HELPING OTHERS, THE RIGHT WAY!

One of the hardest things for us to learn is that we can’t help everybody and shouldn’t!

Wanting to and being able to help people are two different things! If you have a good heart and giving spirit, you naturally want to help everybody you meet to have a “better life”. But a “better life” compared to what? Your ideal for it or theirs? What right do you have to tell them that your view is better than theirs? You may believe that your advice is just what they want and need to adopt in order to make things better. But is it really?!

You take your path, they have to take theirs. It all comes down to CHOICE!

When people ask your advice and don’t take it………what do/should you do?

Bless them and let them go. They need to follow their heart and go down the road they have chosen. If that road isn’t your road, you each must go your own way. That doesn’t mean that you “cut them off” or never have contact with them again, but constant rehashing of the same old themes and stories and reasons does no help.

If asked, give your advice. If they take it, work with them to find their happiness. If they don’t then bless them and let them go down the road they have chosen. Sometimes it’s hard to turn and let them go on their own……………..but it’s their choice so let them do it! If you don’t you are still saying, “You’ve made the wrong choice!”, please let me change your mind! If  they have made a “bad” choice they will find that out on their own.

But they don’t need you constantly telling them what they are doing is wrong!

What if YOU WERE WRONG and they are right?  Think about it!

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Life Changes, Circles Large and Small

“Circles of Influence” (7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE): The concept is that each of us has a specific “circle of influence” that gets smaller or larger as we go through life. When we are born our circle is very small. As we grow older and have more interaction with other people, things, etc. our circle grows larger.

Some of us decide to keep our circle small while others seek to make it as large as they can possibly make it assuming that the bigger the circle, the larger the influence and thus  more control! These situations continue through middle age and into our older ages.

This “older age circle” is the one I want to consider today. I’m an outgoing people loving person so my circle of influence is big! I see that not as  a situation of power but as one of responsibility! I’ve increased the size of my circle by consciously trying to help people. And this will continue until I die.

In the last couple of years though, I’ve become less interested in “birthdays”, anniversaries, and all activities of “other people” to include families. I used to never miss an opportunity to send cards on every holiday or event in other people’s lives that I was closely involved with! Now I miss some here and there. I don’t worry about it any more. It isn’t that I don’t care. It isn’t that I’m forgetful (and No! I’m not getting Alzheimer’s disease). It is because I’m closing my circle, slowly.

We ALL DO THIS whether it is on purpose or just by necessity based on lack of ability to do and think as much as we used to be able to. Is it selfish? No, it is just because we can only do so much, and we have to save our resources to do “What is most important” (7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE) to our well-being for as long as we can.

At this point our circle will continue to get smaller until is exactly as big as it was just before we were born.

So, is that the end of our influence? Ha! Well, that depends on how we are “remembered”! Our circle will grow or shrink depending on what those people we leave behind think/ or thought of us.

I want to leave a HUGE circle that continues to grow with all the positiveness and happiness it can hold near to exploding limits!

HOW ABOUT YOU! TAKE A LOOK AT YOUR CIRCLE…………..LIKE WHAT YOU SEE? 

If your answer is NO, now would be a great time to pump some stuff into it!

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WINNING! WHAT’S THE SECRET?

With all of the football games going on now, both college and pro it’s a good time to look at who’s winning and why! Actually it’s very simple: those who want to win the most do!

You can argue all you want to about this reason and that……………but just watch a few games and really “look” at what you are seeing! One player on a team grabed a moment in history this week because he wanted his team to win so bad that he gave 110% and made it possible and then the other teammates caught the “fever” and the rest is history!

If aren’t willing to give life all you’ve got to put into it………..don’t be surprised when you don’t always get what you want! AND sometimes “winning” is “losing”!

Go figure!

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Gardening Tips in December………..Down South!

Lovely Poinsettia’s………….wonderful article in our paper about the way to “save” your Poinsettias over the year and have them for next Christmas season! DON’T DO IT!  Way too much trouble! And not necessary! AND you can never get them to look as good as they do at the nurseries or Wal-Mart!

Let the professionals grow them for you! They buy “buds” in small pots from California growers in August each year. They replant them and get them ready for us the week before Thanksgiving!

Find a good nursery this spring and go back in the fall and get your poinsettia’s from them…………….they need the work, they do a great job and YOU have a perfect plant and also help the economy! WIN! WIN! WIN!

Our weather is almost 6 wks early………..we may have to prune roses in mid January! Yesterday I cut 20 r0se buds from my garden!  Just crazy it is! Flowering Quince and Forsythia are also blooming!

Happy Holidays and Happy Gardening………….both are good for your soul!

 

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JOY, HAPPINESS, AND THEN BLISS…JOURNIES IN LIFE

JOY………..”MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE UNTO THE LORD, THY GOD!”

So just what does the word, joy, mean to you? To me it means an “event” that makes me feel good. I see a sunset and I am joyful that I see it! Content feelings when I sing a wonderful song or “it is such a joy to see you!”……………..it makes me happy!

