“The house don’t fall when the bones are good.”
This song is a good reminder to get the important stuff in life right.
Take the time to build a good foundation, to do things right and to make it a priority when it comes to the “bones” of your life.
And be thankful for all the great relationships in your life that are built well.
Make it a great day.
Jake
The best portion of a good man’s life is his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and of love. – William Wordsworth
So much of life are the seemingly trivial choices.
Be kind or be brusque?
Be positive or join in the grumbling?
Be loving or be selfish?
Be patient or push to get your way?
Be empathetic or think only of yourself?
I sure hope the goal is not to be perfect, but to do a little better today than I did yesterday.
Make it a great day.
Jake
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. – Arthur C. Clarke
We have so much to be thankful for.
We truly live in an amazing time of technological advancement.
It’s up to us to make the most of it.
Make it a great day.
Jake
“It is no use saying to the tired ‘mental muscles’… ‘I will give you a good rest,’ ‘I will go for a long walk,’ or ‘I will lie down and think of nothing.’ The mind keeps busy just the same. If it has been weighing and measuring, it goes on weighing and measuring. If it has been worrying, it goes on worrying…It is useless to argue with the mind in this condition…A gifted American psychologist has said, ‘worry is a spasm of the emotion; the mind catches hold to something and will not let it go.’ One can only gently insinuate something else into its convulsive grasp. And if this something else is rightly chosen, if it is really attended by the illumination of another field of interest, gradually, and often quite swiftly, the old undue grip relaxes and the process of recuperation and repair begins.” – Winston Churchill
The Art of Manliness blog has been doing a series of posts on Winston Churchill. This post was discussing the benefits of having a hobby.
Our mind works best when it is given periods of rest and distraction.
Worry and anxiety arise when we can’t stop thinking about something and don’t get any rest or distraction from those thoughts.
Find an engaging hobby. Engage your mental capacities in something besides worry and anxiousness.
Make it a great day.
Jake
The best way out is always through. – Robert Frost
Whatever you are struggling with, going through to the other side will be worth it.
Whatever is happening that you didn’t plan, going through to the other side will be worth it.
You are worth it.
Worth the struggle.
Worth the difficulty.
Why are you worth it? Because you can be of great service and love.
Make it a great day.
Jake
Back to school toe tapper from last year….
Back to school today for the Davis kids.
Each year is a reminder of some simple life lessons that will hopefully last a lifetime.
New teachers, new classmates, new books, etc. – life is always changing.
It could be a good year or a not so good year – there are no guarantees of a good/easy time.
Awkwardness and nervousness about all the possibilities – take the risk – it’ll all work out in the end.
New subjects, concepts and ideas – there is always something to learn and growth is possible – but hard.
I’m sure there are a lot more lessons to be had, but it sure feels like I’m still learning these, many years after finishing “school”.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve got a lot left to learn.
Make it a great day.
Jake
I don’t think of all the misery but of the beauty that still remains. – Anne Frank
Maturity check….yep, I still have a ways to go.
For someone in her situation to write or say something like that requires more maturity than I have.
Beauty does remain. If we are mature enough to look for it.
What beauty are you missing?
Make it a great day.
Jake
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
Happiness is not a goal; it is a by-product. – Eleanor Roosevelt
So much of the good we seek in life falls into this category – by-product.
No matter how we grab on, it slips through our fingers.
When we focus elsewhere it creeps up on us.
If you’re having trouble, this might be why.
I think the next step is to find someone or read about someone who has found what you are looking for and (thoughtfully) copy what they are doing.
You’ll find things like….discipline, generosity, grace, patience, humility, etc.
Probably all the hard stuff.
I’ve decided that means I’m probably on the right track and it’s time to get to work.
Make it a great day.
Jake
Yesterday there were a bunch of baptisms at church.
Baptisms are always such happy moments for me, they always remind me of new beginnings.
As you look at your day, your week, your year ahead, are you excited for some new beginnings?
Is there something you would like to get started on but haven’t yet?
Do it. Start now.
Make it a time of new beginnings in your life. Celebrate the opportunities and possibilities and then get started.
Make it a great day.
Jake
PS – If you haven’t already accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior and been baptized, that would be something good to do today (or soon).
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