There are no menial jobs, only menial attitudes.   William J. Bennett If you believe you, or others, work a menial job then your attitude is what is really menial.  Let's talk about menial for a minute.  In its adjective  definition  it means lacking interest or dignity, relating mostly to  servant hood.  And while some people may argue that certain jobs are menial, I agree with Bennett - only attitudes are.  When I look at a particular task or job and think it below me to do then I have proven my attitude is menial, it lacks dignity.   For example, I know of someone who noticed one day that coffee had spilled and made a general mess at the coffee station they frequent.  They let it sit for a day or two before letting someone know that it needed to be cleaned up and "since housekeeping is supposed to do that I've left it for them to take care of."  REALLY?  That person has a menial attitude toward janitorial duties, not to mention they are selfish and lazy.  Thi

Live Boldly: Forgive more and judge less.   Mary Anne Radmacher Today's quote is a courageous and risky choice to make...daily.  It's not something you decide to do once and it happens.  You have to make the choice daily.  And some days it is harder to make the choice to be risky and courageous.  Some days we just aren't up for it while other days we have the energy. Why do I say that forgiving more and judging less is risky and requires courage?  Because it requires you to open up and expose part of yourself emotionally.  It means you are making a choice to risk getting hurt again.  It means you are making a choice to not be someones judge and jury.  It's a bold move to forgive more and judge less.  It requires a strength in character to do it. It is "second nature" for us to judge based on: appearance, political affiliation, religious preferences, job positions, school choice, etc.  Pretty much anything that is different than what we would choose gives u

Life is like photography, you use the negatives to develop.   Unknown A lot of times we can't see details unless we look closely at the negatives.  Standing in a dark room with only a negative to look at you will see things that you wouldn't see standing in the light looking at the developed photo.  Life is like that too.  Sometimes we don't see details that we need to see until we are in a darkroom and the only thing we can see is the negative.  And at that point we feel broken, perhaps betrayed, maybe weak, but definitely broken.  Photographers use the negatives and the details they see in them to bring to life a photograph.  What if we approached our own darkrooms and the negatives we are faced with that way?  Look at the negatives and instead of despising them use them to bring more life to our character.  There are lessons for us in the darkrooms of life and in the negatives that get exposed.  We just have to be willing to stay in the darkroom and let the negatives &

I believe in Christ like I believe in the sun - not because I can see it, but by it I can see everything else.   C.S. Lewis Because of Christ in me I have eyes that see what others may not.  I have a heart that feels and beats and breaks in ways other hearts may not.  I have ears that hear what others may not.  I have a mouth that should speak what others may not and shouldn't speak what others do.  (*grin* My mouth is my biggest issue and I'm light years ahead of where I used to be with it!)  I have a mind that processes differently than others may. Because of Christ in me I can see peace on the horizon, hope for the hurting, mercy for the weak, grace for the needy. Because of Christ in me I see my world, and yours, differently. Because of Christ in me I see life through the lens of Love, a kind of Love that the world doesn't understand so I do my best to share that Love with them. Because of Christ in me I see beyond the natural. Because of Christ in me I see you h

Clutter is the meaningless getting in the way of the meaningful.   http://www.imperfecthomemaking.com/2011/10/organizedhome-day-8-defining-clutter.html I have quite a few framed pictures of people I love around my house.  I happen to have a rather large collection on this counter top that separates our kitchen from our "dining room".  I love those pictures.  I think that they are a representation of what's important to me and my family and that's simply we have people whom we love and whom love us.  (At the end of the day - and life - that's what is going to matter the most but that's a different blog!)  But that counter top is like the bane of our family.  It has become the clutter catch-all.  It's kind of the first surface that is easy to lay stuff down on when you walk through the door.  So it gets cluttered pretty quickly.  Some weeks we keep it fairly cleared and then other weeks...well I'd prefer to just leave it to your imagination. Here'

Replace fear of the unknown with curiosity.   Unknown Recently I had a conversation with my oldest redhead about this very topic.  When we are afraid of the unknown we shrink back, become unwilling to take risks, drag our feet, make excuses, become very very quiet.  And usually what's going on in our head is all the "what ifs" we can think up and create about the unknown.  I've noticed those "what ifs" aren't positive, they always seem to run to the negative and the extreme. But what if. What if we decided to tell the fear of the unknown to take a hike and we decided to be curious about the thing that has us all wound up?  What if we decided to go for it, take a risk, see what happens?  What if it turns out spectacularly?  What if! What if the unknown wasn't as scary as our fear has created it to be? I'm so proud of my oldest.  We talked about this topic.  I gave her some advice that sounded pretty much like this, "You just have to jump

