Wow...can't believe 2014 is half over! Right now as I write this, I am at work, covered in bread crumbs, dough, oil, etc....all are very yummy in their proper proportions...but...not the way they were splattered on me! LOL! Anyway...getting use to my new place I moved into 2 weeks ago...boxes everywhere but that's to be expected....feeling pretty good about stuff right now....need to lose some weight and get healthier...need to save money....
A co-worker was hit by a hit-and-run driver while walking home Saturday night....killed instantly....leaving behind children and grandchildren....reminded me of how frail and precious life it....yeah, I don't really have any problems....but it did make me think about those I love and care about in the world...
Well...back to work!
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
FRIENDSHIP
I title this blog "FRIENDSHIP"....I've been writing heartfelt things lately about friendship...more specifically about certain people in my life who had claimed to be my "friend", but their actions spoke otherwise...I have friends who go through the same thing I do, except their issues surround actual family members whose legacies involve back stabbing, deception, and treachery.....I am very thankful I have a loving family who does not enter into such things....my demons lie with some of so called "friends" I have had in my life.
However, I need to clarify that the reason I am hit so hard by the practices of these faux friends from my past is because of level of my regard for true friendship. I believe in friendship. I believe in giving your all for your friends...true friends....many of my friends have been my fortress for most of my life. They have been my rock of encouragement during the dark times of my life. So, in honor of friendship....TRUE FRIENDSHIP, I dedicate the following quotes:
Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.
When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives means the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand.
Friendship... is not something you learn in school. But if you haven't learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven't learned anything.
Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down.
True friends stab you in the front.
A friend is someone who gives you total freedom to be yourself.
A single rose can be my garden... a single friend, my world.
The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing... not healing, not curing... that is a friend who cares.
A friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same.
However, I need to clarify that the reason I am hit so hard by the practices of these faux friends from my past is because of level of my regard for true friendship. I believe in friendship. I believe in giving your all for your friends...true friends....many of my friends have been my fortress for most of my life. They have been my rock of encouragement during the dark times of my life. So, in honor of friendship....TRUE FRIENDSHIP, I dedicate the following quotes:
Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.
When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives means the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand.
Friendship... is not something you learn in school. But if you haven't learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven't learned anything.
Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down.
True friends stab you in the front.
A friend is someone who gives you total freedom to be yourself.
A single rose can be my garden... a single friend, my world.
The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing... not healing, not curing... that is a friend who cares.
A friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same.
Saturday, February 22, 2014
ODE to Callie Nowlin - Callie Odom - Portrait of Hypocrisy
It's just amazing to me....I just marvel at the human race.....how two people who have been friends for years can suddenly have one turn on the other one....many times on a dime with no warning and many times with no apparent cause....it just baffles me.....the unkind, uncaring, depraved state of people......I've had several in my life that I've run across that have been that way...as an example: a very dear friend of mine Callie Odom (formerly Nowlin) just suddenly, for no apparent reason, decided to disappear, and abandon our friendship. I say "abandon" because when she reappeared again, her actions showed she wanted nothing more do to with our friendship. No explanation...no opportunity for me to know what happened and to ask forgiveness for anything I had done. We had been very close...communicating many times a week...praying for each other...everything good....She converted to Catholicism and then suddenly...friendship gone! I would never say anything derogatory about Catholicism, however, her actions do certainly seem to show her now more caught up with religion than relationship with God....Yet, after converting to Catholicism, she continues almost daily to quote the saints....never bothering to actually put into practice the very things she is quoting....scriptures such as:
"If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen." (I John 4:20).....or, "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." (James 1:22), and "Let love be without hypocrisy..." (Romans 12:9)
I continue to pray for her daily...that God will speak to her heart and show her just what it means to be a "saint"...the very thing she says she is striving for...
"If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen." (I John 4:20).....or, "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." (James 1:22), and "Let love be without hypocrisy..." (Romans 12:9)
I continue to pray for her daily...that God will speak to her heart and show her just what it means to be a "saint"...the very thing she says she is striving for...
Is is Spring yet??
We just finished with the biggest snowstorm in recent memory here in Roanoke, VA....over 2 feet of snow...the place I worked closed down for 3 days which has never happened before...but, we survived....it was 61 degrees today with bright blue skies...and the remnants of snow still on the ground all around.....quite a sight.....hopefully we're movin' on to warmer things... :)
Monday, February 3, 2014
What's Important In Life
I, like so many others, had been in great anticipation of Superbowl Sunday. The media, like the fans, was expecting this to have been one of the greatest matchups of all time....quite possibly the greatest offense against arguably the greatest defense of all time....but like life, it had its results in disappointment and disbelief. It turned out to be the most disappointing, frustrating, lopsided Superbowls of all time.
