Today, I needed this..."Note to myself: I am doing the best I can with what I have with this moment and that is all I can expect from anyone, including myself."

Today, under the topic of relationships, someone asked me, "What are you still hopeful for?" Without hesitation, I responded with the following words ..."That is an excellent question! I think I am still hopeful that I can find someone who fits perfectly into my life, and I fit perfectly into theirs. I think I am still hopeful that there is someone out there who accepts me and appreciates me for who I am. I think I am still hopeful that there are men out there who aren't looking for a nurse or a purse. I think I am still hopeful that there is someone out there who believes that there are good human relationships with the opposite sex without all the expectations, drama, and BS. I think I am still hopeful that God has someone out there that He picked just for me. I am still hopeful I may find that person. That is what I am still hopeful for." I appreciate that question, because I now realize that I can define what I am still hopeful for. Until that hope is gone, I will keep on still having hope. However, should that hope disappear some day, I am forever grateful and thankful for my relationship with God...and I will be forever grateful that I never ever gave up.

I like this..."I have failed, and I have won, but I've always been in the game."

I came across this picture yesterday and again today.

I like this so much... In the movie Hook, Peter Pan had become old and looked nothing like the Peter the lost boys knew.  In the midst of the boys shouting that this was NOT Peter, one of the smallest boys pulled him down to his level.  He places his hands on Peter’s face, moved the skin around and reshaped his face.  The boy looked into Peter’s eyes and said, “There you are, Peter!” Shh. Listen. Do you hear? God is saying the same words to you. There you are! There you are! He’s seeing you and loving the you he sees.-Max Lucado

http://youtu.be/ezx3fXBYdUI-The Lost Boys Realize it really is Peter Pan.

I love this! ... "I wish I could show you, when you are lonely or in darkness, the astonishing light of your own being."~Hafiz

Some time ago, one of my brothers (who is also my best friend) and I were discussing people who say, "I'm not happy." He said something like, "Here's what you do the next time a guy tells you he's not happy. You pull out a dollar bill and toss it at him. Tell him to go down to the "Happy Store" and buy himself some "Happy." And, tell him, if he is smart, he'll go on the day when he can get three "Happys" for a dollar. Then, tell him, if that doesn't work, then go home, sit on the couch, and watch some cartoons to make him happy.  Tell him "Tom & Jerry" should work.  Then, tell him, if that doesn't work...then, I don't know what the (blank) to tell you!" I told this to one of my "bestest" girlfriends ever. Today, she sent me this picture. LOL! :)

My encouraging word for today..."It’s never too late to turn it all around. Be honest with yourself and others. If anything you’re doing in life is not what you should be doing… stop. Life is way too short to continue in the wrong direction, and the longer that you do, the less time you will have to travel in the right direction."-DZ

Last night, I had a movie night with one of my "bestest" girlfriends, ever. We watched, "He's Just Not That Into You." I really enjoyed that movie. I think one of my favorite parts was when the character, "Gigi," said..."And maybe this happy ending doesn’t include a wonderful guy. Maybe, it’s you, on your own, picking up the pieces and starting over, freeing yourself up for something better in the future. Maybe the happy ending is… just… moving on. Or, maybe the happy ending is this: knowing that through all the unreturned phone calls and broken hearts, through all the blunders and misread signals, through all the pain and embarrassment, you never ever gave up hope."

I like this..."Life is like a roller coaster. It has its ups and downs and you can never be sure of what's around the next corner. The only thing you know is that when you look back, you're going to think it was a great ride."-Erin Vermillion

This is one of my favorite sayings, "If you believe for a lot and even get half of it, you are better off than you would be to believe for nothing and get all of it."-JM

"Don't you think God sees you? Don't you think God sees you amidst all these people? God sees you. He sees your circumstances. He sees your tears. He sees your misfortunes. He sees your predicament. He sees you. You don't have to explain it. You don't have to describe it. He sees you!-TDJ

"Even a mistake may turn out to be the one thing necessary to a worthwhile achievement."-Henry Ford

 

I just came across this..."No matter what you've done for yourself or for humanity, if you can't look back on having given love and attention to your own family, what have you really accomplished?"-Lee Iacocca

A couple of my precious girlfriends have posted this picture. I really like this picture, because I've been waiting for something, since February 2003.  Any day now! :)



One of my precious girlfriends, on Facebook, posted this..."A pothole that is looked at as a nuisance to us, is a pleasant bathing hole for several varieties of birds in the summer heat.  It's all in the Perspective."

