Category Forgiveness

Make Life Work – Wise Words Wednesday

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Make Life Work – Wise Words Wednesday

make-life-work

This sassy little quote was found on Pinterest. I like it.

While I write about positive energy and intent everyday, it is extremely necessary for me to also practice flexibility, consideration, and acceptance of imperfection.

The pursuits of happiness and perfection are often considered to be connected, but in all actuality, perfection prevents us from being happy because we are too worried about becoming imperfect.

In reading This I Believe, Andrew Sullivan’s philosophy outlined the pursuit of happiness as such, “I believe in the struggle to remake ourselves and challenge each other in spirit of eternal forgiveness, in the awareness that none of us knows for sure what happiness truly is, but each of us knows the imperative to keep searching. I believe in the possibility of surprising joy, of serenity through pain, and of homecoming through exile” (Allison, 233).

Life isn’t ever going to be perfect. We have to make it work through the joy, pain, and homecomings. We can never stop seeking what it is to be happy or to assist others in finding joy. Our own self-definition is never complete. We have to work to keep the surprises from throwing us too far off our intended course. And we have to maintain diligence through the challenges and imperfections of life.

It won’t be easy, but we can make it work……life, that is.

We must put LIFE to work each day. Allow the challenges and choices of each moment define a successful and fruitful existence. Direct your energy and intent in ways that lighten the loads of your imperfections and chaos. It’s never going to be perfect. Make it work.

Perfect your own personal style for living life to the fullest, and you won’t ever have to worry about living the perfect life. It will just work.

By: Melanie A. Peters

P.S. I am totally ok with not being perfect, but I still try really hard sometimes. I just do. Oh well, I guess I will keep working at it. Nobody’s perfect, right?

Sources: Allison, Jay, et al. This I Believe: the Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Women and Men. New York, Henry Holt, 2006.

The Day I Couldn’t Sing

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The Day I Couldn’t Sing

i-couldnt-sing

On Friday, January 6th I had the honor of being with my friends Laura, Karen, and Brenda when their mother Wanda passed away. Wanda was an honest, simple, and kind woman. My children called her Grandma Wanda. Losing her battle to cancer was the result of a long hard fight. She is greatly missed.

After Wanda’s passing the family asked me to sing at her funeral. There was not a question as to my willingness. I was ready. The song was even one of my favorites “Here I am, Lord” by Dan Schulte.

As the funeral approached, my nerves grew. My sadness seemed to have a hold on my voice. The day of Wanda’s funeral I prayed for grace and the ability to sing in a way that was worthy of honoring Wanda’s life.

It was a cold, windy day. The funeral home did not have an organist to accompany me so I found the music online. The funeral director and I checked and double checked that it was the correct music. As the funeral service began, I followed the ministers and other vocalist into the funeral salon. We were seated next to Wanda’s coffin.

It was heartbreaking to see the sadness on my friends’ faces and knowing that Miss Wanda was lying there next to me. The other vocalist sang the opening song beautifully. The opening prayer was humble and reverent.

It was my turn to sing. As I took my place at the microphone, I could hear the melody in my heart but not in my ears. Slowly the music began to filter in through the speakers. The speakers were overhead, projecting outward, and away from me. I leaned forward and took  a deep breath. Too deep. I missed the sound of my opening note. I quickly caught up but my voice was shaky and a bit high.

The winds blowing outside shook the windows and the WiFi antenna. The music stopped. I sang a few words but could not find the melody in my ears or my heart. It was as if the sadness and wind had blown me too far off my musical course. I could not sing.

I apologized. The music buffered and restarted at a different spot. I waited for the chorus and I sang again shakier than ever and without my heart in the song. As I made it to the last verse, my friend smiled at me and nodded. She knew I was doing my best and how hard it was to be there. The music cut out again briefly but I sang that last verse and closing chorus to the best of my ability, sat down, and cried.

My tears were not from embarrassment but from shame. How could I let Wanda’s family down? How could I let Wanda down? I just couldn’t sing. Continue reading “The Day I Couldn’t Sing” →

Fear of Thinking

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Fear of Thinking

the-fear-of-thinking

Maybe it’s the age of instant information that has set us back in our ability to devise free thought. Perhaps it is the scariness of standing out from our crowd that has stopped our willingness to speak about original thought. Political correctness is always putting us in our place and prevents us from perusing what our hearts know to be true.

Whatever it is, many people today are afraid to think for themselves.

Freedom of speech has become the accepted mode for trash talk and insults, but has lost its power to protect speech about what is morally acceptable.

