The Gift of Ships

One of the many ships we have visited. This is the USS Norfolk in Virginia. 

Positive Pensées

Kathy King

The Gift of Ships

“Ships don’t sink because of the water around them. Ships sink because of the water that gets in them.  Don’t let what’s happening around you get inside you and weigh you down.”

The sea, the ships, they can be vast and wide. 

Rocking the ship from side to side. 

The waves can be big, overwhelming, and quite strong.

But the ship never sinks, it just sails along.

Why do you think that boat never sinks?

It is built to withstand the biggest waves, the biggest crests, and be tossed about.

The boat continues to sail, even when the weather is fraught.

Build yourself a ship where none of those waves come in, you can be tossed and even get some sprays of water, but you won’t give in or sink.

Even when you are sailing on calm seas, you have no worries, your soul is at ease.

Build yourself a ship that shores up your spirit, soul, and mind.

Show others how to make a ship that can withstand even the toughest waves.

Be their example so that when those huge waves come in, the water stays in the sea and you never give in.

Have you ever watched some of the reels of boats and military vessels on social media?  I am not one to be on the open sea but those fishing boats, those frigates, aircraft carriers, etc… they take on some HUGE waves.  It is kind of scary to watch.  I do subscribe to a maritime page where they show these waves just pummeling the ships.  The water does indeed come over the bow and stern but it abates quickly and the ship stays afloat.  Why do you think that is?  It is all in the construction of the ship.  The construction is precise.  How much dead weight, how much equipment is needed to function, how much machinery is needed to operate.  These are just a few of the undertakings of the construction of a ship.  After that, there must be decisions made with both latitude and longitude so that the ship can maintain balance. To add to that tonnage is taken into consideration, (how much weight will be on there) and then there are considerations for the bulkhead (partitions that separate compartments) this ensures stability while the ship is at sea.  This is a very elementary explanation of ships.  It is really quite intricate and fascinating.  Having had family in the Navy, I have been on an aircraft carrier, destroyer, and even a submarine.  Each ship was fascinating.  To say that they are huge floating cities would be an understatement.  I marveled at the levels of the ship.  There are multiple kitchens, there are so many places to sleep, it is like a maze of a big city contained on a ship.  Then the deck of the aircraft carrier.  WOW! That is huge.  All of these ships stay afloat.  Sure, there are rules.  When the seas are particularly rough the exterior watertight doors are kept shut so that the ship can stay afloat.  Again, it is all in the design.  How is your ship designed? Do you have too much ballast? Too much on your bow and not enough in your stern?  Are there sufficient bulkheads to give those strong partitions when rough seas do come?  How do you relate this to life?  Well, it is all in the balance of making sure you can stay afloat.  Will you be tossed about with big waves?  Absolutely.  But if your construction is strong you will crest those waves with ease. One fascinating yet terrible story is that of the Titanic. It was deemed “Unsinkable” by its designers. The wanton hubris of the designers to think that they knew enough about the construction to deem it as such was interesting, even during 1912. To those who are not familiar with the story, basically on its maiden voyage the ship sank. Thousands of lives were lost to the icy Atlantic Ocean all because of many small miscalculations. First, they were warned repeatedly that there were icebergs ahead, those warnings were not headed. When the danger came they were unable to turn the ship in time. When they hit, six of the sixteen compartments were flooded. The ship was only designed to stay afloat with four. There were not enough lifeboats, and to top it off the ship sank quite quickly for such a monstrous vessel. What does this story teach us? To listen to the warnings ahead. To be open to the advice of others who have wisdom to impart. To shore up that your compartments won’t be overwhelmed when the iceberg of life is dead ahead. 

This also teaches us humility. To always be open to learning from our mistakes and others. We do not hold the cornerstone of truth in our hands. In fact, sometimes those truths will be hard to take but necessary to repair our ship. So much of our society has been wrapped up in tribalism. It is time to re-enforce the ship of truth so that we may sail on to peace and unity. 

My books are on Amazon!

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!

Coming soon!

Appalachian Allegory: A Southern Novel

Buy me a coffee… pretty please… actually it would be a proper cuppa in my case. Thank you for reading! 

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The Gift of the Jar of Hope

Positive Pensées

Kathy King

The Gift of the Jar of Hope

“The natural flights of the human mind are not from pleasure to pleasure, but from hope to hope.”

Samuel Johnson

Find one thing to be thankful for.

Find one hope that will help you to endure. 

Find that mustard seed of faith to get you through.

Find that grace that will bless others and you.

Find that forgiveness that is so hard to give. 

Remember forgiveness is for you, not them.

Find that thankfulness, even in the little things.

Find that peace, love, and strength.

Even on the days when it is all that you can do but pray.

Keep that jar labeled hope. 

Find a prominent place. 

When life gets particularly hard, that jar is right there for you to reach in and pray.

I’ll say it again, hope springs eternal.

Hope leads the way.

When the obstacles are stacked against us, hope can be the pinprick of light to guide your way.

Fear may rear its ugly head and fill you full of doubt. 

But hold on to your jar of hope. 

Make it a part of yourself. 

