Day #15 in my A – Z series of “What Makes Me Happy?”
OPPORTUNITIES
Opportunities
Should not ever be wasted
Grab onto one now
.
What opportunity might you take advantage of today?
.
Share with me an “O” word that makes YOU happy.
.
Oh, and Happy Halloween!
Day #14 in my A-Z series of “What Makes Me Happy?”
N = Neighbors
Photo by rawpixel.com on Pexels.com
Who are my neighbors?
When I think of my “hood,”
I think of the nearby folks
Who are friendly and good.
.
They make me happy
With parties and sharing;
They call and come by
To show they are caring.
.
But my circle of friends
Doesn’t end on my road.
Neighbors are the folks
Who share in my load.
.
When I’m sick or downtrodden,
They call or send a card.
They offer food or flowers
Or say they’ll mow my yard.
.
But my neighbors and friends
Aren’t defined by when I’m needy.
To limit neighbors to those
Would certainly be quite greedy.
.
Neighbors are around the world.
Some faces I’ve never seen.
But, we meet in blogs or on Facebook
And we share a common dream.
.
We want to bring light to darkness.
We share a need to live in love.
We want what’s best for one another,
And we take our clues from God above.
.
As neighbors, we are looking
For ways to bring new hope
To others feeling hopeless.
We share ways we’ve learned to cope.
.
So when you’re feeling overwhelmed
By the bleakness that you see,
Turn to caring, compassionate neighbors
And change discouragement to glee.
.
Create a network of compassion
That goes round the globe and back.
Be the neighbor who brings help
And happiness to those who lack.
.
What neighborly act can you do to spread caring and compassion today?
Forge friendships through common work… and be a part of the solution.
We all are neighbors. We all need one another. Thank you for sharing –
– and caring.
Day #13 in the A – Z series of “What Makes Me Happy?”
Haiku on Mountains & Mornings
Mountains and mornings
Lift me up, help me to rise
Above yesterdays
Day 11 in my A-Z series was a day when 11 people were ruthlessly gunned down while in the “Tree of Life Synagogue” in Pittsburgh. My #11 word was Kindness.
How far from that concept was the mad gunman!
And now, on Day 12 of “What Makes Me Happy?” I am having trouble with happiness. I am wondering how Kindness fits into this equation of mass shooting. Surely I must find a way to exhibit kindness as a response to hate. Returning hate will not accomplish anything positive. I must concentrate on Day #12: “L” = Love.
Unlock the love in your heart! Reach out in love. Pray for the Jewish community. Pray for the fallen and their friends/family. Pray for the gunman and his family. Pray for all those who are prisoners of fear and hate.
Listen to the beautiful prayer attached here sung on 9-11 by Cantor Ari Schwartz. Pray for understanding, for peace, for a cessation of hate, a cessation of hateful rhetoric, and the unity of our nation – one nation under God. Listen to this beautiful Jewish prayer for the fallen and ask God to help us know how to be part of the solution, not part of the problem. Pray for unconditional love.
Photo by Ivandrei Pretorius on Pexels.com
When will the atrocities end?
When will we as a nation send
A clear and strong message to say
“Stop these mass shootings today”
.
Our hearts are hurting for the ones today
Who lost their lives; hate killed Jewish friends who pray.
They were brutally killed because some looney man
Chose to open fire on innocent folks. He had a plan.
.
But I believe and so do you, my friend,
That this insanity has got to end.
If our legislators can’t ban assault weapons today,
Then we need to vote them out – send ’em on their way.
.
Armed guards in our schools or worship places
Won’t stop the carnage or remove antisemitic traces.
More guns is not the answer to stopping hate, I know.
Initiate better gun control – increase mental health – help love grow.
.
Each of us has a role to play; we must shout out now.
Raise our voices in protest and outrage and figure out how
America can regain its heritage as a Land of the Free –
Safe for everyone – regardless of the color or religion we may be.
Day #11 in the A-Z series of “What Makes Me Happy?”
KINDNESS
This picture tells all. Notice the word on her shirt behind the heart. It says, “Volunteer.” A big heart full of love reaches out to help others, exudes kindness, and makes the world a better place.
.
When you’re tempted to be surley
In response to evil – speak your mind –
Remember you were taught quite early
Always to be kind.
When you’re tempted to lash back
At some person mean and rude,
Remember repercussions of attack
Return for whatever you exude.
Kindness is the only way
To be happy in your soul;
So in everything you do and say,
Let only kindness be your goal.
.
Photo by Suraphat Nuea-on on Pexels.com
People around the world are happier
when they reach out to help others.
Whatever motivates you to be kinder, gentler,
more compassionate…
think on these things.
For me, my daily devotional time upstairs in my sanctuary
sets my heart on the right path as I study His Word
and learn of His Ways.
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com
Isaiah 63:7a – “I will tell of the kindnesses of the Lord…”
and let His examples lead me.
