To Serve well

Serving with Excellence for a Life of Excellence

Grit

Burning Daylight – In honor of my son Joe

blog_776804_2870492_1457900047Happy Thursday. Today’s blog is dedicated to my son Joe, who showcases for us all how to get up and take on the day. If “ever” I think I might want to sleep in a bit, Joe reminds me “Mom, you are BURNING DAYLIGHT!” Cracks me up every time!

He’s 19 now, but this has been a mantra of his for a few years. The kid amazes, by setting an early alarm, like in the 4 o’clock hour many days, to get his work out in and take on the day. I hope to be like Joe some day!

While researching for this, I found out two things, one the phrase CLEARLY for most of our age groups, came from John Wayne. This makes sense, since Cowboys need to get out early (not that I know anything about real Cowboys, only that my dad was raised as one as a young boy).

I also found that there is a novel, penned in 1910, by Jack London. The story captures the escapades of an adventurer who went to Alaska and laid the foundations of his fortune before the gold hunters arrived. Surely, this is where it really came from- Get out early and get ahead of rest…early bird gets the worm…. You get it.

We get an extra hour of daylight this Sunday… A bit more to “burn” if you will. I love the Spring and Summer days and the opportunity to do more and be more.

The next time you want that extra hour or two or three of sleep, I hope you will get the idea of “burning daylight” in your thinking and perhaps get up, do something healthy for yourself, take that extra time to cheer someone on…. Make a difference!

Thank you so much to all of you who take the time to read my insights… I am grateful!

(Photo Creds: Pinterest)

HUSTLE HARD TO BE A WELL WISHER

blog_774721_2867203_1457410035HUSTLE. What thoughts does that very word create in your mind?

For me, it’s a busy city, maybe New York or Chicago, bumping shoulders, everyone going somewhere; somewhere to fill the space and their dreams.

I also just think of sheer “rolling up your sleeves” and working hard, regardless of  the task. Applying some real “elbow grease,” digging deep and pushing myself to create my best work. It also conjours up some not so fun projects… dirty ovens, chaotic garages and a storage closet that holds god only knows what… HUSTLE feels like work in the purest sense of to word.

My father is a “hustle” kind of guy, always doing something and creating and spinning stories that showcase a busy mind and life. I guess you could say I was born to HUSTLE, to always work hard and not settle. I have translated this with God’s help to do the best I can to keep moving forward, exercise a strong work ethic and in the process strive to achieve my goal of making a difference.

I love this quote,  although It was anonymous… It’s one I wish I created: “Never do the envy, jealousy and insecure stuff.  Be the HUSTLER, the WELL-WISHER, the GO-GETTER.”  

I seriously love the very thought of adding WELL-WISHER to the idea. Think through that… We don’t have to only hustle to get the hard work done, but to do the work that is softer, but no less important. To spread kindness and to be there for our fellow man/woman.

Today, as you go out into the world, I hope that you will HUSTLE HARD to be a WELL WISHER! I’m certainly going to give it my best shot! (And would someone please pass this on to our presidential candidates… :))

(Photo Creds:  Pinterest, ref:  Etsy)

SIMPLE THOUGHT SUNDAYS! Here comes the sun!

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(My all time favorite version of the song by Brooke White)

What a gorgeous weekend! Today I leave you with this song that I love and my hope is that you will sing, hum, or whistle this all week long! It will make you smile and remember that no matter what is going on the sun is coming!!! It’s Easter season and HOPE CONTINUES TO RISE this week!  BE EXPECTANT!

(Photo Creds:  We Heart It)

Take a step up and laugh a bit in the process

I wanted to take today to offer a bit of humor with a life lesson! I also wanted to use the adorable picture of a donkey that I took in Nazareth while on my trip.

I know most of you have heard this story, but it’s worth repeating. Actually, it spoke to me, because there are a few stones coming in my path that I need to step up and over. I hope you not only find it funny, but that you  grab a little life lesson in there. (By the way, the story doesn’t seem to have an official owner, but whoever came up with it, thanks! We give you credit.)

The famous ‘donkey and the well’ story:

“One day, a farmer’s donkey fell deep into a well. The animal cried for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway; it just wasn’t worth it to retrieve the donkey. He invited all his neighbors to come over & help him. They all grabbed a dirt & began to shovel dirt into the well.

