THOU SHALL "BOOGIE BOARD"

 THOU SHALL "BOOGIE BOARD"

*Life and boogie boarding*

As many years as I have spent at the beach boogie boarding....
......and this morning I could not catch a wave to save my life.

It was not only frustrating, but it was getting brutally crazy that everyone around me (who were,by the way, all under 13 years old) were not only catching the waves, but riding them all the way into shore! ( I was totally jealous) ha!

I would smile my best smile and give them a hearty thumbs up, but after awhile, I was getting downright ticked that I could not do it. Not once. It seemed that every wave I tried to catch took me about 10 feet....then....it just.....fizzled. Arrgh.

After a while, Kevin (who had been watching me from the beach house) comes out with his board and says, "What happened, Gidget? You lost your groove out here?"

"Yes. It seems as though that's exactly what I've done.... I can't understand, Kev? I mean, I've done this for how many years? What am I doing wrong. Watch me for just a minute and see if it's me or this board."

He laughs, "Oh...absolutely...I'm gonna have to go with your board. It couldn't possibly be you."

I smile, "Ha ha...very funny. Just watch me will ya?"

After a couple of failed attempts, Kevin says,
"Well, your timing's off. That's all it is."

"Well, obviously, babe,...but, like, when? at what point? Am I hitting them too soon? too late? I can't figure it out.... ...Okay...you know what? Just tell me when to go. Just yell "Go!" and I'll follow your lead."

So he watches....and he watches and then what looks like the perfect wave comes along...I'm waiting for it....waiting for it....then I hear him yell, "GO!" So, I do!....and then?.... it just fizzles...again! ....and my board goes hardly anywhere!

He looks perplexed as I turn around towards him with arms out like, "Well? What did I do that time?!"

He says "Well, that's how it goes sometimes. Sometimes, you can do everything just right....you are just the right amount of patient....you wait on what looks to be JUST the right time to take it!...And at JUST the right point .....only to discover that there IS one more very important factor.
......And that is the wave itself. Its gotta be perfect too."

I smile and say, "You totally know that this analogy will show up on my blog don't you."

He just smiled, "Yep. I figured."
Ha!!

So, anyway, no sooner had we finished that conversation when the biggest wave of all comes. Gator and I are waiting...getting excited....and then I hear Gator holler, "Take it! Now mom! NOW!!"

So I do...and it was AMAZING!!..... the longest, greatest ride that took me ALL THE WAY to shore.

The feeling of exhilaration rushes through every fiber of my being..... and I continue riding for the next hour....just to get that feeling of the ride.

I won't go into the "lesson" I got from this analogy, because I think by now you guys know me well enough to have figured it out.

But in a nutshell, this morning's boogie boarding "lesson" is such a great metaphor for my life....and maybe everybody's life....

But to me, Life has everything to do with timing..... taking chances........being patient (especially after things fizzle)...getting back up.....trying your hardest....then trying your hardest again.

Because here's the best part of life: Just when you think you've lost your "groove" and you are frustrated while watching everyone else have all the fun, the perfect "wave" will come along...at just the right time....and you will be ready.....you will be hungry for it.....and you will hear your inner voice holler, "TAKE IT! TAKE IT NOW!!

And you will!

And the feeling will be exhilarating!

...especially the ones that take you the farthest. *wink*

"THOUGH SHALL MAKE OTHERS FEEL SPECIAL"

THOUGH SHALL MAKE OTHERS FEEL SPECIAL

Today I received a message from my friend, Amber, who wrote something so special...so remarkable.....and so precious that I haven't been able to get away from her words or sentiments all day.

It made me wonder if it was something I was supposed to share with all of you. It inspired me in a very profound way, and with her permission, I will share it and hope it affects some of you the same way.

Amber wrote:
"Several months ago, my aunt, Catherine Moore Walker Hansbrough, went to be with our Lord. Catherine, whom everyone affectionately called "Cacky," was the most gracious, passionate, caring, kind, loving, Christian woman that anyone would ever want to meet. While at her funeral, so man people stood to speak. EACH and EVERY one of those people expressed how special she made them feel. Each person felt as if they were the single most important person to her. While sitting there, I pondered the thought of how she could ever master something of that magnitude, but I knew I wanted to do it. I had to figure out the trick to it! How could you possibly make EVERYONE you encountered feel special; like they were the only one? It didn't take me long to realize that the "trick" was that she was a messenger for the Lord. She was not fearful and therefore others were drawn to her."

Amber went on to say that her Cacky was a jewel who she wished she could be more like.

What a beautiful legacy, huh?!

To make each and every person feel better and more special after simply being in your presence?? What a gift to the world.

God's Grace is Amazing.... Amazing Grace.

Reminds me of my favorite Maya Angelou quote:
"I've learned that People will forget what you said..... People will forget what you did.....but people will NEVER forget how you made them feel."

