If you would be loved, love, and be loveable. – Benjamin Franklin

This reminds me of another quote that goes something like “a baby is born with a need to be loved and never outgrows it.”

We were all built with a desire to be loved.

The path to fulfilling this desire flows through our ability to love and be lovable.

We can’t force another to love us. To fill that part of us that wants to be loved.

But we can be loving. We can think loving thoughts. We can take loving actions. We can become more lovable. All of these are within our control.

If you’re looking for some ideas, these verses from the Bible are a good start:

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

If we could go to work on becoming more like this, I’m guessing we’d end up feeling more loved.

Make it a great day.

Jake

PS – Your Father in heaven loves you so very much. He sent His only son to die for you so that He could be with you forever. I’d recommend taking Him up on this offer.

I always entertain great hopes. – Robert Frost

Let’s start the week off with hope.

Hope that it will all work out.

Hope that it might turn out better than we thought it would.

Hope that good will win out over evil.

Hope that love will conquer hate.

Hope that discipline will be the rule.

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C2x6L1_vjKj/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

“I’m bout to have a good day, in every single way.”

Saw this the other day and couldn’t help but smile.

Simple idea to brighten up your day.

Listen to something positive and upbeat.

Smile.

Have a little fun with it.

Make it a great day.

Jake

If you want to listen to the whole song – https://youtu.be/Uc_HxKMKB_E?si=K52XSUnpxo6ovly1

Love is a great beautifier. – Louisa May Alcott

Love changes our perspective.

We love our kids and our spouses and see the good in them. We help and serve with a smile.

The Bible tells us to love our neighbor – to train these same kinds of thoughts and feelings on those around us.

And if we do? It all gets more beautiful. It all gains purpose and meaning.

We aren’t just going through the motions at work and at home – we are serving and loving someone beautiful.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Free speech carries with it some freedom to listen. – Warren E. Burger

Reminder – you have two ears and one mouth.

We should listen twice as much as we talk.

Make it a great day.

Jake

The hardest thing is to take less when you can get more. – Kin Hubbard

This reminds me of two sayings that often go through my mind –

Pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered.

A gentleman never takes an advantage.

We must actively work to curb our appetites. To work against our natural tendencies toward greed and gluttony.

Not in a “rich people and business are bad” kind of way, but in a way that allows us to minimize the distractions from life’s more important elements.

The opportunity to have and be more is an opportunity to give and serve more, not a chance to consume everything in an endless chase of temporary pleasures.

I’ve had the good fortune to have had generous and kind parents who (despite my best efforts) instilled some of these same values into me. We’ve worked to consistently tithe as a family and the lesson I’ve learned from doing so is that we are better off for having given away those tithes.

Our lives are better when we give and serve more.

Find a way to give today. Not out of guilt or shame, but from a desire to honor our role in this world.

Make it a great day.

Jake

PS – Bonus point/reminder – it’s not about you (or me)! It’s about others. Every single time.

There is no better opportunity to receive more than to be thankful for what you already have. Thanksgiving opens the windows of opportunity for ideas to flow your way. – Jim Rohn

Reminder – you have a lot to be thankful for.

Developing a habit of gratitude is a great step towards getting what you want out of life.

Be thankful today!

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://youtu.be/hdcTmpvDO0I?si=93lLi_fwv-hIwhyM

Moving day today!

Even though it’s our second year of moving Maggie away for school, still a lot of mixed emotions.

Sad to see her go. Worried about all the risks. Missing seeing her and talking to her every day.

Happy to see her grow. Excited for all the cool experiences and relationships she’s going to have.

It’s going to be hard, but it’s going to be good.

We’re lucky to have such a great kid and for all the opportunities God has blessed her and our little family with.

I’m sure we’ll shed a tear or two.

A lot of life’s harder moments are moving from something and towards something else. It’s hard to let go of what we have today to move towards something better. But we only get where we want to go when we move.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Resending this daily attitude email from last year’s college drop off since we’re moving Maggie in again tomorrow.

We made it….phew!

We successfully (I think) dropped Maggie off at SIU.

When we were at Target (feels like a mandatory part of college move in day) I noticed a lady next to us in the pick up spots who seemed to be going about her day as usual. Blissfully unaware that we were dropping our baby off at school for the first time.

I was reminded (once again) that the world is not about me and what I have going on.

Everyone has their own stuff happening.

Other people were having a big day yesterday too.

Some people were getting married, some were having kids, some were saying goodbye to a loved one for good.

It’s so easy to get wrapped up in ourselves and not realize there are “big days” happening all around us.

Some people need a warm smile or a friendly hello. Some need prayer. Some need a Savior.

Our role is to be of service in love. To think of others first and figure out how to serve them.

Make it a great day.

Jake

PS – Thank you to everyone who did just that for the Davis family over the last few days (and the other days over the years). Your prayers and well wishes were felt and made a difference.

You’re only here for a short visit. Don’t hurry, don’t worry. And be sure to smell the flowers along the way. – Walter Hagen

This is a great quote from a golfer.

Golf is a game of short bursts of intense concentration followed by lots of opportunities to complain or worry about the shot or enjoy the scenery.

In my old age I appreciate more and more the shortness of life.

We really aren’t here that long. We must choose wisely how we spend each day.

We must make the most of it – without hurrying or worrying.

Not easy, but worth it.

Make it a great day.

Jake