Today we have a right to 'vote'.........God help us all......

TODAY IS ELECTION DAY!  MY, MY, HOW DIFFERENT THIS ELECTION IS COMPARED TO ANY, EVER BEFORE!  Of course, only 'HUMANS' can vote.  Wouldn't it be wonderful if 'humans' could be more 'united'?    
Perhaps, sharing a little of 'nature' in the mix of things will bring a smile or two.   

I usually do not write, speak and/or even share about politics.  I do not like any part of them.
Wow, how times have changed from years ago in how 'politics'/'elections' are viewed, handled
and are represented FOR THE GOOD OF OUR U.S.A .  

Today, I have chosen to say one thing.  Regardless of any ones' 'opinion', 'belief' and 'right';
that person 'owns' it.  So, depending on how 'ANY PERSON' has chosen to exercise 'their right',

in my opinion; 'their space' should be respected..  NOBODY HAS 'A RIGHT' to condemn, judge,
act out in any harmful way. 

I feel the same about one's belief, as well.  It is so comforting to know that what other people think isn't 'any of my business'.  What a 'freeing feeling'.  I can say that this is a place that has taken me years to arrive to. 

As I woke this morning, I thought, "Wow, God sure has a busy day TODAY!"  And, on second thought, I thought, No, He doesn't; He already knows His people in every way.  He sees and He  knows the bigger picture.  Plus, He has given His people the 'free will' to choose their 'right to vote'.  It is time for 'the  people' to act out 'their belief/right/opinion through this 'voting process'.  

The days that follow into years to come, long after 'my generation' has passed, will have a lingering effect of today's election.  

May each person that chooses to vote to the persons that have chosen 'not to vote'; may ALL have made their 'decision' based with worthwhile thought and prayer for the 'right and real reasons'; 'FOR THE GOOD OF OUR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN, and the entire USA.'

Until next time.
God Bless

Doris

'Letting Go' (2 Parts)

Greetings Friends,

The time has come to close out this series on Heaven, Death, Dying and Letting Go.
My hope is that it has been helpful in some way to at least one person that has chosen to read any or part of it. 
There will be two (2) parts to this final 'Letting Go', post.

We all find it difficult to 'let go' of persons and things.  It might begin as we have a child and as they try to walk, we try to hold on to them.  Later in life, we have the 'empty nest syndrome' when our children leave home.  And, it is even more difficult to watch them marry and create a life of their own.  They have a sense of independence that we sometimes do not like.  They do/should 'cleave' to their sufficient other.  This is what all healthy parents want and at the same there is a hurt within us.  Perhaps, it is a selfish thought because there is a sense that they do not need us anymore. 
I, personally, do not feel this is the reason that they do not get in touch with their parents as often.  I feel it is a healthy choice and they are very busy and have a life to form, mold and live within their own 'boundaries'.  This is exactly the way God has designed His plan for children to grow into healthy and wholesome adults.  They will make better parents if/when they have children.  Do they need us as their parents? Absolutely!  Their needs have changed because they have growth into responsible adults.  When we treat and love them as our friends, the 'boundaries' will be healthier and the love will flow more freely. 

Now, let's look at 'Letting Go' in friendships.  Friends come and go and change. This is another difficult arena to understand.  My feelings are when one has a friend, we must not hold on to tightly.  Remember the story of the 'bird in the hand'?  When a person wanted to keep the bird all to itself, it held on too tightly, and it crushed the bird to death.  
Friendships are treasures to enjoy, share with freedom and respect one another.  This is my feeling and the meaning of a true friendship.  Sometimes, friendships are totally misunderstood.  And, there are different types of friendships.  'Life has a way of changing events.  The 'gift' of friendship is golden when one can be separated in distance and time and in one phone call connect as if they were never separated.  I feel this is a 'true friendship' to treasure.  Gifts from God, indeed.
'Letting Go' and gently respecting 'boundaries' in friendships is hard but necessary for true friendships to flow in a healthy fashion.

