Listening

"Sometimes the worst thing we can do for another is to open our mouth"

Listening is a learned skill and a skill that takes some of us longer to learn than others. I think for me it took longer because my head was too busy coming up with what I would say next- instead of "really" listening to what the other person was saying. God gave us two ears and one mouth which could mean that we need to listen twice as much as we talk. Many of my richest BLESSINGS in life have come from just listening. Try it- you may just learn something!

Honesty

I always try to be honest and ethical in all situations. Today for some unknown reason, I was reminded of a time when it was very painful to be honest. My husband and I were going through a very difficult financial time and money was scarce. We had to count pennies and work extremely hard to stretch our dollars. My daughter and I made a quick trip to the drive through at the bank to cash her babysitting checks and to get some cash for lunch money. I handed her the money from the teller and continued to buzz along to our next stop. I ask her to take her money out and then put my cash in my purse. At the next red light, I counted my cash (as I said earlier I was counting every penny) and found that there was $50.00 too much. I had her recount her money and my money and sure enough there was $50.00 too much. Now let me tell you how easy it would have been to keep on driving and thank the Lord for this BLESSING! $50.00 would have made a big difference in my life at that time but honesty was a character trait that I was not willing to compromise. I turned around, rode back through the drive through, explained all of this to the teller, and asked her to recheck the transaction. Sure enough, she had given us $50.00 too much and was extremely appreciative of the fact that we had returned the money. I was BLESSED that day knowing I had set a positive example for my daughter- "honesty is always the best policy". She knew money was tight, she knew how much we needed that money but she also learned that honesty was an extremely important character trait to her mom and that she could trust me to be honest in all situations- even when it is painful.

Green Grass

"The grass may be greener on the other side but it still has to be mowed."

If I focus on the things that I do not have, then I become blinded to the BLESSINGS which surrounds me! This is very hard concept for children to understand and even harder for "some" adults. I was even that way for many years of my life and it was not a very happy or productive place to be. Chasing happiness is an exhausting job and it doesn't matter how much you have... if you are not happy with yourself and who you are, then the grass will always be greener on the other side. Instead of chasing happiness, count your BLESSINGS and name them one by one.

The Newlywed Game

We lost! But there is a BLESSING in all of this, we had a blast. I mean, roll in the floor laughing until your stomach hurts, kind of fun! The questions were so hard and you really had to think because after 31 years of marriage there was just so much "stuff" to choose from. We didn't finish last (another BLESSING)- the pastor and his wife (married for 29 years) didn't get a single question right, how funny is that! Here are the 3 questions we got correct: Does your husband stand up and move into the aisle to let you sit down on the pew bench at church or does he slide over to let you sit down? My hubby stands up! Where did you go for your first date? To his fraternity house for a party! What kind of "Mr. Fix It" is your husband, Bob the Builder (starts the job and never finishes it), Tim the Tool Man (attempts everything but makes a mess out of it all), or Al (does it right the first time and in a timely manner)? The congregation loved this answer because my husband is an excellent contractor with an outstanding reputation but... he is a Bob the Builder at home (you know the cobblers kids go with shoes)! What a wonderful evening we had and win or lose, a fun time was had by all. Now that is a BLESSING indeed!

My Valentine

My husband has been my valentine for 34 years (31 years of marriage, and 3 years of dating). He is one of the biggest BLESSINGS of my entire life. Not all of these years have been heavenly bliss but each hurdle has helped our love to grow and has taught us valuable life lessons. The biggest accomplishment of our love story has been raising two children and the satisfaction of seeing them as responsible, independent, adults. Our love continues to strengthen and grow as we enjoy our empty nest years together with anticipation of many more happy loving years to come. Our valentine evening will be spent together enjoying a church valentine banquet and then participating in a "Newlywed Game". I have no idea what that will be like but it should be interesting! My husband, still my valentine after 34 years- now that is a BLESSING indeed!

Elmo Part Two

Elmo (see previous post) is a very talented dog and I am BLESSED daily with her companionship. She goes with me on my daily walks, plays catch with any object that I throw, stands up and dances around on two legs, speaks (barks) when asked to, rolls over, sits, and crawls up in my lap like a baby to snuggle with me... Which I love! Crawling up in my lap is not an easy task because she weighs about 60 pounds but the reward of time spent together snuggling, makes it worth the trouble. I have her clipped short like a puddle to help her stay clean because she is an indoor pet. Elmo is also hypoallergenic which is important because I have allergies. Labradoodles are actually bred to be seeing eye dogs for blind people that have allergies and can be very costly if purchased from a breeder. Lucky me and lucky Elmo, she was rescued from an animal shelter! What a blessing indeed!

Elmo

This is my best friend Elmo that hates to have her picture made. I think she may be afraid of the flash and it is hilarious to watch her try to do all in her power to avoid the camera. Elmo has BLESSED my life for 6 years now. I rescued her from the animal shelter where they called her a "labradoodle", having a standard poodle mom and a black lab dad. I have lately been convinced that Elmo may have had a retriever for a dad because a friend of mine just got a goldendoodle and Elmo acts and looks just like her except Elmo is black. Elmo loves to retrieve things and each time we return home Elmo will greet us with something that she has retrieved. It can be as simple as a rock or leaf, and sometimes as elaborate as a raft from the pool. Maybe that makes her a "retrieverdoodle" but whatever the background she brings me immeasurable happiness and joy. Elmo is one of the BIGGEST BLESSINGS of my entire life and I treasure each moment that I get to spend with her.