thoughts on the news of the day: why?

hmmm…..

            Amy Winehouse died today and there is speculation that it was a drug overdose.  Since she had had a long history with drug addiction, I would say that is a strong possibility.  A young man in Norway is suspected to have detonated a bomb in Oslo that killed at least 7 people. And I am wondering today what would seduce young adults like these to perform the destruction they have invited.  What is it in their makeup that would inspire them to their actions today?  Why did they do what they did?

             Our minds are curious, they want to know how, why and what.  Especially when an event catches our attention, we want to know more about it.  We are apt to ask questions and we expect answers.  That is why, I think, that tests ask questions on facts.  It’s the way our brain works – inquiring minds want to know.

            The facts will unfold on the two tragic events of today.  Pieces of a puzzle will fit together and eventually we will find answers to most our questions.  But we may never know why they did what they did.

            Unfortunately, sometimes facts do not satisfy our curiosity.  We are still left with unanswered questions.  That is where faith and hope come in.  There is faith for a brighter tomorrow and hope that we will someday understand.  In the meantime, we are stuck with the unknown and the wisdom to know that we may never know.

            hmmm…..

thoughts on the news of the day: naps

hmmm…..

            A friend of mine put this on her facebook status today:  “Today is a new day.  Let go of negativity, allow the universe to bring you love, peace, happiness.  Rid yourself of what’s not working; be open to what could be.”

            My doctor put me on a new medication and I couldn’t sleep last night.  About 12:30 a.m. I gave up and got up and played a little on the computer, read a little and generally just piddled around.  That lasted until around 4:30 this morning and since I usually get up at around 5 or 5:30 a.m., the night was generally wasted as far as sleep was concerned.

            So, it’s a little hard to be positive this morning.  You might be in that spot.  Maybe you didn’t get enough sleep, maybe you are not feeling well, maybe things are just not going your way. Today may be the day that love, peace and happiness escape you. Now, I could be a little Pollyanna and say “be happy anyway” but I am too tired.  And that’s OK.  We can’t always be on the top of our game.  Sometimes a smiley face just takes too much effort.

            But like the quote says, “Today is a new day.”  It is never too late to start your day all over again.  It is never too late to be positive.  It is never too late to try again.

            And I will -- just as soon as I get my nap.

            hmmm…..

thoughts on the news of the day: true confessions

hmmm…..

            Today started out like any ordinary day.  On July 21, you expect it to be hot and not really very significant.  But I discovered rather quickly that today my brother-in-law and his twin brother celebrate their birthday, and more importantly, this is National Junk Food Day.  Maybe that means that the twins can have all the junk food they want today – and enjoy every bit of it!!  As a side detail, in conjunction with National Junk Food Day, it is also National Hot Dog Day.  I guess you could say that hot dogs are the granddaddy of all junk foods; so it is fitting that they would share the day.

            I was hungry after my meeting last night, so I drove through Sonic for a burger and tater tots.  I opted for a Diet Dr. Pepper to wash it down – hoping that maybe the calories of the diet drink would assassinate the calories of the junk food.  Junk food can’t be all bad, but I am not sure what is good about it.  Probably by the very nature of the descriptive word, it is by definition not very healthy to eat.

            Last Sunday we went to see the play, Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.  It reminded me of how much I love chocolate candy – enough in fact to finish off the left over M &M’s from the VBS we had last week,  I did that the day before yesterday.

            So I guess for me, it is National Junk Food Week.

            Now, if only the twins will invite me over for a big piece of their birthday cake …

            hmmm…..

thoughts on the news of the day: email etiquette

hmmm…..

            There’s a little article on the internet today titled, “8 Rules of Email Etiquette.”  Probably a whole book, or at least a very long email could be written on the “Don’ts” of email.

            The rules in the article are excellent, but there are a couple of email rules that aren’t listed that I would like to suggest.  First, please be careful about forwards.  Not everyone on your email list wants to read the Fw:fw:fw: your great aunt sent you.  In my own case, I receive so many emails that if Fw: is the first word listed in the Subject line, I usually delete it without reading it.  So, please if you are forwarding a cute photo or meaningful poem, take time to personalize it for the person receiving it. 

