Canceling it doesn’t fix it…

May 31, 2021

In a recent post to his blog, Jack’s Winning Words, , Pastor Freed used this quote – “It’s always easier to cancel something than to fix it.”  (Nick Zano)

We have heard and seen the term “cancel culture” used to describe the era that we are in right now, an era where people are unfriended (canceled), shows and programs dropped and other actions taken to stop or cancel someone or something that we (or someone) find offensive. Yet, when one really thinks about it, canceling is just a form of avoiding the issues. It’s sort of the “Don’t see me” of adulthood. It doesn’t really confront and change the underlying issues; it just avoids having to see or hear of it again (for a while anyway).

Certainly, canceling is a way to show displeasure with the person or things that is displeasing, but what does it really accomplish against the real issues? Racism will continue to exist whether we cancel everyone, or every show, that uses the “N” word. Homophobia will continue to exist even if we successfully stamp out the terms like “queer” or “homo” from our vocabulary. Hate will continue to divide the country unless we fix the underlying misinformation and mistrust that drive them.

Fixing our society’s big issues is a complex thing, so just canceling and ignoring the parts that we don’t like seems to be easier. But, canceling doesn’t fix anything. Society needs to find a way to move away from an us vs. them view of the world to a “we” view of the world. In the past, when our society faced a common and serious threat from an external enemy, “we” united in our effort to fight that enemy. It wasn’t really that differences were forgotten; they were just put aside for a while.

We recently faced a common enemy in the Covid-19 virus and, as serious and deadly as the fight against it has been, even it could not unite the country. We still had the mask/no-mask confrontations and the politically divided views of the countermeasures that were put in place (depending upon the party of the governor of the state that you lived in), and the vaccinate-not vaccinate arguments. A common response to this external enemy could not be found (common sense was even in short supply).

I am convinced that the decline of the church in our society has greatly contributed to the current morass. Even with the differences between religious denominations, attending church used to provide us with a moral compass that provided a much needed common moral base for people of both political parties. We had a better sense of right and wrong, of justice and injustice and of what the common good looked like when we had a strong church presence in our lives. One does not get that out of attending Sunday morning soccer, hockey or baseball games and our children certainly don’t learn the same lessons on the playing field as they used to learn in Sunday School classes.

There is no going back to “the way it used to be”, but perhaps there is a way (and certainly a need) to rethink the priorities in our lives and find a way to put time for God back into them, be it at church or just taking time to stop and pray with family. You may still have to be out on the athletic field early on Sunday morning, instead of being in church, but you can show your children the importance of God by also setting aside some family time for prayer or bible reading – time to reconnect them with God. If you don’t teach them, they will never learn and respect the moral teachings that come along with religion. Perhaps the refresher that you might need to become the teacher would help you, too.

So rather than ignore (or cancel) the issues of society, commit to fix them by giving a priority to the principals found in your religious beliefs and committing to teach your children, too.  Canceling it doesn’t fix it; only you can fix it. Be a part of the solution and not a part of the problem. Building a better moral base within our society, one believer at a time, will not just cancel the evil that is all around us today, but will drive it out of society.

Let’s fix this!

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Posted by Norm Werner

To get the reward, you must take the risk…

May 28, 2021

Pastor Freed used this Mario Andretti quote today in his blog, Jack’s Winning Words – “If everything seems under control, you’re not driving fast enough.”

Mario was a winning driver in Formula 1 and IndyCar racing because he always drove fast enough and managed to stay in control at the same time. Mario’s advice is really about overcoming fears and taking risks to get ahead in racing and in life. When your life is too much “under control” it is usually because you have let fears stop you from exploring what is right beyond your comfort zone.

Here are some great quotes by an impressive array of people about getting beyond our fears –

“Always do what you are afraid to do.” (1841) —Popularized by Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Not to do what you are afraid to do is to guide your life by fear. How much better not to be afraid to do what you believe in doing!” (circa 1881) —Jane Addams

“You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” (1960) —Eleanor Roosevelt

“Do one thing every day that scares you.” (1997) —Mary Schmich

You might ask why you should follow this advice. To extend the Andretti thought just a little, if you are allowing your fears (and prejudices) to control and constrict your life, you are not living life to the fullest. It’s as if you never moved from black and white TV to color TV (I know many of my readers don’t even know what black and white TV was). It is as if you went to the Baskins Robbins ice cream store and ordered plain Vanilla every time. Life has more to offer than your fears allow you to experience.

