Thoughts for Thursday--Age

"Life as we know it can change in a blink of an eye. Unlikely friendships can blossom, important careers can be tossed aside, a long lost hope can be rekindled. Still, we should be grateful for whatever changes life throws at us, because all too soon, the day will come when there are no changes left."

This quote reminds me that age is a wonderful thing, the older we get just means that there is that much more stories to tell and memories to be made. All age is, is a number. I need to remind my husband of this. His 30th birthday is in June and he is kind of dreading it. I plan to make it very special for him though!

Thoughts for Thursday--The Christmas Wreath

The Meaning of the Christmas Wreath

Every Christmas wreath is more than just a decoration...it's a special reminder of Jesus, the reason for our celebration. The circle of a Christmas wreath is a never-ending ring, a reminder of eternal love from our Lord and King. The Christmas wreath is a sign of welcome, inviting all the enter in...a reminder of Christ's invitation for all to come to Him. The middle of a Christmas wreath is a bare and empty space, a reminder of what life would be without Christ's love and grace. So each time you see a Christmas wreath hanging from a door, may your heart rejoice in the One that Christmas is truly for.

~Holley Gerth

I love this reading! I got this reading from a card from a co-worker of mine. I am thinking I might frame it and put it our every year at Christmas as a constant reminder to all who enter our home, the reason for the season is Christ. Merry Christmas Eve everyone!

Thoughts for Thursday--Simple Things

As we strain to grasp the things we desire...the things we THINK will make our lives better--money, popularity, fame--we ignore what TRULY matters--the SIMPLE things-- like friendship, family, love...the things that we already have!

I am truly thankful for the wonderful, simple things in my life: my husband, our home, our dog, our two vehicles, amazing family, wonderful friends, my job, my husbands job and the One, upstairs who makes it all possible.

Thoughts for Thursday--The Good

"Look for the GOOD in the people in your life. Don't be an excessive complainer.. (Remember) A fault finder will find faults in paradise! God is Love"--Rev Run

Very true and very simply put. I love me some Rev Run!

Thoughts for Thursday--Attitude

The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes.” - Charles R. Swindoll

I truly believe that attitude is everything. Attitude is how you view yourself, your spouse, your children, your family, your friends, your co-workers, political leaders, and the world! I choose to have the best attitude I can and to always stay optimistic.

Thoughts for Thursday--Giving Thanks

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.
Psalm 107:1

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours! I have so much to be thankful for this year. I am thankful for my husband, who stands by me everyday; our beautiful home that provides a roof over my head and plenty of food in my kitchen; our vehicles, they are by no means new but one is an SUV and the other a truck to get us around; my parents, who continue to show their un-conditional love and support everyday; my family and friends, whom it would be almost impossible to function without; mine and my husbands health, being healthy is everything and we are so fortunate; mine and my husbands jobs; we still have them and grateful for that everyday; my doctor, who has been very pro-active with seeking fertility treatments to help me ovulate and get us pregnant, and lastly the precious Lord above, with him, everything is possible.

Thoughts for Thursday--Success

The road to success is not straight. There is a curve called Failure, a loop called Confusion, speed bumps called Friends, red lights called Enemies, caution lights called Family. You will have flats called Jobs. But, if you have a spare called Determination, an engine called Perseverance, insurance called Faith and a driver called Jesus, you will make it to a place called Success.

Thoughts for Thursday--You Gotta Start Somewhere

No one can go back and make a brand new start. Anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.

I am not sure where I first heard this quote, but I have loved it and lived by it probably since I was in high school. It reminds me that I am in control of me, my life. My thoughts, my words, my actions are all mine. What I choose to do with them is up to me. I can not go back and change the 'what could have, should have, would have been', (believe me, there are sure times I wish I had a rewind, fast forward button), but I can start now and make whatever it may be, better. My goal in life is to always try to stay positive, optimistic and really put my faith and trust into the Lords hands.

Thoughts for Thursday--The Will of God

To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did. When God takes something from your grasp, He's not punishing you, but merely opening your hands to receive something better. The will of God will never lead you, where the Grace of God can not keep you.

I realize that there are many, many versions of this, long and short. This is just the brief of it, short and to the point. I will trust in God's will.

Thoughts for Thursday--Your True Being

You don't get wormy apples off a healthy tree, nor good apples off a diseased tree. The health of the apple tells the health of the tree. You must begin with your own life-giving lives. It's who you are, not what you say and do, that counts. Your true being brims over into true words and deeds.

Luke 6:43-45

Thoughts for Thursday--LIFE

"Life is an opportunity, benefit from it. Life is beauty, admire it. Life is bliss, taste it. Life is a dream, realize it. Life is a challenge, meet it. Life is a duty, complete it. Life is a game, play it. Life is a promise, fulfill it. Life is sorrow, overcome it. Life is a song, sing it. Life is a struggle, accept it. Life is a tragedy, confront it. Life is an adventure, dare it. Life is luck, make it. Life is too precious, do not destroy it. Life is life, fight for it."
~ Mother Teresa

Thoughts for Thursday--Just Another Day

"Life isn't supposed to be an all or nothing battle between misery & bliss. Life isn't supposed to be a battle at all. When it comes to happiness, well sometimes life is just ok, sometimes it's comfortable, sometimes wonderful, sometimes boring, sometimes unpleasant. When your day's not perfect, it's not a failure or a terrible loss, It's just another day..."

I am slowing realizing that it is ok if not all my days are fabulous and wonderful and filled with joy and surprises. It's perfectly fine to have just those 'average' type of days. Each day is different and will usually bring most of the same everyday task that we do everyday. Some days will be really great where you sometimes wish that this day will never end and some days will be so horrible and you just can't wait for the day to end, and some days are just pretty average. If those great, happy days where to happen everyday, we would not appreciate them as much compared to the not so happy day. And when the not so happy days come, we really do appreciate even the 'average' type of day.

