The Gift of Menagerie

A Menagerie that makes beauty.

Positive Pensées

Kathy King

The Gift of a Menagerie

“Exterior beauty, without the depth of a kind soul is merely decoration.”

Unknown

What is a menagerie?

A menagerie is a collection of eclectic things.

They could be books, they could be trinkets, or just about anything.

A menagerie does not match, it is not a perfect set. 

Yet the menagerie is quite interesting and different, a step apart from the rest. 

In life a menagerie could be a circle of friends, with opinions that vary like the rushing winds. 

A menagerie could be an activity that feeds your soul, to renew you when you don’t feel as bold. 

So cultivate a menagerie in your life. 

Make it full of interesting and quirky things. 

Cultivate joy and meaning even in the simplests of everyday things.

The menagerie can be important when life is very hard. 

Those little pieces can get you through, and bolster your soul and heart. 

Find that small part of a task that brings you joy, and make that menagerie a quiet place that you can enjoy.

When a menagerie comes to mind, I am often reminded of a patchwork quilt.  Different squares knitted with different patterns that bring together a whole.  What gives you depth?  What eclectic and quirky bits feed your soul? What life lessons have contributed to your patchwork quilt? Let’s face it, life can be very difficult at times.  Pain, less joy and despair pepper times in our lives.  In history, a patchwork quilt was constructed out of scraps of old clothing that were falling apart.  These scraps were cut into squares and a colorful quilt was made.  A lot of the time the quilt maker would arrange the old scraps in a geometric pattern or a pattern pleasing to the eye. In that menagerie, or quilt, what portions of life experience,,, whether the situation may have been painful or joyful can you cut into a square in the coverlet of your soul?  Part of growing in life is finding the bits that brought you to where you are now.  What taught you?  What challenged you?  What changed you into a better version of yourself? What pain or pleasure caused your soul to grow? If you can’t think of anything.  That is absolutely fine. But can I encourage you all to try on a new mindset?  I read a meme recently that said: “That apartment may not be a house (but you have a place to stay).  That car may not be a Benz (but you’re not walking).  That job might not be the best (but you’re working).  Something is always better than nothing.”  This small change in perspective will take the glass menagerie of life and make the foundation more solid, more emboldened to live a life of meaning and purpose.  While you are cultivating your quilt, read a book, immerse yourself in music, do a good deed and expect nothing in return.  Take that circumstance that you thought was not the best and practice forgiveness.  Glean that one bit that can contribute to your soular menagerie.   That will be a part of the menagerie, our patchwork quilt if you will that will point us down this road called life. Growing up in the south, we sang a lot of hymns.  I can sit down to the piano and play most of them from memory.  That is how ingrained they are in my mind.  Recently, I decided to look up the history of some of the more popular hymns.  First, Sweet Hour of Prayer.  It was written by William Walford, a lay preacher who was blind! Some of the words are: “Sweet Hour of Prayer, Sweet Hour of prayer, that calls me from a world of care.” It started as a poem from a blind man and now has lived on for almost two hundred years. There is a Fountain Filled with Blood was written by William Cowper in 1771.  This man suffered tragedy after tragedy in his life.  After losing his job, being put in a mental facility, many of his friends passed away.  After all of that, his hymn was considered “controversial because of the words.”  “There is a fountain filled with blood, drawn from Emmanuel’s veins and sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.” Many wanted to change the words of the song because of those lyrics. Yet, these attempts failed.  There were other traumatic events in his life that, well, just got worse.  Finally, after much suffering he knew that God wanted him here.  He spent the last few years of his life devoted to service. Finally, It is Well with my Soul.  When I read that this was, “The most heartbreaking song in hymnody”  I learned a new word after reading “hymnody.”  The hymn was written by Haratio Spafford.  This guy lost four daughters in a shipwreck, he lost another son to scarlet fever.  He lost his fortune, his life was full of absolute misery.  Yet, he wrote the words: When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, it is well, it is well with my soul.  Take those patches that are torn, they have seen a lot.  They may even not be the prettiest design in the lot and just go for it. Find your menagerie.  Let it shape you into the best version of yourself.  Make your beauty in the menagerie of your soul shine so bright that it exudes from your exterior.  