Life offers many rewards in terms of new friendships, new experiences and new knowledge to those who are unafraid to reach out for those things – to take the risk of meeting someone new or trying something new, something that you may be afraid of trying. Sometimes those fears hide under the cloud of prejudice, but the real base of all prejudices is unfounded fear.

I like Mary Schmich’s quote because it is a simple pro-active challenge to think about something that you are not doing because you are afraid. There are many things that really are too dangerous to try and, in those cases, your fears are serving you well. At the same time, there are many instances in life where holding back because of some unfounded fear really is a missed opportunity to make a new friend or have a great new experience, one that you may even learn from.

If you do not take the opportunity to talk to a person who looks different from you, you have missed an opportunity. If you do not go to that sporting event or that show, because its venue is in a neighborhood that you fear going into, you have missed an opportunity.  If you turned away from the person who was dressed differently or spoke differently or perhaps had piercings or tattoos because of fear or prejudice, you may have missed the opportunity to meet the most interesting person in the room.

So, let go of your fears and allow yourself to get right to the edge of control in life. Take the risk of not being afraid and you will be richly rewarded with a life that is much more interesting and fulfilling.

Do something that scares you today.

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Posted by Norm Werner

What a coincidence…

May 27, 2021

Pastor Freed used this quote today in his blog, Jack’s Winning Words – “When I pray coincidences happen, and when I don’t, they don’t.”  (William Temple)

Much of the time we pray after the fact, thanking God for some fortuitous coincidence that has already happened or perhaps praying for help or rescue from some misfortune. When do you find yourself praying? Do you pray before or after some coincidence happens? Do you ask for guidance and help going in or forgiveness or help coming out of that coincidence?

Often it is the inability to forgive ourselves for some mistake that we’ve made that is the real driver behind our prayers. We need God’s help moving on and ask Him to take the burden of guilt from our shoulders. By praying to God and accepting the outcome as God’s will we can shift the outcome of the event from a guilt trip to a learning experience and move on. Yes, we coulda, woulda and shoulda, but we didn’t, didn’t, didn’t. So, what can we learn from it, so that we don’t make the same mistake again?

It is also important to pray thinking God for the fortuitous outcomes as it is to pray for help. The accident narrowly avoided, the imagined horror that didn’t happen, the reward for good service finally recognized or the new friend you met “by chance” are all coincidences that God needs to be thanked for in your prayers.

You can put yourself in the right mood for the day if you wake up with the short prayer in mind  – “Thank you God for giving me another day.”  Just that beginning will likely kick off a number of thoughts about coincidences that you are thankful did or didn’t happen yesterday and things you need God’s help with today.  

Praying about it won’t change what will happen today, but it will change how you react to what happens today. Pray for God’s peace and the ability to make good decisions as the coincidences of the day occur. Then you’ll have things to look back on and thank God for helping get you through them.

Start with a prayer and have a great, coincidence-filled day!

Maybe Temple could have said, “When I pray coincidences happen and I’m ready for them.”

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Posted by Norm Werner

Be a winner today…

May 26, 2021

“Winning doesn’t always mean being first.  Winning means you’re doing better than you’ve ever done before.”  (Bonnie Blair) – from the post to the blog  Jack’s Winning Words for May 26,2021. Jack went on to write – While speed skater Blair was an Olympic medal winner, her focus was on something other than the gold. While she’s proud of her medals, she concentrates on improving herself rather than on beating others. Life would go better for many of us if we’d focus on “self-improving,” rather than on what others are doing.

We have unfortunately become a society fixated on the concept of winners and losers. In order to be a winner, it seems, someone else must lose – you must beat someone or be better than them at something. There are very few focused upon creating win-win scenarios, where everyone is a winner and there are no losers required. The Special Olympics is one organization that focuses upon everyone who competes being a winner. Support the Special Olympics in your area. Be a winner.

Our political scene has become such a dysfunctional mess because the politicians’ ability to find compromises where everyone feels like they won has been lost. Politics has become a knock-down winner-loser contest with jaws set and compromise out of the question. Don’t let yourself get dragged into that morass. Be a winner.

Racism is to a large extent driven by that same winner-loser mentality, augmented by unjustified fears. The winner-loser proposition grew out of the owner-slave origin of the relationship between whites and blacks and evolved into a greater-lesser proposition over time – a winner-loser position. Don’t go there. Be a winner.

