Master's Hand

Today’s blog is a little deeper than others and I must add that I stole the basic idea from another blogger because his blog brought me near to tears so I thought I would kind of give my little take on it because it was really worth the read for me, so maybe it will be for you. So, thank you Rick Kraft for your words, and now here are mine…

Before you read the following poem by Myra Brooks Welch and my words to follow, I want you to think about something…If you were put up on an auction block right now, how much do you think you would go for?

It was battered and scarred, And the auctioneer thought it Hardly worth his while To waste his time on the old violin, But he held it up with a smile. "What am I bid, good people", he cried, "Who starts the bidding for me?" "One dollar, one dollar, Do I hear two?" "Two dollars, who makes it three?" "Three dollars once, three dollars twice, going for three",
But, No, From the room far back a grey haired man Came forward and picked up the bow, Then wiping the dust from the old violin And tightening up the strings, He played a melody, pure and sweet, As sweet as the angel sings.
The music ceased and the auctioneer With a voice that was quiet and low, Said "What now am I bid for this old violin?" As he held it aloft with its' bow. "One thousand, one thousand, Do I hear two?" "Two thousand, Who makes it three?" "Three thousand once, three thousand twice, Going and gone", said he.
The audience cheered, But some of them cried, "We just don't understand." "What changed its' worth?" Swift came the reply. "The Touch of the Masters Hand."
And many a man with life out of tune, All battered with bourbon and gin, Is auctioned cheap to a thoughtless crowd Much like that old violin. A mess of pottage, a glass of wine, A game and he travels on. He is going once, he is going twice, He is going and almost gone. But the Master comes, And the foolish crowd never can quite understand, The worth of a soul and the change that is wrought By the Touch of the Master's Hand.

Now think about that question again. Did you value yourself high or low…or somewhere in between? Would you consider yourself the precious, rare find at auction, or the worn out scraps that people shouldn't be wasting their time on?

I’ll admit that at times I am really hard on myself and feel my worth is little and that nobody would want me…but truth is I am a masterpiece created to be valued and cherished. We are our own worst critics lots of times, but the thing is that we are just out of tune and need our Master to dust us off and tweak us and make our beauty be seen. We make mistakes and fall but that doesn’t mean we lose our value in our Master’s eyes. We just need to learn to live our lives as best we can and try to make the best music we can to please Him.

Love God, Love Others and Love Yourself....

Have a GOODloe Day!

I thank God I am American!

It's America's birthday and one of my very favorite holidays. It's the day that we can celebrate our freedom and our lives as Americans.

We truly are lucky people. I know there are people who came here from other countries and want to celebrate "their roots" by flying flags of other colors over our lands, but I find it very disrespectful. Have them in your house if you want, but you came here for a reason, so celebrate the freedoms you have here..that is if you are here legally (but I am not going there with this one, I am talking to my American Brothers and Sisters in this one.)

I love my country so much. I love that I can worship God, can own a gun, can elect officials, that I have amazing people fighting for me day and night, can own property, build my own wealth...the list is endless...while some of these are challenged on occasion, I have an amazing thing called the Constitution on which I believe that if we continue to turn to it my rights will continue to stand. So many nations, so many people, around the world don't have the things, the rights and freedoms that we take for granted everyday. Like when your family stops to say grace at the restaurant..in some countries you would be killed for honoring God.

I read something this morning about the pledge and whether we really think about the words when we read it...Do you? Do the words mean something to you? Or when you sing The Star Spangled Banner, is it just the precursor to the booze and ball game...or is it a salute to the men and women who have fallen and your allegiance to a country that you can truly live free? When I here patriotic songs I get fired...like truly fired up. I get teary eyed, and I think about my friends over seas, and people I don't even know...and the fact that they are there so I can sit and enjoy this song on the radio around a fire with a group of friends. Freedom isn't free and that's why this 234th American Birthday is just as important as the first one, because the great names of our beginning: Washington, Adams, Franklin, Jefferson, Paine, would want us to revere our freedom. The stands they made for our country made us who we are. They wanted freedom so bad, they committed treason...how bad do you cherish your freedom?

Next time you stand for the pledge, stand up straight, hand over your heart, and say it like you mean it. Think about each word: "I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." because there have been thousands of people who have given their lives for you say every word of that pledge.