Source: umcdiscipleship.org

The Gift of Stars

Positive Pensées

Kathy King

The Gift of the Stars

“When it is dark enough you can see the stars.”.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

If you are in the dark, never give up.  

Look up to the stars!

Have you ever gazed up in the sky at night and saw a sea of starry delight?

There are literally two hundred billion trillion stars in our universe. 

They give off light in a dark void.  

In the Milky Way alone, there are one hundred thousand million stars.

What does that tell you about the nature of stars?

That even in darkness where there is no real light, the stars light up the deepest darkest voids that need light. 

Think about the sun, our star that shines on the earth. 

A day without its rays would not be good for the earth. 

So if your day or life seems not so sunny. 

Look up to the stars, there is still light when all is not brilliant.

Looking to the stars.  Poems have been written about the stars.  Philosophers have written about the stars, there are horoscopes centered around the stars.    Do you, in the business of life, ever look to the stars?  This evening my husband and I took our dog on a walk, as the days get shorter here in the Fall, the stars come out with their brilliance earlier each day.  When was the last time you laid down on the ground and gazed up at the stars?  Or, have you ever googled where our planet is in the universe?  We are but a tiny blip in a deep sea of stars.  Why are we discussing stars?  Simply because when all that we can see is darkness in our life, or a situation and we cannot find anything good.  Look for the stars.  When you look up in the sky they are tiny, right?  Of course, except for the sun which is the closest star to us on planet Earth.  Find the tiny stars, even if that star is so incredibly minute, keep looking.  In that search there is bound to be a small point of thankfulness.  If you still cannot find that small star.  Try to find a star (activity) that can bring a better, more positive perspective to your life.  Being a military family we have encountered many young folks who have no real family to speak of.  The situation is most striking when we have attended Boot Camp graduation ceremonies.  The day before graduation there is what is called a “Family Day” where the new soldier’s can leave the base for the first time since training commenced several weeks ago.  The soldier’s go and eat “real food” not “chow” as my soldier’s refer to military food.  The soldier’s get to just take a moment and breathe.  When our oldest son graduated from boot camp there were dozens of soldiers with absolutely no one.  This broke our hearts.  Young people who had come to serve our country alone.  It was at that moment that our family realized that we had to start encouraging these young folks to find their stars (their blessings) in their life.  We extended invitations for meals to soldiers.  We offered to write them.  We asked if they needed anything.  Because in perspective, we are quite blessed.  The most heartbreaking soldier (to this day) that came into our lives was via a letter writing service.  There is a group of mom’s who write letters to whole companies of soldiers during boot camp.  During that time letters are what keep those young folks going.  And again, a lot of these kids do not have someone with whom they can receive letters.  This is heartbreaking.  After writing to a company of soldiers (a lot of times I do not get a response and that is ok), I received a letter from a young mother who decided to join the military in hopes of making a better life for her young family.  In this letter she pleaded for us to please call her family and check on her small children.  She had not received any letters from her family, she just wanted to know that her little ones were ok.  After consulting the letter writing group head she said, “Absolutely,”  As I dialed the number I wondered if the family would even answer.  As the phone rang we were in luck! Her family did indeed answer, I relayed to them that the new soldier was ok but very concerned that she had not heard from her family.   The children were fine, they had written letters.  They just believed she had not received her mail yet.  After my family wrote her a letter letting her know that her children were indeed ok.  She wrote back expressing her thanks. While writing letters may not be what you want to do.. You can find someone, something in your life to look up and find even the tiniest star.   We can find our stars in the dark.  We can be stars to others when their life is dark.  Look up!  Encourage them to look up and count the many stars in life. 

