write, “Who else could I possibly be but me?” or “Who do you think I am?,” but I really needed a copy of my college transcript and I doubted anyone in the transcript office at the university was in the mood for humor.<br />
<br />
I am who I am.<br />
You are who you are.<br />
Yet, how often we pretend to be someone else!<br />
<br />
We pretend we’re happy when we’re not. We pretend to be healthy when we’re not. We pretend everything’s okay when it’s not. We’re afraid someone will talk about us if they really knew us. We’re afraid we wouldn’t be liked or wouldn’t be admired if “only they knew the truth.”<br />
<br />
So we hide.<br />
We create lives we show the outside world which hide who we really are. Only problem is, that pretend life never does fit as comfortably as real life. We feel the drain of carrying this other life around with us all the time. <br />
<br />
It’s okay to just be you.<br />
You don’t have to be the best housekeeper in town or the bravest lady on the block. You don’t have to be drop-dead beautiful or pretend to have more money than everyone else.<br />
<br />
It’s okay to just be you.<br />
It’s okay to get scared when you’re home alone. It’s okay to be lonely when you lose someone close to you. It’s okay to have a problem you don’t know how to fix. <br />
<br />
Never be afraid to just be you.<br />
I hope that if I have taught my children nothing else, I have at least inspired this belief in them, penned by Pablo Casals: “Every second we live is a new and unique moment of the universe, a moment that never was before and never will be again. And what do we teach our children instead? We teach them that two and two make four and that Paris is the capital of France. We should say to each of them ‘Do you know who you are? You are a marvel. You are unique. In the millions of years that have passed, there has never been another child like you. "<br />
And, it’s okay to just be you.<br />
<br />
<br />LikeMyLifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10348834629372261783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573379888823927808.post-3763404893242338142014-10-19T12:45:00.002-05:002014-10-19T13:02:38.370-05:00When we really want something ... and we don't get it<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCx1NhpzzWRTR3x3RPFrnrDgvdQvY47udrY8t1LAbaghN6bywzN5p91zXhlZggwnnw_SmrWSwE3WgaYoaVyWMPJplkYnCGz5_ieMPrkWluPsmk1GgZW4ye2pWnTXK8QwXfwYBCVZsPGbEe/s1600/archery+back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCx1NhpzzWRTR3x3RPFrnrDgvdQvY47udrY8t1LAbaghN6bywzN5p91zXhlZggwnnw_SmrWSwE3WgaYoaVyWMPJplkYnCGz5_ieMPrkWluPsmk1GgZW4ye2pWnTXK8QwXfwYBCVZsPGbEe/s1600/archery+back.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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</xml><![endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">It was a cold. It was windy. Did I mention it was cold and windy? And, it was the Illinois 4-H State Shooting Sports contest which would determine Illinois' national team. Scattered around the Brittany Park Shooting Sports Park were a hundred kids who really wanted it, really wanted <i>this </i>day to be <i>their </i>day.<br /><br /><b>Did I mention it was cold and windy? </b><br />As I took photos of the top finishers at the end of the day, there were obvious tears of disappointments. They just couldn't help it. They really, really wanted something, and they didn't get it. Did I mention it was cold and windy? <br /><br />I thought back to other days, days15 years ago, when it was another girl who really wanted something, who tasted victory and wanted each and every time to feast on that the bountiful meal. Relive it with me ... <br /><br />On Monday, Jenny broke the middle school’s 25-year-old long jump record with a leap of 15 feet—3 1/2 inches. On Wednesday, she couldn’t clear 14 feet. I could see her face from the bleachers when they announced her third-place finish. It wasn’t a look of anger or disappointment; it was pure embarrassment.<br /><br />“How could I jump so well Monday and so badly Wednesday?” she questioned. Well, sweetheart, not every day is going to be a record-breaking day.<br /><br /><b>Much of life feels like a Wednesday.</b><br /><br />Many days we try hard, put in lots of effort and give it our best just to come in third. Third is a hard pill to swallow for any of us. We want to be first. We want our name in the record books. We want to be known for something. <br /><br />But life is not a smooth road. It is full of bends and twists and hills and valleys. <b>Some days are just cold and windy.</b><br /><br />There’s nothing like that feeling on those days when it all comes together. Those record-setting days stand out in our memory forever. It’s where we go when we need inspiration, when we need reassurance that we’re okay, when we need comfort for our trouble hearts.<br /><br />On Friday, Jenny broke the school’s high jump record with a jump of 4 feet—10 inches. On Saturday, I woke her up gently, “Good morning track queen . . . it’s time to do laundry.”<br /><br /><b>“No one lives on the top of the mountain. It’s fine to go there occasionally —for inspiration, for new perspectives. But you have to come down. Life is lived in the valleys. That’s where the farms and gardens and orchards are, and where the plowing and the work is done. That’s where you apply the visions you may have glimpsed from the peaks.”</b><br />—Arthur Gordon in A Touch of Wonder</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I like baths. Hot baths. Pay the extra money
to have someone put me in a bathtub versus just giving me a sponge bath. Spend
money on things you can enjoy. <b>Enjoy life.<br /></b> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">When it doesn’t seem that I remember you, I
really do. <b>Believe that.<br /></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">When I’m gone, physically move closer to each
other. You’ll be all each other have. Drop what you’re doing whenever the other
needs something. And, don’t wait to be asked to help. Assume they need it.
