Day 22 in Review

Prayer: yes, during a nice long shower
Scripture: yessirree!
Silence: Not much silence here,but tried to tune out

The deed/The Day: got one deed out of the way early...at Starbucks. I held the door for two gals coming out with their coffee. They said, I like your coat! I said, I like your sweater! It was a very complimentary morning! NYBa and I envisioned us duking it out falling over each other to deed people today. But it all worked out. She put a bill in a beggers cup. Good one! One of the last places we stopped today was a kids sock store. We were getting the girls a little treat. The poor woman behind the register started rubbing her head in pain when she was checking me out. i thought she was going to have one of those brain attacks! Instead of tuning out, I asked her if she was OK and then remembered I had baggy full of Advil in my purse. She was thankful to have some.

And now we're off for some off color irreverent humor at Book of Mormon. Ciao!

Scripture: Ps [83] or 42,43*85,86; Jeremiah 10:11-24; Romans 5:12-21; john8:21-32

Scripture standout: John 8:31 "You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free."

Morning thought: the truth is, New York is the best place on earth. We stuffed ourselves with fresh guacamole and pomegranate margaritas and slept in fluffy beds....now a day of wandering awaits. The truth is, this fun! But how easy will it be to see the real truth.. The kind that sets you free... From the SAks shoe department?

Day 21 in Review

Prayer: yes
Scripture: yes
Silence: yes

The deed/the day: Before leaving for New York, I prayed for two families going through an illness diagnosis and a home move...figured I needed to be proactive before gettting to the city. GOod thing I did because I've done nothing but enjoy myself ever since. Except I did get an email sharing great needs from a Jax family who lost everything they owned in a house fire last weekend. I get all the way to NYC and the most obvious and solvable need comes from the home town. When we return, I know we can help in some way. People watching has taken on a new flavor this year in NYC. I definitely feel a little more excited and connected to the people around me, but no great deed opportunities have presented themselves...yet.

Words of encouragement/advice: Start spreading the news...

Final thoughts:

Day 21

Scripture: Ps 119, 81, 82; Jeremiah 8:18—9:6; Romans 5:1-11; John 8:12-20


Scripture standout: Ps 119 (wow, now that's a doozie of a Psalm!) 96: "⁹⁶ To all perfection I see a limit, but your commands are boundless."


Ps 81: "¹⁰ I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it."


Romans 5: 2 "And we^[b] boast in the hope of the glory of God. ³ Not only so, but we^[c] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us."


John 18: "¹² When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”


Morning thoughts: So is going to New York — the capitol of all things unnecessary and over-the-top and gluttonous and pleasurable — a total contradiction to this Lenten study? I hope not, and I don't think so. Remember, New York didn't rank too high on the list of cities where people look out for one another. I seem to recall that study showed if you dropped a pen on the street, there was a very small chance someone would pick it up, find you and return it. To me, that says there are plenty of Good Samaratin-ing opportunities awaiting! But the first Psalm reading also gives me some perspective: there's a limit to the "perfection," or the opulence, that is so prevalent in places like New York. There are fine experiences and items — but there shine doesn't last forever. God's commands, the deeds he has waiting for all of us are "boundless." His work, and the joy that comes along with it, have no limit and last forever. In other words, I will enjoy the new stage performance or that 2 p.m. French cheese break between NoLita boutique hopping. And that's fine! But I also know there is a greater joy, a boundless joy, that doesn't even compare to the baubles on display in each window. And hopefully, God willing, I will have the eyes to see some of them during this year's trip to New York.

Day 20 — Half Time Report!

Prayer: Yes. Running Buddy better watch. out. I have been having some great morning prayer time during her illness. I may choose to run bah mahself from now on! (not really, it is still more fun sometimes to chatter in the predawn hours)
Scripture: Yes
Silence: Yes

The Deed/The Day: I took the Blonde Brother to the hospital for a test this morning and picked him up. I would have done that any old day, but since I am focusing on deeding this month I will count it. I also picked up the drink tab for our church interfaith planning meeting tonight. Again, not exactly an outreaching move, but it felt nice.

