Let the River Flow

I feel like a log in the middle of a river of bloggers that got stuck between 2 rocks. There's a great current rushing by me - I feel the flow and need to get back in it!

I like blogging for lots of reasons, the first being the meaningful connection with YOU! I also like having a written record of life. It's easy to forget important moments when they get carried away in the flow of days, which become months and turn into years.

Plus, the Lewis family is getting ready to grow... 2 babies are coming in the next 3 months and I must record the joy of it all.

Random thoughts tossed into the current:

• A recent fascination with Twitter has taken some of the time I allow myself for "social media." One of the things I've enjoyed about it is the challenge to communicate a thought in about 130 characters. Brevity reigns on Twitter, and Lord knows I needed a lesson in brevity.
  
  
• I love being busy but there are days I would like to feel like I've finished my work. It is NEVER complete... I just stop when I run out of day. I'm betting you know the feeling.
  
  
• I have to even confess this, seeing as I live in Florida and many of you don't, but I am OVER winter. Cold, wet days with little sunshine are not my friend anymore.
  
  
• My glasses broke in my hand this morning. My bifocal contact lenses are not great for computer work and are absolutely terrible for reading. I'm thinking clear vision has just become a priority and my afternoon is going to have to make room for a trip to the optometrist.
  

Thanks for coming by in the flow of your day. You are important to me.

He who postpones the hour of living
is like the rustic who waits for the river to run out
before he crosses. ~Horace

I Have a Dream

Seems to me that a lot of people had today off as my phone and email have been rather quiet for a Monday. I blogged about Martin Luther King, Jr.'s famous I Have a Dream" speech earlier when I could still formulate words so here's your chance to read a coherent blog post.

At the moment, I'm looking at my varied and lengthy list of things to do, none of which I feel like doing. So I went into "fritter away time" mode and laughed at how we do winter in the south. I'm thinking, "I'm completely over winter - the sky is gray, the grass is brown the air is cold" and then I remember I live in Florida. But I'm still over it.

And then I watched this video at Shelly's blog and it really made me laugh about winter in the south and this lady's thoughts on Martin Luther King day... only watch if you have time to laugh.



Hopefully, I'll be back sooner than later with all kinds of interesting things to say. Thanks for stopping by to say "Hi!"

It's About Time!

I gasped Monday when I turned the calendar to November. The holidays are almost upon us! The end of the year is staring me in the face! How can that be? Then the words of a song popped into my head, “If I could save time in a bottle, The first thing that I’d like to do, Is to save every day, Till Eternity passes away…” Only I rewrote it in my mind to say, ” If we could save time in a bottle, we’d create a whole new addiction and people would be totally discombobulated and running frantically in a marathon until they can’t move…”

I figure time can be my friend or my enemy so we might as well be friends. Things sure flow better that way. In business, you will be effective to the extent to which you jealously guard your time. In your personal life, you will be effective to the extent to which you jealously guard your time. The key is deciding what you want. You can have it all, but you can’t have it all at one time.

Work ethic has never been an issue for me. I come from a long line of passionately hard workers. I recall when I called my grandmother on the occasion of her 90th birthday and inquired “How are you?” Her response was, “I’m just TOO busy!” What a legacy. The issue for me has been one of pacing and focus. Learning how to be completely present at whatever I have chosen to be doing at the time is the key to enjoying the rhythm of the day. Focusing on the truly important things is my other guiding star. I’m sad for people who make short term problems a lifestyle. I’ll not fall into the trap of letting the craziness of the world steal my joy.

With those thoughts in mind, I welcome November. Bring it on and finish strong.

To achieve great things, two things are needed; a plan, and not quite enough time.”~ Leonard Bernstein

Note: This month is NaBloPoMo and with insanity gripping me, I committed to participating over at my LifePoint Blog. Forgive me for a duplicate post today. I'll be around here with family news. I consider that blog my office -sometimes living room. This is my family room. Thanks for coming by to hang out when you can.

The Ice Cream of Our Learning

“If you’re like me, you’ll jump at the chance to bypass all the churning and scoop the cream right off the top. And that’s what quotes are…the cream of our learning.” ~Zig Ziglar

I’ve made a hobby of collecting quotes since I was in high school. With the rise of Social Media, I feel like a glutton at an endless buffet table – it can be distracting. I grab them and horde them and sometimes I feel like a walking book. I guess there’s worse things.

