Yesterday was my birthday. To celebrate my birthday my new wife arranged for a family BBQ on Saturday and invited my children, parents, siblings, and friends to come over and have fun. We had a great time. I got some really thoughtful gifts. My nephew Noah read me the card he picked out for me. Noah is 6 and can read at a 4th grade level. You should have seen the glowing smile on his face as he read it. He is so proud of himself and it warmed my heart watching him. The entire day was magical. I could not have asked for more.
It has been a long long long time since someone did something so nice for me. I feel like I put a lot of effort into making others happy, and I never ask for anything in return. The fact that she did this for me was amazing. After everyone left she asked if I was upset, or bothered, that she organized the party. I said no, not at all, it was wonderful. She said "No. YOU are wonderful and you deserve to have someone love on you the way you try to love on every in your life"
I deserved the party. And I deserve this woman.
My life is so great.
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
Half Way Through - Looking Forward
We are few short days away from the 2015 half-way point. And me personally, at age 46, consider myself be to right about my half-way point here on earth. So it is time to do a little retrospective analysis, and plot course for the future.
I lied. I am not going to review the past. There is no point. Every day we complete serves only to teach us how to conduct ourselves going forward. We can't go back and change things, though we wish we could. We can't replay a moment in time and try alternative approaches to a problem to see what the results would be. Waste of time to even think about.
Everyone who knows me is aware of the fact that Ronald Reagan is my hero. He was very much a "glass half full...well (say it with his voice) it is actually more than half full and getting better by day" kinda guy. That was his approach to life. It is GREAT to be alive and tomorrow will be even better.
For the remainder of 2015 I have a number of things I want to get done.
I have taken a mortgage class and I need to take the state and federal exam to get my license. I will get that done this month. As soon as I do I want to help a number of my friends that are veterans get their own home.
I have built about 80% of the fencing for my garden and barn yard area. I need to complete that and get water and electricity out that section of the yard (I have 1.5 acres) Get electricity to the shed and the barn, as well as hot spots along the fence line for power tools etc.
I need to transition my garden from a ground grow to a raised bed grow. Gophers, squirrels, and RABBITS have completely wiped out this years garden. I am so bummed.
I want to finish a flip I have had in the works for 18 months. I can see the end of the tunnel on this one. I want to get 1 more flip done in 2015 and use the proceeds to do 3 flips next year.
I am almost debt free. I will be debt free with the exception of my home, my rental properties, and a vehicle payment before Christmas of this year.
I want to take a cooking class this year, and some other interesting class, at the local community college.
I have a courtyard I finished paving with brick last year. I will put up the walls, run lighting, build the fire pit, and get that done.
OK more things to do this year on the next list.
What things are on your list to accomplish this year?
brainstorminglife@yahoo.com
I lied. I am not going to review the past. There is no point. Every day we complete serves only to teach us how to conduct ourselves going forward. We can't go back and change things, though we wish we could. We can't replay a moment in time and try alternative approaches to a problem to see what the results would be. Waste of time to even think about.
Everyone who knows me is aware of the fact that Ronald Reagan is my hero. He was very much a "glass half full...well (say it with his voice) it is actually more than half full and getting better by day" kinda guy. That was his approach to life. It is GREAT to be alive and tomorrow will be even better.
For the remainder of 2015 I have a number of things I want to get done.
I have taken a mortgage class and I need to take the state and federal exam to get my license. I will get that done this month. As soon as I do I want to help a number of my friends that are veterans get their own home.
I have built about 80% of the fencing for my garden and barn yard area. I need to complete that and get water and electricity out that section of the yard (I have 1.5 acres) Get electricity to the shed and the barn, as well as hot spots along the fence line for power tools etc.
I need to transition my garden from a ground grow to a raised bed grow. Gophers, squirrels, and RABBITS have completely wiped out this years garden. I am so bummed.
I want to finish a flip I have had in the works for 18 months. I can see the end of the tunnel on this one. I want to get 1 more flip done in 2015 and use the proceeds to do 3 flips next year.
I am almost debt free. I will be debt free with the exception of my home, my rental properties, and a vehicle payment before Christmas of this year.
I want to take a cooking class this year, and some other interesting class, at the local community college.
I have a courtyard I finished paving with brick last year. I will put up the walls, run lighting, build the fire pit, and get that done.
OK more things to do this year on the next list.