I leave you all with my favorite poem by Robert Frost:

"Choose Something Like a Star"

O Star (the fairest one in sight),
We grant your loftiness the right
To some obscurity of cloud –
It will not do to say of night,
Since dark is what brings out your light.
Some mystery becomes the proud.
But to be wholly taciturn
In your reserve is not allowed.
Say something to us we can learn
By heart and when alone repeat.
Say something! And it says "I burn."
But say with what degree of heat.
Talk Fahrenheit, talk Centigrade.
Use language we can comprehend.
Tell us what elements you blend.
It gives us strangely little aid,
But does tell something in the end.
And steadfast as Keats' Eremite,*
Not even stooping from its sphere,
It asks a little of us here.
It asks of us a certain height,
So when at times the mob is swayed
To carry praise or blame too far,
We may choose something like a star
To stay our minds on and be staid.

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The Quacktastic Adventures of Ellie and Lord Barks a Lot

The Gift of Kintsugi

 

Kintsugi.  Is it not gorgeous? Each crack in this dish is filled with gold.

Positive Pensées

Kathy King

The Gift of Kintsugi

“The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain."

Dolly Parton

Imperfections.

Cracks.

Hurt.

Regret.

Solace, Anger, Joy, and things we just can’t forget.

They make cracks and crevices in our heart and soul.

Sometimes they make it hard to breathe.

The pain tears at our soul. 

What if there was something we could do about it?

Perhaps, heal the pain?

By filling in the cracks with forgiveness and healing.

It will make our heart beat again.

Take those cracks, use them, don’t let them cause you to fall apart.

Rather, fill in those cracks with forgiveness and change your heart. 

Forgiveness, love, healing and light. 

Make those cracks gold, make them sparkle with delight.

Those cracks show that you made it and did not give up.

They did not cause you to weaken, you stayed the course. 

Rather than hide those cracks show them like gold. 

Make your struggles through adversity show others you are strong and bold. 

I feel this today... My right knee is bursitis ridden... Teaching kickboxing for 10 years will do that. Most days it's fine. Today, it is swollen and it hurts. I chose to get up and keep going with a little Kintsugi. I walked a little slow but that's okay. 

We get up, we fall down, we have regrets. That is part of the human condition. In our society where perfection is a filter away, would it not be better to be filled with gold in those cracks that life has dealt us? Have you ever heard of Kintsugi? It is a process used in Japan to fill in the cracks of broken pottery.  The pottery is mended with a lacquer mixed with silver, gold, or platinum.  Basically, by filling in these cracks that could potentially break the pottery, it highlights the cracks rather than hides them.  Why should something be thrown away when it can be mended by these precious colors? If you are a person of faith, I often envision God's forgiveness is much like Kintsugi. We have those imperfections there, but through God's grace he fills them with gold through his almighty forgiveness. Have you ever heard of wabi-sabi?  This concept embraces the flawed and imperfect.  Wabi sabi understands that we are imperfect. These cracks, these imperfections highlight the story of our lives.  They made us who we are.  We are still here, probably still struggling... but in time with work, prayer, meditation, and sheer will we can go on.  We can stand with those cracks in gold, silver or platinum. Kintsugi means: Golden joinery.  In our time where everything is quickly disposable, kintsugi can teach us that those flaws can show much, much more. To add to that concept, also our world makes everything perfect via social media filters.  Which honestly, is still imperfect.  Those cracks are not signs of disgrace but rather… healing.  Those cracks can be going on despite the obstacles.  Those cracks could be having a will of iron in the face of adversity.  Those cracks could be broken family relationships.  Recently I read a little story about a boy who went by a shop a long time ago. He saw in the window a sign that said:  “Puppies for sale.”  Now I don’t know about you, but who can’t love a little puppy.  The little boy walked in and inquired about the puppies.  The shop owner came out with the kennel and the puppies came bounding out with all their energy.  In the very back came the last little puppy who was limping.  At first, the little boy asked how much the puppies were, the owner told him that they were $20.  He had a little frown because he only had about $2 in his pocket.  The limping little puppy finally caught his attention.  The little boy asked if he could buy that puppy.  The owner looked perplexed.  "That puppy is lame, he won’t ever be able to walk or run with you.  I will give him to you for free. " After thinking for just a moment the little boy blurted out, “I will pay you two dollars today and fifty cents every month until this puppy is paid for!”  The shop owner who was quite perplexed said, “Why?”  The little boy lifted up his pant leg and showed him his leg brace and crippled leg.  “I can’t run and play fast either and that puppy is worth just as much as the others.”  After reading that story I immediately thought of Kintsugi.  We all have worth, it may be hard to see at times….. Really hard. Through God’s grace and forgiveness and our forgiveness of others and… forgiveness of yourself.  Fill those cracks with gold.  They show you had the tenacity to not quit.  