Words of encouragement/advice: I am definitely encouraged by these Mennonites! Aren't you? (And once again, thank you, Brian Williams, you big news hottie...)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/42329784#42329784

The Halftime Report:

OK, so 20 days have gone by. It's hard to believe! I thought I'd share a few observations about how this experiment has gone down so far:

1. I look forward to morning scripture time now. I anticipate an opportunity to hear God.
2. Forward Day by Day and Biblegateway.com rock. First I go to Forward Day by Day's morning devotional, highlight the daily scripture versus and plunk them in to the search engine on Biblegateway for the morning readings. Easy peasy.
3. Quiet time is hard to come by, but being deliberate about it is a must.
4. I have enjoyed reconnecting to God through quiet time. I may look like a freak talking to myself, but it is sincerely amazing time!
5. Running is healthy on many levels of this experiment.
6. Do-gooding is easiest to do when you are out and about and around people. It is more difficult, but not impossible, to do at home from a computer during work hours.
7. Do-gooding requires a constant reminder that I am seeking to do God's will and not my own. It's like zoning out or daydreaming during a rollercoaster. Stay focused or you'll miss the ride! But that is easier said than done.
8. You can do-good friends and family. But it feels different than helping a stranger or someone to whom you're not close. But friends and family are the likely places to start — because it's easier to determine their needs.
9. The more you wake up each day thinking, "what can I do for someone else?" the less you think about having a pity party for yourself.
10. It's breathtaking, page-turning to think of yourself as God's tool for blessing — it's very, purposeful.
11. Do-gooding forces you to get focused and present with every person you meet. It forces you to scrutinize, listen, hear, watch, interpret with every fiber of your brain and heart.
12. Do-gooding gives you new perspective of reading, hearing or watching the news. It shows you either needs that need meeting or how God is working through others to meet needs.
13.  Doing unto others does not have to be a big event. It can be small, but meaningful. And sometimes you never know how a deed has affected somebody else.
14. Interaction is key to do-gooding. It cannot be done in a void.
15. Making Good Samaratin-ing a habit is good training.
16. Most of the time, people DON'T think you're a freak. They appreciate it.
17. A sincere showing of feelings, thoughts or emotions is a very well received deed.
18. Do-gooding rubs off on people around you.
19. Somehow or another, scripture reading is always relevant to how your day of deeding pans out
20. 40 days sounds like a long time, but it goes by fast.

Deed...Definitely!

100-gallon giver reaches milestone for The Blood Alliance | jacksonville.com

Deed...NOT!

'Barefoot Contessa' AGREES to See Make-A-Wish Kid

Day 20 — Half Time!

Scripture: Ps 78; Jeremiah 7:21-34; Romans 4:13-25; John 7:37-52


Scripture standout: Ps 78 "²⁷ He rained meat down on them like dust, birds like sand on the seashore. ⁸ He made them come down inside their camp, all around their tents. ⁹ They ate till they were gorged— he had given them what they craved.  ³⁰ But before they turned from what they craved, even while the food was still in their mouths, ³¹ God’s anger rose against them; he put to death the sturdiest among them, cutting down the young men of Israel."


Morning thoughts: The Psalm is what my worst New York City fears are made of! That I'll be stuffing my face for the fifth time one day — among shopping bags and after a show — and God will strike me down with a mouth full of steak (before I can even have "one more...thin mint wafer"...for all you Monty Python fans out there). New York City is the be-all, end-all test — but I am ready. Because I'm going to drink up— with this, my other favorite standout scripture: John 7: 37: "Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink."


One more morning reflection — this from a gal I always enjoy seeing around the neighborhood. She is accomplished professionally, and is friendly and interested — always looks great even when schlepping two little people around the store. And I have always admired how she has a spiritual side that isn't too "churchy," which I appreciate. She wrote today's Lenten Devotional from St. Mark's Episcopal Church. This caught my attention because the Psalms she referenced is one of my life mottos. It hangs just above my desk:

"Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. Psalm 25: 4-5

These verses spoke to me during my reflection over the past few days. When reading these verses, I learned three things about David: he wanted to be like God; he knew the only way to be like God is through prayer and supplication to the Lord; and he spent a good part of his day dwelling on the Lord. How inspiring!