Pride kept me from asking for help way too much. <b>Help others.<br /></b> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">When you go on cool vacations, take some of
my ashes and scatter them where you’ve been. By the time your life is over, all
my ashes should be gone and I will have had a great time. <b>Live boldly.<br /></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Don’t let fear ever stop you from trying,
even if you’ll look stupid from failing. <b>Be brave.<br /></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Don’t rethink decisions. Every time I didn’t
go with my gut instinct, I regretted it. The world will tell you differently. <b>Ignore
them.<br /></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">It’s okay to cry. I do it all the time. And,
then I feel better without anything else changing except me. Crying isn’t about
being weak; it’s about knowing there’s something better out there and wanting
to have it. Cry, then make a plan and go get it. <b>Go get some.<br /></b> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Jenny, quit working so much; Wil, work a
little more. And, when the pendulum swings, go the opposite direction. Life
isn’t so much about balance as it is balancing in the extremes. <b>Walk tall.<br /></b></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Read.<br /></span></b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">It all seems impossible at first glance. Look
past your nose. Figure out a way. The answer is there. <b>Look again.<br /></b> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">When God doesn’t seem anywhere, He’s
everywhere. <b>Close your eyes and listen.<br /></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I was always proud of you, even when you
didn’t think you deserved it. I never wanted perfection. I just wanted you to
be happy, and we’re all happiest when we’re exceeding past that point where we
thought we couldn’t go. <b>Believe in yourself.</b></span><br />
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LikeMyLifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10348834629372261783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573379888823927808.post-10677713049834805002013-05-23T10:48:00.002-05:002013-05-23T11:21:08.780-05:00This is the front desk with your wake-up call<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo_krdaYO8mMCG0ti03JkjTqNfGcUNBYB0mwkHWQLloVt_Q9A_-rS6tOq6lz3m7S5tAXvu3tFwy9FeFL_qG9H3asvWDF8vQzqPhcKMg9S8pbzUAZ3BUXRCthnL-NEiuo6TAym2No2M6xz-/s1600/laptop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo_krdaYO8mMCG0ti03JkjTqNfGcUNBYB0mwkHWQLloVt_Q9A_-rS6tOq6lz3m7S5tAXvu3tFwy9FeFL_qG9H3asvWDF8vQzqPhcKMg9S8pbzUAZ3BUXRCthnL-NEiuo6TAym2No2M6xz-/s400/laptop.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Written 14 years ago TODAY. I thought you'd find that interesting for Throwback Thursday.</span></b></i><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Wake up calls come at the most unexpected times in my life,
and the one this week came in the most unusual place—on the highway halfway
between Crossville and Carmi.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Thursday, a family of five traveled through the area on a
bicycle—one bicycle, built for four, pulling a cart carrying the youngest
member of the family. The family had begun its journey April 1—in Vermont—with hopes
of reaching Alaska by Aug. 1.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I caught up with the family on Illinois 1 and 14, halfway
between Crossville and Carmi. There, on the side of the road, as semis flew by
us, I learned a valuable life lesson.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I had forgotten to dream.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The father, Billy Romp, said the trip was the “living out of
a dream.” In part, he said, they were making the trip to remind people that
dreams do come true.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And then, in the next breath, without skipping a beat, he
turned to me and asked “What’s your dream?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And I said nothing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My mind raced to think of something. Surely there was
something I could say to save face.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Nothing.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In the scramble of living each day, I had given up dreams;
and even sadder, I hadn’t even realized it . . . not until that moment. I
finished the interview and walked to my car as the question played again and
again in my mind; “What’s my dream?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Our class buried a time capsule with our 20-year
predictions. Me? I was going to marry a sailor (he had been my ‘steady’ all
through school), have three children and be the first interplanetary
journalist. Granted, some dreams aren’t meant to come true, but that youthful
dream gave me direction in the coming years, and I know I made decisions based
somewhat on those dreams.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Perhaps decisions come so hard lately because there is no
dream guiding me. If I’m to move forward, I’m going to have to find my “Alaskan
bike trip” and begin to live it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And, may I ask, what’s your dream?</span></div>
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LikeMyLifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10348834629372261783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573379888823927808.post-74097572856564621872013-05-22T15:50:00.000-05:002013-05-22T15:54:08.393-05:00Teaching life's lesson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGj_qcE1wkBwa06XPyZYbKDePlLy7EeYYO3ahHqZmBf7gHOfVtam_QEztTtm6fOe2m-EvEnNp02fdnUTQEKNUNUvUVjMcpCWf1kN2JpDq4bsf5tDuPXcwi4DidyS8echxDvsoEhAQqAcFb/s1600/feet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGj_qcE1wkBwa06XPyZYbKDePlLy7EeYYO3ahHqZmBf7gHOfVtam_QEztTtm6fOe2m-EvEnNp02fdnUTQEKNUNUvUVjMcpCWf1kN2JpDq4bsf5tDuPXcwi4DidyS8echxDvsoEhAQqAcFb/s400/feet.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What is the most important thing we should teach our children?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Would it be the value of hard work? After all, a job is the reflection of the person who does the work.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Would it be knowledge, or better, the quest for knowledge? We can't possibly teach our children all there is to know in the world, but we can instill in them the desire to want to know.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Would it be compassion? From compassion, service to others and the community follows. Would it be tolerance and understanding? Could wars be forgotten if all the world developed a tolerance for the ideas and beliefs of others?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What is the most important thing to teach?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Would it be a love of self?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Would it be a love for family?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Would it be a love for others, or do all of these flow naturally from a love for God?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Should we tell them to, in some way, every day, make the world a little better than it was the day before? Should we teach them to be polite, kind, generous, helpfu? Are those the lessons we should stress?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There is no manual on how to raise children. Our children will learn about life, not from a book or a teacher or a preacher. They'll learn about life by watching us. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The greatest lesson we can give our children is ourselves. