Taste or See

Comparisons-
In life, there comes a time when an individual has to just STAND out and stand alone! Life has given man so many 'lemons' and not everyone knows how or has the strength to make Lemonade, as the common adage goes. 
Instead, there are comparisons made, like 'Apples to Oranges'. We are a comparative generation! But when I think about it, we have been compared throughout our lives even from birth... "Oh, she is sooo cute," to "Ummm, isn't he a little short for his age..?"  Judgement and comparison goes on throughout our adulthood.

Why can't people just let well enough alone and let someone just 'BE'? Well, my answer to that is, man has not been able, from the beginning of time, to naturally be proactive. As humans, we need an extra push, motivation, fuel injection, because a lot of us are not self-starters. We are basically on automatic pilot, so we need a  GPS from time to time. That's what comparisons, like apples to oranges is all about, so it is not ALL bad.
"Think about it." Pick one and see. Look for the difference or likeness; firm or soft, tart or sweet, small or large, green, red, yellow or golden... not measured by seed but weight and texture, indeed... Apples to Oranges, comparatively; Apples and Oranges's diversities.

No matter how much someone is told they are like some one else, they must choose to embrace individuality comfortably. What 'apple to oranges' - (comparison of two people or things that are irreconcilably or fundamentally different) does for one is it makes him/her STAND out...
No bad apples!

Be Blessed.

LEAP OF FAITH

Accessibility to what you want is at hand... just make a move!

In my daily walk, I struggle with so many doubts as to whether I can or cannot do certain things. When I really look at the BIG picture, I remember what my Momma use to say- "you'll never know if you never try," so trial and error is all worth it.

My 'go to' scripture whenever I have doubt is Luke 7:6  And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.

Definition of faith: The act of believing in or attempting something whose outcome has not been proven or is unknown; thus 'taking a chance...' 

Faith should play a major role in your daily life. Faith is belief that you can, not that you just might. Faith gives you hope, when all hope is gone. Faith gives you strength to keep pressing on. Faith is that little voice that says, “don’t give up.” Faith is the drink which overflows a cup.

Faith, is the substance of hope and belief of things unseen. Faith allows you to step out on a limb, without the fear of falling. Faith takes you places your mind cannot fathom. Faith opens doors you could never imagine. Faith gives you access to do all things! Faith is the password- The key, in Jesus’ name!

In whatever you decide to do, it only takes a first step- "Take your Leap of Faith".

Why Does One Cry?

Why does one cry?
What a broad and open-end question!
There are so many reasons why one allows the flow of moisture to fall from his/her eyes. To take it a step further, sometimes there is no 'allowing' necessary... tears just flow uncontrollably! It can be reasons you'd never think you'd be teary-eyed about; a movie, a memory, a statement someone makes, a story you hear or even witnessing a sorrowful situation... and on the other end of this, a moment of joy, a celebration of sort. That has been my experience recently! A moment...

One day I was watching and admiring my grandson as he was doing an 'end of the year' project. It was a large percentage of his final grade and was not just ANY project, but one in which the whole family had to take part. He chose to capture, in its habitat, the Orca Whale. The project was entitled 'All About Orcas' (Killer Whales). "Just like a boy, right"??
Well, we were all engrossed in helping him on the computer learn about the Orca whale; where it lives, it's life span, and why it is considered the 'killer whale'. As I watched him reading, jotting down notes, talking with so much enthusiasm about his subject, pasting pictures..., I caught a glimpse of another picture... a side view, a different silhouette! Not conscious of what he's doing, my grandson has a habit of sticking his tongue out on one side of his mouth when he is concentrating. Instantly, I saw his Grandpa, who did the very same thing! The tears began to flow... so uncontrollably, I had to dismiss myself.
You see, my late husband passed a few years prior to our grandson's birth. Uncannily, he was born on his Grandpa's birthday!! TEARS, TEARS and more TEARS. These were tears of joy....

God's affirmation that Grandpa or PawPaw, as he would have been dubbed, was a Part of our 'family project'.

The Tear

Don’t even know why I bother

Don’t even know why I try

Don’t even know the significance of

Why one is allowed to cry

“I am a strong individual!”

I can handle life’s infirmities

and all the pain they transcend

But the one thing

I haven’t been able to defy

is the tear… 
Its beginning

or when it ends

-Pj Payne

To Begin Again

Beginning again. Now, something I love; beginning again with God’s grace from above!

You see He gives us chances over and over again; to right wrongs, to say I’m sorry, to say I love you, to help somebody else, even something that we take for granted… seeing a new day. But, how many of us really set out to start over, to refresh, to renew the old?

I’ve heard a lot of people say “in the beginning, I was or we were….” but what happened to the now?  What progress was made? What happened to the now? Can you actually see accomplishments? Do you know what mistakes were made along the way? What happened to the now? Did you learn from your mistakes? Now What?

Starting over doesn’t mean that you have to disintegrate the past (because you can’t), just CHOSE a fresh new start. You can’t do anything about that past because there will always be someone who ‘remembers’, but you can move forward, not become complacent, feel  unresolved  or wallow in self-pity. 

I am so guilty of these things; But

I have resolved to first of all, express my innermost feeling in some form or fashion; whether in words or in actions. Just get the negativity out of me!