Forget all the reasons why it won't work and believe the one reason why it will.   Unknown Usually the one reason why something will work is the only thing we need to focus on but we tend to allow the negatives, i.e. the reasons why it possibly won't work, to be our focus. I think about this in regards to being healthy and weight loss. (As one example - it can apply to, well, anything!)  I focus on all the reasons why I don't think my efforts/attempts to get healthy will work instead of focusing on the one (or in this case maybe two!) reasons why it will.  I make a choice to believe the negatives rather than the positives.  Again we see it comes down to choice - we have a choice to make and we have to make the choice daily.  Sometimes within a day we have to make the choice hourly!  When it comes to being healthy, for me, it is an hourly kind of choice I am faced with.  Each time I have something presented to me that goes in my mouth and lands on my hips, potentially, I

Forget what hurt you but never forget what it taught you.   Unknown It is a rare gift to be able to practice today's quote.  I'm about 38/365 of the way there.  (That number means that in a year I'm able to practice today's quote almost a full 10 days!) *grin* The biggest lessons I have learned in life have come through quite a bit of hurt.  But it is true that as time moves forward I have forgotten the details of the hurt, they've become rather sketchy, but I have not forgotten what I learned.  And what I learned was valuable. Through hurtful situations I have learned how to live in fear of God rather than fear of man.  That's the biggest lesson I think I've learned throughout the years.  I consider it to be the biggest because living in fear of man (people pleasing) affects every single area of life.  So if I can straighten that out then it stands to reason that other parts of my life start straightening out. A person interested in being healthy emoti

The time is always right to do what is right.   Martin Luther King Jr There is never a bad time to do the right thing.   Never .  When it comes to doing something right the answer to the question, "When" is "right now!"  As long as it is within your means - physical, emotional, financial (if applicable), etc then the answer is "right now!"  Don't hesitate.  Don't take time to think it over.  If you do you won't do it.  Self-doubt and second thoughts will creep in and become the obstacle to doing the right thing at that very moment.  When it comes to doing the right thing there shouldn't be hesitation or doubt.  The right thing is very clear, it never needs a second thought.  When is the right time to do the right thing?  Right now!

Faith is not being sure where you're going, but going anyway.   Frederick Buechner We all have faith.  And not just in one thing but multiple things.  Some of us have faith in the government, or rather our pick of political party.  Some of us don't have faith in any part of government!  Some of us have faith in a teacher or professor.  Some of us have faith in a particular kind of exercise regime.  And then, of course, we all have faith in a higher power - whichever one we choose.  (And I contend that even when people say they don't have faith in any higher power they actually still do - they make something their higher power - we can't help it, it's built in to believe in something bigger and higher than ourselves.  For example, many people have made science their higher power.)  That faith is the most strongly contested kind of all.  But I'm not interested in getting into that today (or really any other day if you want to know the truth). Here's what W

Do you know that nothing you do in this life will ever matter, unless it is about loving God and loving the people he has made.   Francis Chan What are you working for or toward?  If it isn't relationship based then it won't matter in the end, it won't count for anything.  I'm sorry if that bursts your bubble...oh wait, no I'm actually not sorry.  I don't know of anyone who has passed from this life and the people left behind have camped on what they did rather than the relationship that person had with others.  What truly matters in this life is relationship - with God (your Creator whether you accept or deny that reality) and with others.  And maybe you've heard it before, you can't truly love others unless you love the One who created them first.   You may not believe me, that's okay.  It's not a bone between you and I but it is a bone between you and God. Why would I say that?  Why would I say that you can't truly love others without

Make new friends but keep the old,  one is silver and the other gold .   Girl and Boy Scout Song, author unknown Do you have any "gold" friends?  I do and I'm fortunate to have them.  I fortunate that through all the years and all my junk I have people in my life who have stayed true and proven themselves "gold".  It's a rare find indeed.  Having gold friends is like searching for gold, you dip and sift and shake and sometimes what comes up is real gold, other times it is fools gold.  Today I'm having breakfast with a gold friend.  We've known each other since we were SEVEN.  I know right?!?  She was one of the first people I met at a new school all those years ago.  And through the years we've shared tears and laughs, we've even gone a couple years without speaking, we've shared recipes, child-rearing thoughts, hearts, and a lot of tea.  She is a true treasure in my life.  She really is gold.   I've made other friends throughout

Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.    John Wooden Our reputations are based on a lot of things - situations, perceptions (which can be accurate or not), our own personal baggage, and to some extent our characters.  The extent of our character being involved in our reputation is based on this: as long as we are not comfortable in our own skin we will be more concerned with reputation than character.   Once  we become comfortable in our own skin our character doesn't play, as much or usually, into our reputations.  Our character then becomes our  reputation  because there is no  differentiation  between the two.  That's the goal by the way.  To shed the  reputation  and let your character speak for you.  What is character?  It is who you are at the core.  It is the true you while reputation is you trying to respond to others and situations and some

The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.    E.E. Cummings What a sad day is one without laughter.  What a waste of a day.  C'mon, lighten up - there is something to laugh about in each day.  Really I promise there is.  Even in the hardest days, the saddest days, the most frustrating days.   I remember when my lifelong best friend, Sarah, passed away and we traveled to Michigan for her memorial.  Another best friend, Emilie, met me in Michigan to be with me and my parents as we said goodbye to Sarah and stood by her family.  It was a tough time.  The day of Sarah's service came and we were standing outside of the sanctuary before going in and we heard the music being  rehearsed    Em and I couldn't help it, we started snickering.  She looked at me and said something to the effect of, "Was this the kind of music Sarah liked?!" and got me snickering some more.  No!  And Sarah herself would have been laughing.  I loved the thought that perhaps Sarah an

Do not be afraid to suffer.... it is from being shaken apart and not being destroyed that one becomes strong and courageous.   Laura Lewis Lanier We shrink from suffering and with good reason, it's painful!  But suffering is the way our character gets built the best.  Suffering comes in all sorts of forms and what is suffering for me may not be for you.  The point is to allow it to weed out what isn't strength and courage in our characters and let true strength and courage be birthed in us. A few years ago I went through a suffering.  Not physical but emotional.  Someone I trusted deeply betrayed me beyond the scope of my imagination.  (It wasn't Lanny!  Quit speculating - haha!)  This betrayal sent me into a tailspin.  Lanny and I were floored, we didn't know what to do or how to go about recovering me from this betrayal.  You could say it shook me apart.  I was laid wide open and all of my fears and insecurities were exposed.  That time of suffering was used in my

What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say.   Ralph Waldo Emerson People, actions do speak louder than words.  They mean more too.  Words can be empty and meaningless when action does not prove them true.  Telling someone you love them but physically and/or verbally punching them doesn't really match up does it?  Do *you* really think they are going to believe your empty sentiment?   We are just making a bunch of noise with our words if actions don't come behind them to prove them .  Our actions do most of our speaking for us.  You may not like it but it's true.  Our words should be what reinforces our actions because our actions carry more volume in our lives.  Talk all you want but just make sure your words will be proven true with your actions, for that is what people are actually listening to and hearing.

Every man is born an original, but sadly, most men die copies.   Abraham Lincoln I know.  I know you think - you really really think and believe - that you are original in your...dress, thoughts, work ethic, beliefs, writing style, musical tastes, etc etc.  I'm so sorry to break it to you but you are not.  Neither am I.  We want to be originals, to be the unique individuals we were created to be but we are not.  We are not for so many reasons.  Peer pressure, society rules, fear, lack of creativity, lack of effort, wounds, etc. But is it possible to reclaim at least a smidgen of our originality?  Is it possible that we could actually fight against being copycats?  How would we do that?  What would it look like?  Sound like?  Feel like? Personally I've been going through some changes the past couple of years.  And oh my has it caused some "problems".  Part of the reason it has is because I no longer look like the "others".  I no longer am a copycat.  I

The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire.    Ferdinand Foch What makes the biggest differences in our worlds are human souls on fire to address the injustice we witness.  It's the most powerful weapon we each own.  A soul on fire is what defends the widow and the orphan .  A soul on fire is what gives our lives purpose.  If your soul isn't on fire for something other than your favorite TV show then what kind of life are you really living?  Want to be powerful?  Let your soul be set on fire.    