I love my United States of America and the God who I pray continues to watch over her. God Bless the USA...And Happy Fourth of July! LET FREEDOM RING!!!

Have a GOODloe Day!

Take back OUR Country

Five months from now our country will be at another crossroads. The 2010 elections will be upon us and it will be our chance to decide whether to continue on this "hopey-changey" course or put America back on the course it belongs! We should have stayed true to the American ideals in the first place, we were not founded on the principles of communism, so why are we trying to convert to them now?
Alright, if that offended you quit reading now because its not gonna get any better.

November is an important time for our beloved country. It is our chance to take back what was taken away. If there are/were any liberals left reading this I'm sure they would say nothing has been taken away..but I beg to differ. One of my oldest memories as a kid was saying the pledge. I remember that I was in 1st grade and I remember standing up proud and straight and reciting every word like it was the truest thing that was ever written. The words meant something to me...and today they still mean just as much to me as they did then. I love my country and the God on which it was founded so much I have tears in my eyes right now because I know that there are people who will read this and slander it. I have always believed in my heart of hearts that this country is the BEST of the BEST and not China nor France nor any other nation is half the country we are. But you know what this government has taken away and I want back??? My since of peace. I'm scared for the first time in my life. I am scared to turn on the news in the morning because I don't want to know what my government has done today. They are trying to turn us into a communist nation one grand "Obama-Plan" at a time. I don't want your "free" health care and by the looks of the polls, neither does a good percentage of this country. If it were so great, how come you and Nancy aren't first in line for it? I don't want any more of his "change"... I just want us to take back our country!!

More things that I want.... I want to be able to say God in my pledge like I always have without it being a big deal. And I want my money to read "In God We Trust"...because we do! And I want our children to be able to where the flag of our country on their clothes no matter what day it is! I want more states to follow in Arizona's footsteps (if I can't be in Mexico without my passport, then why should they be here without documentation?).

When I hear the song "God Bless the U.S.A" you can bet your butt that I am standing up with my fist balled up and yelling the words at the top of my lungs. This country is the Best...and if you don't think so too then get your butt out because we are only as strong as our weakest link..so in the words of Anne Robinson, "Goodbye!"-and might I add a swift kick too!

If you love this country too and want to take it back, its time to do something about it! We have 5 months...get your voice heard and then vote the jerks out who are not doing their jobs!!

Have a GOODloe Day!

Why I love music...

I have been to upwards of 40-50 concerts in my life...and about 15 of them were pretty big names...including but AC/DC, Tim McGraw, Big & Rich, Third Day, Pat Green, Charlie Daniels Band, and of course the most recent and the BEST concert that I have EVER EXPERIENCED Jimmy Buffett.

If you take a look at just those few names there, you can see a little of the variety in my musical tastes...but I love so many types of music! I love Christian, Country, Rock, Alternative, Pop, and some R&B, and rap. I love music ranging from Jimmy's "Cheeseburger in Paradise" to AC/DC's "Thunderstruck" to Casting Crowns "Who Am I."

There are so many reasons to love music. Some music is "chill" music. You know the kind I am talking about. It doesn't belong at a club or bar but is good music in other settings..like at a coffee bar, hanging with friend at the house...or even while writing a blog about music. By the way might I say that I think Pandora.com is awesome. If you haven't ever used it, it is an awesome online radio that you can build your own radio stations..ok...sorry...Other music is "two steppin" music....some of my favorite music is in this category because I love to two step! So anything that can get me up on the dance floor and spinning is always good in my book! Then you got "booty shaking" music, and if you have ever been to any function that played this type of music you know what it is with out me going into detail. :) Another good group of music is "Classic" rock...I stipulate classic rock here because it has to have its own label because lets face it, Classic rock is some of the BEST music ever made and can't be lumped with some of the rock today that just can't compete. Having said that, I will say that there are great rock bands out today and I dont want to take anything away from them...BUT, here is my where I draw my line, I am not a fan of screaming death metal that you can't even tell what the heck they are saying. What the heck happened to having a melody? That whole branch of "music" if you can call it that, is just noise to me, but that's part of why I like music...there is something for everybody. Just because I don't like it, doesn't mean I judge people who do, to each there own!

