Strengths

You are your own worst enemy- or your biggest cheerleader! It is a choice- a daily one that before you open your eyes to face the world, your mind becomes aware, conscious as you would call it..and the mind is a powerful tool. It can lead you, it can give you strength-knowing your a capable person- or it can play things that others have said or shared that knock you down. And that self doubt creeps in. How or why we do that to ourselves I don't know.. and even after years of doing it on your own there's still that question of can I? When does that go away? does it? How do you learn to be more confident? is it thru life experiences? cuz if that's true I should have loads of it! And how is it that we give others control in our lives? Are we not capable of making our own decisions, our own choices? We know ourselves better then anyone else..
I guess for me.. yeah.. I know who I am.. I know what I want.. unfortunately those don't always align with what others "think" I should do.. but again.. who's life is this anyway?? If I want to bunk up my life in the worst way imaginable.. well who's fault is it.. would be mine.. of course I don't look at life that way.. I certainly don't squander my life away.. well..I don't think I do.. maybe for others they may look at me and think ya.. what a waste.. she hasn't accomplished much.. I say.. I am not here to win medals of honor or glory.. I am here to be the best me I can.. and that is a person who is caring, loving, compassionate, trustworthy.. I like who I am.. I don't always like my circumstances.. but when you look at it.. that's brief too.. things change so quickly.. and life has a way of moving on.. going on.. guess my thing is..I don't want to just be a spectator.. I wanna play.. so this girl.. is grabbing the bull by the horns.. like they said.. life isn't easy, and sometimes you have to play hard.. or harder!!!

often wonder if people actually know their strengths, and their weaknesses...and I am not just saying what you're good at in life.. I mean your personality, your character, who you are, how you respond to situations... and most importantly if that view of oneself is accurate..
I am watching the Olympics and I have to wonder... the mental strengths of some peeps compared to others.. how one trains for that.. how does one keep that focus.. that determination.. the sheer will of doing something.. and some of these sports are to me pretty extreme.. I can't imagine barreling down on a luge.. face first.. hitting speeds of over 80MPH.. to me that's crazy.. to them... its exhilarating.. some things are left better to just watch.. haha

Nike commercial.. "just do it"!

You Reap what you Sow...

The man slowly looked up. This was a woman clearly accustomed to the finer things of life. Her coat was new. She looked like she had never missed a meal in her life. His first thought was that she wanted to make fun of him, like so many others had done before.


"Leave me alone," he growled... To his amazement, the woman continued standing. She was smiling -- her even white teeth displayed in dazzling rows.

"Are you hungry?" she asked.

"No," he answered sarcastically. "I've j ust come from dining with the president.. Now go away."

The woman's smile became even broader.


Suddenly the man felt a gentle hand under his arm. "What are you doing, lady?" the man asked angrily. "I said to leave me alone.


Just then a policeman came up. "Is there any problem, ma'am?" he asked..

"No problem here, officer," the woman answered. "I'm just trying to get this man to his feet. Will you help me?"

The officer scratched his head. "That's old Jack. He's been a fixture around here for a couple of years. What do you want with him?"

"See that cafeteria over there?" she asked. "I'm going to get him something to eat and get him out of the cold for awhile."

"Are you crazy, lady?" the homeless man resisted. "I don't want to go in there!" Then he felt strong hands grab his other arm and lift him up.
"Let me go, officer. I didn't do anything.."

"This is a good deal for you, Jack," the officer answered. "Don't blow it."
Finally, and with some difficulty, the woman and the police officer got Jack into the cafeteria and sat him at a table in a remote corner. It was the middle of the morning, so most of the breakfast crowd had already left and the lunch bunch had not yet arrived.

The manager strode across the cafeteria and stood by his table. "What's going on here, officer?" he asked."What is all this, is this man in trouble?"

"This lady brought this man in here to be fed," the policeman answered.

"Not in here!" t he manager replied angrily. "Having a person like that here is bad for business."

