Some believe it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. It is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love. Why Bilbo Baggins? Perhaps because I am afraid, and he gives me courage. – The Hobbit

Tolkien did such a great job in this series of painting the picture of these epic battles of good and evil – all decided by the actions of a few people of genuine character.

Most of the battles between good and evil are fought in our day to day lives.

In traffic. Getting everyone out the door and to school on time. Customers that don’t listen. Coworkers who aren’t the person we’d like them to be.

All opportunities to choose good over evil. To move towards better instead of worse.

This is an opportunity, not a curse. We can and do effect the outcomes. We make a difference.

Make it a great day.

Jake

The best way to make your dreams come true is to wake up. – Paul Valery

It’s easy to get stuck in the dreaming phase. Scrolling through the socials, looking at what other people have and wishing you had it.

You can have it – but first you have to wake up.

Wake up and decide if that dream is worth pursuing.

Wake up to where you are right now and how you got there.

Wake up to the work and dedication it will take to get there.

Wake up to the stuff you’ll have to let go of to move from where you are now to that new reality.

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://youtu.be/Lw4nvg8S7Nk?si=SUulw3ljDyx2nLpQ

Marky Mark for a fun start to your Friday!

Some in the positive attitude literature focus in on the idea of vibrations and other ideas of "the universe" and how it interacts with us and our goals.

I think they are mostly right, but it doesn’t work quite how some describe it.

Will a vision board or a mantra or a positive affirmation create a reality that you desire? Not quite. But they don’t hurt.

We sow what we reap. If we put good stuff out there and into our minds and bodies, good stuff will come out. Does that mean we’re in total control – not really. We get to pick the general direction and have faith that it’ll all turn out, but there are no guarantees.

I wonder if the trick is in where we focus – on ourselves or on others. The more we focus on the best for others the closer we get to what we truly desire.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Resending this daily attitude from a few years ago….

Sam: It’s all wrong

By rights we shouldn’t even be here.

But we are.

It’s like in the great stories Mr. Frodo.

The ones that really mattered.

Full of darkness and danger they were,

and sometimes you didn’t want to know the end.

Because how could the end be happy.

How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad happened.

But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow.

Even darkness must pass.

A new day will come.

And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer.

Those were the stories that stayed with you.

That meant something.

Even if you were too small to understand why.

But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand.

I know now.

Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back only they didn’t.

Because they were holding on to something.

Frodo: What are we holding on to, Sam?

Sam : That there’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. And it’s worth fighting for.

This seemed particularly relevant given the pandemic and much of what has happened in the last 12 months.

Life sure has changed.

At times it has felt like a dark cloud hanging over us.

As Sam says – when the sun shines, it will shine out the clearer.

Love, courage, service, kindness, humility – these are all worth fighting for.

And it’s worth playing our part in that fight.

By doing all of this and more for our neighbors. Today. Right here and right now.

Make it a great day.

Jake

In the Bible it says the meek shall inherit the earth.
It’s hard not to bristle a little when you hear that.
We hear words like meek and humble and think of the perennial doormat that doesn’t think enough of themself to stand up for what they believe in.
I went in search of something around the topic of humility and found this short excerpt:
One of the most powerful prayers in the midst of suffering I have read was uncovered from the horrors of Ravensbruck concentration camp. Ravensbruck was a concentration camp built in 1939 for women. Over 90,000 women and children perished in Ravensbruck, murdered by the Nazis. Corrie Ten Boom, who wrote The Hiding Place, was imprisoned there too. The prayer, found in the clothing of a dead child, says:
O Lord, remember not only the men and woman of good will, but also those of ill will. But do not remember all of the suffering they have inflicted upon us: Instead remember the fruits we have borne because of this suffering, our fellowship, our loyalty to one another, our humility, our courage, our generosity, the greatness of heart that has grown from this trouble. When our persecutors come to be judged by you, let all of these fruits that we have borne be their forgiveness.
I think that is the kind of behavior the Bible is talking about.
The kind of humility and meekness it takes to write something like that is hard to imagine.
It’s easy to read something like this and feel bad. Hard to live up to those kind of standards, so why even try?
Why try? Prayers like this one are proof that better is out there. We are capable of amazing things.
Use this as inspiration to get started on your own amazing thing.
Make it a great day.
Jake

I am tired and sick of war. Its glory is all moonshine. It is only those who have neither fired a shot nor heard the shrieks and groans of the wounded who cry aloud for blood, for vengeance, for desolation. War is hell. – William Tecumseh Sherman

This quote reminds me to be praying for those involved in the wars happening right now.

I am so very thankful for those who fought for our freedoms and for the life I live which has so far has not required the same of me.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies. – Mother Teresa

Monday morning reminder.

Pick a few small things this week that matter and get them right.

Nail your morning routine.

Finish the day strong.

Do it right the first time.

I’m sure you can think of some others…

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://youtu.be/RV-Z1YwaOiw?si=nTv04ir4_J17akn1

Sorry for the slow tapper today but I’m feeling a little sappy since we’re dropping Maggie off at school again.

Every year we drop her off, it’s a weird mix of feelings. Sad that we won’t be seeing her every day. Excited for all the fun and opportunities she has in front of her.

You want to protect her and keep all the bad stuff away and clear a path for a smooth and easy life. But you know that challenges await and that she’s going to be just fine.

On move in day you also get to see all the other parents, feeling all the same feels about dropping off their little one.

It’s a great reminder that we are all somebody’s kid. Someone can remember that little kid version of us and hope that we "dance". No matter how old you are – someone’s rooting for you to do and be your best. We should remember to do that for those we meet and interact with. To imagine them as a little kid, full of promise and opportunity. To rekindle those feelings for them and for us.

Make it a great day.

Jake

We’ve all heard the analogy of looking in the rear view mirror vs looking through the windshield.

Life is meant to be lived moving forward.

Our rear view mirror represents looking at our past.

The windshield represents looking forward.

The rear view mirror is small and is meant for short glimpses that lead to adjustments.

The windshield is where most of our driving should occur. It’s large and represents all of the possibilities and choices ahead of us.

Sometimes we need to back up in order to move forward – requiring a concentrated review of the rearview mirror.

But it’s only meant to be used sparingly.

Which one do you spend the most time looking at?

Where does your focus lie?

Make it a great day.

Jak

Vanity working on a weak head, produces every sort of mischief. – Jane Austen

Vanity is a sneaky one.

Ask the average person if they are vane and they might smack you….

But if we all had our inner thoughts published for the world to see, I’m guessing there’s a little more vanity in there than we’d like to admit.

We were born with a tendency to think about ourselves.

Not just how we look or our appearance, but what do others think of us and how are we being perceived.

I’m convinced this is a trap.

Something that will keep us chasing our tail and wasting away our precious life. Chasing the approval of others who are most likely busy thinking about themselves.

When we choose to focus our attention outward we open up the door for a more abundant life.

We find opportunities to serve and love.

We find meaning and purpose.

Not in how we look or feel about ourselves.

Make it a great day.

Jake