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Friday, February 25, 2011

Upon Viewing Those Wrinkles

There’s a beauty in those wrinkles,
Demonstrating persistence and care;
The skin has served its purpose,
Covering up what’s inside there.

We respect its reasons for being
A mark of longevity, token of time;
Consider yourself blessed to have some,
I’m talking about yours, not mine.

“Now, is that nice?” said a voice in my head
As I was writing this for you,
“Honestly, take another look
Seems that you already have a few.”

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Celebrate Winter, Celebrate Life

Celebrate winter! Celebrate life!
Appreciate your circumstances —
Even the difficult ones —
For in the struggle you can grow stronger,
And others may be watching.
May your life be an encouragement
To others who experience hard times.
Yes, it’s winter, but spring is coming soon.

Photo by Carlene Hardt ©2011 who notes, "Swans can run on the ice because they have claws at the end of their webbed feet."
by Elaine Hardt ©2011

Monday, February 14, 2011

A Wake-up Call From Disappointment, Your Temporary Friend

        Hello, this is Disappointment calling. Don’t hang up! I have an important message for you. And I promise I won’t stay long, if you’ll take the time to listen now . . .
        Today, I am your Temporary Friend. And, I won’t move in and take a long time, if you give me a short time now.
        I don’t deliver solutions; those are hidden from you in plain view. I hang around and keep you from going on like you’ve been going on.
         So, settle back in your chair and let me do you a big favor. Ready?
        From this vantage point take a backwards view. You stood for awhile in the sunshine of a small success, then shadows advanced.
        Now, here I am with my advance notice to you: things won’t improve until . . . until . . .

Monday, February 07, 2011

How to Watch the Evening News

        Several friends recently confided to me that they don’t watch the evening news on TV anymore. I agreed that the news reports are mostly no fun, and watching for an hour and a half at supper time interferes with family conversation.
        We don’t need to listen or watch the news all day long, but we do need to know what’s happening. To prudently prepare we need to be properly informed. Honestly, we cannot ignore or deny the problems of our town, our nation, and the world. So, what can we do?

Saturday, February 05, 2011

What Is This Stuff?

The first look at the strange, cold, white stuff. Life is about learning, isn't it?
Tigger makes acquaintance with snow.  Do you remember meeting snow for the first time? Capture the scene when you can, and write about it, too.  Make a memory and have fun.

(Thanks to Carlene for this photo.)

Where in the World?

        One of the features of blogspot.com is the Stats.  From May 2010 to February 2011 this EncouragingU blog has been viewed in the U.S., Netherlands, Germany, Canada, UK, South Korea, Russia, Switzerland, Moldova, and Japan.  Wouldn't it be fun to keep it going to these places, and even more places!
        As your own personal outreach why not pass along to your family, friends, and colleagues this URL, www.EncouragingU.blogspot.com and we'll take another look later to see where in the world it goes!   Let's encourage people to turn to God; let's point people to the blessings of His love!