Thanksgiving

Monday, November 23, 2015

Happy Monday, my dear Friends!!

This Thursday, we celebrate one of our most treasured holidays in this, our beloved country, the United States of America!🇺🇸

THANKSGIVING is sacred to us and I, for one, am reminded of just how blessed we truly are!! With all the turmoil,  loss and sadness throughout the world right now, let’s all focus on what’s RIGHT and our BLESSINGS for a moment…

Here’s a few words that help me stay focused on the RIGHT stuff:

GOD, FAMILY, COUNTRY, LOVE, FAITH, PATIENCE, FORGIVENESS, KINDNESS, HONOR, JOY, FRIENDS, SHARING, LAUGHTER, BABIES…(GRANDMAS!! – I can go on and on…).

On this occasion, may our Celebration of Thanksgiving  be rich with memories, filled with favorite foods, and blessed with Family and Friends to surround our tables.

May we be thankful for God’s love, grace, mercy and forgiveness and always be aware of His bountiful gifts which He bestows upon us, not just on this festive day of Thanksgiving, but on every single day He has given us!  Amen.

GOD is Good! GOD is Great!!

Love & Happy Thanksgiving!!

Margaret

“For God so loved the world, He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.”     – John 3:16

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Kroger, A Rug, A Pair of Boots and GOD

Monday, November 16, 2015

Good morning and Happy Monday Blog to you All!

First, let’s take a pause, right now, in honor of all the helpless and un-suspecting victims of the horror committed against them in Paris, France on Friday. Our hearts break for them and we weep with them.  Please, let’s all keep them close in our hearts and prayers as we move forward this week in our own lives. Amen.

Speaking of prayers, one of my own daily prayers is that I’ll stay in a humble and forgiving frame of mind and heart; that I’ll be kind and thoughtful in every moment of every situation I find myself in with others—training myself that “it” is not always about me!  Another prayer of mine, is that I’ll know when GOD is speaking to me, I’ll get it and follow his instructions precisely.

Last Sunday, I stopped by my favorite KROGER deli to pick up a special treat for Sunday dinner with family. As I was giving the young lady in the deli my order, she asked me if I knew anyone who needed a job. She further explained how under-staffed they were and that they needed several employees in her department asap. I told her I didn’t know of anyone in the moment, however, I would indeed pass it on if the opportunity presented itself. I gratefully took my order from her, thanked her and left.

The very next morning, Monday, I was out early in search of a small RUG and was one stop light away from making a right hand turn into the parking lot of the rug store. As I was sitting at the light, I glanced over to the small shopping center immediately on my right and noticed this ladies clothing store, which was literally calling my name and inviting me in. Seriously! Well, I told myself, “Nope, you’re looking for a rug, you don’t need any clothes…well, except for maybe a pair of black boots…hummmm, why not stop for just a minute?!” I thought for another couple of seconds, then felt the steering wheel turning to the right and next thing I know I’m pulling into that little parking lot and heading to the clothing store.

I felt it was the right thing to do, but going into that store was not in my plan and as I walked into the store, I told myself I was not getting a PAIR of BOOTS or anything else…unless they were giving them away! I walked in, asked where the boots were, went straight to them and the first pair I looked at had my name all over them and they were on such a sale, I simply had to try them on—I had no other choice. I mean it too! I was like a robot—I found my size, picked up the box and looked for a place to sit down and try them on. I saw a row of three chairs…one had a purse in it, belonging to a lady who was sitting in the middle chair, and the other end chair was empty and calling my name to go sit there and try on those boots!! I had the box in my hand and headed over to the three chairs and ask the lady if I might sit there to try on the boots. She looked up, smiled and said “of course”. I proceeded to open the box, got one boot on and zipped, and heard her say softly that her pen was out of ink. I offered her one from my purse and told her she was welcome to keep it in case she needed one later on that day. Then she looked at me, straight into my heart and told me “thank you so much, I’m filling out a job application and I really need a job”.

All of a sudden, I became aware that GOD was “speaking to me” at the stop light, that I did “get it” and I was to “follow his instructions precisely”. The feeling that I had in that moment was over-whelming and immediately I asked her where she lived and if she knew where the Kroger at Parkaire was…she told me she did. I told her they were in great need of help in the Deli and her eyes began to fill up with her sweet tears…the next thing I did was to get out my wallet and all I had was ten one dollar bills (which was a miracle in itself, as I never have any cash on me). As she watched me pull out the cash and hand it over to her, her tears began to roll down her cheeks. She was without words—she didn’t need any, I read her heart.  I sat down beside her and put my arms around her. And the Lord spoke to her through me: “Don’t despair, You will find a job today, Jesus loves you”.  I told her I loved her too and that God had sent us both to that little shop that day. I stood up, she could hardly speak to say she loved me too. We said good by to each other and I went to the counter, paid for my almost-free boots on my credit card and left. I then went to the rug store (my original destination), did not find a rug which convinced me that I was to have those awesome boots instead.

God in his almighty wisdom is so incredibly awesome!! When we trust Him and “follow Him and his instructions, precisely” we can help others and have some really cool boots too!! (You know what I’m saying, Can I getta AMEN?!)

My prayer for us all for this week, is that we’ll remain humble and kind in all situations and embrace “The Golden Rule”…it’s a keeper!  And while we’re at it, let’s not waste a minute wishing we were someone else or that we have anything different from what we currently possess. What if we believed instead that everything we are and have is right, useful and perfectly suited to this day?!

