Might As Well Laugh As To Cry!!

The title to this entry is a line from a grandmother of one of my good friends who is going through a tough time in his life. He is facing a really tough situation, but whenever I see him, he is smiling and keeps a good attitude. I asked him how he does it and he cited his faith, friends, keeping busy, and this motto from his grandmother that sticks with him every day. We aren't promised things will be perfect in this world, but we can still have joy and our attitude makes all the difference in the world.

I'm reminded of Proverbs 23:7 where it says...."As he thinks in his heart, so is he." What we think affects our lives. You can change your life by changing the way you think. No matter how bad our situation is, we still have so many things to be thankful for and no doubt we know someone who has things much worse than we do.

If you are thinking about good things, then you can't think about bad things....your mind can only hold one thought at a time. It takes some training of the mind, but eventually it becomes easy and second nature. Pay attention to your thoughts the next time you are in a conversation. Are they negative or positive? Make a conscious effort to only say positive things. You will find that not only will you be happier, but you will notice others will seem happier around you and your effect on their lives can be greater. Remember no one likes to hang around a "Debbie Downer." For those of us who have or are enduring a cancer diagnosis, this is especially true. We MUST look for the nuggets of positivity and dwell on those thoughts.

So, around this hustle and bustle holiday time, make the effort to think and be positive. You'll be amazed at the results. Like a ship's rudder, attitude is a small thing that makes a huge difference!!!

Lean On Me!

Our preacher told a story at our worship service on Sunday that was very inspiring. He had recently visited the Redwood Forest in California and witnessed the magnificent redwood trees. He told of how he'd never seen a tree that large. In the South, we treasure our precious oak trees, but they pale in comparison to these redwoods. We love our oaks because they seldom get taken down by one of the frequent southern thunderstorms due to their deep root systems. By contrast, our preacher learned that these colossal redwood trees in California have a shallow root system, yet they stand undisturbed for many years. That seems very contradictory to all that we've been taught about the strength of trees. However, the difference is that the shallow redwood roots intertwine and gain strength from their fellow redwood trees. It is as if the trees are holding hands to face the world. This strength has allowed them to persevere through many years.

I thought that was a great analogy to the importance of leaning on one another. Leaning on one another during cancer or any stressful time in life is paramount to coping and survival. It also reminded me of another great friend of mine whose cell phone plays the song "Lean On Me" when you call him. Everytime I hear that song, I say , "you know what, he means it too!" So, I encourage you all to be like the redwoods and be like the song and BE someone to LEAN ON!
Best Blessings to All,
Marty

A Peanut Butter Sandwich I'll Never Forget

Recently, my 9 year old and I went to a water park for the day. Have to admit, although it was a scorching hot day, headed to a water park I had already visited countless times was not high on my list. However, I agreed to go thinking I would just "gut" through it. Boy, was I wrong. My little 9 year old said things that I will never forget. The first thing he said came after we had been in the park for a couple hours. We were waiting in a particularly long line, he looked up and asked me if I was having fun. I looked at his face and said ABSOLUTELY, and he just beamed. Knowing that he was concerned about what kind of day I was having was touching.

Then, being the frugal dad that I am, I had packed some peanut butter sandwiches for lunch. We had our hands stamped for re-entry, and headed to our vehicle to get the cooler of sandwiches and chips. As we sat down eating our peanut butter sandwiches, it was quiet when all of a sudden, he looked up at me and said, "Dad, I like having lunch with you." That small statement of his made this almost 40 dad full of pride. I thought... wow, how awesome is that. I will never forget that day and that great lunch I had with my son. A day I was dreading turned into one of the BEST DAYS I've ever had.