I have resolved to not be unproductive, discouraged or disheartened, for those are only the enemy’s thoroughfares to stagnation.

I have begun to utilize talents I have kept buried deep inside, for fear of nonacceptance or ridicule.

I have begun to go back… (yes, you have to go back sometimes) and reevaluate and revitalize old passions that I thought weren’t ‘good enough', but found them to be a blessing to somebody else.

And I have begun to cultivate and bring to fruition seeds that were planted in me by someone who NEVER has to begin again… “He doesn’t make mistakes!”

The tiniest inkling can be a new beginning.

… even if you have to begin again over and over again!

Laughter...

Dictionary.com defines Laugher: a verb- To express mirth, pleasure, derision, or nervousness with an audible, vocal expulsion of air from the lungs that can range from a loud burst of sound to a series of quiet chuckles and is usually accompanied by characteristic facial and bodily movements.
My take on laughter is that it is the emotional catalyst of Joy... The self-preservation of ones' mind; the belief and spirituality of mankind; kindred spirit along with self-motivation; the will to do, without notification.

Question: When your 'git-up n go has got-up n gone,' what and who do you really rely on?
Well, with God's guidance and your intuitive reactions, one can really grasp and hold on to any emotion, using the reality of foresight we each have. Basically, having anticipation and forethought before you react to any given situation produces any mood you want.

Example: The other day I walked into a store, (with my happy-go-lucky self) just smiling and ready to delve in to any bargain I could find. ‘Low and behold’, the first person I laid eyes on in the check-out line was an EX coworker whom I had not seen for at least 6 years. My thoughts… “this is the last thing I need!” (not a cordial work relationship) Well, I kept walking, heart pounding, semi-sweating, but my head up and I’m saying to myself, “don’t react, don’t react!” So I made my way to the back of the store, out of eye contact and looked a little closer to confirm whether it was her. “YEP, her alright! What would Jesus do?"
To my dismay, after nonchalantly perusing the store, I had to return to the front to retrieve a basket for the bargains I’d found. Wow, I know I can do this! I pertly walked to the front, grabbed a basket, smiled BIG and said “hi, I thought that was you” giving her a hug. ARKWARD!! Basically, I could see that she didn’t know how to react to my genuineness (and I was genuine) She stammered a hello with a phony smile and asked how I was doing and what I was doing now? Now that question REALLY made me smile, because I am honestly happy ‘in me’. I exuded naturally the laughter and joy I had to tap in to and channel, to get through that situation. I give God the glory... 

I’m sure she noticed my exuberance as I replied to her question, but her reluctance lingered. Maybe it was the shock of me actually approaching her, or the fact that she was still doing the same ole thing, whereas I’d moved on… Can’t question it! I did Me and I still have JOY!

In all you do, let no one steal your joy. God's got you! "Just Laugh On!"

PJ Payne

While You Wait

you know not what to expect

until you walk in

as waiting rooms depict

what the mind transcends

if flustered and clustered

the brain won't comprehend

any concept of normalcy
hidden deep within

peripheral visibility

is hampered by the flaw

of what the mind sees 
versus what you saw

surroundings are a blur
much less, to concentrate
only wanting answers
Reasons, for Heaven's sake!

but be aware in waiting rooms

you meet different people

from different walks in life

you meet different people

and likeness in Reason

of your meeting that day
is a mutual ailment

that might or may

constitute similarity

and lays to rest

the question of WHY

you are ‘ALL’ guests

in ‘that’ waiting room…

Shhhh...

Have you ever gone someplace and after the fact, you swore you’d never return because your encounter was one of displeasure and not quite your ‘cup ‘o tea’? Basically, you DIDN'T enjoy the experience. You brushed it off, didn’t speak of your distaste, just grinned and bore it because you figured you would NEVER have to return.

Well, as happenstance or a twist of faith would have it, I found myself in that very situation. The opportunity and circumstances dictated a ‘Revisit’. When I realized I would be returning, I immediately remembered dislike and thought, “this is the last time”. So, I girded up courage and planned  to encounter what I thought would be a very unpleasant recurrence!

To say I was pleasingly surprised is an understatement. Not only was there a noticeable change in the ‘look’ of the place, its' whole aura and atmosphere wreaked of joyous mysticism. My first thought…  “What Happened?? Whereas I was regretting the return, I found myself pleased and engrossed. I began to feel guilty though, about the past initial memories, how I shunned the thought of engaging in a return visit and most of all not speaking up about the experience.

“OBVIOUSLY, somebody said something”!

Like me, someone else had the very same mundane, uninviting, humdrum and uncomfortable occurrence. But unlike me, instead of enduring the discontent and saying nothing, somebody spoke up. Better still, somebody was listening and CHANGES emerged.

What I'm asking now is “how do you change something if you say nothing”? You may even think, as I did, it’s not your place to voice your concern. Well, it’s not even about what you say as much as it’s about how you say it. The voice is precious and it speaks volumes without a rise in its' tone, over emphasis on any words or even added demonstrative actions. Think first and let the Spirit lead you.


I’m so happy ‘somebody said something’! Thank you and I shall return.