...So take a cue from "Cacky"....Just simply make everyone feel really good, and really really special. ;-)

"THOU SHALL HAVE "PRESSURE WASHER PRAYERS""

THOU SHALL HAVE "PRESSURE WASHER PRAYERS"

*A Pressure Washer Prayer*

This morning I was pressure washing the concrete around my pool. It's the perfect tool to get rid of the harder dirt and soil stains that tend to accumulate around my pool due to "heavy traffic" every summer.

* (I love that it gets this way because it is proof that friends and loved ones have spent time with us this summer!)

Anyway, while I am pressure washing, Gator ...is being a great helper to me by "sweeping" the pool. It's a tedious task, but necessary in keeping our pool "guest ready."

After a while, Gator (who, at this point, has sweat dripping from his brow) hollers for me, but I can't hear him over my very loud pressure washer. He hollers louder and louder, until I finally hear him.

I turn around, "Yeh? You need me, Gator?"

He smiled, "Hit meh!"

Me: "With my pressure washer? You getting too hot?"

Slade hollers, "Yes ma'am....hit meh!" (The way he is saying "meh" cracked me up, so I laugh as I lift my handle towards his direction.)

I get far enough from him so that it is merely a mist falling on his face and body.
*If you get too close to anything with this tool, it'll tear the skin right off your toes. (I know this all too well.) ;-)

Gator stands arms outstretched with face to the sun and smiling from ear-to-ear while the mist falls gently on his face.

I was taken by surprise because all of the sudden I see a full rainbow around my child as I am spraying him!

I was so amazed! I kept showering him with this misty water from my pressure washer, just so I could look at that bona fide rainbow! Ha!

Finally, he yells, "Mom! I'm good! I'm good! Mom! Stop! I'm good now!"

I laugh as we both turn to get back to our chores.

Of course, my mind begins swirling about and something occurred to me.

If we live long enough, we ALL will have parts of our lives that will seem to be full of "stains", "dirt", "soil" and "muddy foot prints."

And I'll be honest, sometimes the messes (or mess-ups) in our lives were made by US (bad choices...errors in judgement, etc.),....but often-times the most (and hardest to clean) stain-filled "messes" on our heart were actually made by another. :(

Some of these things are easily washed away with a mere garden hose, but SOME of these dirt-stained "foot prints" are so engrained in the concrete walls of our heart that the garden hose just ain't gonna cut it. .....you'll need a good pressure washer for that big job!

Unfortunately, this type of mess tends to soil all the other areas of your life because you won't take the time to do the work to clean it up!

I wonder why? I wonder why we don't wanna do what it takes to clean up our life-messes?

Hmmm.....Maybe because we like to sweep the dirt under the rug. (Guilty!) ....Or maybe We like to pretend like the "dirt" doesn't really bother us." (Guilty again!) ...OR...and this is a good one.....we want to wait and see if somebody else will come along and clean up the mess for us, right?
(Yep, unfortunately, I have been guilty of this as well.)

But here's the beauty of "The pressure washer Prayer"....

If we take the time and do the tedious work to pray to God to help us take away the dirt, the hurt, the stains, and the pains...then I promise you....I pro-o-o-mise you......you WILL begin to feel cleaner....
......your heart will begin to feel "cleansed."

You may not even know what you are doing at first...and I think God loves that even more, because you are being "real" with Him. But when you get in your groove and realize there is a method to it...that is all your own. Your own journey with God that has nothing to do with anybody else but you and HIM.....the cleaning becomes down-right therapeutic. You will look forward to it. You will even begin helping others get started in their own "pressure washing".

Yes, The truth will hurt sometimes...especially when you get very close to the surface....but as you walk through it with HIM....you will get further away from the pain...

.......and then........just like what happened with my little Gator, you will, one day with arms outstretched....face to the sun.....smiling from ear-to-ear, FEEL the mist of relief.....the relief that can only come from God.

It will be a remarkable and wonderful, Heavenly "Relief"....

....and you know what the rest of us will see when we look at you??
....We will see the "rainbow."

God's beauty will absolutely surround you like a rainbow after a good ole cleansing storm.

It's now what I call the "Pressure Washer Prayer."

It won't always be easy....but always, always, ALWAYS worth it.

Great Day Everybody!

T
;-)

"THOU SHALL APPRECIATE WHAT WE DO HAVE, 'DOGGONE' IT"

Before I walked outside to water my flower beds this morning, I grabbed two equally tasty rawhide bones. One for Faith, our 9 month old chocolate labe and one for Ringo, our four year-old caramel colored, long-hair daschund.


I thought it'd be a nice treat for the both of them while they kept me company outside.

I happily entered my own world of thoughts, while watering my beloved flowers. 

After a while, I noticed that somehow Ringo had BOTH bones in his possession.

I looked over at Faith and noticed that she was innocently staring at Ringo with her head cocked to one side, (probably wondering why he took her treat from her).

I stopped what I was doing and went over to Ringo while softly admonishing him for taking his "little" sister's bone. He understood exactly what I said because he wouldn't look at me.

I gave the bone back to Faith, who jumped up on a lounge chair, and proceeded to chew happily on her treat.

I kept my eye on them while I continued to water.

Lo and behold, Faith accidentally drops her bone off the side of the chair, at which time Ringo springs into action taking the bone away again!