The key message in Blairs quote is focusing upon doing better as a person than you have done in the past – on being the best you that you can be. Be a winner.  

Thinking of yourself as a winner begins by accepting yourself. I’ve posted here a few times that you must accept and love yourself before you can love others. Loving yourself can begin by accepting the love of God. If you believe that God accepts and loves you just as you are, you give yourself permission to also love who you are. That is not to say that you can’t be an even better person, just that you don’t have to beat yourself up for past mistakes – God has forgiven you, so forgive yourself and move on. Be a winner.  

Thinking of yourself as a winner, albeit a winner who may still have room for improvement, puts you in a positive frame of mind. Combining that with the thought that winning doesn’t mean that you have to go out looking for other to beat allows you to see the win for you in win-win situations. You can feel good about doing things in which everyone wins and not just you. Be a winner.

Finding ways to be of service to others is the easiest win-win scenario. You get the “win” of feeling good about what you are doing and others benefit (“win”) from your service. Nobody loses in those scenarios. Everyone is a winner. Be a winner.

Take stock at the end of each day to find the wins that you had in becoming the best you that you can be. That is your personal scorecard and will help you set self-improvement goals for het next day. If you find that you didn’t make any recognizable progress today towards being a better you, maybe you need to set more specific goals for yourself. Don’t beat yourself up for not achieving something today, but increase your resolve to be better tomorrow. Be a winner.

Being a better you may involve being healthier, being friendlier, being more compassionate, being more understanding and empathetic, being less fearful and letting go of prejudices, learning from your mistakes, and more. It is key to pause to reflect on the things that you did today, the reactions that you had to events and people and the decision that you made and ask yourself, “How could I have done better? How could I have turned that into a win-win?” Be a winner.

Maybe it would help put you in the right fame of mind to be a winner today if you started by taking a moment to ask God for his help today. Simply praying for God’s help today will make you a winner before you even leave the house, because you will already know from Romans 8:31 –  “If God is for us, who can be against us?”  Take the win that having God with you and find someone to share it with and that will result in a win-win. Be a winner today.

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Posted by Norm Werner

Choose wisely…

May 25, 2021

In today’s post to his blog, Jack’s Winning Words, Pastor Freed explored the free will that God give us to make our own choices beginning with this quote – “It’s choice, not chance, that determines your destiny.”  (Jean Nidetch)

There is a tendency to use the words fate and destiny as if they have a common meaning and indeed the dictionaries often show them as synonyms; however, when I did a little quick research, I found some useful definitions of the differences –

“Fate and destiny are both words dealing with a predetermined or destined future. That’s why they are so easy to mix up. However, while fate is concrete and determined by the cosmos, destiny depends on your choices in life.”

It is that ability to make choices that is made possible by free will and the impact of free will is further defined in these two sentences that I found –

Fate brings you opportunities, and free will determines whether or not you take them.

Fate parades options in front of you, but you have to use your free will to reach up and grab one.

So, rather than believe that God has somehow pre-determined the course of your life, it is perhaps more accurate to think that God already knows what choices fate will present to you and can foresee the choices that you will make. There are all sorts of sayings about God being one’s co-pilot in life or being there with you as you make those choices. It is also comforting to know that even if you make bad choices, God forgives you and sticks with you.

Still, it is our free will that give us the opportunity to make those choices and we should take that responsibility seriously and make good choices. There are things that take away free will, like an addiction to drugs or alcohol, which cause people to make bad decisions. That is why some form of interdiction must take place, so that they can begin to exercise their free will and once again make the right decisions. One should admire those who attend AA or DA meetings because they have taken back control of their free will and made a good choice.

Rather than surrender to fate, take control of your destiny. Make the first good choice each morning with a prayer for God to watch over you during the day and help you make good choices at the inflection points that fate throws at you during the day. Remember Nidetch’s quote that is your choices and not chance that will lead to your destiny. Most choices that you face during the day will not seem to be all that important, but each one will impact your destiny, so exercise your free will and choose wisely.

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Posted by Norm Werner

Be a better person today…Serve others

May 21, 2021

Today is national Waitperson Day, a day to give a special thanks (and tip) to your waitperson, attendant  or barista. Pastor Freed used this quote in his blog, Jack’s Winning Words, today – “I really believe that waiting tables makes you a better person.”  (Judy Greer)

In that post he also had another piece of advice from a restaurant worker – “It doesn’t matter what your occupation is, you can still be a servant and make someone’s life better.”

