Winning the battle or becoming Xena the Warrior Princess

"You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it."  Margaret Thatcher

I came across this quote this morning. Actually, I re-discovered this quote this morning, where I had written it down some time ago, buried in some old papers in my desk.  I love this quote because it speaks to determination and persistence.

You see, I want to be like Xena, the warrior princess -  fight the battle once, decisively win it, and move on.  I truly hate having to repeat something.   Which could be why I hate things like laundry (that battle is never completely won) and exercise (which is nothing but repetition) and why I love things like cooking (because you can make something different every time), travel (you can go to someplace new), and photography (every photo is different-even if the difference is subtle).  However, life doesn't work that way.  I can't just conquer the laundry once or we would be over run with dirty clothing and naked, which trust me, no one wants to see that.  I must exercise in order to stay healthy, especially at "my age. "

Have you ever had those life lessons that you had to learn multiple times?  Or repeated life experiences that were just not fun?  Boy I have.  And I'll be honest, those times often just suck.  I find myself frustrated during those times.  Angry at myself that I have to go through this situation "once again."  I also get annoyed--annoyed at myself, annoyed at others,  annoyed at the circumstance. Discouraged. Unhappy.  Just generally put out.  And yet, even through all of that, I must somehow be persistent in order to make it through.

I'll be honest here.  I have great trust in God.  I do.  But it's not come without multiple battles.  I would say that 99% of the time my trust is strongly and automatically there. But that didn't magically happen for me.  Maybe it does happen magically for others, I don't know.  But for me?  It's been years of small battles to even start to say that I think I can win this war.  And, I don't believe I've completely won it yet.  Even now, with all the knowledge I have gained from various life experiences that prove that I can and should completely and fully trust Gods plan, something comes along and causes me to waiver.  Worry about some upcoming decisions -- I begin to wobble a little bit. Concern over my my son-- my wobble turns into more of a fierce back and forth rocking motion.  Discouraging news about my moms cancer progress --my little wobble starts to turn into a full on earthquake.  And, before I know it, I find myself in the middle of another battle.  Do I really trust God's plans?  Maybe I need to give God a little push in the right direction.  Maybe I need to be drawing up a plan B, just in case.  The internal battle of logic, words, belief, and faith begin clashing like swords in my heart and mind until there's nothing left for me to do but to pick up my sword, wade right into the thick of things, and begin to work through the process of winning the battle. (and here is where my odd sense of humor kicks in-- I totally just pictured myself in a full on Xena, warrior princess moment-- and now I am full out laughing at myself.  Feel free to join me.)

So, as frustrating as these life circumstances may be.  As annoyed or disappointed as we may be that we have to fight this battle once again. That may just be the point of it all.  That sometimes you just have to keep fighting the battle, over and over again, before you win it.

So, I don't know what your battles are today, but I would encourage you to not drop your sword.  Even when you find yourself tired and sword arm heavy, be persistent in your goal of winning the battle.  Be determined, remembering this quote again:

"You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it."  Margaret Thatcher

So, since this was a heavier subject today, I'm leaving you with a "lighter" battle moment.  A few photos of my son "battling" Darth Vader at Disney World.  He was picked with some kids from the audience to go through Jedi training and then had to fight Vader at the end.  It was a fun moment!

High Expectations

I'll come right out and say it.  I have "high expectations" for my son.  Now notice, I said high expectations, not unreasonable expectations.  An example of some of my high expectations would be that I expect my son to work hard in high school, get good grades, and continue on to get at least his Bachelors degree.  He is more than capable of meeting these expectations.  An unreasonable expectation for me to have for my son would be for him to win American Idol, which is a singing competition.  You see, my son has many amazing talents and gifts, but singing is not a strong gift of his.

I have other high expectations such as I expect him to show respect and be polite to his elders,  I expect him to work hard at whatever he does, I expect him to be helpful, I expect him to be kind and show compassion to others, I expect him to be engaged passionately in life, I expect him to be successful (and by successful I mean healthy, happy, spiritually sound, and able to support himself in his given profession), I expect him to learn to make good decisions (even if they are hard ones), I expect him to be grateful, I expect him to treat the girls and women he comes across with respect, I expect him to have self respect, I expect him to use proper grammar, I expect him to never stop learning, I expect him to volunteer in his community, etc...

Yup, I have high expectations.  And no, I don't apologize for them or think they are wrong, and here's why.  My expectations are set in the firm belief that he can achieve every single one of those goals. Sometimes I take a look around and I think some of what we are missing in this world today is high expectations combined with a belief that we can succeed in reaching said expectations.