Source: thoughtcatalog.com

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The Quacktastic Adventures of Ellie and Lord Barks a Lot

The Case of the Missing Moo-Cow Bell

The Case of the Missing Bumbly Wumbly Bee

The Case of the Missing Wellies

The Case of the Missing Honk Honk

The Case of the Missing Ornaments

Clean it Up! Wash it Up!

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Appalachian Allegory: A Southern Novel

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The Gift of a Teapot

Positive Pensées

Kathy King

The Gift of a Teapot

“Remember the tea kettle, it is always up to its neck in hot water. Yet it still sings.”

Unknown

Have you ever heard a teapot just sing and sing?

The water comes to a boil and the noise begins.

The whistle, the scream, the beautiful sound.

That a proper cup of tea is coming, that beautiful sound.

Add a little milk, and perhaps some sugar.

Or, add some lemon to give your cheeks a little pucker.

Either way, the tea kettle is much like life.

When we are full to the brim with the heat licking our heart, our soul, every part of our life. 

When your life feels like that teapot, do the same thing!  

Open your mouth and sing! Sing! Sing!

I came across this little quote earlier this week.  There is a lot going on in life at the moment. Illness, things with kids, things with you name it.. It is happening.  To be quite honest, it has been a lot to deal with.  There are days when prayer is just, “Help me make it one step in front of another.”  Other days, the prayers are more ambitious and verbose.  When I read this little quote above I did exactly that.  I felt full to the brim, some other folks I know are full to the brim. They feel the heat licking in their lives and coming to a boil.  I just let out a scream at first, I cried.  I lamented, I even had a woe is me moment but then, after reading this little quote I thought, this can be a song, a time of great release.  Rather than look at things in life as broken, make it a song and get some sweet relief.  Sing, even when it is hard.  Even if you can’t crack a tune in a bucket, I promise.  You will get some soular and spiritual relief.  Did you know that there is actual evidence that singing releases endorphins, serotonin and dopamine? You know, endorphins? Those little peptides that activate the body’s opiate receptors, causing an analgesic effect?  In other words, it makes you happier!  Serotonin, that chemical that impacts your mood, your sleep, digestion, etc?  Then there is dopamine, that chemical in the brain that makes you feel good.  It is good for health to have some good dopamine going.  If you have ever sung in a choir you probably had all of these feelings.  Seriously.  Singing with others produces a “high” because you are singing and working with others in a melodious way.  Also, just singing or humming a favorite tune actually reduces stress.  Sometimes you may have to hum it all day but in the words of Marie Claire Breen: “Simply by singing along to a favorite song or humming long notes can reduce stress levels and create a better sense of internal balance.”  Wow! There are those who even put forth that singing can reduce physical pain, improve your memory and some even believe it boosts your immunity.  Ludwig van Beethoven comes to mind.  He was quite the virtuoso, he composed beautiful music.  However, did you know that most of his most famous pieces he composed were after he became deaf?  That is right.  Ode to Joy.  Fur Elise, The 5th Symphony.  All with no way to hear it.  He hummed those tunes in his head.  If that does not show the miraculous power of music, then what does.  Embrace the tea kettle.  When you are full to the top with the heat licking right on you.  Don’t give up!  Remember that proper cuppa is coming and sing! Sing! Sing! 

The Gift of Humanity

Photo credit:  My husband

Positive Pensées

Kathy King

“We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery, we need humanity. More than cleverness, we need kindness.”

Charlie Chaplin

Humanity.

When you think of it… well, I am sure a lot of things come to mind.

Some instantly think of goodness.

Others think of traits that are not so kind.

Humanity.

Is it good?

Is it bad?

Have we gone way too far in the other direction where real and genuine humanity is gone?

