Playing The Waiting Game

Merriam Webster defines waiting as "To stay in place, to remain stationary, in readiness or expectation."  We are all waiting for something, it's part of the human condition.  We all want something, a possession, a desire, a new love, something. My Christian friends are waiting for Jesus to return.   But what should we do in order to obtain our desire?  How shall we live our lives, make use of our time, or conduct ourselves while we're playing the Waiting Game?  This week, we are going to explore the topic of waiting and possibly answer a few questions.

Life is a Waiting Game, we wait and we wait.  I remember my grandmother saying, she was always waiting for someone.  It could have been my grandfather to drive her grocery shopping or Aunt Barbara coming to pick her up for the holiday celebrations.  My grandma did not drive, so she was dependent on others.  But she always seemed to be waiting, sitting in her chair by the window, waiting.  

I've played the waiting game over the years.  As a child it was waiting for Santa, my birthday, summer, or a play date with a friend.  As I got older, it was waiting for the phone to ring, the promise of a new job, places to go, people to meet.  I can remember waiting for that someone special to call (I'm still waiting) or the count down to a vacation.  My life has been a Waiting Game, as I'm sure it's been for everyone else.

I can remember waiting in anticipation for my first trip to the UK in 2016.  Laying out clothes, changing my money to British pound sterling, and checking the weather app.  I went back to the UK alone in 2018 and I still played the waiting game, same game, different year.  This trip had more anticipation as I was alone and a little apprehensive as a woman traveling by herself.  Last year's trip was with a trusted friend.  The weeks of waiting and planning flew by and finally, we met up in London and had a glorious time.  All the trips were of varying lengths of time away, all were such fun and all had to end.  The waiting game was played and then the "let down."  Now what, what's next?

What's Next is also part of the waiting process.  It's again, part of the human condition.  All good times must come to an end as my mother was always quick to remind me, but they are usually followed up by another good time, another new friend or simply a new time in life.

I've come up with a few ideas of how to play the Waiting Game and solving the problem of What's Next?  Hopefully my readers will agree and offer suggestions of more.

1.  Plan the next adventure as soon as you get home.  Start planning a year in advance, tweek the map by adding new sites to see.  Put together your dates and try to stick to them.  In normal times, I start booking reservations 9 months in advance.  These days I'm not so sure.

2.  Pray God will lead you in the right direction for your next life's journey.  This does not apply only to travel but romance, friendships, classes to take etc.  God will lead you if you open your mind and heart to receive direction.

3. Journal every day.  Set your intentions and stick to them.  I know, this journaling "thing"  has probably become annoying to my readers but it's important.  I have used that darn journal for everything from healing my broken heart to what I'm having for dinner.  I try as best as possible to stick to the plan and make it work.  The Waiting Game doesn't seem as long and What's Next becomes a daily discussion with me, myself and I.

4. Exercise daily.  I'm repeating myself for sure but it's important.  A morning walk, work out at the gym or pulling weeds in the garden can be used to create a meditation while in the Waiting Game.

5.  Trust your instincts, let go and let God.  If something doesn't feel right, take a step back and ask God to give a sign.  He will, he always does.  During the wait, if our minds are open, we'll hear God speak to us in various ways.  He always affirms and our wait will be worth it.

6.  Enjoy life for the moment.  Moments are what we are in now.  Moment by moment we can breath in the essence of life, love and happiness and that wait will seem so much less the burden, while we play the Waiting Game and ask What's Next.

Since I quoted out of the Daily Word last week, I'm going to start to quote from it every week.  I receive so much peace from it's simple statements.  

Tuesday, January 21, 2014 the daily affirmation was Wait.  "One with God, I wait, breathing into the unknown."

"In Hebrew, one translation of the word wait, or Qavah, is to bind together.  As I wait for news about certain outcomes or grapple for answers to a troubling issue, I imagine myself intertwined with God like sturdy strand of Cord, bound together as one.  Holding this image relieves any anxiety I may be feeling.

"One with God, I relax, breathe into the unknown, and wait.  Rather than trying to force a particular outcome, I rest in God and trust in divine wisdom.

