Let the sun deepen the glow and bring strength to my soul…
My mind settles from all the distractions…
My eyes rest from all the blinding pain…
My ears relax from all the blasting rain…
Just breathe deep…
Exhale slowly…
And my focus can return…
My vision can reform…
My hearing can be revitalized…
Just another minute… and another…
Just a little while longer…
And my heart can begin to sing again…
“But now ask the beasts, and they will teach you; and the birds of the air, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you; and the fish of the sea will explain to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this, In whose hand is the life of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind?”
There is so much truth in this statement, it almost hurts to embrace it.
If you’ve never hiked a strenuous trail, this may not be a reality for you.
If you’ve not experienced the deep exhale of stiff action after a treacherous climb, you might not quite understand.
But if you’ve climbed Brasstown Bald in Georgia for the first time on a hot August afternoon…
If you’ve used your trekking poles to achieve the heights of The Chimney Tops in the Great Smokies…
If you’ve had to take a break as you traveled toward the top of Mount Mitchell in the Blue Ridge…
If you’ve had to slow to catch your breath as you stretched toward the heights of Pike’s Peak in the Rockies…
If you’ve questioned your abilities as you pushed toward the peaks of Mount Rainier in the Cascades…
And if you’ve ever struggled in life to achieve more than the day before… if you’ve stayed up all night and the next day just to get the job done… if you’ve beat your chest through the turmoil, the heartache and depression just to reach the other side of sanity…
Then, you might just understand and appreciate this statement.
Because if you’ve ever climbed the malicious mountain to experience the refreshing breeze and behold the overwhelming landscape of the summit , you’ll fight and claw to encounter the next ascension.
“Lord, by Your favor You have made my mountain stand strong…”
Sometimes, it just doesn’t seem like a Friday Fun Day.
As a family member, a great man who made you laugh till you cried, suddenly breathes his last…
As a hurricane, that’s not traumatic in size but traumatic in results, rips through your hometown wreaking havoc and demise…
As distant family members try to pick up the pieces of their lives and dreams…
As church family members die or become deathly sick, and all involved wonder if that precious saint will suddenly walk those streets of gold…
As calls of desperation filter in from various places, each needing help, restoration, healing in some form or fashion…
Sometimes, it just doesn’t feel much like a Friday Fun Day…
However, this is that thing we call living…
And you either put on your hat of perseverance and move forward with a strain and a push, or you’ll get trampled in the gate of ambition and determination…
Or worse, you’ll garnish that cloak of heaviness and despair and enter your grave while walking on your feet…
So, you look up and glimpse the sunlight peeking through the clouds…
You look beyond the debris and see the sunset light up that western seashore…
You look through the demise to find a hidden treasure, a cherished heirloom, a forgotten dream…
You look into the eyes of that neighbor, and despite the pain, you smile and embrace…
You remember the good times of friends, the memories of the fun, the love of family, and the sweet goodness of God…
You see the resilience to repair, the fortitude to rebuild, and the temerity to thrive again…
You watch the horizon of dreams as they creep over the surf as bright as the sun, brightening the path to another day, another aspiration, another hope…
And you smile…
For the Friday Fun Day will return…
If only for this moment held deep within your heart…
“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.
Great is our Lord and mighty in power; His understanding has no limit.”
Yeah, it might have been a week from the latest horror flick.
It might have been a month from the pit, and we’re only on day four.
It might have been a year from Hades…
But you’re still standing there!
You’re still breathing.
So, get up! Take a deep breath and exhale real slow.
Step outside. Take in the fresh air, and look up.
The sun will shine again, and it’s a new day to start anew!
So, go have a day of fun!
Maybe work is calling your name; so, change your angle. At least, you have one to go to.
Change your perspective.
Maybe you’re headed into the hospital. Maybe you’re recovering. Maybe you’re at the graveside.
Just breathe. Let the tears fall, and know He still cares for you.
You’re still standing there.
Your heart is still beating.
If a fun day is not feasible right now, go have a fun moment!
Go have a fun second.
Do what you must to thrive again.
