The Senility Prayer?

Never give up; you never know until you try.

I recently ran across "The Senility Prayer," which I think I'd never heard of before.  http://www.thisfunsforyou.com/htdocs/funpages/senility.php

I think it was meant to be taken as humorous, but you know me; just as I can usually find the "funny" in things, I can also usually find the "serious" as well.  The prayer asks God that you be able to forget people you never liked.  While there are definitely some people I would like to forget, I have to admit that I've learned something from at least some of them.  I've learned how I want to behave--or not behave.  I've learned compassion.  I've learned a little about how God must feel when I conduct myself in a less-than-Christ-like manner.

How about you?  What have you learned from people you'd like to forget?

Be a Happiness-Causer

Never give up; you never know until you try.

Oscar Wilde said, "Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go."
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/happiness.html

Better Than Underdog

Never give up; you never know until you try.

Allow me to introduce you to my canine friend, Underdog!

http://www.toontracker.com/totaltv/underdog.htm


If you were a cartoon-watching, American child between 1964 and 1973 (or you've seen reruns on Cartoon Network or elsewhere,) you may remember Underdog, the animal version of Superman.  As a testament to how television sounds and images can stick with you for years, to this day, I still occasionally bolster my courage by jokingly quoting the furry little superhero's catchphrase, "No need to fear--Underdog is here!"

Yes, I realize that I just admitted to quoting a cartoon character.  I'm sure I'm not the only one, though I may be the only one who'll admit it in a public forum.  My regular readers probably aren't the least bit surprised by my disclosure; you know there is a method to my madness. 

Like many people, I sometimes use humor to defuse tension.  I've written before that my sense of humor is dark, twisted, and irreverent, and it becomes even more so when I'm stressed.  Feeling fearful stresses me.  (How's that for a 'duh' statement?)  When fear tries to rear its ugly head, I think of Underdog, and I think of One Who is a million times better than Underdog.  Unlike Underdog, He's infallible.  Jesus is always there, always equipped, always equipping me with what I need--just when I need it.  Jesus is truly man's (woman's, child's) best friend. 

Apologies and post--Huh?

Never give up; you never know until you try.

My apologies to you all.  I thought I'd scheduled posts for the last couple weeks, but something happened.  They didn't post!  I didn't check to be sure they posted, and when I went to schedule next week's I discovered the goof.  My apologies!  Here's what should've posted earlier this week:

A friend of mine had a birthday last week, so I guess I've had him and his family on my mind.  His sister used to quote the following a lot:

"I know that you believe you understand what you think I said, but I’m not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant." (Thanks, Robert McCloskey)

Even when we use "I-Statements," misunderstanding is rampant in human communication.  We project our own hopes, feelings, prejudices onto the other person.  They do it to us.  It happens.  Where we "are" and where we have "been" will "color" our perceptions as surely as a three-year-old will "Crayola-fy" color the living room wall with her crayons.

Be on guard, because Satan will happily take this little fact and run with it, causing as much havoc as possible.  We have to listen to what's behind the words to get the full picture, and we have to be very self-aware to understand how we receive others' words.  Ernest Hemingway said, "When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen.”

http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/show_tag?id=empathy

Listen!

Memorial Day

Never give up; you never know until you try.

Next Monday is Memorial Day in the U.S.  http://www.usmemorialday.org/backgrnd.html

As I like to do every year, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank every serviceperson and his or her family for making life as I know it possible.  God bless you.

Challenging But Not Overwhelming: A Reminder

Never give up; you never know until you try.

I hope you won't think me a nag if I write again about something most of us need periodic reminders of--setting manageable goals, broken into several steps instead of one giant leap.  We've all done it: decided to do something then tried to do it all at once. We wanted to "get in shape," so we tried to run 5 miles the first exercise session; we found that even if we did manage to run that much the first time out, we couldn't walk the next day.  We set the bar too high, ignoring the basic scientific fact that we can't do everything at once. 

This week, a couple of my students set nearly impossible goals for themselves for what they wanted to accomplish in class.  I told both of them that while I was glad they set the bar high for themselves, I wanted them to reach their goals without killing themselves in the process.  I shared a story from my life, acknowledging that I, too, sometimes fall into the trap of wanting and even trying to do too much at once.  I hope they (and I) will take that lesson to heart.  We need to challenge ourselves, but if we try to do too much at once, we get overwhelmed and nothing gets done, or what does get done isn't done well.  Then we end up taking longer to do something than we would've taken if we'd gone at it slowly and steadily. 

Don't overwhelm yourself.  Slow down.  Take one step at a time.

Lessons With Edward

Never give up; you never know until you try.

The air smells just like laundry straight off the clothesline and feels just like laundry straight from the dryer. Edward can't help himself; he just has to escape and feel the wind in his face as he runs as fast as his legs will carry him. The day beckons, and he must obey. Rules are made to be broken, so he ignores the firm but gentle command of "Don't cross," bolting forward. The leash jerks from his parent's hand, and Edward rushes out of his parent’s grasp and into the arms of freedom.

Poor Edward quickly learns that freedom has a price. In his case, the price is the nasty gash he sustains on one of his legs. The one that will undoubtedly leave a permanent scar as a reminder that rules are there to make his life safer and better.

Edward is my parents' dog, and the other day he was M. I. A. for an hour before he finally returned home. My folks still have no idea what the little guy got into, but he obviously got more than he bargained for.

I've thought a lot this week about little Edward's latest escapade. As I've written before, I'm in the process of making some big changes in my life, and they're not happening as fast as I'd like them to. I know that God has a reason for the supposed slowness of the process, but I still find myself wanting to try to hurry things along. At those times, I try to remind myself that everything has a season and that my job is to live in each one as God would have me to live. If it were time for a different season, then it would be a different season.  As much as I may sometimes hate them, the Lord’s rules are there to make my life safer and better.  His timetable is there to make my life safer and better.  Thanks to Edward, I’ll now have an extra reminder of that every time I look at the scar on his leg.

(Did you notice the homage to "Travels With Charley?"  If you haven't read the book by John Steinbeck, I highly recommend it.) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travels_With_Charley