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">They watch us and they learn. They watch our reaction to conflict, and learn to either be compassionate or to hate. They watch us in the community and learn to either give or take. They watch us when we worship and when we don't. They watch us in our truths and in our lies.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We are our children's great lesson.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What lesson is your life teaching?</span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></i>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Photo credit: by Jenny Mae as part of a 4-H project on friendship.</i></span>LikeMyLifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10348834629372261783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573379888823927808.post-46286610700368474102013-05-21T12:43:00.002-05:002013-05-21T15:54:50.966-05:00Not what I expected<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPqrEm-52IAqdxrj22f5PhjOyUh0l8YPIv-sKiunT8D-hNCPsdkyVc1wdDTZxMUnbDwj94v1rgBFGeY1mpg2MY9OmOqRl4TPkRX9PCQ5JTa9VfzlGgFvO47gohmOLx3Q5oWErlxQiOayTi/s1600/avengers.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPqrEm-52IAqdxrj22f5PhjOyUh0l8YPIv-sKiunT8D-hNCPsdkyVc1wdDTZxMUnbDwj94v1rgBFGeY1mpg2MY9OmOqRl4TPkRX9PCQ5JTa9VfzlGgFvO47gohmOLx3Q5oWErlxQiOayTi/s320/avengers.jpg" /></a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Everyone said the recovery from shoulder surgery would hurt. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Everyone. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Not just some. Not a few. Not even most. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Nope, everyone. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So, why am I so surprised that after five weeks, my shoulder still hurts and therapy makes me what to throw up? I thought it'd be different.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I thought it would be different ...... for me. After all, I've run half marathons; surely it will be different. I've taken care of myself for 15 years, alone and independent; surely it will be different. I raised two kids through college nearly by myself; surely it will be different. Bring it on because I'm ready. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This is not what I expected. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And, because it isn't, I've had to change what I think, change how I do things, change how I look at the world and how I interact with it. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> The unexpected will do that to you. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">With my right arm unusable, I've learned to trust my left to carry the load. I didn't think it was up for it when I first began. It was weak, awkward. I hadn't really paid much attention to it. Yet, when I learned to rely on it, something happened. It came through for me. Sure, it wasn't good at first, but I'd never asked it to wash dishes alone before. After learning what didn't work, we soon figured out what did. And then we did it again, then again, with lots of tasks and challenges. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And, so it is with the people in our lives. We learn to expect what we expect without ever imagining that it might be different... that life might be different. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Start looking at life differently. You might just find it's not what you expected; it's better. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Read more at: <a href="http://likemylife.homestead.com/creamoftartar.html">http://likemylife.homestead.com/creamoftartar.html</a></span><br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Photo credit: Heroes are made every day when we do what isn't expected; photo </span></i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">by JudyMae @ Carmi</span></i> </span>LikeMyLifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10348834629372261783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573379888823927808.post-28032527558594567742010-09-26T18:41:00.005-05:002010-09-26T19:27:06.849-05:00What would you say to her?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBQ9FA3mehd3BX5bT4sHzynLTNmf5K1Ku3unPj2SaVZEo4lsUCREADCAgteQjJE4XgbEFX8bJbM6LiwkJEzQfNBMVy_Kd2kX-1_5m0noX6j70mhSWvYH8E9qsQ-NGB5QGi1cbWAX_2geTy/s1600/flower+girl.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBQ9FA3mehd3BX5bT4sHzynLTNmf5K1Ku3unPj2SaVZEo4lsUCREADCAgteQjJE4XgbEFX8bJbM6LiwkJEzQfNBMVy_Kd2kX-1_5m0noX6j70mhSWvYH8E9qsQ-NGB5QGi1cbWAX_2geTy/s320/flower+girl.JPG" width="191" /></a></div><div style="color: orange;"><div style="background-color: #444444; color: yellow; text-align: center;">"To give life a meaning,<br />
one must have a purpose <br />
larger than one's self."<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">~Will Durant </div></div><br />
"I need to learn to live life to the fullest, so I need your help to give me things I should and should not do while living life."</div><br />
I stared at this new email message in my LikeMyLife.com in-box. <br />
<br />
Nothing.<br />
I had no words of inspiration for this woman, this searching soul, who needed my help, my guidance. Nothing. <br />
<br />
Why couldn't I answer her? For heaven's sake, I publish an inspirational website. If you google "living life to the fullest," my LikeMyLife.com website is ranked #1 out of 700,000 websites. I should know something about this.<br />
<br />
Maybe I worry that what works for me won't work for her, or what I had to go through in living a full life is too much to ask of someone else. <br />
<br />
Maybe until this moment, I really haven't believed I was living my life to the fullest. Certainly, I was living my life at a dead run...too tired to care if it was "fullest" as long as it was "full." Still, there have to be some shared experiences we can all agree define fullness.<br />
<br />
I try to have more good days than bad, more tears from happy moments than sad, more kind than hateful actions in a day, each day. But is that life at its "fullest?"<br />
<br />
I know I soak myself in my children's interests and activities. I work passionately at causes I believe in, maybe too passionately at times. I fret when those who have refuse to give to those who don't have. But is that life at its "fullest?"<br />
<br />
I know what My Lord asks of me and though I do many of those things right, I sometimes do things wrong. Am I still living life to the fullest when I fail to live life righteously? <br />
<br />
So, tell me, what would you tell this woman? Really, I want you to comment here on the blog and tell me. She's asking you what she should do and not do in her life. What will you tell her?<br />
<br />
I know my "ahhhhh" moment won't be the same as yours or as hers, but maybe, between you and you and you and me, we can inspire this young woman along a path of finding joy in the journey we call life.<br />
<br />
<i><b>Photo credit: </b>Not sure who took this photo at Jen's wedding, but little Lily certainly seems to be living to the fullest.</i>LikeMyLifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10348834629372261783noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573379888823927808.post-65160677173423648222010-08-29T14:09:00.000-05:002010-08-29T14:09:52.523-05:00I have finished the race<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDk3DBeJiNNS2ChEfe_dcJBddtvcatkj82tvw4RM53uUrzCx-_n4wEn-cWhbUHLXR2NzFRkZ-B0BmwPXNFITcW_4PXBU9_uOmhWnqqPAwUIaY8L37E1Qm8P_fetUxOjbgkO08hTw2Nr42W/s1600/scott+hodling+me+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDk3DBeJiNNS2ChEfe_dcJBddtvcatkj82tvw4RM53uUrzCx-_n4wEn-cWhbUHLXR2NzFRkZ-B0BmwPXNFITcW_4PXBU9_uOmhWnqqPAwUIaY8L37E1Qm8P_fetUxOjbgkO08hTw2Nr42W/s320/scott+hodling+me+2.JPG" /></a></div>I know, I know. You've all wondered where I've been and how I could marry off a daughter and take a son to college without a single word on the blog. Well, I've been thinking. And, thinking. And, <i>thinking</i>. <br />
<br />