Since, it's Friday, I feel like having an ice cream party of words, so enjoy some of these flavor bites with me:

Even if you're on the right track you'll get run over if you just sit there. ~Will Rogers
(filed under "motivation")

“He who walks in the middle of the road gets hit from both sides.” -- George P. Schultz
(filed under "politics")

You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end, with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts ofyour current reality, whatever they might be." ~ Admiral James Stockdale
(filed under "contemplation")

God's will is not an itinerary, but an attitude. ~Andrew Dhuse

( filed under "faith")

“If you treat your wife like a thoroughbred, you'll never end up with a nag.” ~ Zig Ziglar

(filed under "marriage")

"My fashion sense is dictated by what doesn't itch. " ~Gilda Radnor

(filed under "humor")

As you enjoy your weekend, try something brand new along the way. I love to fill my life with “firsts”. The stimulation, wonder and delight tends to ignite passion! And you can quote me on that. (With nuts and cherries on top.)

Grace; How Sweet the Sound!

I’ve enjoyed your comments this week on the post on mentors, mothers and manners, and I’ve noticed there doesn’t seem to be a disparity in regions when it comes to the basics of etiquette. I would venture to say my observation applies at least to the western hemisphere. No doubt our eastern hemisphere counterparts share concepts of courtesy and polite behavior, but cultural differences are certainly significant.

I have to share one more thing that came to my mind about my mother and her concern for the social graces. Whenever I began to talk about a new friend, my mom would ask, “Are they from a good family?” I used to get my back up about that, but I’ve come to the realization that my mom was referring to families where at least one parent is present and committed to imparting the essential lessons to their children. Her question and concern were valid, but I still chuckle at that question.

I’ll conclude this discussion with the consideration of one my favorite words in the English language: grace. Oh grace, how I love thee. Let me count the ways:

I told you I love books.... I can even get encouraged reading the dictionary. ; )

It's Not About Me!

I’m glad I’m not queen of everything. If I were, I would add more hours to the day so I could accomplish more and I’m pretty certain that wouldn’t be wise. No doubt I would shorten my life in exchange for smashing more into less time. Thank God He’s in charge!

I’ve decided I love books as much as I love chocolate and walking on the beach and wish I could do more of all three activities! There’s nothing quite like the small things that bring great delight. If you want an exact count, I think I’m reading four books concurrently. I had three in progress, then I won a fascinating book titled “The Male Factor” over at Mocha with Linda’s. (She does some amazing give-aways of books she reviews). When that book arrived, I couldn’t resist starting it too! Surely I’m not the only one who does that?!

I’ve missed visiting with you this past week and plan to go blog visiting this weekend. I’ve learned a lot in the past week as I’ve seen 2 significant people pass into eternity. I’ve reflected on what I learned from each of them and it’s momentous. I just have to share a few nuggets that I received as a torch being passed from my friend, Brenda Pink.

*Get over yourself, it’s not about you.

*Love your spouse like there’s no tomorrow.

*Believe in people and know that each life is a canvas that we can paint on

*Lift people up - you can never give away too much encouragement and love.

Thanks for stopping by – your visit encourages me!

P.S. Come back next week for my first give-away of 2010. It’ll make you laugh.

From Hurricanes & Earthquakes to Eggs & Rosebuds

Just a note as I head out for the weekend. I'm headed south unexpectedly for the farewell service for a beautiful friend who moved to heaven Wednesday. Her husband, Michael, writes:

"There is deep sorrow, but no regrets.
There are questions in my heart, but no accusations on my lips.
God is faithful and true… He is just and kind.
He loves like a hurricane… I am a tree, bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy."

They have asked that in leiu of flowers to please donate to a Haiti Earthquake Fund. The news accounts of the utter chaos in Haiti are hard. I find the level of destruction rather inconceivable. I see the images and hear that a transport plan with help circled for 5 hours and couldn't even land, returning to Peurto Rico when they got low on fuel, and I just can't imagine.

All of this leaves me knowing that life is fragile and precious. Speaking of fragile, I may become known as the egg lady... handing out these eggs that our infamous chickens are now cranking out. Truth be told, they are fabulous. I'm taking these with me to share:

The silver lining to this unexpected trip is I get to see Rosebud! Oh yes, I do. I hear her calling me now!

Joy x 2 in 2010

It’s been 2 years to this day that I started blogging. 343 posts later, I can say that I’m amazed at how meaningful blogging has been for me. Here’s an incomplete recap of the impact blogging has made in my life:

1) I’ve made friends literally all over the world and I now have a goal to come visiting. Really – pull out the couch and throw me a pillow because it’s on my “to do” list.

