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SUNSHINE: It Really Can Cure What Ails You

9/30/2021

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The morning sun cutting through the hammock, turns gloom to glory.
My wife and I are blessed to live in a most beautiful but sometimes very dreary place adjacent to some low-lying Florida swampland. Many people think we are crazy,  and frankly years ago I might have agreed with them until I found it and considered the beauty of nature and God's glory that it brought before me, and now seventeen years later I am so glad we made the decision we made.  Now, having said that, I am not saying things are perfect here, for in times of big storms and overpowering rains, plus summer bugs and mosquitoes, it can be quite a challenge. But when late September and October comes around and the dry season comes, it is one of the most amazing places I have ever seen.  And when I am brought close to nature, my belief in God is greatly reinforced and I know that all different places on earth have their purpose and we need to understand it and realize that not all land can be cultivated into a mass housing development or other such change that doesn't lend itself to the lay of the land. 

Now I must admit that on a dreary, drizzly, foggy night the surroundings are quite intimidating. They can also be very threatening in the heat of a hot, humid sunner day. But then again, even at those times sometimes you can hear the screech of an owl or a hawk or even and eagle, warding off danger from their young ones snug in their nests or catching a smaller but unlucky predator entering their turf.  And in the chance event that you must go into the thicket with snakes and even gators sometimes around can be a bit intimidating. But on a cloudless night with a full moon and the stars twinkling everywhere, the sight is one to behold and the sounds are truly amazing. It is like a city of animals that have come alive at night to party hearty all night.  But then in the morning it is as quiet as can be until the sun rises and everything once again comes alive.  On moments like that I wouldn't trade my existence for anything. 

But there is something much more important to be learned from my experience. It is that all of these creatures, different from all others in so many different ways, are all part of God's majesty of life. Sure it can be brutal for all of them looking for each other as a food source, and it can be intimidating for man if a rare Florida panther shows up or a black bear with her cubs, but it is something we prepare for and can deal with if we listen to the sounds and the rhythm of the swamp.

There is no great air pollution of smog, plus no loud noises that upset the forested area. No, there is a gentle silence and majesty in those surroundings and after nearly two thirds of my life being spent in the city or suburbs, it is a grand awakening for my senses and my heart which brings me much closer to God as my Maker by just being here. And I truly must thank Him for that, as well as my wife, my veritable Doctor Dolittle, who talked me in to leaving the city. I am so glad I did for the final phase of my life.  Thank you, Honey, and thank you Dear Lord. And now, let me go back to the God's Country weather we are having today. Have a good one, folks.



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MONDAY: It Begins a New Week and the Rest of Your Life

9/27/2021

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Monday is once again here and how do you approach the first day of the new work week?  Do you look at it like the cat above and challenge it as if you want to complain or do you see it as an opportunity to do better than last week?  The first way means you are starting off from a negative position, never the way to improve yourself, while the second way shows it as a positive challenge, something to significantly impact your desire to do better and to add a good influence on the things you do.  The latter definitely will give you a "leg up" on improvement and with it a better future for yourself and those who depend on you.

If you want to really ramp up your potential more dramatically, try looking at Monday as not just a new day in a new week but the first day of the rest of your life. Even better, consider it a day to work as if it is the last day of your life. By taking this approach you are not just looking at being better than the prior week but being better in all aspects of your life due to not just the aspect of bettering your life but bettering the way those around you look at you and the lasting impression that leaves. Now we all have room for significant improvement and, yes, some are in better position than others, but we mortal humans all have made mistakes, done things we know we shouldn't have and need forgiveness and help in correcting the things we have done. By wrapping all aspects of your life into the process of improvement in not just the eyes of man but from God's perspective, not only can we use the lessons that we have learned by experience but also gain God's blessing and support in avoiding the same shortfalls again. This, in turn will gain favor with God since He wants us to live in His image. We will make God happy, make ourselves happy and over a little time imagine how much better things can be for us, those dependent on us, and those who also are intertwined in our lives due to the social interaction characteristics we were developed with as social animals. Our whole social network will be better and we can be an inspiration for others as well since success always attracts others who want to be winners.