"Ringo! No sir! You have your own bone, silly boy! Why do you feel the need to have Faith's bone too?!" I say as I reach and pull the bone out of his mouth.

I gave it back to Faith, then put HIS bone closer to his mouth as a reminder that he has the exact same kind of treat. Same flavor, same size....I mean it came from the same flippin' box, for crying out loud! Ha!

He didn't want it.

He totally snubbed it.

He literally walked away to a far away spot and looked away from both Faith and me. 

Faith, being sweet, lovable Faith, jumps off the lounge chair and finds her a perfect spot, close to her "big" brother (who is 3 times smaller than her) and continues to enjoy her bone some more.

Watching this scenario between my dogs, got me thinking about us...humans. 
We do this same doggone thing sometimes!

It seems we constantly want what other's have. It's sounds so crazy to admit, but if we're honest, we will admit this about ourselves. I'm guilty too!

I'll walk into a friends home and leave saying to Kevin, "Gosh I hate my kitchen! Did you see her granite? I want that in my kitchen so badly."

Or "so and so has the greatest little guest house...If anybody needs a guest house, it is us, Kevin... Do you think we could ever have one?" ( Can't you just picture him rolling his eyes or banging his head on the steering wheel?) ha!

Once he even said to me in a frustrated tone, Can't you just be satisfied with what we DO have?"

And he was right. I mean, seriously...C'mon, me, ya have it pretty good, right?

So the question remains:

 Why do we do this?!?

Why do we....many times...want what we don't have...or want what is not ours?

Why do we insist on looking at what others have and secretly wishing it was our own?

And I wonder why it's so dang hard to be satisfied with what we already DO have?

Sounds crazy, huh?

I think it might just be a simple case of forgetting to be grateful...

...We begin "expecting" too much....

 ....And instead of appreciating what we DO have, we decide to focus on what we DON'T have. (And it IS a choice, you know). ;-)

The Good news?

 (there's always good news)

....The good news is that once you recognize that EVERYTHING you think, dream about and focus on is in your control, then your perspective on EVERYTHING can change ....and it can begin to change for the better.

IF we begin to truly control our mind and decide to think only healthy and positive thoughts for our life, THEN we are making the choice to live a more fulfilled life. ....A life full of joy, happiness and contentment.

Here's to enjoying the "treats" of your life.

May you appreciate them, be satisfied with them, and may you never let them be squandered away by your own selfishness.

Cheers to Faith and Ringo for my "life lesson" today...

 *clink*

Have a great one,
Teri

"THOU SHALL PRAY AND PRAY AND PRAY SOME MORE"

*Things that make ya go "Hmm..."

Yesterday, as Summer and Gracie sat in my little office with me, I asked Miss Linda to come in here so I could read to her what I wrote to all of you ABOUT HER.

She was overcome with emotion, of course. And she shed many tears. It's not everyday that you get to actually hear a "love letter" written about you that is shared with the "world".

So I completely understood why she wasn't able to keep her composure...and I promise I didn't let her cry alone. :))

After I finished reading my post, I THEN read to her all of your beautiful responses.

She was amazed.

Then I turned my computer around to face her and showed her all of the "private" messages from friends of mine asking if she had any openings.

She was stunned.

 Overwhelmed.

 And she was just plain grateful to God for what she was feeling at that moment.

I gave her a minute to get herself together and then I said, "Miss Linda, you gotta know that these people are not really clamoring for you because of your cleaning skills. You do know that, right?"

With confused eyes, she looked at me as she continued dabbing her eyes with her tissue.

I explained, "Yes, You are the best cleaner in the world....but I'm telling you that these women want you, not because of your cleaning skills, but because of how you pray over my family and the other families you work for.

And you know what this tells me?

 This is such a clear indicator to me that people crave prayer. We all receive such peace and comfort from knowing that others are praying for our children, our family, our lives."

Miss Linda put the tissue to her face once again covering her eyes while shaking her head. She was in such disbelief that, through my words, she was able to touch so many.

I asked her, "Miss Linda, what made you decide to use your job as a stepping stone to the greater job of praying for the families you work for?"

Do you know what she said to me?

Miss Linda gathered herself, sat up straight in the chair, as if she were in front of a courtroom jury. She cleared her throat, lifted her head and said these words to me:

"Teri, I'll tell ya. It all began early in my life with my mama. We never had much growing up, but my mama insisted we never act like we didn't have much. She insisted that we had all we ever needed and we were never allowed to pity ourselves. Mama taught us that while we pray for ourselves and our particular situation, that we always pray for others as well."

I leaned forward, put my elbows on my desk and placed my hands together in a ball over my mouth (like my dad used to do, I realized) and I smiled at her, stunned and wonderfully amazed by her response.

I asked, "So praying for others just simply became a habit that felt good? necessary?..."

She cut me off, "No, I'll tell you the truth about when it became more important to me...... When the government took prayer out of the schools and everywhere else. I became worried...and stubborn."

"Stubborn?" I asked.

