Siggy’s Blurbs

It was a shock when I learned (via the internet) that John Dye died of a heart attack:  he was only 47.  John Dye was the angel of death in “Touched By An Angel”–a role he was perfect for.

He played the role on TV with such humanity.  The show ran nine years.  By the third he had become a regular.  His stance toward death was biblical but his touch was not heavy handed.

He left so many memories in that role.  Even in death he will continue to impact others who discover or view again the episodes of “Touched By An Angel”.  I am sure he is on the other side.

He did not bludgeon you with hell.  Sure it was a possibilty.  He did not use that word.  He emphasized the positive–how much God wanted a relationship with you.  He was totally believable and he will be missed.

Tags: "Touched By An Angel", angel of death, Bible, Biblical, death, God, God wants a relationship with you, hell, John Dye, tribute, TV
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Every marriage is flawed and it does me no good to point out my wife’s flaws to her.  I just forgive her and go on from there.  We are all imperfect (and sin).

There is no way to get around that.  I have to admit I balked at the statement I read in a book where it says it does no good to criticize anyone:  it just lessens our ability to love that person.

I know I often criticize my partner even if it is only self talk.  Somehow I need to forgive her for not matching up every day.  I certainly don’t.  So why should I expect her to not make any mistakes?  I err every day.

Don’t let the sun go down on your wrath is good advice from the Bible.  Give each other a clean slate and forgive each other at the end of each day.

Bitterness can form an almost impenetrable wedge between you and your mate.  So recognize that both of you are flawed and forgive each other at the end of the day.  Every marriage is flawed.

Tags: ability to love, Bible, bitterness, criticize, don't let the sun go down on your wrath, end of the day, err, forgive, forgive each other, give a clean slate, God, impenetrable wedge, marriage is flawed, mistakes, my wife, self talk, sin, we are imperfect, your mate
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Somehow I have to refrain from becoming angry.  I need to develop more patience.  There is a time and place for anger but if I fly off the handle too easily something is wrong.

I have to slow down, listen more closely.  ‘Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger.’  Those words from Proverbs suggest a formula to avoid anger.

The first part of it forces you to slow down.  That is the only way you can be quick to listen.  You first have to refrain from talking, focus on the words of the person talking.

At the same time you may be able to digest the words spoken to you better.  The last part of the equation ‘be slow to anger’ suggests that if you listen better and also do not talk it may become a little easier not to react in anger.

These scriptures from Proverbs give me hope.  My wife has told me I repeatedly interrupt her.  I have to work on this.

Tags: "quick to listen slow to speak and slow to anger", anger, Bible, develop patience, fly off the handle, hope, listen, my wife, Old Testament, Proverbs, talking
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Sometimes I do not see the birds.  I wonder where they went, whether I am just missing them.  A steady stream of titmouse, downy woodpecker and flocks of slate covered junco come to my feed I put out for them.

Presently there is not one bird out there.  The dogs were out and just charged in.  Now I am waiting for my visitors.  I do not remember exactly where I read it in the bible but it says if God can feed the sparrow how can we possibly doubt God won’t take care of us.

I think it uses the word lowly to describe the sparrow.  I put out birdseed on the ground and keep three feeders full.  The birds do not, I am sure, spend one second worrying where their next meal comes from.  Even in winter.

If God takes can take care of the lowly sparrow how can we possibly doubt He will not take care of us?  Of ye humans of bad faith!

Tags: Bible, bird feed, bird-feeders, birds, birdseed, do not worry, downy woodpecker, faith, flocks of slate covered junco, God, God feeds the sparrow, God takes care of us, humans, lowly sparrow, our dogs, titmouse, winter
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Time is always a question of balance.  It is easy to keep yourself occupied.  Every person needs empty spaces in their lives.

It is all too easy to go faster and faster nowhere.  It is essential to slow down, even stop even if that is briefly.  ‘Be still and know I am God’, the words from Proverbs in the bible.