In truth, I have never thought to ask the Lord to teach me to be more like him. Sure, I pray often that he helps me make the right decision, for patience, or that I do his will over my own, but being more Godly is not something I have consciously aspired to. Why haven't I been praying for this all along? Doesn't asking the Lord to be more like him really cover just about everything?

I so often fail to call upon the Lord in my most human moments. How many times have I given over to anger, said things that I shouldn't have in an emotionally charged moment? How many times have I failed to be as kind, generous, loving and forgiving, as I should? I think part of my failure is that I forget the power of the Lord, and I don't hope in him all day long as David did. In fact, there are days when I forget to address the Lord at all.

As David said, "Good and upright is the Lord; therefore, he instructs sinners in his ways." (Psalm 25:8) The Lord has promised to instruct me in his ways and from now on, I am going to ask him to do so on a regular basis. Then, I am going to spend more of my day in hopeful expectation.

Thank you Lord for your many promises and for men like David, through whom you have taught us how to pray"

Halftime report later tonight...

Day 19 in Review

Prayer: Yes, I ran by myself this morning because Running Buddy is sick. Had a nice long conversation with my "Other Running Buddy."
Scripture: Yes
Silence: Yes, walking home from Duck Pond


The Deed/The Day: So Running Buddy is sick. This is particularly bad news because RB is also New York City Buddy — and we're leaving Wednesday for the Big Apple to go have some sans kids Mommy Fun. I hesitate to even note this deed because I would do anything for RB/NYCB on any normal average day — especially when she's got the crud. With four kids, RB/NYCB needs all the TLC she can get! So I tossed a bag of soup, bread and Gatorade on her front porch this morning. (And I mean that when I say Tossed. I threw the Publix bag at her door carefully, and with great distance, as not to get the crud myself so soon to NYC departure time and all). Please note, doing things for friends is not a conscious deed. I believe it is something you do because it's — well, just what you do when you're friends.


The next event falls into the same category — a non-conscious deed. Abed and Ashraf came to dinner tonight and met David's siblings. We are taking care of The Blonde Brother, who is crashing here for a few days after spending the weekend in the hospital with a "brain attack," as Abed so wisely described TBB's condition. It was complete joy to hear such cross-cultural laughter going on all night. Again, this was not necessarily a deed — but it felt joyful like one!


Words of encouragement/advice: "When you take the time to actually listen, with humility, to what people have to say, it's amazing what you can learn. Especially if the people who are doing the talking also happen to be children." — Greg Mortenson (Stones into Schools: Promoting Peace with Books, Not Bombs, in Afghanistan and Pakistan)


Final thoughts: Speaking of New York, the challenge of this Lenten experiment is about to be like Greg Mortenson scaling the K-2 in Pakistan. RB/NYCB and I enjoy eating a lot, shopping a lot, watching shows a lot, looking out for stars a lot and being total gluttons for pop culture and fashion — a LOT. How "doing unto others" will fits into the scene I have no idea. But I'll keep you posted. 

Day 19

Scripture: Ps 80, 77, 79; Jeremiah 7:1-15; Romans 4:1-12; John 7:14-36


Scripture standout: John 7: ³³ Jesus said, “I am with you for only a short time, and then I am going to the one who sent me. ³⁴ You will look for me, but you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come.” ³⁵ The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we cannot find him? Will he go where our people live scattered among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks? ³⁶ What did he mean when he said, ‘You will look for me, but you will not find me,’ and ‘Where I am, you cannot come’?”


Morning thought: Some days, I feel like the people in Jerusalem who are described here. They see great things, and then wonder, question, scrutinize, theorize and ultimately, disbelieve — while Christ is incarnate right there in front of them. Geez, I think I do this a lot. I seek opportunities to do the right thing, especially now during these 40 days of Lent. And still, I hear this voice in my head questioning, wondering, thinking how I should respond or react — will that look stupid? Will that be too much work? That person probably is fine, should I just forget it? Should I move on? Is there a better opportunity lurking somewhere else? I wonder how long that barber from yesterday's story thought, pondered and worried over his reaction to our visiting Afghan friend. My guess, is probably not long if at all.

