From the Jack’s Winning Words blog today comes this little saying from Fred Rogers – “Often when you think you’re at the end of something, you’re at the beginning of something else.”
Our kids grew up watching Mr. Rodgers Neighborhood and they’re the better for it, I 
believe. Fred never talked down to the children; but, instead, he took the time to explain things to them, like how to be a friend.
Today’s quote is another way of putting another old saying – “when one door closes another door opens”. Life is full of things coming to an end, often not a happy one. A competition ends without a win, a relationship ends, a job is lost, a loved one passes away. We notice those endings, but often don’t see that something else has begun at the same time. Perhaps it is just difficult to see through the tears of the moment; or maybe we are consumed by the sense of loss of what just ended.
It is in moments like these, when life has thrown something unexpected at you, something that is hard to deal with, that we must find comfort and peace in our faith. In those moments of fear and sadness we can feel alone, isolated from those who are not experiencing what we are going through. It is important in those moments to be able to 
reach out to God, who never leaves us, and ask His help to carry on. There are things that we cannot and will not ever “understand”; so, we must ask instead for the faith and strength to just accept them and move on.
Once you find that strength in your faith, you can turn your attention to what God has in mind for you next, to what “beginning of something else” has just opened up for you. Maybe it’s that new person that you just met who could become significant in your life; maybe it’s that new job with its learning challenges; maybe it’s aiming for the next competition and trying to learn from your shortfall in the last one. Whatever it is; take time to thank God for giving you new purpose and new reasons for living. You’re now at the beginning of something new in your life and that’s exciting.
It is a new day and a new week. Find your new beginnings.
Posted by Norm Werner 
people.
me. Worse is to discovering that someone that I may have been avoiding because of some pre-conceived notion or prejudice is actually a very interesting person from whom I might learn or at least enjoy knowing. When we judge someone from afar, based solely on their outward appearance, we blind ourselves to the true value that they have and the hidden stories that they could share.
and to listen to their hidden stories. You’ll be the better for it and perhaps they will gain from knowing you, too.
extent that we don’t look away from it long enough to see the lives that need touching as they pass us by. How can one see the distress and fear in the eyes of someone in need, if our eyes are glued to the screens of our smartphones? How can one have the conversation that leads to understanding of those needs if one is busy texting someone else with the 
latest “news” of our day?
touching and improving the lives of others. How powerful is that? Nothing else that you will do with your life will have greater impact than changing the lives of others for the better.
that man has imposed upon those who seek to share their faith by joining a religious organization. That is especially true for younger people who have reached an age where they question the validity of everything; especially the rules of behavior and practice imposed their religion. If not before, college is certainly a place where that questioning take hold of young lives for a while. Eventually one is able to separate out the things that are man-made in religions from the foundations of faith and belief in God and become able to accept some of the practices of organized religions in order to share in the celebration of that common faith in God. It is in the quite peace of prayer that one reaffirms one’s beliefs and faith; and, it is in religious celebrations and church services that one shares the joy of that faith.
with questioning one’s faith. Centuries ago, Martin Luther challenged the Catholic Church and the practices of granting religious indulgences. That challenge eventually led to the split from the Catholic Church that led to the formation of all modern Protestant denominations. The fact that there are so many different denominations and variations within denominations just further shows the hand of man in religions. The base upon which all are built remains the belief in God and His Son, Jesus, and, as Dylan said, “You either got it or you ain’t.”
medicine seems to be focused more upon relief of symptoms than actual healing. Whatever you have, there’s a pill for that, or at least a pill to make you feel better while it runs its course. Nature still takes care of that over time.
what ails us. That certainly beats the opioid option that modern medicine has come up with as a solution. From time to time we see studies that indicate the power of prayer in “miraculous” recoveries from some disease or condition. Perhaps it is the power of that prayer to encourage us to persevere while nature works its cure. Just sayin’ that there’s nothing wrong with prayin’.
like that where you feel like turning to God and saying, “A little help here, God.”
So start today and every day by awakening the power of God in your life and you will be able to approach the day like the kids in 
what it is that they believe in. It is comforting in those times to have a strong belief in God. Not understanding why things happen can be unsettling. It can cause confusion and anxiety. It can lead to hopelessness and depression. Being able to say to yourself, “I do not have to understand the ‘why?’ of everything. I just need to believe in God and accept His plans for me.”
novel Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There, the sequel to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
The death and resurrection of Christ is the defining event in the Christian faith and I thought that if one believes in that event, i.e. if that is the foundation of one’s faith; then that belief should remove the fear of death. The next thought I had was one of wondering what someone has who has no faith? If you cannot find hope and comfort in the belief of life after death, then what do you have. Nothing? It’s no wonder those without faith fear death.
death and turn our attention to the joyous celebration of his resurrection. That is how we overcome our fear of death. Life after death may still be a great unknown for us, but we believe in it and look forward to the promise of “a peace that surpasses all understanding”.
It occurred to me that the same thing applies to looking at people. Too often we look at someone without seeing them. We see a color or we see a hairstyle or we see a different way of dressing and we quickly look away without actually “seeing” the person that is there. There’s an old saying, “What you see is what you get”; but that saying requires that you actually see and not just look.
have to talk to them to “see” who they are. How many of us would have seen the genius in front of us if we just looked at Stephan Hawking sitting in his wheelchair? How many times have we looked at a special needs child and quickly looked away without seeing the real person that was there? Do we see and understand the person sitting on the corner begging for our help or just look at the bedraggled person there and turn away with a sense of pity and guilt.
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