What “K” word makes you happy? And what act of kindness are you planning today? Think about it!
This week’s letter is ‘Q’ so participants were encouraged to
“think of a plant or animal beginning with that letter about which you could write.”
Create and then post it and add “AHC” to your tags.
It’s a Haiku… and every word in it has to begin this week with that one letter = Q
Try it! It’s harder than you think!
Photo by Brett Sayles on Pexels.com
Quails qualify
Quiet, quaking, quick, queenly
Quack! Quaint questioning
Day #10 in the A – Z series, “What Makes Me Happy?”
JUSTIFICATION
Why would justification make me happy? What does it mean? Print that is justified is even on the right and the left margins. There are no ragged edges. Most books are written with the print justified. Newspaper columns are justified. The Bible’s print is justified in its columns, except for books like Proverbs, whose genre is poetry. Justified print is a neat and trim way to look at a page, isn’t it? But that’s not why it makes me happy. Stay with me!
Photo by rawpixel.com on Pexels.com
To make my point you need to realize on the other hand,
that if you set the print to the left, the edges on the right are ragged.
A crooked right margin is typical when you are letter writing.
Where else do you see print that is left-margin justified?
If you set the print to the right,
then the left margin will be crooked,
but the right margin will be straight.
A rare form, indeed, except
in some creative poetry.
Poetry often
is written with centered print
This is a Haiku
How does all this talk about justification of print apply to my life? I want to know my life is justified. No ragged edges. Clean on both sides, inside and outside. Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Justification gives me peace. Peace makes us all happy!
Jesus
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com
It’s not the event of the death of Jesus that makes me happy, of course. But His death was an important part of the equation. It is the Grace of God given to me in the form of the Holy Spirit as a result of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection… that’s what makes me happy. Through it, I am free! God’s gift to humankind was to free us from guilt and the penalty of sin through the sacrifice of His Son. Through Him, we are justified. I am not sure (are you?) how people face the death of a loved one – or their own mortality –Â if they do not have faith in the promise of eternal life. We need to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Heaven is our eternal home, made ours through Christ and His sacrifice. My joy is made complete in my love of the Lord. Jesus is my ultimate happiness.
Justice
Photo by Luka Siemionov on Pexels.com
Scales of Justice
It is no coincidence that Justice and Justification have the same root. In our current culture of right vs. left, JUSTICE demands vindication of the right… the correct! Not left vs. right, but right vs. wrong! The scales above are pitifully dirty. We need the scales of our justice system to be clean inside and outside, to be fair, to be even, no ragged edges. Straight on both sides… no partiality. We need to be assuring the public that indeed, this is the case. Straight, honest on all sides. No leaning left, to make the right crooked. No leaning right, to make the left ragged. Don’t even stay center, trying to please both sides, because then both sides are compromised. Justice needs justification… freedom from prejudice or inequality or irresponsibility. A focus on what is fair and correct. Only then will the TRUTH be served so peace can reign. Only then is there True Justice.
True Justice makes me happy.
.
What “J” word makes YOU happy?
Photo by mali maeder on Pexels.com
This week a young life was lost. Tragically, the brother of a dear friend who goes ATVing with us was killed in a two-car accident right here in our Madison Valley. He worked in our local nursing home. A compassionate, caring, handsome young man with so much to give. All loss hurts, but untimely death is so devastating.
I was looking forward to introducing him to our grandson who is coming from Switzerland next month to live with us for awhile. I know they would have been fast friends.
My heart is hurting. And especially for the family and friends he leaves behind. Pray for his brother, Joe, and the residents and staff at our nursing home, will you? I know they are grieving. I wish I could help.
The following Haiku was prompted by this tragedy:
One moment in time
Never to return again
So treasure each breath
.
God bless you, my blogging friends. Live in the NOW. Love, Laugh, and treasure one another. Live in love and gratitude. We just never know what each day will bring.
Day #9 of the A-Z series, “What Makes Me Happy?”
INSPIRATION
What inspires me most?
It’s invitations to think
Just positive thoughts.
The Positivity Blog
has 101 inspiring happiness quotes
by Henrik Edberg
to keep me smiling all day long
Invitations are
Happy paths that lead us to
Increased and shared joy
The following quote
– a Chinese proverb –
INSPIRES me to remember
the IMPORTANCE
of shared happiness:
“If you want happiness for an hour –
take a nap.
If you want happiness for a day,
go fishing.
If you want happiness for a year,
inherit a fortune.
If you want happiness for a lifetime,
help someone else.”
We all are INTERCONNECTED, you know.
Here is an Invitation to Inspire someone else.
Photo by rawpixel.com on Pexels.com
SHARE – – – What inspires you?
Hugs to You !!
Inspire to Love
Let the SonShine!
You inspire me to respond
Learning to Live; Living to Learn; Learning to Love; Living in Love