"Yes. Stubborn." She replied laughing, "I thought, 'y'all might take prayer outta the schools, but you'll never take it outta my heart...and outta my job.' If anything, Teri, I started praying harder. I started feeling God calling me to pray for everybody I ever came into contact with. People call me to pray for them all the time, and Lord knows I do it. And to me it's a privilege. A beautiful privilege....and yes, part of my job."

I hugged her and told her how much I did love her so....and how very lucky and blessed I am to get to have her in my life and my family's life.

You know, I haven't been able to stop thinking about what she said.... I couldn't even sleep because my mind was going 90 to nothin' last night.

 ...I even googled this sentence in the middle of the night,

*****"What has happened since prayer was taken out of public schools"*******

...and I could hardly believe what I read in site after site after site.

You know? Here's the thing: (in my very humble opinion)

Prayer is the single most important thing we can ever do for each other....for our country......and for ourselves.

I don't give a fiddle faddle your religious affiliation....how you pray.....or even to whom you pray to.(Because quite frankly, I do believe everyone should have the freedom to pray however is most comfortable for them)

 .....I certainly don't want anyone telling me how to do it...or to whom they think I should pray to. Jesus is my Lord and Savior and God is my Heavenly Father...and nobody could ever make me believe differently for MY life."

Look, I'm still trying to (as my dad would say) grasp the all encompassing Oneness of God, and understand how we, man, and everything else, is created in HIS image!

And I actually LOVE that it will take me a lifetime and into eternity to get all of my earthly questions answered.

But as far as prayers are concerned?

 Sending positive prayers up for our fellow man is so good, no matter how you send 'em up! Prayers of any loving kind can only help us....it can only lift us.....and it can be THE ONE and ONLY thing in this entire world that could ever truly bring us together.

So, maybe Miss Linda is onto something really brilliant here. Our government can take away many of our "rights", but the one thing nobody in this world can take away is our mind (without our permission).

So use your mind to pray.....doesn't have to be blatant, loud or even demonstrative. Prayer can be spoken from the heart every minute of the day without uttering a word.

God knows your heart. God knows what we crave...and if what we crave is Him? Well, then rest assured that He will be revealed to you in so many wonderful ways.

....especially through the "Miss Linda's" in your life.

Trust Him.

Here's to Prayer....

Cheers

 *Clink*

"THOU SHALL REVERE THE 'MISS LINDA'S' IN YOUR LIFE"

She comes on Tuesday's and Friday's for just a few hours to help me keep my house in order.

Her name is Miss Linda.

She is a beautiful African American woman who takes much pride in her work.

I remember the very first time I met her,(about 3 years ago), she told me she felt "called" to clean homes. I remember smiling and saying, "Really?! Hmm... that fascinates me because I just simply want God to give me the desire to clean. And you feel 'called?' Wow. That is really saying something."

She just smiled.

 She knew exactly what she was talking about.....(even though she knew it would take time for me to discover it for myself.)

What I didn't know at the time was that something very special would slowly be revealed to me over the course of that first year.

When I tell you that precious woman is "called to clean?" I mean "CALLED.".....not just houses either.

God knew exactly what He was doing when he put this desire to clean houses in her heart.

Over the course of that first year, I noticed something happening. She and I would be in the trenches cleaning together and I would feel so light and happy whenever she was around. I liked what she had to say. I loved her sweet brand of humor and I ADORED her faith and wisdom. It was way better and stronger than mine....and I admired her so much for that. She was what my grandmother would call, "Good people", "Just plain good to the bone." :)

Also, that first year, I noticed something else interesting happening... my children would get up to greet her with hugs when she arrived.

 ..... and my normally reserved husband would be in the kitchen talking and laughing with her.

I loved it!

When my mom, aunt or sisters would come in from Texas on days that Miss Linda worked, they would put their stuff down and sometimes hug her before me! Miss Linda would just laugh as I would joke about it. But everyone knew I really loved it.

One day, I came home unexpectedly and discovered what that something was that made her so special and so....well....divine. ;-)

I walked in and I could smell that clean, fresh smell so I knew Linda was here. I quickly made my way to Summer's room, where I could see her bucket out in the hallway. But JUST before I reached Summer's room, I heard Miss Linda talking and I assumed she was on the phone. So I turned on my heel to sneak away when I heard her say my Summer's name.

I stopped in my tracks, pressed my good ear close to the door frame and I heard her talking about my Summer in the sweetest way (to this friend on the phone....I thought.) I smiled as I listened to her verbalize her "wishes" for my child....her hopes and dreams for my child's life.....and then......I peeked into the door crack.......only to discover that she wasn't on the phone at all.

While Miss Linda was making up Summer's bed, she was praying for my child. I could hardly believe my eye (the one peeking through the door crack) ha! So I pushed the door a little more open and witnessed her praying and talking to God about my baby girl.

Can you even believe my good fortune?? This woman, who others may look at as "below" them because she simply cleans homes for a living is actually held up in the highest regard and highest esteem by my entire family because she does SO MUCH MORE than clean houses. She "cleanses" souls....from the inside out.