"I see this interlude as a respite for my soul.  As I exercise patience, I cultivate my spiritual mettle.  When the pause is over, I am renewed and ready to act from God-given insight."

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope. Psalm 130:5

 

The Art of Forgivness

 During these precarious times, forgiveness seems to be a lost art.  If one turns on the TV, social media or the radio, angst and pure hate surround us.  I don't see much in the way of love, kindness or yes, forgiveness.  Forgiveness is actually an art, it needs to be given with a pure heart, pure emotion and pure intention.  This week, let's explore forgiveness as it's ringing very personally with me. I touched on forgiveness in my blog, " 2020 The Year That Was."  This one paragraph needs to be expanded on, researched and discussed and taken to heart.   

Jesus says,  “ Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”  If we can truly forgive with pure hearts, our society will heal.  Following are a few ways and situations where forgivenss is needed.

1/  We as humans are flawed creatures.  We are ALL sinners, we ALL make mistakes and we ALL need forgiveness.  The first and most import way to forgiveness is to humble ourselves to God.  Not one person other than Jesus, has been without sin.  Once one understands that concept and begins to realize their mistakes, drop to your knees in prayer and humble yourself before God.  He will forgive you.  I do this on a daily basis as I am a flawed human.

2/  Forgive yourself, this is a huge concept as we can ask God to forgive us but we must be willing to forgive ourselves.  As for me, I have forgiven myself for my past transgressions, hurts I've caused others and for situations I've found myself in.  Knowing I'm not a perfect being and understanding myself, is the first step to self forgiveness.

3/  Forgive our forefathers for their mistakes.  I believe that much of the turmoil in the world today is due to the sins of our "fathers."  It's time that we as a society begin to heal, understand that those on earth today are not to blame for the mistakes of yesterday.  We need to forgive and move forward as a collective.  Blaming each other for the sins of the past is both unnecessary and unhealthy.  Move on, forgive, forget and make the world a better place.  This is our mission as citizens of planet earth!

4/  Forgive those who have hurt you.  This is very personal to me as I have several people I need to forgive.  One in particular, who I hope is reading this blog, I want you to know I forgive you.  Because this is the only venue I can "speak" these words, I want you to know you are truly forgiven.  I forgive you for hurting me, breaking my heart and for some other transgressions too personal to publically mention.  I forgive you with love and compassion.  My soul is now lighter, my heart ache is lessened and now I can move forward.

It's time now to move forward as a society.  Do so with an open, loving heart.  Do so knowing that you will be hurt again, will hurt others but knowing forgiveness is at the tip of our fingers and only a request away.  Do so with love, just as Jesus commanded.  

On Thursday, March 13, 1980, The Daily Word published these words about forgiveness:

"Today is a day of forgiveness.

Make today a day of forgiveness.  Forgive yourself: forgive others.

For peace of mind today -

For peace of body today -

For happiness of heart today - 

Forgive!

Forgive what happened an hour ago, a day ago, years ago.

Remembered slights - forgive them;

Remembered hurts - forgive them;

Remembered wrongs - forgive them;

Remembered thoughtless acts - forgive them;

Remembered cruel words - forgive them;

Remembered unhappy happenings - forgive them;

Through Christ in you, you have power to accept forgiveness for yourself, to extend forgiveness to others.  The forgiving love of Jesus Christ penetrates to the depths of your being.  You are forgiven.  You are able to forgive."

You will forget your misery - Job 11:16

The Keys to Freedom

 Americans, whether born here or naturalized citizens, all enjoy the freedoms our country has to offer.  The Declaration of Independence states:   "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."   This is freedom folks and in this week's blog, I'd like to explore the basic tenets of freedom.  

The first time I traveled overseas was in 1981.  My dad and I visited the UK for a week, staying in London.  We took a couple of tours, one was a tour of Parliament.  We stood in a long line and were required to walk through metal detectors.  I kept setting the darn thing off, as the snaps on my down jacket were metal.  I'd never seen a metal detector before.  In 1981, airports in the United States were not requiring metal checks.  In those days, the IRA was still a terror threat in the UK and never before had I felt unsafe and unsure of my surroundings.  Dad and I did a lot of traveling on the underground and I remember feeling rather uncomfortable, as who knew who was lurking in the shadows.  The familiar feeling of freedom was not felt until we touched down at LAX and we saw the American flag.  