There is a lot in that second piece of advice that is rooted in the teachings of Christ – serving others and making their life better. There is purpose in service to others and a rewarding feeling of accomplishment if something that you do makes someone else’s life better.

There is also a rewarding sense of accomplishment in realizing the advice of Abraham Lincoln from an earlier post to Jack’s blog – “Whatever you decide to be, be a good one.”

When you put the first and last quotes together in your mind it is evident that waiting tables in itself is not what makes you a better person so much as doing so with the attitude that you are going to be the best waitperson that you can be and make someone else’s life better because of it.  Waiting tables just happens to be one of the entry-level jobs that many people take up to get started as productive members of society. It also is a great proving ground for developing life skills that one needs to be successful later in life.

I’ve posted her in the past about an annual Lenten Soup Supper that my church hosts and how I find great satisfaction from serving in the role of a busboy during that event. I’m not sure that I would want to do that for a living, but for that one night of the year I find joy in serving others to make their soup supper experience the best that it can be.

One doesn’t have to become a busboy or waitperson to find satisfaction on serving others. There are lots of volunteer positions in any community that provide opportunities to be of service to others. There are meals to be packed and delivered to shut-ins. There are shelves to be stocked at the local food bank. There are beds to be made and cleaning to be done at local shelters. There are items of clothing to be sorted and racked at the local Goodwill store. There are local museums and art centers and other community volunteer groups that are always looking for volunteers.

So, if you generalize the opening quote to read, “I believe that serving others makes you a better person”, there is no shortage of opportunity to serve others.

Whether at work or in a volunteer role, whatever you decide to be, be a good one. Find ways to serve others and be a better person today. And if you get the chance today. leave a bigger tip for your waitperson.

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Posted by Norm Werner

The truth is the real weapon…

May 19, 2021

In his Jack’s Winning Words post today, Pastor Freed used this quote from T E Lawrence – “The printing press is the greatest weapon in the armory of the modern commander.” 

You may remember Lawrence as Lawrence of Arabia. From Wikipedia – Colonel Thomas Edward Lawrence CB DSO (16 August 1888 – 19 May 1935) was a British archaeologist, army officer, diplomat, and writer, who became renowned for his role in the Arab Revolt (1916–1918) and the Sinai and Palestine Campaign (1915–1918) against the Ottoman Empire during the First World War.

In Lawrence’s time the printing press was still the most powerful way to get a message out. Today Lawrence might reference the Internet, which has largely replaced printed material as the way to communicate to the masses.

One disturbing aspect of the “progress” of electronic communications, especially the rise of social media to get a message out, is the easy with which that media can be used to spread lies as well as the truth. In Lawrence’s day one could hardly buy a printing press and start cranking out papers full of lies. Today anyone can sign on to Facebook or Twitter and start spreading lies or misinformation (well not everyone, but enough about politicians).

I suppose that in Lawrence’s day one could have said, “I saw it in a pamphlet or paper, so it must be true”; however, I doubt that people were quite that naïve back then. Today a disturbingly large part of the population does believe that if they saw it on the Internet, it must be true.

Jack asked in his post, “How do you determine what is “fake” and “real” news?” I rely somewhat on evaluating the source of the news – where am I seeing or hearing this from? There is a noticeable difference in the choices of what to report and how to report it between the newscasts of NBC or CNN and that of Fox News. The biases of both sides in those “newscasts” are evident in the words that the talking heads chose as they report the news or in the questions that they may ask during an interview. I’m not sure that they are overtly aware of their biased reporting or just let it slip in. So, the “fact” is that news sources of both political persuasions let their biases creep into their reporting.

The huge amount of misinformation or disinformation being spewed forth on the Internet has led to the rise of so-called “fact checkers”, people who proport to verify the truthfulness of information by a variety of means, such as tracking down the “source”. Since the truth is a threat to the spreaders of disinformation, they have attempted to silence the fact checkers through a variety of means. What they really sort out is the difference between facts and opinions (the basis of lies). One can often tell who the biggest liars are by listening to who screams loudest about being fact checked.