            My second rule of etiquette is please be careful about inflammatory, political and religious forwards.  First of all, don’t assume that your political or religious views are the same as everyone on your email list.  It is unlikely that they are.  Also, many of the outrageous emails floating around are hoaxes.  So, please check it out thoroughly and make sure it is true before sending it out as correspondence. 

            Email is a wonderful tool.  It allows for speedy communication with an easy trail of written correspondence.  It is a great way to keep up with family and friends.  I love using it for sharing information with groups of people when phoning could take all day. 

            But be careful with it; it can backfire when it is not used in careful and discreet ways.

            hmmm…..

                       

thoughts on the news of the day: storage wars

hmmm…..

            Tomorrow night is the Season 2 premiere of the popular cable television show, “Storage Wars”.  The premise of this show is that teams bid on storage units that have been abandoned for lack of payment.  The teams purchase the contents of the units and take a chance on finding a treasure there.  This week’s show will feature a “find” of valuable Gibson guitars.

            Jesus would have won the Storage Wars.  He told a story over 2,000 years ago about a man who discovers a pearl of great price in an abandoned field.  The man buys the field to acquire the pearl, selling everything he owns in the process.  Same idea as Storage Wars.

            What makes us dig for treasures?  What is the appeal?  Certainly the idea of getting something for nothing is a motivation.   Gambling at a casino, investing in the stock market, digging through garage sales all qualify as adventures in treasure hunting. 

            But I think Jesus was getting at something else.  He said that the Kingdom of God is like that great treasure in some ways; it is something that we have to look for, it is something that we don’t pay for and it is something that grows in value.  But the Kingdom of God, our relationship with God, is far more valuable than some old guitar.  A sales tag cannot be put on that relationship, it is priceless. 

            But it’s ours for the finding, it is there, right in our midst, everyone can have it and lasts far beyond the reruns of a popular show.

            So, start digging today, look for God’s presence in your life.  You will find far more than earthly treasure, you will find eternity.

            hmmm…..

thoughts on the news of the day: think first

hmmm…..

            My current spiritual advisor and guide is teaching me to be kinder and gentler to myself.  He says that thinking negative thoughts about ourselves is a stress producer and having stress in our lives causes all sorts of mental and physical health problems. 

            I am tending to agree with him.  It’s funny how much we talk to ourselves in ways that are disrespectful and downright mean.  We say things to ourselves that we would never say to our friends or sometimes even our enemies.  My mentor’s solution is to think about what we are thinking about.  Have you ever tried to do that?  It is not so easy.  It means that we must be present to ourselves.  We must live consciously instead of moving through life and being oblivious to what we are feeding our brain.

            A friend of mine once said, “My mind is like a dangerous neighborhood, so I don’t ever go there alone.”  What she meant was that those thoughts that creep into our mind can be harmful not only to others but to ourselves.  Like a dark neighborhood, those thoughts are not at first glance very visible and since they are dangerous, it is important to guard against them. 

            I have been trying this “thinking about what you are thinking about” and it is beginning to work.  Some of the stress seems to be leaving my life.  I’ve also been praying about it.  That seems to go hand in hand with growth of any kind.  Things that seem impossible are possible with God in the equation.  At last that’s what I think.

            hmmm…..

thoughts on the news of the day: heat wave

hmmm…..

            It’s hot. There’s no doubt about it.  Heat waves are covering much of the United States making it uncomfortable to do almost anything but stay inside in the air conditioning.   I am lucky; I have a job that is mostly inside, except for when I am supervising water games outside during Vacation Bible School.  Having to do that last week really made me appreciate all of the folks who labor outside in this heat. 

            For example, our garbage collectors:  where would we be without them?  In a heap of a mess, you might say.  Then there are roofers, mail carriers and air conditioning repair workers.  They have no choice but to sweat through the day. 

            Yet the sun is nice. Even though it is dry and uncomfortable, it is better than snow.  At least we will never have to shovel sunshine!  In our tourist town, where lake traffic is a huge part of our economy, the sun and the warmth are gold in our pockets.  Boating, fishing, swimming and water skiing are all better when the sun is shining. 

            Seems like some people are never happy, though.  When it is cold and snowing, they want the warmth on the sun; and when it is hot and sunny they long for the cool of the winter.  I’m not complaining, but what would be nice would be a slight cold snap right now, with temps dropping to the 80’s for the daytime high. 

            Ah, one can dream ….

            hmmm…..