From God Bless to Go Bless

My mind and body are finally starting to defrost.  The momentum of the new year and my determination to “get back to normal” have been on hold. Bitter temperatures, snow, and ice descended on the Atlanta metro last weekend just as I was recovering from the holiday season.  Where else but Georgia in January can you have a 4^o wind chill one Saturday and 65^o the next?

In order to move forward, it helps me to have an inspiration, a goal, or a plan as I navigate the 355 days left in 2017. These quotes express my desire to make my days count this year.

“What the New Year brings to you will depend a great deal on what you bring to the New Year.” – Vern McLellan

“We all get the exact same 365 days. The only difference is what we do with them.”

– Hillary DePiano

January is a good time to look back and to look forward. In spite of the challenges and difficulties of last year, I choose to celebrate my many blessings. Blessings are wonderful, but the question is what will I do with them? Will I hoard them or share them? 

The child’s nighttime prayer is to bless mommy, daddy, little sister, big brother, etc. That is great for a child, but it should not be the totality of our adult prayer. If God has already blessed greatly, should we ask for more?

Compared to much of the world, we have more blessings than we deserve. If we have something in abundance, our goal should be to share that abundance with others. 2017 would be a good year for me to ask God each day to make me a blessing to someone else. How would that show up in real life?  Kind words for the person who waits on me at the bank and grocery store. Lending a helping hand to someone in need or offering to pray for somebody who is hurting. These are simple acts of kindness.

An elderly man jumped on the mother of two at the Ft. Lauderdale airport to protect her from the recent shooting.  He whispered to her, “I will protect you.” Both of their lives were spared by his heroic act. We never know when we might have the same opportunity to spring into action. If we make a habit of passing along blessings to others each day, an unselfish act will be second nature for us.

When I think about sharing my blessings, I recall a church hymn I used to sing years ago:

“Out in the highways and byways of life,

Many are weary and sad;

Carry the sunshine where darkness is rife,

Making the sorrowing glad.

Refrain:

Make me a blessing, make me a blessing,

Out of my life may Jesus shine,

Make me a blessing, O Savior I pray;

Make me a blessing to someone today.”

—Ira B. Wilson (1909)

Who can you bless today?

Crossing the Divide

Seventy-nine years ago this week, the 1.5 mile Lincoln Tunnel under the Hudson River was opened to traffic. Creative engineers constructed a safe path for travel under previously unpassable waters. For the first time, cars could drive from New Jersey and end up in New York City.  

This bit of trivia caused me to reflect on other events we are experiencing here at the year’s end that mark a beginning and an ending and sometimes cause us to tunnel through to the other side.

 Most folks will agree that the national election of 2016 was one of the most divisive in recent memory. And many will also agree they are very thankful that the election is over. As our country moves forward under new leadership many policies will end and new ones will be put in place. There will still be rough and tumble politics, but the uncertainty of who will lead the country for the next four years has been put to rest. 

Did you notice that today we had one more minute of daylight than we did yesterday? The Winter Solstice was the divide between fall and winter and the shortest day of the year. Everyday has 24 hours, but from June to December in the northern hemisphere the daylight hours grow shorter and the nighttime hours longer. These days can be tough for those who experience Seasonal Affective Disorder. For all of us, longer hours of daylight will be a welcome relief signaling the arrival of spring.

Christmas marks the greatest divide in human history. God broke into history by sending Jesus into the world. No longer was God a distant creator but a flesh and blood Savior who bore the sins and hope of all mankind. The great divide between man and God was broken down. Light and love replaced death and darkness for all who put their faith in Him. May you find time this Christmas season to open your hearts to the light of God through his son, Jesus Christ.

“The people living in darkness have seen a great light; 

on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.”  Matthew 4:16

On New Year’s Eve we will cross the divide from 2016 to 2017. Out with the old and in with the new. For some it is a lonely time as they remember the loss of family members and friends during the past year. I’m always glad for a fresh start and a new beginning. I resolve to make the next year better than the last—only to find my expectations don’t quite measure up to reality. My prayer is not just for a Happy New Year, but for a healthy, hopeful, and holy 365 days for each one of you.

Thank you for following my blog. See you in 2017.

The Power of One Word

As a writer I love words. Lots of them! When joined together in powerful sentences and paragraphs, words tell great stories and provide inspiration. Two of my writer friends inspired me to think about the power of ONE WORD. In my last blog post I wrote about how I wanted to simplify my life this year and find joy and contentment in accomplishing small things. I am intrigued to think that one word could change my life. I decided accept the challenge and choose ONE WORD to live by in 2016.

My online research led me to a book entitled My One Word written by Mike Ashcraft, senior pastor at Port City Community Church in Wilmington, NC. Instead of sweeping resolutions that disappear by the end of January, Ashcraft says that choosing one word will help us concentrate on accomplishing something instead of a lot of nothing. I also discovered a blog by Margaret Feinberg entitled One Word in which she encourages people to choose one word to study and meditate on during 2016. 

It took me a couple of days to narrow my focus to just one word. My writer friends chose the words “Confidence” and “Flourish.” All sorts of other words drifted through my mind—all of them perfectly good words—just not for me at this time in my life. I finally settled on a word for 2016 that has the potential to change my thinking and my actions. Here it is!