'Letting Go' in the aging process can be tricky. I feel it can reveal the true vanity in oneself and/or self pride that can get in the way of our joy and happiness.  We work most of our adult lives in some fashion. This can be in a 'work place environment' or as a 'stay at home wife and homemaker'.  Either position that we have chosen, there comes a time to reflect, refocus and make changes in our life style.  And, if/when we do not change in this aging process, 'Time' in our life and living has a way of doing it for us.  The better thought and choice is to make the change for the better. One that will give us one of pleasure and contentment as we gradually and gracefully walk this journey of aging and 'Letting Go'. 

Our 'golden years' should be 'our pleasant years' to have more time and choices to relax and enjoy the things that we couldn't in our working years.  Our society has had a way of putting 'a number' to our; 'end of time days'.  How morbid is that?  In some ways, if we are not proactive in our thinking, we can drift into this same mold.  Please do not do this, for if/when we do; we will be the losers of priceless quality time and joy that we can experience for many years.  May we remember this as we try 'Letting Go' more gently and peaceful in our 'golden years'. 

Part 2 will conclude our Series on 'Heaven, Death, Dying and Letting Go'.  'Letting Go' can be a wonderful discovery as we focus on 'A Call to Love'. 

'Letting Go-let it go 'Gently' ,
Let it 'Flow Freely'

Until next time
God Bless
Doris

'MY DAD'S HANDS' - 'HAPPY FATHER'S DAY'

Father's Day is a special day.  A father has so many roles. 

'Fathering a child' is much different than 'being a father'.  Love, compassion, integrity, honesty, perseverance, maturity, responsibility and supporting a child is vital in raising and molding any child.  A father thinks nothing of it each and every day.  A father does it all out of 'love' and 'a desire'.  This is what a 'real father' does and enjoys the rewards of this child.  It is a privilege, obligation and an honor. 

I think many people have reflected back on their child life experiences and have wished they would have had things differently.  I think at times, we can easily look at somebody's father and wish they were a part of our lives.  Perhaps, not as a 'whole', tho.   We see just parts of a father's role in them.  But, at the end of the day, God has chosen the father that we have.  As we get older and mature, we realize that life wasn't so bad.  And, as adults, we have choices to choose from.  We can take the good things/good times that our fathers' taught us from our past experiences, choose to take the challenges we experienced and grow from all of them.

I feel we sometimes think we can shift our disappointments in life and direct them to who was 'in charge' or 'the head of the household' at the time.  Nevertheless, it still comes back to the fact, as adults we much always and ever, turn within, seek without blame and continue on our life's journey in a blessed way.  It is never too late to do this.  It is our choice.  God has provided us with 'free will' and HE will guide us along the way.

I pen this because I know that I have had some of these thoughts. I feel  it is not fair in the reflections of 'my Dad' to avoid this area, as well.  I know without a doubt that 'my Dad' worked hard, loved me and did what he thought was good with the knowledge and experiences that he had growing up.  I love 'my Dad'!

I would like to share a little about my father through the following poem.    My father is 97 years old.  I call my father, DAD.   

'My Dad's Hands'

                 'My Dad's Hands'

        Looking at 'my Dad's hands',
             tell a story of its' own.
   They remind me of so many things
that he has done from way back home.

          
 My Dad is up in age today,
         Well, very soon, he will be 98.
     He was always working hard each day.
        He worked from dawn til almost eight.
 
                              My Dad could do a lot of things.
                    He toiled in the dirt, coal, to greasing ole cars.
                              My Dad provided food on the table
                    that was good for us and, yes, even candy bars.
 
                                  He worked really hard on the farm
                                             and the soil he did till.
                                        Fields of wheat, beans and corn,
                                              this is what paid our bills.

                                         Yes, my Dad's hands are worn
                                             and a bit wrinkled and stiff.
                                         But, they tell a story of hard work
                                                  and this isn't just a myth.

                                       'My Dad's hands' are cracked, dry
                                           and the age upon them shows.
                                     But, with time, brings an awareness
                                          to things that are 'dear for evermore'.

                                  Yes, 'my Dad's hands' tell me a story
                                          that my memory will always 'hear'.
                                       Cause when I look at 'my Dad's hands'
                                             I will always think of our yesteryears.

