IS YOUR HEART COLD? CHANGING YOUR LIFE WITH WORDS - DAY 174

The world has changed.  The United States of America has changed.  The people of our cities and towns have changed.  More and more I notice that good manners are disappearing from the landscape of our neighborhoods.  Now I am aware when I smile and greet a stranger they may not return the smile or the greeting, and their eyes are cold.  The homeless population continues to increase, and for many it is through no fault of their own.

Too many people are unemployed.  Too many people are one paycheck or serious illness away from being out on the streets. There is insufficient help for those who are homeless and especially for the mentally ill. There is more assistance for those addicted to drugs and/or alcohol than for the most vulnerable who have mental and emotional problems.  Even for those who are normal before being forced to live on the streets, the ravages of time and hardship can cause them to become mentally unstable.

We seem to have our priorities backwards.  Athletes, actors, singers, politicians, and CEO's command and receive extraordinary incomes, but our military personnel, policemen, firemen, nurses, teachers and  others who serve us have to make do with so much less.  When was the last time an athlete, actor, singer, CEO or politician saved a life?  Which children other than their own received a good education courtesy of an athlete, actor, singer, politician or CEO?  We willingly give our money to support the athletes, actors, singers, politicians, and companies headed by CEO's...........but what do we do for those who truly serve the more important purposes?  What do we do for those who are the least among us?

Do you know how many homeless people there are in your city, town or community?  Do you know how many homeless children are enrolled in your public schools?  Do you know how many resources or facilities there are in your area for people in need?  If your answer to any of these questions is "no" then make it a point to obtain that information.  If the resources are insufficient what can you and your neighbors do to change that?  The mental hospitals and sanitariums are no more.  For some homeless drugs and alcohol are not addictions but rather self-numbing devices against the pain of having no where to go and no one to help.

If your heart is cold or has grown cold ask God to

IGNITE YOUR HEART!

ARE YOU STAYING STRONG? CHANGING YOUR LIFE WITH WORDS - DAY 154

There are days when I feel as if the world is spinning out of control, and that unless I keep hanging on tightly I will be flung out into space.  This feeling comes because it seems so many things which should be easy to deal with or accomplish have become difficult due to bureaucracy, stupidity, incompetence, unemployment, or technology.

What are you trying to do?  Start a business?  Save a relationship? Be a good parent? Pursue your life's dream? Deal with your own illness or that of a loved one?  Are you discouraged for any reason?  Are you thinking you won't realize your objective or have the opportunity to live your dream?  Are you feeling you will never find a job in your field at the salary level you need?  Are you afraid that the outcome will not be that for which you are hoping?

It is so easy to find so many things wrong in the world today, but I encourage you to focus on the positive rather than the negative.  Talk to yourself, and think positively even when you don't  feel like it.  Hang around with positive people rather than naysayers, and determine what you can do about the issue and do it.  Most important

REFUSE TO GIVE UP!

CHANGING YOUR LIFE WITH WORDS - DAY 7

Being a control freak most of my life, one of the most difficult things for me to accept was that in reality there is not much I can control other than my attitude.  My dear mother was the consummate worrier, and at times she would actually make herself physically ill from worry.  She always expected the worst in every situation.  My dad was not a worrier but rather a "doer."  At the end of the day, I am much more like him than my mom.

When my children were young I divorced my husband.  Although I knew it was the right decision,  I soon  was scaring myself to death thinking about things that might happen to the children in the future if I could not juggle home, work, finances, and all the responsibilities of parenting.  I had to talk to myself saying that if I did not stop worrying I would end up like my mother making myself physically ill.  That would not be good for the children or me.

Some time later I read a Scripture verse (Matthew 6:34) which says, "Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own."  That verse resonated with me, and I realized I was worrying about things that might never happen (and they never did).

In the past several years my family and I have experienced some challenges:

•   Three years of unemployment for one member, 
•   A collapsed lung for another,
•   A pulmonary embolism and lung cancer for me.

On days when I would slip back into my old ways of trying to figure out how I was going to fix everything, a dear friend reminded me of The Serenity Prayer.  As a recovering alcoholic with 28 years of sobriety, he credits this prayer with helping him to turn his life around so many years ago.  He still prays it daily.

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

the courage to change the things I can,

and the wisdom to know the difference.

Even if you are not a religious person or you do not believe in prayer, I think the common sense of that prayer is the solution to relieving much stress.  We all have to accept things we cannot change, and yet we must be strong enough to change the things we can.  The common sense part is being wise enough to know the difference.

Today's message is:

Don't Worry!

  

The Government Is Stealing Our Joy

In re-reading my last two posts, it is abundantly clear that I am allowing the U. S. Government and state of the nation and the world to steal my joy.  I am confident that there are many others whose joy is also being stolen by our government.