Day 18 in Review

Prayer: Yes
Scripture: Yes
Silence: Yes, but it was that anxious silence — that here we go back to the grind, what do I have to do today silence. That is not productive silence.

The Deed/The Day: I thought it might be uplifting to scrutinize the wedding pages from today's paper, instead of the obituaries like I did yesterday. I love me some wedding pages each Sunday. Like their more somber counterparts, the obituaries, wedding blurbs tell a little life story — just minus the sad undertones. I gave a little prayerful, mental shout out to the happy-looking couples. Somehow, a morning acknowledgment of other's joys and sorrows eases the pressure of the rest of the day to find a deed — not to mention it is fun in a weird way. "Go Jody Lynn and Tommy Ray!" "Way to marry your high school sweetheart, Bobby!" There were only a few wedding blurbs this Sunday. I suppose this isn't an activity to pursue come June but it was manageable this morning.

Later today, we took visiting Afghan Ashrafulla to see Diary of a Wimpy Kid. It was funny how the some of the "bathroom humor" resonates culture to culture. Even though I know he didn't understand every word, Ashrafulla got it. So sharing a terrible tween movie with someone who doesn't see them very often felt good. I wouldn't say that was actually a deed, because Ashrafulla is such a delight and so polite that an outing with him is best described as an honor.

I'll have to steal from his host family's blog. Ashrafulla's host father shared a touching story of someone reaching out with a kind deed and message. It's very touching:

"Participating in this program involves a multitude of special moments – some hilarious, some challenging, and some just absolutely touching. I had one of those touching moments last weekend, when I took Ashraf to get his hair cut, along with me, at the neighborhood barber shop. The young barber who cut Ashraf’s hair was so honored to be doing it, and was just fascinated by Ashraf’s story. As we were getting ready to leave, I saw the young barber in the corner, scribbling away on some paper – he was writing a note for Ashraf, for Abed to read and translate later. He handed me the note, and I read it once we got into the car. I sat there in the barber shop parking lot with tears in my eyes – the note spoke of how much the barber admired Ashraf’s courage, and how he would be praying for him, and couldn’t wait to see him again after his surgery. Yes, I’m a big softie – always have been, always will be."

Isn't that a great story? Don't take this the wrong way, but I don't think of barbers as being particularly out-reaching in a good-deedly kind of way. They cut hair. For men. Their life work is, well, more macho in nature. They deal in Barbicide and hair gel and gross old combs. I love the idea of a barber putting down his scissors and comb and scratching out a note of encouragement.

Words of encouragement/advice: From Checklist for Life: "Reaching out to others instead of always taking care of number one is worth the sacrifice. you are never as tall in God's sight as when you are on your knees, washing someone's feet. Make helping others a new priority in your life."

Final thoughts: I'm going to pray for opportunities to be more barber-like tomorrow.

Day 19

Scripture: Ps 95; Exodus 17:1-7; Romans 5:1-11; John 4:5-42


Scripture standout: Romans 5: 2: "And we^[b] boast in the hope of the glory of God. ³ Not only so, but we^[c] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ^4"


Morning thoughts: Here is today' Forward Movement devotional, it's addressing the woman at the well. Amen to this — I, too, have always wondered why some people feel the way they do about "Non-Christians" particularly those of the Jewish faith. We're all from the same family, peeps!

"How odd of God to choose the Jews,” someone once said. To which another replied, “But not so odd as those who choose a Jewish God but hate the Jews.”

I have never understood anti-Semitism, especially among Christians. Whatever else our Savior was, he was a Jew. Jesus was a Jewish prophet in the great line of prophets dating back centuries; he was a rabbi who knew and taught the Jewish scriptures; he honored the Jewish law (albeit sometimes by reinterpreting it); he observed the Jewish holy days. Apart from his Jewishness, the life and ministry of Jesus makes no sense. As Christians, we are not only spiritual descendants of the Jews, debtors to the Jews, but we worship a Jew.

