I Can Learn From Young And Older Alike

We spent several hours at a community swimming club, here in the St. Louis area.  I sat and watched for a little while as kids of all ages played and enjoyed the cool water.  As I watched, I observed many different games being played.  One game was played by young kids and teenagers alike.  During the game, I noticed a young girl stand next to the side of the pool trying to get the attention of a teenage girl.  The young girl stood patiently until the teenage girl finally acknowledged her.  I could see the words mouthed from the young girl.  "Can I play?" The teenage girl nodded her approval.  The young girl fixed her goggles onto her eyes and jumped in the water next to all who were playing. 
The 'inclusion' part really put a smile on my face.  I felt grateful that this young girl had been treated kindly.  I admired the courage of the young girl for asking to do something  that she so badly wanted to do.
It doesn't matter where in the world you go, there are valuable lessons to be learned.  It was my turn in St. Louis.

I Want To Be Thankful

I believe that being thankful is one of the most important values a person can have. It is one of the attributes of a good, decent person. From the time that I was a young boy, I have heard my mom say a million times the words, "what are the 'magic' words?" I learned then that the words 'please and thank you' were extremely important. You might be asking yourself, what does this have to do with positive thinking in our lives. Here's my take on this subject. If each of us want to raise up good decent children, who will grow up to be exceptional human beings, they need to be grateful. There are very few things, in this world, that are more concerning than the reality of someone who is ungrateful. I have a strong opinion on this topic, but I feel such an urgency when it comes to our own children. I am grateful to Becky for instilling in our children the import that this characteristic will offer throughout their lives. The implementation of this divides the good from the great, in my opinion.

Puts A Smile On My Face

Today, we enjoyed the opportunity to watch a Swim Meet.  I feel impressed to share a couple of observations about things I saw at 'the meet'.  On two different occasions, during a particular heat, I watched an individual have an especially difficult time with their swim using a specific stroke.  They were much slower than the other competitors but they were still required to finish the race as to not let down their teammates or family who were there to support.  It was fun to watch all of the supporters as these individuals finished even through difficulty.
The other observation was the mass amounts of people there to support children, grandchildren, and even friends.  I always like to see support from those that care the very most.
Life, in many ways, is just that--support for one another.  I love to see love extended from one person to the next.  It is a wonderful sight. 
Our family was there to 'cheer on' our two nieces and nephew.  We enjoyed the time we spent there just like everybody else who came to encourage and cheer for those who they love.
And the night was complete at the sight of beautiful fireflies in the warm, humid air of St. Louis, Missouri.
What a time!

The Funniest Things

I love to laugh.  The feeling of being able to relieve the various stresses of life through a loud outburst from a funny joke or something that is said that is unexpected is awesome.  One of my favorite things is to hear something said from one of our children.  When they were young, they had some really funny things to say.
When our oldest was young, she would say something that seemed inappropriate, but funny, and I was quick to correct her.  As time goes on, I have come to realize that there are just some funny things that they say. Some of life's greatest moments have come from the hiliarious things that were said.  Thank heaven for those things.

Drive Because We're Free

I am so thankful that I live in the United States of America, where the freedoms we enjoy are without number.  That is the case today.  We are able to leave and travel without any problems.  We enjoy the blessing of having vehicles that run well and that we can count on to get us to the places that we want to go.  We have family that care for us and take an interest in our lives.  I feel grateful to be a citizen of a land of great promise.  God bless America!

Nothing But The Bottom Of The Net

I don't know how many of you even like the game of basketball but I thought that I would share a little something about the game as it pertains to me and my life. 
The dimensions of a traditional court is ninety-four feet in length by fifty feet in width. Like with anything in life, there are boundaries.  It is expected, by all participants, to abide by the regulations set. 
There are similar boundaries set in our own lives.  As long as certain rules are kept life seems to move forward at a pretty good clip. 
Our lives can be compared, in many ways, to the game of basketball.  There are fundamentals, that if learned, practiced, and then mastered, can aid the player in a higher level of success.  The is precisely the same with life.  There are countless opportunities to become better skilled in a certain area of life.  There are opportunities that require effort but are character builders in the end.
I love to play basketball.  These days, it's really only fun for me to play on the driveway with our kids.  There are fundamentals that can be learned to better hone your own personal skills of the game.
More important than basketball is our ability to master the things of life.  To be the very best you can be!  Day by day, a little at a time, the day will come where self-mastery is the end result.  That will take a lifetime but the hard work in the journey is worth the end result.

Feeling Great!

It's a great feeling to know that I can think clearly. There is a man I work with who struggles with mental issues and I watch him battle through those difficulties with obvious frustration. My health is something that I take for granted every day. I have never had a reason to worry about whether or not I could make good sound decisions. I believe that I say this almost every day, life is great and even in our most challenging times, there are blessings that are ours if we will look for and then recognize them. I know it's late...but I'm feeling great!