The lies, the cover-ups, the irresponsible behavior, the lack of leadership, the dishonest media, the hidden agendas, the loss of jobs, the poverty, and loss of homes have become a steady diet and an unhealthy one at that.    Not only are these specific things stealing joy from the lives of so many people, but since the government is behind all of these things and the do-nothing Congress continues to do nothing we will continue to be stressed, unhappy, getting poorer, and the laundry list of problems we face grows longer each day.

SO...........I am proposing that all of us whose joy is being stolen take a stand now and stop allowing the government to do this to us.  For those who believe in a higher power, focus on that and the power you receive from your faith.  For those who have dreams and ambitions still unfulfilled, focus on those.  For those who have brought new lives into the world, focus on those wee ones and concentrate on bringing them up to be the best possible human beings.  For those who are struggling financially, who are unemployed, or who are underemployed......focus on your strengths, abilities and skills you bring to the table of any employer.  Focus on how you can utilize those talents in a different setting.  For those of you who are lonely, focus on reaching out to someone each day be it a neighbor, a co-worker, a fellow church goer, or someone waiting in line with you for fast food.  For those of you feeling helpless and hopeless, focus on the good news and the good people instead of the bad news and the evil, wicked people (not all of whom are politicians).  For those of you who are fearful of what the new day will bring, think of what is the worst thing that can happen and decide if you can deal with that you can deal with anything that comes to you that day.  For those who are totally fed up with our government and the leaders, focus on writing your representatives and protesting their actions.......focus on talking to others to get them to do the same............sign petitions to stop things from happening...............start  thinking about the possible good people you can vote to elect in 2014 and remember to never again vote for an incumbent.

Let us wake up each day with a sense of hope, a feeling of courage that we will not allow the government to deprive us of our joy much less our rights and freedoms.  LET'S TAKE OUR JOY BACK AND HOLD TIGHTLY TO IT.  HOPE AND JOY WILL GET US THROUGH THE DAYS AND MONTHS AHEAD.

When Do We The People Get To Give A Vote Of "No Confidence" In Our Leaders?

My on-line business is a shop selling handmade clothing and accessories for babies and toddlers.  My blog
originally began as a place where I intended to write about topics pertaining to children and parenting.
Although I still plan on writing those types of posts, today I am overwhelmed with feelings of anger, anxiety, and sorrow at the things that are happening in our country and our world.  Therefore, I feel compelled to list them if for no other reason than to vent my feelings.

Liars.............cheaters...................lawbreakers.................murderers.............thieves..............immoral slobs...........child abusers..............scam artists...............kidnappers...............thugs................gang members thinking they are true men..............lack of respect for anything or anyone...............loss of honor and pride..............sexual assaults in the military.................illegal aliens..................lack of border security ...........drug trafficking .....................war mongers..............dictators..............natural disasters.......... poverty.............terrible education system.......... terrible teachers ........... greed............ corruption...........lust for power at all costs.............Obamacare..............lack of clean water ............ starvation ............... genocide..............tax evasion........... excessive taxation............failed foreign policy........... Benghazi cover-up............IRS illegal tactics...........inarticulate, uneducated  society using only F bombs and other 4-letter words...............sociopaths...........narcissists...........sex offenders.............voter fraud...........entitlement fraud.........loss of pride.............teachers having sex with students......... discrimination.............anti-Christian attitudes............failure to acknowledge those that hate us and want to kill us............political correctness that has weakened us and ruined our once great country...............so-called journalists who have no compunction about lying and failing to write just the facts...............talking heads that just blather on and on when we really only want the facts and not their opinions which are many times based on untruths..................overspending... .increasing national debt.......inability for the government to solve ANYTHING.............government growing too big and too incompetent..............no one to believe anymore in government, media, society.............. unemployment staggering........families struggling............. fixed income elderly struggling............homeless population increasing...........hatred............ prejudice..... ........... students taught revised history...............ignorance among voters...........nanny state growing

Just listing all of these things in a blog post does not change any of them................but by listing all of these things and realizing there are many more which I have not listed, I know why I am overwhelmed by my feelings of anger, anxiety, and sorrow.  How can anyone read this list and think that things are going just great in America?

When will we finally give our government a vote of "No Confidence" and replace every one of the 542 people leading us down paths where we should not go and do not want to go?  No one is going to come and save us.  We must stand up and be counted and save ourselves, our children, our grandchildren, and our once great nation.  The only way we can do this is to NEVER again vote for any incumbent in any office whether city, county, state, or national.  We need to clean house or we are all going to regret it as things can and will continue to get worse and there will be a point of no return which is currently in our line of sight if we are truthful.