At first, the donkey didn’t realized what was happening & cried horribly. Then, to everyone’s amazement he quieted down. A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well. He was astonished at what he saw. With each shovel ­of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing.

He would shake it off & take a step up. As the farmer’s neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off & take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well & happily trotted off!

Always remember in life that:

  • Life is going to throw dirt on you.
  • The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up.
  • Each of our troubles is a stepping stone.
  • We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up, and by taking a step up.
  • In this world people will always throw stones in the path of your success, It depends on you..what you make from them a wall or a bridge!”

Now for the rest of this story…

“The donkey later came back, and bit the farmer who had tried to bury him. The gash from the bite got infected and the farmer eventually died in agony from septic shock.

The moral of the latter part of this story: When you do something wrong, and try to cover your ass, it always comes back to bite you!”

Too funny! And a rich story about life – never quit, never surrender.

A greater understanding: 3 simple thoughts

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I would love for you all to stop and take a look at this photo.

You likely don’t know what it represents so allow me to share. This was taken a mere 7 days ago in Bethlehem, near the wall that has been erected to block the fighting between Palestine and Israel. (Formally known as the Israeli West Bank barrier- spanning 430 miles.) The “wall’s” first segment was complete in 2003. From 2000-2003 there were 73 suicide bombing carried out in this area called the West Bank and in the period after built, 8/2003 to 12/2006, there were only 12 attacks. The “wall” built to protect civilians seems to be doing the job that was intended at first glance.

On the other side of the story, these children I photographed do not know life without the “wall” and their government (Palestinian) would argue that the barrier includes reduced freedoms including access to medical care and educational services, as well as limiting access to water sources and ultimately economic effects.

In summary, the United Nations 2005 reports states it best, “…it is difficult to overstate the humanitarian impact of the Barrier.”

As I always promise to keep these blogs short and thought-provoking, I want to simply ask today that you think about this situation. There are of course multiple issues surrounding this topic, so I don’t want to minimalize it, but I do want us to think about how this matters to us in the United States. Here are three simple thoughts to get you started…

  1. The world is really a small place- As ISIS and other threats seem to close in, should we really be so simple-minded to think that couldn’t exist here in the USA? This election IS IMPORTANT. We must take the time to learn about the candidates and vote responsibily.
  2. Education is critical. It occurs to me that I had no real understanding that this existed a few days ago.  My children likely know a bit less than I do and they are 19. We must do better and gain a greater understanding of our world.
  3. PEACE should be top of mind for our prayers and in our actions.  Where can you promote peace?  Where can you promote a greater understanding? My friend Mindy Corporon who lost her son and father tragically by a sick man almost two years ago, has launched an initiative called Seven Days, whose goal is to promote just this- A greater understanding.  I urge you to check out the site and  pick out one or two events that you will attend during this year’s activities which run from April 12-18 in our area. SEEK PEACE AT ALL COSTS.

(Photo Creds:  My Own)

We are compelled to do better

blog_769370_2856524_1456198174I hope this post finds everyone doing great. Many of you know I have been on a trip to Israel over the past several days. As you might imagine it was amazing and transformative. Since I have a bit of jet lag I wanted this post to be simple but engaging. With our theme this week being “having a better understanding” (which kicked off with a focus on black history month Sunday!) I just loved this posting from Steve. Alone it is a great place to continue our thinking on the topic.

So, how are you doing in this conversation? Are you loving even the down right ugly, bad attitude, sarcastic people that filter through your days?  Are you able to look past the surface and understand that we each have our own path to walk and that for many that path wasn’t initially their choice?

It takes intention. Go out today and love the best you can and embrace the differences. I can’t wait to share some highlights about Israel (simply beautiful country-(insert pic here), which no doubt will include the need for broader acceptance. For today, I am prouder than ever to be an American.

(Photo creds: borrowed from my good friend Steve Fleishaker)

Run, walk, crawl – keep moving

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Love this. Love Martin Luther King, Jr. and what he stood for: equality and justice for all.

February is Black History Month. It matters. Today, I pray that we would all embrace why it matters and understand the importance of continuing to make progress, AKA, keep moving forward. Enjoy this excellent read below and make it an amazing week!