So, perhaps we all need to follow the advice of Pliny the Elder in his 77 AD opus Naturalis Historia.  Pliny the Elder translated an ancient text, which some have suggested was an antidote to poison, with the words ‘be taken fasting, plus a grain of salt’. The idea comes from the fact that food is more easily swallowed if taken with a small amount of salt. Today, the idea is to take everything with a grain of skepticism.

That grain of skepticism should not be allowed to turn into cynicism about everything but should just evoke enough of thoughtful evaluation of whatever is being said, so that the “truth” can be discerned. Some false Social Media posts to the Internet, like the “Big Lie” about the last election being stolen have no defensible basis in fact yet persist in bouncing around the Internet like an echo at the Grand Canyon. Fortunately, most of the fake news that is posted is quickly forgotten once it had been debunked by fact checkers.

So, seek the truth in all that you see and hear, especially on the Internet. We have been told in the Bible –

“And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32)

John was talking about the truth of everlasting life that is found one’s belief in Jesus; however, knowing the truth in our daily lives will set us free, too. Lies try to hold us captive to evil. Check the facts. Discern the truth and be set free.

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Posted by Norm Werner

You can do the right thing…

May 18, 2021

In today’s post to his blog, Jack’s Winning Words, Pastor Freed used this quote – “It’s always easier to cancel something than to fix it.”  (Nick Zano)

The term “Cancel Culture” has become popular, due in large part to the headline grabbing stories about accounts on Facebook and Twitter being cancels for former President Trump following the Capital insurrection. Unfriending someone on a social media account is the cancel culture choice for many who disagree with their opinions. I must admit to unfriending several people on Facebook after I tired of reading their conspiracy theory posts about the last election. It was obvious that arguing with them in any attempt to fix the issue was worthless.

There are many issues in our culture that present us with the choice of canceling (ignoring) them in our minds or working to fix them. The issues raised by racism, homophobia and transgender come to mind. For many the easy way out is to just ignore the issues or turn away and ignore the ignorant rants of others against people of color or people with different sexual orientation or sexual identification. Sometimes just asking the simple question, “Why would you say that?” when you hear a racial or homophobic slur can force a discussion that would allow you to express your opinion, not on the topic so much as their reaction to the topic. You can do the right thing.

In trying to format an answer to that simple question the other person may quickly realize that they have no defensible reason for their reaction or statement, other than unfounded fears. Unfortunately, most of time that will trigger a secondary reaction of anger directed at you for having called them out. That is a small price to pay if your question causes them to have to think about the basis for their fears. Fixing things is seldom as easy as ignoring them. You can do the right thing.

You may argue that choosing to ignore an injustice and doing nothing is not wrong, but we are told in the Bible –

“So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” (James 4:17)

Instead, we are admonished to act –

“Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.” (Isaiah 1:17)

So, doing the right thing to fix what you see is wrong is what we are asked by God to do and taking the easy way out by choosing to ignore it or cancel it out is a sin. You can do the right thing.

It is also easy to argue (usually with yourself) that you alone cannot “fix” the problems of the world; however, you can take actions to fix the small parts of those bigger problems that you encounter, the slights or injustices that you have the power to intercede in through your actions. You can extend the hand of friendship to the shunned. You an chose not to join in the bullying or baiting of the different ort helpless. You can reach out to the lonely, the different or the oppressed in our society. You can do the right thing.

It might be easier to take the cancel culture route and unfriend someone on social media or in life, but that does nothing to fix the problems or help them. Sometimes fixing something is all about doing the right thing, being unafraid, setting an example for others to follow. Think about it. You can do the right thing.

What will you do today when you encounter prejudices, fears and hate? You really can’t cancel them out or ignore them. However. You can do the right thing.

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Posted by Norm Werner

What fountain are you drinking from?

May 17, 2021

In his blog, Jack’s Winning Words, today, Paster Freed used this quote – “Some people drink from the fountain of knowledge; others just gargle.”  (Robert Anthony)

The today’s world of rampant misinformation and even disinformation, there are other fountains to drink from and many have chosen those founts of “knowledge”.

It is disturbing to think that there are forces (nations) at work trying to feed us bad information and conspiracy theories as a means of causing confusion and chaos, thus weakening us as an adversary. Yet sufficient evidence exists that Russia, China and Iran, just to name a few, have state sponsored disinformation campaigns under way all of the time aimed primarily at the United States. Their constant efforts at fomenting unrest have been more successful than they probably hoped and more effective than we may have believed was possible.