Love, Sweet Love

Back in the late 60's or early 70's there was a song with lyrics that said, "What the world needs now is love, sweet love.  It's the only thing that there's just too little of..................."  Yesterday I was speaking with my daughter who lives in Manhattan.  Because of the recent tragedy at the Empire State Building we talked of  many things:

• the insanity in today's world, 
• the senseless crimes, 
• the red flags that are ignored which could prevent tragedies,
• the rage and anger exhibited by many people, 
• the killing and wounding of innocent people, 
• the bickering, dishonesty, and lack of action of our elected representatives, 
• the insane greed and lust for power, money, and 15 minutes of fame,
• the overwhelming national debt,
• the millions of people looking for jobs,
• the loss of moral compasses by many people,
• the ever-increasing numbers of homeless people and addicts of every kind,
• the looting and stealing of other people's property by thugs,
• the destruction of property over stupid things like a sporting event won or lost,
• the great lack of respect for authority, anything or anyone, 
• the huge number of single mothers and abdication of responsibility by fathers,
• the boys who think that they are tough because they belong to gangs and are no strangers to drive-by shootings and other criminal acts,
• the ridiculous mismanagement of funds in cities, towns, and states causing the loss of needed protection provided by police, fire fighters, and our military.  
• and so many, many more issues that taint life in the world today.

You will notice we did not mention natural disasters like earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, fires,  hurricanes or tornadoes as they are things over which humans have no control. The problems we discussed are all man made and, therefore, in truth can be resolved by mankind if we are inclined to fix them.  We talked about things that could, should, or might be done to resolve the problems and make the world a better, safer place.

We believe the thing that could start to make things better is LOVE.  All children and adults need love, compassion and kindness, and when they don't get it anger, rage, and bad behavior are the results.  There have always been evil people and evil acts, and there are people who have been loved but still choose to go down a wrong path in life. Many people want to fight, quarrel, kill, threaten, attack, and generally behave like jerks.  Love, kindness and compassion can help many of them and, over time, prevent the numbers from increasing.

Such a simple answer but a true answer.  Will we all ask ourselves what do we do that we need to stop doing, and what do we not do that we need to start doing?  Will we begin in our own homes, on our own streets, in our own cities and towns?  Bad people and bad deeds make the daily news, but there are still millions of good people in this world who are never mentioned................there are enough good people so that we could turn the world around if we join forces and decide to do it.

"What the world needs now is love, sweet love......................"  How about it?  Are you in?

Are Two Heads Really Better Than One?

There is an old saying that "two heads are better than one." Do you believe it? I do! If two heads are better than one, then dozens or hundreds or thousands must be EVEN better. Because I believe it I cannot help but wonder why we are all waiting for the government to resolve our problems. Politicians cannot stop campaigning or arguing long enough to focus on solutions and gaining consensus. I firmly believe that in every neighborhood, community, city and town of any size in America we have the capacity, the intelligence, and the ability to resolve many of our problems on local levels. Think about it! When this country was first settled people were strong, brave, resourceful, resilient, and optimistic in spite of all the odds. They were entrepreneurs (or actually the first solopreneurs even though this is a recently coined word). Whether they were farmers, blacksmiths, storekeepers, bankers, ranchers, saloon keepers, sheriffs, deputies, preachers, teachers or doctors they assessed what they and their communities needed, and they made things happen. They helped each other, and they shared with those less fortunate. Did they always agree? No. Were they always successful? No. Did they make mistakes? Yes. Did they make progress anyway? You bet they did. Did they have any of the many assets we have today such as education, communication, technology, health care, medications, transportation, etc.? No! Yet somehow they managed to create a country that was envied by the entire world, a country where people longed to come to fulfill dreams, a country where freedom existed, and a country where slavery and segregation were finally ended. We all have the ability to work together, and yet we act as if we are a flock of sheep waiting for Little Bo Peep to find us and guide us home. I am convinced that if people would come together in a spirit of unity to prioritize what the community's needs are, determine all the available resources, distinguish between what is necessary and what is desirable, and be more concerned with the good of the community than the good of the individual that ideas for solutions would flow faster than anyone could write them down. Because there are problems and there are symptoms of problems it must be agreed that problems are to be solved and symptoms will take care of themselves as a byproduct of problem solving. An unbiased, objective, fair facilitator must lead each group to ensure everyone is heard and no one is shut down even though others may disagree with what is being said. Respect and courtesy are a must. Once everyone has had a chance to contribute to the vast list of "problems" then as a group they must decide if each item is a symptom or an actual problem. Very quickly it will become clear that while there may be a jillion symptoms the actual number of problems is manageable. People get overwhelmed when they think they have to solve all the symptoms, but once problems are identified and prioritized then the formation of solutions can begin, time and action calendars developed,and individual or group responsibilities established for the actions. Call me crazy, but I know that this approach works. For what are we waiting? Let's put our heads together and do it!