It got me thinking about life in general and the expectations we often have of it. We expect everything to work out in our favor...to be perfect....free from pain and frustration....oh, we'll admit to others that we don't, but deep down we do.....I mean, unless we are deceived and hell-bent for destruction, if we knew the path we were on wasn't the right one, we would change paths.
There really are only a few important things in life....and if we get those going right, then everything else will work out...and if they don't, who cares? Family and friends.....people......relationships at any level are the heart and soul of a life. Whatever struggle you are facing in life....if you have that as a solid focus, you will overcome. Financial issues, personal concerns, health, etc....these things can really take a toll on us....and can be very difficult to fix (if ever)....but if you have people in your life that you can go to...that will talk with you, pray with you, hold you....take you in if necessary....help to get you back on your feet....be there for you during the darkest times of your life......then if makes those times easier to bear...and your life can be dramatically changed because of it.....
Some are not close to their families.....is it because they haven't tried or we haven't tried? What about our friends? Some friends's I have (see earlier posts) have been as plastic as a milk jug.......but perhaps we need to spend some time reflecting on our own selves...our own motives.....our families are....our families....they are kind of with us for life....we need to do whatever it takes to maintain those relationships as best we can......as for our friends...they come and go in our lives....some are here for a moment...a season...several seasons...or for life...even choosing our friends wisely can lead to disappointments (see earlier posts)....but anything worth anything is worth risking for (also see earlier posts).
A lot of rambling....thoughts racing....but in summary....holding onto the people in our lives....cultivating those relationships....giving of ourselves to the people in our lives....makes life much more bearable and worth living in this world.
Monday, January 27, 2014
Beginning To Trust Again
All my life I have always been known to put a lot of stock and trust in my friends. Depending of course how close of a friendship I had with people, I would for the give a great deal of myself to them. Many of my closest friends, I would share a lot of personal information...family, secrets, hopes, dreams, etc.....of course this has always left me vulnerable, but my belief has always been that when you love somebody at any level of relationship, you should be willing to give your all towards them....be completely transparent and real....holding nothing back. I know that is not the philosophy of most, but it has always been of mine. Anything worth loving is worth risking for. I would give my life for my friends.
6 or 7 years ago, I was "taken to the cleaners" by someone I had considered one of my closest and dearest friends. I was lied to...deceived...ignored...treated like common garbage....someone I had trusted and invested a part of my life to had stabbed me in the back. As a result of all I went through, my life was changed dramatically...I found I could no longer trust people the way I use to. I kept myself very guarded and closed off from any possibility of vulnerability and hurt. The open, honest, and fun-loving people-person I use to be was scarred. I would start to make friends, then would shirk back and many that might have normally evolved into something deeper, just fizzled away. I had so much love to give to my friends, but I just couldn't out of fear....
Over the past few years, I have made great strides and some really great friends, and little by little, I have opened myself up to them....it has been a slow process....but a great deal of progress has been made.
I think I am now at a point where I can finally trust again....I think there will always be a small part of me that will remain guarded....a small voice whispering "be careful"....they say "time heals all wounds".....not sure about the "all" part....but there has definitely been a healing that I've experienced. Is it possible that someone who is a close, special, loving friend to me now could eventually do the same thing? I think yes....there are some human beings that seem to have a bent on being uncaring and selfishly hurtful...perhaps because that's how they great up....perhaps because they themselves have had hurtful and abusive relationships in their past...who knows?.....but my choice was to either go off and hide for the rest of my life....closed off and guarded, or decide to live life to the fullest...making each day a new day count for something...a new day of adventure...which will involve investing in the people I love and care for....so I choose to invest!
6 or 7 years ago, I was "taken to the cleaners" by someone I had considered one of my closest and dearest friends. I was lied to...deceived...ignored...treated like common garbage....someone I had trusted and invested a part of my life to had stabbed me in the back. As a result of all I went through, my life was changed dramatically...I found I could no longer trust people the way I use to. I kept myself very guarded and closed off from any possibility of vulnerability and hurt. The open, honest, and fun-loving people-person I use to be was scarred. I would start to make friends, then would shirk back and many that might have normally evolved into something deeper, just fizzled away. I had so much love to give to my friends, but I just couldn't out of fear....
Over the past few years, I have made great strides and some really great friends, and little by little, I have opened myself up to them....it has been a slow process....but a great deal of progress has been made.
I think I am now at a point where I can finally trust again....I think there will always be a small part of me that will remain guarded....a small voice whispering "be careful"....they say "time heals all wounds".....not sure about the "all" part....but there has definitely been a healing that I've experienced. Is it possible that someone who is a close, special, loving friend to me now could eventually do the same thing? I think yes....there are some human beings that seem to have a bent on being uncaring and selfishly hurtful...perhaps because that's how they great up....perhaps because they themselves have had hurtful and abusive relationships in their past...who knows?.....but my choice was to either go off and hide for the rest of my life....closed off and guarded, or decide to live life to the fullest...making each day a new day count for something...a new day of adventure...which will involve investing in the people I love and care for....so I choose to invest!