I hope, dear readers, that as we look around our lives today…

You can find some goodness in humanity in several different ways.

When we make our final trip around this planet, humanity still goes on and on.

Compassion, kindness, love, and respect.  

These traits are what humanity should represent. 

I was reading the origins of the saying, “To err is human, to forgive is divine.”  Many people have quoted, misquoted, over quoted, under quoted this phrase.  It was written by Alexander Pope, a great poet of the Enlightenment. The whole poem is actually worth a read.  Here is a little excerpt: 

“Are mortals urg'd through sacred lust of praise!

Ah ne'er so dire a thirst of glory boast,

Nor in the critic let the man be lost!

Good nature and good sense must ever join;

To err is human; to forgive, divine. “  Another portion of the poem is quite succinct:       

“Be silent always when you doubt your sense;

And speak, though sure, with seeming diffidence:

Some positive, persisting fops we know,

Who, if once wrong, will needs be always so;

But you, with pleasure own your errors past,

And make each day a critic on the last.”  

The summary of the poem was criticism of those who look down their noses with disdain and to adopt an attitude of humility (in my opinion).   Why am I writing about a poet that most folks rarely, if ever talk about (in everyday life).  Well, I once again found myself in the ER taking someone near and dear for some emergency care.  The room was packed like sardines.  So many ailing folks.  Some needed mental care.  There was a lady walking around crying with a blanket over her head.  A little old lady and her husband were sitting huddled across the room.  The lady, (the patient) was comforting her husband because they had waited so long to be seen (he was clearly worried for his wife).  I saw a medical team come and retrieve someone whose loved one had died in the ER.  Another woman was crying in pain, just wanting to be seen by someone for relief.  I could go on and on about the pain and suffering that was occuring in that room.  It brought to mind the thought of humanity.  I decided to look the definition up just to see if it meant what was the concept in my mind.  It is defined as follows: compassionate, sympathetic, or generous behavior or disposition; the quality or state of being humane.  Then of course, the state of being human.  I can’t imagine working in the ER day in and day out seeing varying states of humanity… it probably breaks some of their hearts.  Others, they may roll their eyes when they see the person walk in.  I have heard some stories from nurses about some more interesting patients.  In that moment, I had a great respect for those who see probably the best and worst of humanity on a daily basis.  I don’t know that I could do what those souls do on a daily basis.  What can I do?  What can we do?  Practice humanity.  Pray for our fellow humans.  Realize that in this vast pool of humanity that there are those who are truly, genuinely suffering.  I believe that social media has really put a damper on humanity.  It can be both a blessing and a curse, right?  You see perfect lives with no issues.  When really, life is both high and low.  Nothing is perfect (if only).  I pray that we can all be more human to those around us.  In the words of President Woodrow Wilson: “There is no higher religion than human service. To work for the common good is the greatest creed.” 

The Gift of Honor

Positive Pensées

Kathy King

“Honor is the reward of virtue”

Cicero

The Gift of Honor

Honor.

Valor.

Depth.

Respect.

Kindness.

Empathy.

A sense of something better than self.

Are these words that we hear today?

I would wager if you spend any time reading, most of the zeitgeist conveys.

Me! Me! Me!

My! My! My!

What if, in an act of great empathy, take a moment and try…

To try to find a sense of something bigger than yourself.

Try prayer, try going to church.  

Trying to understand what other people feel.

Honor. It means to have great respect.

To adhere to common kindness with no expectations or regret. 

After all dear readers, when you are kind and show grace.

Those acts return to you in a multitude of ways. 

