Tips for living well

A few years ago the pastor at our Vista Church gave a sermon on turning over our cares, worries and problems to God. He used as an analogy how Moses’ mother had to build a basket, cover the outside with tar and place her son in it. Then she took him to the river and gently put him in, knowing that she would probably never see him again. How difficult, gut-wrenching and agonizing must that have been? How she must have felt as she left him there, a helpless baby, and then walked back home? As we know, she did it to save his life.

The pastor said that we all carry around baskets filled with things that we agonize over, things over which we have no control. He said we must put them all in a basket and put the basket in the water. Then walk away, trusting that somehow everything will work out. Not because of us, but because we have turned it over to God for handling. He suggested that in reality we all carry these baskets around with us. Sometimes we put them down, walk away and then the next day, pick them up again. Yes, I do this all the time.

What brought this to mind today was a lesson in our current bible study. The book is called “Rooted” which is also the name of the course. It started years ago in Orange County, CA at Mariners Church. And now the church that my Oregon son and family attend is doing it. I joined in. It has been pretty amazing so far. (Week four out of ten.) I highly recommend taking it if it becomes available to you. I digress. Today’s lesson was on “Surrender”. I am very familiar with that term as well as it’s contextual meaning. But am I very good at it? No! It’s not an easy thing to do. It means letting go of control of people and situations over which you had no control anyway. To stop trying to fix everything, realizing that you can’t and that most things are not yours to fix. Really?  Darn.

When it comes to my loved ones it is extraordinarily challenging for me to avoid trying to ease them through difficult times, to help them solve their problems, to rescue them from life’s tough situations. But I love them! I don’t want them to suffer! Maybe they need to suffer in order to learn a valuable life lesson. Maybe God has a plan that is larger than my imagination that will help them grow, persevere and become something greater than who they currently are. Well, if you could just promise me that, God, it would be easier for me to do!

Maybe it has nothing to do with your loved ones, maybe it is something you are experiencing in your own life. But it remains beyond your control to fix it, after a certain point. And it is at that point that you worry, stress, suffer over what you can’t do. That is when most people turn to a higher power for assistance. If we could only realize that none of it is ours to handle in the first place. It all belongs to Him, if we are truly Christians. We still and always have free will. God will not interfere if we tell him we’ve got this, go away. He will go away. But if we get into trouble? Will He come back? That depends. But that is not my point today.

Put your little problems and your big problems in a beautiful basket. Put the basket down (or in the water, if keeping with the biblical analogy) and walk away, No really, walk away. Don’t look back and don’t come back late at night when no one is looking and pick it up again. Let it go. The hands into which you have given this basket are larger and mightier than you could ever imagine. Be brave and try it. God bless.

 

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The sermon last Sunday was on fear. I am very familiar with it, are you? If you are the average person, fear is an unwanted guest who visits much too often. Sometimes he overstays his visit. Where does he come from and why doesn’t he go back there, permanently?

I am not saying that all fear is bad. Fear is necessary for our survival. It tells us when we must be watchful and when we must take action in order to protect ourselves or others. Fear can be a healthy tool for staying safe, or staying alive. We do not want that kind of fear to go away. Can you imagine the risks you would take if you had no fear? What might come of that could be broken bones, paralysis, even death. That kind of fear is essential for our well being.

The Pastor spoke of control and its relationship to fear. For those of us who like to control our environment, fear can be the result of the realization that some things are beyond our control. Oh dear! What do I do now? Have you ever been there? I have, many times. Try controlling your children when they are adults. Good luck with that. Even when you know with every fiber of your being that what they are doing or about to do is the dumbest and possibly the most risky thing they have ever done. The sooner you realize that you have no control over others, even your own adult children, the more peaceful your life will be, or at least should be. Interesting fact, did you realize that when we sleep we surrender all control? Never thought of it that way, did you? I hadn’t either.

Loss of control can lead to fear which can lead to anxiety. Side note – I am not speaking of the biochemical version of anxiety which requires medication. There are at least three ways we deal with anxiety: 1) Suppress it. Many turn to alcohol, drugs or food to suppress the negative or anxious parts of themselves. This is addiction which is a temporary fix at best and a lifelong, self-destructive behavior at its worst, often with dire consequences.