For example, I currently live in a state that usually ends up on the bottom of all of the "lists."  Lists that gage health, education, happiness, career opportunities, etc….  This has been an interesting experience for me.  You see, my home state, where I was born and lived for 38 years has consistently been ranked at the top of these lists.  Let's be clear, there are many, many issues that contribute to the differences between these states, and I'm not suggesting that these "polls" always give an accurate picture of what's going on.  However, that being said,  I have noticed one big difference around expectation.  You see, the state I'm living in has been at the so called bottom of these lists for so long that it's almost an expectation.  If my home state came out ranked at the bottom of one of these lists, there would be resounding shock-- you see, they expect to be at the top.

I'm not suggesting my current state can change only by having higher expectations, but I do think it could contribute to a positive change taking place.  You see, when you can visualize yourself accomplishing better and bigger goals, you change your mindset.  The biggest battle we all face in life is the battle for our mind.  A lot of outcomes are affected by how we think.  If you don't believe that, just watch a sporting event.  Although superior skill may win the game, the biggest asset a player has is the belief that he or she can play well.  You can have all the skill in the world, but if you do not believe you can win, you won't.  Sometimes it is as simple as this, you get out of life what you expect out of life.  And I am not discounting that bad things happen.  News flash, bad things happen to everyone. It's the belief and expectation that good things can and will happen that helps you rise and overcome the bad stuff.

So, what should you do when faced with low expectations?  Set better, higher ones.   Believe that you are more than just what people say about you.  Know yourself. Take the time to honestly learn where your strengths and giftings are.  Then set high, but reasonable expectations around these gifts.   Believe that you can achieve these goals.  Be open to the fact that the way in which you achieve these goals may be different from how you pictured it to be. Challenge yourself to strengthen and improve the areas where you are weak.  Don't be content to settle in the realm of low expectations. Don't be afraid to set high expectations for yourself and your children, while remembering that setting high expectations always needs to be balanced on that thin edge between what's achievable and what is unreasonable.

So, I'm not letting some "poll" or "study" dictate my expectations for myself or my son.  I'm setting high expectations.  And my challenge to you is to do the same.  Don't allow the low expectations of others set your goals. You can do better than that.  And who knows, you may pull others around you up a level as well.  Positive expectations are just as contagious as negative ones.

I'll leave you today with a picture of a replica of the statue of David by Michelangelo in the Palazzo della Signoria.  We weren't allowed to take a photo of the real thing when we viewed it at the Accademia Gallery in Florence.  Anyway, this statue has an interesting backstory.  You see, first of all, some people considered the large block of marble that was used to carve the statue as a substandard piece of stone-- it had too many flaws in it to begin with.  This particular piece of marble contains many microscopic holes that cause it to deteriorate faster than other marbles.  It was also a huge, intimidating piece of stone-- which makes it hard to make a statue appear proportionately correct. (The completed statue weighs 6 tons).  The actual statue was started by Agostino di Ducco who got as far as roughly shaping the legs and feet before he quit.  Another artist, Antonia Rossellino was commissioned to finish the statue but he was quickly fired.  Then, this big piece of bad marble that was, according to official transcripts, "badly blocked out"  meaning badly started, sat in the yard of the cathedral workshop for 25 years.  

Amazingly, this huge block of poor quality marble that had been partly (and badly) started came into contact with a 26 year old Michelangelo.  And Michelangelo began to set high expectations for this statue. It took him 2 years to complete. When the statue was completed it was described by Vasari as "Surpassing all ancient and modern statues, whether Greek or Latin, that have ever existed."  This statue has become one of the most recognized and celebrated works of Renaissance sculpture.  All because one young, talented, gifted, and amazing artist saw an un-amazing, poor quality piece of marble, with a badly started design and decided to set a higher expectation for the piece.

Your Happy is Too Loud...or... I Love a Good Party!

So, recently someone said that my life was "too happy" and that it couldn't be THAT good.  It was an interesting thought, and I have pondered that comment.  What did that comment mean?  Was I somehow being what people would call "fake" and putting on a front?  Should I not be celebrating life quite as much as I do?  Am I just too happy?  Should I be sadder? Am I bragging? Should I not celebrate the good things in my life to avoid making someone else feel bad?  Should I talk more about my issues and less about my blessings? And here's the big question, is my life perfect?