Teach for America: Why Black History Month matters

(Photo Creds: Pinterest)

Enjoy the brilliance of the game

blog_764385_2844933_1454892455Peyton Manning is no doubt my favorite quarterback of all time. (Brett Favre is a close second!)

I realize I’m joining the thousands who would agree and who are cheering him on in what is likely his last NFL game. Win or lose tonight, Peyton Manning has served his gifts well and is someone we can all learn a thing or two from. He has been a class act all along the way. I love the photo above because it simply portrays his focus and undeniable passion. Those character qualities make it no surprise that he quoted the above, showcasing his desire to keep his team’s eyes on the prize despite what will be thrown at them during their games. This level of leadership has placed him in the big game again tonight,  and those same qualities help us to rise to our highest levels as well.

For this Super Bowl Sunday, while (most) will watch the big game, enjoy great food, friends, family, and some entertaining commercials, we should remember to enjoy the brilliance of the game. The on and off the field preparations will culminate in grit and the glory and will all be played out in 60 short minutes and at the end the champion will hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

As we forge toward the week ahead, I hope that we all are playing at our highest level, refusing to fail at the gifts God gave us!  Have an amazing week!

Bold visions for our families

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Bold visions and a life of excellence starts at home! Whatever home is to you!

Whoever we surround ourself with plays a large role in our lives.  We need bold visions for our families. Families are at the core of our purpose and what drives our actions most of the time.

Some of the best portrayals of families comes from some of the most famous television programs. It’s no wonder that we are drawn to these shows as they help us identify with our families and our world as we know it. When I was a child, Leave it to Beaver was on it’s way out, and we had some fun with Good Times, Roseanne and Murphy Brown. Now we get to enjoy Modern Family, which I have to say is fantastic. In all of these, no matter what the family looked like, they had fun together, encouraged each other, argued and experienced challenges and life itself together. The root of all of these was and is the LOVE that builds the bond that family represents.

My encouragement today is to be intentional about your family. It is so important to really build a strong family!  What three things can you do today in order to be bold in setting priorities for your family? We must be courageous to tackle both the fun and the tough issues that can ease their way into our households. Here are my top three:

  1. Budgets – Teach my boys a bit more about real life finances
  2. Politics – My boys are 19 now. I should have talked about this a lot more at the dinner table or on the way to games. They are voting age and have a huge role in our country’s success. I need to be intentional about upping the game on deeper discussions.
  3. Fun – We have plenty of fun, but honestly we need to crank up the music more on a daily basis!  Somehow between elementary school and now we have had far too few dance parties – HA!

(Thank you to the East Family for this fun photo!)

Bold visions for our country

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What great timing for this topic! With Martin Luther King Jr.’s national holiday being this week, it couldn’t have been better planned. So glad for those moments when the universe aligns.

To me, there is not a greater message than the one Dr. King brought on unity. I believe in people, and that together we can achieve everything we need to in our lifetime. Today, we stand in a world that is facing many challenges, and unfortunately at the root of much of this is a lack of unity.

Most of those reading this fortunately live in neighborhoods and communities that are mostly unified, with safe and progressive schools, churches and places of business. My greatest concern is that we get distracted from what is really going on in our country. We hide behind busy schedules and soccer games, the latest big sport contest (since the Chiefs are out, I’m cheering for the Broncos!), etc. Let’s not forget that last year we faced multiple hate crimes (I hate even typing those words) in America, and some within driving distance. One of my colleagues grew up in Ferguson, Missouri and her neighborhood was a victim of the fighting. It could easily happen in every neighborhood.

I’m sure many of you, like me, have friends of all races and religions. If you talk to them long enough, you know that even today, they face regular accounts of prejudice behaviors. It’s ugly and makes me sick to think about. As you know UNITY goes far past the issues of race and religious freedoms, and our current candidates for president are showcasing that well, as they clearly are not unified on most topics. As Dr. King’s words indicate below, our silence on these larger issues that impact our country will be felt eventually.  Let’s not be silent.

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

This blog is really about our country. We need bold visions and bold actions in order to secure it for the generations that follow. I encourage you to really take the time to understand the issues and in November to vote for a candidate that can unify our country. We cannot be silent. I personally know I need to do more. How about you?