The feeling of freedom to move about in our country and the world was halted this year, "2020 The Year That Was."  I had a trip planned (as mentioned in previous blogs) to Europe.  Russia was on the agenda.  The Russians made us jump through hoops in order to travel to and within the country.  We had to apply for a visa and a "invitation" to visit Russia.  Exact travel dates were required and every hotel and airline wanted the travel visa number.  The Russian government was tracking us and this gave me another very odd feeling, the loss of freedom.  The trip of course never happened, nor did the Russians bother to reimburse me for the airline fees but I still have a feeling they still may be watching and tracking me.  No Russian hoax here folks but it's just a feeling, that's all.

Today, in the United States of America, we are starting to see and feel the loss of our basic freedoms and liberty.  This feeling is starting to creep in to our daily lives.  Ideas such as mandatory Covid testing, mandatory vaccines, mandatory wearing of masks, are all drifting us toward a loss of freedom and liberty.  We are losing our the freedom of speech, the right to bear arms, right to assemble (unless you are burning down a city) or even the right go to church.  This is reminiscent of Nazi Germany.  Disarm a society, put fear in everyday activities and it's made weak, made ripe for a takeover. 

So, what can we Americans do to stop this takeover and keep the freedoms that we so enjoy?  Of course I have a few ideas and I hope my readers will feel free to make comments with more. 

1.  Stop being complacent and fight back.  I don't mean with violence; fight back with letters, emails and on social media if you're so inclined.  Remember, be respectful but make yourself heard.  When we lose the power to voice our opinions, the right to be heard will no longer exist.

2.  Stop being a "Sheeple."  A Sheeple is a person who acts like sheep, following blindly and doing whatever told to do.  The German people did that in 1932 and remember what  happened?  The Venezuelans did the same and that country is in shambles. 

3. As stated in previous blogs, open up the country and put people back to work!  We want to work, earn money, support our families and live our lives as we see fit. The capitalist system works, enjoy it.

4. Allow travel to commence without restriction.  I get wearing masks on airplanes.  Frankly I've been squeezed into a seat next to a completely unsuitable character, who's breath smelled like a cat box.  I would have given anything to have had that person wear a mask.  I've returned home from trips and a couple days later have come down with a cold or the flu. The stale air in planes breeds disease.  Just wear the mask as the flight attendant will be forced to report you to authorities and you will not be able to fly on that airline again (just ask my daughter).

5.  Now that I've touched on the subject of masks, let's explore a little further.  If a private business requires one to wear a mask and you want to shop there, wear the blasted thing or go elsewhere.  This is their right.  Wearing a mask should also be an individual right.  I hate wearing the @#$% thing but if I want to shop at Fred Meyer or sit in an airplane, I'll wear it.  If I'm driving in my car, sitting on my patio or taking a walk, the mask will not be on my face, I promise.  I don't wear it at the gym either or at the golf course.  It's not required and frankly, no one is catching the damn virus out in the sunshine.

6.  Social distancing is not that bad but it's getting out of hand.  People need people, children need to play with other children.  Walking in one way aisles in the store is stupid and no one following the arrows anyway.   I don't like "Close Talkers" either.  Stay your distance and we can chat just fine, especially if we're not wearing a mask.  

7. It's time to open our houses of worship. Open them, enjoy the freedom to worship God the way you chose and quit worrying.  The freedom to worship is a basic human right, enjoy it, fight for it and be thankful for it.

8. For goodness sake stop watching idiot talking heads on TV who are spewing someone else's propaganda.  I've never heard such insane dival in all my life as I have in the last 8 months.  I've mentioned this before and will mention it again, turn off the news, study correct sources and stop being a Sheeple.

Finally, freedom is a basic right in this country.  People are clamoring to enter the United States and enjoy what this country has to offer.  Enjoy it, don't abuse it; treasure it, don't take it for granted and be thankful.

May God continue to bless America. 