She took this one job (considered menial by some in our society) and she turned it into a mission of GREATNESS. She feels honored and privileged that God would use her in this capacity. She feels that serving Him in this way, one family at a time is one of the greatest gifts and blessings of her lifetime.

That day that I discovered her in Sum's room, I remembered tears stinging my eyes as I hung my head and thought, "This is what she meant. This is exactly what she meant when she said she was "called" to clean homes.

 She actually cleanses homes....and begins with the souls of the people who live in them.

I walked into Summer's room that day and accidentally startled Miss Linda. She saw I had tears in my eyes and looked confused as I gave her the biggest hug ever.

I admitted to her that I had just overheard her prayers and then asked her if this was part of her "calling" that she referred to that first day?

She answered, "Chile, I pray in every child's room of every house I work for. I pray for the marriages of every couple I work for. I pray to the house that it will provide the shelter and warmth needed to keep each family safe and secure. I pray to the walls that they may breathe in the love and then pour it back out to you all during those times that it's hard to remember.

 I pray. I pray. I pray....and then I pray some more.

It wasn't long after this occurrence that my normally scrupulous and "tight" husband decided that Miss Linda really should come twice a week, instead of once. Ha!

She was cleaning our home...and cleansing our souls....and we could not feel more fortunate for having her influence on our lives.

You just never know WHO God will use to send you His message. You just never know WHEN God will work a miracle in your heart. And you just never, ever know HOW this will change your life and make you want to affect others in the same positive way.

May you acknowledge the "Miss Linda's" in your life.

May you appreciate the "Miss Linda's" in your life.

 And may you work hard to the BE the "Miss Linda's" in the lives of those closest to you.

**Here's to you, Miss Linda....My personal Tuesday/Thursday angel. ;-)

"THOU SHALL STOP ACTING LIKE THE WORLD IS AGAINST YOU"

Her son was fussy, disgruntled and agitated. And to be fair to this 6 year-old sweet baby boy, he was tired, hungry and just plain not happy at that moment.

We've ALL had those moments....and unfortunately for some of us (adults)...we allow our "moments" to turn into hours...our "hours" into days... days into weeks..until, (and in some cases), our weeks avalanche into years! (yuck!) Years of pity-partying... What a waste!

It's true! Some of us feel slighted by life...

We feel we got a raw deal...the wrong end of the stick...and we feel stuck.

And to be quite frank, some of us WANT to wallow in it for a little while. We like it! Yep, we CHOOSE to remain in this state of mind because it becomes comfortable. We become lazy and we don't want to do what it takes to come out of our self-pity. Yep, lazy and crazy. Baaaad combination.

It's funny. When my babies were younger and acting out and not being their best self in front of others, admittedly, I would make all kind of excuses for them.

All the time.

It used to drive Kevin bonkers. He wanted to punish them but softie me would excuse their terrible behavior over and over.

 I would say (in a most sympathetic tone):

*Aww...c'mon, Kev....My goodness. Look at 'em.... they are just so tired.

 *They're hungry.

 *It is way past their nap time.

 *Poor baby woke up on the wrong side of the bed.

 *etc...etc...etc....

And just like I used to do for my own, I was the one making excuses for my friend's little boy when he was acting out of sorts with me in front of his mama the other night... I said, "Oh c'mon, G.A., he's tired. Let him be. He's been going non-stop all day and that's gotta be exhausting. He's fine. Let him off the hook this time."

She looked at me like, "Nu-huh...this mama 'don't' play like that."

She walked over to where her son was and said firmly, yet calmly,

"Jacob, look at Mommy". (he looks at her in her eyes)....so she continues,

"You must stop this behavior right now." (he keeps staring into her eyes.) She goes on to say,

"**Look, son, The world is not against you, so stop acting like it is.**"

I was stunned by her words.

 Stunned.

 Most brilliant thing I've ever heard.

Brilliant.

I thought, "Why didn't I think of that 13 years ago!" Ha!

What an empowering statement....

 ....not just for kids...but for ALL OF US!

Think about it, how many times do we place blame for our own life-situations or life- circumstances on others??? ...on our surroundings?....on the world??

We look to everybody and everything else to blame BUT ourselves!

We say things like:

 *Just my luck...(bah hum bug).

 *That figures....(ho hum.)

 *Well, of course it didn't work out my way.... it never does."

(Gag!..Do you wanna be THAT person?!)

Nu-uh...no way.

Think about it....who wants to be around an "Eeyore"...a joy-sucker....a negative Nelly....Debbie Downer???

Not me. And if "I" CHOOSE to BE that person, then I'll have to be around all of those things all the time.

Yuck....can't hang. Allergic. (ha!)

Anyway, Gloriane's words were pitch-point-perfectly stated:

 And worth repeating:

 "The world is NOT against you, so stop acting like it is."

She nailed it and her son gets to hear these words from the time he's a little boy until he's a grown man out on his own. So he will grow up taking ownership of his own feelings...his own actions....

 It's just so good.

The world is FOR us....

 .... the world wants the very best FOR us...

 .....The world is designed FOR US....

........for GOD's PURPOSE....not our own.