How can you possibly hear that tiny voice inside you if you are always rushing from one thing to another?  It is so essential to stop periodically and examine your life, figure out where are you heading.

That tiny voice inside you is too often passed by you in busyness and turmoil.  ‘Observe the Sabbath’, one of the ten commandments, is there to encourage you to get off your treadmill and look at your life.

How can your life have balance if you do not give your self time to examine it?  How you use your time is always a question of balance.  That is the only way to hear your tiny voice so easily covered up by other things.

Tags: Be still and know that I am God, Bible, busyness, examine your life, get off treadmill, going nowhere fast, look at your life, need to slow down, observe the Sabbath, Proverbs, question of balance, ten commandments, time, tiny voice inside you, we need empty spaces in life, where you are heading
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Sometimes you just have to let things go.  It does not matter if you or your mate was right.  You have to give your mate a clean slate every day.  ‘Don’t let the sun go down on your wrath’–lines from the New Testament.

The devil uses forgiveness to pit one mate against the other.  And we are all imperfect.  And each day each person make mistakes so it is important to let them go and start the day afresh.

There is wisdom in those lines from the bible.  If you do not forgive the other for their failures, resentment builds and drives a wedge between you.

Forgiveness allows you to love your partner fully and with humility.  Each person knows in their heart that they are not perfect so why should you expect your partner to be otherwise?

Tags: Bible, clean slate every day, devil, don't let the sun go down on your wrath, drive a wedge between you, everyone makes mistakes, failures, forgiveness, God, humility, know in your heart, let things go, love your partner, New Testament, no one is perfect, resentment, start each day afresh, we are all imperfect, who is right, wisdom, your mate
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Every day is a privilege and why do I act otherwise.  I act as if my days are endless and as King Solomon says, ‘Life is but a vapor.’

I waste (our) days sometimes.  I act as if my time on this earth is infinite.  I know.  I have been there repeatedly.  I have to remind myself each day is a gift.  I know I am a master of rationalization.  I act as if I will be forever here.

It is marvelous what a shower and putting on clean clothes (and dressing nicely) does to your attitude.  I am saying today matters.  I will respect my time here.  It is truly a gift.

It is so easy for me to fall down in the dumps to use a cliche.  I really have to work at it and sometimes from the outside first and my attitude towards the day will change.

Every day I am on this earth is a privilege and I have to treat it as such.  I really matter to the one above so I have to give him the respect due and treat each day that the Lord brings me as a gift.  It really is.

Tags: Bible, clean clothes, down in the dumps, each day is a gift, endless days, give respect to God, God, infinite, King Solomon, Life is but a vapor, Old Testament, take a shower, the Lord, time, time on earth, today is a gift, today matters, waste time, your attitude
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I always thought there would be tomorrows but now I am not sure.  My visits with my doctor made me realize this so I decided to plan the trip to San Francisco I have wanted to do since the late sixties.

I do not know what my fascination with San Francisco is but I have wanted to go there for forty years.  I want to go in style:  I will take a “sleeper” on Amtrak with my wife from Chicago to San Francisco next spring.

“The California Zephyr” goes across the United States:  I have always loved trains and they are my favorite form of public transportation.  I have almost six months to plan out this trip in next April.

I do not want to put off this trip any longer.  Who knows what the time will bring?  ‘Time is indeed a vapor’ in the words of King Solomon fron the Old Testament.

Tags: Amtrak, Bible, California Zephyr, doctor, King Solomon, late sixties, Old Testament, public transportation, railroad sleeper car, San Francisco, thought there would be tomorrows, time, time is a vapor, trains, United States, who knows what time will bring
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Don’t let the sun go down on your wrath.  This advice from the bible is a good one.  Another way to interpret this line is don’t nurse hurts in your marriage.  Let them go.  Start each day afresh.

