There is alot of truth to the theory of stepping outside of our comfort zone to either help another person or do something out of the norm for our self; it is then that we accomplish true achievement in personal satisfaction. Have you ever done something nice for someone just because you wanted to and then not told that person it was actually you? Have you ever pushed yourself to do something you really did not want to do, but knew that it was the right thing to do? And then stand back and said "that was not so bad." Now how did that feel?
Me personally I have found that some of the greatest rewards in life; have been when I push through even if its a painful but yet very necessary decision to be made about a situation. Or if I did not really feel like volunteering but went through with it anyhow and looked back and was glad that I did.
Some of the best things come out of our pain. God did not say anywhere, he would tell us everything we needed to know. However; he did say if we asked he would be there to guide us through all that life throws at us, all we have to do is ask. Now I'm not trying to sound all preachy because I promise you that as sure as I am sitting here typing this post I am in my head asking God to help me wake up tomorrow and look for his guidance and will for me, not Jen's will for Jen. LOL And I know this works from past experience's, I have seen it first hand.
Now get out of the way so that he can do his job and not how you see fit either. Step out of your comfort zone and do something uncomfortable but good today. You wont be sorry you did.
As always please remember the men and woman of all branches of service, so that they may return safely to their loved ones.
Good nite and God Bless
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
"Sack lunch for a solidier"
This has a powerful "Pay it forward" message. ENJOY!!
I put my carry-on in the luggage compartment and sat down in my assigned seat. It was going to be a long flight.. I'm glad I have a good book to read, perhaps I will get a short nap, I thought. Just before take-off, a line of soldiers came down the aisle and filled all the vacant seats, totally surrounding me. I decided to start a conversation 'Where are you headed?' I asked the soldier seated nearest to me. Petawawa. We'll be there for two weeks for special training, and then we're being deployed to Afghanistan.
After flying for about an hour, an announcement was made that sack lunches were available for five dollars. It would be several hours before we reached the east, and I quickly decided a lunch would help pass the time. As I reached for my wallet, I overheard soldier ask his buddy if he planned to buy lunch. No, that seems like a lot of money for just a sack lunch. Probably wouldn't be worth five bucks. I'll wait till we get to base, his friend agreed. I looked around at the other soldiers. None were buying lunch. I walked to the back of the plane and handed the flight attendant a fifty dollar bill. 'Take a lunch to all those soldiers.' She grabbed my arms and squeezed tightly. Her eyes wet with tears, she thanked me. 'My son was a soldier in Iraq ; it's almost like you are doing it for him.' Picking up ten sacks, she headed up the aisle to where the soldiers were seated. She stopped at my seat and asked, 'Which do you like best - beef or chicken?' 'Chicken,' I replied, wondering why she asked. She turned and went to the front of plane, returning a minute later with a dinner plate from first class. This is your thanks. After we finished eating, I went again to the back of the plane, heading for the rest room. A man stopped me. 'I saw what you did. I want to be part of it. Here, take this.' He handed me twenty-five dollars.
Soon after I returned to my seat, I saw the Flight Captain coming down the aisle, looking at the aisle numbers as he walked, I hoped he was not looking for me, but noticed he was looking at the numbers only on my side of the plane. When he got to my row he stopped, smiled, held out his hand, and said, 'I want to shake your hand..' Quickly unfastening my seatbelt I stood and took the Captain's hand. With a booming voice he said, 'I was a soldier and I was a military pilot. Once, someone bought me a lunch. It was an act of kindness I never forgot.' I was embarrassed when applause was heard from all of the passengers. Later I walked to the front of the plane so I could stretch my legs. A man who was seated about six rows in front of me reached out his hand, wanting to shake mine. He left another twenty-five dollars in my palm. When we landed I gathered my belongings and started to deplane. Waiting just inside the airplane door was a man who stopped me, put something in my shirt pocket, turned, and walked away without saying a word. Another twenty-five dollars!
Upon entering the terminal, I saw the soldiers gathering for their trip to the base. I walked over to them and handed them seventy-five dollars. 'It will take you some time to reach the base. It will be about time for a sandwich. God Bless You. Ten young men left that flight feeling the love and respect of their fellow travelers. As I walked briskly to my car, I whispered a prayer for their safe return. These soldiers were giving their all for our country. I could only give them a couple of meals. It seemed so little...
A veteran is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to, The United States of America for an amount of and up to and including my life. That is Honor, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer understand it.