2) Blogging got me back in the habit of writing, which I love to do. I have goals in that area too. Good thing that with LouLou’s genes, I might live to be 100, as my list of hopes and dreams is long. Now that she's moved to heaven, I'm more thankful than ever that she inspired the theme of my blog. (Hoping for a bit of an updated look in 2010... that's on my list too.)

3) Journaling with you has caused me to pay more attention to the significance of seemingly small events. They say that a joy shared is multiplied by 2 and a problem shared is cut in half and I know it’s true.

4) Reading & commenting on blogs led me to contact with Michael Pink, leading to a major career enhancement with becoming a certified Rainforest Business Coach.

How can I say thanks? Every reader, whether you comment or not, is treasured.

I wish you comfort for your past and joy for your future. I am thankful that our future is not in the hands of the economy or dependent on our government. We are held in the hands of a loving God and I’m glad to be walking alongside you as we begin a new year.

“Last year's words belong to last year's language and next year's words await another voice. To make an end is to make a beginning." T.S. Eliot

The Last Random Dozen

Linda's 2nd Cup of Coffee is one of the first blogs I ever read and so she's pretty special in my book. She's hosted a meme this year that I've read with interest but haven't joined in. Since this is the last "Random Dozen" of 2009, I decided to jump in. Here we go...

1. Do you find it gross to share drinks with family? Friends? Not a big deal, especially if I’m really thirsty or vica versa. But I don't do it on purpose.

2. What have you learned this year? (You didn't see a question of that weight coming, did you? At least not for #2.)
I’ve learned that prayer is the absolute ingredient for success and my prayers hold as much power as anyone else’s on earth because I am HIS! If you want to read a bit more about this, I was honored to write a guest post about prayer on Michael Pink's blog recently.

3. When do you dismantle the Christmas decorations?
Usually on New Year’s day or thereabouts.

4. Something you wish to accomplish before the end of 2009 is:
Reviewing my goals and refreshing my vision in preparation for an awesome 2010. Dump the fear and doubt.

5. How do you feel about winter (after Christmas)?
Winter is okay. Living in the land of sunshine, one can’t complain! My favorite season of all is spring.

6. Have you participated in after-Christmas sales?
No. My family was so very generous to me that I feel very content and blessed. There was enough consumerism (which I participated in!) in New York City to hold me for awhile.

7. Do you have plans for New Year's Eve?
No, never do. And that’s ok.

8. Is there anything special awaiting you in January?
Yes. New dreams, open doors of opportunity and a beautiful grandchild who changes every day.

9. If your life this year was a movie, what category or genre would it be? (Romance, Comedy, Drama, Thriller, Suspense, Farcical, etc.)
It would be a holiday special. : ) Adventure, lessons, drama and warm feelings with a happy ending.

10. How much time per day do you spend blogging? Please do not lie. I will know.
Not as much in the last 6 months as before. Lots going on. Probably an average of only 30 minutes a day on personal blogging and commenting. I want to spend more - it's fun! I try to catch up by spending more time on weekends. I find I can read blogs from my blackberry while on the move, but I can't leave comments from my mobile for some reason.

11. Who runs your household?
My husband does the outside stuff, I do the inside, I pay the bills and we make decisions together. It’s a partnership!

12. Share one hope/dream for 2010.
I am expecting to schedule 2 paid speaking engagements per month. That’s my passion and my purpose… moving people through meaningful communication and imparting joy and hope into their lives.

Chicken Little Grows Tail Feathers

Back in May, my only knowledge of chickens came from the cartoon that featured Foghorn Leghorn. I don't know much more to date, but I do know I like the eggs that this hen is producing at the rate of one or two a day. We have 14 more hens that are expected to start laying in January, at which point I'll have more eggs than I know what to do with. I may talk to the owner of my favorite vegetable stand and start selling them. Who knew?

This rooster is not my friend. In fact, he's on the Naughty list. Everytime I go out to collect an egg, he comes charging at me like he's guarding the hen house. Why is it that I feel threatened by something that is a fraction of my size? Builderman says he just wants to be fed crackers (he's trained him!). I like the hens just fine but I've politely suggested that her beau may be Sunday dinner if he's not nice.

On another note, I'm putting the "word verification" feature on my comment settings today to try to get rid of the nuisance of spam comments that started in the last week. I'm getting two a day now and want to stop them, so bear with me while I see if this works. Hopefully they'll stop and comments can be faster again in a week or so. I do appreciate you stopping by!!

Cock-a-Doo-Dah

In today's news, I bring you the Fowl Report.