All I know for sure, is everyday my day is filled with love, compainship, friendship, and the Lord; all of which I am forever greatful for, no matter what kind of day I am having.

Thoughts for Thursday--Live Life to the Fullest

Live life FULLY while you're here. Experience EVERYTHING. Take care of YOURSELF, your FAMILY and FRIENDS. Have fun, be crazy, be weird. Go out and screw up. You're probably going to anyways, so you might as well ENJOY the process. Take the opportunity to LEARN from your mistakes; find the cause of your problem and ELIMINATE it. Don't try to be perfect; just be an excellent example of being HUMAN!

Thoughts for Thursday--Good Ole' Pumpkin

Being a Christian is like being a pumpkin. God lifts you up, takes you in, and washes all the dirt off of you. He opens you up, touches you deep inside and scoops out all the yucky stuff--including the seeds of doubt, hate, greed, etc. Then, He carves you a new smiling face and puts His light inside you to shine for all the world to see.

I figured this would be fitting for the first day of October seeing that pumpkins do seem to be on so many peoples mind!

Thoughts for Thursday--Holding Hands

This reading is from the Married for Life book; I love this book, keep it in a drawer on my nightstand and will probably be taking a few stories from it that I love.

Never get too old to hold hands.
"It starts with a tiny fist wrapped around a mother's finger. It continues with a young hand held gently in one much larger. It endures through puppy love, adolescent relationships and courtship. And if we are wise, it extends into marriage, through middle age, beyond golden years, to the very end of life.

Holding hands is one of the most intimate expressions of love between two human beings.

Don't ever let this beautiful act slip away from you. It's so much more than a gesture of affection, so much greater than a mere symbol of connection. It's an incredibly meaningful communication, a deep connection in and of itself. It requires no words; in fact no words can convey such a profound message.

Why would two people ever stop holding hands? Perhaps it seems silly, somehow undignified, when we're older and have been married a long time. We may begin to think such things were meant only for young lovers and newlyweds. That's far from true! Besides its many other purposes, holding hands helps satisfy the basic human need for physical touch, a need we never outgrow.

Hold your spouse's hand throughout your life together; don't ever let it go until the day when you've fulfilled every marriage vow and finally release it from your grasp, placing it lovingly, trustingly into the hand of God."

Thoughts for Thursday--Peace

May today there be peace within. May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith in yourself and others. May you use the gifts that you have received and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content with yourself just the way you are. Let this knowledge settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love, it is there for each and every one of us.

I have read this over and over again; Every time it sinks in even more. It is a constant reminder for me to be happy, thankful, grateful, and at peace with myself and my life.

Thoughts for Thursday--Life's Too Short

"Life is too short to wake up with regrets. So love the people who treat you right, forget about the ones who don't. Believe everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance, take it. If it changes your life, let it. Nobody said life would be easy, they just promised it would be worth it."

It seems like it takes a bad accident, tragic death or monumental loss to remind people how precious life really is and how privileged we all are to be here on earth. God chose for us to be here when he wants us here and to take us when he is ready. I too have to keep myself in check at how precious life is, no matter how easy or hard it may be and no matter what is thrown my way. Life-->don't take it for granted.

Thoughts for Thursday--Life is a Theater

Life is a theater - invite your audience carefully. Not everyone is spiritually healthy and mature enough to have a front row seat in our lives. There are some people in your life that need to be loved from a distance. It's amazing what you can accomplish when you let go, or at least minimize your time with draining negative, incompatible, not-going-anywhere relationships/friendships/fellowships! Observe the relationships around you. Pay attention to: Which ones lift and which ones lean? Which ones encourage and which ones discourage? Which ones are on a path of growth uphill and which ones are going downhill? When you leave certain people, do you feel better or feel worse? Which ones always have drama or don't really understand, know and appreciate you and the gift that lies within you? When you seek growth, peace of mind, love and truth, the easier it will become for you to decide who gets to sit in the FRONT ROW and who should be moved to the balcony of your life. You cannot change the people around you...but you can change the people you are around! Choose wisely the people who sit in the front row of your life. ~unknown author~

I love this reading and love how it relates to life. I believe it really puts things in perspective.

Thoughts for Thursday--Go To Bed and Relax

"All great blessings come from being at peace. When the day is over, go to sleep. Never sit up worrying about tomorrow. Work hard and let God do the rest. I always say these words at night: "I can sleep tonight because God is awake!" Relax. Rest easy"--Rev Run

I am a big fan of Rev Run (Run DMC) and Run's House; his reality TV show on MTV. Reverend Run entered the public eye in 1983 as Run, leader of the pioneering rap trio Run-DMC and was recently inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame. Rev Run (an ordained minister), closes each episode of Run's House by reading philosophical, Christian, and inspirational books in the bathtub before penning words that inspire, encourage, and motivate. I absolutely love watching his show, his relationship with his beautiful wife Justine, and his relationships with all his six kids, how he juggles his family and highly successful career. He is a true inspiration!

Thoughts for Thursday--Keeping On

Happiness keeps You Sweet, Trials keep You Strong, Sorrows keep You Human, Failures keeps You Humble, Success keeps You Glowing, but Only God keeps You Going.

Life happens...it continues on no matter what and in life you will come across all these things, happiness, trials, sorrows, failures, and successes. It's how these situations are handled that make people better or worse, happy or sad, up or down, in or out. For me, I choose to take from whatever it may be, learn from it and stay optimistic, always, I am much happier that way.