My answer to that last question would be a resounding yes and an absolute no.  In truth?  No one has a life completely free of worry, concern, challenges, stress, issues, etc...  So, no, my life isn't "perfect" in that sense.  And if I have given anyone that impression, it's a false one. I have plenty of worries, concerns, and issues that I deal with in my life.   No, things aren't perfect in my life.  And I am not going to discuss all the bad, worrisome, troubling, concerning things I deal with.  Some issues I'm very open about.  Some are more private and are kept between me and a few close trusted friends/family.  That doesn't make the issues less real.

However, I have chosen to not make my issues the primary focal point of my life.  I'm not hiding from them or ignoring them.  I'm just choosing to widen my focus.  You see, if I focused on only the bad things, I could.  I could become what I call an ""Eeyore" person.  You know, everything is grey, and sad, and bad, and everyone is out to get me. I could become that little black cloud of doom, talking only about how bad things are in my life, this country, this world.  I could become a big, gapping, black hole of negativity.  That sounds like fun (said sarcastically).  And that might make some people feel better about my life.  But in truth, it's my life, and I don't want to live that way. Ever.

You know what I find interesting about some of the stories in the Bible?  You'll find this mostly in the old testament, but when something good happened, they celebrated!  They threw a big party!  They wrote joyful songs about the event.  They laughed, and danced and shouted out loud!  Oh, and my favorite-- they feasted! And you will see several times in scripture where they turned these events into annual celebrations to help them remember the good things that had happened.  Those are my kind of people!  I love a good party!

Let me just say, I know that I have a lot to celebrate in my life.  I am thankful for the blessings I have been given.  I can not even begin to count my blessings.  And I want my life to be a great big acknowledgement and celebration of those blessings.   I have decided that I don't think my happy is too loud.  In fact, I don't think it's loud enough!  I could say thank you to God every minute of every day and it still wouldn't be enough.  So, I am going to continue to celebrate my blessings, loudly, unapologetically, and with great passion!  And, I'm going to celebrate life with you! I want you to be blessed!  I want you to celebrate those blessings!  I'll even help you plan the party.

And so, my answer to the question, is my life perfect is also a resounding yes, in that my life is perfect for me.  So, although my life isn't without struggles and issues, it is still full of God's grace and goodness to me. And I know that there are many people out there who are dealing with some heavy, heart wrenching stuff, myself included.  But when I am gone, I want part of my legacy to be that I celebrated life!  I want to live every moment I can in gratitude and thanksgiving.  On my last day here on earth, I want to go out dancing, and shouting, and praising God for every moment!

I'll leave you with a photo of one my life's greatest blessings- my son, living out loud-  and enjoying his day at the water park when he was younger.

The Art of Losing....

Ok, I admit it.  I honestly hate to lose when I'm playing a game.  I'm sure I am not alone in this.  However, the fact is that there are times when I am going to lose.  I mean, you can't win all the time right?  However, I think there is an art to losing.

I think one of the most fascinating things about the Olympics is watching how these athletes react when they do not win a medal.  You can see the emotions play out on their faces as they learn that they are not medaling in their event.  Now, you have to remember that they have not only trained very hard to get to the Olympics, but they had to have WON their place.  They had to prove that they were the best in their home country to earn the right to represent their country at the games. Up until the Olympics, they have been winning.  You might say that they have been the big fish in a small pond (which could also be translated to being the top dog, so to speak).  However, now they may find themselves to be one of the smaller fish.  In fact, most Olympians go home without medals. Even after all the training, blood, sweat and tears that they have put into preparing for this moment.

Which brings me back around to the art of losing.  I think in our country we certainly  teach the art of winning, but sometimes we gloss over the art of losing.  What do I mean?  Well, have you ever heard these statements:

 "The Ref's made bad calls, and that's why we lost the game."  "The Ref's were biased against us."  "That school has a lot more money to put into their program, that's why we can't compete with them."  "Our uniforms slowed us down." "The judges don't like our school/team/coach/country."
"The other team cheated."  etc... I could go on and on.

Very rarely do you hear someone say, "The other team/person was just better/more talented."  Why don't we hear that statement more often?  Here's a fact of life for you, no matter how good/talented/gifted  you may be at something, there will be a point in time where you will run into someone who is better/more gifted/more talented than you are.  In fact, there will be times in life when you will lose.  It is going to happen.

