twowithoneheart

Dory Wisdom Insight #3 “Life is full of surprises, so hang in there!”

I told my husband and daughters I have this thing about older men! Hahaha – Surrrr-Prise!! You should have seen their faces!! I hastily explained I was writing about businessmen who have left a trail for others to follow with their words of guidance and encouragement, both spoken and written. 

Some time ago, I wrote in my blog titled “Benched” about an older man I know who has lived a life full of surprises, some good, some not so good, and others inbetween, who makes it a daily event to enjoy life! Even now after being ill for nearly two months and recently transfered to a transitional care unit with the hope of regaining enough physical ability to go home; he still laughs, make jokes and causes others to smile. That man? My 93 year old dad.

Those older businessmen I was referencing speak and encourage thousands through their books and motivational events. And they too draw from men like themselves. The 76 year old businessman, of world-wide acclaim, John Maxwell has oft quoted Harvey Mackay : “Find something you love to do, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.” Can I introduce you to Harvey Mackay? He is an extensively commended, now 93-year-old motivational speaker and author. You may have even used that quote yourself, and if not that’s okay, as Harvey say’s “our lives change in two ways: through the people we meet and the books we read.”

Of the late 79yr old Jim Rohn, entrepreneur, motivational speaker and author, Harvey said “Jim is one of the most articulate, powerful, thought-provoking speakers I’ve seen. His unique delivery and style puts him head and shoulders above the rest.” And wasn’t it Harvey who said:“Positive thinking is more than just a tagline. It changes the way we behave. And I firmly believe that when I am positive, it not only makes me better, but it also makes those around me better.”

About six months ago, I got a surprise. Something I was totally not expecting. I questioned it via a phone call, and was told that what I was seeing was indeed correct and the previous verbal commitment was not in play. With that confirmation, after expressing sincere thankfulness, I started thinking of ways to “surprise” others! Isn’t it funny how things like that work?

But wait, I digress, this is supposed to be about Dory’s quote… “Life is full of surprises ….”

During a conversation with my then eight-year-old grand-daughter – the one I bought the Dory book for – she expressed concerns about some surprsing changes that had happened in her world. Changes she thought were “stupid and needed to end”. I ended up saying, with as much grandma wisdom as I could muster without laughing, “Well, today is the 292nd day of this “stupid” year and we only have 74 days left till it does end; so let’s try to remember what Dory said.” Her response said with a little shoulder shrug and pitiful sigh, “Okay, Nonni.”

It was Jim Rohn who said: “Start from wherever you are and with whatever you have” and “If you don’t like how things are, change it, you’re not a tree.”

Or a fish, for that matter ;-D

Wisdom Insight from Dory #2! “Don’t follow the herd! Be cautious, but don’t be afraid to explore.”

As the shifting tide came in, I caught myself standing on the edge of the Virtual River not wanting to jump in with everyone else. Annnd, I have a confession to make, I’m still not sure. I do have business videos personally developed, I do attend virtual trainings, virtual business meetings and I do send text videos.

But.

As a person that likes substance and depth, I’m stuck in the undertow of trying to understand the nuance of ‘stories’. Why, are we given a quick glimpse into another fishbowl, then just like an air bubble, that’s it, it’s gone. Isn’t there more to life than 30-60 second sound bites? In our click happy, filtered, virtual world how does this all work toward making connections? As life changes, we need to find a connection point with the people in our lives, both personal and business. Finding unique ways of doing it is up to us.

What would happen if the next time a telemarketer called, we listened, instead of hanging up. After all, they are just trying to do their job. They have a family to provide for, bills to pay. What if we just listened, told them we appreciated what they do and wished them a successful day. What if? I did.

After she gave me her scripted presentation I told her I while not interested in the product, I did want to give her the courtesy of simply being listened to. Hesitantly she said “For real? You don’t know how very much I appreciate that. Thank you so much. Thank you.”

In a world that’s too quick to move past an interruption, just maybe, you don’t have to follow the herd. Explore your options! Fill them with worthwhile intentions and purpose, then leave a way for others to follow …. all the way to another river! ;-D

Insight #1 -“Never underestimate the value of a good education.”

I confess I am always reading something, which fuels my drive of ‘learning at least one new thing every day.’