I put my carry-on in the luggage compartment and sat down in my assigned seat. It was going to be a long flight.. I'm glad I have a good book to read, perhaps I will get a short nap, I thought. Just before take-off, a line of soldiers came down the aisle and filled all the vacant seats, totally surrounding me. I decided to start a conversation 'Where are you headed?' I asked the soldier seated nearest to me. Petawawa. We'll be there for two weeks for special training, and then we're being deployed to Afghanistan.
After flying for about an hour, an announcement was made that sack lunches were available for five dollars. It would be several hours before we reached the east, and I quickly decided a lunch would help pass the time. As I reached for my wallet, I overheard soldier ask his buddy if he planned to buy lunch. No, that seems like a lot of money for just a sack lunch. Probably wouldn't be worth five bucks. I'll wait till we get to base, his friend agreed. I looked around at the other soldiers. None were buying lunch. I walked to the back of the plane and handed the flight attendant a fifty dollar bill. 'Take a lunch to all those soldiers.' She grabbed my arms and squeezed tightly. Her eyes wet with tears, she thanked me. 'My son was a soldier in Iraq ; it's almost like you are doing it for him.' Picking up ten sacks, she headed up the aisle to where the soldiers were seated. She stopped at my seat and asked, 'Which do you like best - beef or chicken?' 'Chicken,' I replied, wondering why she asked. She turned and went to the front of plane, returning a minute later with a dinner plate from first class. This is your thanks. After we finished eating, I went again to the back of the plane, heading for the rest room. A man stopped me. 'I saw what you did. I want to be part of it. Here, take this.' He handed me twenty-five dollars.
Soon after I returned to my seat, I saw the Flight Captain coming down the aisle, looking at the aisle numbers as he walked, I hoped he was not looking for me, but noticed he was looking at the numbers only on my side of the plane. When he got to my row he stopped, smiled, held out his hand, and said, 'I want to shake your hand..' Quickly unfastening my seatbelt I stood and took the Captain's hand. With a booming voice he said, 'I was a soldier and I was a military pilot. Once, someone bought me a lunch. It was an act of kindness I never forgot.' I was embarrassed when applause was heard from all of the passengers. Later I walked to the front of the plane so I could stretch my legs. A man who was seated about six rows in front of me reached out his hand, wanting to shake mine. He left another twenty-five dollars in my palm. When we landed I gathered my belongings and started to deplane. Waiting just inside the airplane door was a man who stopped me, put something in my shirt pocket, turned, and walked away without saying a word. Another twenty-five dollars!
Upon entering the terminal, I saw the soldiers gathering for their trip to the base. I walked over to them and handed them seventy-five dollars. 'It will take you some time to reach the base. It will be about time for a sandwich. God Bless You. Ten young men left that flight feeling the love and respect of their fellow travelers. As I walked briskly to my car, I whispered a prayer for their safe return. These soldiers were giving their all for our country. I could only give them a couple of meals. It seemed so little...
A veteran is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to, The United States of America for an amount of and up to and including my life. That is Honor, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer understand it.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
F.E.A.R.
FEAR= Frustration, Ego, Anger and Resentment.
I read that & had to blog about this subject, because to me this is something that so many of us deal with but yet are in denial about. Why is that? Well for me it is because all my life I have been put in or put myself in situations that cause me to be the strong one, the one that everyone can count on to be upbeat & positive. The one to always be able to hold it together no matter what is going on. When the truth of the matter is I was acting out of fear!!
Afraid that if I did not act on these situations, that people would not like me or that people would fall apart if they did not have a go to person in their life. And really what was I thinking? That I am all knowing & all powerful that if "I" did not help them their lives would fall apart. Come on now if that is not a EGO then I don't know what is. When in all reality I needed them to help me believe I was going to be ok!
It was once explained to me that there are healthy fears & unhealthy fears we need to pay attention to. For example a healthy fear is crossing a busy intersection & afraid you might get hit by an automobile. An unhealthy fear is thinking someone is going to screw you over & they have done nothing wrong. The latter of these WILL come to pass as long as we are looking for it to; its called self-sabotage. And that is just as unhealthy as living a fear driven life.
