‘No one can go back and make a brand new start but anyone can start from this day, this hour, this minute and make a brand new ending.’

One of the wisest comments I’ve ever heard came from a minister talking about people who are going through difficult times. He said most people want to flip a switch and make their life OK again and that simply is not going to happen. He said he always tells these people to set very short term goals that will lead to a long term accomplishment. For instance, if it’s Monday and you’re going through a rough spot in life, look ahead to next Monday and try to stay on course and make improvements in your life from one week to the next. Then look ahead to the next Monday and the next, and the next with the big picture goal to look ahead six months or a year and see how far you’ve progressed. A quote I’ve used often before speaks volumes about this topic: ‘You are not defined by your past, you’re prepared by your past.’

Remember opportunity often comes disguised in the form of misfortune or temporary defeat.

God’s blessings to you on this day and prayers to you if you’re trying to forge a brand new ending! Have a marvelous Monday and a blessed day!

‘A good life is when you assume nothing, do more, need less, smile often, dream big, laugh a lot, cherish every moment and realize every day how blessed you are for what you have.’

God’s blessings to you on this day! Have a great Sunday and a blessed day!

‘A grateful heart is one that finds the countless blessings of God in the seemingly mundane everyday life.’

The key word in this quote to me is ‘mundane.’ We all know (sort of) what ‘mundane’ means, but I thought it would be interesting to see what Dictionary.com offered in a way of an exact definition. Mundane is defined as: lacking interest or excitement; dull; routine; ordinary.

It’s easy to say ‘I’m blessed’ when a job promotion or a new child or grand baby comes along. But, you might be asking, where are the ‘countless blessings’ in a dull, ordinary day. Well, let me reel off eight or 10 quick blessings and you can take it from there. Blessing one, you woke up this morning … then in no particular order — the bed you slept in, the roof over your head, you put your feet on the floor, electricity, air conditioning, coffee or caffeine, the smile of a friend or loved one, a job to go to or rest from, sunshine or rain because both are good and so you see, our blessing list really is countless. From the time you open your eyes in the morning until you close them at night … God’s countless blessings are everywhere. You just have to open your eyes and your heart and recognize them.

God’s ‘countless blessings’ to you on this day! Have a great Saturday and a blessed day!

‘Gratitude doesn’t change the scenery, it merely washes clean the glass you look through so you can clearly see the colors.’

I read a story recently about a couple that moved to a new neighborhood. The first day they were there the young wife noticed a neighbor hanging out clothes to dry. She commented that the clothes didn’t look very clean.

“Either she doesn’t know how to wash clothes properly or she’s using the wrong laundry detergent,” she commented.

Her husband looked on, but remained silent.

Each time the neighbor would hang out the wash the young woman made the same comment, each time with a little more scorn in her voice. Then one morning a few weeks later the woman expressed her surprise at how bright and clean her neighbor’s wash looked. “She must have bought different laundry soap or somebody finally taught her how to wash clothes,” she said.

Her husband replied: “I got up early this morning and washed the window you’ve been looking through.’

And such is the case with life — what we see while watching others depends on how clean the window is we’re looking through.

God’s blessings to you on this day! Have a great Friday, a blessed day and be sure and wash your ‘window.’