What does one say when someone who has lived her life solely for her children finds herself without a child in the house? My children are my life. Their activities alone filled my social calendar. They have been my confidants; I their cheerleader. They have been my companion; I their buyer of track shoes. They wiped my tears as I wiped theirs.<br />
<br />
On August 14, my daughter, Jenny, married the love of her life, Scott. On August 19, I took my son, Wil to college --- <b><i>and left him</i></b> (or <b>he left me</b> may be more appropriate).<br />
<br />
So what do I say? <br />
"I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith." (2 Timothy 4:7-8).<br />
<br />
There were times over the years I wanted to give up, give in. You've been there, too, I know. Life is hard, too hard, at times. There is never enough money. Anger robs us of joy. Evil sways us to be ugly to others. It seems that as soon as one challenge is met, another is waiting to take its place.<br />
<br />
I didn't cry at Jenny's wedding because I finished the race. I saw parenthood through to the end when I handed her over to someone else whose job it now is to care for her. (He has to buy her track shoes now.) This is the moment I worked so hard for all those years of raising her.<br />
<br />
I didn't cry when I left Wil. Okay, I did, but not when I left. I cried when I kept trying to help him (get the room organized and get the computer working and get the electronics hooked up) and he didn't want me to. He was ready for me to leave so he could do for himself what I kept trying to do for him.<br />
<br />
He knew what I needed to learn. I had finished the race ... whether I knew it yet or not.<br />
<br />
He had become the young man I raised him to be.<br />
He knew it. I didn't until that moment he said, "I can do that when you're gone."<br />
<br />
I found this story on the Trinity United Reformed Church of Visalia, Calif. website. <br />
<br />
<blockquote><br />
<br />
It was 7 p.m. on October 20th, 1968. Only a few spectators remained in the Mexico City Olympic Stadium. The winner of the 26 mile marathon had crossed the finish line more than an hour ago, and now, the last of the marathon runners were across the finish line and leaving the track. As the last few spectators began to leave, those sitting by the entrance suddenly heard the sound of sirens. One last runner appeared at the entrance. The man, whose leg was bloody and bandaged, was wearing the colors of Tanzania. The Tanzanian runner, experiencing intense pain, hobbled around the 400 meter track in the stadium, and the few remaining spectators rose and applauded him as though he was the winner. After crossing the finish line he slowly walked off the field without turning to the cheering spectators. In view of his injury, and having no chance of winning any medal, a curious spectator asked him why he did not quit the race. The Tanzanian runner replied, "My country did not send me 7000 miles to start the race, but sent me 7000 miles to finish it."</blockquote>So, don't worry that I'm sad. I'm celebrating my victory lap.<br />
<br />
<i>Photo credit: Who knows. Whoever had the camera at that moment during the wedding. </i>LikeMyLifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10348834629372261783noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573379888823927808.post-33515202414486236572010-07-18T13:08:00.002-05:002010-07-18T13:10:58.652-05:00Just a bit farther down the road<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpilWIhhkQ2zbMHmZ_ZfEv3TlO12aTXdWvhKd-HJNFNJO_IZt9xtDixjDWkVZTPgfUO_Rtjy9rKd3D6BEzRzkAmTRUiBrYYIgBfk44-HFfyIaIl1Z1NRbMq2QfmeCpWOHK5d65bcV-kkYQ/s1600/tyler+ackerman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpilWIhhkQ2zbMHmZ_ZfEv3TlO12aTXdWvhKd-HJNFNJO_IZt9xtDixjDWkVZTPgfUO_Rtjy9rKd3D6BEzRzkAmTRUiBrYYIgBfk44-HFfyIaIl1Z1NRbMq2QfmeCpWOHK5d65bcV-kkYQ/s320/tyler+ackerman.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>My new job has me traveling to new places, so my friends at my old job got me a TomTom as a going away present. Only problem is, if you don't have an address, the TomTom can't get you there.<br />
<br />
I was headed to the Lawrence County Fairgrounds, so I called the office there to get directions. I scribbled some notes and headed north. I turned west as the directions indicated when I realized my notes were a little fuzzy about just how far I was supposed to go. Surely I can't miss a fairgrounds, I thought, so I kept going. . . and going . . . and going until I thought apparently you can miss a fairgrounds, so I turned around.<br />
<br />
I watched both sides of the road, certain I would find a fairgrounds this time, and had faith until I drove all the way back into Lawrenceville.<br />
<br />
I turned around again. And, again I started off and went as far as I thought I needed to go and stopped. With no fairgrounds in site, I called a coworker who gave me directions. Armed with knowledge, I returned to the path until I got to the point where my coworker said "if you get to here, you've gone too far." Somehow, I had missed it again.<br />
<br />
Late beyond repair, I stopped at a house where a man was mowing his yard, and I asked for directions.<br />
<br />
"You have to keep going," he said. "You've stopped too soon. The fairgrounds is farther down the road."<br />
<br />
It was then I realized that the directions from my coworker were from HER house. I was coming from the opposite direction, so what was "too far" for her was only the beginning for me.<br />
<br />
I had to keep going.<br />
I stopped too soon.<br />
<br />
How often do we do that? Stop too soon. Fail to take one more step. Fail to do the one last thing that will put us where we need to be. Fail to plot our course. We misinterpret signs and take the advice of friends who aren't where we are and aren't who we are, and we miss the place where we're supposed to be.<br />
<br />
I got back in the car and drove, and then drove more, past the point where I had stopped before and there, just a little bit farther down the road, was the fairgrounds. It was there all the time just waiting for me to find it, claim it, enjoy it.<br />
<br />
What is waiting for you, just a bit farther down the road? <br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Photo credit: Tyler Ackerman, CWCHS cross country runner who understands what it means to go just a little bit farther down the road. Sorry, can't remember if this was my photo or his mother's photo, but too good not to share! </b></span></i>LikeMyLifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10348834629372261783noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573379888823927808.post-71079700611070254372010-07-03T18:32:00.001-05:002010-07-03T18:39:42.300-05:00Live Out Loud<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiJiwWKaBUOE5Hw-WfZOr5kNgnuP93KWsqWVi9Nnk5tTbhkAEZwQ5d3xUHTvWsQT2KHAl4uJqEBzTcxNiiN8twchDoR8xExqWeR_jAECrJ_Z7ZcUnf_YMTDaq1OC75bJRtp4Klb5Cw78Ek/s1600/excellent+corvette.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiJiwWKaBUOE5Hw-WfZOr5kNgnuP93KWsqWVi9Nnk5tTbhkAEZwQ5d3xUHTvWsQT2KHAl4uJqEBzTcxNiiN8twchDoR8xExqWeR_jAECrJ_Z7ZcUnf_YMTDaq1OC75bJRtp4Klb5Cw78Ek/s320/excellent+corvette.JPG" /></a></div>For years, I've been a bystander of the Fourth of July.<br />
<br />
After the divorce, the kids always spent the holiday with their father's family. I knew they enjoyed their cousins, so I never fussed over it. The first couple years, I would walk uptown to <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">watch</span> the fireworks display, but it just wasn't the same as before.<br />
<br />
Fireworks are a "two-persons-minimum" event.<br />
<br />
The beauty of fireworks isn't the spectacle in the sky; it's turning to the person next to you and saying "ahhhhhhhh" and "ooooooooh." You can't experience it the way it should be experienced by yourself. I tried, but without someone to interact with, I was merely a bystander, someone who, although present at something, didn't take part in it.<br />
