Empty Your Pockets...

Rather than place your burden & worries in your pocket to carry with you all day...lay your burden down.

We were not created to carry worry & despair throughout the day. Yet we have hidden our emotions behind a forced smile or an attitude of imitation. Many people often relate to music. Relax & Close your eyes as you listen to the words. Who do you look to for approval, comfort, reassurance, & trust; your career, your family, associates, God?

Sometimes those you least expect in life will bless you the very most. For each life has a divine purpose. This purpose may be heard in a certain song, a tragedy in life, or a blessing in disguise revealed as our Lord welcomes us Home. We are not to judge, only to find our peace in the time we have here.

Whitney Houston - I Look To You (Official Music Video)Whitney Houston, I Look to You

Look to the ONE- the ONLY ONE who will hold your hand along your path of purpose & lead you each step of the way. For when you let go of what is weighing you down, you life is enlightened & defined. It's your choice...Take a moment & empty your pockets. “

Misplaced Moments of a Lifetime

Remember the good ole days?

When the activities of the youth were limited to one after school event,& vacations were to the local state park to take in the sights. Even the thrill of staying in a motel was an event in itself as we stopped the travels in mid-afternoon so we could spend family time in the pool. Then we would dress for dinner at the Howard Johnsons buffet.

These days have been overshadowed by the glitz & rah-rah of expectation & never being satisfied with the simple things of living. As we grow older, we reflect back on these times. Often we are not happy with the transitions. We see our lives moving too fast & time invested in the life of another has diminished, if not almost nonexistent. We place our loved ones, who are now no longer independent, in the care of a stranger or in a home that is not their own.

Then we rarely visit or call. We are too busy. When we invite time to be the enemy we fall victim to the theft of memories we cannot hold on to. We cast blame on the government, the schools, & even the church whether they are a part of the issue or not. Could it be that we are too busy to notice where the blame really is hiding? Take a look in the mirror.

Let’s propose a challenge. Make three appointments to keep for one month; each week no matter what. Make a date with the people in your life that matter the most: one with yourself, one with your spouse or best friend, & one with your parents and children if you are a parent. Rearrange your priorities for a month. Say no to intruding interruptions of your sleep, relaxation, recreation, & quiet times. Turn off the TV, the computer, & stop playing with the phone, apps, & texting. For this time - Just STOP the unnecessary distractions in your Life. Interesting how the word 'NO' is becoming less spoken to children, young adults, and even to ourselves when wanting (not needing) the most recent 'toy' whether it be electronics, or automotive.

We have placed ourselves outside our 'comfort' zone & grown numb to our self imposed debt, disrespect, & delusion of what we can afford physically, financially, emotionally, & economically. “Life was simpler when we were children.” Each generation states that fact as they mature & become dishearten by the following generations. We either ‘remember when’ or we will ‘regret then’. Think about it.

When I was a youth, a box of crayons & building blocks were our iPod. Two cans & a string were our cell phones. It was a soapbox derby that was our car & listening to bedtime stories, our wide screen imagination.

I am blessed to have been a participant in the era I grew up in. Imagine the inner thoughts & memories that your parents who are in their 60-90s must cherish. They have seen so very much. I am blessed to have a strong family & values.

God knows the heart & in my heart are moments of gratitude. We need never take anyone or anything for granted. Memories are to be cherished...not misplaced or replaced. Start today to create your memories of 'remember when' Yes,regret is a choice.

Bling-You Can't Take It With You.

This is part of an article that includes some pretty flashy & fancy photos I discovered online. With some liberty in edits, I hope you see the glitter of truth & humor in the simplicity & sincerity of this blog post.

Heaven, when portrayed by the artists of canvas with its streets of gold, still has the best Bling of all time. Yet, look at some of the Bling Things the rich have found as treasures that are not laid up in heaven. When you go, this stays. Let's hope & pray this FACT is remembered & heeded before the final curtain time. In the meantime, enjoy! When people have money, they look for ways and means to spend it. That is, after all, the entire purpose of having a wallet that is bursting at its seams with a fat wad of currency or flaunting a platinum, titanium or uranium credit card that has an obscene credit limit on it. When people have too much money, they generally tend to splurge it on outrageous commodities that most of us would only regard with incredulity.

Forget about questions like “why, in the world would you want to buy that?” or “what on earth were they thinking?” or even “why would they want to waste all that money?” Concentrate only on one fact – they can and therefore they will. Let’s find out how the insanely rich spend their money. You are going to love this…or maybe not!

Never again will the world take the ordinary pencil for granted for it has been lifted to the level of extraordinary 'The 24K Gold Pencil' by Korean designer Daisung Kim. These very special pencils have a thin layer of 24k gold plating on them when they come to you in a very jazzy box shaped like gold bars. Yes, very creative I must say! Next time you want to scribble a figure with several zeros in it on your check book, lay aside your fancy pens and flash this golden pencil. If you are really happy with the bank’s customer service, you could even give away pencil shavings as a tip. Better still save them up for a rainy day and cash them in when you run out of the gold in your vault! Gotta Go?? How about trying The Golden Loo for Your Poo?

The rich even go to the toilet in style! For them nothing less than a golden pot would do to receive their bodily waste and drain it to the murky lower world in panache! After all, what poop can boast of such a see-off?

Brainchild of Hong Kong-based jeweler Hang Fung Gold Technology, this royal loo is made from 24k solid gold and weighs well over a metric tonne. It’s even found a place for itself in the Guiness Book of World record as the most expensive toilet in the world. But, of course! AND Finally----When it is time to "GO" for the Final Journey...The Gold Coffin (Not going to get you in to Heaven, but you will be seen leaving the main stage in style)

It seems the rich prefer to set themselves apart even in death. Not content with the modest and regular arrangements for their final resting place, they sought out something more glamorous and ritzy – like this 24k gold coffin designed by Art Funeral, Italy. Having made a debut last year in a show for “Billionaires only” this $400,000 coffin comes with, believe it or not, a built in cell phone! (seriously folks...some people just have no idea about the after-life)

In the event they get a bit too restless on the other side of the world and wish to call up and chat with their loved ones here, perhaps? Ah, the mysterious ways in which the rich and dead work. Yeah,can you imagine some of those 'crys for water while having what they thought would be one hellava time with the parties ~ of pain?' Oh people....

When you 'turn your eyes upon Jesus & look full in His wonderful face. The things of earth will grow strangely dim...in the Light of His Glory & Grace.'