Jesus the Jew seems to have accepted the Samaritan (non-Jewish) woman in today’s story, suggesting that soon the “true worshipers” would worship the Father in spirit and in truth. There was no suggestion that the “true worshipers” had to be Jews. And the woman seems to have accepted the Jewish prophet who told her everything she had ever done. Both Jesus and the woman erased traditional ethnic and religious lines and had no problem doing so. It was later Christians who drew those lines again."

Day 18 in Review

Prayer: Yes
Scripture: Yes
Silence: Yes, my last prolonged bit of it — kids are back!

The Deed/The Day: The kids are back safely from their Bahamas vacation. Ben produced a puffed up bag of Miss Lola's sweet rolls — eight of them. Let's just say I probably spiked high on the glucose level this afternoon, I just couldn't hepmaseff. Ben is always looking out for good deeds to share with his old mom. He also bought me some coconut earrings from the airport gift store, which I thought was charmingly man-like. Sweet boy! Marley was full of funny stories — it's nice to have our family back together.

OK, quickly...this may sound morose and weird, but I went through the obituaries in this morning's paper and said aloud the names of families who had lost loved ones. That was my deed today — to think about people I did not know and pray for their comfort. While I have to admit it felt strange and freakish at first, I felt strangely MORE connected to humanity afterward. I don't know if I have time to do that every morning, but I'll try anything once — and may do it again from time to time.

Another deed today was to get a beach welcome bag for our sweet New York nieces who are visiting from the big city. Who doesn't like a welcome bag? And three-year-olds can't distinguish between Walgreens and Bendel's — yet, thank goodness.

Words of encouragement/advice: Aint' got nuttin

Final thoughts: Silence is nice, but family together time is golden no matter how loud it gets.

Day 18

Scripture: Ps 75, 76, 23, 27; Jeremiah 5:20-31; Romans 3:19-31; John 7:1-13


Scripture standout: If there were a Casey Kasem's Top 40 countin' down the hits version for awesome scripture verses, I have no qualms that Ps 23 would be Numero Uno. Here it is, from the top: "A psalm of David.¹ The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.  ² He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, ³ he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. ⁴ Even though I walk through the darkest valley,^[a] I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.⁵ You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. ⁶Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever."


There was one more this morning that stood out: Ps 27: ¹³ I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. ¹⁴ Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD."



Morning thoughts: God is a present comforter, and we will see his goodness in the land of the living. Those are two awesome thoughts I think. Today, I have it on my radar to pray for a father who accidentally ran over his son with a lawnmower. I don't know him, but I read about it in the paper this morning. The boy is alive, but missing one of his feet. Even though he is a stranger, I don't think it would hurt to send some Ps 23 thoughts his way — that father must be beside himself, and probably will be for the rest of his life.


Another thought regarding seeing the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. David and I saw that new Matt Damon movie last night. The whole premise is that there is a team of angels running around trying to get misbehaving humans back on "the chairman's path." One of the main angels, or agents as they were called in the movie, was asked by Matt Damon if he was "the chairman." The angel laughed and said no, "but you've met him, or her — probably many times — the chairman takes many forms." I really liked that image. That "the chairman" is touching our lives through the hands of many different people — ensuring that we will see his goodness in this lifetime. I guess we just need to look out for it and WAIT for him to spin those hits. 

Day 17 in Review

Prayer: Yes
Scripture: Yes
Silence: Yes! Almost too much

The Deed/The Day: Unfortunately, today yielded a trip to the hospital to visit a loved one. Hospitals should be added to the list of places the ooze good deed opportunities — like airports and the Post Office. I got to hold lots of doors and smile at a lot of very sad looking people. I thought one guy was going to upchuck on me while I was waiting to get in, but he didn't. That would have ruined do-gooding for me forever and for always. I had a nice visit, listened a lot, sat for a little while. It was an exercise in just — being there. I think that helps sometimes, to just be there. I left them a bag of frozen food for supper tonight. It wasn't fancy like a home cooked warm meal, but maybe it helped. Here's a question: is visiting a loved one in the hospital, bringing dinner even, a deed — or a moral obligation? Does that make sense? I did not have to think twice about what I needed to do in this particular situation. Maybe a moral obligation and a deed are the same thing. Maybe I think too much.