So if you are having a rough go of it lately......quit wallowing in self-pity... (it only feels good for a minute anyway...and it's not very becoming on anybody.)

Do whatever you gotta do to Pick yourself up, dust yourself off and Begin acting like the world is FOR YOU...

....Because IT IS.....

;-) Teri

"THOU SHALL NOT PUT UNFAIR EXPECTATIONS ON OTHERS"

She said to me, "How is it fair to put expectations on someone when they never agreed to those expectations in the first place? How is that fair?"

Those were the words spoken to me by my very dear friend, Gloriane , who came this weekend (with her amazing little boy, Jacob), for a quick, fun visit.

It's funny and amazing to me how you can have those friendships in your life that no matter the distance....no matter the time and space between you two, you are both able to pick right back up where ya left off.
I love those kinds of friendships.

Gloriane and I met when we were assigned to be "desk mates" at Arkansas Children's Hospital about 16 years ago....and I loved her instantly! She was the coolest, smartest and funniest girl in our department. We laughed and laughed and laughed......all of the time........ and I couldn't believe how very lucky I was to get to be HER desk mate. She was a gem. And still is!

When "G.A." (as we used to call her) uttered those words to me yesterday, they actually stung me a little bit. ...Okay, they stung me alotta bit.

She never intended those words for me. She was actually talking about someone and something else. But boy-oh-boy-oh-boy were those words ever intended for me! Ha!

When she posed that question about placing expectations on another without their consent, she had NO idea how significant those words would be at this point in my life.

Here's the thing about God... He WILL get HIS message across to your heart by whatever means possible and in whatever way necessary....especially if your heart is a tad bit stubborn......like mine.

What Gloriane didn't and couldn't have known was that I have been in a bit of a struggle about certain things and certain people in my life lately. >>>>Nothing drastic or dramatic or life-altering (I don't think. *nervous laugh*) I'm just at a very reflective and contemplative place.

Ever been there? Ha!
Sure ya have. We all have been ....or will be....if we live long enough.

Anyway, not always a fun place to be.....but sometimes it's just plain necessary for our spiritual muscles to grow and stretch.
*And, guess what.... the "afterwards" lessons about yourself are always good....even if you have to discover the answers the hard way. ;-)

There are two very pressing life questions I have been contemplating lately..... and without going into personal detail, her words, "How is it fair to put expectations on someone when they never agreed to those expectations in the first place" hit home like nothing else could have. And the timing? Impeccable.

She and her son left today and tonight I sat in my room with two of my favorite books in my lap just flipping through the pages looking at the highlighted parts....and my thoughts kept going back to what G.A. said....
I couldn't get away from it no matter how hard I tried.

After a while, I felt that old familiar knot in my throat and felt those ole familiar tears come to the surface of my eye lids.... I decided to let the warm tears slide down my cheeks at last as I finally owned my own part of these burdens that have stifled my ability to move in a forward direction, and letting go of the blame I have attached to another...

Her question (which was actually a statement) was so very simple....yet so very profound at the same time.

It's so true......How could I blame or place expectations on someone who never agreed to MY rules or MY expectations? She was so right! How is that fair? I certainly don't want somebody doing that to me.....so why would I think it fair to do to someone else. Especially someone I love?

I know this probably doesn't make any sense to anybody but me, but here's the bottom line (and the message I received) from simple words she posed in passing:

I have no right to be hurt, put out, frustrated or angry with anybody on this earth due to expectations (conscious or subconscious) that I place on them.
That would be my problem, not theirs.

I mean, how simple, right??

I know.... I know....sometimes it takes a good ole conk on the head for this girl to get it sometimes.

But I'm getting it....one lesson at a time.

I'm constantly learning and trying to navigate through this crazy life of mine..... and like my little notepad says that I carry with me in my purse:

"When life becomes a Roller Coaster, climb into the front seat, throw your arms in the air & ENJOY THE RIDE!"

Okay......
Let's put our arms in the air like we don't care!... (remember that song 80's people?!) Ha!!

;-) Teri

"THOU SHALL ALWAYS MAKE 'WAVES'!"

*I wrote this when at the beach a couple of weeks ago. Just found it in my bag written on a hotel pad* (so this is especially for those at the beach right now....just something to think about the next time you are just sitting there watching the waves.)

*Waves*

 I love boogie boarding. When I am at the beach, I love it just about better than anything else in the world.

I love the anticipation of catching just the right wave.

 I love the connection of "hitting" it at just the right time.

 I love the bond it creates with others who are around you catching the very same wave.

 And I especially love the feeling I get when the perfect wave takes me all the way to shore.

 I love it all.

Today, I was the "observer".

Gator, his teammates, and their siblings used up all the boards to catch their own waves, so I stood on a sandbar watching each one of them have so much fun with their boogie boards. I was in heaven.

While out there, I looked to my right and noticed one little boy with a board under his arm, not quite ready to try this whole "catching waves" thing.

He stood there in the water (only up to his ankles) just watching his buddies play and ride the waves.

It seemed like he stood there forever and I wondered if he would ever find the nerve to try it for himself.

