More Of Him Monday

Diana at Sunshine On My Shoulders is hosting More of Him Monday, If you have something you would like to share, please visit Diana's blog and leave a link to your post.

I have a confession to make: Our Christmas tree was up until this past weekend (don't worry-it's a fake one!) I always feel a little depressed after the holidays and maybe it was my way of holding on to that Christmas spirit that filled my heart less than a month ago. I try to hold on to it the way tinsel clings to those discarded trees I see laying on the side of the road. Seems like that feeling got boxed away with the decorations. And looking at my shabby Christmas tree for a few extra weeks did NOT do the trick. So I guess what I'm really trying to say is this-how does one feel that joy in their heart the other eleven months of the year?

I know Jesus is there for me 24/7, 365 days a year. And I do think of myself as a pretty spiritual person, but I just want to have that feeling of "peace on Earth goodwill to men" all or at least most of the time. Maybe I'm trying too hard or perhaps I need more quiet time with Him. Does anyone have any suggestions?

More of Him Monday

Diana at Sunshine On My Shoulders is the hostess of More of Him Monday. If you would like to share with us, please visit Diana's blog and leave a link to your post.

If I ever write my life story, it's going to be a cross between Marley and Me and Eat Pray Love. A dog guiding me along my spiritual journey? I know it sounds crazy, but lately our daily walks have taken an unexpected turn.

It used to be that during our walks, my mind was always elsewhere. I would walk Raven only because she wanted me to, and would annoy me until I finally got my butt off the couch and and put the leash around her neck. And once we were outside, all I could think about were all the things I had to do that evening or the next day. I wasn't enjoying these walks at all-I couldn't wait to return home.

I was too focused on the man-made world around me, mostly noticing the other houses and cars we passed along the way. Raven, on the other hand only seemed to see the "real world", the natural world, the one that God created. Maybe that's the reason she was enjoying these walks a whole lot more than I was.

So I decided to "see" the world through my dog's perspective and it really opened my eyes to all the beauty that surrounds me. No, I wasn't on all fours, but I just paid more attention to the natural part of the landscape. The subtle changes of the seasons, the songs of the different birds flying above, the sound of autumn leaves crunching under our feet, the colors of the sunset. And all this made me feel closer to God, for there was none of that man-made stuff clouding my vision.

It made me think of all the material things which hinder my relationship with Him.
And all that "mind clutter" piled inside my head which prevents me from hearing His quiet voice to guide me.

It is time for me to separate the wheat from the chaff and toss away what hinders my relationship with Him. A spiritual journey is a lifelong quest, with many twists and turns along the way. It's been a rough road for me at times and I really need to trust in Him more. And I know He wants nothing more than to guide me along that path, if only I will let Him. Maybe I'm the one who needs a leash.

More Of Him Monday

Diana at Sunshine On My Shoulders is the hostess of More Of Him Monday. Please visit Diana's blog to read hers and other's encouraging posts.

This is mostly about my hubby, Carlos and something he did last week. He and his buddies are avid fishermen and spend much of their free time at the nearby waterfront. He really doesn't bring much fish home, but he does bring home a lot of stories and one of them really warmed my heart.

Seems he was approached by a couple of women who asked him if he had any extra fish he could give them because their husbands had not been paid that week and they had no money to buy food to feed their families. So Carlos gave them all the fish he had caught and spread the word to all the other people who were there fishing. Well soon these women had plenty of fish to take home thanks to the generosity of all the fishermen. The next day, these women returned to tell everyone how thankful their families were for the fish and all the meals it would be providing for them.

The kindness of strangers really made a difference in the lives of these women and their families.
I'm proud of Carlos, for he could have easily told those women "no".
But instead he chose to listen to His voice and help someone less fortunate.

More of Him Monday

Diana at Sunshine On My Shoulders is hosting More of Him Monday. Please visit her blog if you would like to share something or read others' inspirational posts.

I really miss having joy in my life. It does come and go, but I just don't have that zest for life that I once had.

I know He is here with me and I do trust in Him. But there's a lot of uncertainty about what the future holds for me right now, and I really don't like this feeling.

But I know that unlike myself, God sees the big picture and has a plan for me, so I am excited about that.

I listen to Him in my heart and He tells me to be patient and not to worry.

I know He wants me to be happy here.

And He really has blessed me in so many ways and that's what I need to focus on.

And be thankful for.

More of Him Monday

Diana at Sunshine on My Shoulders is hosting More of Him Monday. Be sure to visit her blog and read other's uplifting posts.



I need more of Him in my life. More of Him and less of eating and sitting on my butt (which I'm doing right now). Today I went to the doctor. And the news is not pretty. I really let myself go. So the next few months will be full of tests (YIKES!), more doctor appointments and other fun stuff. And I need to lose weight. More than just a few pounds. Not an easy thing to do this time of year.

I need Him to guide me and to give me the strength to make much needed changes in my lifestyle. And the willpower to stick with it.