These disinformation spreaders have even succeeded recently is stirring up trouble for the very people who have dedicated themselves to the truth – the fact checkers. The fact that they can have their toadies in America proposing laws that would hinder the efforts to check for the truth is truly disturbing, yet we have bills being introduced in our own state legislature designed to make checking on the fact and presenting the truth harder. It is ironic that the argument for these laws is that facts interfere with the “rights” of the spreaders of misinformation to free speech – to be free to spread lies without being confronted with the truth. Yet that is the defense of their actions. Those same people would stifle or hinder the rights of the fact checkers to refute those lies.

But, back to us. What fountain do you drink from? Do you drink in deeply from the fountain of knowledge, seeking to understand and assimilate knew knowledge and add it to your store of wisdom? Or maybe you just gargle with new knowledge, content to have a temporary insight and then spit it out, essentially learning nothing from it. It is interesting that the very things that put instant knowledge at our fingertips, like the internet, social media and Google, also encourage us to accept knowledge in sound bites and short TikTok videos (or maybe Tweets) and then discard them without further thought or consideration about where they fit in our life’s storehouse of knowledge. Those quick tidbits of “knowledge” do not become wisdom because they are gone before they can be evaluated and find their proper place in our minds. We are quickly on to the next shiny new Tweet or post.

Pastor Freed mentioned in his blog post that he believes that he was just gargling with knowledge before he made the connection between religion and philosophy while in college. I, too, remember that college was the place where I first started having a deeper understanding of things and began drinking in knowledge rather than just gargling with it. Do you remember when that happened in your life? Perhaps you are still awaiting that “Aha” moment. In that moment, the taste from the fountains of misinformation and disinformation will turn bitter in your mouth and seeking the truth, so that you can add it to your knowledge will become a life goal.

Before you start out today and this week, take a moment to visit one of the best fountains of knowledge – the Bible. In it you will find the answers to many of the questions that may have been bothering you and some good advice on living. The information and knowledge that you find there provide a good foundation upon which to build the wisdom that will serve you well in life. It will also equip you to deal with the Devil and his minions in the disinformation world and allow you to better know the truth when you see it.  In the Bible we read –

“See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.” (Colossians 2:8)

What fountain are you drinking from? Try drinking in the knowledge from the Bible first and much of the rest will fall into place.

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Posted by Norm Werner

Advice from Proud Mary…

May 15, 2021

Creedence Clearwater Revival recorded Proud Mary, written by Credence front man John Fogerty, in 1968, but it was the 1970 cover by Ike and Tina Turner that became the iconic version of the song. Watch Tina’s 1971 version here.

There is a great piece of advice for life in one of the early lines in the song – “I never lost one minute of sleep worrying about what might have been.”

Too many people lose sleep and more because they get lost in the morass of coulda, woulda, shoulda. Well, you didn’t, didn’t, didn’t and it’s over and gone; so, let it go and move on.

There was a popular little phrase – “What it was, What it is and What it yet may be”. One sure thing about the past is that it has passed and there is no going back. The “what it was” in your life is immutable – it will never change, no matter how hard you think about it. So spending time thinking about it is just wasting time in the present. It’s OK to have an occasional fond memory of a person or an event but beating yourself up for bad decisions or decisions not made is just self-destructive. Forgive yourself as God forgives you and move on.

Most of your thoughts should be focused on the moment at hand. Those lost in the past or dreaming about the future often miss opportunities in the present – they may gaze right past the interesting person that they just met, forgetting immediately their name and not taking the chance to get to know them better. By being so self-absorbed they are like the guy in the recent sleep apnea commercial who misses seeing the flying pig – they miss great things.

Life happens within the context of the world around us and if we aren’t paying attention to the world around us we miss a lot that life has to offer. So, instead of letting your mind wander into the past or the future, focus on the here and now and open your eyes to all of the possibilities that are around you. There are new people to meet, new places to explore and new experiences to be had.

So, don’t ever lose a moment of sleep thinking about what might have been and don’t waste to much time worrying about what yet may be, instead focus upon the moment and drink in the full measure of what is around you to experience – the people, the things and the happenings. If you truly live in the moment, you won’t have time to worry about the past or the future – there’s just so much to experience right now.

Be like that boat, the Proud Mary, and keep rollin’ on the river of life. Have a great day and weekend. Maybe I’ll see you along the way and this time I’ll try harder to remember your name.

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Posted by Norm Werner

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