Jena..."Real Life 101" :-)

Hi Jena...Yes, I remember you...I've posted to you before. But I just wanted to
say...I'm a firm believer in putting things in to perspective. As a matter of fact..."I" have a big fatty tumor just above my knee on the side. I rarely ever
wear shorts...because that's just not me...I never wear them out in public..but
do wear them when working in the garden in the summer. My fatty tumor is large
enough that people have noticed it. But it's a FATTY TUMOR!!! No big deal to me...
there are people with no legs...or in wheel chairs because their legs won't hold
them up...I just have a fatty tumor on one of mine. Why would I even consider giving that a second thought. I've had it for as long as I can remember.

I put out a little motivational newsletter called The Encourager...it started out
for our church family...but ended up all over the community. I just recently put
the story in there that's been in our family since our kids were in their teens...
it's called "THE DOZEN PEOPLE DYING STORY"...and it goes like this.

"When the kids were young, it seemed like one of them was always running in the
door with a big disaster. And when they first burst through the door, you would
have thought someone was dying. It was usually Kim! One day, Kim came running in
talking so fast I could barely understand her and she was trying to tell me about
some horrible mess. I said, "OK! Wait a minute! Is anyone dead or dying?" She stopped and looked at me so funny and said, "Well no, of course not." I said, "Well
then, whatever it is can't be that bad." I said, "Do you realize that there are
probably at least a dozen or more people within a 10 mile radius of us right this
minute that will probably not see the sun go down tonight...and they KNOW it?
Now, THAT'S a problem. What's yours?" She said, "Well, when you put it that way...I guess I don't have one." Then she calmly told me what was going on. From
then on when someone was upset, I'd say, "Remember the dozen people dying story?"
And that was usually all it took to put things in perspective.

The article goes on a bit...but that's the main story...and I've told that story
to so many people...and they've said..."Gads, thanks...I wish I had heard that
story years ago."

I don't 'beat myself up' about any thing I do..whether it be wrong or stupid or
whatever. And I make mistakes just like everyone else. I just get back up...brush
myself off...say to myself.."Gads, where did that 18 wheeler come from?" And go
on with my day.

I always wanted to be a motivational speaker...because I love lifting folks up...
and people waste so much of their life with 'trivial things' as you called them.
But I was busy raising a family....and now my husband is retired and we're busy
'playing' :-).......so I just lift people up when I can...in whatever way I can.
I don't mope around thinking...'Gads, I could have been a DYNAMIC motivational
speaker...known all over the world...made millions.' Life's too short to always
have the stew pot going with problems and worries and disappointments in it.

You can be or do whatever you want, Jena. There's a great book..."The Right Questions" by Debbie Ford...it sells for about $12 in book stores...you can probably
find it on ebay for much less. But it's worth its weight in gold. I hope you'll
check it out.

I have problems just like everyone else. But I try to keep them in perspective.
And anyone can do that if they will. If it entails making a physical list on paper...then do it. Write down all your problems..and rate them in order of their
importance in your life. Write down possible solutions.

READ MOTIVATIONAL BOOKS!!!!!!!!! :-)

Let me close with this little verse...I have GOT to get busy with my day...

"This is the beginning of a new day. You have been given this day to use as you will. You can waste it or use it for good. What you do today is very important, because you are exchanging a day of your life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever; in its place is something that you have left behind...let it be something good!"

I couldn't have said that better myself...and I SURE couldn't have said it in
that few words!!! :-)

Have a great day! kathryn