Adventure...

My sister, Cathi, gave me a wonderful topic to blog about today = Adventure!!!  Her thoughts got me to thinking and I know she will take her adventure in a different direction than I will, but she has inspired me to new ways of thinking about this thing called "adventure."  (Thank you, Cathi!!!)

What is adventure???  Well, the dictionary definition is:  Taking risks, an unusual or suspenseful experience, a venture, an escapade, a lark!!!  When was the last time you "took" an adventure or viewed life as an "adventure?" 

Be your own hero or heroine and go on an adventure today!  Be a dare-devil to try something new.......plot out a new path........go on a journey even if it is just to the grocery store! 

My mom used to do that and I thought she was crazy!  Here is a true story:  I was home in Ohio one trip and she asked me to accompany her to the grocery, so I got in the car with her and off she goes down the road right past the grocery.  After several minutes, I asked her, "Where are you going?"  She replied:  "To the grocery."  One more question from the peanut gallery (me):  "Did you know it was just down the block from where you live?"  She replied: "Yes."  My reply was:  "So, why are we going in the opposite direction?"  Her reply:  "To look at the neighbor's garden and to see if the trees in the park have blossomed yet!"  Wow.......my mom was on an adventure every day of her life!  And, she taught her four kids to do so as well....I believe her six grand kids "journey", too!!!  What fun, what an adventure, what a gift!!!

Now, consider this:
Escapade...it is a carefree adventure!  (I think I like that word!!!)
Lark.........even better!  It is a carefree romp or prank!  A spree or mischief!
Venture...a speculative or risky undertaking.  To brave the dangers of.  To express at the risk of denial, criticism or censure.
Venturesome...daring, bold!

Okay, so without getting yourself into TOO much trouble, be BOLD today!  Be venturesome!!  Go on an escapade - dare to be carefree!!! 
Spread a little mischief today wherever you go!!!

And remember, God goes with you and wants you to enjoy the adventure each moment you are alive!!!

Frantic Panic...

Okay folks, you all are aware of my ability to put WAY too much on my plate!  Well, this morning, I did the ultimate!  I woke up early, to unpack my rental car for work and find that I had left my laptop in Wichita at McConnell AFB yesterday!  So, frantically, trying not to panic (ha! ha!)  I took out everything in my car to make sure it wasn't there in my briefcase, etc.  Not finding it, I scampered around trying to get ahold of the person at McConnell to see if the laptop was there - I left her a message at 6:30 a.m., (texted and called) and did not get a response until after 8 a.m. - ugh!!!  Yes, those were 2 hours of total panic infused with deliberate attempts to calm down and trust God to help me....When she let me know that the laptop was no where to be found, I panicked even more, of course!  I got dressed in a hurry with the intent of driving to Wichita so that I could retrieve my laptop.  On the way, I kept trying to keep calm and pray for God's guidance as to where in the world I could have left it.  Knowing all the while, I had a very important teleconference today from 12-2 p.m. on which I need to utilize my laptop to gain access and finalize topics for the teleconference.  I HAD to have my computer!  Also, in the meantime, my work iPhone was not allowing me to have access to email, so I could not even find out what messages my boss had sent me to prepare for this call!  Panic, stress, frantic-ness prevailed!!!  I was a mess!!!
Finally, after getting dressed quickly, jumping in the rental car, and starting to drive down the highway once again, I prayed one more time:  "Please Lord, help me to remember where I laid the computer yesterday.  I stopped my car in a parking lot off Lackman and SM Parkway to check the bag I thought I had put the computer in............the same one I had checked a million times earlier this morning in my driveway!  And, guess what?  Low and behold, the slick top portion of the laptop was not very visible due to the black color on the black color of the bag.  It had been there all along!!!  I had just panicked and MISSED it!
WHEW...........what a lesson of chaos and trust!!! 

My grandmother had taught me a prayer years ago when I was little that has worked EVERY time I pray it:
"Okay, Lord, YOU know where _______ is......now show me!"  I am serious.  It works every time. 
IF ONLY I would slow down..........take a deep breath ( as I teach in my Stress Management classes!) and ask for help from the Lord of the Universe instead of relying on my own strength and frantic-ness.