Ok...but I realized this weekend another reason why I love music...It brings people from all over together. I spent about 7 hours on Saturday with 30,000 of the friendliest, happiest people I have ever met. I didn't meet a stranger all day! I talked to people from Dallas, Abilene, Lousiana, Kansas, you name it!...it was amazing!! And we were all singing Jimmy's songs like we had been practicing with him for weeks. Music is Universal. Jimmy has concerts in France this tour....Random right?!

But that's the thing...you can live wherever, doing whatever and music can be your escape at the end of the day, or your get away on the weekend. Music is something that you can have as a private get away for yourself or you can share it with your loved ones...like you and your grandma going to Jimmy Buffett together! Music is a way you can kind of express yourself that maybe you cant sometimes...like sometimes when I am in a bit of a feisty mood I put on some Allannis Morrissette and people just need to keep back.

But here's the thing, whatever music you dig is your choice...nobody can change that, and I love that...its a part of you. You can choose to dance to polka or rap "Pants on the ground"... Whatever makes you happy...

Have a GOODloe Day!

These are a few of my favorite things...

To appreciate my favorite things I first want to share things I really dislike...readyyyyyy....GO!

WIND!!, double negatives, San Diego Chargers, being sick, the Artesia Nat'l Bank Radio spots, people saying I am gonna be a cat lady, bad hair days, forgotten birthdays, Tuesday mornings, morning people, cheaters, feeling bored, slow drivers when I am already late, smoking, bad wives/mothers, hot beer, sleeping alone, brussel sprouts, acordian music, the state our government is in, really cold days, really hot days, missing someone, being hungover...ummm, yea, can't think of anything else....

I have lots of things I really, really like...for example, fishing, chocolate, and starry skies to name a few...BUT.... my top three favorite things(not counting people), in my life: RAIN, LAUGHING, LOVE.

RAIN: Everything from the smell to the feel of it on a bare shoulder... Rain is like natures perfume. How many people do you know that don't like the smell of rain?! It's intoxicating. And the feel of it tracing down your jaw line as you gaze at a rippling puddle before you. It tickles every sense... I remember as a kid sticking my tongue out to catch the drops, so pure...awww...Rain...hmmmm.

LAUGHING: My favorite past time. If I could just sit and do one thing the rest of my life...I would choose to be in a room with a bunch of funny people and just tell jokes and laugh. Just laugh til my stomach hurt and tears fell. When I was growing up I had a few friends that we used to joke that we were so skinny bc we laughed all the time.. and its probably the truth... I remember just holding my stomach it hurt so bad from laughing. But if thats the only pain in life I had, laughter pains, then life is as good as it could ever be. I hope that in my next 25 years I laugh even more than my first 25.

LOVE: oh, love. How complex, and so simple. We make love hard sometimes, but it is easy and beautiful. I guess the real question about love that makes it so difficult is whether it is a feeling or an action or both. If love is only a feeling, then its something that develops but no work has to be put into the relationship, ie, you care for your disabled brother but you dont have to help him to the dr. Or if love is only an action, then its something that is just done because it should be done, not becasue your feelings said you should, ie, A boy helps a lady up who has fallen because he was taught to do so. Or, love is a combination of the two...which is how I believe...When we have feelings for those we love (our families, significant others, etc) we should show them we care by expressing our love both in words and actions. Tell them you love them but also show them. Do the things for them that you know make them happy, not bc they asked, but bc you want to bring a smile to their face. Love is something to be cherished, it's delecate. I like to think of love like a bar of soap in the shower. If you don't hold on tight enough you will drop it, but if you try to grip it too tight it will slip through your fingers.

So having said all that, I am gonna go to bed now, and tomorrow I am gonna hava a big laugh with the people I love, hopefully while eating some chocolate...Probably no rain tomorrow, but that's another reason I like it so much...it's so rare here that when it comes it's a sweeping breath of fresh air across the valley.

Have a GOODloe Day!

I am blessed

I think every morning no matter what we have going on we should think of at least one thing we are thankful for, and thank God for it...then before bed...think of one more thing we are thankful for and thank God for it. I'm not saying we should only do it twice in the day, but a minimum of morning and night.

