The Strength and Courage Derived From Love: I Need It and Am Experiencing It

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
 while loving someone deeply gives you courage. - Lao Tzu

     The dreaded moment has arrived. I have to do something that is perhaps the most difficult thing I will do all year. Got your curiosity?

Balcony People and Taking Care of Ourselves......: 9/7/12

Balcony People Prevent Us From Falling

       Receiving amaz-ing, beyond belief, support is hearten-ing.

      Major but scary areas in our lives can confronted when given this assistance.  We can enjoy little, but significant victories.  It is the little foxes that ruin the vineyards of life.

      These foxes can be captured, returned to their natural habitat.  This reduces the terror they can create.

        Loving letters from friends bolster our re-solve.

        Supportive phone calls lift us up.  Empathy lets us know we are not alone during tough times.  When needed, keeping good company helps us make it through the day.  It is a bridge that gets us over difficult moments.

       This loving support makes it possible to move forward.  No man is an island. Confronting challenges is easier when taking them one day at a time.  Sometimes, when situations are especially rough, it is better overcoming them fifteen minutes at a time.

       Taking life's dark moments in small increments help us to stay present.  It is less likely we will be overwhelmed.  We are confounded when we try to take on the entire elephantine nature of a problem.  Approaching it in bite-sized portions is emotionally easier on the psyche.  It is even easier when our Balcony People are at our side, rooting us on.

       Balcony People stick by us. They lift us up, after being sucker punched by the unexpected vicissitudes of life.  This is when we are thankful for the support we get when we have a supportive network.

       We learn from the experience, strength and hope of our good friends.  Their smiles, wisdom and compassion provide the connection needed.  During the stressful seasons of life---when we falter, they, our Balcony People, lift us up.

       They uphold us as we place one unsteady foot in front of the other.  Sharing their experience, strength and hope with us is invaluable. You might want to read here, for more about this critical source of support.

       Wonderful con-versations with a family member or connecting with others committed to our welfare heals emotional bruises.  These sores accu-mulate quickly when we are trying to grow.

       These bruises may pop up when we face an unpleasant task. This may happen when we take gigantic steps in our growth. One source of healing during these stretching times is giving ourselves credit.  When trying to grow, often we are facing our fears.  Or we may be overcom-ing old scars.

       When addressing daunting issues, we are taking care one of the most important persons in our lives.  Ourselves.  During stressful times, we need to take whatever steps are necessary to treat ourselves with care.

       This means Quiet Time.

       When we apply this time, we are taking care of yours truly.  Eating healthy meals.   Exercising.  Sleeping well may be what is needed to take off the edge of demanding days.

Listening to music, being with friends and making time for fun (even if we don't feel like it) are ad-ditional ways of nurturing ourselves.  Such action is critical when facing dis-tasteful, scary, circum-stances.

       Caring for ourselves in this loving way, being gentle towards ourselves, is the antidote to pres-sure.  It is a terrific tonic for tension.

       During stressful times this is when we need to especially focus on our needs. We have to be at our best.  This is possible when we nurture our souls. We become strong-er when we give attention to our physical needs.  We are the only person on earth who can make our welfare our number one priority.

      We accomplish this by connecting with our network of good com-pany.  We will also have greater success during life's crucible moments when we slow down to tend to ourselves.

How About You? 
1. How have you received support this week?
2. Has there been an area in your life where you are experiencing more clarity?

Exercising Faith and Taking Action: I Hope to See More Pleasant Scenery 9/6/12

Image: "Autumn Pond"by Tim Blessed. Copyrighted photograph

    Welcome to our guests from Russia, the U.S., China, the Ukraine, Poland and Indonesia.  Thanks for returning every day. My Russian guests outnumber all others. I don't know how you

A Soft Word Turns Away Wrath .....................9/5/12

"It is not whether your words or actions are tough or gentle; it is the
 spirit behind your actions and words that announces your inner state."
-- Chin-Ning Chu 

    Yesterday I disagreed with a columnist who works for a local paper. He published my comments in his blog, which is affiliated with the paper, The Press Democrat, perhaps the most popular blog the paper has.  The following is

A Full and Joyous Day, Experiencing Support From All Sides. Also, Sarcasm Confronted Publicly, In Print ................................9/5/12

Image: "Cumbria: Over Rydal Lake" by Tim Blessed. Copyrighted photograph. 

   Tuesday, a columnist for a local newspaper wrote the following. Don't get too caught up with the content. I just want to share my

Checking In

   Good morning,

I've been up since 4:15 a.m. That's too early for me.

I'm dealing with

I Had My Best Fall, Enjoying Freedom from Debby Downers---Emotional Vampires ..............9/2/12

This is no fun when this happens, as it did on July 4th this year. I bruised
 my ligament and didn't walk well for three weeks. Today, I had more luck. 

My Gratitudes for Sunday:
1.  I fell from my bike again. This time it was along the grassy entrance to a golf course.  It was interesting; it didn't

Alexander the Grey(t) Part III, Lessons Learned from a Dying Semi-Paralyzed Cat .................................9/6/12

     Hello again,

I hope you are having a terrific Sunday. Mine has been pretty good.

      Recently, I've posted two parts that belong to a series I wrote about a dear friend.  I see some have

Adding to Peace, One Moment at a Time, Even When Exhausted ....... 9/2/12

How blessed and good it is when brethren
 dwell together in unity.    Psalms 133:1

The hills in my neighborhood. I used to roam among

 these trees and still do, from time-to-time. 

    Good morning,

How are you?  As an aside, I reworked yesterday's post, adding links and additional comments. You might want to revisit it. It is another example of

God Doing For Me What I Could Not Do For Myself ................................9/1/12

Image: "Lakeside: Rudyard Lake" by Tim Blessed

       Whew! Was today an unforgettable day.  Where do I start?  Most of you know that I remember things, words, facial expressions, formations in clouds, images. My mind takes snapshots of life's events.

      Today,