Graham’s Wisdom!

We lost a great Evangelist this week or shall I say that heaven just welcomed a new resident?  Yes, the formidable Billy Graham recently changed residences and gained a new address.   He wrote, “Someday you will read or hear that Billy Graham is dead.  Don’t believe a word of it.  I shall be more alive than I am now.  I will just have changed my address. I will have gone into the presence of God.”

We know that he could not live forever but after 99 years on this earth, it is still so hard to say goodbye. He said, “No matter how prepared you think you are for the death of a loved one, it still comes as a shock and it still hurts very deeply.”

We often think that people will always be around or somewhere in the backdrop, but when they are truly gone, we start to remember.  We recall what impact they had on our lives, what we learned and what we gained from their mere existences.

Upon hearing of his passing, I begin to scroll through some of his famous quotes.  It was somehow comforting and I felt closer to him as I read his thoughts.  Many of them touched me but this one held special meaning because it related to where I am on my current journey.

He said, “Mountaintops are for views, but fruit is grown in the valleys.”  I inaudibly said, “Wow, how perfect!”  I recounted my own valley experiences but after writing my gratitude pages, I realized that I am making progress.  Fruit is still ripening in the midst of my limited heightened views.

I can see that even when I felt as if time was standing still, I was still planting seeds, tilling the soil and seeing new growth bursting forth.  I gave a resounding thanks and thanked Billy Graham for helping me to see the fruits of my labor.

So, I say,” Enjoy your new address Mr. Graham.   I know that once Gabriel blew his trumpet and the gates of heaven opened , there was a warm reception party singing, “Well-done my good and faithful servant!”

Lynn M.                                                           February 25, 2018

 

A Gift for Black History Month!

Black Panther is a movie that captures the times of today.  Though it encompasses much, its powerful message circles around what happens to families when they break apart due to deeply buried truths.  Warring relatives both vie for power and rightful positions as this tale unfolds.  It is based on a Marvel Comics series written by a variety of writers.

T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) has been newly installed as King of Wakanda after his father’s death and after successfully battling  a neighboring contender. He rules and protects his kingdom as his father did while remaining quite oblivious to the woes of the outside world.

That is until an angry and long, lost cousin Erik (Michael B. Jordan) shows up on the African land to take the throne.  He is filled with hate and rage because his father had been executed by the T’Challa’s father, though they were brothers.  He is stronger than T’Challa and takes the throne for a while after they fight a ferocious battle.  He plans on destroying many factions of the world to get revenge for his many years of suffering because of the world’s injustices.

There is so much to this star-studded cast and the best thing to do is just go and see it. Here are a few major actors:  Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker, Lupita Nyong’o and Sterling K. Brown along with some great, new talent.  The acting is top-notched; the costumes are unforgettable and it is extremely high-tech.  What a fun experience!

When it ended, I turned around and everybody was basically still in their seats. No one wanted it to end. So I also lingered and sure enough, after the credits rolled there were two or three more sneak peaks and additions to the script.  One woman said, “I am going to see it again.”  As I think about it, I will too.  What a gift!

Lynn M.                                                                              February 18, 2018

The Greatest Love!

 

It’s February, the month of love. Immediately the colors of pink and red along with the shapes of hearts are reminders that Valentine’s Day is near.

A barrage of thoughts may fill your mind as you think about your wishes, expectations or precious memories.
But what about the greatest love of all?

Whitney Houston succinctly reminds you in her song that the greatest love of all is “the love inside of me.”  Let’s face it, you live in a selfie world and the younger generations have few problems with putting themselves at the center of it all.

But you older ones who are strapped with responsibility need to follow suit and take more time to love and adorn yourselves. If you are feeling out of balance, harried or generally just not ‘up to snuff’ as the Southerners say, then simply STOP.

Here is a new acronym:
S- Stop
T- Taking on
O– Others’
P- Problems

You are enough. You have enough to do as you manage your own life and realign yourself with the universe and the natural order of things. You may have become broken down, so to speak, from operating as a people-pleaser who has become depleted and out of tune.

As a remedy, push aside all but the absolute necessities. Become your own center and focal point and the greatest concern of all. Let everybody else wait or take a proverbial hike. Then, put on some soft music, take long bath soaks, light a candle and listen to healing and soothing meditation tapes to regain your central peace.

Ask yourself: What am I striving for? What do I want to accomplish? What is my timeline? What is my plan of action? What is urgent and what can wait?

Slow down and put as many things on hold as possible until your strength resurges to a comfortable level. Center, align and reawaken to your own voice. Listen to what your heart is telling you to do.

Give yourself all of the attention that you have been doling out to others. Acknowledge the fact that you cannot help others until you first help yourself. Take small steps as you move towards realizing that the greatest love of all is indeed inside of you.

Agree with Tanaaz.  “If  you have been neglecting yourself by doing things to please others, you may find that this lunar energy forces you to take a fewer steps back and relax. Say, ‘I deserve to love myself. I deserve to be happy.’”

Lynn M.                                                          February 11, 2018

Unfinished Business: Two Books

I happened to be reading two books simultaneously – one on my Kindle and the other an actual library book.   As I was reading Down the Hidden Path by Heather Burch and No Place I’d Rather Be by Cathy Lamb, I thought, “Hmmm.  So many similarities.

In both novels, Gray, a physical therapist and Olivia, a head chef are returning to their hometowns and both move into their grandparents’ vacant homes. They each run into their former flames and both want to avoid them at all costs for different reasons.  But it is clear that there is obviously still some unfinished business.

Gray from Down the Hidden Path returns to Missouri runs into Jeremiah.  She has a secret.  They have a twelve year-old son named David and though another couple adopted him, Gray has always been a part of her son’s life.  How long can she keep the truth from Jeremiah?  He went off to war and he has no idea that he is the father of a tween. How will he handle the truth?

Olivia from No Place I’d Rather Be, on the other hand, is returning to Montana after losing her job as head chef in Portland.  She almost veers off a cliff while driving in a blizzard, but Jace, her estranged husband, is there to save her and the two small girls she has in tow.  Why are they not together?  Who are the little girls?

Again, in both novels, Jeremiah and Jace are prominent ranch owners and well- positioned to assist these cash-strapped women. But will fear and pride cause Gray or Olivia to go under?  Can they trust again?

Answers abound as I continued to read along.  Jeremiah is livid when he finds out that he has a 12-year old son and he takes action against Gray which later backfires.  In contrast, Jace understands Olivia’s love for these two little girls because she had lost their three children through miscarriages. But can she convince the courts that she is a better parent than their imprisoned birth mother who is about to be released?

These couples apparently have plenty of unfinished business and it seems that only they can work out the equations.  Children’s lives are at stake. If the flames of the torches can be turned higher and hearts are opened, then maybe they will find grand solutions.  Pick up either or both of these books and see how it all works out!

Lynn M.                                                                                      February 4, 2018

February Love Month

Love is always in the air,
For those who reach out and care.

Extend yourself to others,
With the warm love of mothers.

Draw out the best from people,
As if under a steeple.

The way is narrow and straight,
See each one as sacred bait.

Sharing wisdom, hugs and smiles,
To carry them through many miles!

Lynn M.                                                                            February 3, 2018