Only follow a leader with a good compass and the knowledge of how to follow it. A broken compass or unskilled leader will certainly get you lost.
Better yet, get your own compass and become skilled in following it.
Tag Archives: Spirituality
A Stellar Year
An odd realization occurred just recently, the realization that true friends not only support you when you struggle, but also when you succeed. In times when recession and struggle seem more common than not, it is a great blessing to have friends who will celebrate your joy and success even when their lives are less bountiful.
2012 was a very stellar year for me and for my family. It was filled with joy and excitement, something of a break compared recent years where struggle to overcome dominated the scene. As this year neared its end, I have reflected on the abundance of my blessings and the sheer joy of life, family, and friends. This reflection makes me glow inwardly and outwardly. It is impossible to contain.
It is a great gift to have friends who celebrate joy with me even while 2012 presented greater struggle for them, and sorrow or pain clouded their days. These friends show themselves to be true. It is of them I will ponder as the clock strikes twelve, and for them I will cast my wish for blessings and abundance in the upcoming year.
Friends and Family, this year they have intertwined and become of the same in my heart. It has been a stellar year and my heart rejoices for the abundance of friendship and love which I have been blessed.
Happy New Year and may 2013 greet you with abundance of friendship!
Genuine Greetings of the Season
Whenever the media or friends discuss the war on Christmas these thoughts come to mind…….
I often wonder if “political correctness” is blamed for the decline in “Christmas” because Christians avoid looking at themselves and asking if they are teaching “Christmas” or teaching something else. It is easy to get fired up at the “attacks” but much harder to recognize that “Christmas” doesn’t just happen because you buy a tree and make cookies.
I really don’t think the lack of a nativity at the court house or public building will adversely affect my family, but the lack of one in my home certainly will. While it is sad to see public display of the holiday diminish, I do try to keep in mind that it is the traditions we make at home and share with our family and friends that count. I also remind myself that Hollywood’s version of Christmas is a rather new version and that the fundamentals of Christmas count more than how Hollywood defined Christmas to our parents and grandparents.
Whether I say Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, or Season’s Greetings, I am wishing a person the best. Christ is only removed from Christmas when I forget to include him in my life, not when others exclude him from theirs. I would hope I live in such a way that people will still know I am Christian even when I wish them Happy Holidays. If nothing else, I hope they at least see the kindness in me when I wish them happiness.
A wish of cheer, in any form, is the message that carries on even after the lights and the tinsel get packed away for another year. Christ will never be removed from Christmas as long as well-wishers genuinely wish each other glad tidings at least once a year. This is part of the magic of the season; this genuine wish for blessings and cheer to be the companion of others. The Bleak Midwinter is replaced by a White Christmas the moment when a genuine greeting brightens someone’s day.
Relief and Sorrow
A brief glance at the morning news feed indicated another tragedy but no details, so work resumed and ignorance was bliss. A return to Facebook a few hours later revealed the missing details of a terrible tragedy. My first desperate thought was of a friend who lived in Connecticut, a friend with small children. With breath caught in my chest, I quickly checked her profile, bursting into relief filled tears as I read her post declaring the safety of her family. She declared their safety with the simple statement, “I want to go pick up my children from school and hug them right now.”
As I was consumed with great relief another emotion tore at me – sorrow. Sorrow for the families who could not hug their children, not today or ever again in this lifetime. I felt so wretched with these conflicting emotions and sought comfort through hugging my own children. Truthfully, I think they hugged me for they are young and strong and I was so weak from shock and sorrow.
It does not take much for fatigue to overwhelm me. Sorrow certainly brings on fatigue. As I sought the solace of a nap, I prayed that upon awaking I would feel a measure of peace return. This picture greeted me as I returned to the world and left the protection of slumbers solitude behind. While I ache deeply for the parents who cannot hug their children, I feel peace knowing the children, young or old, are in His embrace.
Saith Me… Sharing the Season
The Winter Season is not “owned” by just one group and respect for others is a good thing. Among other things, Christmas is about sharing, including sharing the season.
Saith Me… Happy Day of Thanksgiving
So many things for which I am grateful, one e-card was just not enough, so I made a gallery.
Saith Me… To Stand not Fight
It is a good and noble thing to stand up for that in which you believe. Sometimes you may even need to fight for your beliefs, but remember when we choose to fight, we are seeking to change the will of others. Changing someone else’s will is not simply changing their mind, but changing their desire to resist the result you propose.
The decision to fight, to try to change someone’s will, should not be decided upon lightly. Even a fight of words can result in harm and injury. Before you start a fight, make sure your fight is for something in which you are willing inflict injury to achieve. Be sure the thing you are willing to injure others over has a great enough value that it will offset the damage you will cause.
We can stand on principles without resorting to a fight, but to do so we much have respect for the principles upon which others stand. In almost all cases, it will be better to stand than to fight. It is a profound task to figure out the exceptions.
Music of the Season – Seeking Joy
Now that Halloween is over I can listen to Holiday Music again. (I say Holiday because I love Winter Music as well as Christmas Music.)
I figure the more happy music I listen to the more of the ugliness of the world I can tune out. Not ignore the world, but just buffer myself from it.
I believe completely in being informed, reading and researching and learning, but I also believe I must actively seek joy rather than waiting for someone find it for me.
Happiness does not come from ignorance, but from knowledge. Knowledge is not always pleasant, but understanding is the first step to doing something, making a change.
Winter Music, Holiday Music and Christmas Music simply makes the doing so much more fun. Whether it is service for others or simply cleaning my own house, the quest for joy can be just a melody away.
Saith Me and My Son… Fear
Fear is the easiest way to distract people from seeing issues clearly. It creates “something worse” and thereby allows bad to be perceived as good.
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Is it a good thing when your kids start arguing with you as to whom the credit for pithy ponderings should go?
Saith Me… The Hardened Heart
When the hearts of the many are hardened and are accepting of hate, it is then there will be woe among mankind and iniquity will prevail.
– Pioneer Lady
Gandhi described anger and intolerance as being the enemies of correct understanding, but they are also the enemies of reason. They spread misunderstanding.
People will disagree on principles, or on the details of an issue, but that is not the same as standing on misinformation, calling it truth, and asserting all others are wrong in their beliefs. Correct understanding therefor is not just the ability to understand, but the ability to understand the opposition and the ability to reason rather than simply rationalize.
Pithy Ponderings 