 

The Lazy Hazy Days of Summer

Nat King Cole, one of my favorite singers, had a great song with the same title as this blog.  I remember hearing it as a kid and always like the tune and of course Nat's beautiful voice.  Summer is my favorite season, especially since I've lived in the Pacific Northwest.  The summers in Seattle were cool and sometimes damp but here in Idaho, it's sunny, hot and I just love it.  My plants have taken off and are growing like the weeds I keep pulling out of my lawn.  My finger nails tell that story but I love weeding just the same.  I no longer take summer for granted, nor life as a whole for that matter.

This year summer is different.  A sadness seems to have enveloped our country and the world.  The carefree feeling we once had seems to have escaped us.  Those long hot afternoons watching my beloved Dodgers or Yankees hasn't resonated this year.  The familiar crack of the bat is not as exciting without the roar of the crowd.  All of the sudden my favorite sport of baseball has become a bit boring, no longer exciting and the smell of hot dogs on the grill not as sweet.  

It seems that this summer has become tired and rather sad.  Even though my life has had personal changes, it's still not the same.  I remember how summer used to feel, days on the beach in Balboa, barbecues, church picnics, times with friends socializing and watching sports.  What has happened to our society and the world in general?  

As I ponder this question, that fog of evil that has exploded world wide has taken hold and grabbed us by the necks.  What kind of world will our children and grandchildren grow up in now?  The ability to travel has been stifled, our right to go and worship the God we chose has been halted, our children are not allowed back in school and we are now under the threat of forced vaccines and rules no one thought would ever come to be in the United States of America.

When I watch the nightly news, it's unbelievable to see our beautiful cities over taken by thugs,  and basically Marxist anarchists.  How can we as a collective, change this course and go back to normal?  This new normal is not acceptable to most people I know.  So, here's my solution to these issues and I expect to lose friends over my thoughts but so be it.

1.  Mayors of the large, lost cities need to be recalled immediately.  Governors of states allowing lawlessness and mayhem recalled and both replaced with basic law and order officials.  This is a no brainer really.  Citizens of these cities and states do not deserve to be over run by looters, thugs and criminals.  These same governors and mayors need to be prosecuted for dereliction of duty, sued by the citizens and jailed.  We no longer need to tolerate this garbage.

2.  The police need proper training and allowed to police our streets.  The laws currently on the books need to be enforced and criminals prosecuted.  Again, another no brainer.  Our cities will be clean, jobs and business will return and the economy will thrive.  

3.  Prisoners need to stay in jail and serve their time, another no brainer!  Decent, hardworking Americans do not need to live in fear.  "If you can't do the time, don't do the crime."   

4.  Open up our economy and put Americans back to work!  America is not a social welfare society.  Americans need to work for their own self respect, and pride.  If you feel under the weather, stay the hell home!  Wear a mask if you feel like you must and wash your hands.  

5.  The basic family structure has changed over the years but the basic tenets have survived. Whether it is a 2 parent family with a husband and wife,  two wives, two husbands or single family home; raising children with the love and respect has not changed.  Feed them, cloth them and keeping them safe from predators and on line traffickers is imperative.   With the news of trafficking of humans as young as infants, it's especially important to guard our children with our lives.  If a family needs assistance, there are many good social service agencies, churches and endowments that will help.  Reach out and help will be given.  

6.  Be proud to be an American.  We live in the greatest country on God's green earth!  America was the greatest experiment ever tried and it succeeded.  Yes we've made mistakes but we as a society have learned from those mistakes.  Let's move on, cherish our American traditions and regain our sense of pride.  My suggestion if you don't like living here, leave.  No one will miss you and don't let the door hit you in the butt.  There are plenty of people worldwide, who would love to take your place here in the United States of America.

7  The Constitution is the law of the land, respect it and abide by it's words.  The ability to speak freely, worship where you choose, the right to bear arms, vote and to freely assemble in a peaceful respectful way, are all part of the constitution.  Become a citizen if you're currently not and enjoy the rights given by our founders.  This is America damn it, be proud of it!

8.  Finally, respect your fellow human.  We are living in a society where respect is lacking.  Basic respect, manners and kindness seem to have disappeared.  Let's get back to where we can agree to disagree.  

Finally, in the words of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, from the book of St. Mark, 12:30-31; "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.  And the second like it is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself"  

May God continue to bless America.