I worry a little that sometimes, in the desire to build up the self esteem of our kids, we do them a dis-service. I believe there is great value in teaching our kids how to lose with grace.  Don't get me wrong-- I'm a big cheerleader for my son.  I encourage him to push himself, to do his best at everything he does.  I'm excited when he wins.  However, I also don't sugar coat things.  If the other competitor was better, I don't look for excuses as to why my son didn't win.

I watch as professional adults throw hissy fits worthy of a two year old when they lose.  I watch them throw equipment, cuss out people, and I worry.  And it's not just happening in professional sports.  I have seen grown business men and women do some of the same things when they lose.  One of the biggest problems that some of my friends who work at Universities and colleges across this nation have is the fact that students come in expecting to get all A's all the time, and they can't believe it when they are handed their first D.  In fact, there are many who have their PARENTS call the offices and argue that there was no way their child could have earned that grade.  To which my reply is, don't you think it's time to cut the cord people?  Really, these kids need to learn how to stand on their own.

I remember a time when Keagan had a little friend over and I sat down with them to play a game.  After a few rounds, Keagan's friend looked at him and said, "My parents always let me win when I play games with them."  Keagan's reply was, "Not in this house, you have to work to win here."  At which point I practically fell off my chair laughing.   Let me tell you, Keagan is a teenager now, and he has been winning games on his own merit  for a while.  But he doesn't go into games expecting to win everything.  And hopefully, he has learned how to lose.

I want him to learn that it's ok if someone is better at something than you are.  It doesn't take anything away from you, and who you are.  And maybe, there is something you can learn from those who are more skilled than you.  I want him to not put the blame on someone else.  I also want him to understand that yes, sometimes things aren't fair.  You can't always control that, but you can control how you react to unfair circumstances.  Sometimes it is ok to protest the unfairness.  Sometimes you just have to figure out how to deal with it.  I want him to take a failure and use it to motivate him to do better next time.   And one of our biggest rules about losing (or winning for that matter) is to leave it on the field/board etc.... No obsessing about it for hours on end.   I also want him to be able to sort out when losing is a big deal and when it isn't.  Losing at a board game, not a big deal. Even, dare I say it, losing a High School track event isn't a catastrophic life event (and I'm already preparing to duck the corn dogs that some of the parents may want to chuck at me.  This comment is directed just at my son, it's not meant to offend anyone).  Losing your job because you threw a temper tantrum?  Now that's a big deal.  Flunking out of college because you lacked the discipline to knuckle down and do the work.  That's a big deal.  Putting off spiritual decisions because you feel like you have all the time in the world to get things straight?  That's a big deal. Causing a car accident because you were showing off?  That's a big deal.

The way I see it, part of "wining" at life involves having good losing skills.  Being able to lose and get back up on your feet and move on is valuable.  So, with all that said, I hope you are enjoying watching the Olympics as much as I am regardless of whether our competitor wins or loses. I particularly like to watch the skiing and snowboarding events.  So in honor of those events I'm going to post a couple photos of Keagan skiing.

Girls Just Wanna' Have Fun

I am the first to admit that I am a warm weather type of person.  My goal is to live near/on the beach where it is warm and I can play in the ocean all day.  I dream of a view that looks something like this:

Unfortunately,  my current view is this:

I'm a Colorado girl born and raised.  We moved from there  about 7 years ago, but I still live too far north for my taste. I hate snow.  I'm tired of cold weather.  I would love to see more sunshine! So what's a sun loving, warm weather wishing, ocean adoring girl like me supposed to do?

Well, Sometimes you've got to find a way to make your own fun wherever you find yourself.  So, yesterday when I woke up to more snow, which meant more shoveling, I was unenthused.  I trudged out in layers to go shovel, yet again.  I promptly became bored to tears.  I mean, I've been shoveling snow for a many, many, many years.  Blah.  So, what's a girl to do when she finds herself  bored and tired of the same old same old?  Make your own fun.  And that's what I did.

I made a re-creation of the famous Calvin and Hobbs snowman being chased by snowsharks.

I made bigger snowsharks.

I made snow sea serpents around our driveway.

And I put smiley faces on the bushes.

It wasn't a big snowfall but it was enough to have a little fun with.  And I see that the forecast for next week is calling for a little warmer weather.  YEAH!  So, I hope you have a fun filled Friday!  I know I will.

The Joy of Saying No

No.  It's amazing the amount of emotion that we attach to this one little word.  And most of those emotions are negative in nature.  Yet, as I have aged, I'm finding more joy from the simple word no.

