Tag: neighbor

  • Master Sculptor

    A little boy watched a sculptor begin chiseling a large block of marble. The sculptor worked meticulously until the slab looked like the face of Abraham Lincoln. “How did you do that?” the little boy asked. The sculptor said with a smile, “All I have to do is chip away everything that doesn’t look like Lincoln.”

    Writing is a bit like sculpting. I chisel a little bit here; chip away some more over there. The hope being that the written message originally intended is left behind.

    As I nurture my “sculpture,” one of the key ingredients being is how to seek and achieve balance in a too-crazy-busy life. So many people and things cry out for our attention these days. Where do you turn? And when do you cry out for help? You’ve probably heard, “Love your neighbor as yourself” before. But have you considered first loving yourself properly in order to love others in your life? My hope is that through my perspective of a brain surgery survivor you, too, will regain control of your mind, body, and soul. One clue is to practice the art of being still.

    For now, back to my edits to make my sculpture (i.e. book) excellent and appealing to you the reader! More tips to follow.

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  • Small, Small World

     

    She pauses with her white dog
    Be positiveI walk past
    Attempting to clear cobwebs
    Re-fresh and
    Re-generate my brain

    I pause; then stop
    Together we chat
    Discovering we shared the same workplace
    Years ago
    Past memories surface
    Re-live old times
    Good & the not-so-good

    Now we’re neighbors
    Living in a
    Small, small world
    Re-charged and
    Ready to pursue writing my story again

     

     

  • Tending to the gardens in my life

    Tending to the garden.  It takes time and energy.  A few years ago I didn’t even plant a garden.  My excuse was that I live in a condo and there’s no room. But that’s all it was: an excuse.  Since then, I purchased a few large pots to set on the deck and two planters that fit snugly on top of my deck rail.  It works beautifully!  Just enough soil for veggies and herbs to suit our family.  There’s nothing quite like gathering a handful of fresh lettuce for a summer salad.

    I am learning that it still takes time to produce a good crop.  Just like it takes time and energy to produce a healthy heart and mind.  Weeds come in the garden of life and unless I get after them, they multiply and take over spaces where they don’t belong. 

    Prayer: Dear God, please forgive me for not tending to the garden of my heart. It’s so easy to see flaws in my neighbor and overlook neglect in my own mind and make excuses for ungodly actions.   

    Ask: Is there some weed in the garden of your heart? Maybe it’s a seed of bitterness or jealousy over what someone else has and you do not.  What can you do today to reduce or eliminate that pesky weed? 

    “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (Philippians 4:8).

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  • Good Neighbor

     

    Sometimes being a good neighbor may mean…answering a distress call and towing their boat into the dock.

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