The chickens have set up housekeeping in the cackle house. Oh yes, it’s a house with windows and a door, laying boxes and a large screened porch that is as secure as Fort Knox. Builderman simply doesn’t know how to just slap something together. This chicken house is built to last- just like everything else he makes. I still smile when I recall the year the church asked him to make a crèche for the manger scene. No problem. Except they had something crude in mind. Builderman simply doesn’t do “crude.”

The funniest thing about the chickens is one of the roosters is learning to crow (somehow we ended up with FOUR roosters- so one is Sunday dinner sooner than he knows). I was up before daybreak one morning and heard a weird noise break the quiet of the approaching day. I couldn’t identify the sound. When I heard it again, I went out to the back porch to listen. It was one of the roosters trying to crow. It reminded me of hearing a middle school student practicing a band instrument. Rough. I wish I could have figured out how to record it so you could hear it. It's really quite entertaining.

I refuse to be that interested in these critters. I figure they are a food source. Period. It's supposed to take 5 months until they start laying, so I'm watching all this from a distance until then. Builderman, on the other hand, thinks this whole project is the bombdiggety. Happy Friday!

P.S. I'm sure he would want me to note that the roof hasn't been shingled yet. You mean you didn't notice? LOL

Life is a Dash

The saga of the chickens continues at my house, but that’s not what this post is really about. We do have 16 new biddies that arrived last Friday. It's quite amazing to see how fast chickens grow. Just two months ago, these fellas (who are not my friends, just for the record)
looked like this:
Another little guy that has grown really fast is my daughter-in-love’s Morkie puppy, Bunker. I'm keeping him while the happy couple celebrate their first anniversary with a trip to Hawaii. (I tried to fit in the suitcase but that was not to be.) In Feb. when I kept him he looked liked this:
He’s grown like a weed:
It was hard to get pictures of these animals as they don’t stand still. The shutter on my camera is not fast enough.

Yesterday, I attended the memorial service for a friend’s husband. My friend delivered an amazing tribute to her husband. She started with parts of the well-known poem “Life Between the “Dash” by Linda Ellis.

I read of a man who stood to speak
at the funeral of a friend.
He referred to the dates on her tombstone
from the beginning...to the end.

He noted that first came her date of birth
and spoke the following date with tears,
but he said what mattered most of all
was the “dash” between those years. (1934 -1998)

For that dash represents all the time
that she spent alive on earth...
and now only those who loved her
know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not, how much we own;
the cars...the house...the cash,
what matters is how we live and love
and how we spend our “dash”.

Whether it’s children or chickens, puppies or even your own mirror that mark the quickly passing time; in the midst of the busyness, may you experience the unhurried rhythm of grace.

I’m the Barnyard Chicken Around Here

I’m surprised I’m even telling you what’s new around our place. It doesn’t quite fit with my image of myself to say that I own chickens.

Builderman has gone on and on about wanting chickens until I said, “Fine- as long as I don’t have to see them, smell them or help in any way at all… get your chickens.” He called me on Friday morning and said, “I need a favor. I need a poultry pick-up.” My response was “You’ve got to be kidding me, right?” No. No he wasn’t kidding.

This is what I picked up at the post office- who knew they ship real live peeps in the mail!

I’m going to quote my friend Diane who’s husband recently decided they need pack goats. Yes, you heard that right. She writes, “Maybe your first question, when you are finished laughing, is: Why did Rod and Diane get a goat? And I'm not gonna lie. There is a small part of me that is slightly embarrassed by the fact that we own a goat. That is probably why I usually refer to him as the "puppy-goat." I guess I have a certain type of person in mind when I think of people who own goats. I need to get over my biases. So do you.”

Oh, Diane, I know exactly how you feel. At least I can commiserate with one of my fellow bloggers. And I will quietly admit that the little peeps are cute for now. I'm thinking that's a temporary state.

Friday Drive Thru

1. I met with a small group of women this week who wanted information about blogging, social media and basic internet etiquette. I had fun taking them on a blog tour; they met some of you! I was able to hook up my laptop so that it was displayed on the large flat screen TV. It was especially fun when I showed them Mocha with Linda's site for book reviews and awesome give-aways and she had just posted that I was the winner of a book! All of us learned alot from the session. They encouraged me to teach a class like this and charge for it. I never ever had considered it but I bet there would be a good response.

2. A friend passed along a complete wardrobe of tiny pink dresses and adorable clothes ranging from “Onesies” to the new “kiddopatamus” swaddler. Who knew? It’s been almost 20 years since my last pregnancy and it is so much fun to see all the neat new things devised for babies. It’s been like Christmas in June as I’ve enjoyed helping to prepare for this gift of a grandchild. I’ve spent a ridiculous amount of time playing with baby clothes this week and loved every minute of it.