HAPPY…………so what makes the word meaningful to you? To me it’s a “series of events” that strung together over time create a happy feeling in me.  

BLISS………….such a wonderful word and yet very hard to define, but to me it means the absence of negativity. Everything is good and right ,joyful and happy!  I walk to the Golden Gate of Heaven and St. Peter tells me that he is joyful to see me and very happy that I can walk through into the Eternal Garden of GOD to find my bliss.

Amen, Amen, and Amen!  “May your Joy make you happy as you walk toward your bliss”!

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Turning Negative into Positive!

I’m known as “Mr. Positive”!! And 98% of the time I am. What about that other 2 %?! What could make a person like me negative? Why would I let anything get me down? If I’m that strong on the positive side what goes wrong?!

I have so much to be thankful for! Good health, good friends, the happiest I’ve ever been in my life…………so why not be 100% positive?

Everyday we are bombarded with negative news (newspapers/TV news/radio/friends/enemies/government/churches, etc.!

What about the positive……………how many times do people call you up because they have  some good news! Life seems to be so one sidedly negative these days!

What are we “positives” to do? Well, here’s what I’m going to do:

1. I won’t re-enforce the negative things that confront me!  I’ll skip over those pieces of the newspaper, switch channels (won’t let Nancy Grace grab me with the FACTS!), refuse to fight.

2. I won’t enable those people I know that want to use me to continue their destructive lives. Yes, they have the right to live anyway they want to, BUT THEY DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO ASK me TO LIVE IT WITH THEM OR ENABLE THEM TO!!

3. Continue to MAKE it my objective to be HAPPY! Let that be my driving force. Anything that doesn’t propel me in that direction, GET RID OF IT!

4. LEARN HOW TO SAY “BLESS THEM AND THEN I LET THEM GO”!

NOW ALL OF YOU OUT THERE ARE SAYING, “But it just isn’t that easy!” O.K. you live your life as you want to!

I’m putting every person I know, come in contact with now or forever more.

I won’t live or interact with negative people or situations. You don’t judge me and I won’t judge you.  You have every right to do and be anything you want to be, but if you don’t want to be positive and progressive for the common good of civilization then take that other road, I will not walk with you.

I’m now 99% positive………..see it works! But I’m aiming at 100%!!!!

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PROTESTING, STANDING UP FOR WHAT YOU BELIEVE!

GOOD OLE COUNTRY SONG: “IF YOU DON’T STAND FOR SOMETHING, YOU’LL FALL FOR ANYTHING!”

What a day this has been! For the second time this holiday season a dog pee’d on the Sunday paper! Neighbors are burning trash across the street and it’s blowing down our neighborhood! People are driving like maniacs!

Do I sit down and take several deep breaths and then meditate for a while and confirm that everything happens for a reason and the people doing the burning probably have tragedies in their lives and so just let them do whatever they want to and forgive them.

Most of the time that’s me! BUT NOT TODAY!!!!

I called the paper and reminded them that our “paper box” was bought and put up to have the carrier put the paper in it EVERY day, not just the days they think to do it or have a substitute filling in for them. The paper people were nice about it and promised that they had “put a note in the paper carrier’s box” as a received complaint and that they should put the paper in the proper place from now on. Thanks be to the paper people.

NOTE: The same thing happened about a year ago…………guess it will require constant reminders!

Open burning supposedly requires a permit from the county……………with the dry weather/season we’ve had I wonder that anyone would want to burn trash at all and especially on a Sunday afternoon! Thoughtless to say the least!

The local fire department will pay them a visit to see if they have a permit to burn on a Sunday……and check to see if they are alright!

ALRIGHT I’ve now stood up for something!!! Go boy go!  I may have my house burned down tonight and my mailbox ripped from the ground (Steel pole bedded in concrete…….gonna be hard to do! HA!)  BUT I feel better! Just remember:

“IF YOU DON’T STAND FOR SOMETHING, YOU’LL FALL FOR ANYTHING!”

 

 

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Gardening! Lessons from This Year 2012

As fall is in full swing, the leaves are still falling, the squirrels have already eaten most of the dogwood tree red berries (they’re supposed to wait until early spring!), acorns are keeping the birds happy and the squirrels, mocking birds are stealing the Pyracantha berries (again supposed to wait until spring!), day lily blooming in November (strictly only an early summer bloomer), still no killing frost on this 16th day of November! Roses blooming now 10 months out of 12! WOW! Times they are a changing!

1. By your roses from a trustworthy nursery! No bare root planting yourself! You won’t succeed!

2. Cut back your roses at Valentine’s Day week! All the way back to 16 inches! Otherwise they put on such heavy growth they’ll fall over with new blooms next spring! Found that out the hard way! Live and Learn!

3. Plant Ginkgo trees early in your life!!! They are slow growers but oh so beautiful! Allow 15-20 years for a spectacular tree! Plant several! They make a fantastic fall show of yellow leaves around Thanksgiving week!

4. Plant crinums, Amaryllis, day lilies, tree lilies, angel trumpets, roses of course (Knock Outs if you’re new to roses). After you get good at it try Easy Does It, Julia Childs, Ginger Snap! Ginger lilies! White, yellow, red!

