Shine Today

Often I would tell my older kids that if they don't want their little sister doing or saying it, why is ok for them? In other words, it's not ok for younger kids to do drugs, smoke or drink and we really don't want them cussing or having sex. So, why is it ok to do it when we "reach the right age?" We say "you're too young to (fill in the blank)." Ok, what exactly is the right age to do what is wrong? Why don't we instead stand up and do what is right, no matter how old we are?  -late night ponderings

I have a friend who is having a baby boy, Ezekiel.  He is due to arrive in November.  He has been diagnosed with Thanatophoric Skeletal Dyslasia, which doctors say means he will not live long after birth.  I have a friend who lost her husband in April, cancer, very quick and unexpected.  He died within 2 months after diagnosis.  This same friend just lost her 23 year old son 2 days ago, motorcycle accident. I have another friend who was diagnosed with breast cancer.  And another friend who has really bad COPD and another who has neuropathy so bad he can't feel his legs.  And another who lost her husband, also in a motorcycle accident, just over a year ago.  I just learned of another friend who will not be allowed visitation of her grandson because her daughter's parental rights were terminated (seriously??!!)  All looking for answers to questions they have. I also have a friend who had brain surgery, a friend who had major surgery near his ear which affected his ability to pr

What if God had a specific plan for your life that would bring blessings beyond your wildest imagination? A plan that would fulfill the yearning you feel inside?  But you avoid it, either because you never ask or because you choose not to believe.  You think "God is not real, after all,  if He was...(fill in the things that challenge your belief)."  You never ask Him what He wants for your life because you are afraid He will tell you to sell everything you have, or move to Africa, or quit your 6 figure income job. Whether you believe it or not, we were all created for a purpose and in each and everyone of us lies a longing for something amazing. In each one of us is an ability, a talent, a gift. Maybe you say you are happy, even doing what you want to do. I ask, what if there's more?  I ask, "do you stand at the edge of yikes?" Where you're willing to go beyond the border of comfort?  What if we have all been missing out on absolute fulfillment of every pass

She walks the streets at all hours of the day checking garbage cans. Every week she is out there, no matter how cold.  Rain seems to be the only time I don't see her.  It appears life has not been easy for her and I'm sure there are some who have told her to scram and leave their garbage alone. What started out for me as something so simple has changed me more than she knows.  She has taught me the value of letting people give you things and simply saying thank you, even though I know she has what most of us consider to be less. In a previous post, http://shine2day2.blogspot.com/2012/11/who-gave-me-fish.html, I shared a little about my friend. Since then, I have received another fish, bananas and now, $5.  But I will tell you, words cannot express what she has truly given me.  Very few words are spoken between us, she always smiles when she sees me come out, and always says thank you.  Today, I told her thank you.

I’ve been thinking lately. We all desire to belong, plain and simple. We all desire to be recognized, to know that who we are means something. Not that we all seek to be president, or the best doctor or the next “Bill Gates”. No, many of us just want to be known.  We hear about someone getting an award for a job well done and a part of us thinks “man, that should have been me” whether it’s because we played a key part or simply because we know that we have done something amazing too.  We say we don’t need to be in the spotlight, which is true, I believe, for most of us.  Yet something inside longs to be recognized, to know we are making a difference, to be told we are doing something right. Growing up, most of us have someone in our life that tells us how pretty or handsome we are, what a good job we’ve done or some form of compliment.  We draw or color pictures for our family and watch for their approval (hoping our picture would go on the frig).  Maybe you received an award for

I don’t mean to make it about perfection; I don’t mean to make you think you can’t make mistakes, or worse, that you better not.  It is not my intention to make you feel guilty or make you feel that you aren’t good enough.  I’m sorry for all the times I have.  I tell you how to live, give advise on what you should and shouldn’t do and try to help you understand what it means to be a Christian, because I want what is best for you. But, as I look back, I realize that my looks and my words can make you believe that you have screwed up; or that my look says “you better not…”  I even put a sign up that says “make God choices today,” which isn’t a bad thing, but what does that do to you as you walk out and then, maybe make some not-so-God choices. You aren’t perfect, neither am I. You won’t ever be perfect, neither will I.  I love you no matter what choices you make, no matter what mistakes you make, no matter what you do.  That is where my words come from, my love for you, because I w