3. One of my favorite things about summer is all the fruit that’s in season. Peaches, blueberries and watermelon are tops on my list. I wouldn’t want to leave out the fresh squash and tomatoes our garden is producing. What a treat!

4. It’s Friday Fitness Day and National Donut Day, which are obviously mutually exclusive. Since you didn’t need to know this is, I heard that Dunkin Donuts and Krispy Kreme have give-ways going on. I’m delivered from temptation by virtue of living in the boondocks, not by virtue of self-control. ; ) Please pass the squash.

5. I meant to say "pass the ice cream." Want a chance to win a year's worth of free Blue Bunny ice cream?? I thought so! Details Here


5. Fridays seem to be a good day for a random run-down. I’m usually not geared up to write a focused post yet have things to share. Shelly and I have entertained the idea of hosting a “Friday Quick Takes” with Mr. Linky. What do you think?

What Doesn't Work For Me Wednesday

I know, I know, it’s supposed to be “Works for Me Wednesday”. But it’s not.
I’m surrounded by boxes, installation instructions and all things technological to conquer. Doesn’t technical support make house calls?

It all started when I dropped my cell phone in my big cup of water in the center console of my car. Which reminds me, I need to buy one of those BPA-free water bottles that has a LID on it since I’m participating in Lid’s 3rd 30 x 5 Challenge.

But I digress. I had to get a new cell phone and I agonized over whether to go for it and get a Blackberry. Since my travel schedule is increasing, I decided if I also opted for their data card for high speed internet instead of my current satellite service, the total monthly bill wouldn’t be that much more.

So I came home Saturday with new equipment. I think I am getting some serious error messages with the code ID Ten T. In other words ID10T errors. Get it? I don’t either.
Not much is working with my best-laid plans of being more efficient with time and money.

On top of this, I have caved in about adding moré “social networking” to my schedule. With the goal of creating a “strong online presence” for my business, I’ve opened Facebook & Twitter accounts and am supposed to be learning those. In case you want to be my friend, I’m Beverly Lewis on Facebook and BeverlySpeaks is my name on Twitter.

Makes me want to grab a book and go sit in a corner and read… no electricity or technical expertise necessary. Oh- with my big glass of water by my side of course. Because Linda’s 30 x 5 Fitness Challenges are really working for me!

If you want to meet lots of people who have lots of things working for them, check out Shannon's WFMW.

Take a Deep Breath - We're Going for a Run

Motivation is like eating sugar in order to get moving. In the short run it produces instant energy but it doesn’t sustain – if you don’t get more you’ll crash & burn. Inspiration is like eating a balanced diet and exercising – it takes longer to produce results but they are sustained and lifelong. I’m INSPIRED!

I’ve had some doors of opportunity open to me that have my heart pounding and pulse racing with expectancy and excitement. I’ve been in the “waiting room” for some time and my name has just been called.

I’m travelling to a meeting today so only have time for a quick post at this post. I’ll tell all soon.

Last week, I heard Zig Ziglar say “Encouragement is the oxygen of the soul.” How true!

Take a deep breath and go for it.

What lies behind you and what lies in front of you pales in comparison to what lies inside of you. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

7 Quick Takes

1. With a speaking engagement this week and launching Everyday Epiphanies, I shouldn’t have been surprised that Monday and Tuesday I was hit with my arch-enemy: discouragement.

2. Cupcake is a sick kitten. I advised her to go to the doctor yesterday. It’s frustrating when your peeps live in another city and need mom.

3. I’ve been so frugal and I’m really tired of it. I think one good shopping trip would do me a lot of good. I’m just sayin’.

4. I’m ready for spring. I love warm weather and green grass. Thankfully, it’s around the corner in Florida. I can almost smell it- my nose is in the air.

5. Squall line updates: The legal saga with Cupcake’s old apartment complex is ongoing. I’ll celebrate when that is settled. My kooky neighbor that had reported that I snatched her dog apologized.

6. Squall line will be suspended during the 40 days of “Everyday Epiphanies”. I'll put the posts up on Fridays and you can link up throughout the weekend. I'm having fun already!

7. Thanks so much to Edie at Rich Gifts for helping me with the HTML code thingy that makes it simple to put the to put the pretty daffodil tag on your site. She’s a gem.

Jennifer at Conversion Diaries hosts 7 Quick Takes every Friday. She has a baby coming Monday, so she might take next week off, ya think?