Thursday Night Thoughts on Living in this Moment 08/22/13

nickjr39206@yahoo.com Woke up this past Saturday morning and did what I needed to do in order to be strong for the people that needed me. This was definitely a Saturday filled with an abundance of love and hope as we attended the Homegoing Celebration for my Aunt Gail. I was moved to tears several times, and they weren't tears of sadness, but tears of joy that I was able to spend a part of my life with someone who was so loved. I can honestly say that I was blessed to call her my aunt. Hearing from her church members, former classmates, friends, and co-workers was just a reminder of the impact that her life had on others. I was touched by the words and also the act of kindness from the Lanier High School Class of 1970 who honored my aunt with a resolution as at least 20 of her classmates were present. After hearing reflections about my aunt and words from the pulpit, there were some things that stuck with me and got my thoughts going. 1). So what do you do when the thing that you fear most happens? Often times we have fear about certain things for one reason or another, but are we prepared after the thing we fear happens? Was the fear because we are unsure of how we should or will proceed? Our faith should provide us the necessary strength to embrace things and move forward. We can't forget that He wouldn't put more on us than we could bear. “Many of us crucify ourselves between two thieves - regret for the past and fear of the future.” Fulton Oursler “Each time we face our fear, we gain strength, courage, and confidence in the doing.” 2) In times of loss and sadness, where is your faith? This should be the time when we have the strongest faith, but often times we don't. 3) What a man says is not what he/she is measured by, but the fruits that they bear. This statement and ensuing words really had me in deep thought reflecting upon my own life. What type of fruit am I bearing? Good fruit? Bad fruit? How will I be remembered when the breath of life is gone from my body? “Remember, people will judge you by your actions, not your intentions. You may have a heart of gold -- but so does a hard-boiled egg.” “You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.” James D Miles “I admire men of character, and I judge character not by how men deal with their superiors, but mostly how they deal with their subordinates, and that, to me, is where you find out what the character of a man is” Gen. H. Norman Schwartzkopf 4) What does friendship mean to you? I ask this question as one of my aunt's closest friends got up to speak about her and their friendship over the years. Thinking in this day and age that some often lose sight of how important friendships are to carrying us through the ups and downs of life. I know that for me I truly care a lot about those that I have chosen to call friend. Over the several weeks, I have been reminded about who my friends are and that they truly are there for me and my family. Constantly encouraged and supported through it all I know that my friends are a reflection of me. “A true friend is one who knows all about you and likes you anyway.” Christi Mary Warner “A friend is someone who helps you up when you're down, and if they can't, they lay down beside you and listen.” “Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Just walk beside me and be my friend.” Albert Camus With every second that we live, we are reminded about how we should enjoy every moment as we are not guaranteed the next. Life is meant to be lived and enjoyed with those that you care about and love. I challenge you to live the phenomenal life that was destined for you. Are you up for it? Remember positive thoughts breed positive actions and keeping #positivemovementsforward at the forefront of every thing that you do will take you to the next level in many areas of your life.