Lately, I've realized that, in many ways I've become a bystander of my life, present, but not taking part. I've become a spectator of my own game of life. I've let life dictate to me, and I've just gone along for the ride.<br />
<br />
It's time to stop.<br />
It's time to actively choose where I go.<br />
It's time to participate fully in the rest of my life.<br />
<b>It's time to go <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">watch</span> the Fourth of July Fireworks and Live Out Loud. </b><br />
<br />
<i>Photo credit: Judy Mae Bingman, 2010 Fourth of July Carmi Car Show</i>LikeMyLifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10348834629372261783noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573379888823927808.post-35184063254937317472010-05-31T13:15:00.001-05:002010-05-31T13:17:37.534-05:00No mountain is climbed with one step<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4B7FsN2kahgTnTks5dS37zfh4chWrkMxoSTT2mHdk-Nufbs76clipvYAh2XWfDNwNYOpbP6OI00Mkhqvgj0JTKyyvnkGlcgqxLyDMnWhZQt6OidP9METuFviqktddTqvPxn3mmlqQrM3q/s1600/ff+wilbclose+up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4B7FsN2kahgTnTks5dS37zfh4chWrkMxoSTT2mHdk-Nufbs76clipvYAh2XWfDNwNYOpbP6OI00Mkhqvgj0JTKyyvnkGlcgqxLyDMnWhZQt6OidP9METuFviqktddTqvPxn3mmlqQrM3q/s320/ff+wilbclose+up.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>It isn't pretty to watch me run, but since both my kids run, I learned if I ever wanted to spend time with them, I needed to learn to run. So, I run. <br />
<br />
I changed my course through town a few days ago. The final quarter mile includes a steep hill, and the first two days, I stopped running and walked to the top of the hill. It was just too much, too high, and I was just too tired. After all, I had already run over two miles and from the bottom of the hill, it was just too much.<br />
<br />
Yesterday, I tried a new strategy. No, I didn't change my route. I didn't walk before getting to the hill.<br />
<br />
I simply didn't look up.<br />
<br />
I looked right at the sidewalk in front of my feet. Each step was simply the one step I needed to take to make it to the next step. And I did that over and over and over again ... until I made it to the top of the hill and over.<br />
<br />
Now, nothing about me changed; I didn't suddenly drop 25 pounds. I didn't become a runner overnight in my sleep. I didn't take a magic pill. I simply changed my mental perspective on the task. I stopped looking at it as a whole, and started looking at it one step at a time. From the perspective of my feet, this stretch of road was no different than all the steps I had taken to get to this point. Just put one foot in front of another. And then, do it again. See you at the finish line.LikeMyLifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10348834629372261783noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573379888823927808.post-49587143844955176042010-03-28T07:53:00.001-05:002010-03-28T07:56:35.326-05:00The wind has changed<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdGswKgFuhqd9Hr52ReIqHWd3rT1bzd6HNzT004bQS_Ev_OXoAVUn5Ndtn69Wv766gd5Z6CWh-P2bayQ8PVgAquU3Ivly0PutXgEj1WUeklh_EyThthsio2eVPaYmfNrA357TwdDCx5WfO/s1600/100_1990.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdGswKgFuhqd9Hr52ReIqHWd3rT1bzd6HNzT004bQS_Ev_OXoAVUn5Ndtn69Wv766gd5Z6CWh-P2bayQ8PVgAquU3Ivly0PutXgEj1WUeklh_EyThthsio2eVPaYmfNrA357TwdDCx5WfO/s200/100_1990.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
I feel as if I'm Mary Poppins.<br />
<br />
Remember that moment when the children first heard that Mary Poppins was leaving. She turned to them and said "I only promised to stay until the wind changes."<br />
<br />
Well, the wind has changed. . . in my life and in the life of the 4-H program where I've had the honor of playing a real-life Mary Poppins.<br />
<br />
I had the best job in the world. I got to spend most of my time having fun with kids, and along the way, got to see them grow and excel and mature and become better than they ever thought they could be.<br />
<br />
With a spoon full of sugar, the kids completed tasks and grew a little taller while they did it. They helped others with their tuppence or two and learned to think about what others <i>needed </i>before they worried about what they <i>wanted</i>. Along the way I met some of my best friends who weren't above jumping into some sidewalk-chalk adventures with me. <br />
<br />
I left the office Friday evening knowing that there is a favorable wind blowing now in White County 4-H, and if everyone continues to think the best before assuming the worst, think of others before thinking of themselves, think twice before bickering over the unimportant, then things will be just fine. My only request is that you continue to give all you have to keep the wonderful program thriving in White County. <br />
<br />
As for me, I'm ready for the next step in my life. Haven't got a clue where that will lead me yet, but oh the fun it will be finding out. My umbrella's open and I've caught a favorable wind.<br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo credit: Wil Bingman in Chicago </span></i>LikeMyLifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10348834629372261783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573379888823927808.post-12796493170890156892010-02-27T00:34:00.001-06:002010-02-27T00:36:29.443-06:00There will always be time for one more thing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgjL1F4jg6Vz1912vboUGZhtAAPj2GkbsDFBDqLmCYry-AsUnjDH0ozxfK-ZDaSI0H6tOxfRCT2s8jllvNJvBmYHJVmmGHP3noJowLdaaKnIUrB52cpPHOv3QpRKU_BKOqck_Oquibnbov/s1600-h/bingman+kids.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgjL1F4jg6Vz1912vboUGZhtAAPj2GkbsDFBDqLmCYry-AsUnjDH0ozxfK-ZDaSI0H6tOxfRCT2s8jllvNJvBmYHJVmmGHP3noJowLdaaKnIUrB52cpPHOv3QpRKU_BKOqck_Oquibnbov/s320/bingman+kids.jpg" /></a></div>I have lost control.<br />
I have allowed life to take over my life, and I did it without even putting up a good fight.<br />
<br />
I'm beat; plain and simple, I am beat and ready to put some white undies on a stick and wave surrender, only I haven't done laundry in days, so there isn't a clean pair to be found. Henry Kissinger may have <i><b>said </b></i>"The urgent takes all the time from the important," but I'm <i><b>living it.</b></i> <br />
<br />
When did I lose control? Has it been slipping away a bit at a time, or did some big catastrophe set my world wobbling? I'm not sure. All I do know is that when I heard the words "I'll be glad when my kids don't need me so much" came out of my mouth, you might as well have slapped me in the face.<br />
<br />
<b>Since when did I become so self important that <i>anything </i>became more important than what my children need from me at any moment?</b><br />
<br />
I know it's been a tough week. Disappointments in my career, piled on top of scholarship deadlines for Wil, worked in around wedding planning with Jenny, added to an already ambitious work schedule has put me teetering on the edge of collapse (others would claim I've already tumbled over that edge with a mighty thud).<br />
<br />
How selfish of me to complain and pout and throw a tantrum because my children needed more of me than I thought they should this week. One day they'll be busy with new lives they create, and I'll ache for the day they needed me, wanted me. <br />
<br />
I taught about phytochemicals in nutrition this week, except I call them "fighting" chemicals. Each phytochemical gives fruits and vegetables their super-hero fighting powers. Just like Spiderman can weave a web and Superman has his x-ray vision, phytochemicals have secret powers that make them superheroes against disease.<br />
<br />
So, I asked the third graders at NCO who their favorite superhero was. <br />
"You," exclaimed one young lad.<br />
<br />
Yep, I think there's still time tonight to proofread one more scholarship, check out one more wedding bouquet website and play superhero for a bunch of kids who just want someone to love them. Besides, clean underwear is really overrated.<br />
