Not A Coincidence

It's not a coincidence that this scripture and the story that follows came together. I didn't feel well Friday evening so I went to bed early.  This verse is on the blog this morning.

I've written about random acts of kindness before. Have you thought that just paying attention to someone you come in contact with is an act of kindness.  It didn't cost anything but your time and involvement.  

What an incredible honor it would be to find out because of your interaction with someone, their life was spared.  I don't think I can fully wrap my head around that one.  However, it does make me more aware that there are so many hurting people around us. 

 We all wear a mask of some sort.  Yes, even at home where the closest people to you live.

We all carry 'stuff'' around with us.  

We as Christians need to 'dump' that 'stuff'' at the feet of Jesus.  Sometimes it's hard to do that.  Sometimes we try to do it on our own.  We suffer such misery then are reminded that we need to call on Jesus and ask for His help.

This was written by David Wagner.

THE STORY THAT CHANGED MY LIFE

It only takes a moment to make someone's day - to become a Daymaker. Sometimes those moments even change lives as I discovered a number of years ago. I was working in my salon one day when a client came in to have her hair styled. I was surprised to see her since it was right in the middle of her five-week period between haircuts. I figured that she must have an important social engagement, so I asked her about her evening plans.

"I don't have anything special going on," she told me. "I just want to look and feel good tonight."

I gave her a great scalp massage, then shampooed and styled her hair. During our 30 minutes together, we joked and laughed. At the end, she smiled radiantly, hugging me goodbye.

A few days later I received a letter from this client and began to realize the enormous potential of Daymaking. My client admitted that she had wanted her hair styled so it would look good for her own funeral. She had planned to commit suicide that evening. But the wonderful time she had during our appointment had given her hope that things could get better. She decided to check herself into the hospital and get professional help. She thanked me for caring, even though I hadn't known what she was going through. She wrote "thank you for being there without knowing that you were."

I was stunned. I had spent time with this woman about once a month for three years, yet that day I had no inkling she was so distressed. I was glad to have made such a difference, yet the experience left me with an enormous sense of responsibility. What if I had been upset, distracted, or hurried when she came to see me? That experience made me take stock of myself as a stylist and as a person. How many of the ten clients I saw each day might be in personal crisis? Even if it were only one person a day, I might have no way of knowing who needed some extra attention. I resolved to treat every person I met like I had treated that woman. It might sound like a lot of work, but it wasn't hard to have fun with my client that day. It was natural and made my day brighter, too.

After that experience, I vowed to give care and attention to everyone I saw. I figured it would make their day a little better, and who knows, it might save a life. I still thank my client for the gift of that letter because it changed my life as much as my kindness changed hers. When you realize the difference you can make for others, whether by spending a light-hearted half-hour together, giving them a smile, or simply holding the door open for them, your whole approach to life shifts. Why have random acts of kindness when we can have intentional acts of good will?

David Wagner

If you have an doubt about who you are as a Christian, know that you belong to God and will spend eternity with him.  If you don't know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, check THIS out.

 I think this is one of the hardest things for me as a parent.  Your kids don't start to appreciate you until they are adults and you are no longer in charge of their decisions.  If however they are going to college, you DO have some say in things.  However, when they make a decision that you don't agree with, it's hard to watch them live with that decision.  It's also hard not to say, "I told you so."

Our children are so precious to us that we want to 'fix' things for them.  However, being a grown-up means making decisions and learning from them.  If you continue to 'do' for your adult children, you are robbing them of growing into an independent adult.  What will they do when you are gone and they haven't had the experiences they needed to be independent?  You will never know.....

 This is a picture of my brother John, and his son, Tony in October when Tony got married.  It was wonderful to connect with John and his family again.  Being in Florida, it doesn't happen often.  What a joy it was to see his family and get to sit down with them and talk about their life, job, etc.

 This is a card for a challenge where you found an adult coloring page and put it on a card.  An adult coloring book in case you don't know, is a coloring book of flowers, designs and everything intricate.  I have stayed away from these things since they are so detailed.  The idea of all that space that needs to be colored is overwhelming to me.  I had to concentrate on one area at a time so I wouldn't get overwhelmed.

 The vase is what my inspiration was for this card.  Every week we journey to a website and find something that inspires us, then we make a card to reflect that.  Here's my card which along with 9 others will be used by Ben and Rachel as thank yous this month.

 Lily Starlette is the name of this beautiful plant.  I couldn't believe the bold coloring on this.  Wouldn't this be a gorgeous plant to have in the garden.  Mine would have to be surrounded by wire so the deer wouldn't get to it! LOL

It's quite early Saturday morning as I write this.  I coughed myself awake.  I up hoping the medicine I took will help me to go back to sleep.

Blessing of the Day:Sweet Sarah took out my Valentine decorations and put them all around the house.  I didn't ask her, she just did it on her own.

My Sweet Ben asked if I wanted a toasted cheese sandwich.  I said yes and when I came into the kitchen he was busy making a sandwich for Sarah as well.  He had even made coffee for her!  Awwww.

Ben is a sensitive guy and said to me yesterday, "Mom, you're not going to let this cold go too long without seeing the doctor are you?"  I told him I wouldn't and that I didn't have a fever.  This is something Tim would say to me not my son. :)

I thank God for his gifts.
Thank you for stopping by.
Blessings,