5. Mulch everything this month with pine straw!

Go outside a lot! Look up at the clouds! Breathe in deeply! Smell the roses! Smell the ginger!

Give thanks for being alive to enjoy the bounties of this earth!

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WHAT IS IT LIKE TO BE DIFFERENT? WHATEVER THE REASON!

IT REALLY DOESN’T MATTER WHAT THE REASON IS THAT YOU ARE DIFFERENT, THE RESULTS ARE THE SAME!

During special times of the year” being different” especially raises its ugly head! Holiday gatherings of friends, family, community, nations take place all over the world. People of course come in all sizes, colors, temperament, etc. and most of them conform to the “normal” look of people around them and so get by with no problems. People with physical differences such a being either too big or too small (weight or height), birth marks, self-inflicted changes  (tattoos )and/or psychological differences (mental illnesses,  sexual preferences), religious beliefs, don’t get away so easily.

People who are insecure lock on to these people who are “different” and bring their differences to awareness in order to not draw attention to themselves. It is called hiding in place! Point the crowd in another direction.

So these people who are different become very aware of those who are just waiting to find them and point them out to the others in the crowd. Their abilities are so keen at spotting the “enemy” that they can actually feel it without having to see the actual person. Like a hunted animal they can sense trouble and steer clear of it!

When those who are different know that the enemy is every where they are likely to go, cleverly they cease going to those places well-known as “enemy spots” thus lowering their chances of being hurt. In many cases they just stop going out at all and stay in the comfort zone of their own little world.

AND that suits the enemy just fine because they don’t want to be contaminated by those who are different! But alas, when they no longer have those who are different to draw the attention away from them….they don’t like that either, so they continue to find those who are different and it becomes a compulsion with them even if they have to make up lies to keep their protection complete!

This holiday season be aware of what kind of person you are, Normal or One Who Is Different?  AND how you react and behave regardless of what kind you decide you are is a perfect reflection of the kind of person you REALLY ARE!

YOU ARE WHAT YOU THINK! SO BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU THINK!

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OUT OF THE CLOSET AND INTO THE BLOG: Comments on Gay Marriage Blog

Comments from Larry Woodard, Oct. 18th, 2012   9:10 am

Hey!

Just read your blog post on same-sex marriage. Loved it!

It’s similar in some ways to my own. I’ve yet to meet someone who views the issue the same way I do, but, I’ll admit, my thoughts on the subject are rather nuanced. Here are my thoughts on the subject, tell me what you think. You’re a very open-minded person and I think you enjoy a good intellectual exchange. I hope I don’t offend, but, I’d value your opinion.

I too am against same-sex marriage, but for a different reason! The main argument against same-sex marriage by those that oppose the idea, is that marriage is a “sacred” institution. All of the bills introduced in the various legislatures around the country use the same basic language about “protecting the sanctity of marriage” I think, however, they are missing the point of that argument. I happen to agree with them on that point. Marriage is a sacred institution, and as such, the government is barred from establishing any law promoting or infringing on religious rights or institutions. I believe the federal government (via the 1st Amendment) and all state governments (via 14th & 1st Amendments) should be expressively forbidden from issuing a “marriage certificate” to ANY two individuals. In short, it is simply unconstitutional.

That said, there is a compelling state interest (i.e. estate planning, medical decision-making, etc.) in some sort of civil unions or civil contracts. To deny a segment of society the right to participate in any part of our legal system based solely on race, gender, creed, national origin or sexual orientation is simply a civil rights violation. End of story!

To me, this is the only LEGALLY consistent argument that can be made on the subject. If marriage is sacred”, the government can’t touch it. If it’s not, then no one can be excluded. I’m not sure why I’ve never heard anyone else make that argument. I can only ague that there is some reason why. I always allow for the possibility that I might be wrong, especially when I’m the only one saying something.

What do you think?

Comments from Larry Woodard, October, 18th, 2012 4:13 p.m.

Turns out that my argument is not completely different.

http:www.cnn.com/2012/10/18/justice/new-york-appeals-court-doma/index.html?hpt=hptl

I haven’t read the decision of the court, but it still appears that they are only arguing the point based on the equal protection clause, not the striking directly at the heart of the matter, which is the foundation for the DOMA law is based on religious/moral concept. Once that argument is removed, and it should be, it is simply an equal protection clause issue. This will get to the Supreme Court, probably in the next term or two. Maybe someone will figure that out before they get there!

By the way, with regard to your assertion that majority rule should always apply in a democracy, please consider the words of my all time favorite Americans, political genius and President, Thomas Jefferson, during his inaugural address in 1801:

“Though the will of the majority is in all cases to prevail, that will to be rightful must be reasonable;…the minority possess their equal rights, which equal law must protect, and to violate would be oppression.”

At certain times in our Nation’s history, the majority considered slavery a “righteous institution” and women were considered to not be intelligent enough to vote. I believe that as an American, if you feel the majority is wrong, it your civic duty to make it known. As the Irish statesman, Edmund Burke said, “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing,”

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