Siggy's Blurbs: Siggy's Edge of Country …

The smallest social unit within your family is your partner.  Do you treat him/her with kindness and love.  It matters.  How can you possibly treat others with love and kindness if you can not even treat the person who is closest to you that way?

Of course, kindness starts off with you, your thoughts, your self talk.  If you can treat yourself with tolerance and love, fully aware you are flawed and forgive yourself for blundering and, also, ask others for forgiveness when you have hurt them.

I find it interesting in the Lord’s Prayer it states, ‘And forgive our debts, as well as we forgive our debtors’ (Matthew 6-12).  You have to ask God for the forgiveness of you sins first before can you can forgive others for hurting you.

If you love those who God puts in your life (and it starts off with your mate) you can transform the world.  Never discount the power of one.  Every movement started off with one person so never discount yourself.

Tags: ask for forgiveness, Bible, blunder, forgive others, forgive yourself, forgiveness, God, hurt, kindness, Lord's Prayer, love, love others, Matthew, never discount yourself, our debtors, our debts, self talk, social unit, the Bible, the power of one person, thoughts, tolerance, transform the world, we are flawed, your mate, your partner
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It is always easier to want less, to be satisfied with what you have.  There is a reason ‘Thou shall not covet.’ is one of the ten commandments.  There is no end to wanting.  There is always one more thing around the corner–one more gadget, one more whatever.  There is peace in being satisfied with your current possessions.  There is no end to wanting more.  It has to stop somewhere.  Now is a good time as any.  And approaching each day with thanksgiving is a good start.

Tags: be satisfied with what you have, be thankful, Bible, God, no end to wanting more, one more gadget, peace, ten commandments, thanksgiving, thou shall not covet, wanting less
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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, respect my time here, 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 from 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, God, hurting, learn to forgive, lessons, love others, my partner, our mate, primary relationships, right-thing-to-do, start each day afresh, we are all imperfect, 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, coveting is a sin, danger of money and wealth, desiring things, God, human nature, less is more, material wealth, money not evil, more you have more you want, 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 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 that 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, God, Greek, it is a gift to enjoy our life, King Solomon, life is a gift, Life is but a vapor, Old Testament, passing time, precious gift, time, time flees, time is valuable, time on earth, time runs out, today is a gift, what's the point?
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Coveting is always wrong.  There is a reason one of the ten commandments was ‘Thou shall not covet’.  The truth is everybody has something that someone does not have.  Some people have less and some people have more.  Poverty has always existed through the ages.

Be thankful for what you have.  Then it no longer matters what someone does not have.  View all your possessions with a spirit of gratitude.  If the truth be known, what you have is only on loan.

If you can be thankful for what you have you will have peace of mind, which is priceless.  So guard against covetousness.  The world is full of good things.  Accept what you have and thank God for it.  You will sleep easier at night.

Tags: accept what you have, be thankful, Bible, covet, coveting is wrong, God, peace of mind, possessions, poverty, sleep easier at night, spirit of gratitude, ten commandments, thank God, thou shall not covet, what you have is only on loan, world full of good things
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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, God, 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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Why do we care so much about things?!  You can not take your material possessions with you when your time comes.  It says in the Bible ‘from dust you come and to dust you shall return’.

I am as guilty as anyone of this.  My music, my writings and journals and books are far too important to me.  Yet when my appointed hour comes, I can no longer hang on to any of these things.

Why do we act as if we can take our possessions with us when we die?  We try up till the last moment to retain some control of our most valuable possessions.  We make wills.

The fact still remains we can’t take them with us.  Wouldn’t it make more sense to invest in the things that really have more lasting effects?  Wouldn’t it make more sense to invest time while you are on earth in relationships–your immediate family, your friends, your kids?

Once you are gone all people have are their memories of you, the love and care you have demonstrated toward them.  You can have far reaching effects if you have invested time and love in others while you were on this earth.  People you have loved have memories of you long after you are gone.

Far too many people do not invest time in others.  They spend their whole life in accumulating things.  No one remembers how hard you worked in your lifetime.  They remember the love you have demonstrated toward them.  So before it is too late, do something about it.  Examine your priorities.  You have one life.

Tags: accumulating things, appointed hour, Bible, books, can't take it with you, care, dust-to-dust, examine your priorities, family, friends, invest in relationships, invest time and love in others, journals, kids, lifetime, long after you are gone, love, love is remembered, make will, material possessions, memories, music, on this earth, people remember the love, writing, you have one life
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Funerals are for the living. I am going to my Aunt Gerda’s funeral tomorrow.  I have known this aunt since I was this little.  My two sisters and my nephew and niece will be there.

My aunt lived until the ripe old age of 92.  No one lives forever yet others act as though death is an abomination and something terrible.  It says clearly in the Bible that from dust we come and to dust we shall return.

Funerals are really for the living.

It gives others, especially those people who were invested in that person’s life, a chance to process their grieving openly in a group setting.

Persons who died do not need the funeral except for the obvious reasons.  It is others–the living-who need the funeral.  So I will think about these things as I go to the funeral.

I grew up with my aunt and she was my favorite aunt.  Her death is still too fresh.  It is hard to fathom my loss.  That will take time.  Attending her funeral will start this process of grieving.

Tags: aunt, Bible, death, dust-to-dust, family, funeral, funerals are for the living, God, grief, grieving, loss, my favorite aunt, nephew, niece, two sisters
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Again and again you have to return to your center.  Your center is what drives you–down deep inside–your mission statement.  Your center is not something you can keep forever.

You have to return to it over and over.  It is so easy to become “lost”.  There are so many things that can distract you–divert your attention.

In order to return to your center one has to be quiet.  ‘Be still and know I am God’, Proverbs in the Bible says.

The only way you can find your true center is to stop–be quiet long enough to prayerfully, thoughtfully determine what truly matters in your life.

In fact that is what the Sabbath was designed for–to stop your routine–to be quiet to get off your treadmill and reevaluate your life to make sure what you do truly fulfills your mission.

This whole discussion, of course, assumes you have found your center–your driving force.  Finding your center is really another discussion.

The point is is you continually have to stop periodically to find your center again.  It is so easy to get off track.  Being still gives you the opportunity to get back on track again.  And it has to be done over and over.

Tags: be quiet, Be still and know I am God, Bible, driving force, find your true center, get back on track, get off your treadmill, God, mission statement, prayer, prayerfully, Proverbs, reevaluate, return to your center, routine, Sabbath, what truly matters in your life
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