The best aspect of looking at Monday this way is that our Monday's will never be filled with dread. No, we will stay highly motivated and if it spreads through the entire work unit, a natural and healthy competitive outlook will be created and each of us will want to be the best every day. And think about what that means. As all want to be better, all will be better and production quality and volume will improve and if management is smart they will encourage this by a good reward system and work will become fun again and the time will pass quickly and, voila, in no time it will be Friday afternoon once again. Blue Monday will be non-existent to be replaced by Sunshine Monday and the quality of life will be better for all, except those who just don't want to work better. The answer to that is to let them go and find something better suited.  But I have a hunch that a steady diet of parking cars or burger flipping will cure them real fast and they will beg to get back on the quality train if they can.  And we will Make America Greater Again by Making America  More Productive and with Better Quality Again. And let's face it, most of us want to be part of something that makes them proud to be connected with. Let's just try it, folks, for I think we just might like it. And we have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Happy Monday.
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SUNDAY MORNING COMING DOWN: Where is the Good News?

9/26/2021

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The Good News is all around us!
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.    - Isaiah 7:14 (ESV)

We Americans are an impatient lot. We are always looking for what we want to see and just don't want to wait another moment.  It can be a matter of any issue, for we are used to believing that if we want it, we can have it, and when we are denied we easily get upset despite the fact that folks in most other places in the world wish they were half as fortunate as we are, yet we never understand that for we are, in fact, generally pampered.

These days we are looking for good news, news of how our nation can withstand what is going on and how it can survive and prosper in the years to come. Yet day after day goes by with no sign of change and it shows on the face of so many average Americans who find themselves suffering and worrying with good reason, for many have no idea how we will survive what we currently face. And what is amazing is that the answer is already here and it has been for a long time, yet as we look and search for what we hope to see, we ignore that it is here. So, what is the good news?

The easy answer is the Good News is as close as the nose on your face and the words of the Apostle Isaiah make it clear that it has already been delivered.  The Lord gave the sign over two thousand years ago and it was to tell mankind that a virgin would immaculately conceive a son named Immanuel who would bring the Good News. And the good news is that Jesus Christ would give us the gift of eternal life if only we believe in Him by faith and commit to follow Him. When Christ breathed out His last breath of life on the Cross, the deal was settled and His offer would stand for anyone who made the commitment to believe in Him by faith alone, with no proof necessary. It sounds easy but it isn't, for we have to get rid of our sins and try and never sin again. Oh, we will never fully meet that mark but the requirement is that we commit to that with all of our heart and our lives will improve and we will have peace in our hearts and the ability to cope with whatever we face, knowing when this earthly life is over we will inherit the Kingdom and live forever in His glorious place prepared for us because of the love and grace He has for us.

Do we deserve it?  No, of course not, but it doesn't matter as long as we believe by faith and commit to work hard to better ourselves and rid ourselves of the bondage chains that we have been saddled with. This will result in Satan losing His influence upon us and when Jesus returns at a time only God knows but sometime in the not too distant future, all worries and pains and suffering will be over for those who believe. So, don't wait. Pick up the message of the Good News and carry it forth in your life and watch your fortunes improve. Now they may not be the way you want them to be, but they will be what God wants for you. And if you follow His lead, you can never go wrong.  And that, my friends, is truly good news, so quit complaining and get with the program and spread the good news far and near and watch the evil of the world cave when we speak up for goodness and light instead of evil. Can we live up to this? Yes, but only if we get started now not later. Let's roll.