My problem was that I never thought I was as worthy of receiving the same love & support as I gave to others. I always held on to the idea that my life was not as bad as everyone else's. And to some extent that was true. What is not true, is that I did not deserve the same that I gave. We are all deserving children of God, we all deserve good things & to be treated with love & respect. But we must demand it from others. Now I'm not saying to go up to someone & start shaking them demanding respect & love. What I am saying is to dig deep in your self & find some self respect & self love. Because the bottom line is how can you demand something you don't believe to be of yourself to begin with?!
This will relieve a lot of the anxiety & resentment that can come from false expectations of another. And trust me it is alot less frustrating when we allow people to just be who they are. Remember that we are ALL works in progress & that it took us this many years to become the way we are & it will take you that amount of time or more to be the person you want to be. Talk to yourself in the mirror as you would a dear friend or family member that was going through the same thing. Be good to yourself, love yourself & most importantly respect yourself!!
As I close please remember the men & woman of all branches of military as they fight for our Healthy Freedoms here at home. That they may have a save return someday soon.
Good night & God bless!!
I read that & had to blog about this subject, because to me this is something that so many of us deal with but yet are in denial about. Why is that? Well for me it is because all my life I have been put in or put myself in situations that cause me to be the strong one, the one that everyone can count on to be upbeat & positive. The one to always be able to hold it together no matter what is going on. When the truth of the matter is I was acting out of fear!!
Afraid that if I did not act on these situations, that people would not like me or that people would fall apart if they did not have a go to person in their life. And really what was I thinking? That I am all knowing & all powerful that if "I" did not help them their lives would fall apart. Come on now if that is not a EGO then I don't know what is. When in all reality I needed them to help me believe I was going to be ok!
It was once explained to me that there are healthy fears & unhealthy fears we need to pay attention to. For example a healthy fear is crossing a busy intersection & afraid you might get hit by an automobile. An unhealthy fear is thinking someone is going to screw you over & they have done nothing wrong. The latter of these WILL come to pass as long as we are looking for it to; its called self-sabotage. And that is just as unhealthy as living a fear driven life.
My problem was that I never thought I was as worthy of receiving the same love & support as I gave to others. I always held on to the idea that my life was not as bad as everyone else's. And to some extent that was true. What is not true, is that I did not deserve the same that I gave. We are all deserving children of God, we all deserve good things & to be treated with love & respect. But we must demand it from others. Now I'm not saying to go up to someone & start shaking them demanding respect & love. What I am saying is to dig deep in your self & find some self respect & self love. Because the bottom line is how can you demand something you don't believe to be of yourself to begin with?!
This will relieve a lot of the anxiety & resentment that can come from false expectations of another. And trust me it is alot less frustrating when we allow people to just be who they are. Remember that we are ALL works in progress & that it took us this many years to become the way we are & it will take you that amount of time or more to be the person you want to be. Talk to yourself in the mirror as you would a dear friend or family member that was going through the same thing. Be good to yourself, love yourself & most importantly respect yourself!!
As I close please remember the men & woman of all branches of military as they fight for our Healthy Freedoms here at home. That they may have a save return someday soon.
Good night & God bless!!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
"DESIRE"
“Out of need springs desire, and out of desire springs the energy and the will to win." Denis Waitley
This quote struck me pretty strongly & got me to thinking. Does need spring desire or dose desire spring need? I know there are things that I desire to have in life that are just out of wanting to have nice things. Not so much that its a need but a want. It has been said that you cant expect good things from God if you don't ask for them. I always thought that God would just give us the desires of our heart and it was greedy for me to ask for more. Karma would take care of the rest. If you do good and show love then good & love would surely be given. Or so I thought! What I have learned is that as long as I only have expectations on how I need to treat people and not worry about all the drama around me, then my world "IS" filled with love and good. Not consumed by unnecessary worry, pity or "poor me" parties.
If you want or desire something you have to dig deep, find the drive to achieve such things and in turn God will give you the energy and the will to acquire such desires. You also have to believe with your whole being that you deserve it as well. Not just part of you but ALL of you. I write this and think of my own fears that block me from achieving my true desires of the heart. So this is not meant to sound like I have this down or read as if I think I'm all that. What this is meant to do is let other people know that its OK to be human & afraid of the unknown. Just don't let it cripple you!
Pick one small desire turn it into a need and watch the energy you will find to make it a win!!
Please remember to keep the men & woman of the armed forces in your prayers, so that they may be reunited with their loved ones soon.
Good nite and God bless.