Now, for the kicker!  After I found the computer, PRAISED the LORD with shouts of JOY, I came home to empty the contents of the Rental Car again.  This time, I placed my regular computer bag (with the computer in it) behind the car and took other items to my garage.  Then, I went around the opposite side of the car to get in to drive out of my driveway and return the rental car.  Klunk!!! What???  Get out of the car and see what was making noice..........Open trunk, check.  Nothing.........Get in the driver's seat, back up..........Thump!  Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeetch!  What?  What's that???  I pulled forward to find I had run over my computer bag - computer and all.  The bag I had left on the driveway as I carried other items to the garage.....and totally forgot in my hurried state.  My computer bag was UNDERNEATH the rental car!!!  UGH!!!  If I didn't know better, I would think that I LOVE LUCY still lives!!!  In ME!!!  Lucille Ball did NOT die in 1991 - she lives in ME!!!  YEP - these episodes actually happened between 6:30 and 9:30 a.m. today.........The good news is:  my computer is NOT damaged!!!  Once again, PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW!!!

You might be thinking this could not have possibly happened to ONE person, but guess what?  It did.  All of it.  Every word is true.  Thanks to my own frantic behavior, and allowing panic to set in, I experienced one of the most stressful mornings I have had in a very, very long time.  And, all because I didn't trust.  I didn't stop.  I didn't allow the CALM presence of the Lord of the Universe to surround me.  I went on in my own strength......panicking......stressing........I did not allow the Comforting, Almighty, Loving Majestic Presence of God to fill me. CALM.  His Calm, His love, His sovereignty.

Finally, thanks to a phone call from a very special person named Tim, I calmed down.  Tim reminded me that God's love and order surrounds me.  I can trust Him.  I can rely on Him to calm me down and return me to a place where I can "Be Still and KNOW that I am God." (Psalm 46:10.)  What a gift!!!  What an incredible gift from the God of Creation.  To still the chaos by interrupting my frantic-ness with a phone call from a very special friend.  To remind me, I am loved.  I don't have to "push through" on my own.......I don't have to rely on my own strength...I don't have to "go it alone!"

Yes, there was at one point amongst all the chaos that I created today, when I calmed down and remembered one of my favorite scriptures:  Philippians 4:13 says:  "I can do ALL things through CHRIST who strengthens me!"  Ahhhhhhhh, yes! That's the ticket!

Splash Transit...

Okay, the silliness has begun.............it's Friday morning and I am on vacation what do I start my day with?  Thinking about Splashes!!!  Why???  Because I am nuts, that's why!!!  So humor me, will you please?

I was driving down the road the other morning and looked over at the truck next to me carrying 7-Up products and what did the sign read?  Splash Transit!  That got me thinking as you can imagine!!!  How do we transport our "Splash" for God?  Do we spread it all around for others to see or do we keep it hidden inside an 18 wheeler??? 

Splash means to dash or scatter about in masses!  Okay, let's get going:  dash, splash, splatter, scatter, swirl, swash, spray, and sprinkle away!!!  Send out a flying mass of love!!!  Sprinkle a mass of joy in your corner of the world!!!  Send out a mass of peace to your neighbor that bugs you!  Swish past your impatience and give your kid or your spouse a mass of patience today - just because!  Scatter kindness and goodness!!!  Add a dash of gentleness next time someone hurts your feelings!  Swirl all the faith you have together and show the world the "masses" of gifts that God has given you!!!  Transport those gifts as "Splashes" to others and show how God has changed your life since you came to know Him!  And, last, but not least, offer NO self-control in spreading God's love!!!

Yep!  The fruits of the Spirit are yours to splash around wherever you today!!!  And, splash them again tomorrow and each day after that!!!  Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Goodness, Kindness, Gentleness, Faithfulness and Self-control - oops, I mean NO self-control on this one!!!

SPLASH TRANSIT - HERE WE COME!!!