Making forward progress on the outside begins with making a leap on the inside.   Lincoln Patz Surface changes don't lead to lasting changes.  When we make changes, or say we are going to, on the surface all we are doing is "spot treatment" rather than address the real problem.  In order for things to change on the surface we must do the work of addressing the root issue(s).  And having the courage to address the root issue(s) is the leap needed if we are ever going to make forward progress. A sure sign of someone attempting surface changes without addressing the root issue(s) are statements that sound like this: "I will work harder" "I will try to change" "I" "I" "I" We are a relational people and we are also rather blind to our own root issue(s) most of the time.  So we need other people to help us address these things.  If we try to do it in "I" then all we will accomplish is surface - spot treatment -

If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.   Desmond Tutu No fence riding allowed.  To say you are in the middle and don't want to get involved involves you on the side of the oppressor.  Choosing indifference means you have chosen oppression.  When it comes to situations of injustice there are so many levels you can jump in on that there is no excuse for neutrality.  Don't let the injustice scare you, don't let it make you so uncomfortable that you join sides with the oppressors unknowingly.  Be brave enough to educate yourself, be brave enough to jump in on some level of assistance.  Be brave enough to get off the fence.  

The greatest use of life is to live it for something that will outlast it.   William James 1842 – 1910 I think too many people live for the here and now and have no regard for what they will leave behind.  Nobody thinks too much about legacies.  (Unless they are money legacies and I don't count those.)  So let's take a few moments and think about it.  What are you living for and is it going to outlast your life in positive ways?  It doesn't have to be something that the whole world knows about.  But it needs to be something that is giving your life now purpose and direction.  I think it's important to live life fully for something other than yourself.  When you pass on what you have lived for may or may not be remembered.  It's kind of up to you now.  But the rub is this - you can't try and choose things now to live for and "make sure" will outlast you to keep your  memory  alive.  You just have to live intentionally.  Reach out beyond yourself and

HUMILITY:  Not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less.  ( John 3:30 )  All that thinking less of yourself is is annoying and a characteristic called false humility.  Ugh.  I'm sure you've been around someone who says they think less of themselves and acts that way too.  It's so annoying, do you agree?  Eventually people don't want to be around the person and quit showing any kind of interest in their lives.  And in a weird twist, thinking less of yourself is actually very prideful!  Which is the opposite of humility.  So if you've somehow fallen into the trap of thinking that it is humble to think less of yourself then I'm here to break it to you - it's not.   You  are actually being very prideful and self-centered.  Knock it off.  :) True humility, on the other hand, is when you think of yourself less.  The order of words changes the meaning significantly doesn't it?  It means that when faced with a decision between your want and som

Jesus Christ calls men, not to a new religion, but to life .   Dietrich Bonhoeffer I know of people who will disagree with Bonhoeffer (and me).  That's okay. :)   You may have heard the oft quoted catch phrase, "It's a relationship not a religion."  Yes that is true in the case of Christianity but quit being so pompous and condescending about it.  That's what trips people up, including other believers!  What I find ironic about the people that quote that the most is they are bound by religion and couldn't recognize relationship if it bit them in the nose!  Please quit talking until your actions and words can match.  Okay, getting off my soapbox now... *grin* On to today's quote for real... What Jesus introduced was radical and mind blowing to the Jewish people.  He introduced interaction with God.  And when we interact with God we go beyond religion and we enter into relationship, and in this case life.  The call of Jesus is an invitation, he beckons

Be sure to taste your words before you spit them out.   Unknown Ever have something come out of your mouth and the minute it's out there you get a horrible taste?  I'm focusing on the negative part of today's quote because when we speak pleasant words we don't ever notice the taste left behind, it's only when we speak in complaining, negative, angry, self-focused, unpleasant ways that we get the bad taste.  You've heard the old adage  "Think before you speak."  Turns out that bit of wisdom is spot on.  Before you open your mouth and let fly out whatever you might want to say do this: STOP.  Stop for a moment and let those words sit in your mouth and taste them and decide if they really need to be said or if they could be said in a more palatable way.  People who have never employed this kind of self-discipline with their words have developed halitosis of speech.  They speak such unappealing things the majority of the time that when they do speak some

Great things are not accomplished by those who yield to trends and fads and popular opinion.  Jack Kerouac "Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking." Romans 12:2 I'm not very impressed by those that compromise themselves to trends, fads, popular opinion.  I'm sure I do it, a lot of the time without even realizing it, but I try to be aware of it.  When we bend to the trend(s) of our culture we show others that we have no imagination, no courage, and no ability to think for ourselves.  Seems harsh for me to say that right?   But  think about it, I mean really think about it.  I'm right aren't I?   Just because something is trending or popular with the majority doesn't mean it is right or good.  And people with no ability to think for themselves, imagine a different way, or a lack of bravery won't get anything of lasting value done.  The greatest things that have been accomplished have been done b