<br />
The next time I wish my children's childhood away, you have permission to wash my mouth out with soap.<br />
<br />
<i><b>photo credit: By me of my two great kids! May you always be kids in my heart</b></i>LikeMyLifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10348834629372261783noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573379888823927808.post-59927093501378349232010-02-18T20:20:00.003-06:002010-02-18T20:29:37.052-06:00There's an app for that<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKUeXAkWTps26iiyjoTwYgE_4RKbuqSiKm6kpRTPfnpZjVKi5HwOPFtBbYciejytk8tLvhMM9OGPdDejRNEaU3vPLZ4k7YFAqgrTKTy1DP8USiwap_4KbLzrbLpsp9higyiIaNURwe6ybv/s1600-h/American+Idol+Day+1+060.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKUeXAkWTps26iiyjoTwYgE_4RKbuqSiKm6kpRTPfnpZjVKi5HwOPFtBbYciejytk8tLvhMM9OGPdDejRNEaU3vPLZ4k7YFAqgrTKTy1DP8USiwap_4KbLzrbLpsp9higyiIaNURwe6ybv/s320/American+Idol+Day+1+060.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Sometimes life just slaps me in the face.<br />
Today, it was a good slap.<br />
<br />
Facebook, the online social networking service, operates a lot like the old party-line telephone. Pick up the phone at any time (or log on in the case of Facebook) and find out what your neighbor is doing, what friends they're talking to, or who's over for a visit. It's almost like being back in Green Acres. Sometimes, it seems as if you're peeking in the windows of your friends' lives.<br />
<br />
You can play several "games" on Facebook. One lets you pretend to be a farmer. You "click" to plant and harvest crops, build barns, and more. Other games allow you to send "gifts" to friends, receive daily horoscopes, or answer quizzes about your friends. <br />
<br />
So many of my Facebook friends play these games, their antics often clutter up my Facebook diary, but Facebook allows me to "hide" these game postings with a simple click of my mouse. Today, a friend posted her results from a game called "Gifts From God." As I went to hide this posting, a message popped up asking me to verify the action. The message stated "Are you sure you want to hide "Gifts From God?"<br />
<br />
Wow.<br />
How many of us do that every day; how many of us hide the gifts God has given us?<br />
We fail to share the gifts of the spirit. We fail to find joy in little things. We fail to see the beauty of life around us. We fail to lift up our fellow human being. We fail to forgive and forget.<br />
<br />
We fail and fail and fail again.<br />
We fail to use our voice to lift up His goodness. We fail to give our wealth to the care of others. He fail to pray for our adversaries.<br />
<br />
We choose complaining over comforting. We choose sarcasm over sympathy. We choose bickering over blessing. We choose self over sacrifice.<br />
<br />
We choose to hide our "Gifts From God."<br />
<br />
And, we choose it day after day after day until we forget we ever received any gifts. Stop hiding your gifts. I, for one, would like to see what God has given you to share. I'll be right here on the "other end of the party-line."<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo credit: Judy Mae Bingman. Photo of Emily & Jenny, best friends who aren't afraid to share the gift of music God has given them. </i></span></div>LikeMyLifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10348834629372261783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573379888823927808.post-79147209419587677892010-02-10T13:09:00.004-06:002010-02-10T13:12:14.333-06:00Passing on my way<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKwRFRDNB4KsnnuGPZo-jpqPFuGo3t1IW_IPzL6ZTUYWu8x-fAgL2d3unaxUbTGHa_JkGxZU0PCteTonDGWmozEyRxASO7P72Qr0SwhfxM8YS7Ilo1WozuwQAAiiXDfzuZBqlsVOrRDG0i/s1600-h/carlie+smile.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKwRFRDNB4KsnnuGPZo-jpqPFuGo3t1IW_IPzL6ZTUYWu8x-fAgL2d3unaxUbTGHa_JkGxZU0PCteTonDGWmozEyRxASO7P72Qr0SwhfxM8YS7Ilo1WozuwQAAiiXDfzuZBqlsVOrRDG0i/s320/carlie+smile.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
When the time comes, just say "I'm passing on my way."<br />
<br />
I had never heard death described quite like that. The radio DJ, announcing the death of a popular singer, said, the artist "passed on his way."<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Passed on his way </b>. . . how fitting a description.<br />
<br />
"Passed on our way," as if to remind us that we <b>began</b> in one place, s<b>pent some time in this place</b>, before heading on to the <b>next place</b>.<br />
<br />
We weren't just here then gone.<br />
<br />
<b>There was a purpose to our journey</b>, or as Og Mandino said in <i>The Greatest Miracle in the World</i>, <b>"You are not the momentary whim of a careless creator experimenting in the laboratory of life . . . you have a purpose."</b><br />
<br />
We are on our way from somewhere to somewhere, and, along the way, we pass by here.<br />
<br />
We do not "pass away," for that implies what legacy we left passes away. We do not "die." That is so final, too final.<br />
<br />
We pass on our way, and along the journey, have the time of our lives.<br />
<br />
For whatever reason, my "purpose" seems to be enlightening children to the potential inside of them. It's there as infants, and somehow, through all the trials of life, we begin to forget, to doubt, to stop believing. Be the spark that rekindles that hope in others. Don't hold back.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: #38761d;">"</span></b><b style="color: #38761d;">And I leave you now, not with sadness but with satisfaction and joy that we came together and walked, arm in arm, through this brief moment of eternity. Who could ask for more?" </b>The ragpicker in <i>The Greatest Miracle in the World</i><br />
<br />
<i>photo credit: Judy Mae Bingman </i>LikeMyLifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10348834629372261783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573379888823927808.post-37183017870795097392010-02-07T18:35:00.002-06:002010-02-07T18:38:50.436-06:00Matter to someone<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXg1BSCVicYgOocVuhoTE9q_98QxNruBK5RPirfzgySFosRDTW0CGGOEDeI_YGtS_uqfwWA6h5WnfWjAEuWXLqS_-OGLQ3RM8pmrGoxSzHtgDYZ8oMnz4D25CYIMj6Dhq5kIolPT0wCkJc/s1600-h/star+trek.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXg1BSCVicYgOocVuhoTE9q_98QxNruBK5RPirfzgySFosRDTW0CGGOEDeI_YGtS_uqfwWA6h5WnfWjAEuWXLqS_-OGLQ3RM8pmrGoxSzHtgDYZ8oMnz4D25CYIMj6Dhq5kIolPT0wCkJc/s320/star+trek.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>In an episode of <i><b>Star Trek</b></i>, the crew members of the Enterprise were thrown back in time, picking up an Air Force pilot from the mid-twentieth century along the way. When it was time to return to their own time, Captain Kirk debated whether to keep the man on board or risk returning him to the past with all he had seen.<br />
<br />
Spock checked the history files and deduced <b>the man would make no contributions to the world . . . <i>his life was insignificant </i></b>. . . nothing he had done--<i>or would ever do</i>--mattered to the way the rest of the world would unfold. <br />
<br />
<b>In short, he would not be missed; the world would go on unchanged if he did not return. </b><br />
<br />
How many of us are living just like that man? If Scotty beamed us up right now, would the world be any different without us?<br />
<br />
It's awfully easy to be insignificant. It's safe. If we never reach out to anyone, then no one talks about us, no one hurts us, no one takes advantage of us. We stay in our little world and tend to our own things. We believe we have little to offer the world, so we don't try. We're content to let others be the heroes. <br />
<br />
I recently sent an email to a pastor I had while I was a teen-ager in Iroquois. Its one-line message was simple. It read, "You will never know the impact you have had on my life."<br />
<br />