2) Succumb to it: In other words, give in to the fear. Don’t do the thing you want to do because of what you tell yourself or others have told you about doing it. “You’re too old.”  “You’ll never make it.” ” It’s too expensive.” “You will probably fail, ” etc. Fear is an unpleasant emotion caused by a belief. Your belief system will either let you go for what you want or it will keep you from it.  The Pastor said, which I love, “Everything you haven’t done is because of fear. And everything you want is on the other side of fear.” Think about that for a moment.

3) Surrender to it. You will not let fear have the last word. You do not run from it. You acknowledge its presence but do not let it influence your behavior.

Surrender your need to control everything or everyone because you are afraid of what will happen if you stop. You are letting the voice of fear drown out the voice of God who is trying to tell you that He’s got this. You can let go of your worst fears, your greatest worries, your life sabotaging anxiety, and put them all at His feet. Just say, “You take this, God. It’s too big for me to handle. It is destroying my comfort, my marriage, my life.  You will be surprised at what happens next.  Freedom, peace, joy. Let go. Surrender. God bless.

Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7.

 

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For my non-Christian friends, this might sound a bit extreme. I have always had God in my life, but putting him first was not so easy to do. I never considered it.  My children came first,  then my sister and then other friends and family and lastly God. I didn’t think there was anything wrong with that nor did I give it much thought. God knew I loved him but my earthly family was tangible and therefore their needs took preference and my attention was theirs before God’s.

After becoming a Christian on June 22, 2015, my life did a 180. My priorities changed and my outlook expanded. It takes time, faith and a simple understanding of God to be comfortable with the directive of putting Him first in your life. When you turn your life over to Christ, you are entrusting Him to take care of you, to work through you for your good and to change you from the inside out.  He wants to mold you into in His image so that your light can shine brightly for others to see.

You give up control of your life. That is not to say that you ask Him to make every decision for you. We still have free will. Even if we feel He wants us to go in a certain direction, we have the power and ability to not listen and go in the direction we choose. However, when we do so, He is out of the picture and therefore the results or consequences of our actions are on us.  We own them and have to live with them. Kind of like the expression, “You made your bed, now you have to lie in it.”

I have known people who resist Christianity because they feel it means following someone else’s rules and giving up their ability to make decisions.  Yes, it means following rules, like the Ten Commandments and being kind to others, being honest, helping those less fortunate than you. How hard are those? As for choices, you can make your own choices all day long. You can choose to either listen to God or not. If you choose to go your own way, He will not interfere, but then when you get into trouble, it may take Him a while to respond. It’s like a child not obeying his parents and then getting hurt. They have no one to blame but themselves.

That is not to say there are no consequences when you listen to God. But He uses your consequences to make you stronger, more resilient and a better version of yourself. Who doesn’t want that? Let me just say this, God’s plans for you are 1000% better than yours. You couldn’t even imagine them yourself because your mind is limited. His is not.

Think of God before you do anything significant, before you make a big decision, before you go down a path you are unsure of. Make your relationship with Him more important than any other relationship in your life. People will always let you down, even those closest to you, for the simple fact that they are human! We are all flawed. We all mess up and hurt people we didn’t mean to hurt. Your best friends will always be there for you, until they can’t be. God is 100% reliable.  All you have to do is ask Him into your heart and your life. He wants nothing more than a relationship with you, for you to listen to Him, obey Him, talk to Him, pray to Him. Put Him first and see what happens. God bless.

 

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We all know what a triangle is, but have you ever thought of one as a tool for living wisely? I recently learned how this can be done. I’m here to share it with you. This is dedicated to control freaks, like myself, although I would like to think I have evolved into a more thoughtful control freak over the years.

Picture a isosceles triangle with the tip at the top and the other two points at equal distance at the bottom. Now think of a challenge you are currently facing. It might involve a co-worker, a spouse, a friend, etc. You fill in the blank. Now put God at the pinnacle. Put yourself at one of the two lower points and the other party opposite you. This is life. You can only control you. You cannot control the other party and you certainly cannot control God.

Does this help you see that ultimately He is the one in charge? All you can do is work on yourself and the other person on themselves (or not). God is in complete control of the situation and will use it for the ultimate good of those involved. It may not turn out the way you expected, or even wanted, but down the road you will more than likely see how it worked out for the best. Admittedly this is never easy to comprehend in the midst of a crisis. But what better ally could we have than the creator of the universe? The one who made everything, who knows everything about us, and wants nothing but good for our lives? Look up. Look up because the pinnacle is where He is to be found. Look to Him to help you through whatever is happening. He is always the one in control, not you.