The sun will shine again; I promise.
Just hold on.
And if nothing more, have a Friday Fun Day by remembering the most joyous moment of your life.
And be thankful you have it to remember.
…perspective can be everything… 😉
“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.”
When you’re 14, entering High School for the first time, and you’re having to follow all the new rules, trying to make sense of it all, and to top it all off, you’ve got to wear a mask for 8 hours a day…
You just make the best of it and wear two!
😂😂🤣🤣😂😂🤣🤣😂😂🤣🤣😂😂🤣🤣
It is what it is, and that’s all that it is.
Smile anyway, and let it brighten your day while bringing hope to someone else’s! 💗
In 2019, I’d never have guessed I’d have face masks hanging from my shower wall awaiting to dry.
In 2019, I’d never have thought of driving into our favorite North Georgia mountain town to find one great restaurant after another either closed early, have outdoor seating only, take-out only or have such dismal cleaning abilities that you’d not want to eat there.
In 2018, I never once worried about whom I could hug on a Sunday morning or whom I couldn’t, unless she was a visitor and then, I’d give it pause to not seem too much.
In 2018, I never once thought about how many people across the nation were dealing questions of, “Should I go or stay?”
In 2017, we had concerns around the world about sickness, desolation and fear; yet, we faced it together. We faced it with purpose.
In 2017, we glanced through the hour glass of time, wondering what the future might hold; yet, we glanced with hope, with promise for a better tomorrow.
In 2016, we had disagreements and didn’t see eye-to-eye; yet, that was a “normal” with which almost all of us could live. It was ok to disagree. It was ok to be at odds.
Life just went on.
I wonder how much has to change in 2020 to wake us up from our slumber.
I wonder how many have to be lost before we realize “that normal” is no more and “this normal” is here to stay.
We have to quit “glorifying yesterday” in order to live for tomorrow and be present in today.
We have to quit pointing the fingers and finding the blame in order to live determines and strong.
If we are to not simply survive…
If we are to choose to THRIVE, then, it starts with you and me…
It starts today…
And it must start now.
“Almost universally, when people look back on their lives while on their deathbed […] they wish they had spent more time with the people and activities they truly loved and less time worrying about aspects of life that, upon deeper examination, really don’t matter at all that much. Imagining yourself at your own funeral allows you to look back at your life while you still have the chance to make some important changes.” — Richard Carlson, Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff…and It’s All Small Stuff
There’s nothing better than a great big glass of ice cold water after a 3 mile walk in the heat of the evening.
You’re parched. You’re tired. You’re breathless.
Yet, that water is like snow in the desert.
It’s refreshing to the bones.
It’s reviving to the muscles.
It’s rejuvenating to the very soul.
This is just how I have found my God to be.
I’m not talking about finding religion, and I’m not trying to convince you of an ancient tradition.
I’m just referring to a Friend who sticks closer than a brother.
I’m pointing toward a comfort in times of need, a peace that surpasses all your understanding and a fulfilling joy that words just can’t seem to describe.
You might scoff, and you might even turn the page, but I challenge you to simply try Him.
Just say His name.
Jesus.
He can be refreshing water for your weary mind.
He can be a babbling brook for your exhausted heart.
He can be a living stream for your parched soul.
On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”
My journey didn’t stop with mere time travel or writing; it led me to become one of the most sought-after empaths, a soulful psychic who reads the hidden depths of the human spirit. I’ve been blessed—or perhaps burdened—with an ability that allows me to feel the emotions of people from every corner of time.
I am a licensed psychologist based in Greece. My love for housekeeping has inspired me to create this blog about home management and family relationships. I hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoyed writing!
Dedicated to movie nerdom, nostalgia, and escape. In the late 90s, I worked at Blockbuster Video where they let me take home two free movies a day. I caught up on the classics and reviewed theatrical releases for Denver 'burbs newspapers and magazines. Today, while raising two young, beautiful daughters with my amazing wife, I look forward to anything rated R and not Bluey. Comments and dialogue encouraged!
the grizzle grist mill 