Alright, I'm back in the saddle for the summer surge! It was wonderful having my Mom here the past two weeks. She was able to watch her oldest granddaughter finish 2nd in both the 200 (first in her heat) and 400 meter relay (a bad handoff prevented a first)at the Clovis West Invitational. She also witnessed her youngest granddaughter's dance team win gold at last Saturday's competition at the Saroyan Theater.
Oh yeah, she and Mandy were able to spend a morning at the Day Spa as a Mother's Day gift.
While the girls were winning awards and the mother's were being pampered, I slaved away on final projects for grad school. A total of 54 pages of research work all got turned in on time, in addition to a comprehensive final exam over four books read during the semester. Over the summer, I'll share with a bit of the research work from Luke 18.9-14 and Malachi 2.10-16.
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Draw a line on I-40 between Little Rock and Oklahoma City and you've got the cradle of American Idol stardom (Kris Allen from Conway, AR. and Carrie Underwood from Checotah, OK.). I was really happy to see an Arkansas boy take the trophy last night. Way to go, Kris!
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On the flipside, there's nothing like a trip to the Motor City to cool off what was the hottest team in baseball. The Rangers just aren't built to play in a ballpark like that. Can't get out of Detroit soon enough!
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Here's something to chew on today. The best strawberry jelly maker of all time, JoAnn Glock, sent this to me this morning. It is a full dose of healthy perspective for me and I hope it brings blessing to you:
An Angel says, 'Never borrow from the future. If you worry about what may happen tomorrow and it doesn't happen, you have worried in vain. Even if it does happen, you have to worry twice.'
1. Pray
2. Go to bed on time.
3. Get up on time so you can start the day unrushed.
4. Say No to projects that won't fit into your time schedule, or that will compromise your mental health.
5. Delegate tasks to capable others.
6. Simplify and unclutter your life.
7. Less is more. (Although one is often not enough, two are often too many.)
8. Allow extra time to do things and to get to places.
9. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects over time; don't lump the hard things all together.
10. Take one day at a time.
11. Separate worries from concerns . If a situation is a concern, find out what God would have you do and let go of the anxiety . If you can't do anything about a situation, forget it.
12. Live within your budget; don't use credit cards for ordinary purchases.
13. Have backups; an extra car key in your wallet, an extra house key buried in the garden, extra stamps, etc.
14. K.M.S. (Keep Mouth Shut). This single piece of advice can prevent an enormous amount of trouble.
15. Do something for the Kid in You everyday.
16. Carry a Bible with you to read while waiting in line.
17. Get enough rest.
18. Eat right.
19. Get organized so everything has its place.
20. Listen to a tape while driving that can help improve your quality of life.
21. Write down thoughts and inspirations.
22. Every day, find time to be alone.
23. Having problems? Talk to God on the spot. Try to nip small problems in the bud. Don't wait until it's time to go to bed to try and pray.
24. Make friends with Godly people.
25. Keep a folder of favorite scriptures on hand.
26. Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is often a good 'Thank you Jesus .'
27. Laugh!
28. Laugh some more!
29. Take your work seriously, but not yourself at all.
30. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can).
31. Be kind to unkind people (they probably need it the most).
32. Sit on your ego.
33. Talk less; listen more.
34. Slow down.
35. Remind yourself that you are not the general manager of the universe.
36. Every night before bed, think of one thing you're grateful for that you've never been grateful for before.
