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Posts from the ‘Inspiration’ Category

May 28

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Show Up

On Friday, I drove to Appleton, Wisconsin with my sister to watch my nephew’s team play in the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship series. I came back on Saturday, but I wanted to show up for one game to support Mark and the team. His Mom, Dad and sister stayed and have been to his games all year long. For years, Mark has shown up for practices and games, not always playing, but showing up and giving his best just the same.

How often do we put our efforts on autopilot, half-hearted, holding back? In relationships, work, faith, play, we can choose to show up, dive in and passionately give all of ourselves, whether we win or lose. And the more we show up, the more we improve and increase our chances of winning.

We all have our reasons of why we merely go through the motions – too busy, stressed out, discouragement from others and ourselves. But the smile on his face when Mark saw his family show up makes a 600 mile car drive in 24 hours all worth it. Show up for your life, no one is going to take your place.

May 24

5 Comments

Give

“What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal.” – Albert Pike

Our lives will be measured by what we’ve given. As we our surrounded by entitlement, fairness and me first, think about what we can give – time, attention, compassion, love. So as Summer officially kicks off with Memorial Weekend, think of and honor those who have given so much for others, giving without counting.

“Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.” – Buddha

May 21

3 Comments

Laugh, A Lot

“At the height of laughter, the universe is flung into a kaleidoscope of new possibilities.” – Jean Huiston

May 20

2 Comments

At Ease

“Ours is a time of anxiety because we have willed it to be so. Our anxiety is not imposed on us by force from outside. We impose it on our world and upon one another from within ourselves.” – Thomas Merton

We’re “connected” at all times – texting, email, cell phone … Technology is a major part of what I do in my career everyday, but it’s not a replacement for relationships and reflection. Take time each day to unplug by yourself and to reconnect with others one on one – face to face, not only Facebook to Facebook.

And don’t just buy the hammock and adirondack chairs for decoration. Put them to good use for regular restoration. At ease … that’s an order.

"Slow down and enjoy life. It's not only the scenery you miss by going fast - you also miss the sense of where you are going and why." - Eddie Cantor

“Slow down and enjoy life. It’s not only the scenery you miss by going fast – you also miss the sense of where you are going and why.” – Eddie Cantor

May 16

6 Comments

Wellspring

“Happiness is not in our circumstance but in ourselves. It is not something we see, like a rainbow, or feel, like the heat of a fire. Happiness is something we are.” – John B. Sheerin

“Friendship, love, health, energy, enthusiasm, and joy are the things that make life worth living and exploring.” - Denise Austin

“Friendship, love, health, energy, enthusiasm, and joy are the things that make life worth living and exploring.” – Denise Austin

“The secret is this. You make your own happiness.” - Harold Klemp

“The secret is this. You make your own happiness.” – Harold Klemp

Be a wellspring of encouragement, enthusiasm and excitement. Our days can feel like a desert, leaving us thirsty and dry. We can be an oasis. Our happiness and contentment is mulitpied by giving ourselves to others in simple yet meaningful ways. The world is starving for recognition, acknowledgement and “likes.” Say a kind word (or many), smile (alot) and shine (everyday).

May 14

2 Comments

Praise

“Praise is like sunlight to the human spirit: we cannot flower and grow without it.” –  Jess Lair

Be grateful for the many gifts that we don’t see because we are too busy chasing the next “thing.” See the wonderment in each day and express appreciation to those right in front of you. It’s so simple and often too rare. Start today and repeat again and again and see what it does to your world.

“Wonder is involuntary praise.” - Edward Young

“Wonder is involuntary praise.” – Edward Young

May 13

4 Comments

Blank Canvas

“This world is but a canvas to our imagination.” – Henry David Thoreau

“Life is a blank canvas, and you need to throw all the paint on it you can.” - Danny Kaye

“Life is a blank canvas, and you need to throw all the paint on it you can.” – Danny Kaye

Ten hours and $5800 later, my sixty year old silver maple is gone. The backyard is stark. A blank canvas. I am not sure what I’ll put in its place. I’m still thinking about it and looking at garden and patio magazines for ideas. When it’s right, I’ll know it. I asked them to leave a chunk of the tree to make a bench out of it to carry a piece of the old into what will be new. Some things we get so used to that we don’t have a vision of what could be until the canvas is blank. So as I face a blank canvas in my backyard and other parts of my life, I go forward with confidence that the possibilities will be more exciting if I am open to them. Start painting and watch the colors fill the canvas. The beauty unfolds if we get out of the way.

May 10

12 Comments

Tree Funeral

“And this, our life, exempt from public haunt, finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything.” - William Shakespeare

“And this, our life, exempt from public haunt, finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything.” – William Shakespeare

For safety reasons, my sixty year old silver maple tree will be cut down and ground to its roots tomorrow. A large limb dropped off two weeks ago from no additional force – no wind, no lighting. Fortunately, no one got hurt when the limb fell, crushing the fence and taking down the power at 2:00 am.

I will miss swinging in the woven rope chair, listening to breeze flow through the branches and the sound of laughing leaves. I will miss the canopy of shade and the beauty it gave freely without condition. For so many sentimental and the practical reasons, the tree will be greatly missed.

So, I’m having a tree funeral – food (no casseroles), guests and all. Material things, even trees, can be replaced. Family and friends are to be treasured. So a tree funeral to say goodbye and to honor the gift of majestic nature in my backyard for so many years.

 

May 8

6 Comments

And the Clouds Break

“Be thou the rainbow in the storms of life. The evening beam that smiles the clouds away, and tints tomorrow with prophetic ray.” – Lord Byron

Every three months for the past two years, we drive to the Mayo Clinic to see if cancer has developed in my Dad’s esophagus. He was diagnosed almost three years ago with stomach cancer and Barrett’s Esophagus. Today, they took a biopsy and now we wait, like we’ve done before. There’s never a conclusion, just a continuation of wait, pray, hope and be grateful for good news every three months. The gift in this reality is that each day becomes a blessing, not to be squandered on the futile.

As we drove home tonight with thoughts racing through my mind, probably the same thoughts others had in the car, I glanced to the left and the sun burst through the dark clouds. And it occurred to me that this is really the essence of life. There are moments of sunshine and moments of clouds, but most days are a mix of both. We can choose to see the sunshine or we can choose to see the clouds. I choose the light.

“Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.” - Rabindranath Tagore

“Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.” – Rabindranath Tagore

May 6

13 Comments

Contemplate

“If we know the divine art of concentration, if we know the divine art of meditation, if we know the divine art of contemplation, easily and consciously we can unite the inner world and the outer world.” – Sri Chinmoy

Take five minutes today to be quiet, be open – focus on BEing instead of DOing. There’s more to life than checking tasks off our to do list.

“Life is this simple: we are living in a world that is absolutely transparent and the divine is shining through it all the time. This is not just a nice story or a fable, it is true." ― Thomas Merton

“Life is this simple: we are living in a world that is absolutely transparent and the divine is shining through it all the time. This is not just a nice story or a fable, it is true.” ― Thomas Merton

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