There is beauty in simplicity.   Unknown Today I'm working on this quote in my home.  I'm constantly saying "less is more" and working at making that happen in my life.  So today I'm looking around my home and evaluating what more can I get rid of, that is unnecessary, to bring simplicity and therefore more beauty into our home and more importantly our lives.  Sometimes simplifying for me means I have to be realistic about what I have time for in my life.  Like a few years ago I had to face facts about my desires to scrapbook.  I hadn't in a long time and I knew that, realistically, I wouldn't be able to for years to come.  So I simplified by making the painful decision (and it was painful to the creative part of me!) to get rid of my scrapbooking supplies and make some room in my life for things that I would still have time for (still creative things just not scrapbooking). By simplifying we bring beauty in to our lives.  It's so much more than our

Each moment is a place you've never been.    Mark Strand You've never been here before. Oh it may look like a place you've been, it may feel like a place you've been, but it isn't a place you have ever been.  Why do I say that (and why does Strand say it)?  Because even though the moment may look and feel familiar you have never been it it with what you know right now.  Since the last time you were in a similar moment you've lived more life and gained more experience.  That changes the moment.  So see, you haven't ever been in this moment.  It's new because of the life you've lived since the last time it came around.  Appreciate the moment and watch out - it will come out around again but it will be new to you, as if you've never been in it except you'll know why next time.

Stars can't shine without darkness.   Unknown True fact.  We can't see the stars until there is darkness.  And the beauty of darkness is that there are stars that shine.  So even in darkness we have a little bit of light.  There's always a little bit of light (i.e. hope, faith, etc).  Grace gives us pinpoints of light in the dark.  Look for them.  Be grateful for them.  I'm going to take it a step further and say be grateful for the dark which enables those pinpoints of light to shine.  We wouldn't see them or be aware of them otherwise.  And those stars hold treasure for us.  They are hidden by light and are only revealed by darkness.  This is what came to mind in relation to today's quote..." I will give you hidden treasures,  riches stored in secret places,  so that you may know  that I am the  Lord ,  the God of Israel, who summons you by name." (Isaiah 45:3)  Some treasures we will only find in the darkness.  

I've begun to realize that you can listen to silence and learn from it. It has a quality and a dimension all its own.   Chaim Potok Silence.  If you find yourself scratching your head in confusion and wondering what it is then today's quote is for you.  Just to refresh your memory a bit...silence is that thing that happens when the TV is off, the computer isn't on, the phones are off, no appliances are running and you feel like without all of those things (and whatever else causes noise in your world) there is a big empty space with no noise.  That, my friends, is silence.  Silence is funny  because  it is one of those things that makes people super uncomfortable.  They squirm, they are agitated, they can't sit still, basically they can't handle it.  So slowly the noise comes back.  The radio is turned on (just on low so I have some sort of background music for my silence.  Um...) and then the phone is turned back on (just to vibrate so I don't miss that call

The great and glorious masterpiece of man is how to live with a purpose. Montaigne Got purpose?  And no, I'm not referring to the over-read, over- publicized  " The  Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren.         (Tell us, Beth, how do you really feel about that book?  *grin*)   Do you have purpose?  There doesn't need to be a whole book about this topic - it's pretty straightforward.  If you don't have purpose you will "waste" away.  And get this - you do have purpose.  You do!  The question is are you living up to it?  Or are you choosing to hunker down in a pit of self-pity, dysfunction, despair, etc?  The choice is yours.   You  can either live your life as a piece of scrap metal or as a glorious masterpiece of art.  The choice is yours because you were created with purpose.   But  you have to put some sweat equity into it.  Your purpose isn't going to just live out itself, you have to bring it forth.   Don't know how to bring forth yo

We do not see things as they are, we see things as we are.   Anais Nin We translate experiences and circumstances with the language of our lives.  And the language I speak is a bit different than yours and that can make all the difference when we are looking at the same circumstance.  We are going to have two different stories about it.  We color our worlds with our personal experiences, baggage, and view points. Where conflict comes in is when we expect everyone else to color their worlds like ours.  If we thought about it objectively we wouldn't really want that but we can't see the forest for the trees.  We think, in our crazy way, that a world that is all one color - ours  of course - would be wonderful and magnificent. But how boring! Which is better? Right? Chances are that whatever we are looking at is multi-colored rather than one color, which is how we tend to view things.  How it really is, is blended and mixed and intertwined rather than s