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Daily Attitude Email 06 08 21

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:

where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

where there is sadness, joy.

O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek

to be consoled as to console,

to be understood as to understand,

to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive,

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Amen.

Prayer of St. Francis

Wow. The world sure needs this right now.

The level of maturity required to live this out is beyond me most days, but it’s still worth trying.

Even if we just got one or two of these right today the world would be a better place.

Pick a couple to work on this week. Watch what God does with your step of faith.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Daily Attitude Email 06 07 21

Found this DAE from 2012 and wanted to send it again.

I finally became technologically savvy to get some podcast subscriptions set up on phone so I could listen to them in the car.

Last night I was listening to a sermon series and the pastor told a story that I thought I would share.

He talked about his plan for when he gets to heaven. He is planning on figuring out who paid for the gas for the preacher’s car on the day that the preacher came over to meet with him when he became a Christian.

He said he was going to go thank whoever that was because of all the good that had come in his life and his family’s life because of that pastor and whoever enabled him to come meet with him that day.

I thought two aspects of the story were particularly relevant for the daily attitude email.

First, little things matter. The people that gave money that allowed the pastor to fill up his gas tank probably didn’t think that much of it. Not a big deal to give a couple of dollars to a young pastor trying to make a difference. But it did make a difference. A huge difference.

So, remember that the little things matter.

It matters how you treat your coworkers, you never know when someone just needs a little extra help or a smile.

It matters whether or not you bend down to pick up that piece of trash, you never know when someone is watching.

It matters whether you smile and chat with the gas station clerk, you never know when someone has just endured some kind of tragedy.

The second thing that struck me was that he was thankful and recognized what had been done for him. He realized that someone else had sacrificed something (even if it was just a little bit of gas money) and was appreciative.

Noticing others and their generosity and being thankful for it is a great place to start when putting things into perspective.

This reminded me of how thankful I am for the generations that have come previously and this Ronald Reagan quote:

Each generation goes further than the generation preceding it because it stands on the shoulders of that generation. You will have opportunities beyond anything we’ve ever known.

Remember to do the little things in life that matter while being thankful and noticing the little things that others do for you.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Daily Attitude Email 06 03 21

Below is a list of grade school kids answers to the question – “What does love mean?”

I send a lot of these emails with the theme of “love is the answer’ and I think the answers below show how to put that into practice.

The list is both funny and sweet, but the main themes are basic things like kindness, humility and putting the other person first.

Find some way to show love today. Take an idea from the list and make it fit for someone important to you today.

Make it a great day.

Jake

“When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That’s love.” Rebecca- age 8

“When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.” Billy – age 4

“Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.” Karl – age 5

“Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.” Chrissy – age 6

“Love is what makes you smile when you’re tired.” Terri – age 4

“Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.” Danny – age 7

“Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss” Emily – age 8

“Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.” Bobby – age 7 (Wow!)

“If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate,” Nikka – age 6

(we need a few million more Nikka’s on this planet)

“Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday.” Noelle – age 7

“Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.” Tommy – age 6

“During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn’t scared anymore.” Cindy – age 8

“My mommy loves me more than anybody . You don’t see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.” Clare – age 6

“Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.” Elaine-age 5

“Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford.” Chris – age 7

“Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.” Mary Ann – age 4

“I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.” Lauren – age 4

“When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.” (what an image) Karen – age 7

“Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn’t think it’s gross.” Mark – age 6

“You really shouldn’t say ‘I love you’ unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.” Jessica – age 8

And the final one — Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child. The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman’s yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, “Nothing, I just helped him cry”

Daily Attitude Email 06 02 21

Happiness is having a younger brother who is taller than you.

Today is my brother’s 41st birthday so I went in search of an inspirational “brother” quote and found a bunch of super sappy ones and then this random one that doesn’t really make sense, but is true in our case so I figured it was better than something corny about being best friends forever.

It has been a tremendous blessing in my life to have Bill as my brother.

Jim Rohn describes our family units as “the inner circle” and that as long as this inner circle is ok we can take on any challenge.

Bill’s always been a part of that for me. Meaghan and the kids have always been the “they’ll love me if even if it all went bad”, but Uncle Bill has been my “he’ll take good care of me when the zombies take over” person.

What’s the point, Jake?

The point is two fold:

  1. Don’t forget to take care of your inner circle. Take special care of those people and those relationships.
  2. Get somebody in your inner circle that is well prepared for the zombie apocalypse. It’s really not worth to get all prepared yourself, but you should definitely know somebody who thinks it is.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Daily Attitude Email 06 01 21

Here’s a daily attitude from a few years back…

That’s all I needed to hear. It turns out that gratitude from a single grandchild trumps the ridicule of any number of critics. With this in mind, I now pass on my granddaughter’s (and my own) thanks to today’s guardians—from front-line leathernecks, to keyboard warriors—who all deserve kudos. All play an important role in keeping us safe. So, thanks to all of you heroes out there who, when the call to serve came, eagerly answered, “You can count on me!”

We do, every single day. – Kerry Patterson

With Memorial Day weekend this weekend I got a newsletter email with the lines above at the end.

That last line really stuck out.

We do, every single day.

We count on those in the armed forces, every day.

We count on them in ways we will never understand.