This day was neither amazingly good nor bad...but I have a smile on my face because I have things to be thankful for. I have a wonderful life. I really do. Today I gave my life some serious thought. I really contemplated where I am and where I have been, and where I want to be and what I want....but most of all, I thought about all I have to be thankful for.

Some of you, perhaps most of you, may not know that just a few short months ago I was in a wheel chair. For two months I was limited to a walker and wheel chair. I was diagnosed with a movement disorder, paroxysmal dyskinesia. I wasn't sure if I would ever walk again and the doctors couldn't figure out what I had. The Lord blessed me with many wonderful people..I had friends who donated and raised money, I had family who went above and beyond to help me, and then I was sent to the Mayo clinic where they finally were able to diagnose my disorder. Some people say they don't believe in prayer for healing and that sort of thing...and while I may still have to take medicine for my disorder, God sent me to those doctors....and I am walking... so I accept my healing. Life is wonderful, and God is Good.

I try to live by a slogan "Smile, life is what you make of it." And people, it is exactly that. When I let myself get down about the stuff I was going through, it all seemed to get worse...but as soon as I put a smile on my face and truly believed my life was good, it was better...and the next day better, the next...and so on... Every morning is another chance to better your life for you and your family. If you aren't happy change it. You might not necessarily be able to change some of the pieces of your life, but chage your attititude about it and it will make it better...And more than that, if you acknowledge God for the blessings in your life..more blessings will come your way... If you look at your life right now and you can't see any blessings, then you need to reevaluate your life...this is kinda what I was talking about in my last blog about making oneself better everyday. You need to be able to see the beauty in life, and blessings are definately part of the beauty.

First, take a look at your family. When was the last time you really were thankful for your family? Today I was driving home from Mickey D's, and it hit me that I havent hugged my parents in a while..I haven't cherished them, been thankful for them like I should be...making a point to go to their house tomorrow just for the sake of hugging them both.

Friends. How do you treat your friends? Do you treat them like you would want to be treated? Or do you keep them around for when your other options aren't available? Are you truly thankful for your friends? If so, show them, tell them, cherish them.

Blue skies, rainy days, a job, a dog, a home...all things to be thankful for, we take for granted. You owe a thanks to somebody....My thanks go to God...and I thank Him for you.

Have a GOODloe Day!

No Complaints

I have nothing to complain about today. There is something I could complain about...I will tell you about it, but I am not complaining, and here is why...

So, living is a small town everybody knows everybody, so everybody, or most everybody knows my ex-boyfriend. Well, I have had issues with guys not wanting to go on dates with me because they know him/ friends with him/ grew up with him, whatever....at first I really let that hurt my feelings and get me down. It happened again this week, and for 6 months of it happening, its just gotten to the point that now I am like...FORGET ALL Y'ALL WHO THINK YOUR TOO GOOD FOR ME!! If something like that is gonna keep someone from giving me a chance then you don't deserve the chance to be with me. I think God did pretty good with me and so I am not gonna let myself get down about something like that anymore. I may not be perfect but to some man I will be perfect to him, and he is gonna realize what a catch I am. I am gonna spoil the heck out of him, and treat him like he deserves because he is gonna treat me like I deserve. No more settling. Last week the sermon was on marriage and preparation for it. Well, I have always prayed that God would send me my man, but the preacher said that you should pray that God be preparing you for your wife/husband so that when He does send them you are the best you can be. So that's what I am gonna do. I am gonna be working and praying to make myself better for whoever you are.

Lately I have been really working to make myself a better person. I have tried to take a step back and think about what I need to do to be a better me. I am working on lots of stuff. Some stuff, most stuff, nobody knows about. But I think part of maturing as a person should be about working to make oneself better. If you stop growing then you become stagnant, complacent. A life without forward movement is barely a life at all. What do you want for your children? Would you be happy knowing that they were settling for a "C Average" lifestyle? If you wouldn't want that for them, why is it ok for you? I have decided mediocrity is no longer ok for me...I am working to improve myself inwardly and my situation outwardly...and I encourage you to do the same. If we are all making strides to be better people, we will be happier and better to eachother...I think that's very worth the effort...dont you?

Have a GOODloe day!