Dec26/2020 Its A Wonderfull

     Life.     Yes it can be.  The movie wasn't  a success when it came out in 1946.  And lost a half million dollars promptly.  Stewart blamed 25 yr old Donna Reed for the flop.  And he  never did another movie with her  again. Huh??  Why this movie wasn't  a success, I have no idea why.  When I first  saw it I thought it was brilliant.  It became one of my top five favorite films.

    The consciousness  of the public didn't  get it. Maybe people just didn't  want to feel.  Numb from the ups and downs and uncertainties  of the war. It took another 25 years to register with the public When expectations fall far short. It doesn't  matter. If the product is good, the seed will eventually bear fruit.  As it did in this case.

    One December day I was watching the movie again on public broadcasting station.  They were also  raising  money for  the station. I noticed during the film there was a missing 10 min section of the movie.  The film  must of broke and it was spliced minus the missing section.  It was live TV. The host came on to help in raising funds. She said, oh your so angry about the missing part of the film. Really,   part of the TV audience  was in an uproar! Come on already. You let one negative event ruin your peace of mind.  Anger is the little you, the big ego trying to exert and control its  environment.  When your in that mode watch out! You have just removed yourself  from your connection to spirit!

    It happened to me. A friend of mine pulled a fast one on me. He sold a car of mine out from under me. I got in my car and headed to his place in a foul mood. I confronted him and did some fantastic yelling. I then left to go home. While in car I felt like I was  struggling to breathe and getting light headed. I stopped the car and walked a little bit on side of road breathing deeply. I recovered quickly.  I knew if I didn't  I could have crashed the car. I recognized  I cut myself off from spirit's protection by my angers.

    George Bailey did the same thing and almost lost his life, divine intervention gave him a second chance. George then appreciated  his life after it was taken from him.  A lesson in being grateful  for the blessings in one's  life.  For George Bailey it was the loss of bank money, for us it was a loss of Americans  and our way of life in 2020. Hopefully 2021 will give us our lives back. It was our actions that made 2020 even worse than it had to be. THINK about that.

Dec25/2020 Sardines

     It's  a small silvery fish.  A  poor fishing village along the  Venezuelan coast is struggling  to make ends meet.  Many people  are malnourished.  The staples of life are in short supply. Not too long ago, a fisherman saw something glint near the water as the sun set. He ran his fingers through the wet sand and pulled up a gold chain with the virgin Mary affixed  to it. He sold it for food for his family. And the word spread through out the village. Many came to the surf running their hands in the sand. Many got gold rings. Not long after the findings became more rare. They were thinking Spanish gold from centuries ago. Nope, turns out it was 18 kt gold from around 1950. 

    This village pulls together.  When the fishing boats bring in their sardine catch. The residents begin to clean the fish.  A good day for  sea gulls  and residents alike. The government  gives them peanuts for their catch. Which explains their malnourished. The villiagers who can't  fish are given their share of the fish. They all pull together. The young man who first found the medallion gave thanks to God. No matter where you are God will find you and lend a helping hand. This episode occurred last September. But God can be there for you all months of the year.  Know it, Believe it. Ask for the help.  Whether it's  a sardine or a chunk of gold.

    I thought  that this true story would be the perfect Christmas  Story for a hard year   2020.

Dec 16/2020 Oh No! More Stuff

 

    Nine times out of 10, the stuff owns you. Not the other way around.

    A friend of mine took a trip to the Rocky mountains. It was a guided wagon trip. On the trail she found an elk horn. She knew it would look good over the fireplace.  She was tickled pink on her fabulous find. They wouldn't  let her put it in the wagon.  She had to carry it. After 1 mile she would pass  it off to her husband. Each one would do a mile. This was a 2 week trip. After about the third day or so, that horn got heavier and heavier. They were more focused  on their burden than the grandiose  views all around them.

    The fourth day she lifts the horn. There was still a week left to  go. Was it worth it?  The horn hit the earth with a definitive thud. Til this day it probably hasn't  moved one quarter  of an inch since. The reward looked less appealing.  The rest of the trip she felt so much lighter and had a great time.

    As a funny aside to this story. During the night she had to use the outhouse  that the mule pulled. She did her business and as she went to exit, the door would not open. She slept off and on sitting in the commode. In the morning her husband got  up and moved the mule that had it's  backside up against the door. Free at last  into the brisk mountain air she  descended. Turning to her husband you had to be a heavy sleeper didn't  you. Those unhappy events made the trip memorable. Everything looks good in hind sight. Right?

    It was approaching  moving day.  I boxed all my books. Took a couple days. Then I got 2 of my friends to help me move 30 miles. It took us the whole weekend 16hr days. Boy those guys  were tired. Ten years later I moved Again, dragging my books again. Three years later moved again. I looked at those books and I said that's it I'm  not moving them again. So I went about selling off my hoard to a guy who had way more books than me. He had some expensive books that he stored in a climate controlled  storage unit. He said that someone he trusted took some of his important books. You have to be on your guard at all times.

    I had a friend who had alot of nicknacks everywhere in his house. He said look at this. He showed me a 1 inch dot on his hutch. The dot was clean wood and around the dot was heavy dust. Someone stole it. I said did you ever tell anyone about this little nicknack? He said yes a woman acquaintance  of his. I said she took it. He told her once it was worth 150 dollars. When you have something precious ..... keep your mouth shut. 

    That same friend of mine got me a job at his friends house. An older woman was being moved out of her townhouse. I saw her grand kids packing up these artistic plates that hang on walls.  I overheard the older woman saying what is happening  to my collection. I found out later . They were saying how much money they were making on each  plate from the internet. If you don't  keep track of your stuff, it tends to go bye-bye.

