Through Our Effort

Great things are available, courtesy of our creator. The way is there but we need to work. One stream of thought is God will do everything for us, we need to nothing. Just by asking, we only have to ask for what we want, then sit back, it will come to us.

The opposite idea is it doesn’t matter if God exists or not, we must make the good happen for ourselves. We create the fruit of our hard work, and we alone are responsible for it. It’s all on us. The more balanced belief is there is a God who helps us by placing tools within our reach and we are to do the work to open the door and find the gifts.

Leonardo da Vinci is quoted as saying:

“Oh Lord, thou givest us everything, at the price of an effort.”

da Vinci was perhaps one of the most talented artists of all time; it must be remembered he worked eighteen hour days quite often to create his masterpieces. We are all blessed with talents beyond what others have. Where one person can use words, another mathematics, another medicine, and another kindness, we all, in our respected fields, work using our talents, gifts, and resources, we will each complete our own masterpieces.

I’m excited about continuing with my masterpiece, how about you and yours? Keep working, and you’ll see lots of opportunities coming your way. Have a nice evening, and we’ll see each other tomorrow.

A Peaceful Heart

We all know of someone with a hair trigger temper. A rant can begin at any time, you just don’t know when. Walking on eggshells is no way to live.

“Anger helps straighten out a problem like a fan helps straighten a pile of papers.”

We all know someone who throws temper tantrums, who slam doors and object to prove their displeasure and stomp around to prove a point. How childish. It’s no way to live.

The outbursts we threaten others are spontaneous in number and severity. We make them watch out, don’t rile us up, or we would intimidate them and make them wish we weren’t around. Is this any way for us to relate to people? Is this any way for these people around us to have to exist?

The outbursts are NOT just blowing off steam. They’re opportunities for a cheap thrill by feeling powerful that simply indicates we are short on coping skills. We forget the steam we justify we’re blowing off actually blasts others in the face. Tirades have never solved a problem. Mom was raised in a home where people argued and yelled. She says her mother made her and her sisters afraid of their father. “Don’t tell Dad” is a terrible thing to do to kids. It teaches them to lie and omit parts of the truth. Kids echo the behavior they see around them. Unfortunately, she was frequently angry. I believe it was overwhelm; she had two children under the age of two and didn’t have a lot of help from Dad. Men did not participate in daily tasks with children in the early 1950s. Again, it depends on how you’re raised.

As folks learn to deal with their anger in a constructive manner, anger should subside. Anger, left untamed, can destroy a person, a family, and guarantee dysfunction for the lives of coming generations. It happens more often than not. The person who recognizes this dysfunction and speaks up is often the black sheep for at least a while. It takes courage to speak up and vow to take a different path than the one your parent followed. They just didn’t know any better. It wasn’t their fault.

What you can do is intend to handle situations differently. Be accountable to yourself. Make it a calmer world for your children. It will also be a calmer world for you, too. Once I realized showing anger towards my children and yelling was not the way a Mom should behave, I stopped. I was about 25 years old when I learned an alternate way to be. My life was full of tension and turmoil due to my marriage. I learned other ways of coping with my anxiety. I became a different person, a much better Mom, and learned about personal growth and improving yourself all the days of your life. And we’re not finished yet.

Think about your peace, and the peace you create in your home. Are people walking on eggshells around you? You can change that. You can choose to break a family curse. Yes you can. Work on your own temper. Is it out of control? Is it too much? Reign it in. Control it before it controls you. Have a beautiful evening. See you tomorrow!

Black Friday

Black Friday seems to have been around since the 1980s, but I’ve never participated in it. Maybe at the most some online purchasing, but I won’t fight a crowd. Not to buy stuff. I’m just not into shopping that much. I’m more apt to go to Menard’s or Lowe’s, and buy plants for the yard, or some cute birdhouses and such. Pretty simplistic.

After the dinner yesterday, it was nicely quiet in the house. We just enjoyed each other’s company. Grateful for being so blessed. And enjoying the day while the Babe does some office work at the Post, and does a funeral for the Honor Guard. That family thought their Thanksgiving would probably be different than it was. The year my Grandfather died on Christmas Eve, we sure didn’t plan on his death and funeral three days later. This New Yorker cartoon sums up the yesterday pretty well. It just tickled me a lot. Humor is always in style, you know?

Be Careful What You Wish For

As I’m all cozy and warm in the house, I hope everyone is warm and safe our on their shopping sprees. It’s time for a plate of leftovers, then a nap. Crazy as it was yesterday, I’m so glad for the quiet today.

Tomorrow, I hope to get a new normal going. I need to get back to the book, then make space to quilt. Hope you had a great day, either crazy and busy or quiet and serene. See what tomorrow brings, and make sure to hug your loved ones. See you tomorrow!