Time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin'....

(in)Courage

Four days.  Dave's retirement ceremony is in four days.  These past few weeks have slipped by.  I've lost track of time, even though I've been agonizingly focused on the calendar...  concentrating on all that needed to be done before the retirement and our move... in the process, I lost track of time.  Does that even make sense?  I don't know.


I have been stressing about the amount of stress my husband has been under.  He is worried.  I am worried.  Will he get a job here?  Will he get a job in Wisconsin?  Will we stay?  Will we move?  If we stay here, will we find a place to live in the same school district so the kids don't have to transfer yet again?  So many questions.


My Aunt & Uncle and some of my cousins lived through the Joplin tornados two weeks ago.  They lost everything, but they survived and lived through it.  Thank you Lord! I feel like we are going through a tornado of our own.  Nothing like the real life-and-death version they experienced.  More of a proverbial tornado.... life is whipping us around, pulling us in different directions, I don't know where we're going to land or what condition we'll be in in the end.


And then, today, I read this blog.... it came to me just when I needed it most.


It reminded me that God has a plan.
He is always in control.
He's God.


And I'm not.

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~Ink~

I've toyed with the idea of getting a tattoo for many years.  But you see, the problem is... well, I'm a big chicken.  The other problem is that I didn't want to get a tattoo 'just to have one' or because I wanted to be 'cool'.  I wanted to wait until I had a reason, until it would represent something significant in my life.

My trip to Ireland had such deep meaning to me... I want to commemorate it with some ink.  I think I've settled on a celtic harp... it represents my Irish heritage, my trip to Ireland, and also the importance music has in my life; my musical talent and the great appreciation I have for music.

Something along the lines of these:

I'm also trying to figure out how to incorporate Dave and the kids... I kind of like the idea of the three shamrocks symbolizing the three most important people in my life.  Maybe putting their zodiac signs inside each shamrock?  

I obviously haven't gotten it completely figured out yet, it's still a work in progress.  

But I'm excited to finally get my first tat.  :)

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~Elton~

Crossed off another wish on my Bucket List tonight.

We saw Elton John in concert at the Ted Constant Center.  *SHOCK*  

When the tickets went on sale about 8 weeks ago, they sold out within minutes... and I wasn't able to get any.  I was so disappointed.

And then Thursday night I was perusing Facebook, and I saw a post that said they released more seats for Friday night's concert!  

One problem... Dave was scheduled to have Duty on Friday night.  

A quick phone call to our friend, Colleen, asking her if she'd take his Duty....  she said "OF COURSE!"

(Thank you Colleen!)

Being a Friday night during Lent, we can't eat any meat.  I Googled and found a fish house within walking distance of the concert venue.  So we got there early, and walked 3 blocks to O'Sullivan's Wharf for a fish dinner.  YUM!  Walked in, and was told there was a 45 minute wait.  Urgh.  So we left, and walked the 3 blocks back.  We went to Starbucks and got a couple of cookies/brownies instead.  *shrug*

So our Friday night was spent sitting in front row seats, listening to 3+ straight hours of Sir Elton John.  We're calling it a late anniversary gift to ourselves.  :)  I must say, this has been my most favorite anniversary gift.  EVER.

Set list, typo: the year is actually 2011

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Ash Wednesday

Yet even now, says the Lord,

Return to me with all your heart,

With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;

Rend your hearts and not your clothing.

Return to the Lord, your God,

for he is gracious and merciful,

slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love,

and relents from punishing.

                                                       ~Joel 2:12-14

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Make life simple

Seven Simple Answers!

Do you remember that little toy many of us had when we were little that supposedly "answered" questions? It was a black eight ball like one you would play pool with that had a window in it that, when turned upside down, would display a floating unit inside with pre-scripted answers to your questions. What is funny about this is that there was a remote chance that the answers could be reasonably close to a possible answer!

This got me to thinking: Are there a set group of answers you could find most of the answers to life's situations in? I think we could come close, so I sat down and thought about all of the issues that I deal with in people's lives and realized that most answers do come from the same pool of answers.

Why is this? Because there is nothing new under the sun and the problems of the human existence tend to repeat themselves.

So here are MY answers. See if one of them won't do the trick for your question, problem, or situation.

{You Need Clearer Vision}

 Sometimes the problem lies in the fact that our vision isn't clear enough. We "kind of" know where we are going and that means we "kind of" get there! By getting our vision clearer, we are able to refine our path, which brings us the results we are looking for on our journey.

Question: Do you need to clear up your vision before you move on?

{Stop Whining - Life Isn't Fair}

 Yes, some people have it better than others. Sometimes that is just the way it is. But to get our minds on that fact is useless, and to constantly lament the fact that an office mate "gets all the breaks" is simply whining. It is time to get over it and quit focusing in on your differences and start focusing in on creating the life that you want, because you can live the life you dream of if you redirect your whining energy into success energy!

Question: Are you spending more energy whining or working on your success plan?

{Persevere and Give It Time}

 Sometimes it is hard, that is true. Sometimes we just need to go one more day. I have had this happen in my life many times. There have been times in my life when my whole goal was to get through another week. Plug away, push through, and persevere. Give it time and you will find yourself making ground toward your desired destination.

Question: Is this a time when you simply need to keep persevering and giving your situation time to work itself out?

{Increase Your Skills}

 There are times we don't get what we want because we just don't have the skills. That is the bad news. The good news is that we can always increase our skills! Sometimes we find ourselves in a spot where the proper thing to do is to readdress our skill level so the next time we take a stab at it we can succeed because of our increased skill level.

Question: Is it time to refocus on increasing your skills?

{Forgive Them and Move On}

 People will burn you. I have had countless people burn me in my life. It happens. Sometimes we even burn other people, even when we aren't trying to. The key to success is to forgive them and move on. Unforgiveness will root you in your undesired past through your memory and that is not where you want to live the rest of your life! When you forgive those who burn you, you set yourself free.

Question: Whom do you need to forgive?

{Time for An Attitude Adjustment}

 It has been said that "Your attitude determines your altitude" and it is true! Sometimes we do not achieve what we want to because our attitude stinks. And a stinky attitude affects a lot of what happens to us including how others treat us. Sometimes we have to take a long look in the mirror and realize that we need to see a change in our attitude.

Question: Is your attitude the element that is holding you back?

{When all else is said and done, at least you have a great family}

 Many times we get caught up in things that just really don't matter. Much of what we consider to be "so important" just isn't. The most important thing we can do is lead a healthy family life and raise our children to become great people themselves! If you can rest in this, my friend, you can truly rest.

Question: Are you valuing your family as you should?

{You need to take a break and gets some rest}

 All work and no play makes Johnny and Suzie a dull boy and girl! Sometimes when I am dealing with people and helping them to sort things out, I simply tell them to walk away for a while. They need a break. They need a rest. Time away will make them stronger for the battle when they re-enter the arena.

Question: Is it time for you to take a break?

What do you think? Is there an answer for you in the above statements? I think if we are honest with ourselves, almost all of life's situations could be answered by one of the above! So, the next time you need a little advice, read the article again and see if you don't find the answer!

-Chris Widener

Chris Widener, is a successful businessman, author, speaker and television host.

He has authored over 450 articles and nine books, including a New York Times and Wall Street Journal Best-seller. He has produced over 85 CDs and DVDs on leadership, motivation and success.

Chris is the past host of the national interview show - Made For Success and past co-host of True Performance with Zig Ziglar. Chris is also a writer for SUCCESS magazine.

http://www.chriswidener.com/




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