NOTE TO SELF: WHAT DOES DESTINY HAVE TO DO WITH IT?
Isaac and Rebekah. Esau and Jacob. A generation of smarts, it is almost uncanny. I made notes. Esau was a wild, love-the-outdoors kind of guy, skillful at hunting albeit a tad reckless with important things, he traded his inheritance for a bowl of lentil stew and had wives that made life bitter for Isaac and Rebekah, his parents. Jacob was quiet, lived in tents, a family sort of guy, quick, clever and took advantage of his brother Esau in a moment of weakness. Makes me wonder, what is lost in moments of weakness and if perhaps we could make better choices. Ah, Rebekah had strategy! Her role in orchestrating the blessing in Jacob’s favour over older brother Esau was well thought out. Perhaps, she felt that blessing Esau over Jacob would mean endorsing a bad legacy of poor choices and taking important things for granted? Who adorns a pig with…
THE POWER OF A COMMA AND THE MONTH OF MARCH
Tsarina Maria Feodorovna, you probably never heard of her until now, neither had yours truly prior to this story. She saved a life when she changed what had been written against a name on a list of supposed criminals and traitors. “Pardon impossible, to send to Siberia.”Maria had changed it to “Pardon, impossible to send to Siberia”. She saved a life by switching up commas. We all have gifts and can make a difference in our interactions. Best part is even the little acts of kindness go a long way. This month of March is special. It is six months since starting this blog in September, 2020. It is both fun and a challenge to write and post every week. Super grateful for the opportunity to share experiences and I am thankful to you for coming along on this ride. So here’s a thought to mark March. Relax…
DARE TO THINK LIKE A SURVIVOR? A STORY OF TRIUMPH
John (not real name} was taken hostage for 163 days while serving as a missionary abroad. He survived four wars, three accidents, two food poisoning attempts and an assassination attempt on his life. Now I think aside from the banging, ultra-cool scars many survivors have, they also possess special qualities that help them live life. Surely, emotional intelligence is one such quality. It takes emotional intelligence to process feelings appropriately to stay alive. How about courage, the will to live and the God factor? Oh yeah! Really, it is easy to become bitter after surviving cunning and competitive folks. Try to not do that. Maybe get help? Attempting to live again begins with a positive attitude, self-love and great wit and these are additional survival qualities to possess. Life may be swings and slides. My wish though is that we stay “swinging” for longer. Dare to think like a…
A DARING ADVENTURE; THE HELEN KELLER EFFECT
The story of Helen Keller is inspiring. She had lost her sight and hearing due to a childhood illness and for a minute, it must have seemed like all is lost. In spite of this overwhelming state, she learned to understand and communicate with the world around her as well as acquire excellent education. Her parents had hired an extraordinary teacher. Parents, teachers and mentors have a huge responsibility it seems. Helen Keller became an author and was widely esteemed for her work. For many she had become a symbol of the triumph of the human spirit over adversity. Now I think, it is possible to live the dream and overcome adversity through learning. To give up is easy, but I would be curious to know what I could achieve by not giving up.So I seek to understand, learn, create and pursue excellence. Great stories often had humble beginnings.At the…
IF I COULD TELL THE FUTURE?
What if I could tell the future? I guess I would know the decisions to make today that will lead to desired outcomes in life. I would learn from the mistakes of others, make fewer mistakes and live the best life possible as a result.I would know why some people accomplish much way earlier than others. Hmm! Now that is a thought for another day. Sometimes, I take a walk to people-watch. It is such fun to watch people on these walks. Some faces have a smile. (I like that) Others are serious (well, there’s a time for everything eh?)Makes me think everyone is on a journey, seeking the finer things of life and to do incredible things! I have experienced a bit of life’s fine things, learning, being my best self, embracing and growing in my femininity. Still I want more. Is that bad?Being ‘hungry’ can be a good…
OF BOULDERS, BEES AND WALKING ON WATER!
The story is told of a king who placed a boulder right in the middle of a street and watched out of sight to see who would move it out of the way. Some people walked around it complaining about the king’s failure to maintain roads well. He watched as a man came along and moved the boulder. It took him a while but he did and now others could walk freely too. He was rewarded when he found a bag stuffed full of treasure where the boulder had been. The king had placed the reward there. Often, opportunity is masked as a challenge. Will we find it?Helping others makes us happy. Does compassion drive it? Bees work twenty-four hours, seven days a week with out sleeping or resting. They have a short lifespan of just three months. They are really making the most of the life they have…
BOTH SIDES OF THE STORY
I hear Phil Collins’ Both Sides of the Story. ‘We need to hear both sides of the story’, he sings. There’s more than one side to the story. Your side, the other side and maybe a third side.Why do we need to hear all the sides? Perhaps to make informed decisions? Then again, it is a special feeling to tell your side and be heard. The story of the elephant and the six blind men may be humorous but is a reflection of life. Each blind man telling a part of the story from their perception of an elephant. Each story making a complete picture that helps our understanding of a magnificent creature. We see things in part and sometimes need help to fully grasp the whole picture. Asking critical questions can bring out whole new perspectives and a balanced view. Who has power in this situation?Are there biased views?…
THE STORY OF SOLOMON, OF KINGDOMS AND SUCCESSORS
I am intrigued by King Solomon. Here was a king with power, fame, wisdom and a good lineage. The queen of Sheba visited him and observed that his workers, numerous in number, I imagine were happy. Wow! That says a lot about the character of the man and he had influence with God too. Amazing! Makes me think indeed, great wealth is divine and a perfect fusion of the natural and the supernatural. Just like his father David before him, Solomon had it all. Then he lost it all and an inheritance from past generation is also lost. Someone dropped the ball. Where did Solomon miss it? He was warned of this happening to be honest. (1 Kings 11) His relationships, diverse and eclectic, became distractions and turned his heart away from what mattered most. The heart is where it all starts, right? A wise man (or maybe a woman?)…
THE SCARS CAN BE BEAUTIFUL?
This post is inspired by a message. Every action has a likely outcome and it is necessary to put some thought to action. The understanding I get is that we need to think about and understand plausible results of every action. It is also important to think through before acting. Is this always easy or possible though? We are limited as humans, right? Limited in knowledge. Not to mention the curves and twists life presents. But we also have been given power of thought and resources to create the life that we want. So I would ask, what kind of life do I want? What must I do differently? No one wants to be “stuck on stupid”. Like a river flowing through unpleasant rocks and chinks in its path stays on its course and creates the beauty we see, we want to stay on course. What more, life flows…