<b>He did no great thing for me, only little things with great kindness.</b> That is really all we can ask of ourselves. I will not be the one to cure cancer, but I know my writings have eased the pain of chemotherapy for at least one person. To me, that's just as good.<br />
<br />
Matter to someone.<br />
Lift somone's burden.<br />
Bring joy to the sad.<br />
Comfort another's grief.<br />
<br />
And when you're gone, let the world say that your life mattered.<br />
<br />
<b style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">"Don't wait for some magic gift. Share what you are, dare to be vulnerable, and you will find people who count you among their deepest friends." </span></b><i style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Let God Love You</i><br />
<br />
<i style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">photo credit: Wil Bingman, Star Trek Enterprise at The Smithsonian </span></span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span>LikeMyLifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10348834629372261783noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573379888823927808.post-30411073337690816872010-02-05T15:15:00.003-06:002010-02-05T20:43:34.618-06:00Calling it even<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibriIqFidLcQu8HEnztq0IbolhITLDTDmp-agpROMEeIrBwUs-5Q1LRb5SwLB70cSV3Dk1-FN0WMRTo6p-LBCAF2pqZICy-40EkUzaLTVqdwIpHKWI0TCCvqomGxYjC7xkUc5fVmis17cV/s1600-h/American+Idol+Day+1+042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibriIqFidLcQu8HEnztq0IbolhITLDTDmp-agpROMEeIrBwUs-5Q1LRb5SwLB70cSV3Dk1-FN0WMRTo6p-LBCAF2pqZICy-40EkUzaLTVqdwIpHKWI0TCCvqomGxYjC7xkUc5fVmis17cV/s320/American+Idol+Day+1+042.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>"Come Friday, we're even," the man said. "That's how I look at my job."<br />
<br />
The man had worked for years and years at his job, and though the hours were often long and the pay was not so good, he said he picked up his pay check each Friday and considered his account even.<br />
<br />
<b>Square.</b><br />
<b>Paid in Full.</b><br />
<br />
No matter how difficult the task may have been each week, in his mind, the check he received at the end of the week covered the debt. Each week, he marked the account paid in full and moved on.<br />
<br />
Do you?<br />
Or, do you, like me at times, look at your compensation for a job well done and complain that it isn't enough, complain that you aren't appreciated more, complain that the task was more than expected, complain that the glory doesn't equal the effort?<br />
<br />
To make matters worse, each week we keep <i>carrying that balance forward</i>, adding a little more to the "what's owed us" column.<br />
<br />
We will never be paid what we think we're worth. We can never be appreciated to the extent we think we should. Friends will never be as loving as we think they should. Traffic will never go as fast as we think it needs to.<br />
<br />
<b>Peace of mind can only come when we change what we think . . . </b><br />
<b>. . . when we get to the end of the week and mark it even.</b><br />
. . . when we get to the end of the day and <b>balance the books</b> with our friends and family.<br />
. . . when we realize that give and take sometimes means <b>giving more and taking less</b>.<br />
<br />
And when you're okay with that, you're finally okay with everything.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>photo credit: Jenny Mae Bingman - Puerto Rican Parade, Chicago 2009 during American Idol Auditions </i></span>LikeMyLifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10348834629372261783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573379888823927808.post-79556878957841873712010-01-30T12:10:00.001-06:002010-01-30T12:21:53.895-06:00Waiting for bad<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrWE5VTAYz6esV4UHMUzzUiNJAItm6T_B87xCKckvHz0ZrKe-j1wU65EF4mvAA0d8x7MLuaiLCJs5E3Tq7C8pN9ODruy1G8cSbOJLPibgHlsMogCx5ELyOSmUFODW_qV-A714AFklqzR8Z/s1600-h/emma+snow.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrWE5VTAYz6esV4UHMUzzUiNJAItm6T_B87xCKckvHz0ZrKe-j1wU65EF4mvAA0d8x7MLuaiLCJs5E3Tq7C8pN9ODruy1G8cSbOJLPibgHlsMogCx5ELyOSmUFODW_qV-A714AFklqzR8Z/s400/emma+snow.JPG" width="373" /></a></div>This morning's unexpected snow reminded me of one anticipated snowstorm years ago which never came. The salt truck was parked at the rest area between Carmi and Crossville waiting ... just waiting ... waiting for bad weather which never came.<br />
<br />
<b>Some of us live our lives just like that, waiting for bad stuff which never comes. </b>We worry that we could become ill; we could lose our job; we could lose our marriage.<br />
<br />
We could, we could, we could.<br />
<br />
But maybe, we won't. Maybe it just won't snow that day, but like the man in the salt truck, we are so focused on waiting for the bad, we fail to see the beauty happening all around us. That day turned out to be a lovely day. <b>Every day is a lovely day for those who have learned to give worry no more time than it deserves. </b><br />
<br />
I have found comfort lately trusting in "the plan." Life is tough, tougher than I can figure out at times. <b><i>It's in those times, I've learned, to quit trying to steer the boat.</i> Sometimes you are just supposed to enjoy the ride</b> and leave the details to the One who knows the plan, the One who designed the plan.<br />
<br />
<b>When life just doesn't make sense, quit trying to make it have sense.</b><br />
<br />
Trust that when the pieces are all fit together, a beautiful picture will emerge.<br />
<br />
One of my favorite books is <i>When God Winks </i>by Squire Rushnell<i></i>. I encourage you to read it. I quote from it: "Our view of life is limited. We go from day to day, looking at one puzzle piece at a time. But there is another perspective. While we are trying to make sense out of one odd-looking piece after another, we can take comfort knowing that all of the pieces do fit into a plan that could only have been created by a higher power. Only when we near the finish and begin to attain a more global perspective does the whole composition have clarity."<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo credit: Judy Mae Bingman </i></span>LikeMyLifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10348834629372261783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573379888823927808.post-78868956942258647592010-01-24T19:30:00.001-06:002010-01-24T19:36:40.741-06:00If you never came back home<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinHv5a-hwYa1Gp2wN9O5mlnzIc0XxcHHlLudnBX-O7wn2FlhH7WN0X-y5Q8iCdLZ3meiF7fFhaYBvFcQj0xrTJTyxo54aYdIoPW6GISAugXY3L6r4g_cYnhTqWB_GknwrwBJiJ0p3KATVM/s1600-h/brenda+janet+boone+children+color.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinHv5a-hwYa1Gp2wN9O5mlnzIc0XxcHHlLudnBX-O7wn2FlhH7WN0X-y5Q8iCdLZ3meiF7fFhaYBvFcQj0xrTJTyxo54aYdIoPW6GISAugXY3L6r4g_cYnhTqWB_GknwrwBJiJ0p3KATVM/s320/brenda+janet+boone+children+color.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>My sister left her house in early August 2008. She never came home.<br />
What we had hoped would be a short hospital stay turned into a three-month journey from which she didn't return.<br />
<br />
After her death, we went to the house to gather things for the funeral and there, at her piano, right where she had left it, was her church hymnal opened to the song "Victory in Jesus."<br />
<br />
I played that song this morning at worship services at Wabash Christian Retirement Center, and I couldn't help but think what people would find in my life if this day I didn't return home.<br />
What would be open on my piano?<br />
<br />
"Victory in Jesus" was a statement of how Brenda lived her life. She was confident of her eternal home, impatient with those who courted anything except a righteous lifestyle, and faithful in her service to others in need.<br />
<br />
What would my statement be?<br />
<br />
