Thought for The Day - Day break

In a few more days, this will mean much more to me...

I was never a morning person; come to think of it, I've never been a particular part of day kind of person! But over the course of adult years, I've found it easier to be awake earlier and earlier! More often than not, I'm awake before the sun rises and in a near future, I hope to be seated in a place where I can watch the sun come up over the eastern sky, on a regular basis.

There is much promise in the rising of the sun. The promise can be misplaced from day to day, when we think life doesn't change. If you wake each day with the same perspective, i.e. looking down at the ground, you're right: life never changes. If you wake with the attitude that nothing good ever happens to me, you're right! You can make Israeli conflict a direct correlation to your arthritic shoulder if you like! And while you're in pain and distress, hoping some small relief would come along, the sun is rising and some where, someone is rising, stretching and smiling!

Day break, the opportunity, if you will, to ride the changes of a new day. With the rising of the sun, cloudy or not, you can begin again, go further than the previous day, stretch your limits until you are thoroughly surprised!

This day, I'm not a morning person; I'm an all day person!

Thought for The Day - New

Prep work...

For some, this is a new day, not a new year. Because we are in a "Western society," it is acknowledged as January 1, 2014, but many are resistant to the significance of the calendar. It is, after all, based on an approximation of the number of years since the Jesus, the Christ was incarnated. That thought is abhorrent to some, but not me. This is not only a new day, but a new year, based on His appearing here on earth and accomplishing what only God can.

Each day is truly a new opportunity to do things right. We might "prefer" to wait until the masses decide to practice resolutions or their plans to diet, exercise and not use profanity and anger in traffic (smile), but by the end of January or early February the "masses" have already allowed failure to rule their lives. A smaller mass of people will fight through April, perhaps May, but by June, the lure of mass produced food, muscles that are sore just because you're getting old (as opposed to you forcing them to gain strength and flexibility through your devoted effort) will win for the remainder of the year. And swearing and near uncontrolled anger? Oh that ugly side of us came the first day we were in a hurry to get to the mall for a sale of items we already have!

New; it really doesn't have to be a "masses" decision. If you are in an abusive situation, if you are tired of being depressed and sad, the moment you decide to take action to change your life, "new" begins for you that same hour. You can declare a new year any day you decide. I'm going to make it personal: I've had many new years in my life and usually they occurred in conjunction to changing a habit or adopting new behavior. I decided to live as a Christian in April 1985, and be true to the calling on my life. I decided I would stick to exercising January, 2010 - and I have since then. I decided I would exercise my talents as a visual artist in early May 2010. There are many more commitments and behavior changes I decided to incorporate into my time here on earth and yes, I've failed, "backslid," but it's all part of my commitment to living life in service to God and man. One truth remains overall: my life is not my own; I've been given this life and these talents to be of service to man and to glorify God; I fully intend to do so.

Peace and Blessings in this coming New Year of Our Lord, Jesus Christ, 2014!