The Source for Joy: New Legacies We Can Create (There's hope for our past; we don't have to be stuck there.)

         Hi there, everyone,

How has this week been for you? Life has been good for me. Isn't it tremendous that circumstances have little to do with contentment?  There's much we can be grateful for.  I eagerly anticipate reading your gratitudes over the ensuing days.

         I realized the other day, that I lost seven books.  An additional book, that has been like my blankie, that has changed my life more than any other, was in the mix of books that were lost in the case that flew off the back of a friend's car, two Fridays ago. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, check out my post "Suffering Loss," click  here.)

         I'm astonished at the calmness I have after suffering the greatest loss of notes and research, in my life. Keep in mind that I've been a serious student for multiple decades. What I've lost is irreplaceable.  In each book, posted in the inside cover was an offer of $80.00 dollars, if found.  I should have made it $300.00 for each book.

        Time with my oldest son was spent last night.  A pretty good name he has.  You can guess what it is. You're right, Pablo.  I'm the fifth with the name, he, the sixth.

        What a blessing and invigorating experience it is, dynamically relating with someone who's part of my flesh.  What a gift it is to talk, co-labor, share from the heart and receive mutual support with someone I've known since the first second he emerged from his mother.  Am I a lucky guy, or what?

        When discouragement rears it's head, the lance of wonderful, joyful, newly created memories---like last night----slay this dragon of disappointment, rather effectively.  My father was not this way.  Nope, this positive innkeeper didn't experience a warm relationship with his dad.

         I'm not saying I'm thankful that my dad wasn't warm and affirming.  What thrills me are the new legacies created by the choices I make. The values I follow produce fantastic blossoms in the garden of my family life; the results are sweet-smelling and beautiful to behold.

         Some of the new legacies I've created with my sons:
1. They have been my equal since they were sixteen; they are not in a one-down relationship with me, because I'm their dad.
2.  I listen to them, I value what they say, even if we disagree. This is true as long as they are respectful in sharing their views.
3.  I yield to the consensus built among my sons and me, when we need to make a decision as a family.
4.  Our relationship is more important to me than any issue, if we have a conflict.
5.   I love affirming them.
6.  I'm not interested in controlling the outcome of their lives.

         There are many areas where I still need growth. Until the day I breathe my last breath, I'm a work in progress. What reassures and encourages this innkeeper is knowing God's patient, gracious, love towards me as I make this journey on earth, and the humor he shares as I move along, one day at a time.

          I'm appreciate principles that allow me to overcome the gnarly areas of life, including painful moments from my past. Ya ay!
So, How About You?
1.  What is a big loss you've experienced recently?  I lost seven books that transformed me, along with the thousands of notes written within them.
2. What do you like about your time with your family?  I enjoy the peace, harmony, joy and in-depth conversations we share, along with the moments when we go hiking or sail two-stringed stunt kites.
3.  Where are you a work in progress?