"Springtime Memories" by Jack Terry
I don't know about you, but I can feel spring coming. It's so close that I can almost taste it! Yeah, I'm one of those people that is very open about their disdain for winter. I hate wearing pants (I prefer dresses and skirts). I hate drying up like a prune. I hate looking like I just got electrocuted because of the static electricity in the dry, winter air.
I hate winter. I'm so thankful that spring, and even summer, are right around the corner! Many people, my mom for example, like to complain about the suffocating heat that arrives in Texas summers. I for one will take that heat over the cold any day! Call me crazy, but that's my preference. Okay, okay, I'm getting to the point of this post. With all this said about the awful winters and hot summers, I think I prefer spring over both of them. My parents feel the same way. Today, we were all obviously relishing the deliciously perfect weather and decided to invest our fortunes (insert laugh here) in some plants. My mother took the flower route, while I opted for two, tiny strawberry plants. Being the little farmer in the family and having recently recovered from the death of my tomato plant, I optimistically took on the task of growing strawberries for my family and I.
Will I succeed? Well, who knows. I had grown one, full tomato on my tomato plant, and then watched it slowly wither away.
Sad story, huh? Anyway, I'm praying this little farming adventure turns out to be worth my while. It's not like I don't have a green thumb because I know I do. It's just this darn Texas weather. For that matter, I'd say that I can justly blame all of my farming woes on it. I had better stop complaining, though. After all, I'm proud to be a Texan and wouldn't want to live anywhere else!
Ever heard the quotes "Seeing green" or "Green with envy"? I'm sure you have. When I stopped to think about it, I realized that I had never even stopped to consider the meaning behind these popular sayings. Thankfully, the most commonly used explanation behind them is relatively simple. Jealousy and envy are figuratively thought of as a disease by many people. Whenever someone is ill or has a disease, their skin may take on a pale whitish-green color. Knowing these two facts should help you to figure out the simple explanation behind green's association with jealousy. Now that you know the origin of these famous quotes, I'll get to the point of this post. Have you ever felt jealousy (or envy, depending on what you feel compelled to call it)? I know I sure have! In fact, I can even go so far as to declare you a liar if you claim that you've never felt the suffocating grip of jealousy. In reality, jealousy is a disease. Once it gets inside you, it grows and eats away at you until all that's left is hatred and bitterness. I've had first hand experiences with jealousy. I can only describe it with one, simple word: Bad. It doesn't matter if you are jealous about someone's talent(s), someone's possessions, or are in any other jealousy-inducing situation. Jealousy is all the same. It's an inevitable monster in life. How do we get rid of this monster, you may ask? Simple: With God's help. Yeah, yeah. I know that sounds like the easiest answer to give, but it's the best and only one. Without God we can accomplish nothing on our own. Galatians 6:4-5 says, "Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for our own conduct." I think this verse says it all. Like many other things that torment us in life, most of our battles with the jealousy monster take place in the mind. Our thoughts can either help us break free from jealousy, or they can drag us deeper into the black hole of bitterness. Romans 12:2 says, "Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." We are never going to be completely free from jealousy, but we can win the battles against it each day by continually letting God transform our mind and thoughts. Only then can we emerge victorious!
Ah Valentine's Day...... We meet again. Everyone has a different response to the word "valentines". Why, you may ask. Isn't it obvious? Some people have had totally awesome Valentine's Days. Everyone usually adores these people and wants to give them a valentine.
And some people are completely heartbroken on Valentine's Day. These are usually the people that don't receive a single valentine card (except maybe from their mom) or have been dumped by their girlfriend or boyfriend right before Valentine's Day.
Yeah, like I said: Different responses. Personally, I'm feeling like I'm going to have a good Valentine's Day! Of course, this may prove to be incorrect and I may feel like the Cupid in the picture above. But hey! I'm being optimistic, people! Anyway, to get to my point (yes, there's a point!), I would like to say that instead of worrying about how many valentines we do (or don't) receive, we should instead be passing on the love. We're so busy being selfish and wondering who will and won't give us a valentine card (or one of those dollar store, oversized teddy bears), that we forget that we need to spread the love ourselves! Instead of worrying about trivial things such as valentine cards, chocolate, and teddy bears, we need to let God's love shine through us. Although it's thoughtful to pass out valentines to everyone, don't let the love stop there! Show love through your actions and attitude. You don't look very loving if you give someone a card and then just ignore them the rest of the day. Reach out! Smile! Do whatever it takes to make others feel loved. Not feeling loved yourself? Psalm 27:10 says, "Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord will hold me close." Talk about love! If you ask me, that's the best kind! So for all of you out there that are heartbroken, make this Valentine's Day different. Remember that God's love is the one that we should rejoice for. His love will never fade. You'll never have to worry about him "dumping" you right before Valentine's Day. He'll never abandon you. Never! So why mope this Valentine's Day over your pathetic pile of valentine cards? Or some cute boy or girl that dumped you? They'll probably be fat and broke in ten years anyway! Instead, remember God's unfailing love for you and strive to pass it on to everyone! HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!!!! <3
Wow, my first post! I decided to keep it simple. My mother and I were watching a movie yesterday. It was an old one called Chariots of Fire. If you haven't seen it, you need to. Now, it may just be that I'm extremely partial to movies set in what I like to call "The Flapper Era" (aka The Roaring 20s), but in all honesty, the movie was fantastic. Besides the elegant outfits and handsome young track runners, the movie had a fantastic plot. I won't say too much about it for those of you out there that haven't seen it. Anyway, my mom pointed out an amazing quote in the movie that I just had to post on my blog. A track coach was talking to the young man that he was training. The young man was going on and on about all of the strenuous training that he would do in order to beat a certain opponent. In response, the coach told him, "You can't put in what God left out." And how true that is! God gave everyone of us special abilities. He designed all of us for different purposes. No matter how much effort we may put into bettering ourselves in a certain area, there are some things that we were just not meant to be completely successful and wonderful at. In conclusion, I believe that we should discover God's purpose(s) for us, and when we discover them, do our best to fulfill them.