    Enjoy your life. Your experiences. Your activities. Your relationships. This is what matters most. It is your reward. And if it's  not  up to snuff. Tell spirit what is that you would like.

Dec/12/2020 Focus

 

    It's  the way to get things done.  I was always  a bad focuser.  Doing 3 to 4 projects at the same time, maybe finishing 2 of them. Being a focuser requires  self discipline. When you got that working for you, your life will run way more smoothly. 

    Select 1 thing you want to get done. Write it down on a pad with the month day and year. Then write how long you think you'll get it  done.  A week , a month, 6 months? After you get it done, see how long it actually  took you. No matter what keep pushing. If you run into a problem think your way around it. The answer  is around the corner.  Invite spirit in to help getting the answer.  Spirit will answer the call. Be vigilant  in recognizing  the help.

    It can be a slow  learning curve. One of my big problems was since I was 14  I didn't  put.tools back were I got them. Pop would holler about it, but it didn't  solve  my problem. I guess hollering didn't  work.  It took decades to get a handle on it. But that's  ok you can go as fast or slow as you want. 

    I find focusing on 1 goal is the best possible way. Once you get that done its on to the next goal. You will be rewarded with satisfaction. And Spirit is always there  working behind the scenes on your behalf. It is that bond  that you want to recognize operating along with you. Whether it's  a small or very big problem.

    You can bring anything into your life an experience, person, or thing. Your choice, but then you have to be responsible for those choices.

Nov30/2020 Decision Time

     When you have a choice to make, write down what your gut said to do right away.  Do not finalize  your choice yet. Wait 3 days. Get someone you trust to tell you what they think.  At night before you go to bed ask to have a dream about it. What ever you remember write it down. It may not make sense but every once in awhile reread the dream. For yes and no answers you can use an animal.  Like lion for yes or tiger for no. So if your running from a tiger in the dream, you know that the answer to your question is a no. Another thing to do is pick a quiet spot and try to feel the answer, does the decision feel good or not.  A lot of times its  your first gut answer that winds up being the correct choice.

    The above was a refresher course for me. I didn't  do the above. My first instinct was don't  sell the truck.  But then my mind was going over the benefits of selling the not working truck. Was I really going to spend money I didn't  have in fixing the truck up. I was always hoping to get money in future to fix it up. Money didn't  come. So each year it was looking worse for wear. And taking up space.  So I got rid of it. Dumb me, I should of held up for more money.  Should have listened  to my gut. I had another truck like it 3 yrs younger, he wanted to buy that too.  I  was quick to say, not at this time. I needed this experience to remind me what to do in the future. So I'm sad and glad at the same time.  Learn your lesson and move on.

    Have a goal in mind.... write it down in a good journal that lays flat and leave it in your bedroom. Chart what you have done to make the goal materialize  in your life. If your stuck ask spirit for some help. It.  the answer may come from a dream or an experience you had during the day. Look for the answer. It will come.

    It is time to redirect.

 

Nov26/2020 A Day of Thanks

  

    This is the day when you look back on your life and remember. The bad and good things that have happened to you.  Each and every occurrence  has shaped you into who you are today.  Hopefully they have made a better you. I give thanks to my wife and parents and family.  They have all been blessings. The more you give thanks the more blessings are added to your plate.  Look back on the last 5 years and see if you have learned anything about yourself. Take an experience you went through, how did you handle it?  How looking back could you have made it better. And say you did learn a lesson, were you able to apply it to your future encounters. We are presented with challenges until we fully understand the  lesson why.

    There was this gal who's father was a drunk. That was her lot. When she got older she was attracted to a young man who had a problem with the bottle. She felt that she could fix him. Marriage 1 ended without her fixing him.  Next up same exact scenario and same ending.  After 4 relationships of the same pattern. She finally had to take a look at herself. She was trying  to fix the father by using the other guys. When she accepted her shortfalls it opened her up to a way better relationship. Each of those 4 guys gave her the opportunity  to see herself. Those 4 guys were blessings. Give thanks for the sometimes unseeing patterns that tie our life together. 

  

 That  negative experience over many years led her to the light.  And she went toward the light at her own speed.  You walk the rocky path until you find the smoother part. But one thing is for sure  you earned it.  You can look hard or not so hard to find something to be thankfull for. Think about those thankfull things not just for today but throughout  the coming days.

    As far as our nation goes,  2020 was a year to be thankfull for.  Back to the light after a taste of fake reality. Also thanks to all the first responders and scientists who worked on getting us the needed vaccine. 

Nov20/2020. Recycle anyone?

     A big truck grabs the bar of the recycle plastic can and lifts it up into the maw of the truck. He sets it down, but doesn't  extend the arm so the can is a couple inches from the side of the truck instead of a couple feet. He m I ves the big truck forward, catching the can and storving it in a bit. The 8 Inch bar is now at an angle instead of straight across the front of the can. It would of taken him 2 secs to extend the arm and put the can 2 ft in away from the road. Nope couldn't  do it. What the F. I get out my hammer and try to force the heavy plastic back into shape. It was a no go. Call the town.  They say they will replace it with a big can. I say I already have a big can. Give me a medium size can like the one I got. Nope they don't  make it anymore. I went to have lunch. I woul use my weed eating torch to heat the plastic and pound back to shape. An hour later go outside and look at the can. Can't  believe it, its back to it's  original shape. The 8 inch bar is no longer askew. The can is fixed. Only a small gouge on lid is there. It's  a miracle. Thanks spirit!