The Constitution’s First Amendment was composed so that individuals have the right to speak of what they believe. Our current climate considers the sharing of beliefs to be an infringement on the rights of others, so please don’t speak of God or prayer. Don’t stand for the National Anthem. Whatever you do, don’t suggest that life isn’t always fair.

I do believe that all men and women are created in God’s image and that we all have innate goodness and value. It is so hurtful to our race (the human race) to see the derogatory speech and actions of those who don’t think they are being treated fairly. Vandalism, theft, and assault are, and never will be, means for acceptable expression. You can’t heal pain with hurtful actions. Continue reading “Fear of Thinking” →

Toxic Clutter – Wise Words Wednesday

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Toxic Clutter – Wise Words Wednesday

toxic-clutter

Many of us begin our spring cleaning as soon as the New Year’s ball drops. We start cleaning out our closets, coat pockets, garages, and storage tubs.

We make resolutions to clean out our bodies and clean up our acts.

With those resolutions we need to work on toxic clutter removal as well.

To most of us clutter is made up of piles of old clothes, magazines, or books. Maybe your clutter has amassed itself on your dresser or in the catch-all drawer in the kitchen or the depths of the back seat of your car. wherever it is; the clutter is growing.

Clutter needs to be viewed as more than stuff that piles up in our homes. It is also the resentment, guilt, anger, hurt, and failure that hangs around in our hearts, minds, and spirits. As we turn towards a fresh new trip around the sun, let’s refresh our lives by removing some of that toxic emotional clutter. Continue reading “Toxic Clutter – Wise Words Wednesday” →

My Family’s Addiction to Adhesives

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My Family’s Addiction to Adhesives

via Daily Prompt: Maddening

Adhesive Addiction.jpg

My family has a lot of problems. One of the most maddening problems we have is our addition to adhesives.

We don’t eat or sniff the glue. We just really like to tape, glue, affix, and stick things together.

Just last week my oldest son super glued his fingers together. He knows not to play with super glue but did it anyway. When my husband asked, “Son, why did you glue your fingers together?” His reply was simple, “I just had to see how it feels.” We unstuck his fingers but the glue remained on his skin for few days.

This past May when school let out, my daughter brought home her bag of unused school supplies. In the bag I found a few markers, crayons, folders, paper, notebooks, and about a dozen glue sticks. Eight of the ten glue sticks had the names of other children on them. When I asked her about the glue, she said, “I just couldn’t let them throw good glue away.”

My husband buys duct tape in the economy case and has rolls of the multi-purpose stuff everywhere; in the truck, laundry room, workshop, machine shed, each of the turkey barns, his hunting pack, my car, the tractors, and his fishing boat. We are never at a loss for duct tape. Never.

My youngest son is the WORST. He LOVES transparent tape. He will go through a roll a day, if I would let him. He covers his toy trucks with it and says they are being fixed. Every piece of paper he colors, cuts, or draws on MUST be hung somewhere in the house and he believes each 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper requires 8 inches of tape to hold it in place. Wrapping Christmas or birthday gifts with him is like packaging the royal jewels with tape serving as the first line for the security’s defense. He actually put tape on his Christmas wish list because I told him the only way he could have any more tape this month was if he got it as a gift.

I am as guilty as the rest in that any time I see tape on sale; I buy it. You never can have enough tape. Right? I have two hot glue guns and order my craft adhesive by the 6 pack for making cards and scrapbooking.

We have an adhesive addiction.

I am sure your family has something that you all can’t live without or use in excess. As we begin a new year, consider finding alternatives to your wasteful usage or ways to not use your vice as much.

Whether it’s tape, toilet paper, or leaving on the lights, put your energy into smart and considerate usage of the things you take for granted. Let your family’s idiosyncracies hold you together and allow making change to be the bond that holds you strong as you love one another in 2017.

By: Melanie A. Peters

P.S. Please do not give my 3 year old any more tape. He has had enough.

 

 

 

 

Foggy Minds – Wise Words Wednesday

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Foggy Minds – Wise Words Wednesday

mind-fog

Clearly I cannot take credit for this image, but I can thank the nice people at Pinterest for providing such terrific inspiration for today’s post. Thank you, Pinterest.

Life is chaotic. Holidays are crazy. My brain is foggy.

So many people I have spoken to lately seem to be suffering from foggy brains also. I don’t know if it is the cloud of too much to do, or too many things to remember, or just sinus pressure that is affecting us but there are some serious cases of foggy brain going around.

The treatment for foggy brain is different for all of us. We all have our pressure fronts that move in an out. We all have precipitation and draught issues, but there are a few simple things that can be done to relieve foggy brain symptoms.

png 1 Rest: take time to clear you schedule and mind.

png 1 Hydrate: drink lots of water and healthy stuff. Wine may dull the fog but only adds to the befuddlement later.

png 1 Be Kind: show yourself kindness and demonstrate compassion for other foggy brain sufferers. You never know what might be clouding their thoughts. 🙂

png 1 Prioritize: organize your to-do’s. A game plan will always give you a clearer perspective.