I was just thinking about honor.  I was a captive audience to a news show earlier.  They were discussing a number of things.  Politics was the chief topic amongst them.  I am not here to sway any person’s political leanings.  That is completely in your purview.  What struck me was the disrespect or lack of honor for the other person’s opinion that they were trying to express.  Well, trying while yelling over one another.  That is probably why I stopped watching television news quite some time ago.  I couldn’t get over the lack of honor that was so blatantly put on display.  There is a meme that goes around periodically that says, “Turn off the TV and go love your neighbor.” I have to think that is absolutely true.  Have you ever looked at the dictionary definitions of the word honor?  It means: regard with great respect.  Fulfill an agreement. Adherence to what is right or to a conventional standard of conduct.  Are there folks who earn disrespect??  Absolutely.  This is not an all or nothing kind of concept.  But what if we decide to be an example of honor to those around us?  Even when it is difficult.  I read a lot of stories about the Medal of Honor Recipients.  My goodness, some of those stories are just almost unbelievable.  One such story is of Naval Commander Donald A. Gary.  A person who had very little education.  One year of High School to be exact.  He joined the Navy at sixteen years old!  Gary served many years and in many roles in the Navy.  He almost decided to retire but WWII began.  In 1945 Gary was part of a group of ships that were fighting in the Pacific theater.  At this point, Gary was 42 years old.  One awful morning their ship was attacked.  There were 31 fully armed and fueled planes that were hit.  This hit destroyed the flight deck and caused 126 other explosions.  Gary was not killed, nor the ship’s Medical staff and many other sailors were still alive.  He knew he had to spring into action.  He somehow managed to find an oxygen mask and crawled through the darkness and smoke and found a way to safety.  He went back not one, not two, but three times.  He saved three hundred people.  Even after finding a way out, he rallied the men to keep putting out fires until they could be rescued.  When asked what gave him so much courage he would always have an extremely humble answer.  He mainly wished that he had thought of a way out sooner.  He was given the Medal of Honor by President Truman in 1947.  He served in the Navy until 1950.  What a story, right?  He did have a ship named in his honor a frigate USS Gary.  It was decommissioned in 1984.  Do we have to be that brave?  Probably not.  But could we gain an ounce of wisdom from Gary’s honor?  Absolutely.  Care for your fellow humans.  Respect differing opinions with honor.  Respect different life choices with honor.  The list could be endless.  In the words of Abraham Lincoln, “Do not worry when you are not recognized, but strive to be worthy of recognition.”

source:defense.gov

The Gift of Hurry up and Wait

Waiting.. it provides the perfect moment....  
Photo credit: My husband

Positive Pensées

Kathy King

The Gift of Hurry up and Wait

“If we learn to enjoy waiting, we don’t have to wait to enjoy.”

Kazuaki Tanahashi

Hurry up and Wait!

That is an interesting phrase.

It means to spend a lot of time waiting.  

Sometimes for days.

It may be hours or minutes. 

But waiting, it’s hard particularly when you are the one wanting and anticipating.

It can be sharp, it can be boring, it can be filled with lots of silence.

Take that time, use those moments to pray and reflect.

Hurry up and wait can be a gift both to your current self and future self. .

Let that time teach you patience

Let that time make you more gracious.

Let the time give you discipline to grow, to gain wisdom and discovery.

You may discover you are not ready for the given situation.

You may discover another path from taking the time. 

So Hurry up and wait! It is a good use of your time. 

I marvel at the fact that once again…. I wrote this over a year ago.  It was like God was writing a note to me (and I hope others)... to wait.  To pray.  I am impatient this morning… I want t be recovered fully… doing the things.  I want my writing to be successful.  My music to be shared, to have a new and better job… and mostly to be back to health.  Mostly, I want to be able to do more for my very loving and helpful family.  When I woke up this morning… and mind you, I was groggy from the new meds of getting my body back in the right direction.  The words that kept coming to my mind were to wait and pray.  Waiting is a teacher.  I am not good at it.  In fact, I am very bad at it.  So much so that I would probably jump farther, do more… and still get it wrong.  There is an art to stopping, praying, and most of all… waiting.  