In my own life I struggle with the little control I have. When my loved ones are hurting or suffering sometimes from self inflicted pain (metaphorically speaking), I have a terrible time trying not to fix it. To spread my wisdom over them, my honestly earned wisdom coming from years of making mistakes. I want to take the pain away. I reach for my grab back of solutions and start hurling them at the problem. I want to make their lives happier. I want to have the power to do all of that, so that they feel better and then so do I. It isn’t possible. Learn that now. It will only help you in the future.

When your children are little you have so much more control. You can generally fix their bumps and bruises or mend their little hearts just by holding them close and assuring them everything will be alright. My own mother was masterful at this. My sister and I were truly blessed having her in our lives. Our mother was the most nurturing and loving woman we ever knew. When you grow up, you can still get love and hugs from your parents, your close friends or relatives, but they cannot fix your problems. Even though they sincerely want to with every fiber of their being.   Some problems are too big for humans to fix. And that is when we must go back to the triangle.

Let go of your worries, your dread of what might happen, what could happen. It’s not as if by sheer magic you could change the circumstances just because you love enough or you want to so badly.  God is at the top and you and your problems are at the bottom. Trust His power to change your life for the better. He is the loving father and you His precious child. Rest in that knowing and see the simple triangle in a whole new light.  God bless.

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Our pastor asked the question yesterday,  What would it be like if we believed that God was as good as He says He is? What would change?  How would your life be different?

Think about that for a moment. It’s not a simple question. The possibilities for a better life are endless.  Why? Because instead of believing that your life is random and that bad things happen to good people with nothing resembling “everything happens for a reason”,  you can know that someone is always there, watching over your life with only good intentions, never bad. That your life has purpose and meaning. That the experiences you go through, whether negative or positive, are all designed to shape you into the best possible version. In other words, nothing is random.

Contrary to what many believe, God is not responsible for the evil in this world. God does not wish evil on any one of us. God gave us free will and free will means we can make our own choices and decisions. We act on what we believe to be true, some of us coming from a very bad place. As humans we create the circumstances we live in by our actions which start with our thoughts preceded by our beliefs. When we think negative thoughts, we behave accordingly and then must live in the circumstances which result. We are always living in the consequences of either our choices or someone else’s, sometimes both.

How would your life change if you knew that God was truly as good as He says He is? What if you knew everything in your life was working toward your good as a faithful follower of Christ? Believe it because it is true.

Why is it difficult for us to believe that? Because as humans we have a tendency to choose negative thoughts over positive. To be quick to see the dark side of things rather than the bright side. Human nature? I think so. How do we change that? By changing our self talk. Instead of accepting the negative thought that comes naturally into your mind, chase it away and replace it with a positive one. I have done this. It works. And it makes your life experiences and even your day to day journey so much better. Take the first step toward living a fuller life.

God is as good as He says He is. Now go live your life as if that’s obvious.  God bless.

 

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When I was a child, my father used to tell me, Don’t ever say you are positive about something, because nine times out of ten you will be wrong and you will only embarrass yourself.  I didn’t always listen to that advice but I should have. He was right. Even today I think about his words whenever I am about to announce that I am 100% certain of something . Sure enough, more often than not, I am wrong. Then I am embarrassed. Instead, I now try to say, “I’m pretty sure this is right.” A little safety net to avoid looking foolish.

And then their is the broader use of this advice. We make quick judgements about everything, about people, situations, about our lives in general. And very often, with the passage of time, we find that not only were we a little bit wrong about our first judgement, but completely out of line. I do this often, I am ashamed to say.

We moved up here six months ago and I had to create new relationships to replace the ones I had in California. (I’m not talking about friendships.)  Let’s just say that one of the people I chose was not an immediate fit. We worked together several times and on more than one occasion I thought of leaving and finding someone else. I thought I had her figured out. But part of me wanted to give her another chance. I tried opening up my heart and remaining positive, regardless of what my cynical mind would tell me. I pushed negative thoughts away and only listened to the positive. Yesterday was the aha moment I had been waiting for. I was wrong about her. Everything fell into place and I understood where she was coming from. I stopped judging and started listening, understanding and meeting her halfway. I can’t tell you what a good feeling that was.