Energy with clarity is much more powerful than the fog on your brain. Give your mind some positive purpose, dispel the clouds of confusion, and you are sure to see a sunnier view.

By: Melanie A. Peters

P.S. I am not a trained meteorologists. I do not fully understand the science of predicting foggy weather; I just understand what it is like to have a foggy brain.

 

Worry = More Work Than It’s Worth – Wise Words Wednesday

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Worry = More Work Than It’s Worth – Wise Words Wednesday

worry-double-the-suffering

Without fail I have found worry wrecking my mental health lately.

There is just too much to do, too many mistakes made, saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, buying a gift and finding that the recipient already has that item, or taking the wrong exit on a busy highway because my mind is on all the other decisions I need to make, ugh, it’s TOO MUCH!

Holidays = gift buying + party going + relative-induced guilt x all the other normal STUFF

Worry = more work than it’s worth

Don’t we already have enough to do?

Worrying just slows us down. Worry steers us in the wrong direction or keeps us from moving forward. Worry really is more work than it’s worth.

“Worrying means you suffer twice.”

Here are some ideas to help you bypass worry:

png 1   Make lists. Check off your successes.
png 1   Set goals. Do your victory dance when you’ve earned it.
png 1    Forgive yourself. Give thanks for the grace.
png 1    Forgive others. Revel in the release.
png 1    What ever you do, try not to worry.

We are only human.
We cannot do it all.
It is physically impossible to do it all correctly or in a way that makes everyone happy. Don’t let worry wear you out!

“Worrying means you suffer twice.” Continue reading “Worry = More Work Than It’s Worth – Wise Words Wednesday” →

Examine the Test at Hand

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Examine the Test at Hand

not-your-final

Last week I supervised my first final exam at State Tech. It was an experience.

The final was scheduled from 8:00-10:00 a.m. in the Community Center.

I approached the Center at 7:45 a.m. (after making new copies of my final – Stupid typos!) There was a line of students in the lobby. My “teacher” status granted me immediate admittance in to the testing room (an auditorium also used for proms and wedding receptions). Tables, chairs, and five other instructors stood ready for the onslaught of eager exam-takers.

The other instructors had nice name tents marking the tables their students were to use. I did not. (Note to self: make name tents for spring final.)

After carefully selecting the last 4 available tables, I spread out my gear and waited for my students.

Upon receiving their finals, neither the huge group or the unfamiliar surroundings seemed to bother my super students. They just wanted to take their darn test.

  • Cut to the end of the final…

Continue reading “Examine the Test at Hand” →

Blessed are the Flexible – Wise Words Wednesday

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Blessed are the Flexible – Wise Words Wednesday

blessed-are-the-flexible

Flexibility is necessary in life. Flexibility is a special virtue this time of year.

We work so hard to fit all of the holiday shopping, meals, programs, parties, and family functions in that we forget to be flexible. This forgetfulness can lead to some major fits of stress and missing holiday spirit.

Allow yourself some breathing room this month. Give yourself the gift of flexibility.

Give the gift of flexibility to others. Remember we are all suffering from the season. Show compassion and patience for those who “mess” with your plans.

Flexibility towards yourself and others will lead to much more fa-la-la-ing and much less bahumbuging.

By: Melanie A. Peters

P.S. It’s ok to do some mental warm ups before you get too flexible. You wouldn’t want to pull anything before Christmas. Breathe deep… Focus… Flex!

Graceful Mistakes – Wise Words Wednesday

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Graceful Mistakes – Wise Words Wednesday

graceful-mistakes

There is no better time than the holidays to forgive and forget mistakes. Let bygones be bygones. Let peace within yourself ring and forgiveness shine for all to see.

Not one of us is perfect. That is the fun of being human. Embrace your imperfections.

Not one of us says the right thing all the time. That makes conversation exciting. Pray for the right words. Slow down and give yourself time to find the most helpful thing to say.

Not one of us freely prances through life without a flub up. That gives us room for grace. It’s not the fall that is graceful; it is how you get back up.

I encourage you to find the grace within yourself to forgive past shortcomings and move on from your mistakes. Grow from the things you have learned.

Graceful intentergy is the best kind of positivity. Graceful intentergy is the most rewarding energy. The grace and light that radiates from forgiving yourself will not only brighten your day but will shine as an example for all those you encounter of how to love themselves gracefully.

By: Melanie A. Peters

P.S. Remember that whole love yourself thing.