GOD is Good! GOD is Great!!

I love you,

Margaret

“GOD Is A Healer—I feel a rain coming…but it’s not a natural rain, it’s a spiritual rain and yes, our Nation really needs it!”  —an American, CJT 

PRAY for our Nation.

The Man At The Top

Monday, November 9, 2015

Happy Monday Blog, dear Friends!

It’s a rainy day in Atlanta and the beautiful Fall leaves…everywhere, make it so cozy—that is, of course if your inside! Truth is, I love rainy days…actually, at my age, I love ALL the days, no matter what the weather’s like!

So I just received a copy of an email from the CEO (The Man At The Top), of a company based here in Atlanta. He sent this email out to all his employees over the weekend:

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“Team,

I thought I would share some of what I learned last night at the “Your Grateful Nation” fund raiser I attended. Rob O’Neill (Seal Team 6 member who shot Bin Laden) spoke at length on several topics. It’s clear he is doing his speech to companies looking for motivation and leadership talks, as much of it was geared to that. That said, on those topics, much of what he discussed were things that the Marine Corps espouses, and are things that I have always considered important to success and how one achieves goals.

Rob listed the four most important things to him and to the success of his Seal Team 6 operations. Some of these may seem like no-brainers but I’ve always found it’s always helpful to be reminded, especially if they are things that work in the most critical operational environments. By the way, while none of us are in combat, everything that involves stress and challenges are relative to each individual’s personal scenario. Anyway, here are his top four things to mission success:

1. Having a good group. Unit cohesion, which can translate to the culture and how everyone gets along is paramount. Our success hinges on how well we work together and are on the same page with one another.

2. Over-planning VS Being Prepared.This is a huge one for me! If you know your job, then you can plan just enough to execute. Over-planning can often be a hindrance to execution and success. Every plan, whether it’s a business plan or combat, it will change once the bullets start flying, and you have to be able to adapt and drive on in the face of change and adversity. 

Funny anecdote:  Rob said they had planned for the Bin Laden mission basically just by being ready for that type of mission anytime. That’s what they do. So they are in an operations room discussing the final pieces of the operation and they ask the question, ‘What’s the worst that could go wrong on this mission?’  Then one of the newer members responds: ‘Well I guess the helicopter could crash in the front yard.’

3. Don’t act emotionally with your decisions. This is a constant life lesson for me personally. Whether the first bullets start heading down range or someone cuts you off in traffic, take a pause first and let things sit, before you react. In our world, this can be in reference to a customer issue popping up or even as simple as waiting a moment before responding to a question. In the sales world, that’s often referred to as the five second pause, or “golden silence.” Ultimately, he said, take a breath and let things settle.

4. Never Quit. This one isn’t an option for me and I believe is fairly self-explanatory.

One other big point he made…Stress is a choice. I know so many people who are unhappy or stress themselves out in a variety of ways. This can be acute stress, like a project deadline is pressing you   or  just a macro-life stress. The bottom line is that we determine how that is received…it is our choice on how we internalize it.

I hope everyone finds this valuable. It was a great speech and certainly puts things in perspective. I’ll tell you all some of the other interesting parts of the stories he told some other time. Have a great weekend!”

T. M., CEO/MobileMind

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As I read this email from “the man at the top” of this company and how in his sincere desire to guide his employees to success in their profession, it came to me that “the man at the top” of the whole wide world, does the same thing for each and every one of us!

GOD in all His wisdom, keeps the most vigilant watch over us ALL— 24/7, 365 days a year—year after year, after year.

If we take the four main points of the email he sent to all his employees, and analyze each one from our own spiritual perspective, we’ll see that GOD can be in everything we do, every relationship we have and every success we enjoy. God wants the very best for all His children— Every one of us!

Regardless of Who you are, Where you are, Who you’re with or What you’re doing, include God in all of it. The 4-Point scenario in the email, exists not only in the professional world, but in life situations  in the whole world. Amen!

This week my prayer for us all is that we’ll focus on the various situations we find ourselves in and that we’ll place GOD in each one and see what happens.

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”  – John 16:33

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”  – Isaiah 41-10

God is Good! God is Great!!

Love,

Margaret

P.S.  Have a great week, be KIND and know that Jesus loves  you…this I know. How do I know? Because “The Man At The Top” told me so. XO

Hello and A Smile!!

Monday, November 2, 2015

Happy Monday Blog to you All…I’ve missed you!

My Do’s and Don’ts to live by:

Do say HELLO and Don’t forget to SMILE…every chance you get—It’s such a small effort on our part and it’s amazing how much good it can do for so many. Try it!!

QUOTE:

“Today may there be peace within. May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born in yourself and others. May you use the gifts that you have received and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content with yourself just the way you are. Let this knowledge settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and every one of us.”

May we All enjoy a week of happiness in everything we do, no matter how big or small. There are so many blessings all around us if we just look and pay attention. It’s not just about You or Me, it’s about Everyone, Everywhere, all the time!

GOD is good! GOD is Great!!

Love,

Margaret

I’m into Jesus and I can tell you where He is and when He’ll be there:  He’s anywhere and everywhere, all the time. Talk to Him. XO

Note: A special Thank You to my friend, Diane Kerfeld for her awesome quote today.