Words of Advice/Encouragement: I had the opportunity to interview Anne Pajcic today for a story about how she and her husband donated $50,000 to the local homeless shelter earlier this month. It was inspiring. She said she didn't have to think about it at all. They saw a need — while reading the morning paper. And they did something about it. No discussion. They just up and did it, right then and there. Instead of getting sidetracked with the day's schedule and personal problems and other things, they just stroked a big, fat check. Done. Problem solved. When I told her that her deed had inspired many, she said she was glad — that maybe it would encourage others to do what's right. Maybe discussion is not required when a "moral obligation," a need, a deed-to-be-done, whatever you want to call it — needs to be met.

Final thoughts: I am jonesing for a bag of cheese puffs — and Thin Mints. I think it's a moral obligation for me to at least dream about them. Sigh.

Prank? Or Good Deed? (sharing music, laughs?)

Day 17

Scripture: Ps 45; Ps 40:5-11; Isaiah 7:10-14; Hebrews 10:4-10; Luke 1:26-38


Scripture standout: Ps 40: 5 " Many, LORD my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us. None can compare with you; were I to speak and tell of your deeds, they would be too many to declare.


Morning thoughts: There is certainly a lot of wonder-full, "magical" works happening in our lives, whether we know it or not! I'll bet Dorothy Young had no idea what a blessing her life would be to the arts when she joined the Harry Houdini's stage show in the 1920s. Young was the longest living Houdini assistant, who just died this week at the age of 103. To the point of the scripture above, I guess not a one of us has any idea how these seemingly small, unfolding chapters in our life are actually big milestones on God's path for us. Look how "shy" little Young was sent down a fabulous, show-stopping path (and don't you KNOW she had some good stories!) that ended in a $13 million arts center for Drew University. Magical! Here was the blurb in The Telegraph this week:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/theatre-obituaries/8399112/Dorothy-Young.html

Day 16 in Review

Prayer: Yes, begging for an opportunity for something big and wonderful
Scripture: Yes — now that it's such habit, I really look forward to this time
Silence: Yes, during my morning run

The Day/The Deed: Today's deeds can best be described as another low-hanging fruit opportunity and a stretch. The low-hanging fruit was to go through Marley's closet and bag up all the extraneous items for Goodwill. Good-bye large, cheaply made Rasta Man Banana from the fair! Adios single bunny slipper! Hasta la vista remnants of Polly Pockets and half-emptied beading sets. I'm sure someone will enjoy them, but that deed was done more for my desire to purge than to benefit others. Does that count? Done in that vain, probably not. So when I drove past the elementary school lemonade stand a few minutes later, I redeemed myself and purchased a glass— overpurchased even.

The stretch? Well, maybe it wasn't such a stretch — maybe it was a deed, depending on how you look at it. That deed was executed at the musical instrument fix-it place this afternoon. I was ready, too. I walked in and willed, willed, willed God to let me deed someone big time. I was on — and looking. There were a handful of men in the store, and there was a lot of chatter. A tired looking woman with a nice smile took Ben's trumpet to the back for a quick fix (he had to get a new spit sheath or something like that).

Rolling her eyes at all the men and their twaddling, she said she was the only one in the store who didn't get all stressed out about stuff. I told her I liked her necklace. And that was all it took. Have you ever talked to someone and you swore they'd never stop? I wound her up, and OFF SHE WENT! She talked about how she put the necklace on layaway a few years back and now she has a charm bracelet on layaway and how she's going to St. Augustine this weekend to help her mother and how she wants the new Nintendo 3D and— as Seinfeld's Elaine would say — yada, yada, yada. Instead of acting disinterested and annoyed, I decided to listen up — and engage her. I honed in on her abounding yada. This is not like me. Sometimes big talkers like this woman make me retreat and plan my escape. It ended up being a nice conversation. I learned some interesting things about her, and she got to purge an excess of information. Maybe that felt good for her. A deed? I think listening joyfully to someone who wants to share is a deed. Maybe not, but maybe so?