Let me give you a little background.  I grew up trying to avoid the word no.  I avoided saying it.  Being a child of a pastor meant , right or wrong, that you didn't say no when something in the church needed to be done.  Instead, you said yes, and you did it.  And, you tried to avoid at all costs, any situation where the word no was involved.  For example, you tried to avoid doing anything that people would say was wrong.  The problem with that is the word people-- you see, you get a group of people gathered together and their version of what they said no to varied greatly.  In this same group of people one would say that wearing makeup was wrong but dancing was fine.  In that same group, one would say makeup was fine but dancing was wrong. You see, no one could have a perfect track record with all of that going on and I "failed" on many occasions.  And, unfortunately I was (and still am) what some would call a questioner.  I struggled greatly with the idea of just believing something was wrong just because someone said so.  So, while I tried to do the right thing and avoid the big NO, parts of me rebelled against it.

But, even though I questioned things, I carried the "yes not no" mentality with me into adulthood.  If something needed to be done, I was the "go to" person.  At one point I was working, being a mom, leading the church worship team, leading the church children's program, leading the PTA at my sons school, co-leading a church small group, I was on the Women's Ministry board, being a wife, being a friend, and trying to keep the house clean, dinner on table, arranging playmates for my son, attending all my sons sporting/school events, etc...  Hmmmm.... do some of you recognize this situation?  You know what my prevailing memories are of that time?  I remember being tired.

However, I do remember when I came to the decision that this wasn't working for me.  The event was small, seemingly insignificant.  It happened  when I was looking through some photos of a school event I had attended with my son.  I know I was there, I took the pictures.  But, I didn't remember the event.  I looked at the photos of my son and could see how much fun he was having.  I could see the joy in his face at having me there.  But, you know what I remembered?  I remembered that I had over scheduled myself that day and I was trying to figure out a way to leave early so I could go take care of something else. However, it is telling that I don't remember what that very important "something else" was.  Huh.

I decided that a change was in order.  I didn't want to go through life rushing around and not appreciating the moment.  I made up my mind right then that I would live my life with purpose. In order to do so, I needed to decide what had priority in my life (just like all the experts said...Hmmmm... maybe that's why they are experts?).  And I needed to be clear that these were my priorities, not someone else's.  After all, I was the one living my life. After spelling out my priorities, I decided that my yes and no responses were going to be driven by my priorities.  Not what someone else deemed to be important.  It was a big shift for me.  It was a big shift for others as well.  There were those who were not happy with my shift because they could no longer count on me to say yes all of the time.  In fact, I was called things like uncommitted, uncaring, selfish, and lazy.  Ouch!

It was a hard shift to make.  It helped that during this shift we moved out of state.  It gave me a clean slate to practice the art of saying no and yes.  You see, I take making promises or commitments very seriously.  If I promise something, I try to make sure that I follow through.  Which is a good thing as long as I am committing to the right things and not over committing myself.  I have found a joy in saying no.  Not because I enjoy saying no, but because when I say no to some things I open my time up to say yes to the right things.  Using what I have set forth as priorities has also made the yes/no decision making process easier, clearer.  It has taken away the guilt (mostly).  I know it has brought a sense of calmness to my life.  It has made my relationships with my husband, my son, and my friends richer, deeper, more enjoyable.  I am savoring life, not just rushing through.

And I know that some people still don't like it when I say no.  That some still think of me as uncommitted, uncaring, selfish, or maybe lazy.  You know what?  That's ok with me because I  am no longer looking at photos and not remembering being there.  When I look my photos now, I look at them with the full memory of that place and time.  I am fully engaged in what I am doing.  By learning to say no, I discovered the true joy of saying yes to the things that matter.

I'll leave you with a couple of photos that invoke strong positive memories for me.

You may Say I'm a Dreamer....

So, lately I've been finding myself day dreaming a lot, mostly about the ocean and warmer weather.  Which caused me to think about the importance of dreams in your life.  Dreams can motivate and encourage us. They can provide glimpses into our future.  They can spur us into action.  I am enjoying watching the Olympics-- which involves dreaming in action, the fulfillment of a lifetime of dreams.

I think it is important to have both big and small dreams.  The small dreams are great because they are usually easily achievable and give you a sense of accomplishment, a sense of forward movement.  However, I find that it's the big dreams that keep life adventurous! I love the quote, "Dream higher than the sky and deeper than the ocean."  To me, this quote reminds me to dream big.