They give to us in ways we will never be able to repay.

Maybe I’m just getting sappy in my old age, but with each holiday that passes to remember or celebrate those who serve I become more and more aware of just how lucky most of us are.

Evil does exist. And there are men and women who stand between us and that evil.

They do so and continue to do so despite the fact that it comes at an enormous personal cost.

I doubt any of them are thinking of Jake Davis and his little family in Chenoa, IL, but they go out there for us, every day. They do the same for you.

I think it is more than being thankful, though.

To be sure, we should be thankful.

But we should do more than that. We should make the most of the opportunity they have given us. The freedom to choose our path in this world.

We have been given a tremendous gift, not to use it wisely would be unfortunate.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Friday Morning Toe Tapper

https://youtu.be/WaGoIhSlWUQ

More of a slow tapper this morning.

I’ve pasted the lyrics below. She expresses a deep need that each of us possess – the need to be held on to in spite of all of our imperfection.

Most of us (all?) need someone to be there in spite of how awesome we were or were not today.

Since we can’t control the actions of others, we can really only take a couple of different courses of action in response to this need.

Be (or become) the kind of person someone will want to hold on to.

Be (or become) that person for others.

Be thankful for those that have treated us that way.

Make it a great day.

Jake

When the best of me is barely breathin’
When I’m not somebody I believe in
Hold on to me
When I miss the light the night has stolen
When I’m slammin’ all the doors You’ve opened
Hold on to me
Hold on to me
Hold on to me when it’s too dark to see You
When I am sure I have reached the end
Hold on to me when I forget I need You
When I let go, hold me again
When I don’t feel like I’m worth defending
When I’m tired of all my pretending
Hold on to me
When I start to break in desperation
Underneath the weight of expectation
Hold on to me
Hold on to me
Hold on to me when it’s too dark to see You (I’ll hold on)
When I am sure I have reached the end
Hold on to me when I forget I need You (I’ll hold on)
When I let go, hold me again
I could rest here in Your arms forever
‘Cause I know nobody loves me better
Hold on to me
Hold on to me

Daily Attitude Email 05 27 21

“Work is love made visible. And if you cannot work with love but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple and take alms of those who work with joy.” – Khalil Gibran

Challenge!

Work with love today. Allow yourself to be filled with joy as your work.

Work can and will be better when done with love.

The Bible suggests we do our work “as if we are working for the Lord”, work being love made visible is saying the same thing.

This is a choice for us to make. The hard stuff and difficulties of work will still be there. It’s not an excuse to quit and sit at the temple gates and beg, it’s a challenge to bring our best.

We bring and do our best when our work is infused with purpose. And (maybe?) there’s no greater purpose than love.

What would change in your work day if it was filled with love?

What would change in your interactions if they were filled with love?

What would love made visible look like for you?

Make it a great day.

Jake

Daily Attitude Email 05 26 21

Here’s a daily attitude email from 2012 (I’ve been sending this a long time…).

I am reading a book about the simple rules for living that John Wesley. He was a pastor and went around starting churches.

He laid down a few simple rules in order to keep those that were converted from becoming “more of a child of the devil” after their conversion than they were beforehand.

He realized that no matter how profound a conversion they had made when becoming a Christian, there was more to make real change in someone’s life than a single moment, no matter how profound.

He realized that change required discipline. So much discipline in fact that his movement became known as Methodism because of how methodical he was in everything he did.

And the same holds true for you and whatever goals you have set for yourself.

Ever felt like you were completely on fire about something and then you didn’t follow through?

Ever sign up for a diet with complete zeal and gusto, only to fall back to your old ways all too quickly?

Ever make great plans for writing that book or even just reading one of the ones on the shelf at the office only to flip on the TV instead?

Most real change in life requires discipline. Real discipline.

Just getting started on the book, let’s hope it inspires me to have enough discipline to at least finish.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Daily Attitude Email 05 25 21

For those of you who missed it, on Sunday afternoon Phil Mickleson became the oldest winner of a major championship in the history of golf.

It was an amazing last few holes to watch. And the golf was pretty good too….

It was amazing to watch because of the story and the fans.

Phil Mickleson has essentially played professional golf his entire adult life. He’s played in hundreds of tournaments and has won more than his fair share.

What was he doing every time the camera got in close? Taking deep breaths and calming himself down. Working to control the same nerves that plague most (all?) of us when dealing with a high-pressure situation.

Then on national TV with about a gazillion fans waiting around for the trophy ceremony, what was he doing? Calling his wife to tell her he loves her and that he’ll be home tonight. I bet they are both still laughing about that conversation today. It was a great reminder that even in the midst of a history-making day on the golf course the most important thing he could do was to call his wife.

The best part though was watching the fans. Thousands of people cheering for one man as he rewrote the history books. Each shot resulted in a roar from the crowd. They rushed in so close on the last hole that several fans got manhandled by security just to try and calm the whole situation down.

After a year plus of COVID news, election angst, and economic woes it was a moment that reminded me of the human capacity for joy and community. We were built for community. We have been imbued with the ability to experience joy.

It was a great moment in golf history, made even better by being a part of an important moment in human history. And made even better for me because I got to watch it with Meaghan and the kiddos.

Make it a great day.

Jake