Words of Encouragement/Advice: This, another bit from Checklist for Life.

"Consider the needs of others. Each person you run into in any given day is dealing with the trials of life just as you are. You are not the only one who has a difficult job, a troublesome relative, or a car that doesn't start on cold mornings. Invest yourself in the lives of others. Ask them how they're doing. Reduced the number of "I" messages and spend more time listening. Look for ways to help others through life's challenges, and your own life will be enriched in ways that selfish pursuits could never match."

 Check this out! OK, I'll make no secret about the fact that I love Brian Williams and his Making a Difference reports. They are so inspiring! Watch this one, go Sister Doctor!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/#42239787

OK, and here's another one from my man Brian. It's about overweight people in Vicksburg, Mississippi — many of whom have the sugars. Vicksburg, coincidentally, is probably the root of my sugars. My family landed there when they arrived from Germany and Denmark in the late 1800s. Their business? A CANDY company.  

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/#42220896

And this, from Mother Teresa: "Lord, grant that I may seek to comfort rather than to be comforted."

Final thoughts: I am no Mother Teresa. But I am a mother. And I like her prayer, but acknowledge what a big one that is. It takes courage to pray for something that big. I will try it this week and see what happens.

Day 16

Scripture: Ps 70, 71, 74; Jeremiah 4:9-10, 19-28; Romans 2:12-24; John 5:19-29


Scripture standout: Ps 71: Since my youth, God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds. ¹⁸ Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God,"


Morning thoughts: This was one of the few cheery, encouraging messages from today's readings. And true too — with every grey eyebrow hair I discover each morning, this is definitely my prayer. The rest of the scripture readings today? Well, they sure do make God out to be a mad, vengeful being. And while I can relate to that, it's not exactly inspiring to me. I feel mad and vengeful sometimes when the kids don't listen to me or when they talk back, or when don't do what I've asked them to do repeatedly — or when they say "yuck" to something I've put down for dinner. I know how that feels when you're so mad and frustrated that you want to shake the walls and break something. But since I'm still on a staycation with my little perpetrators miles and miles away, I choose to forget those thoughts today. Begging for God to not forsake me seems like a much happier alternative.

Day 15 in Review

The Deed/The Day: Well, smiling and happiness were on the brain today. My deed was to write a very dear friend of mine with whom I spent many fun years in our San Antonio high school. I miss her very much. She lives in Dallas now, too far away to see on a regular basis. She and I hit it off immediately because we thought everything was funny — we laughed our way through our final years of high school. We also went to Hollins together for a couple of years. Have you ever had a friend who is just so @#$!  funny you can't stand it?! Party-Blanket-Queen is one of those gals.  (Yes, in high school, we donned "party blankets" — my brother's warm twin flannel flat sheets — and wore them in the hall just to be weird between classes and during journalism study hall. YES and BY ALL MEANS, we were total freaks, but we thought we were hysterical!!!) I appreciate PBQ because she makes it easy for me to be my weird quirky self and laugh about it. It's friends like PBQ who make me smile. So I told her so.


The other deed was more of a "have to" but mentionable nonetheless. I have been involved in the Philanthropic Initiative class through the Community Foundation here in Jacksonville. Tonight we had another meeting. We are attempting to share the encouragement and advice of Duval County Public Schools' "Teachers of the Year" in a way that's meaningful and impactful with local teachers, parents an ultimately, students — a $50,000 grant! This project definitely measures up as a "good deed" — I hope. The education situation in Duval County needs help — big time.


Lastly, today I attempted to smile at everyone I saw today. It felt nice, even though I didn't see too many people today and sometimes I felt a little too, well, smiley. I smiled at our waitress tonight at Bistro Aix (remember, David and I are by ourselves this week with the kids in the Bahamas!) trying to ease the pain of David's mealtime requests.


