Want a treat?
Tune in to the Bozeman Symphony concert on YouTube.
The first part is strings, but hang in there …
… the second section is brass (French horn, trumpet, and trombone).
That was Bob’s and my favorite.
It’s whimsical, delightful, cheery.
Just what I needed this morning…
Only one week before Christmas Day.
Merry Christmas!
Have a Healthy and Happy One.
Love,
JanBeek
Thanks for visiting.
You comment would make my day:
What’s YOUR favorite Christmas music?
WELCOME!
Let’s take a WALK in WISDOM together today.
This wheat field offers opportunities
to wander a while:
Photo by Samuel Silitonga on Pexels.com
“W” is a letter with
a wealth of opportunities for
words that encompass
the qualities we need to
add more meaning
and
find greater purpose
in life.
With WONDER and WHIMSY
Fill your eyes with the wide-open wonder of the world. It is a magnificent place, isn’t it? The water is one of the wonders that brings the whimsy to my surface. Makes me want to run in the waves and wiggle my toes in the sand. Makes me want to explore the wishes I would love to see come true.
Photo by Loe Moshkovska on Pexels.com
Explore WISHES
To live a more meaningful life and find greater purpose, we need to open our hearts to explore our wishes, make our bucket lists, and dream big!
Bob Goff is one of my favorite whimsical people.
I have not met him in person, but I love his book, Love Does,
and I am a huge proponent of his life’s purpose:
to help people Dream Big and fulfill their
heartfelt wishes.
Check him out:
https://dreambigframework.com/
On his website it says,
“Bob has inspired millions to dream big and make life more awesome. He is driven by a desire to help others unlock their potential to love and be loved greater. What goals and dreams have you been putting off out of fear or the thought that you can’t do it, that it’s too hard? Chances are, Bob could talk you out of those thoughts and send you charging into your next adventure.”
Let WISDOM Guide You
Sometimes wisdom is found in silence.
Prov. 17:28 in The Message, Bible translation by Eugene H Peterson reminds us:
“Even dunces who keep quiet are thought to be wise; as long as they keep their mouths shut, they’re smart.”
The wisdom of the Bible guides my prayer life, my daily walk, my associations with others. That particular verse in the NIV (New Revised Version) says, “Even a fool is thought to be wise if he keeps silent.”
Mom’s version of that was,
“It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool,
than to speak and remove all doubt!”
Mom was always trying to get that message across to me. As a child I must have been quite the blabber-mouth. Bob will tell you that I still am, but I think I have improved through the ages. I hope I’m not as big a motor-mouth as I once was. My third grade teacher wrote on my report card, “Janet must learn, she can’t talk ALL the time.”
I’m still a work in progress. Aren’t we all?
A good part of walking in wisdom is learning when to speak and when to listen… and developing the habit taught in The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, “Seek first to understand, and then to be understood.”
Photo by rawpixel.com on Pexels.com
With wonder and whimsy,
Explore wishes.
Let wisdom
guide you.
Thanks for walking this journey with me.
SEE you tomorrow.
In my introduction to this
A-Z series,
I wrote the following:
I want a greater understanding of:
You are here because, hopefully, you have embraced the journey, the exploration of ways to add more meaning to life. Thank you for joining me!!
Today’s letter is “R”
I have chosen the word “Receptivity”
The picture below is Logan Crowley, my darling neighbor,
with me. She received a scholarship
award of $1000 to assist her venture into college at
Montana State University next school year.
EAA stands for Ennis Arts Association,
of which I am an active member.
Seeking, applying, striving for what we need,
and being receptive when gifts come our way
are important qualities for
adding more meaning
and finding greater purpose
in life.
Everyday Receptivity
It is easy to be receptive every day when someone is giving you a thousand bucks, right?
But what about other areas of everyday receptivity? How do we remain open to all that’s out there for us?
Tune in to Inspiration
Today I listened to a podcast on Bob Goff’s “Love Does” website:
https://dreambigframework.com/podcast-1/amygrant
Bob is a wonderful, whimsical lawyer/author/inspirational speaker who has written three best-selling books, Love Does, and Love Does For Kids, as well as Everybody Always. His Facebook website, https://www.facebook.com/bobgoffis/ , will introduce you to his “Dream Big” workshops and lead you to the podcasts that are so heart-warming.
