Tag Archives: life

Ebb and Flow

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I’ve been thinking about the ebb and flow of life. The highs and lows. When we feel like we’re being sucked out to sea in the #undertow, or when we’re riding high on the #waves. How many times have you prayed for life to just get boring, only to realize how uninteresting boring makes life? It’s the highs and lows of life that make it interesting. Those are what build our experience and #wisdom.

Don’t misunderstand, I don’t wish anyone to hit a low point. I don’t have to; it’s going to happen. What I do hope and pray for you is that when you’re in the whirl of the undertow, you have someone nearby who will reach in and grab you, or at least hand you a towel when you drag yourself out.

As with the coming and going of seasons. The winter is void of color, the wind blows cold, and the air pushes us back into our domicile as darkness falls too early. But spring comes, and brings color, and light, and the smell of new beginnings. By summer, the daylight is four to five hours longer than in winter.

I love summer – being outside. My favorite time of day is stepping out to the garden first thing in the morning. The morning sun reflects across the dew on the grass. The birds are busy chatting back and forth from the ash to the sycamore trees. The squirrels aren’t worried about traffic jams on what we call the squirrel highway – fence to arborvitae to ash without touching the ground. Many mornings I’m greeted by new blooms on the June flowers. It’s amazing to watch nature in action. Those moments I’m on top of the wave. Life is simple. It’s about being about the need to start a new day. As I face the rising sun, my prayer is always, Lord, I don’t know what today holds, but you do, and I know you’ll be with me.

It’s possible the wave I enjoy first thing could flatten out or come crashing down at some point in the hours of the day. That’s ok. I want to be part of the ebb and flow of nature, my friends and family, and those I encounter. In doing so, I’m building a full life. Never board. Always an adventure.

All the best,

KK

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. — Joshua 1:9

Who are you better than?

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creative-inspirational-quotes-thoughts-part11-61What do you think about this statement? Are you on a journey to be ever-growing, learning and changing? Your core beliefs might remain the same, but there is something to be said for building wisdom around them.

Your thoughts,

KK

6 Things I’m grateful for – One at a Time – Number 3

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Today I find myself thankful for the storms of life I have journeyed through.  Yes, I said storms.  It’s those rainy, cloudy and gloomy times that allow for great potential of patience, fortitude and faith to blossom.  The hardest part of these storms is that there is no RADAR in which we can know how long they will last.  We can be driven into a dark tunnel.

Every minute we are in the tunnel we have tunnelchoices: to move forward and find the other end or to just sit down, never finding the joy and peace that lurk on the other side.  Sometimes groping our way through the dark is uncomfortable and awkward.  While we feel our way through, the rough edges leave us with a new roughness on the outside, but also leaves us different as we emerge.  In the storm and the dark tunnel we find we are tougher than we thought, on the other side we learn how wonderful being changed can be.

Emerging on the brighter other side, we either move forward dragging the puddles of the storm with us, or we move forward standing tall having survived, but not without a few painless scars that only show when we choose for them too.

Today I am thankful for several storms I have overcome.  They are long behind me, but today I was able to reach into the tunnel to shine a light for a friend in need of knowing the storm is only on one end of the tunnel.  Today, I am grateful for being comfortable enough with the journey I have made, to be very real with my friend.  I will gladly shine the light on her path until she emerges.

All the best,

KK

6 Things I’m grateful for – One at a Time – Number 4

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Today I am thankful that there is balance in the universe.  Call it what you like, yin/yang, chi, ebb/flow, what goes around comes around.  Our brilliant Creator put order and balance in play with His first command to take that which was formless and give it form.  With each act of creation He provided opposites to balance each other out.  He gave us light and separated it from the darkness; land was divided by water, creatures of the water and the land, male and female – even good and evil.

Each end of the scale has its place and purpose.  In life we have seasons of serving and seasons of being served.  When those seasons get too out of balance one can find themselves either exhausted from pouring out and not being poured into, or they could be found wallowing in being needy.  There will always be those among us in need, but even the least of these has the ability to do something for others.  Time is free.gravity

Yes, I believe what goes around, comes around; what you sow you will reap. However, it is not our role to be continually looking around the corner to reap quickly.  Sometimes it takes a while to arrive on the other side of sowing.  Just as you can’t rush the oceans movement from high tide to low tide, you can’t rush the laws of natural balance.  The journey between the two is what forms our character.  All we can be responsible for is our role, attitude or place in the great balance of life we live in.

All the best,

KK

6 Things I’m grateful for – One at a Time – Number 6

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Anyone can do a top ten list, but a top 6 list, that’s original – and it’s not because I couldn’t come up with 10 things.  For the next six days, there will be a post a day with something I’m grateful for.   They are not in any priority; all are equal.pencils and paper

Today I am grateful for those days when I give it all and at the end of it I am completely spent.  The activities for the day can be full of work, writing or volunteer projects. Those days have been plentiful recently and for that I’m grateful.  There is something wonderfully fulfilling about working hard, giving my all with excellence.   I can do a string of these days for a while, but when I start looking forward to time off that I know I’ve maxed out.

Slowing down recharges me for the next wave.

All the best,

KK

Thought Provoking…

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“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.”

― Benjamin Franklin

 

There are those individuals who in their 20’s after graduating college are true go-getters.  They work hard, get involved and are all about their upwardly mobile status.  But somewhere along the way they slow down and begin to cruise; maybe they gain a little market knowledge and begin to think they know a little something.  They get into their routines of life, work, family, children — all very important.  But in doing so, they don’t get involved, they just fill their time being busy — or rather they let their time GET filled with stuff.  But are they continuing to learn and expand their mind and life-experiences.  Are they watching life go by on their television screens or are they engaging in interesting and meaningful activities? Are you an active participant in life?  This quote from Benjamin Franklin made me wonder…

There is a line from the movie Shawshank Redemption, “You either get busy living or get busy dying.”

So, what are you doing today?  Are you expanding your experiences and knowledge of life, love and all there is in this great big world?  What are you doing?

Happy Friday,

KK

It’s Just a Drop in the Bucket

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How many times is the question asked, “What does it matter”? It’s just a drop in the bucket; meaningless.  Every day we make drop in bucketthousands of declarations, I do, I don’t, I will, I can’t, yes, no, maybe.  Each of these little words leads to an action or no action, but all of them move us forward.  Put these declarations in a string and the results are decisions that pave the journey of life.  Meaningless – no decision is completely meaningless and all lead to experiences that make and mold who we are.   What impact will my decisions really have, I am one individual?

Recently, I was watching the Discovery Channel with my son.  The show talked about water molecules.  Water drops tend to reach and adhere to each other.  So two drops of water close enough on a plate or counter will join and become a bigger drop.  If you fill a cup to the rim the water molecules are clinging to each other and will sit on the very edge of the cup until some other action forces them over the edge.

This bucket was set under a dripping facet – one drip at a time and a few hours later the bucket was full.  One drip barely made tdrip in buckethe bucket wet, but in a short time there is enough to wash.

Choices and decisions may seem like nothing, but they all lead to something.  Where are you going?

All the best,

KK