Words of encouragement/advice:


Two things: First, another study. Today I had Oprah on in the background, and low and behold what was she discussing — but happiness. It's totally relatable — and again, coincidental. The deeds done for other people have a scientifically proven impact! Here's the study she based her show on — it's a Harvard study, so it's pretty legit:

http://web.med.harvard.edu/sites/RELEASES/html/christakis_happiness.html

And then this — which just came in as I'm typing this blog. Literally. Love the timing. Thank you, Childhood-Buddy-Old-Pal, another longtime San Antonio friend who went to Hollins and is a totally fun, good-time hysterical person:

(That is a moth, by the way. A Moth Man, specifically. See, she knows me — she knows moths are on the brain and that the fact that she found this random statue photo is enormously humorous!)


Final thoughts:  Luke 6:35: "Love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most HIgh. For he is kind to the unthankful and evil." and romans 12:10: "Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another."

Smile Training 3

Smile training 2

Smile training 1

Day 15

Scripture: Ps 72, 119:73-96; Jeremiah 3:6-18; Romans 1:28—2:11; John 5:1-18


Scripture standout: Romans 2: ⁶ God “will repay each person according to what they have done.”^[a] 7 To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. ⁸ But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. ⁹ There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; ¹⁰ but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. ¹¹ For God does not show favoritism.

Ps 119: ⁷³ Your hands made me and formed me; 

   give me understanding to learn your commands. 

⁷⁴ May those who fear you rejoice when they see me, 

   for I have put my hope in your word. 

⁷⁵ I know, LORD, that your laws are righteous, 

   and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me. 

⁷⁶ May your unfailing love be my comfort, 

   according to your promise to your servant. 

⁷⁷ Let your compassion come to me that I may live, 

   for your law is my delight. 

⁷⁸ May the arrogant be put to shame for wronging me without cause; 

   but I will meditate on your precepts. 

⁷⁹ May those who fear you turn to me, 

   those who understand your statutes. 

⁸⁰ May I wholeheartedly follow your decrees, 

   that I may not be put to shame.

Morning thoughts: So, the Good-Samaratining experiment has been at the very least exciting and fun. I thought it would be exhausting, however it has made me feel re-invigorated to say the least. But the excerpt from Romans makes me wonder — is putting myself first not only wrong, but sinful? If so, that's a little scary — and a lot of pressure. Because as much as I have enjoyed my training in looking out for others' needs, I still enjoy a lot of me, me, me. Or maybe it means we all face "trouble and distress" when we focus too much on ourselves? Not sure about that, but the Psalms above is a nice prayer for asking God for the answers and direction. Clearly, I have no idea how to figure all this out.

Another thought. In me-land, yesterday stunk. While I was uttering every curse word dragging a moth-infested oriental rug out into the yard, I tripped over an overturned couch and knocked my ankle on one of the legs. Curse words were aplenty throughout the afternoon and evening as David and I swatted away some of the straggler moths I had "stirred up" earlier. While there was a nice break for some do-gooding — my trio "Passatempo"had a wine-full rehearsal last night for a fundraiser we have coming up —I did some more grumbling in the late evening when our mayoral elections were posted. I don't like politics, but I did feel we had a very well qualified person up for the job. Voters, however, did not see it that way.

Today, I am determined to not let negative thoughts about moths, politics and whatever else stand in my way. Today is all about being positive. I'm going to attempt to smile as much as possible, and at everyone I see. Maybe I can even smile for 40 hours straight, we'll see. I read this in the book Checklist for Life last night, which was encouraging:

"Kindness is also an attitude. If you've ever worked in a retail establishment with a focus on customer service, you've probably already heard a dozen speeches on teh power of a smile. That speech, no matter how many times you've heard it, still holds true. One smile to a stranger could make a dreary day suddenly bright. When you do life in an optimistic way, kind words and deeds flow naturally to the people around you. While it may not be possible for you to always carry a positive attitude, make it your goal to live life with as much positivity as you can. You'll even have a beneficial impact on people you never meet...Kindness is contagious. Your goodness toward one person will often prompt that person to do something kind for someone else. Sow kindness and the whole world will reap its benefits."