In a recent podcast, Bob was interviewing very talented and lovely Amy Grant. Amy is a Grammy Award-winning Gospel singer who was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame and has written a book, Mosaic: Pieces of My Life So Far.
The podcast, “What If We…?” was so full of wisdom that I listened to it several times and wrote to Bob Goff asking permission to quote some of the most poignant statements. I received an affirmative response. I posted on Amy’s Facebook page telling her of this blog and hoping it’s okay with her, too, that I quote some of her delightful comments.
One of the messages that rang clear was:
Be Open to Vulnerability Every Day!
Everyday receptivity involves the concept
Bob referred to in this podcast
when he said,
“Be where your feet are!”
Bob Goff and Amy Grant were talking about the subjects of vulnerability and community.
You need to be wiling to be receptive,” Amy suggested. “It takes the hard things in life to pull you into the community that then gives you connections to pursue something beautiful.”
Bob affirmed,
“Vulnerability to say ‘I have a need’ leads you into community…
Some of the best advice I’ve ever gotten has been a hug!”
Be Receptive to Dreams
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com
“If you have a dream or an ambition,” Bob Goff said,
“let everyone know about it …
Imagine everyone in heaven leaning over the railing,
watching and wondering what’s next!”
I love that image! I have several dreams for my future and the future of my children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. I want to capture them in my dream catcher, and then imagine that heaven’s angels are leaning over the railings cheering us on!
Goals/dreams are an important part of living a full and meaningful life. They provide the seeds for our journey toward meeting our life’s purpose.
Amy Grant said, “Make room for the seeds that matter most to [you] to be watered and grown.”
Photo by Anthony on Pexels.com
Add Clarity to your Receptivity
“As soon as you have clarity
on why you’re doing what you’re doing,”
Bob Goff said,
“you’ll find the opportunity to actually go for it!”
Go for it! But what is IT?
“It” is the activity that gives you joy!
“It” is the thing you do that moves you in the direction of your ultimate goal.
“It” is finding out what that goal is!!
Bob suggested if we wish to find fulfillment in receptivity to opportunities, we must first:
Celebrate!
In their conversation, Bob shared that he gave Amy a bell some time ago. She told him that she has it on a post in her back yard (at least I think that’s where she said she posted it).
Amy said, “I think of you each time I see that bell. I ring it every time I move in the direction of a goal.”
Bob asked her about her ultimate goal, and she responded, “I want to die being a fire hose of generosity.”
I love that … not just a garden hose, but a fire hose, spraying out to others the gifts we’ve been given. Celebrate your gifts by giving them generously and freely to others. Yes!
Be Receptive to God’s Guidance and the Wisdom of His Followers
Amy noted that her first mother-in-law was a woman of great wisdom who lived her faith. Once, when Amy was feeling overwhelmed with trying to balance life as a mother of young children with the life of a recording artist who was traveling the world, her mother-in-law told her, “You only need one prayer a day.”
“One prayer?” Amy asked. “What would it be?”
“God, lead me today to those I need –
and to those who need me –
and let something I do today
have eternal significance.”
Bob reacted saying,
“Yes, it’s not just ‘What do I want?’
It’s ‘Who needs something I’ve got?’ “
Ask God to guide you to those who need you.
Ask God to guide you to those you need.
And ask God to help you find meaningful tasks
that might have eternal significance.
Listen to the wisdom of others, and
Be receptive to God’s guidance!
Receptivity and Understanding are the Keys
Photo by Ylanite Koppens on Pexels.com
Be receptive to the voice of reason within you.
“You need to understand what you want,”
Bob Goff said in this podcast,
“and not just be limited by what you want,
but look at what other people want.
Look for the opportunity to do something
about it in your life and in their lives –
in a hundred creative ways –
then stand back and let God do His thing!”
Stand back, my friends,
be receptive,
and watch God do His thing!
See you tomorrow!
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
