Live Laugh Love
Those three words – Live Laugh Love – have so much meaning behind them.
Live – each day to the fullest. Be present with those that you love. Savor every precious moment you get to have with them. Every breath they take is a gift. Every breath YOU take is a gift as well. Thank God for life and for the life that you’re living! Thank Him for your loved ones that surround you!
Laugh – at yourself, at silly jokes, at complete foolishness … just because it’s so much fun. Enjoy the life you’ve been given. Take every opportunity possible to laugh because life is just too serious at times. There are troubles and heartaches all around at times, it seems. So laugh. Until your stomach hurts. Laugh until you lose your breath. Laughter is truly good for your soul.
Love – God, who gave you life. Love your spouse who you get to share this wonderful life with walking hand in hand and heart to heart. Love your children that God has richly blessed you with. These little walking, talking angels are truly God’s gift to you. He sent His darling angels and has allowed you to love and care for them as you raise them into the beautiful little men and women that He would have them to be. Love thy neighbor – even those that curse you. Is it always easy? No way, but it is commanded from God above. So try … a little harder each and every day if you must, but pray for those that may come up against you. Show love. It is always possible.
Yes, I still have this hand towel hanging up in my kitchen. It has the little designs on them as if to say I haven’t yet put away all of the Christmas decor, but since I love what it says so much … they remain. It’s not that I’m lazy and just didn’t put them away. It is that I love the great reminder. The daily reminders. The every moment I’m in my kitchen reminders.
Ah yes …
Live.
Laugh.
Love.
Indeed!
Gratitude Journal
Do you remember how I mentioned my gratitude journal at the beginning of the new year? I wanted to try something new, something to capture the special moments that were happening as this year got underway. The initial idea was to take a slip of paper and write something positive, something you’d like to look back on later. Then, slip this piece of paper into a gratitude jar, and on New Year’s Eve, get that jar out and pull out all of these slips of paper to reminisce.
I soon realized that since I love to write, one slip of paper just wouldn’t do. So, I started a gratitude journal. Here, I can write and write and write some more until my little heart is content.
Well, I noticed that my husband was peeking into my gratitude journal. But, you know what? I didn’t mind. Why? Because I was writing about happy moments. Loved filled moments. Throw your head back laughing moments. With him … with my children … us, together as a family.
And you know what else?
He was inspired! Yes, you read that right. He was so inspired, in fact, that he has picked up that same gratitude journal and written words straight from his heart about the events of the day or the weekend!
Do you know how much this thrills my heart? To read HIS words? I was over the moon happy!
If you haven’t started a gratitude journal, now is the perfect time to consider doing so. It doesn’t have to be a fancy journal with lace or even one with flowers on the front. You can take an ordinary, everyday notebook and began savoring every single moment that you get to live again as you’re writing them down. And then, you get to live them once more when you and your loved ones read back over these memory making moments.
Ah, yes. Savor the moments. Be present when you’re living them with your loved ones, but write them down, too! To be shared. Remembered. Leave your legacy behind in words written straight from your heart and moments that your loved ones will think back on fondly and smile.
Do Not Take Sides
Oh boy! This is a hard one.
I work in a small office, and there are three of us ladies here. I love love LOVE my job! I truly do. At times, though, the female personalities can go at it here. This is not new as this has happened at every single job I have ever held since I was old enough to work. It’s sad, really. But for some reason, women just cannot work together in peace, love, and harmony. I wish that wasn’t so, though. Why this has to be part of the “norm” in any type of environment when you have women together is beyond me.
How do you handle something like this? VERY CAREFULLY!
One lady told me about a situation that happened three weeks ago right when it was happening. The other lady took it upon herself today to tell me “her side” of the story from the same incident that occurred three weeks prior. What did I do throughout these entire three weeks when there was tension between them? I stayed out of it! I came into work, said a blanket “Good Morning” for whoever heard and wanted to acknowledge me … and I had tunnel vision all day as I sat at my desk working. I would speak when spoken to or if it was work related, but other than that, I kept my nose out of it. It did not concern me at all, so I lived the past three weeks in that mindset. In my mind, I kept repeating this, “It does not concern you, stay out of it, do not take sides, and keep yourself in check so they won’t have anything to say about you!”
Is this easy? No! Especially when you know an injustice has been served. Am I getting the entire truth from both parties, though? Probably not. I’m sure I’m hearing what both of them want me to hear and not the whole truth. Certainly not the hand on the bible swearing to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth like they do in a court session before a witness takes the stand.
So this post is to any one out there that is reading it today. If you are a woman … please, I beg you, let’s work together to build each other up, not tear each other down! Life is hard. We all go through struggles. We do not know and have no way of knowing what someone else is going through. Be kinder than you normally would be because everyone is fighting some kind of battle. Whether it is a physical ailment, something emotional where they are grieving over the loss of someone or just hurting deep within their being, or whether they are struggling with some type of mental illness, anxiety, or depression … be kind. Extend grace. Show compassion. Give love. Is that so hard? No … it really and truly is not.
Please … let’s work together to build each other up. In the workplace, in schools, in churches, in different situations no matter what building you are in … if there are other women, work together to build each other up!
Love thy neighbor as thy self.
Would you pick yourself apart like you’re picking apart this woman?
Would you say those things about yourself like you’re saying about this woman?
Would you roll your eyes in the mirror or laugh at yourself like you’re about to where this woman is concerned?
Would you set out to be vindictive and do something harmful to yourself? Then why do it to other women around you?
Why complicate things with passive aggressive behavior or just out right aggression? Why can’t we all just get along??? That is the question of a lifetime, isn’t it?
Love. It covers all. Even various situations where women work, play, and live closely together.
Love. It conquers all the disputes in the world.
Love.
Period.