At the beginning of the Covid shut down, I decided to make an effort to learn something beyond the daily of what I do in business. Real Estate business had ground to a literal halt, as statewide preventions where put in place. Buyers were not exactly knocking down doors to go see someone’s home and sellers where being exteremely cautious as to who they let in their homes! All very understandable. It had been mentioned to me about a specialty realtor course that I needed to take a look out. And twice, I ignored the suggestion, took another course and carried on! The title of tha particular course gave me the notion I was about to be floated out to the far end of the pond. Especially after being told it could be my ‘niche’. Uhhh, as in “an ornamental recess in a wall” type niche?! Want a word play insight? How easy is it to underestimate one’s value?

Well, here it was again in my inbox. With nothing else clammering for my attention or any prospective clients immediately on the horizan, I decided to jump in and get it over with.

What a good decision! I discovered something I easily related to and enjoyed learning about the simple fact, that at every stage of life, change happens. In real estate, Baby Boomers (56-72yr olds) lead the way, helping the generations ahead of them through lifestyle transitions, while showing the generations following them, the “how to” involved with making those ‘big’ life decisions. Generation to generation learning at its best. Ohhhhh I did pass the course and received my designation as an SRES – Seniors Real Estate Specialist!

Wisdom Bubble: “What we learn, we get to build upon. When we listen, we grow and honor another’s wisdom.” Charlotte Gambill, (Author, Speaker) Church of the Highlands, Alabama.

A number of things are clamoring for my attention this morning. Most importantly my peace, as we move forward from finishing the year long events we had been doing for a Pacific Northwest Airline.

A “Give Him 15” reading by Dutch Sheets made me think of the people – stangers – who I have prayed for, prayed with and prayed over during these past nine months. Some I’ll never know their names, never have an on-going relationship with. But God, He knows the heart behind my prayers just as assuredly He knows their names! How, as I handed out throw blankets when the ac got too cold, straightened jackets and tucked in tags for presentors, loaded and unloaded backpacks and carry ons entrusted to our care, I silently trusted the power of His touch thorough my hands.

For the woman, who was contiously walking the meeting space! That I mentally labelled as an attention seeker, based on the way she was dressed, distracting others present. When I eventually asked about her, I was told her story. She was involved in a really bad fall that had broken her back. She was in continuous pain. A mild form of relief only came after she walked for the first few hours of her day. O Lord, please forgive me. She cried as I spoke with her as she was leaving at the end of the day and readily accepted my prayer for healing relief to be hers. For the woman I noticed crying and went to see if I could help. As she grabbed my hand, she openly shared the news she had just received, that her lifelong best friend was in hospital and was dying. Arrangements were made for her to leave and go be with her friend. For the woman who asked me if she could go to another area to make an important phone call. As I guided her to a private space, she shared her lawyer was in court on her behalf for a “stalking” case. As we walked I prayed silently for her. She later came to thank me for being so accomodating, hugged me and smiling really big said she had won her case. For the woman who came to me for medication for an extreme migraine, admitting it ws so bad that she had fainted the day before. Weeping in pain, she nodded her consent for me to lay my hand gently on her head, pray and speak the name of Jesus over her. After about 20 minutes, she was taken to a nearby medical facility for treatment. For the younger woman, as I gathered her belongings, silently praying she would get home in time to be with her dad in his remaining hours. For the three women, wearing bible verse t.shirts, I encouraged and challenged, them to begin prayer groups in their departments. Just 30 minutes before they started their day. All asked for ‘how to’ details and all said ‘challenge accepted!’ For the woman with a severe stomach ailment, I lead to her a quiet room to rest, then watched her fall asleep, after she agreed for me to pray over her. And for another woman on our team, who after a series of health issues had just begun to put her life back together only to be diagnosed with stage three breast cancer and the need for surgery. Her gratefulness for prayer seen in the tears she cried as she held and squeezed my hands. (Just a month later she returned to the events with an all clear!)

Dutch tells the story of when in Guatemala, he heard of a young girl that had left tied to a tree, deemed to be uncontrollable. He prayed for her, as the Holy Spirit led him. Short story version …. she was set free from what was plaguing her and people who witnessed the change in her gave their lives to Jesus!

He went on to say “There are many wounded and bound individuals tied to trees around the world. YOU work with some, others live across the street, another might sleep under your roof. One of them may have just seated you in a restuarant or served you food. Their chains are alcohol, drugs, abuse, broken dreams, rejection, fatherlessness, sexual perversion, gender confusion, love of money, false religion – you get the point. God wants all them loosed! You know that verse – ‘Pray without ceasing’? This is your how to! Look around you! Be a conduit of His life and touch in the lives of others, wherever you may find yourself.

