Jul 2, 2013 | Books & more that inspire!, Good book club books, Queen of Damn Good Advice, Remembering a lesson learned, Southern Women Writers, The "me" you want to be, What inspires you?
One day an email landed in my box that inspired me. It told about a group of students who were asked to name what they thought were the Seven Wonders of the World. The wonders that received the most votes included Egypt’s Great Pyramids, Taj Mahal, Grand Canyon, Panama Canal, Empire State Building, St. Peter’s Basilica, and China’s Great Wall.
But apparently one student had trouble finishing her list, stating she could not make up her mind because there were so many to choose from. The teacher encouraged her to share her list aloud with the other students to see if they could help. She read, “I think the Seven Wonders of the World are to see, to hear, to touch, to taste, to feel, to laugh, and to love.”
This unexpected list was followed by a poignant reminder—“The most precious things in life cannot be built by hand or bought by man.”
This student listed “wonders” that I never thought much about until one day a few years ago when my husband and I took my friend, Shirley, for what turned out to be her final jeep ride.
Riding in the jeep was not a big deal to me, perhaps because it was “old hat” as some might say. But Shirley, then in the final stages of her battle with cancer, noticed details I never had and she relished every moment of her ride. I was captivated by her adoration and reverence for what she was seeing and by every breath of fresh country air she took in so gratefully. She passed on a few months later.
My jeep ride with her taught me lessons I will never forget. I discovered colors in the sunset I didn’t know were there. I learned that each of our cows has its own distinct bellow and some have really long eyelashes. I noticed that the deeper the hole you drive over, the harder your laugh will be. I found that looking out over big Texas pastures reminds you of the broad expanse of God’s love. I was informed that gazing at the horizon when the sun is setting fills you with a peaceful sense of the infinity of life.
How do we keep our sense of wonder?
How do we maintain our appreciation of all the everyday miracles that compose our day?
How do we never overlook the blessings that make up each life moment?
Even to ask such questions is a good beginning. Pausing to ask these questions also requires pausing to explore for the answers. Our sincere desire to cherish life is a prayer in and of itself—and one that will be answered.
As I learned in my jeep ride, the more acutely aware we are of what and who shares our days, the more meaningful and satisfying life will be. Savoring and mindfully using any of the wonders of sight, hearing, taste, touch, feeling, laughter, and love will guide you to even more of the wonders that God promises for her beloved children.
Start right now—this very moment—and keep yourself in a constant state of awe, admiration, and respect for every ordinary and extraordinary wonder in your day. You don’t want to miss anything. I sure hope I don’t.
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Jun 13, 2013 | Books & more that inspire!, Good book club books, Queen of Damn Good Advice, The "me" you want to be
“Why wait for summer to make the memories of a lifetime!” the Coastal Living Magazine advertisement exclaimed. “Good point!” I considered.
But then I briskly interjected, “Why DO I wait for many things? Like why do I wait for that thing, person, time or place that somehow suddenly gives me permission to be happy, to have peace of mind, to find the calm I long for, or the satisfaction and contentment that sometimes feels impossible to acquire.
Needless to say I’ve asked myself the question, “What are you waiting for” more than once. And most of the time – these days – when the question comes to mind, the image of a favorite “Curly Girl” greeting card appears in my thought that swiftly answers, “Someday is now!” 
As I wrote in my new book, The Queen of Damn Good Advice, when trying to make just about any decision, I also emphatically ask myself, “What’s stopping you? When I mention to my husband something I’m thinking about changing, he often responds with, “Why now?” My response to him is always, “Why not?”
For me, it’s been the “Why not?” question that had to be answered when making decisions, setting new goals or even planning a dream vacation. And I’ve often found that there really wasn’t a good enough reason not to.
Regardless of the season, stage or time in your life, your answer to “Why not?” may inform you to wait no longer.
May 15, 2013 | The "me" you want to be
I suspect we all have dreams of the person we want to become, the life we look forward to, the goals we yearn to accomplish, the ambitions we hope to achieve, the experiences we long to have, and undoubtedly we can also envision the assets we wish to acquire over the course of our lifetime. And I suspect many of us have wished for that yellow brick road that would get us to our pot of gold as fast as possible.
As I was walking around our farm the other day, I noticed a huge patch of clover. I fondly recalled the many hours I spent as a young child sitting in the midst of a clover patch looking for one with four leafs.
Wikipedia explains that the four-leaf clover is an uncommon variation of the common, three-leaved clover. According to tradition, such leaves bring good luck to their finders, especially if found accidentally. In addition, each leaf is believed to represent something: the first is for faith, the second is for hope, the third is for love, and the fourth is for luck.
Someone had told me that finding a four-leaf clover brought the promise of good fortune. Granted, at six years old, I’m not sure I had a real sense of what good fortune would mean, other than an endless stockpile of my favorite candy. But I knew it sounded like a good thing and was worth my search effort.
With the odds one in 10,000, I never found my four-leaf clover, however.
Even though I gave up long ago the idea of finding the coveted four-leaf clover, I have often longed for some kind of faster track to reaching my dreams. Since most of my dreams cost money, there have been times when I purchased a lottery ticket, rationalizing somebody had to win so why couldn’t it be me.
Other times I go about my dreams the old-fashioned way – setting goals and implementing plans that hopefully – eventually – will help me accomplish them.
It is still tempting to wish for that easier and faster route. And the long, dusty, dirt road we often must endure can become discouraging. It wasn’t too long ago when I had an epiphany that calmed my anxiousness.
I concluded that living the life of our dreams never reaches a final destination; that our lifetime is always ahead of us. I reasoned it didn’t matter if I had not yet become the person I’ve always wanted to be because we’re always in the state of “becoming.” We never reach the point where we can say there’s nothing more to learn or experience or achieve. So there wasn’t an ultimate “pot of gold” to obtain that would indicate my journey was over. This was a relief!
One day an email landed in my box that inspired me. It told about a group of students who were asked to name what they thought were the Seven Wonders of the World. The wonders that received the most votes included Egypt’s Great Pyramids, Taj Mahal, Grand Canyon, Panama Canal, Empire State Building, St. Peter’s Basilica, and China’s Great Wall.