My little sister and I have an agreement that if anything happens to either one of us, the other will go to her house to "clean up" things before anyone finds the less-than-desirable elements of our life we keep hidden from the rest of the world. <br />
<br />
Perhaps it's time, though, for each of us to begin living our life as if we weren't coming home; as if what we said that day would be the last thing people remembered of us.<br />
<br />
What song will you be singing when you sing the last time?LikeMyLifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10348834629372261783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573379888823927808.post-5685037635852704882010-01-16T18:37:00.003-06:002010-01-16T18:56:50.241-06:00It comes down to faith<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRlN59B-XFHKHN4aQhT3NUx_ZJ0dvit583DDRqSywdEEZiMireGs3bZo6wkMOJI_CdKcnRRoFsROIH6bcv0X_sKHEOyxdKlrnHwryNSRLslA__aJ8NfsU-O1-1r89uz4ErPhllyGdyF3yJ/s1600-h/101_0441.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRlN59B-XFHKHN4aQhT3NUx_ZJ0dvit583DDRqSywdEEZiMireGs3bZo6wkMOJI_CdKcnRRoFsROIH6bcv0X_sKHEOyxdKlrnHwryNSRLslA__aJ8NfsU-O1-1r89uz4ErPhllyGdyF3yJ/s320/101_0441.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><br />
No doubt there will be much debate over the movie "<b>The Book of Eli</b>." For my family, it inspired many questions about just what we believe and how we respond to those who believe differently.<br />
<br />
The star of the movie is Eli (ya think short for Elijah?) who has spent the past 30 winters (after war destroyed most of the world) listening to a voice guide him . . . guide him first to the last remaining Bible in the world, then guide him "west" where The Book would be safe and used for good by the good. His biggest challenge comes from a man who wants to use the knowledge of The Book for personal gain and power (like that hasn't happened before).<br />
<br />
There are great moments in this movie. Some will go unnoticed by the unknowing.<br />
<ul><li>When asked if The Book would save the world, Eli stated some believed The Book is what caused the final war.</li>
<li>Early in the movie, Eli stayed hidden while a person is attacked and killed. "Stay on the path; this doesn't concern you," he mumbled to himself. Later, he confessed his mistake and admitted he got so wound up protecting The Book, he forgot to live by what The Book taught: "to care for others more than ourselves." How often could we say that of ourselves?</li>
<li>I won't spoil the movie for you, but it was touching to see at the end a copy of the Bible placed in the last remaining library between a copy of the Torah and a copy of the Quran.</li>
</ul><br />
Throughout the movie, Eli performs amazing feats of physical strength which become even more unbelievable with the revelation at the end of the movie. "How could he . . . " we heard from movie-goers as they left the theater. It is the same thing repeated by unbelievers --"How could God . . ."<br />
<br />
<b>Faith</b>. The movie comes down to faith, just like your personal beliefs come down to faith, and that's why some people just won't "get" this movie. One reviewer stated the movie "stretches believability," but isn't that what faith must do? <b>Faith is one step past what we see and what we know.</b><br />
<br />
How do we know? We don't. We simply have faith.<br />
"Show me proof," some may demand, but we have none. We believe in a God who wants us to believe in Him without promise of proof. On the ride home, Jenny said she once explained it to a friend: "If there were proof, everyone would believe."<br />
<br />
<b>Faith is not knowing;</b> it's simply believing and that's a tough story for some to accept. Do I <b>know</b> there is a heaven? No, but in faith I believe it to be true. Do I <b>know </b>there is a God? No, but in faith I believe Him to be true.<br />
<br />
I don't have all the answers, and thus, some of what I believe may be wrong. I'll take that chance and, like Eli, let my faith carry me through the journey.<br />
<br />
<i>Photo credit: Wil Bingman, The National Cathedral</i>LikeMyLifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10348834629372261783noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573379888823927808.post-4748980974776032352010-01-15T15:14:00.007-06:002010-01-15T15:19:10.225-06:00Living a life triumphantly unnoticed<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK_1mr6bn6thk0gR2Zs58mzXi_Bh44xA7dzR_mxEb5ZnndpUegfCC_KFM1-WyOLffc7owhq6D9LAgPMNYrVRlvTXQQfzuDB3fUY2K9pJdXmRwrAjAupZ7mFyW04TKIU9JrYTIx4QESUVsD/s1600-h/young+wil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK_1mr6bn6thk0gR2Zs58mzXi_Bh44xA7dzR_mxEb5ZnndpUegfCC_KFM1-WyOLffc7owhq6D9LAgPMNYrVRlvTXQQfzuDB3fUY2K9pJdXmRwrAjAupZ7mFyW04TKIU9JrYTIx4QESUVsD/s320/young+wil.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><br />
I've struggled what to blog to note Wil's 18th birthday. I want a story that is uniquely Wil. As most moms have learned, you can raise your kids exactly alike; yet they still turn out to be different. So it has been with my two kids, and it seemed that what came easily for Jen, Wil sometimes struggled with. I recall vividly the night of Jen's eighth grade sports night where she came home loaded down with awards. It was the same day Wil found out he didn't make the cut for Little League (or one of those competitive baseball divisions). Still, as Jenny's biggest fan, he hid any disappointment he might have felt as he supported her triumphs.<br />
<br />
I believe that is one of Wil's most endearing qualities; to be comfortable in his own skin, to not need fuss or attention or recognition, to work with no thought of reward. To be a Michael Collins.<br />
<br />
In 1969, the Columbia Missourian newspaper interviewed Michael Collins, the third astronaut joining Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong, after their historic trip to the moon.<br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>"While the world breathlessly watched and listened for the moon walk by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, Mike Collins cruised in orbit overhead. His job was to undertake emergency action if something went wrong, or to pick them up from the lunar module for the return to Earth if everything went right.</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>"His great achievement -- his fondest hope -- is to be triumphantly unnoticed."</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
It is easy to become discouraged when the lion's share of the attention falls on one or two. Some folks seem made for attention. They thrive on it, work better in the midst of it. But all the attention in the world wouldn't have helped Neil Armstrong get back to earth if Michael Collins had decided to grab a little attention of his own and fly on home without him.<br />
<br />
We need the Michael Collins in this world.<br />
<br />
We need the Neil Armstrong's too, but too often, while the Armstrong's are retelling their stories to whomever will listen, the Collins' of the world are still out there plugging along, doing their work, "triumphantly unnoticed."<br />
<br />
Sometimes we forget that.<br />
Sometimes we forget how important the little things we do are to people. I teach nutrition to children every Wednesday and Thursday, and every time I walk into their classroom, little children run up, hug my belly and tell me how happy they are to see me.<br />
<br />
Am I changing the world? No.<br />
Am I changing theirs? Yes, and you can bet they change mine every Wednesday and Thursday.<br />
<br />
I'll never be famous.<br />
I will never be Neil Armstrong, and that's okay.<br />
<br />
Wil's choice to join the military is just another example of the way he's lived his life all along, but his unselfish actions will never go unnoticed by his loving mother. There is no greater compliment I hear than when people say "Wil's a good kid."<br />
<br />
Happy Birthday to my Good Kid!<br />
<br />
<br />
<i><br />
</i>LikeMyLifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10348834629372261783noreply@blogger.com2