Remembering our Fallen...

Memorial Day is a day of remembering our fallen soldiers and service members from World War I to today's conflicts across the globe.  World War I (WWI) was the "War to end all wars..." and yet here in 2014, we still have war torn cities, countries and families.  Everywhere. 

The good news is that we have brave men and women who serve our country with dignity, pride and honor every day in every branch of the Military:  Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and US Coast Guard.  They protect us in ways many of us are not even aware of and cannot fathom how they stay so strong and courageous.  Each week I go to Ft. Riley, KS for various events for my job and as I pass through the gate, a young soldier always says to me as they wave me through:  "Duty First."  Amazing....their first priority is my safety.  What an honor and privilege it is to serve our soldiers and their families at Ft. Riley. 

Last evening, Tim and I attended the Kansas City Union Station's "Celebration at the Station" to honor our military.  The KC Symphony played beautiful music with a performance that lifted our spirits and honored our Military Veterans and current service members.  It was wonderful and touching all at the same time.  Listening to Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture  Solennelle, Op. 49 made me remember how important it is to honor and remember our Veterans from wars that happened before I was even born.  Lee Greenwood's song "God Bless the USA" gave me chills once again.  Amazing Grace and Taps gave us a reason to pause and reflect on the cost of freedom - our freedom.

We have had veterans that are our family members - our dads, brothers, uncles, nephews  - in our midst for over 100 years, just in the USA.  The beginning of WWI was in July 1914. Wow....100 years of people giving their lives for us, for me. 

If you or your spouse, or a family member is a veteran, I say thank you!!!  We owe you our lives, our choices, and our freedom. We have an enormous debt to pay you and gratitude swells up from the very core of my being.  I cannot thank you enough for what you have given me, my son and my family.

As I reflect on this Memorial Day, I pause and remember.....and won't forget the price that has been paid for me.

FUN!!!

FUN!  What is that?  Fun is something that provides amusement, enjoyment and/or playfulness.  Or, it can be something whimsical or flamboyant!!!  Fun can also be kidding around with your best pal - calling them goofy names, playing a practical joke on them or laughing at the silliest things together!!!  Whatever it is to you, I hope it is something you want to partake of on a daily basis!!!

When was the last time you had fun?  Laughed?? Played a joke on someone???
If it has been a while since the corners of your mouth turned UP, then you definitely need to put some fun back into your life! 

I was at Worlds of Fun in KC, MO last weekend with a very special person and his three daugthers - we had a blast!!!  We rode one roller coaster after another all the while laughing, screaming, and getting dizzy together!!!  It was so much FUN!!!

Some people like to kid around saying that the best part of their dysfunctional family is putting the FUN back into dysFUNctional!!!  If your family is one of THOSE families (LOL), then make it a place to relax and enjoy each other!!! Put the fun back into life - stop being so serious all the time!!! 

God has given us so many reasons to laugh and giggle together - why not take advantage and SEIZE THE DAY and laugh!!!  That's right - a big, belly laugh all the way down to your toes!!!

FUN - what can you do to bring it into your corner of the world today???

Graduation

Graduation anyone???  My son has arrived at the final destination of one chapter of his life:  High School!  Wow!  The time really did fly past.......18 years and he is off to a new life of his own.  We raise them to have wings, right???  To fly the nest to move forward on their own, but when the day actually comes, how do we really let go???

To graduate means that my son, Matt will receive a diploma for completing his required intervals of reading, writing and arithmetic!  He has the knowledge and skill base to go on to college........unbelievable!!!  His classes and accomplishments in high school have trained him to go out into the world and begin a new a series of classes which will prepare him to step into a full-time career!  He will begin the next phase that will prepare him to obtain and hold a job that will hopefully provide for a family and give him satisfaction in his field.  Wow........that is monumental concept for his mom!!! 

I never realized when I graduated from high school or college what affect/effect it was having on my parents!  I wonder.........what were their thoughts?  Imagination about me and my life to come?  What were their hopes and dreams for me?  It is an amazing thought!