This quote struck me pretty strongly & got me to thinking. Does need spring desire or dose desire spring need? I know there are things that I desire to have in life that are just out of wanting to have nice things. Not so much that its a need but a want. It has been said that you cant expect good things from God if you don't ask for them. I always thought that God would just give us the desires of our heart and it was greedy for me to ask for more. Karma would take care of the rest. If you do good and show love then good & love would surely be given. Or so I thought! What I have learned is that as long as I only have expectations on how I need to treat people and not worry about all the drama around me, then my world "IS" filled with love and good. Not consumed by unnecessary worry, pity or "poor me" parties.
If you want or desire something you have to dig deep, find the drive to achieve such things and in turn God will give you the energy and the will to acquire such desires. You also have to believe with your whole being that you deserve it as well. Not just part of you but ALL of you. I write this and think of my own fears that block me from achieving my true desires of the heart. So this is not meant to sound like I have this down or read as if I think I'm all that. What this is meant to do is let other people know that its OK to be human & afraid of the unknown. Just don't let it cripple you!
Pick one small desire turn it into a need and watch the energy you will find to make it a win!!
Please remember to keep the men & woman of the armed forces in your prayers, so that they may be reunited with their loved ones soon.
Good nite and God bless.
Monday, June 22, 2009
"Let go & Let God"
"I do not need to know exactly how to let go of my resentments or what will happen after I do. I simply must be ready to let them go."
We must trust in our higher power that he can & will take care of us. It is when I do this that things start to get better for me.
It was once explained to me like this. If you were water skiing & fell down but would not let go of the rope you would be pulled under the water again and again and again. Eventually you would let go. Wouldn't you? One would hope so. Now I don't know about you but I'm the type of person that has to be pulled under the water a few times before I realize that it's as simple as just "letting go"!
As you go about your day, please remember to keep the men and woman of all branches of the military in your prayers for a safe return to their loved ones.
Good night & God Bless.
We must trust in our higher power that he can & will take care of us. It is when I do this that things start to get better for me.
It was once explained to me like this. If you were water skiing & fell down but would not let go of the rope you would be pulled under the water again and again and again. Eventually you would let go. Wouldn't you? One would hope so. Now I don't know about you but I'm the type of person that has to be pulled under the water a few times before I realize that it's as simple as just "letting go"!
As you go about your day, please remember to keep the men and woman of all branches of the military in your prayers for a safe return to their loved ones.
Good night & God Bless.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Things that make you go HMMMM
Here is some more food for thought...
"God doesn't give you the people you want, He gives you the people youNEED. To help you, to hurt you, to leave you, to love you and to make you into the person you were meant to be."
Think about all the good that came out of something bad. It's there we just have to dig deep to find it.
Good night & God bless!
"God doesn't give you the people you want, He gives you the people youNEED. To help you, to hurt you, to leave you, to love you and to make you into the person you were meant to be."
Think about all the good that came out of something bad. It's there we just have to dig deep to find it.
Good night & God bless!
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
I Hope You Dance
"Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass...it's about learning how to dance in the rain."
This is so true & appropriate for my day today. In the midst of the storm is when we need to dig deep & look for all our blessings. Whether big or small we all have at least 5 things we are blessed with or by everyday. Dig deep and I promise you will find them.
Don't let the situation or person/s define your mood. Rise above it to find the song in your heart that makes you want to dance through adversity. I cant dance or sing so when I do this I cause the people around me to laugh. Which if you think about it serves 2 purposes; 1)you forget about what it is that is causing your storm & 2)you may have just helped someone else forget about theirs.
Just as the song goes, "I hope you dance". Try it sometime. I have & it was so much fun!!
Please remember to keep our men & woman of all branches of the military in your prayers for a safe return to their loved ones.
Good night & God bless.
This is so true & appropriate for my day today. In the midst of the storm is when we need to dig deep & look for all our blessings. Whether big or small we all have at least 5 things we are blessed with or by everyday. Dig deep and I promise you will find them.
Don't let the situation or person/s define your mood. Rise above it to find the song in your heart that makes you want to dance through adversity. I cant dance or sing so when I do this I cause the people around me to laugh. Which if you think about it serves 2 purposes; 1)you forget about what it is that is causing your storm & 2)you may have just helped someone else forget about theirs.
Just as the song goes, "I hope you dance". Try it sometime. I have & it was so much fun!!
Please remember to keep our men & woman of all branches of the military in your prayers for a safe return to their loved ones.
Good night & God bless.
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