What things are on your list to accomplish this year?
brainstorminglife@yahoo.com
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
The Walking Dead
No not the zombie show. I do love that show. Team Glenn. Team Michonne.
Walking dead is when you are in a relationship that is going nowhere. One or both have turned to zombies (died) and are just going through the motions without the emotions. That is a very hard, sad, lonely place to be.
Is it over? Only if you want it to be. Only if it has to be. There is always hope until you give up hope. Does that make sense? Nothing is beyond repair if you have reconciliation in your heart. You can find a way to restore the life and restore the love. But it will take both parties wanting it. Both parties working on a solution. Both parties committed to restoration.
I have my ideas. But I want to hear your thoughts.
Have you restored a relationship and brought it back to life and love? How??
Have you TRIED to restore one and fail? What did you try? Did some things work and some things not work? Tell us the good bad and ugly.
Send your thoughts...Let's see what we can come up with.
Brainstorminglife@yahoo.com
Walking dead is when you are in a relationship that is going nowhere. One or both have turned to zombies (died) and are just going through the motions without the emotions. That is a very hard, sad, lonely place to be.
Is it over? Only if you want it to be. Only if it has to be. There is always hope until you give up hope. Does that make sense? Nothing is beyond repair if you have reconciliation in your heart. You can find a way to restore the life and restore the love. But it will take both parties wanting it. Both parties working on a solution. Both parties committed to restoration.
I have my ideas. But I want to hear your thoughts.
Have you restored a relationship and brought it back to life and love? How??
Have you TRIED to restore one and fail? What did you try? Did some things work and some things not work? Tell us the good bad and ugly.
Send your thoughts...Let's see what we can come up with.
Brainstorminglife@yahoo.com
Monday, February 9, 2015
Footprints
I was in church this past weekend and the Pastor made a statement that really caught me. He said "people will enter your life, and might quietly leave. They will leave footprints on your heart. Some big. Some small. Others will stay a life time and leave the prints that matter."
We know the "Footprints" piece where the person asks Jesus about the one set of prints. Jesus carried that person during those moments and left only His prints.
What prints are we leaving in the lives of the people we love? Are we walking with them hand in hand, proving encouragement and direction and strength and support? When we see our loved ones struggling with something do we try and help them find a solution? Are we empathetic and loving and offer them an understanding shoulder? There are often times our loved ones struggle in areas that we flat out do not agree with. They do things we disapprove of. Or they believe things in their hearts that we do not agree with. In those times do we work to move them toward resolution? Do we take a moment and say something to the effect "I do not agree with your thinking, or your decisions, or your actions, but I am going to love you through this" Those are the footprints on their heart that they can look back on and smile because they know we went above and beyond to love them unconditionally.
What about the footprints that stomp hope and happiness from our relationship with them. Do you ever wonder why you make the decisions you make in those moments? I remember feeling so very betrayed by one of my children one day and openly venting about the decisions. I had no idea he was down the hall and heard me. Even though I was right, I was was wrong. I hurt him. I saw it in his eyes when he confronted me moments later. I knew damage was done. Damage that might take years to repair, if ever. I regret making such a poor decision in that moment of hurt. Are there decisions you made in a moment of uncertainty or hurt or confusion that you wish you could take back? I have so many.
I want the footprints I leave to be ones framed with love. Even for those that have come and gone in my life. Those momentary relationships with friends that were for a season. I want them to think of me some days and say "Ya he was a great guy. I miss that one." I want the people I love to be at my grave many many MANY years down the road and tell stories of things I did to show them uncompromising unyielding unfailing unquestionable love.
I want to leave big footprints.
We know the "Footprints" piece where the person asks Jesus about the one set of prints. Jesus carried that person during those moments and left only His prints.
What prints are we leaving in the lives of the people we love? Are we walking with them hand in hand, proving encouragement and direction and strength and support? When we see our loved ones struggling with something do we try and help them find a solution? Are we empathetic and loving and offer them an understanding shoulder? There are often times our loved ones struggle in areas that we flat out do not agree with. They do things we disapprove of. Or they believe things in their hearts that we do not agree with. In those times do we work to move them toward resolution? Do we take a moment and say something to the effect "I do not agree with your thinking, or your decisions, or your actions, but I am going to love you through this" Those are the footprints on their heart that they can look back on and smile because they know we went above and beyond to love them unconditionally.
