Rescue Yourself

Do you dream about your Prince Charming riding into your life in a gorgeous hummer and rescuing you from your ordinary life?

When I was growing up a lot of the songs and shows intended for female audience encouraged girls to dream about a hero coming along and rescuing the damsel in distress from her dreary existence and then they both ride into the sunset and live happily ever after.

Many ladies old and young buy into the concept of a tall dark and handsome Prince Charming or a smooth knight in shining silver Mercedes coming in and sweeping them off their feet. Some young ladies buy into this concept so much until instead of living life to the fullest, going to college or finding something meaningful to do with their lives they spend it waiting to be swept off their feet. Unfortunately when they are, they often find out that life is not the fairy tale they pictured it to be.

That’s why I was pleasantly surprised when I heard some of my fourth grade girls sing a song I’d never heard before. (I confess to musical ignorance) The lyrics were so vastly different from those I grew up listening to. It painted a different picture of the much beloved Cinderella and encouraged young ladies to rescue themselves.

I don’t wanna be like Cinderella
Sitting in a dark old dusty cellar…
I don’t wanna be like someone waiting
For a handsome prince to come and save me
I’d rather rescue myself

Don’t think I’m knocking Cinderella, I love the story myself but I thought it was nice to hear a song that encourage young ladies to be self sufficient and rely on their own inner strength, ambition and intelligence to make it in life.

Yes, I agree, it’s nice to sometimes dream about being rescued from your seemingly ordinary or stressful life by a tall, dark handsome guy pulling up in his shining, silver mercedes (swoon). However, wouldn’t you like to improve your own situation? Isn’t it simply sweeter to have choices? I mean it’s nice to have someone rescue you but wouldn’t you at least want to know that when it truly matters you’re able to, with God’s help of course, rescue yourself?

Article from june/aug issue of Girl Talk Magazine

Happy Thanksgiving

Today there are so many things that I'm thankful for. If I tried to list them the list would be endless. So I thought I'd talk about what I'm most thankful for.

Today I'm most thankful for salvation. That has been the most precious gift I've ever received. I accepted this freely given gift over sixteen years ago and it's still as fresh and new as when I first received it.

This freely given gift has made me a better person. It has made me a more loving daughter, sister, auntie, cousin teacher, friend... This gift has changed me as a person and my life in general. It's the gift that I would never in a million years consider returning or exchanging.

So today, on Thanksgiving Day I'd like to say thank you Lord for the gift that keeps giving and giving... Salvation.

Come on and bless the Lord with me

Psalm 34 1-3

I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.

O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.

Talker or Listener?

Have you ever been in a conversation where the other person talked, talked, talked and you just listened? You waited patiently until they were finished hoping to be able to put in your five cents but when they were finished so was the conversation.

Sometimes when we have a captive audience it's easy to just talk about what's going on in our world without giving the other person an opportunity to contribute. But let's try to remember everyone has a story to tell and everyone wants to be heard. So I challenge you for the next week, if you're the talker encourage your friend to talk, you may be surprised at what she has to say. Also, if you're the listener take an active role in the conversation. Let your voice be heard.

A conversation is so much more sweeter when both parties participate, after all isn't that what friendship is a all about?

Thoughts on Friendship

Best Friends...

... do not have need of us as much as they have the capacity to enjoy us.

... wallk alongside on life's journey - do not run ahead or lag behind.

... are forgetful of what isn't perfect about us.

... grow and change with one another - learn from one another's experience.

... share both the important and insignificant pieces of thier lives with the same
degree of joy and openess.

... instinctively know when to talk and when to be silent... well, most of the time!

... praise with sincerity, criticize with humility, confront with compassion.

Do we have what it takes to be a best friend? Only intermittently and in varying degrees. We have to keep working at it -- it's not easy. But the rewards are extraordinary!

excerpt from the book Friends Through Thick & Thin
by Gloria Gaither, Peggy Benson, Sue Buchanan & Joy MacKenzie