He was smiling and laughing at his buddies as they caught these fun waves, but he just didn't have it in him at that moment to join them.

After a while, I began hearing different quips from the "experienced" boogie boarders to the brand-new "rookie" boarders that caught my attention and struck me in a remarkable way.

These are some of the things I heard:

*"You gotta wait on it."

 *"Hold on! Ya gotta be patient...it's comin'. "

 *"Haha...that one fooled both of us...it just kinda died, so let's catch the next one."

 *"No, that one's no good, it has to be bigger, come back and let's take the next big one together."

 *"Here it comes! Take it! Take this one! Now!"

 *Woo Hoo!! That was FUN!"

 *"Awesome!"

 *"I'm tired, but I still wanna keep going!"

Then after a big wave took my Gator under and the board got away from him and water got in his nose, throat and lungs, he began coughing and smiling as he's pulling up his swim trunks and he said to me,

"Whew! That one got the best of me, Mom, but just wait... I'll get the best of the next one!"

THAT'S when it hit me like a ton of bricks! Catching waves is kinda like trying to "catch" our dreams! Taking risks...and seeing where they take us.

(Stay with me here.)ha!

Think about it.....sometimes we are the ones standing in the water with our boogie board under our arms and we want desperately to jump in and join the fun! We really do!.....we want the experience...we want to feel the thrill....but we feel nervous, scared...chicken.

We let perfectly good waves go by because we feel safe and secure standing in ankle-deep water while watching all of our buddies go for it instead.

...And when our buddies go for it and hit the big wave at just the right time, we smile and are genuinely happy for them, all the while secretly wishing we had taken the same risk, without worry that it would take us under, take our board and maybe even our swim trunks. ha!

But the greatest equation of waves and dreams is in the dialogue above.

How wonderful it would be to find a person willing to teach us....willing to use their own experience to help us catch just the right *wave*...the one who helps equip us with their knowledge....the one who says, "Hold on, let's take the next one together."

How wonderful would that be.....

 ...and when all is said and done and the thrill of the ride is up, how truly wonderful would it be to have that person get up out of the water, high five the thrill of the ride, then say, "C'mon, let's get back out there and do it again!"

How wonderful would that be to find a person like that in your life?...One willing to teach you the proper skills....remind you to be patient....use their own experience to hone yours.....

Pretty wonderful, huh....

There is only one thing I can think of that would be better than that...

How wonderful would it be to BE that person for someone else... ;-)

Dreams......are like really good waves.....you gotta be willing to take a chance on the big ones, or you'll never know the thrill of the ride!

Great day everybody!!...and Dream on!!

Teri

"THOU SHALL UNDERSTAND THAT YOU OWE THE WORLD YOUR GIFTS"


Gotta share this "God Thing":

 Today,some friends and I took the kids to see Spiderman (again). It is one of the best installments of Spidey I have ever seen. (and STAY put until all the credits are over....most intriguing part of the movie comes at the very VERY end! So, Don't leave until the lights come on!!) ..We totally missed it the first time we went.

I've been thinking....

You know how sometimes you'll be in a conversation with someone and they will say something that will strike you in such a way that you can hardly focus on anything else? I mean it's one of those things where you visit with others at the dinner party, but your mind and thoughts keep going back to what that one person said that resonated so deeply in your heart. You think about it on the ride home....you think about it while you take off your make-up and you just kind of analyze it from every angle until you fall asleep.

Does that happen to anybody else but me? ha!

I know it sounds weird, but sometimes I will literally ask them to repeat what they said so I can repeat it in my mind to where it will "stick" and I can write it down later...

 ....OR other times, I will on-the-spot make them hold their thought (while I rummage around my purse for my little pen and mini-notepad) so I can physically write down their words that struck me so. :))

**I know it's not normal...but I've never claimed to BE normal, so it doesn't matter to me what they think. Ha!

 ....but, honestly, I've never had a single person NOT repeat it. (yet!) :) They are always so sweet about it.

It's like, sometimes, I'll hear a line from a movie, or a sermon, or I'll read a line in a book and my mind won't let me press forward until I'm able to wrap my brain around the line that has me so enraptured.

 I'll HAVE to write it out somewhere! ...it may be to yall here on facebook....to my journal....to a friend.... Anwhere. It's crazy, i know. But, I literally feel stuck until I get it out somewhere....

Well, in this Spiderman movie, Peter Parker's Uncle Ben left a message for him right before he was tragically killed. (This is not a spoiler...we all know by now that Uncle Ben dies....he has died in every single movie.) I hate it....but it's true. No matter how many times I wish and hope that somehow Uncle Ben gets saved...he never does. Ever.

 So, yes, he dies again in this one too. sorry. ;-)

ANYWAY, the message he left Peter struck me in such a way that I could hardly contain the tears stinging my eyes underneath my 3D glasses.

The words hit my heart like nothing else has in a while.

It sounded EXACTLY like something my own dad would have said to me and my siblings.

My siblings and I were very lucky. Our parents believed in us, ....even when we didn't believe in ourselves.