STEADFAST

According to the Miriam Webster Dictionary my word is defined as: “very devoted or loyal to a person, belief, or cause: not changing” Those that know me might say that word already describes me.Yes, I can be opinionated and passionate about what I believe. My area of struggle is in my thinking and about keeping my mind focused on the positive in each situation. I picked this Bible verse for 2016, because it describes exactly what I need in my life—the ability to find peace in every chaotic and stressful situation that I will face this year.

“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast,

because they trust in you.” Isaiah 26:3 NIV

There will be plenty of challenges — personal and family health problems, the roller coaster stock market, endless delays in our aircraft business, and the inevitable unexpected events that can turn life on a dime.

Are you up to taking the ONE WORD challenge in 2016?  

If so I would love to hear from you. If you choose to comment at the end of this blog and you use the Anonymous designation, please add your name at the end of your comment so we can pray for each other’s journey.You can also email me at friedas@bellsouth.net to let me know the word you have chosen. To help you get started, here are the two links I referenced above that will give you additional information and motivation.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008EGUFF2/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?ie=UTF8&btkr=1

http://margaretfeinberg.com/whats-one-word-2016-free-download/

What is your ONE WORD for 2016?

The Remains of the Day

Why is it a surprise to wake up the day after Christmas and be a little overwhelmed by the remains of the day? So much effort and preparation has gone into making a holiday to remember, the ordinary things of life have been neglected. Now it’s time to “face the music.” I have yet to figure out how people have enough time and energy to rush to the after Christmas sales. I've seen enough malls and stores to last awhile. However, I am tempted to visit online stores and spend my gift cards. But first I must deal with household clutter, leftover food, and paperwork. I tell myself it will be easier to tackle the unpleasant if I dwell on all the joyful and fun events of the past few weeks.

Then I remember, there are only five days left in the month of December and the beginning of the New Year. Writing my last blog post of the year suddenly seems much more important that cleaning up all the clutter. So I back away from the broom and mop and try to get my creative juices flowing.

The lead up to the holidays started on Veteran’s Day weekend when Frieda’s son and family came from Toronto, Canada for a pre-Thanksgiving visit. Since the Canadian school holidays are different than ours, we had to celebrate earlier than usual. Did you know that the Veteran’s Day sales are as good as Black Friday sales? We ate and shopped until I dropped. During the next few weekends we had visits from my nieces and grandchildren from Charles’ side of the family. At Thanksgiving, Frieda’s college-age granddaughter came to visit. More shopping, cooking, and eating concluded with the realization there were only 28 days until Christmas. And you know the rest of the story – four more weeks of shopping, cooking, and eating. 

The remains of the day are looking pretty good right now. The leftovers mean I have at least a two day reprieve from cooking; the household clutter will eventually be put in order and I have a warm, comfortable house to keep it in. The receipts will get organized and there is enough money to pay the bills. Soon all of that will be history, but the warm glow from being with family and friends will last long after the ball drops on New Year’s Eve.

Thanks for following my blog “Two Late Bloomers” this past year. As I enter my third year of posting, I continue to be challenged to write fresh and interesting material. Your feedback is always appreciated. My goal is to do more writing in 2015. What’s on your agenda for the New Year?

A Clean Slate

ü  A new Word document  

ü  A blank calendar

ü  A fresh blog post

ü  An empty journal or diary

ü  An unopened flash drive

All waiting to be filled with words, dates, memories, and files—A New Year filled with choices, actions, resolutions, goals, and efforts.
  
Like you, I ask myself, “What will 2014 bring and what will I do during the next 365 days?” According to my calculation that is 8,760 hours; 525,600 minutes; 31,536,000 seconds. If I sleep one-third of my allotted hours, the remaining 5,840 hours or 16 hours each day await my imprint.

Some of those hours will be filled with office work, housework, food prep, and unexpected interruptions. Quantity time with my husband, family, and friends will be a priority as well as quality time with God through prayer, church attendance, and service to others. 

I start a new year with a clean slate when it comes to my writing. Writing 24 blogs in 2014 is daunting when I have an idea for only one. Most of my blog topics come to me from events or circumstances in my life. I  always look for a good quote or inspiration from an article or spot on TV. So far I have written 40 blogs with the self-imposed deadline of two each month. When you read and comment, I am encouraged to keep on posting.

My big project for the year is writing Charles’ life story. He has already given me pages of memories that I will massage and rework into a memoir that will be an inspiration to many. Like it was for me, writing his life story is a time of reflection on many events—some of which he would prefer not to relive. However writing my memoir, Born Three Times­­­­–A New Life, A New Liver, A New Love, proved to be a very therapeutic experience.

You, too, have a story to tell and I encourage you to take the time to find a way to record your memories for your future generations. It would be a good way to use some of your time in 2014 to bless other people. 

Let's fill our clean slates in 2014 with words and actions that will honor God and bless others along the way. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Write it on your heart that every day is the best day of the year.”

Happy New Year

Frieda Dixon

Too Two Late Bloomers