Category: Uncategorized

Loneliness has nothing to do with how many people are around you. It has to do with fitting in, feeling cared about. A recent survey by the Cigna company found that three out of every five Americans feel that nobody really knows them. Did you know that in 2023 the surgeon general declared loneliness a national epidemic? He stated that the lack of social connections is the equivalent to our health of smoking fifteen cigarettes a day.

If you feel lonely and left out, you have to be proactive about dealing with it. People are likely not going to come and find you. The culture is just not built for that. You’re going to have to make a move. Go to church, get involved in a small group. Do volunteer work. Join a pickleball group or a book club. Your local hospital always needs volunteers. So do your schools.

You’ll meet people. Friendly people. You’ll be surprised at how quickly relationships develop. So don’t sit around and mope. You have the power to cast loneliness aside.

Sharon and I just saw a wonderful, emotional movie that was based on a true story. I’m not sure why, but I always feel compelled to immediately search the internet to fact check films like this to see how much of it was real, and how much was creative license. Inevitably, I find out that many of the scenes never really happened, and even some of the characters were invented. That turned out to be true of this movie as well.

Interestingly, when I tried to tell a friend, who had also seen the film, about the departures from reality, she didn’t want to hear them. She says it will spoil the memory of the movie. She’d rather go on believing in the story as it was depicted.

Nothing wrong with that I suppose. It’s just a movie. Why not enjoy the fantasy? So long as we don’t accept a distorted version of real life. Striving for material success without a relationship with God is always going to lead to a sad ending.

There are all kinds of old adages and sayings for overcoming disappointment. We’ve all heard stuff like “If at first you don’t succeed”, or “Don’t give up the ship”, or “Get back up on that horse”, and many more.

The truth is, it’s not that easy to recover from failure and heartbreak. It can be personal, and embarrassing, and discouraging. We’re not built to just bounce right back from adversity. It’s okay to take a minute, draw a few deep breaths, relax and think through where you want to go from here. Seeking God’s guidance and vision is always helpful.

Your mountain may seem too hard to climb. But maybe you’re on the wrong mountain.

The worst thing you can do as you get older is nothing. Sitting and not moving, such as when you watch TV or surf the internet, is your enemy. Your body and mind need exercise, or else they will both turn to mush. It will happen more quickly than you think.

Go ahead and watch that football game or that movie, but every half hour, stand up, stretch your arms and legs, twist your torso, march in place for a few seconds, maybe take a lap around the house, or go get the mail, put a load of laundry into the washer. Just do something that requires moving. It wakes up your heart and lungs and improves your blood flow.

At least once each day, make your brain work a little. Read a book, do a crossword puzzle, figure out your budget, work a jigsaw puzzle, just something that makes you think.

Move it or lose it. It really is true.

These days there are surveys and polls for everything. One that caught my eye recently was a survey to find out how much time out of each day people spend worrying. Somehow, they came up with the figure of two hours and 18 minutes.

I’m having trouble understanding how one can arrive at this figure. When I’m worried about something, I pretty much think about it constantly. I suppose this proves it is possible to make yourself stop worrying. Which is a good thing. Worry is a wasted emotion. It does nothing to solve the issue.

I know people who are constant worriers. Maybe it helps them prepare psychologically for their challenges. Just keep in mind, that’s two hours and 18 minutes you’ll never get back. Better to spend it confident in the knowledge God loves you and is working for your good.

My ten-year-old granddaughter just got braces on her front teeth. They are tight and uncomfortable, and she’s afraid other kids might make fun of her. She’s heard other kids called names such as Metal Mouth and Brace Face. But she told me she’s willing to endure it because “one day my teeth will be perfect!”

Kind of like a metaphor for life, isn’t it? We endure pain, discomfort and adversity, and maybe even ridicule, but try our best to hold on to our faith, because we trust that, some day, we’ll be taken up to a place that is perfect. The reward is worth the journey.

Thinking about that should bring a wide smile to your face. Even if you’re wearing braces.

I am so thankful that you subscribe to these little blogs each day. I appreciate you taking a moment to read them. I try to keep them brief because your time is valuable. When you think about it, time is our most precious gift. Nothing else matters if you run out of time.

You only get so much of it. Once it passes, you never get it back. Spend it wisely. Don’t waste it on things that don’t really matter in the big picture. Use it to love, to serve, to encourage, to help, to console, to bring laughter, to support. When your time is up, you will be remembered for what you did, not what you had.

I would be honored if you would recommend my blog to someone else. Someone who might need a daily dose of a little encouragement. I promise I will do my best not to waste their time. Nor yours.

I’m taking my seven-year-old grandson to basketball practice tonight. It will be freezing cold outside. The practices are routine and kind of boring to watch. I’ll miss a good football game on TV. And truth be told, I don’t even think my grandson really wants to go. He’s into playing the games, not so much going to practice. So I don’t think either one of us is particularly looking forward to it.

It is, however, a chance to spend some time with him. I don’t take that for granted. Before you know it, he will be more into his friends and teenager stuff, and he won’t need grandpa to take him anywhere. He won’t miss our little journeys together. But I will.

Treasure whatever time you get with those you love. You only get so much of it.

We love live theater. We attend all of the community theater events and the Broadway in Birmingham performances. I am always impressed by folks who have been blessed with performing talent, but even more impressed at their ability to memorize volumes of dialog and choreography. I can’t remember what I had for breakfast. And that was fifteen minutes ago.

Actors take us on an escape from reality. Through them, we journey to places and situations we find funny, or sad, or scary or exciting. When the play is over, it’s back to reality. I walk out envious of the performers and their skill.

But in a sense, we’re all on stage. It’s helpful to keep in mind God has a script and a role for us in our routine lives. And if we are faithful to it, the encore performance will last for eternity.

Take care of yourself. You are no good to anybody if you are so busy and stressed out that you can’t function, are always in a grumpy mood, or in pain. You can’t do it all. You need rest, sleep, nourishment, and the company of good people.

Ask for help if you are overwhelmed. I know you don’t want to impose on others. Perhaps you don’t want to feel indebted to folks. Get out of that mindset. Your friends want to help you. It makes them feel good. Don’t be embarrassed to share your burdens. We’re all flawed. No decent person will think poorly of you.

You’re not superhuman. Recognize your limitations. Make time for your own health and well being. Be your best so that you can help others to thrive. It’s not selfish. It’s just smart.