Today is hump day. Mid-week. You can see the light of the weekend making its presence known. I always look forward to the weekend, that is when our kids usually come home from college to see us. Also, Sunday brings a time to reflect and grow spiritually into the next week. As I have been pondering the first week of advent, hope has been right in the front of my mind. Why do we hope? Well, I would wager that it is better than living in despair all the time. We hope because we have a deep longing within for better circumstances, better mindsets, better living. Hope is an aspiration, a wanting spiritually and mentally for a better circumstance. Yesterday I read about the concept of audacious hope. That is hope that heals even in the midst of trauma. It holds up your spirit in the midst of the struggle. In the Christian faith that hope gives us the strength to hold on via the promises of scripture. Have you lost hope? Have you lost your way? Hope provides the center of gravity when you feel rudderless. Hope requires patience and a willingness to trust. Hope requires perseverance when all around looks bleak and dark. That is why you light the candle of hope. Let it burn and show you the way, to lead you out of darkness, to lead you to pray. To meditate, to bolster your faith. At the end of each year we pick a resolution. This next year perhaps we should take out a jar and label it “Hope.” In that jar put little slips of paper of circumstances, people, things, feelings, thoughts, musings that give you hope. When you feel that you cannot go on, reach into that jar and meditate on that specific instance that brought you hope. I know that when some folks hear the phrase, “Never give up.” They roll their eyes. I get it, but what if on the one day you do give up that hope, that breakthrough is right around the corner? Hold on to the jar, keep it in your sight and let hope be your guide. The Christmas season is a time to bolster and build up your hope that has been beaten by life. Plant that garden of hope. I am reminded of the words of Audrey Hepburn: “To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.” 

My books are on Amazon!

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!

Coming soon!

Appalachian Allegory: A Southern Novel

Buy me a coffee… pretty please… actually it would be a proper cuppa in my case. Thank you for reading! 

Patreon:

Positive Pensées

Paypal:  A.  Daniel King

The Candle of Hope

Hope is like a candle. It can light up the darkest of spaces.

Positive Pensées

Kathy King

“Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who kept trying when there seems to be no hope at all.” 

Dale Carnegie

The Candle of Hope

Hope. 

I have mused on this subject before. 

What does it mean? 

How does it impact your soul?

Hope springs eternal, the phrase states. 

But have we entered a phase where hope is hard to place?

Money is tight, the world is in a tense space. 

Where can we find hope?

Where can we find grace?

Whether you profess to be a person who believes by faith. 

We can muster some hope even in the hardest space. 

Hope means we have an expectation of something good to happen. 

Hope is in part an act of faith. 

Hope brings you through that impossible situation.

Hope must be coupled with grace. 

Hope is a longing in your soul and spirit. 

Hope is a soul prayer. 

Hope is a light in the darkness that can dispel despair. 

Find hope, feed hope, be that voice in the wilderness.

Cry out, seek it out, make it a blessing to others. 

We need hope dear readers, so very much.

So many are in darkness and cannot find their way out. 

Say it again, for all to hear.

Hope springs eternal.

Despite situations fraught with fear. 

Hope means that even in the face of distress. 

Your spirit can have a small space of respite. 

Rest in hope. 

Rest in faith.

Rest in prayer.

Meditate and make your place in grace.

As you get older Christmas begins to take on a different meaning, does it not? Gone are the days where you sit under the tree and dream of presents. Growing up in the belly of the south, Christmas was a deeply religious time. I know that folks argue about the placement of when Christmas happens, etc.. While I am very happy to listen to their qualms, I often take a moment to tell them that yes, I am aware of the date, etc.. but Christmas is more about hope. Hope that next year will be better, hope that people will embrace the spirit of kindness and giving. Hope that even if you are not a believer in the Christian faith you can glean the goodness that Christ represented. What were his two greatest commandments? To Love God and Love your neighbor as yourself. To me that is the embodiment of hope. To love someone who is wholly different than you is giving them a seed of hope. What? How? Well, when we want what is best for others we are lending our faith, our hope to them. Do I mean to go through life blissfully unaware? No. Not at all. Rather, it is hoping for the best for all the people that are around you. In the Christian faith we just started the season of advent. We anticipate the hope that Christmas brings. During Advent, candles are lit. The first candle is purple. It symbolizes hope. Do you struggle to have hope? I must admit, there are times in this past year I have struggled with hope. It was through the prayers and encouragement of my friends and family that taught me that yes, there is indeed hope. Sometimes you need hope, sometimes you need to be hope for someone else. The Candle represented the promise of the coming Messiah. What is a messiah? Well, the messiah was the one who was to come to free the Jewish people from bondage. To restore glory. How does that relate to real everyday life? Hope is your beam of light when nothing seems to work. Hope is your sliver of glow that you need to bolster your strength when things are hard. Hope is Holding on with Purposeful Expectation. I pray that each of you dear readers find hope to carry on. The days seem dark, the arguments are steep. But hope springs eternal. 

My books are on Amazon!

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!

Coming soon!

Appalachian Allegory: A Southern Novel

Buy me a coffee… pretty please… actually it would be a proper cuppa in my case. Thank you for reading! 

Patreon:

Positive Pensées

Paypal:  A.  Daniel King