                                                                    copyrighted by Doris Swertfeger
                                                                                                        2013

Until next time
God Bless
Doris

"What Rests on a Foundation is Every Bit as Critical as the Base Itself"

I find life experiences interesting.  I am sure there are others out there that do, as well. 

Generations come and go.  There doesn't seem to be too much difference in how 'relationships', play out, if you will, in accordance to past generations.  Please allow me to clarify. 
In all families and friends, we find there are no perfect entities.  The 'human aspect' is always in play.  However, behavior patterns of their actions unrelated to the 'foundation of the soul' are revealed.   Or, are they?  I feel that they are in time.  Do you ever feel that what appears is happening in certain circles are not necessarily how the events are truly unfolding?  It is only in appearance to the world's view?  Mostly, from the 'human aspect' view. 

Have you ever felt or noticed how some people strive each day to be on purpose in each and every action that they do out of character, responsibility, integrity and respect for themselves and their children?  I certainly hope so.  This is a person that has a foundation that stands tall in their 'soul' and nobody can ever rip it away from them. 

We all were created this way and/or the 'center of the soul' was intended to be exercised fully and daily in all persons' lives.  But, when 'free will' was given so graciously to each of us, not everybody chose this for their path.  I feel the intent of the creator was to 'balance' the 'human entity' and the 'spirit of the soul'.  In doing this, we always and ever come full circle to the 'choices' we 'choose' in our actions each and every day.
There are so many misconceptions as to how things really are in ones surroundings and in the public view.

I was recently reading from Philip Gulley's writings.  He stated: what rests on a foundation is every bit as critical as the base itself.  He drove home this thought so brilliantly and humbly to me. 
He was sharing about a home their family lived in long ago.  He said that the only thing this ole house had going for it was a 'strong foundation'.  And, in light of this, it was not to be discounted but it was not enough.  The boards were spongy-soft with rot.  It was like pulling on five-dollar pants over hundred-dollar shoes.  Oh, they thought they could just give it a face-lift with a coat of paint and it would be fine and look nice to everybody in the neighborhood.  Nobody would really know what was going on in the inside.  But, they were wrong.  The foundation started to crumble and everybody that thought 'one thing' was so wrong in how 'things really were'.    

Could this story be similar to the way circumstances and situations look in our lives and the people around us?  We are human and it hurts when we strive everyday to do what is right and uphold our character, respect, honesty, perseverance and humility.  We strive to raise our children to show respect and grow up into mature and responsible persons with dignity and the things that we feel and know is holy and right. 

Perhaps, we are back to the measuring of the 'Foundation of our Soul' versus 'Our Human Side'.  The purpose of such a measuring is not to provoke guilt, but rather to remind us of those treasures which never lose their value. (Philip Gulley)

We can find hope and value in stretching ourselves against this 'wall of our soul' for 'our spiritual fruit' and take our measure in an important exercise and one we can choose to continue.  In our soul, we really know who, what and how things truly are going down and/or around.   And, we need no flare and we can feel great freedom.

Yes, we have choices and they can make a difference.  We can choose to show the world a beautiful surface of ourselves and do nothing and pretend to the world.  In time, it will all be revealed and it will not stand.  Or, we can choose to know we have a 'strong foundation' with character, responsibility, respect and keep maintaining each level of 'our being' everyday that will stand strong forever.  We can choose to strive to live life on purpose for ourselves, for our family and community.  

Do we love people for who they are? Or do we love them for who we think they ought to be?  I feel a big problem in our world today is that we fall in love with images instead of persons.  God forbid that our underwear should show, that our masks should slip.

As we continue on our journey, and we feel the swords of life hitting us in a way that we are not deserving of, may we always remember; 'forgiveness is the key that unlocks the door of resentment and the handcuffs of hate.  It is a power that breaks the chains of bitterness and the shackles of selfishness'.  Corrie ten Boom

We can never fully enjoy the present if we'll bitter about the past.  Instead of living in the past, make peace with it...and move on.  We can never change anybody else.  Nevertheless, we can stand firm in our 'foundation of the soul'. Than, we will surely know it will support and be enough from its' 'base itself' for whatever life brings to us. 

Until next time
God Bless
Doris