My dad had a DEEP UNYIELDING FAITH that each of us would grow up to be something truly GREAT for the world.

I'm sure there were years he questioned his theory about this....(probably around the teen years.)...but he continued to believe in us nonetheless. BOTH of them did.

GREATNESS. He would tell us all the time that we were destined for greatness. Over and over and over. Ha!

He never made us feel that he equated "Greatness" with money, fame or any other kind of riches. (although that would be a nice welcome.)...but The "Greatness" he EXPECTED from us was better than all of that.

He expected us to be GREAT in this world through the way we used our hearts....the way we treated our fellow man. He and Mom felt that treating others with kindness, respect and love was better than any other achievement or accolade we could attain.

My dad didn't hope this to be true for us....He totally and completely EXPECTED Greatness from us, period.

Sometimes I wonder what he would think about some of the decisions I have made in my adult life.

*Would he be disappointed in some of them? Yes. Of course. I know he would...because I, myself, am disappointed in some of them.

 * Would he love and support me anyway? Without question.

 **Do I love and forgive myself. Absolutely.

Luckily for me, I do believe my good decisions far outweigh my not-so-good ones. Being human means you ARE gonna make mistakes...and sometimes BIG ones......but here is the beauty of mistakes (even the really big ones):

**You always, always, ALWAYS get to LEARN from them! And THEN the beauty of the lesson is that you always get the chance to do better the NEXT TIME....because there will always be "next times".

The greatest thing about growing up with someone like my dad is that NO MATTER how very good and wonderful he was in OUR eyes, he ALLOWED us to see his weaknesses....he allowed us to know that he made mistakes.....

 ....we were fully aware of his "human-ness".

My dad was far from perfect....but he was a very good and decent man. He made mistakes, bad decisions and had his fair share of failures...but the beauty in all of that was that we got to see a truly GREAT man come out of each one stronger, better and ALWAYS with humor attached.

Dad had a personal quest for greatness like no other person I have ever known. He wrote volumes upon volumes about life, love, goals, dreams and more on those long yellow legal pads. You would find them all over our house..by just about every chair and toilet in the house. Ha!

My gosh, he loved to write. (hmm...must be where got it.)

Dad was a man who saw the goodness in people....even when sometimes they didn't deserve it. He showed compassion and love to even those who others might consider unlovable or unworthy. Dad felt everybody was worthy in some capacity...even the worst of the worst...or especially the worst, for they needed it the most.

And boy did that man love his children! And without condition so help me God. Ha!

He could not get enough of us. There was absolutely NOTHING in this world that any of us could have ever done to lose that man's love.

The only time he was disappointed in us is when he felt we "gave up". He was a man of perseverance, so "giving up" was an insult to God. It was just simply never an option.

Anyway, I could go on and on and on....but I won't.. (this is too long already!)

So, these words I am quoting below could have absolutely been said to me by my earthly father, but more importantly by my Heavenly Father.

When you read the words below, read them as if God is speaking straight to your heart...washing away any regret, heartache, worry or fear you may feel at this point in your life. No matter what decisions you have made.....just know that life ain't over till it's over.

.....And UNTIL it's over, you have a job to do, people to love and a world to affect. So stop wallowing in your self-pity and get on with it. ....Just get on with your life!..... Do what you are supposed to do! Live and Love! Conquer the world with your heart....

 Look, your work on earth is NOT done until God calls you home!

Hear these heavenly words and relish in the goodness of the message:

 (As you hear Uncle Ben's words to Peter Parker, hear them as if God is talking to YOU.)

"I know what you're feeling. Ever since you were little, you've been living with so many unresolved things. Well, take it from a man who has lived a long life...Those 'things' are what sends us down the roads that make us WHO WE ARE.

 And if anyone is DESTINED FOR GREATNESS, it is YOU.

You OWE the world YOUR GIFTS. You just have to figure out HOW TO USE THEM and know that wherever they take you, I will always be here. You are my hero. And I love you."

Pretty powerful stuff, hugh?!

This is my favorite line "You owe the world your gifts."

I believe God sends us messages through quotes from a movie, lines written in books...words from a preacher and even a good friend on the other line of a phone. I believe he does this so that we "hear" HIM loud and clear by many different avenues. I mean, we feel it in our hearts, but some of us need it to be "pounded" in our heads...so he uses others for His purpose.

Lately, I hear him say to me "Child....why do you fear so much?! ...Get out there and do MY job. I have deposited seeds of GREATNESS inside of you for a purpose. And you are dragging your feet using everything and everybody else as an excuse. I hear him chide, "Teri Spinks Netterville, Get your big girl britches on and Use those seeds of Greatness for MY purpose.

It's not about YOU, child. It's NEVER been about YOU!

 It's ALWAYS been about ME." :)

Can't you just see him getting put out with people like me? I mean we know really what we should do but we are a bunch of big fat chickens (bawk bawk!)

Well, it's coming, Lord. It's coming.... And for the record, I think You are swell...

I mean, really....is He not just the coolest thing?....

 My gosh, he's so cool!

Have a great night everybody....and get to steppin! ;-)

Teri