Old Jack smiled a toothless grin. "See, lady. I told you so. Now if you'll let me go. I didn't want to come here in the first place"


The woman turned to the cafeteria manager and smiled. "Sir, are you familiar with Eddy andAssociates, the banking firm down the street?"


"Of course I am," the manager answered impatiently. "They hold their weekly meetings in one of my banquet rooms."

"And do you make a goodly amount of money providing food at these weekly meetings?"

"What business is that of yours?"

I, sir, am Penelope Eddy,president and CEO of the company."
"Oh..."

The woman smiled again.. "I thought that might make a difference."
She glanced at the cop who was busy stifling a laugh. "Would you like to join us in a cup of coffee and a meal, officer?"

"No thanks, ma'am," the officer replied. "I'm on duty."

"Then, perhaps, a cup of coffee to go?"

"Yes, ma'am. That would be very nice."

The cafeteria manager turned on his heel. "I'll get your coffee for you right away, officer."

The officer watched him walk away. "You certainly put him in his place," he said.
"That was not my intent... Believe it or not, I have a reason for all this."


She sat down at the table across from her amazed dinner guest. She stared at him intently.

"Jack, do you remember me?"

Old Jack searched her face with his old, rheumy eyes. "I think so -- I mean you do look familiar."

"I'm a little older perhaps," she said. "Maybe I've even filled out more than in my younger days when you worked here, and I came through that very door, cold and hungry."

"Ma'am?" the officer said questioningly. He couldn't believe that such a magnificen tly turned out woman could ever have been hungry.

"I was just out of college," the woman began. "I had come to the city looking for a job, but I couldn't find anything. Finally I was down to my last few cents and had been kicked out of my apartment.. I walked the streets for days. It was February and I was cold and nearly starving. I saw this place and walked in on the off chance that I could get something to eat."

Jack lit up with a smile. "Now I remember," he said. "I was behind the serving counter. You came up and asked me if you could work for something to eat. I said that it was against company policy."

"I know," the woman continued. "Then you made me the biggest roast beef sandwich that I had ever seen, gave me a cup of coffee, and told me to go over to a corner table and enjoy it. I was afraid that you would get into trouble. Then, when I looked over and saw you put the price of my food in the cash register, I=2 0knew then that everything would be all right."

"So you started your own business?" Old Jack said.
"I got a job that very afternoon. I worked my way up. Eventually I started my own business that, with the help of God, prospered.." She opened her purse and pulled out a business card. "When you are finished here, I want you to pay a visit to a Mr. Lyons. He's the personnel director of my company. I'll go talk to him now and I'm certain he'll find something for you to do around the office."
She smiled. "I think he might even find the funds to give you a little advance so that you can buy some clothes and get a place to live until you get on your feet. If you ever need anything, my door is always open to you."

There were tears in the old man's eyes.. "How can I ever thank you?" he asked.
"Don't thank me," the woman answered. "To God goes the glory. He led me to you."

Outside the cafeteria, the officer and the woman paused at the entrance before going their separate ways.. "Thank you for all your help, officer," she said.

"On the contrary, Ms. Eddy," he answered. "Thank you. I saw a miracle today, something that I will never forget. And..And thank you for the coffee."

Have a Wonderful Day. May God Bless You Always and don't forget that when you "cast your bread upon the waters," you never know how it will be returned to you. God is so big He can cover the whole world with his Love and so small He can curl up inside your heart.


When God leads you to the edge of the cliff, trust Him fully and let go.
Only 1 of 2 things will happen, either He'll catch you when you fall, or He'll teach you how to fly! Don't take that literally okay.. not telling you to go jump.. but in life.. there are choices we have to make.. some feel like your jumping off that cliff.. comes down to faith... hope.. and love.. the gifts God gave us.. and if you haven't figured out yet.. what the greatest gift is.. it's love..

God closes doors no man can open & God opens doors no man can close..

Have a blessed day and remember to be a blessing....

"The Task Ahead of Me is Never as Great as the Power Behind Me!!"