Don’t be too quick to judge others, especially those you might be working with in some capacity. Try to see the world from their perspective. It helps you understand who they are and what makes them tick. When I was in college studying to be a marriage, family, child counselor we learned an exercise that to this day I find brilliant. When a couple was having problems, you would have each partner argue for the other’s cause. It was amazing to see the transformation. The wheels started turning and all of a sudden the person who was fighting against their spouse would suddenly understand where the other person was coming from. It gave them pause. It didn’t always turn out that they would completely change their position, but at least it gave them empathy for the other’s point of view. Try it sometime. It can be liberating.

Make an effort to understand people before you judge them. You have no idea what their private lives look like. Don’t decide immediately that they should be dismissed from your life until you really know who they are. If you figure out they are not a good fit for the role you want them to play, then you have made an informed decision.  Be careful not to jump to conclusions. You might be wrong, which could mean missing out on a mutually satisfying and enriching relationship. God bless.

 

 

 

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I don’t even know if that is a word, so I spelled it funny. But you get the idea. I try to write about things I experience during the week that are either great life lessons, aha moments or other forms of self discovery. I think it is more important and more interesting if I write about something that actually happened to me rather than try to demonstrate something I only read about. So here goes.

As you know (or maybe you don’t) my horse has been up here since the end of September. It was with great anticipation and high hopes for our future together that I started going to the barn for lessons within two weeks of her arrival. No such luck. Ruby had never been out in a pasture before and had never hung out with other horses. Back in California she was in her stall, albeit a very nice outdoor stall with a roof over her head and open on three sides, next to the outdoor arena which was great for watching other horses and people. She loved it there. Then what did I do? I moved her to Oregon where it is much colder, rains a lot and where she is outside all day, regardless of the weather! Let me just say that I had tremendous pangs of guilt the first couple of months. In California if she was out in a turnout and it started to rain I would grab her and get her back in her stall before a dozen drops had touched her precious behind. Big change here.

It could have gone either way. She could have hated her new surroundings. She could have refused to play nicely with her new friends in the pasture. She could have hated the rain and the cold and been miserable. Mixed blessing. She loved it! I say mixed because guess what that meant for me when I wanted to bring her in for a lesson? She would run away from me! She would hide behind other horses!  Yes, literally, as if I couldn’t see some part of her body sticking out from behind another horse. Pretty funny. Not at the time, but still, pretty funny. Did she really think I would not be able to see her?

My new trainer and I worked on catching her for the next several months. I even had the input and training of an outside professional, twice. His solution was to make her move if she wouldn’t let me catch her. I hated it but that is what we did. For a short time she was put in a much smaller space, alone. She didn’t like that. But even there she avoided being caught. To say that I was frustrated would be an understatement. To say that on several occasions I cursed myself for ever bringing her up here would be the truth. A couple of times I even left the pasture without catching her (cussing under my breath) which I later found out was a big error in training.

Instead of riding her which I fully expected to be doing, and progressing by leaps and bounds, I was just learning how to catch a horse who stubbornly refused to be caught. Not what I signed up for.

Slowly with time  it became a little easier to catch her. And I’m talking months, not days. She finally decided that being chased by me or someone else with a noisy stick until exhaustion was no longer fun and allowing herself to get caught wouldn’t be too bad as long as she was eventually brought back to her friends. That was another thing she was worried about. Perhaps it was even the reason she didn’t want to be caught in the first place.

Starting sometime this month, a full six months after getting here, it has become considerably easier to get her. I have been averaging between 20-24 minutes (I know, long time, right?) until the last week or so. Then it went to 14 minutes. Yesterday for the very first time she walked right over to me! I almost broke down and cried. Who are you and what have you done with my horse? I said to her, feeling like I was in some kind of alternate universe. Of course she did not reply. She merely looked at me as if to say, Okay, let’s do this!

In the last week I have been able to get on her back three times. That’s three times in almost six months. But the challenges continue. Because she has not had to “work” in six months except for some light ground training, she is stiff, out of shape and even resentful that I would expect her to be ridden and listen to instructions. How dare I? Which means that I am now on a new journey. A journey to get her back into shape and me back to becoming the rider I was less than a year ago.