What about the footprints that stomp hope and happiness from our relationship with them. Do you ever wonder why you make the decisions you make in those moments? I remember feeling so very betrayed by one of my children one day and openly venting about the decisions. I had no idea he was down the hall and heard me. Even though I was right, I was was wrong. I hurt him. I saw it in his eyes when he confronted me moments later. I knew damage was done. Damage that might take years to repair, if ever. I regret making such a poor decision in that moment of hurt. Are there decisions you made in a moment of uncertainty or hurt or confusion that you wish you could take back? I have so many.
I want the footprints I leave to be ones framed with love. Even for those that have come and gone in my life. Those momentary relationships with friends that were for a season. I want them to think of me some days and say "Ya he was a great guy. I miss that one." I want the people I love to be at my grave many many MANY years down the road and tell stories of things I did to show them uncompromising unyielding unfailing unquestionable love.
I want to leave big footprints.
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Resolve to Restart
Happy New Year !!!
I know everyone associates the new year with resolutions and plans to change their lives in some fashion. So many promises we make to ourselves and others about how we plan to conduct ourselves in the "new year" So many broken promises being made that have no hope of being lived out. So many let downs coming. So much heart break and ache. Why do we do it?
The answer is simple. Because we believe we should make the change. It really is just that simple. There is something that is not good for us that we are doing - like smoking or cheating or lying or eating bad food -, or something that is good for us that we are not doing - like the gym. We THINK we want to make a change, and we make a big deal out of it. But it just doesn't get very far. If we are lucky...we make it to February 1. sad I know.
So let me ask you this. Why wait for December 31 to make a promise you have no intentions of keeping? Why not just let them fly fast and furious. Since they have no real value anyway, just wake up every day and rattle off the nonsense you would as though it were 12/31/201? at 11:59PM.
Problem solved. Right?
Or what you could do is actually decide that the people in our lives are more important to us than empty promises made to them, and ourselves. You may think it doesn't hurt them to conduct yourself in a way that you would utterly embarrassed if your children found out it...but it does. Because they will find out. They will know. You may think it is your personal life decision to smoke, or use recreational drugs, or drink too much, but you are making decisions that affect the people you love most. You may think having lunch with the cute receptionist is OK because she knows you are in a relationship, and she is too. Stop it. It is NOT OK. You may think your partner knows you love them. TELL THEM. Every day. Show them. Every day.
Chose them. Make the changes that protect them. That protect your family. Your relationships. Your integrity. Your children. Your career. Your health.
Make a change for the people that matter to you.
If you don't. They don't matter. It really is that simple.
Side note: I got married :) 12-13-14. Epic Day. Epic Love. Epic Life.
Share your ideas. Brainstorminglife@yahoo.com
I know everyone associates the new year with resolutions and plans to change their lives in some fashion. So many promises we make to ourselves and others about how we plan to conduct ourselves in the "new year" So many broken promises being made that have no hope of being lived out. So many let downs coming. So much heart break and ache. Why do we do it?
The answer is simple. Because we believe we should make the change. It really is just that simple. There is something that is not good for us that we are doing - like smoking or cheating or lying or eating bad food -, or something that is good for us that we are not doing - like the gym. We THINK we want to make a change, and we make a big deal out of it. But it just doesn't get very far. If we are lucky...we make it to February 1. sad I know.
So let me ask you this. Why wait for December 31 to make a promise you have no intentions of keeping? Why not just let them fly fast and furious. Since they have no real value anyway, just wake up every day and rattle off the nonsense you would as though it were 12/31/201? at 11:59PM.
Problem solved. Right?
Or what you could do is actually decide that the people in our lives are more important to us than empty promises made to them, and ourselves. You may think it doesn't hurt them to conduct yourself in a way that you would utterly embarrassed if your children found out it...but it does. Because they will find out. They will know. You may think it is your personal life decision to smoke, or use recreational drugs, or drink too much, but you are making decisions that affect the people you love most. You may think having lunch with the cute receptionist is OK because she knows you are in a relationship, and she is too. Stop it. It is NOT OK. You may think your partner knows you love them. TELL THEM. Every day. Show them. Every day.
Chose them. Make the changes that protect them. That protect your family. Your relationships. Your integrity. Your children. Your career. Your health.
Make a change for the people that matter to you.
If you don't. They don't matter. It really is that simple.
Side note: I got married :) 12-13-14. Epic Day. Epic Love. Epic Life.
Share your ideas. Brainstorminglife@yahoo.com
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