I came across this in May, and I came across it again today.."Sometimes God already knows that you're wrong, but He gives you time to repent. He just sets you into an environment where you could confess by giving you an opportunity to get it right...giving you an opportunity to lay before God and say, "Lord I messed up, and I need your touch." But, instead of you submitting yourself and throwing yourself at His mercy, you're so slick that you lay blame on everyone else but you. God is not asking you about others; He is asking you about you!"-TDJ

"Let’s face it–anxiety or worry have no advantages! They ruin our health, rob us of joy, and change nothing! Our day stands no chance against the terrorists of the Land of Anxiety. Worry gives small problems big shadows. Corrie ten Boom said, “Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows; it empties today of its strength.” Most anxiety stems, not from what we need, but from what we want. If God is enough, you’ll always have enough!"-Max Lucado

I have some concerns on my mind this morning. I just came across this in my e-mail inbox...Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. ~ Philippians 4:6

"We’ve all messed up. Said the wrong words, loved the wrong person, reacted the wrong way…walked when we should have waited, indulged when we should have resisted. You’ll mess up more if you let yesterday’s mistakes sabotage today’s attitude! The Bible says, God’s mercies are new every morning. Receive them. Learn a lesson from them. Thunderbolts of regret can ignite and consume you. What makes the difference? Counteract them with downpours of God’s grace, daily washings of forgiveness. Once a year won’t do. Once a month is insufficient. Sporadic mistings leave you combustible. Weekly showers leave you dry. You need a solid soaking every day!"-Max Lucado

This young man has taught me more about the depths of life, I think, than any other human being I know. He is the one who gave me this, by C.S. Lewis...“God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” He is also the one who gave me this, by Eric Klinenberg, “There's nothing more lonely than being with the wrong person.” Both times, my soul cried, and my mascara ran. This precious young man is my oldest son, Jason Little. I love my boys so much! ♥

One winter day, one of my "bestest" girlfriends, ever, and I had a girls' afternoon of watching a movie, while eating good stuff like chocolate and drinking a little wine. We each had our own comfy chair and blanket. That day, we watched, "How Stella Got Her Grove Back." From that day forward, she has called me "Stella." Today, my precious oldest son took me to a fabulous restaurant, and I had to take the picture. :)

I like this..."Trying to do things that are not part of God’s plan for our lives is like trying to force our feet into shoes that are too small."–JM

One of my "bestest" girlfriends, ever, came across this and gave it to me. She said, when she read it, it reminded her of me..."There is always a price to be paid for being anointed.  Anyone with a great anointing has been through a great crushing in a pressing place."-TDJ

I read this and thought, "Wow!"..."There is kind of thirst...that blinding thirst, that dehydrating thirst, that thirst that leaves you weak and faint and frail. It's terrible to get in a relationship with that kind of thirst, because you're out of bounds, and your vision is blurred...and you're so desperate, you settle to become a wife for a weekend, and you don't even know that you're better than that."-TDJ

I like this...There are people today who don't want to change. They don't want to leave their lifestyle or turn from the choices they have made. They refuse to take hold of God's promises and provision and power. If you want to change, if you want to break free from a vice that has you in its grip, a lifestyle you are trapped in, or an addiction that you can't seem to shake, then Christ has a word of encouragement to you: "Get up and walk. You can do it. Be of good cheer, and arise." (Mark 2:1-5)

This is such a good word for me..."Making mistakes is part of learning to choose well. No way around it. Choices are thrust upon us, and we don’t always get things right. Even postponing or avoiding a decision can become a choice that carries heavy consequences. Mistakes can be painful, sometimes they cause irrevocable harm. Poor choices are part of growing up, and part of life. You will make bad choices, and you will be affected by the poor choices of others. We must rise above such things."-Brandon Mull