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Don't Rest Yet, East Coasters, Hurricane Season "Ain't" Yet Over

9/25/2021

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Before and after, Oak Island, North Carolina, courtesy of Hurricane Hazel, 1954
As fall begins and with October just around the corner, many of us in the Southeast United States want to let out a big sigh of relief due to oppressive humidity and hot weather giving way to warm, yet dry afternoons and cool nights for sleeping without air conditioning.  We also hope that the worst of hurricane season is over and many who don't remember late season hurricanes begin to think we have been left largely unscathed. But, my friends, don't get cocky yet, for October can often be the worst hurricane month of them all if you happen to find yourself in the path of a big storm which originated in the far eastern Atlantic near the Cape Verde Islands off Africa.

Now living in Florida but having grown up in Tidewater Virginia and coastal North Carolina, I famously remember one of the great storms that came upon us in mid-October sixty-seven years ago.  Back then hurricanes were named for women and Hazel was the name of the one which struck our area in October 1954 with quite a wallop. But as bad as she was in Tidewater, it was nothing compared to the damage found in Oak Island, North Carolina which, on October 15th, came ashore and literally destroyed the entire community. I remember hearing the news about the destruction of Oak Island on the radio that day, and the word was out that Hazel was taking a more inland route which would later bring it close to Newport News, my hometown, so we all listened late into the day to get any information we could. Back in those days there was no 24/7 news and weather, so we listened to the semi-hourly updates on the radio and tuned in on the TV in the evening to listen to Joe Foulkes with TV in Norfolk. His booming voice always did a great job as he detailed the location and track with his large grease pencil which he carried in his suit jacket pocket daily.  The prognostication at home was that Hazel would give us a pretty good go of it early the next morning,  so everyone needed to take heed.

That night Dad, a doctor, went to the hospital to make his rounds while we listened intently to the radio and listened to Mom tell stories about hurricanes down on the Outer Banks where she was raised. The previous year I had witnessed a small, but still strong hurricane at our cottage in Nags Head so comparing that one to the more powerful Hazel sent chills down my back.

The following morning early, Hazel struck like clockwork. We could hear the house creak and groan with the heavier gusts and the kitchen door was blown open, requiring Dad and we two boys to force it closed and push the refrigerator against it to hold it steady. Some shingles came off the roof and a loud thud signaled a major and very large limb had come out of our backyard Cottonwood tree but thankfully it missed the garage which held Dad's brand new Oldsmobile. Within two hours the wind died and the sky began to clear and unlike earlier seasonal storms, it dawned crisp and cool and going outside required a windbreaker, whereas the day before it was tropical-like. 

As we entered the cool light of sunshine in our gaces, we decided the huge limb in the yard would make a very good fort, and Dad told us to have fun because the following day it would be cut up and removed. The marsh across the vacant field beside our house had turned into a lake covering the entire field as well, meaning we could navigate around the field in our canoe like the Jamestown Indians would have done in similar fashion so many years ago. With school out, it was a fun day and we only lost power for about two hours so all in all, excepting the ugly hole in the symmetry of the big tree and about a dozen shingles gone, and a tightening of the lock on the exterior kitchen door, all else was okay. Reading the afternoon paper and listening to the news that evening, we realized how lucky we were after reading the story about the disaster at Oak Island and we were also pleased to find out that our cottage at Nags Head was safe. The storm circumvented the Outer Banks on a semi-circle to the west before approaching Hampton Roads from the southwest, then meandering north into central Pennsylvania where it was  a huge rainmaker.

Now that storm came and was gone in two days, covering October 15th and 16th, so if you think we are out of danger this year, good luck with those thoughts. Luckily it appears, however, that the most recent major storm, Sam, approaching the Leeward Islands will likely stay well east of the coastal United States but, remember, such predictions can change in a minute when discussing fickle hurricanes and there is still plenty of very warm weather in the tropics with time to brew several more storms  before our season is over. So, as a word to the wise, just stay prepared.  Don't worry, be happy, but be prepared and we will all be fine.  And enjoy the nice fall weather.


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    ABOUT ME

    Hi, I'm James, a writer who studies nature,  animals and all things created by God. I also write from time to time about what I think God expects of us.  I would love to hear your thoughts on these subjects. I hope you enjoy my comments.

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