And, now, here I am, reflecting on Matt's life.....what will he become?  What will he do?  Where will he live?  Where will he work?  Where will the Lord lead him in this life???  And, will he listen?  Ahhhh........that is the real issue.  Will he follow the path that he is destined for?  We shall see........we shall see.  And, how exciting is that for a parent to watch the steps, the choices, the decisions of their child?  I must admit it is very, very exciting!!!

You might be asking what is Matt's Passion???  BioTechnology is his passion:  DNA testing, wildlife specimens, long words of science that I have no idea what they mean!!!  But, Matt loves it!  He won a GENIUS Olympiad award recently with Greater KC Science and Engineering Foundation. Several of his classmates did, too!  They are on fire for what they found in their experiments!!!  Matt's BioTechnology teacher is fantastic - she inspires them to grow and learn and test out hypothesises that may change the outcome in our environment and our world - wow!!!  What a fantastic idea to contemplate!!!  This week, his teacher, Miss Bott had a surprise luncheon for the seniors and their parents at Shawnee Mission West!  The parents had an opportunity to view and listen to the student's presentations on what they were trying to accomplish in their class this year.  And, what they DID accomplish is amazing!!!  Our world is going to have the brilliant minds of these students who want to improve our world and the ecosystems that we inhabit - it is truly amazing!!!  Watch out world - here they come!!!!

And, now, commencement!  The final phase of this chapter for Matt!  A final conferring of his high school learning - a receipt of an academic degree at graduation next week!!!  WOW!!!  I cannot wait to see what the next chapter will be for Matt and for me..........

Everlasting Sunshine...

Everlasting Sunshine - have you ever imagined that?  I found a new Suave body wash called Everlasting Sunshine that smells like Passion Flowers and Vanilla - it is heavenly!!!  And, it got me to thinking........hmmm.....What if we had sunshine 365 days a year?  Would we appreciate its beauty?  Would we get tired of seeing the sun, squinting while driving, or feeling the heat of the day constantly?  I believe some of us would get tired of the constant light, heat and/or beauty - while others would bask in it and soak up every ray of sunshine!!!  Which would you choose?

And, ponder this question:  What exactly IS everlasting??  The dictionary definition is lasting forever, immortal, eternal, and/or perpetual.  Ahhh....that makes sense now!  Everlasting Son-shine! What if we let the Son of God shine in our hearts to others everyday?  What if we let love rule in our driving, our homes, our work place, our churches, our families, our children, our sports activities, our relationships?  Yep, every relationship!  (Even our Ex-husbands or wives....LOL) 
Our world would certainly be quite different than what it is right now......

Consider this:  Can you create an everlasting attitude?  You betcha!  It is a perpetual decision! 
Every day, every task, every chore, every way we interact with another human being.
We can choose to offer love, joy, friendship, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, mercy, and grace to others each moment that we are alive - it is a choice!  Did you know these are the fruits of the Holy Spirit?  So yes, absolutely, we can choose everlasting attributes to live by - especially the more we get to know His Son!!!  (Read Galatians 5:22.)

Did you know we can choose to think about what is true, right, noble, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and/or praiseworthy?  Yep!  (Read Philippians 4:8.)  We can choose to focus on these characteristics, too!  And, if we become aware of the incredible consequences, we might just choose differently tomorrow....think about it!

We have an everlasting God who offers us so much beauty, so much grace, so much everlasting sunshine in our hearts as well as the light of His Son's love - how can we choose any differently???

Wow!  This everlasting sunshine concept creates such joyful optimism in my heart....yes, I know I see through Rose-colored glasses sometimes, but just imagine!!!  We have an opportunity to change someone else's outlook on this life!  Offer someone everlasting sunshine the next time you are irritated at the grocery store because they are being too slow or are on their cell phone while checking out!!!  We all have those pet peeves where we get so caught up in our selves that we forget to consider the options of extending grace to another person....consider a new reaction!!!

And, the next time you are choosing some body wash, try the Passion Flowers and Vanilla isle!  It just might perk up your world and give you some unexpected everlasting sunshine!!!