I have mentioned that I was sorely tempted to give up, many times. I fought the suggestions of my trainer. (Why, did I think I knew better? Yes, kinda.) I decided one day about two months ago that I would keep my mouth shut and listen to my trainer and do whatever she told me to do with regard to catching my horse. And now that I can catch her, I must continue that commitment to listen and work, little by little but consistently, so that Ruby and I can get back to where we were before we moved to Oregon. Ugh. This requires so much patience, positive attitude and trust. It is frustrating, disheartening, disappointing and discouraging all wrapped up with a big bow.But what are my choices? Quit? No, I don’t think so.  The longest journey begins with one small step. One step followed by another and then another and still another.

Sticktoitiveness. I looked it up. It is a word after all. And a very good word I might add. When you find yourself in a place that you didn’t expect to be, but you know it’s not a bad place, stick to it, even if it means taking some steps backwards in order to go forwards. There is tremendous joy and pride when you reach your goal. Don’t give up. God bless.

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I know I said I was back on track a few months ago. I wasn’t. With the move to Oregon came a lethargy and a surrender to inertia. I went to the barn at least three times per week after my horse got up here, but that was about it. I got busier but nothing inside of me was urging me to write. Rather than worry about it, I gave myself permission to take a break until we had purchased our home and moved in. We have been in our new home a month now (almost exactly). I finally have my own computer and monitor back. It’s been a long time coming. I packed it in a box last July in preparation for staging our Fallbrook home. It was just set up in our office day before yesterday. Back in business, as they say.

I love living here, if I haven’t already said so. The seasons change, and I along with them. I am looking out of our office window at bare trees, the apartment complex across the street and a small man-made lake. It is raining today and cold. First real day of rain for awhile, unless you ask my husband who likes telling people, “It rains here every day. EVERY DAY!” It’s not true but it satisfies his need to complain. He actually really likes it here, except for the cold and the rain, which isn’t every day. The people are friendly. The drivers are more courteous. The cost of living is substantially lower than our previous home.

We just flew back to So Cal a week ago to visit family. The traffic was bad when we moved in September. It has gotten worse. Going from one place to the next takes more time than necessary. I don’t miss that at all. I’m happy and confident that the instinct to move here was grounded in reality. That doesn’t stop me from missing friends and family, however.

I think I have finally found a church I like. The Pastor is very good and has just enough humor in his sermons to make us laugh and feel good. His sermon today was from James, Chapter 3 where James talks about how dangerous it is to be a teacher of God’s word because you are scrutinized, judged and condemned by many for the words that come out of your mouth. And then of course, the pastor spoke of the importance of the words we speak and how they can create or destroy depending on which ones we use. Not a revelation to be sure, but something that bears re-hearing.

You know stories of people who were getting ready to end it all until they heard a particular song, or someone spoke a kindness to them which triggered something inside that changed the trajectory of their lives forever.  Our words have power. They have power to heal, to change reality, to discourage, condemn, hurt. How often do we think of this truth before speaking? Before gossiping? Before being sarcastic and then saying, “just kidding!” as if that changes everything. It doesn’t. You removed the knife but the person still bleeds.

The person you are today is an accumulation of what people have said about you, of things you believed about yourself, of how the world sees you.  Are you content with that? Then change how you see yourself. Listen to what God has to say about you. He’s the only one who matters. He’s the only one with the truth of who you are. You are a child of God. You are loved. You are forgiven. You are blessed in His sight. Pick one. Choose them all! There are more, still.

Now that you have made yourself feel better, help someone else. Give the gift of kind words to someone who may need to hear them. Speak with grace and truth. One without the other will not work. Grace without truth is condonation.  Truth without grace is cruel and hurtful.

Choose your words carefully. Know their awesome power. Choose to heal and uplift others, not tear them down, or make them feel lesser than.

God spoke the world into being with simple words. And look what he created. Speak wisely. Listen well. God bless.

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“There!”, Bill said, obviously upset as he threw the ties on the bed.  “You decide!” He was angry because I wanted the final say on which ties he kept and which he tossed or gave away. He was cleaning out his closet due to the upcoming move. Was I out of bounds? In his mind I was trying to assert control over him, which was clearly not a good thing, not if I want to stay married.

