“If the path be beautiful, let us not ask where it leads.” Anatole France

revivalbristolri — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 02:16:37 +0000

I left the house unaccompanied today. My husband went to work early to tackle a project and so I thought my walk would be of a solitary nature, but companions were plentiful along the way.

Sunshine was abundant and

I could only marvel at the beauty and expansive creation that surrounded me. How could I even imagined that I would want for conversation or company

while a majestic symphony enveloped me? I was so very thankful to live

in such a beautiful place and that I remembered, for once, to bring my camera.

I had to open the store in the morning, so I recognized that my time to journey this day was limited and it struck me that my walk that day was an excellent analogy for life itself.

Our lives are limited as well. No matter how we try to avoid it, slow it, or deny it, our time on earth is finite. We are wise to choose our path carefully. Of course it is prudent to not squander any resource at our disposal. More importantly, whether our time here is short or long, is not to miss the symphony, the breathtaking beauty of creation, the sweet fragile brush of time moving ahead.

Before and After

revivalbristolri — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 05:19:47 +0000

Before

Hello blog universe! Or whatever the technical name is for the blog reading audience. I am new to blogging and there are so many acronyms associated with the various forms of social media, I find myself struggling to keep up. First Facebook, then Twitter, and now WordPress. At nearly 50 years old, it simply seems amazing most days to be doing what I am doing. How on earth did I get to this place in not only in business, but now also marketing immersed in technology and social media that did not even exist even a few years ago? I guess it is a fair assessment to say I am on a journey. We all are on a journey. Before I became a nurse 30 years ago, I was most comfortable and happy being quiet. Notice I did not say still. As a “type A”, I have a difficult time remaining still or unproductive but I was happily immersed in my own thought world with little desire for communication or conversation. Suffice to say that ended in nursing school. I am no longer shy or quiet. That was before. Talking to people who are naked leaves you with a conversational skill set that allows you to converse with just about anyone, anywhere, anytime, and under any circumstance. I often hear the phrase, “he will never change” or “she has always been that way” and it puzzles me tremendously. Life is fluid, and our circumstances and experiences shape us a surely as the sun rises daily. How is it that some folks don’t ever change? What are the catalysts that promote the best outcomes in regards to change if change is inevitable? In the photo above are little girls at a new orphanage on the east coast of India, many rescued off the street. Their faces tell a story I have seen and heard in my travels to that country. Recently a team from our church went to visit them for the first time. They talked, played, danced, sang, and prayed with them. In the second photo below you can detect a definite change.

After

I don’t have all the answers. But I think after years of observation and assessment, I may have a few. My prescription for the best possible outcomes in regard to change is to love freely and generously with no expectation of anything in return. I think you will be amazed at the results. I invite you to try my change experiment and I look forward to hearing about your results.