Friday, January 24, 2014
I appreciate all my friends!
I've just gotten over being pretty sick with a bad sinus and chest congestion....uncontrollable coughing, muscle aches, etc......now I'm just down to a cough. I really appreciate the concern showed by my friends while I was sick. It is a rare find to find friends who are as true as mine are in this lifetime....ones who are "real"...who will stick by you when you're goin' thru stuff and never judge you...it's so cool! Thank you friends!
The weather has been just above zero degrees here lately.....kinda dreary....I'm so thankful for coffee! :)
The weather has been just above zero degrees here lately.....kinda dreary....I'm so thankful for coffee! :)
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Later Reflections
Wow...can't believe it's been this long since I've posted here....as a matter of fact, I had even forgotten about this blog site until just today when a person from my past requested something from me that made total sense and was happy to do it......so as long as I was here, I thought I would ramble for a bit.....
Since turning a half-century last year, I have been reflecting (as I'm sure many do during this time of life) often on my past, my present, and my future. I have learned many things over the years as I have gotten older....how to spot deceit and manipulation much quicker than I use to...how to appreciate a sunset and being still...how to focus my time and efforts on the really important things in my life and keep my priorities in some reasonable order...all while still have fun! Life can be a real trip!
I have many friends on Facebook that by their posts, still have a lot of growing to do in that regard....the cycle of hurts and disappointments are very evident...but, they would give you the shirt off their backs if they thought you needed it.....I only have 60 friends on my Facebook list while others have hundred, even thousands.....someone asked me once why? I told them that I have finally come to a point in my life where I know what a true friend is and what one is not. I have had my share of phony friends over the years that I feel I have a pretty good handle on who the genuine ones are. The 60 I have on my list I would give my life for in a heartbeat....they are the ones that after the pain and heartaches of life......the disappointments and frustrations...come and go....after the smoke clears....they are still standing by you.....I appreciate them more than they will ever know.
One thing I have learned....life is made up of a series of choices, not just chances. Life is a great puzzle made up of thousands of pieces, each one an experience or a relationship encountered even in the smallest way. Some of these puzzle pieces are huge, others are very small...some good and some bad....but all make up who we are. Some pieces I want to take and frame them and hang them on a wall to look at everyday...but I can't because they belong to the whole....some pieces I just want to rip out of the puzzle, tear their corners off and stomp them into the ground....but I can't do that either....all make up who I am....I have learned to appreciate all the many, diverse pieces from my life...they are my teachers, my encourages, my bridles that pull me back onto the right road......even those "phony" pieces are all so very important that have shaped me....I love them all!
I've moved to a small town up in the Blue Ridge Mountains....a job...a good job...a slower pace...a chance to relax and also have some fun. It's beautiful here....I still miss my home state of Texas, but this isn't a bad second choice. You can really find yourself here.
Since turning a half-century last year, I have been reflecting (as I'm sure many do during this time of life) often on my past, my present, and my future. I have learned many things over the years as I have gotten older....how to spot deceit and manipulation much quicker than I use to...how to appreciate a sunset and being still...how to focus my time and efforts on the really important things in my life and keep my priorities in some reasonable order...all while still have fun! Life can be a real trip!
I have many friends on Facebook that by their posts, still have a lot of growing to do in that regard....the cycle of hurts and disappointments are very evident...but, they would give you the shirt off their backs if they thought you needed it.....I only have 60 friends on my Facebook list while others have hundred, even thousands.....someone asked me once why? I told them that I have finally come to a point in my life where I know what a true friend is and what one is not. I have had my share of phony friends over the years that I feel I have a pretty good handle on who the genuine ones are. The 60 I have on my list I would give my life for in a heartbeat....they are the ones that after the pain and heartaches of life......the disappointments and frustrations...come and go....after the smoke clears....they are still standing by you.....I appreciate them more than they will ever know.
One thing I have learned....life is made up of a series of choices, not just chances. Life is a great puzzle made up of thousands of pieces, each one an experience or a relationship encountered even in the smallest way. Some of these puzzle pieces are huge, others are very small...some good and some bad....but all make up who we are. Some pieces I want to take and frame them and hang them on a wall to look at everyday...but I can't because they belong to the whole....some pieces I just want to rip out of the puzzle, tear their corners off and stomp them into the ground....but I can't do that either....all make up who I am....I have learned to appreciate all the many, diverse pieces from my life...they are my teachers, my encourages, my bridles that pull me back onto the right road......even those "phony" pieces are all so very important that have shaped me....I love them all!
I've moved to a small town up in the Blue Ridge Mountains....a job...a good job...a slower pace...a chance to relax and also have some fun. It's beautiful here....I still miss my home state of Texas, but this isn't a bad second choice. You can really find yourself here.
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