I am imperfect and so is my partner.  If you don’t forgive your partner at the end of the day for being imperfect (for hurting you), the wounds just fester.

Everyone sins (or should I say is imperfect or human).  You know in your heart you sin everyday why should you expect your other to be otherwise.

Forgiveness at the end of the day wipes your slate clean.  That is why it is healthy not to nurse hurts in your marriage.

We are all imperfect and whether or not you think your partner deserves it you have to forgive your partner at the end of the day.  It is the right thing to do.

I really believe marriage was put on this earth only for two reasons–to teach us how to forgive and love others and these lessons start off with our primary relationships–our mates.

Tags: advice, Bible, don't let sun go down on your wrath, don't nurse hurts, end of the day, everyone sins, forgive, hurting, imperfect, learn to forgive, lessons, love others, my partner, our mate, primary relationships, right-thing-to-do, start each day afresh, we are human, wipe slate clean, wounds fester, your marriage
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I like all kinds of things so what?  I do not have to possess them.  According to the bible, ‘Thou shall not covet,” is one of the ten commandments.

There is a reason for that.  There is no end to liking or should I say wanting or desiring something (or somebody).  There is no end to wanting more material things.

Observing this commandment puts a halt to desiring more things.  You make up your mind to be happy with what you got.

Money by itself is not an evil but avarice is.  Being aware coveting is a sin produces peace of mind.  You can be happy with what you have.

Less is more.  And there is no end to wanting more.  The commandment not to covet was designed not to deprive but acknowledge human nature and the danger of money and material wealth.

The more you have the more you want.  There can be an end to this by simply being satisfied with what you have.  Then you can rest.

Tags: avarice, be happy with what you have, be satisfied with what you have, Bible, danger of money and wealth, desiring things, God, less is more, money not evil, no end to wanting more, peace of mind, possessions, sin, ten commandments, things, thou shall not covet, you can rest
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‘Life is but a vapor.’  King Solomon’s words in the bible.  If that is true and it is so what’s the point?  Your life will be over before you know it.

He tempers those words in the Old Testament with the statement and I am paraphrasing:  It is a gift to enjoy our life.

The Greek has several words for the word “time” and right now they escape me.  Nevertheless, one is means the chronological passage of time and another means the significance of that point in time.

It is true, time seems, in retrospect, to flee you but not all points have similar value to you.  It is the points in time that have significance to us so don’t despair over the passing in time.

Cherish the moments you have been given for there is no more precious gift you can be given to you than today.  We all have so much and none of us knows exactly how much.  And that makes our time on earth here that much more valuable.  We never know when it is going to run out.

Tags: Bible, cherish the moments, don't despair, Greek, King Solomon, life is a gift, Life is but a vapor, Old Testament, passing time, precious gift, time, time flees, time is valuable, time runs out, today is a gift, what's the point?
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All there is, is today.  It is so easy to be distracted.  Life is full of distractions.  When your life is ebbing away, you wish there was more.  There is only today.

Sometimes the days seem endless and that is only an illusion.  Make the best of every dawn that you face.  And when the dusk appears, rest peacefully when you have made the most of the preceding day.

That is why there has to be empty spaces in every day.  Somehow you have to stop your frenetic activity and look at your past, examine the future and live fully in the present.

There is only one go of it.  Do not regret you have wasted, squandered the most valuable possession you have–your time.

So slow down periodically, welcome the empty spaces.  It is an opportunity to examine your life and truly do what matters the most.  It is too easy to imagine there will always be another day.  ‘Life is but a vapor’ in the words of King Solomon who had it all.  So think about it.

Tags: Bible, days seem endless, do what matters most, empty spaces, examine the future, frenetic activity, had it all, illusion, King Solomon, life ebbing away, life full of distractions, Life is but a vapor, live in the present, look at your past, make the best of each dawn, rest peacefully at dusk, slow down, squander time, time most valuable possession, today is all there is, waste time, wish there was more
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