I knew instantly that I needed to fix the situation. “It’s okay. Throw away what you want. I’ll back off,” I said, hoping to restore the peace. I heard him say under his breath, “No you won’t.” I left the room, leaving him alone, hoping he would get passed it. I resigned myself to not only accept whatever he threw away but to not even look into the bag he was putting together. No more was said.

When I came home that afternoon from the barn, he greeted me with “The ties on the right side of the bed are the ones I want to keep. Those on the left I’d like to throw away. Go ahead and look them over and pick out any from the throw away pile that you want me to keep.” This was said nicely and calmly, by the way. “Okay,” I said, surprised at his change of heart. I subsequently found three I liked that he was planning to get rid of. He told me to put them with the others that he was keeping.

Taking advantage of his sweeter mood I explained to him that if I were going to throw away a blouse or a dress that he really liked, I would keep it. He understood. Crisis averted.

Relationships are hard. Communication between two people, especially of the opposite sex, makes it that much more challenging.  Bill has buttons. We all do. I think I know most of them by now after fifteen years together but sometimes his mood can cause a reaction that I wasn’t expecting. The tie scenario is a case in point. You try to glean the mood of the other person before tempting fate. This doesn’t always work. I have misread his moods many times, sometimes to the good and other times to my detriment.

Now when he is irritated I try to look beyond my needs to see what might be the root cause. Maybe he didn’t sleep well the night before or he’s stressing over work issues. He’s worried about our future (a common one of late). All of these have proven to be the source of his irritability in the past.

Listen before reacting. Knee-jerk reactions can get you into big trouble and end up escalating the situation beyond your control. I can honestly say that recently my non-reaction has produced zero arguments and lots of happy moments. This because I chose to keep my mouth shut when all I really wanted to do was bitch! And that makes me a bitch, too, doesn’t it?

Certainly there are times when you must speak up. But determine those times carefully, before the accusations fly. Think it through. There’s a reason for the saying, “first count to ten.” The connotation of words, although seemingly universal, isn’t. This is especially true if you are dealing with the opposite sex. I remember years ago getting into an argument with my first husband over the word “upset.” His understanding of what it meant was clearly different from mine. The fact that he was German simply added to the confusion.

Here is my advice when you are faced with a potentially volatile situation with a spouse, partner, child, friend, etc. 1. Listen, don’t just hear. 2. Try to understand where the other person is coming from. 3. Empathize. 4. Now you can talk but don’t use accusatory language. Watch it turn into a peaceful conversation instead of a heated argument.

In last week’s sermon, our pastor said this, “To avoid a vengeful heart remember hurt people hurt people.” Think about that.

Good luck!  :))

 

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Last week I complained about how overwhelmed I was with our upcoming move. I spoke of being crabby and unnecessarily irritable, sleep deprived and addled. This week, as I am beginning to check off some of the boxes on what appears to be a neverending to-do list, a bright thought enters my mind. I’m crazy stressed out but isn’t it great to be alive?

The fog that as little as two weeks ago engulfed me has lifted ever so slightly. I can now see the floor. I feel a modicum of control again. Ergo the ray of light, the optimistic thought that reminds me of all the good in my life.

My husband doesn’t understand how choosing a potential hairdresser or church in Portland can make me happy.  These are twigs I am collecting to build my new nest with. I can’t go to Portland with nothing! I must bring with me as many nest building pieces as I can. I can’t tell you how much I look forward to being settled into what could easily be our “forever home” with my important and necessary relationships (hairdresser, chiropractor, grocery store, doctor, church, etc.) locked down, even if some of them change down the road. One at a time, please.

Sure, I have stress in my life right now. I have trouble sleeping. I worry about the future sometimes. But, boy am I happy to be alive and well, stressed or not!

I read a story today of a man we know who has a rare form of cancer and possibly only a few years to live. He has recently come home from a long hospital stay and is so weak he can barely get out of bed. He has trouble eating and sleeps most of the time. It breaks my heart. His story is one of thousands. It brings be back to what is important and what is merely a temporary discomfort.

That reminds me of something I saw on Facebook yesterday. A small circle a few inches away from a larger circle. Inside of the smaller circle were the words, “comfort zone.” In the larger circle it said “this is where the magic happens.” Good food for thought. It takes your fear of the unknown and turns it into excitement for the adventure that is to be.

No matter what your current story is, remember and say aloud, “It’s great to be alive!” You’ll be amazed at how it changes you. God bless.

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