Hurry up and Wait!  My sons in the Army talk about this often.  Serving in the military gives you a lot of time to sit and ruminate.  So much so that this phrase has web pages dedicated to this very subject. Military Hurry up and Wait is defined as: the long standing tradition of making everyone come in 6 hours before any training event, travel or other military activities.  I have heard this phrase uttered countless times by all 4 of my sons.  But what can waiting really teach us?  First, in a society where we are inundated with information from just about everywhere, particularly with the 24 hour news cycle, waiting can give us time to make a judgment about a given situation.  How many times has something been reported as fact only to have a correction issued within a few hours or days?  Waiting gives us discernment.  Secondly, waiting can give us perspective.  When any given situation arises our first reaction is not always the best reaction.  My brother is a very quiet, well spoken individual.  In his professional position he employs quite a lot of folks.  He has the ability to make decisions that impact the lives of a lot of people.  I asked him how he deals with this on a daily basis.  He told me that if someone comes to him with a difficult situation that needs to be reckoned with in a timely manner… he stops and says, “Give me a moment to answer your question.  I want to pause and ponder the best course of action.”  That single response changed my frame of mind completely simply because our first response is not always the best response particularly if the situation is difficult.  Thirdly, Waiting can teach us empathy.  Sadly empathy has taken a back seat in life these days.  Pausing can help us gain insight into what others are experiencing.  I often find that social media, television, our society in general celebrates narcissism.  There is definitely a need for a correction towards empathy, sympathy and general goodwill to each other.  Finally, hurrying up and waiting gives us fortitude.  The phrase, “Good things come to those who wait.” comes to mind.  Think about some of the rewards the endurance of waiting gives you. Waiting can give you much needed rest.  Waiting can open doors to bigger and better opportunities. Most of all, waiting gives us wisdom.  Wisdom about ourselves and wisdom concerning others.  In our fast paced world, it takes some time occasionally to hurry up and wait.   

Source: wearethemighty.com

The Gift of Care

Care... concern... we need it.  a lot
Photo credit:  My husband

Positive Pensées

Kathy King

The Gift of Care

“To make a difference in someone’s life, you don’t have to be brilliant, rich, beautiful or perfect.  You just have to care.”

Unknown

Caring, concern, fondness, inclination.

Are all words that mean care in different iterations.

Some folks need to cast their cares by having a talk.

Others need to be given care, particularly when life gets too hard. 

Look around you, look outside of yourself. 

There are people truly hurting and indeed in need of help. 

Find them, help them, give them prayers. 

Help them understand that when things are too hard to bear.

You can have a friend, a listening ear, or a helping hand. 

Let us help others make their life grand. 

I started this  Pensée last year.  Seriously.  I never finished it.  There are some days my brain never turns off.  Others, well….  It is like a deep cave with echo! Echo!  Echo!  I have been sharing my health struggles with many of you recently.  I have been in and out of the hospital.  To top it off, well… one of my kids is moving across the pond with his family.  I am glad, sad, verklempt.. You name it.  Last night, I watched on a loop videos of my little grand girl singing and being her boisterous self.  I sobbed and cried.  I lamented once again that we are indeed, empty nesters.  It was quite the pitiful perfection.  I have successfully dug myself into a full blown pity party.  I am not kidding.  I am upset that I am the one that needs care at the moment.  I am usually the one caring for others. It has been hard to let go.  I go back to one of my other  Pensée’s that I wrote a while back.  I talked about how I believe that life could be one big tea party.  I was so terribly wrong.  Life is finding those blessings, pulling out of the pit when you know you cannot go on anymore.  I often think of the old hymn, “Count Your Blessings.”  The verse says, “When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed. When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost. Count your many blessings, name them one by one.  Count your many blessings, see what God has done. The verse in this hymn that really speaks to me today is: So amid the conflict, whether great or small. Do not be discouraged God is over all; Count your many blessings Angels will attend.  Help and comfort give you till your journey’s end. Surely, through everything that life can throw at us we can find a single blessing, right?  While yes, I will and we will struggle.  Let us give it a try, right?  I love history.  Yesterday I was reading about all the failures of Abraham Lincoln.  He failed in business at 21.  He was defeated in politics at 22.  He failed at yet another business at 24.  His sweetheart died at 26.  He had a nervous breakdown at 27. He lost two more political races at 34 and 45.  He failed at a bid to be vice president at 47.  Finally, at the age of 52 he became president.  He also, very sadly, lost not one, but two children.  I would say.  He never gave up.  We don’t have to be Lincoln. However, in the words of Theodore Roosevelt: “Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” 

Show that you care.  Let others care for you.  It will lead to great rewards in the end.