For The Good Times

Have you ever awakened with a song running around in your head without a particular reason?

I had that happen this morning.  "Don't be sad, I know it's over," were the first words that popped into my head this morning.  Crazy.  "There's no need to watch the bridges as they're burning..." and so on...I think the line that struck me hardest was "make believe you love me one more time...for the good times."

I think we can all relate to those "good times" and those "bad times."  No matter where you are in your life right now, I'm sure you can remember those "good times."  Wouldn't be amazing if you could remember only those, and forget those "bad times."  Then again, I am sure that those "bad times" are sometimes the points in life where we grow the most.

If life were always easy I don't think we could relate to the struggles going on the the world around us.  I would certainly like to see more Love in this world, wouldn't you?  With war, shootings, bombings and all sorts of angst and fighting going on around us all the times, sometimes the "good times" are hard to appreciate.

Do you remember your first crush?  Do you remember how devastating it seemed when it was over?  But, looking back I'm sure you would agree that it was just a tiny bump in the road.  There are lots of bumps in the road on this journey we call life...some little and some HUGE!  The trick is to learn how to survive and thrive in spite of those bumps.

The bumps never really get easier, but I do think that we learn different ways to cope with them as we age.  I'm not saying you will never get knocked down, never grieve, never hurt.  You will.  But, with reflection and effort and maybe a few hugs from friends you will get up and run again.  You will have more good times.

One thing that is really important here is to say that YOU need to reach out and hug someone today.  Under those smiles we all wear in public are sometimes terribly broken hearts, and just one kind word, smile or hug can help another person over a bad moment or even a bad day.  You see, we tend to get so wrapped up in our own troubles that we forget the struggles of those around us.

I am looking forward to some more good times, but I am sure there will be that balance of bad times to go along with them.  I'm looking forward to love again.  It's been a long time coming, but I'm sure that it will return.  Find someone to share the good times with, because with a friend and lover at your side the good times are elevated to new highs.

I've always said that without the really bad times, you can not experience the really good times to the fullest...I still believe that.  So, HERE'S TO THE GOOD TIMES!!!

PEACE, LOVE & JOY

Life Is Hard?

Here is a quote I ran across today which made me do a bit of thinking...
"When I hear somebody say life is hard, I am always tempted to ask 'Compared to What'?
Sidney J. Harris

I pondered that statement for quite some time and remembered the most difficult times in my life. There have been some really difficult times in my life, and I am sure each and every one of you can identify some in yours.

Divorce, loss of a job, death of a child, bankruptcies, just plain tight times. So many people are talking about times being so terrible right now. Now don't get me wrong, I understand there are some really hard times for people in this country right now, but I can tell you there have already been worse times in this old USA.

My friend, Lucy, is almost 95 years old and remembers quite well the Great Depression here in the US. She says frequently that people nowadays just don't realize how tough things were back then. Most of those alive today are too young to understand that statement.

But it isn't just then. We have been such a blessed Country that we don't understand at all how difficult things are in many other places in the world. I remember my first trip to the Dominican Republic in the late seventies. I was crushed when I saw the poverty there, and things haven't changed much since then.
Look at Haiti and all the grief and despair in that country. It has been that way for so long, and things don't look too bright for the future.

Africa is another sad, sad story. So much famine and war. Can you even imagine how it would feel to hold your two year old child in your arms, a child who should weigh 30 pounds or more and it only weighs 12 pounds, is limp and sick and starving, and there is no one there to help? I can't even imagine that kind of hopelessness and despair.

I am saying all of this to remind you to be thankful every day for the many blessings you do have. If you can feed your children. If you and your children are healthy. If you have a job. If you are fortunate enough to have a roof over your head, even if it isn't your "dream home". We have become so spoiled we think we should all have two or three cars, a home with five plus bedrooms and five or more baths. We have closets FULL of clothes and shoes.

I myself can remember having one pair of school shoes...and we went barefoot in summer. If you were lucky you had a pair of school shoes and a pair of dress shoes. You had ONE Sunday outfit, and you had better not wear it to play in!

It is nice to have plenty, but we ALL need to remember those who have less and do less complaining about "hard times" and what we don't have or can't buy.

We ALL need to remember the rough spots in our lives and how we got through them. We will probably have more, life isn't easy at times. But then again, nothing worth having is.

God Bless!