Destined For Transition

Do you ever have an experience where something occurs like seeing an object, hearing a song or having a conversation and then something else occurs which appears related to that first incident with the object, song, and/or conversation? Well, I love coffee!! And I look forward every morning to having my cup of coffee to start my day! On a recent day, after my morning coffee, quiet time and breakfast, I headed out to shop. While shopping at a local store, I noticed that some items had been 'marked down' to 1/2 the original price. One of the items was a coffee maker. I remember thinking, "That's a great price on the coffee maker, but currently, I don't need one". The next morning, I turned on my coffee maker for my morning coffee, while I got ready. When returning downstairs to get my coffee, I discovered that there was no coffee in the glass decanter. I assumed immediately that I had not turned on the coffee maker. However, I then discovered that I had t...

Sitting inside my warm kitchen with the wonderful smells of cookies baking in my oven, I look outside and my view is one of gray skies with the temperature at 18 degrees, falling snow, bare trees, an icy driveway and stillness with no squirrels or birds eating from the feeders on my patio. I want to hibernate, escape, stay where it feels safe and yet I have places to go and things to do. I know I must move forward and move outside to where it may not feel comfortable. There is a purpose for my day; I am destined to go places where the landscape will change and lives will change. My work is important. To leave a place where I feel comfortable and safe means resisting the urge to procrastinate and find an excuse to not change my view. Once I initiate that first step to move out of my place of comfort, to see what challenges lie ahead, it becomes easier. The hardest part is to 'get up and get going'!!! I want to experience that same excitement that I see on the face of a young c...

Yesterday, we learned of the sudden death of a famous sports figure, Kobe Bryant, a member of his family and other prominent people from an aviation related crash. Death can come as the result of a prolonged illness with some prior knowledge or unexpectedly without any preparation. Either way, death can bring extreme loss and grieving and we are saddened. Death can come in many forms followed by different forms of grieving. Having witnessed many situations where there was the death of a dream, a parent's dream for their child who was born with a severe disability and/or a family's dream for a family member who experienced a debilitating condition, etc. Life is very precious and every life has great value and beauty. How we view life, beauty, and the value of a person can be reflected in how we "see" the person or the situation to include what "filter we see through".  Knowing our 'identity, purpose, and destiny' is crucial for all. The butter...

Have you ever been afraid, felt intimidated, "frozen" and unable to move forward? Something that created fear in one person may actually inspire competition in another. As a child, I struggled with physical education class and found excuses to avoid recess at school. My muscle tone was low and therefore, I would avoid those activities and find ways to compete in other areas where I could excel like academics. Teachers/friends encouraged me to explore sports and other physical activities in which I excelled. Later, I discovered that I enjoyed biking, hiking, golfing, etc. Once I began to excel and have success, my confidence grew and desire for competition increased. I think back on an experience as an adult that had a big impact on me. At a mountain retreat/camp with an outdoor obstacle course that challenged both competency and confidence, one activity required climbing to a platform 50 feet or higher, being attached to a harness and rope, jumping off the platform and...