“The greatest casualty is being fogotten” (Wounded Warrior Project)

“The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore to send out workers into His harvest field” (Matthew 9:37-38)

There it was. Fog. Those thick clouds filled with tiny water droplets, suspended in the atmosphere near the earth’s surface, that restrict visibility down to nothing, blindingly so.

The day we visited Deception Pass, smoke from wild fires burning across two states and from our neighbor to the north, found us in an almost ethereal place. Wedged between the elements of the heavens and the earth.

Looking out across the bay, was like watching the back drop on a stage change from one scene to the next. As smoke and fog merged, the sky became a muted, non defined color and seeing beyond it was impossible. In my mind, I knew what I was looking for – a strait of water separating two islands – but my eyes just couldn’t see it.

According to history, this was a hard area for explorers to find and map until June 1792. They encountered dramatic tidal flows and whirlpools, and many wrong turns before finding the inlet now known as Skagit Bay. The area also become infamous for its human smuggling of migrant Chinese people for local labor in the 1880s.

As I took the photo above, just for moment I ‘saw’ those early explorers and Chinese migrants. They didn’t know what lay ahead of them, they couldn’t see where they were going. Explorers lost their lives, boats were wrecked, some turned back, others kept pushing ahead until they found what they were searching for. Some Chinese migrants never saw the place they were being taken to, others were pushed through at the hands of other men to labor and live and pass on a story.

Life has a way of throwing us ‘deception pass’ moments. Sometimes all you can do is keep pushing through, keep looking beyond the ‘haze’.

Then, one day it will clear and you will see what you have always known was there.

(1 Corinthians 13:12. The Message Paraphrase) “We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it as clearly as God sees us, knowing Him directly just as He knows us.”

I could start this post out with – wow its been a while since I wrote anything. But honestly why would I? Its kinda obvious, right? So I won’t.

Since moving to Washington – life has been a fast paced jumble of finding jobs and somewhere to life, adapting to a different culture in community and church and eventually starting my own business. A business I never imagined myself in by the way, but now feel so passionate almost three years later. All of this bought with it an intensive season of learning to adapt.

Bring on the turtles!

Kirkland, WA has a myriad of parks, where animals and their humans go, families get together for play dates, and quieter parks where people can walk without talking in the wonder and beauty of creation. On occasion, these free roaming creatures we observe in the quieter parks talk to you in ways you least expect – cue Dr. Dolittle!

That’s how it was with the turtles. From the observation deck, I could see them, sitting there on a log, sunning themselves, oblivious to this amateur photographer trying to get her best shot. Some on other logs, were respectably distanced from each other, others not caring how they ended up, just pile on! Then it happened – middle picture above.

Everyone was happy, until that guy at the bottom decided he wanted to take a dip. As he slowly turned to get off the log, it set off a rock and roll motion. As he slide off sideways, the motion of the log increased. As he hit the water it increased even more. He started to turn back to the log, saw what he had done and disappeared under the water, out of sight.

Meanwhile, the next guy up, had shot his legs out at angles, anchored himself and hung on, the three in the middle just rolled with the flow. The next one I think woke up when he flipped and landed in the water. And that smallest one at the top end. Seriously, he should have gotten some kind of award! He had it down, roll to the left, slide to the right, lift your head. But promptly lost it as he tilted to far and catapulted off the end.

The four of us humans, strangers bought together in a wordless interaction, all laughed with delight, at this 16 second interruption to the surrounding quiet.

As I turned to walk away, it struck me that I had just witnessed a word picture of how I often act in the rhythms that make up my life. Sometimes I quietly slide out of situations not wanting to rock the boat, but doing so with my absence. Other times I hang on for dear life when a rough waters try to unseat me or immediately lose my grip and wake up when I hit the water. Still other times I just find a good stance and manage to come out unscathed.

I want to be like the three turtles in the middle. Finding enough balance that allows me to roll with the ebb and flow, the high and lows. Knowing that when things happens, I am secure in the place I have chosen to plant my feet. That I am anchored in this solid, albeit rocky place. Anchored in the place of an everlasting hope that propels me through life toward a destination that will bring me to the place of perfect balance. How about you?

“Yes, my soul, finds rest in God; my hope comes from Him. Truly He is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken.” (Psalm 62:5-6)