The More of Him and less of me diet plan. There's a lot of work to be done here. So why am I still sitting here? Time to get moving!

More of Him Monday

Diana at Sunshine On My Shoulders is hosting More Of Him Monday. Why not visit her blog and check out her's and others' uplifting posts.

Overheard at Target this morning:

Wife to husband (as he rushes past her with shopping cart): "Where are you going?"

Husband: "I'm going straight to hell because I'm a non-believer. That has to be the biggest racket in the world-believing in God."

What the?????? I turned to catch a glimpse of the husband, a 70 something, owlish looking kind of fellow. Probably was not too thrilled to be spending this beautiful October morning shopping with the wife at Target; not really a "guy" kind of store. I should know for I had asked Carlos if he wanted to join me, but he declined my invitation and headed off to Home Depot instead.

But this man's words got me thinking-what would the world be like without this "racket"? What if nobody believed in God? No religion, churches, marriages, possibly no family unit. Would there be laws? Would there even be a USA? Didn't the colonists originally come here for religious freedom? Imagine no holidays; no Christmas, Easter, or Thanksgiving (who would we thank?).

Would there be love?

Would there be any good at all in this world?

How empty my life would be without Him!

I feel sorry for this man, for he is truly missing out on a lot. If I wasn't such a timid person, I would have said something like this to him: "Sir, you may not believe in God, but He believes in you and loves you anyway. I hope that someday you will invite Him into your life."

So instead I said a little prayer for him.

Nope this man doesn't know it, but someone was praying for him in the aisles of Target this morning. Maybe that's why God put me in the path of his shopping cart.
So he got an added "bonus" along with that 40 lb. bag of dog food I saw him heave into his cart.

God and I, what a "racket" we have going!

More of Him Monday

Diana at "Sunshine On My Shoulders" is hosting a wonderful new feature: More of Him Monday Be sure to visit Diana's blog to read her's and others' inspiring posts.

It seems that every Sunday afternoon I get depressed because the weekend is almost over and I must return to work in the morning. It's not that I dislike my job; its the "garbage" that I must deal with every day. You know-the gossiping, the back-stabbing, the complaining, the unfairness, etc. That kind of garbage. There has been a lot of it lately. And it has been affecting me both mentally and physically.
So yesterday afternoon I prayed to Jesus: "Lord, I'm not sure how much longer I can put up with this "garbage" at work so I'm giving this one to you. I need your wisdom on how to deal with this "garbage".

Shortly afterwards, I got on the computer to check out some blogs and I heard that "click" which meant that I'd just received an email. It was from my sister and I would like to share a part of it with you:

Beware of Garbage Trucks
by David J. Pollay

How often do you let other people's nonsense change
your mood? Do you let a bad driver, rude waiter, curt boss,
or an insensitive employee ruin your day? Unless you're the
Terminator, for an instant you're probably set back on your
heels. However, the mark of a successful person is how quickly
she can get back her focus on what's important.

Sixteen years ago I learned this lesson.
I learned it in the back of a New York City taxi cab.
Here's what happened.

I hopped in a taxi, and we took off for Grand Central Station. We were driving in the right lane when, all of a sudden, a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us.
My taxi driver slammed on his breaks, skidded,
and missed the other car's back end by just inches!

The driver of the other car, the guy who almost caused a big accident, whipped his head around and he started yelling bad words at us.

My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy.
And I mean, he was friendly.
So, I said, "Why did you just do that?
This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!"

And this is when my taxi driver told me what I
now call, "The Law of the Garbage Truck."

Many people are like garbage trucks.
They run around full of garbage, full of frustration,
full of anger, and full of disappointment.
As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it.
And if you let them, they'll dump it on you.
When someone wants to dump on you, don't take it personally.

You just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on.
You'll be happy you did.

So this was it: The "Law of the Garbage Truck."
I started thinking, how often do I let Garbage Trucks run right over me?
And how often do I take their garbage and spread it to other people:

at work, at home, on the streets?
It was that day I said, "I'm not going to do it anymore."

I began to see garbage trucks.
Like in the movie " The Sixth Sense," the little boy said, "I see Dead People."

Well, now "I see Garbage Trucks."
I see the load they're carrying.
I see them coming to drop it off.
And like my Taxi Driver, I don't make it a personal thing;
I just smile, wave, wish them well, and I move on.

So I thought how strange it was to receive this email after that little chat I had with God less than an hour earlier. Surely this couldn't have come from Him through cyberspace.
I walked into the bathroom to clean the cat's litter box and noticed that Carlos had hung a small cross from the knob of the medicine cabinet. The late afternoon sun was shining through a small opening in the blinds directly on that cross and it was glowing!-I guess I had my answer.
No-it's not exactly scripture. Seems God chose to speak to me in my native New Jersey tongue (we do say "garbage" kind of funny), in a way in which I could clearly understand His message.
And His message stayed with me all day at work today. I truly had a wonderful day, despite all the craziness around me. I even sent that email to some of my co-workers.
Yes, this garbage dump is officially closed!