“We change our behavior when the pain of staying the same becomes greater than the pain of changing. Consequences give us the pain that motivates us to change.”-Henry Cloud

"Things are going to change. It’s not a question of whether things are going to change; it’s a question of how, and it’s a question of who is going to sponsor the change? Who is going to create the change? Who is going to be in charge of the change."-Neale Donald Walsch

My encouraging word for today..."Keep walking with Me along the path I have chosen for you. Your desire to live close to Me is a delight to My heart. I could instantly grant you the spiritual riches you desire, but that is not My way for you. Together we will forge a pathway up the high mountain. The journey is arduous at times, and you are weak. Someday you will dance light-footed on the high peaks; but for now, your walk is often plodding and heavy. All I require of you is to take the next step, clinging to My hand for strength and direction. Though the path is difficult and the scenery dull at the moment, there are sparkling surprises just around the bend. Stay on the path I have selected for you. It is truly the path of Life."-Jesus Calling, Sarah Young

"Incredible change happens in your life when you decide to take control of what you do have power over, instead of craving control over what you don’t."-Steve Maraboli

"Being positive does not mean we deny the existence of difficulty; it means we believe God is greater than our difficulties."-JM

 

 

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow."-Melody Beattie

"Even if life is not exactly the way you want it to be, you gotta make the most out of what you have."-K-Love

"Replace each pious platitude with an attitude of gratitude and watch your daily life transform when gratitude becomes the norm."-EP

I like this...The question is, how do you stand firm when "everything that...can be shaking" is shaking? You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Isaiah 26:3

I came across this, and it made me smile..."Crazy people will get you stuck."

"Don't let the people who do so little for you, control so much of your feelings and emotions."

"If you hadn’t fallen down, you would never have learned how to get back on your feet. If you hadn’t been forced to let go and move on, you’d never have learned that you have the strength to stand on your own. If you hadn’t lost hope, you would never have found your faith. The best often comes after the worst happens. You can either move on, or you can dwell on the things you can’t change. Either way, life does move on with or without you."-LLL

 

 

 

Sometimes, this is me..."No matter how many quotes you read, song lyrics you hear, or how much you write your heart out, sometimes words just can't describe how you feel."-QM

 

 

"As I look back on my life, I realize that every time I thought I was being rejected from something good, I was actually being re-directed to something better."-LLL

 

"Resentment always hurts you more than it does the person you resent. While your offender has probably forgotten the offense and gone on with life, you continue to stew in your pain, perpetuating the past. Those who hurt you in the past cannot continue to hurt you now unless you hold on to the pain through resentment. Your past is past. Nothing will change it. You are only hurting yourself with your bitterness. For your own sake, learn from it, and then let it go."-Rick Warren

 

"If your happiness depends on what somebody else does, you do have a pretty big problem."-QM

 

"It is impossible to stay calm if you have a negative attitude."-JM

 

Today, I had the privilege of actually meeting a woman who is 111 years old. Well, she said she is really 111 and a half. :) She is the oldest person in the state of Oklahoma. I have read about such people, but I have never met one personally. She has such a wonderful sense of humor, and I am so glad I got to meet her. And, if all goes well, I will get to see her again next week. I'm looking forward to it. :)

http://www.tulsaworld.com/site/printerfriendlystory.aspx?articleid=20101225_12_A1_CUTLIN147660

 

 

I like this..."Don't let anyone's ignorance, hate, drama, or negativity stop you from being the best person you can be."

I like this..."Feelings never do make sense. They get you all confused. Then they drive you around for hours before they drop you right back where you started."

 

One of my favorite Facebook friends posted this..."The past is past. God cleared the history, updated the files, and removed the system restoration command.  Only but God!!!!"-REK

 

 

I like this..."A valuable lesson that a traffic signal teaches us:  Every problem is like a red signal. If you wait for some time, it will turn green."

"Discouragement comes when people think they’ve seen it all and all of it was terrible! No matter what age you are, you haven’t seen it all. There are no graduations from the school of life other than death. No one knows how God will end His book, but He tends to save the best for last."-TDJ