Sometimes as you get older and more bogged down in the day to day, you forget to dream big.  And, when you are raising a family, you sometimes forget the importance of having big dreams for yourself.  You see, it's easy as a parent to get caught up in the dreams for your child.  And that's not necessarily a bad thing, but you do need to realize that at some point your child/ren grow up and  move out in pursuit of their dreams.  Which can leave you dreamless.

As I am facing the fact that my son will soon be out on his own fulfilling his dreams, I am becoming more aware of the importance of having dreams of my own.  I am deliberately starting to envision new dreams for myself.  Recently, my husband and I spent a whole evening together dreaming about retirement (for him, I'm already retired ;)  At least that's what I keep telling him.) and what that will look like for us.  Where we will live, what we will do, etc.  It was fun!  And ever since that conversation, I often glance over at him and catch the same day dreaming look that I have on my face reflected in his eyes.  And, I have started making a list of a few new things I am going to learn or experience, some of which I have already started working on.

Now I know that there are some out there who are going to say things like, tomorrow is never promised to you...yada....yada...yada.  Whatever.  You are not going to burst my dream bubble!  You see, I may never fulfill all of my dreams but that isn't what matters most.  What matters most is that I keep on dreaming.  By dreaming I am causing myself to look forward in anticipation, rather than looking backward with regret. Dreaming builds a sense of anticipation and excitement into my life.  It helps me to look for and seize amazing moments, adventure, and opportunities instead of passing them by.

My challenge to you and myself is this.  Keep dreaming!  Don't be afraid to dream BIG!  Dream adventurous, courageous, ambitious, fun dreams!  Dream with me. And then, hopefully, we can say   the famous words of John Lennon...."You may say I'm a dreamer.  But I'm not the only one."

So, in keeping with the line of dreaming deeper than the ocean, I'll leave you with a few photos from my recent snorkeling trips in St. Thomas and St. John.

What A Difference A Day Makes...

I'm sitting here this morning, watching the rain turn into sleet, and thinking what a difference a day makes. For example, On Saturday, we had beautiful weather at my house-- it was 66 lovely, glorious, degrees.  By Sunday, it was rainy and in the high 30's.  On Saturday, I looked forward to watching my football team, the Bronco's, play in the Superbowl.  By Sunday evening, I was no longer so eager to watch as my team failed to show up and play.  By the way -congrats Seahawks on a well deserved win.    Yesterday, my cat was hiding upstairs hissing with his nose all out of joint because of my in-laws dog who was visiting with them.  Today, the dog has left and my cat has had his kingdom restored to normal.  He once again reigns as the supreme king of Casa Benintendi. So, yes, what a difference a day makes.

This made me think of the verse in Psalm 30:5 where it states "...weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning."  I blog a lot about joy and love and laughter.  And I believe your life should be full of all of those things.  However, it is true that EVERYONE has those moments of sorrow in their life.  And, I further want to state that it is okay to have those moments.  There are moments when it's appropriate to weep, to feel deep sorrow or loss.  You should allow yourself these moments.

My caution is that you do not allow the moments of sorrow to turn into a lifetime of sorrow.  It can be so easy to become so focused on seeing the bad that you loose sight of the good.  You can develop a certain kind of tunnel vision, where you only focus on certain aspects of life and overlook the rest.  If all I did was watch the news all day long, I could easily become depressed.  They spend a lot of time reporting on the great problems of the world.  And yes, we do face some big problems. However, there's a lot of good things going on in this world in which we live. Yes, we have terrible civil wars going on in parts of Africa, the Middle East, and some of the Asian areas.  But, we also have many people who are reaching out to those affected by these wars to help them find food, shelter, water, and safe places to be.  Yes, there are still terrible diseases out there that still take the lives of many, but we have also found cures and ways to prevent many diseases that used to plague our planet.  Yes, there are some problems with our government and how it is being run.  But, we still live in a nation that allows some of the biggest freedoms for its citizens.  The list goes on and on.

I'm not saying to ignore the issues and problems around you.  I am saying to broaden your focus.  Don't just focus on the negative or bad, look for the good as well.  And, sometimes you simply have to choose joy over sorrow.  There have been multiple studies that show that even if you start your day forcing yourself to smile, by the end of the day you are actually happier and smiling naturally.

So, my challenge to myself and to you is to look for opportunities to choose joy.  I will choose joy knowing that sometimes sorrow will enter my life, but sorrow does not have to BE my life.  I hope wherever you are this Monday morning that joy has found you!

I'll leave you with a photo of Keagan and a Disney character that just embodies the word Joy-- Tigger!