Kindness

People often think it takes a lot of effort to be kind, especially when the person one is trying to be kind to has just severed that person's last nerve.

Being kind is a choice. We can choose to be polite, kind, compassionate, patient, considerate etc., or we can choose to be difficult, obstinate, rude, inconsiderate, mean, vindictive & the list goes on.

What is Love, Really?

Ah, the age-old question: What is love??? Is love real? Is it available to everyone?

Of course it's real!! And yes, everyone can find & experience it.

Love isn't just romantic, you know. It's not just a feeling.....it's a "doing". 

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Whether you apply the concept of love to a romantic relationship, or to a family member or friend, or whether you show love to your fellow man.... love is something that when applied the right way, just makes everything better.

A person doesn't have to believe in the words of the Bible if they don't want to. I'm not asking anyone to believe in God, although I would be happy to think that those reading this know that God loves them. But here's the thing: no matter what a person's beliefs are, one can't deny the wisdom in the following passage of the Bible. This passage is often referred to as "The Love Chapter", & it can be found in 1 Corinthians 13. It's a small chapter, with only 13 verses, but verses 4-7 are especially important:

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast. It is not proud.

It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking. It is not easily angered.

It keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in the truth.

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Now of course I could expound on the above Bible verses, but what more needs to be said? It already says it all. Now if we could all treat our fellow man, our friends & loved ones with this type of love, the world would indeed be a better place!

 **Have an opinion about this post? I would truly appreciate your feedback in the comment section below, or in the confidential feedback form on this page.**

Where to Draw the Line

How can you tell if something that someone says or does is the last straw, or if it's just something very unpleasant, but tolerable? How do you know when to say "enough is enough!" & draw that line in the sand that says you will not tolerate something any longer? That is a topic that I have thought about a lot in the last ten years of my life, & something I sometimes have a hard time identifying, when certain situations come along.

Forgiveness

My friend Kelly writes a blog. Kelly writes from her heart, & her posts are quite entertaining. Why am I talking about Kelly, you may ask? Because she inspired me. 
Kelly knew I was feeling a bit hurt because it seemed as if 
nobody cared about the things I had to say. 
She reminded me that writing can be cathartic, & that the motive for writing should be because I enjoy doing so. So with that in mind, this post is from my heart. I want to share some thoughts on the topic of forgiveness.

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ABUSERS, TAKE NOTE - Part 2

Just the other day, I published a post titled "ABUSERS, TAKE NOTE!!" I was inspired to write that post because I have a dear friend who is experiencing emotional & verbal abuse, & her abuser is extremely controlling - so controlling in fact, that he determines things such as when the TV is allowed to be on, what setting the air conditioner MUST be set at, what is bought at the store, etc., & he is the one who sets the tone for the home. I have spent probably hundreds of hours trying to help my friend over the course of the past couple of years, because she has been dealing with this for such a long time. "Why doesn't she just leave?" you say? There are many reasons why a victim of abuse doesn't leave the abusive relationship. There are so many reasons in fact, that I have included just a few of the reasons why an abuse victim may not leave the abusive relationship:

ABUSERS, TAKE NOTE!!!

Today, I'm writing about something that is heavy on my heart & mind. It concerns the topic of abuse.  This topic is such a huge one, that there are so many things that could be said. Volumes & volumes of books dedicated to the subject of abuse, have been written. For now, I will stick to the subject of abuse in a romantic relationship, although what I say could apply to platonic & friendship relationships as well.

What Are We Teaching Our Sons?

I wrote a post recently about what we are teaching our daughters. Of course I don't want to neglect the topic of what we are teaching our sons. Today more than ever, it is crucial that we show our kids how to survive in this increasingly cut-throat world we live in, as well as to grow up to be the kind of men & women that they are meant to be.

What Are We Teaching Our Daughters? Take Miley Cyrus, for Example

I am quite sure that most people are over & done with hearing about Miley Cyrus' recent VMA performance. I know that I am! So I only reference it here to make a point about what we are teaching our daughters today. When my teenage daughter was a young girl, she was a huge Miley Cyrus fan. By huge, I mean that she had the backpack, bedspread & sheets, posters, CDs, clothes.....you name it, she had it. She was Miley Cyrus obsessed.

Boundaries

Growing up as a shy girl, I was too afraid to stand up for myself because I lacked the courage, for one thing, & for another, I didn't want to hurt someones feelings. As I got older, I began to realize that while I'm worrying about not wanting to hurt someones feelings, I'm forgetting that the person I need to stand up to, is not worrying about hurting mine. So begins my epiphany.....

Respect

This is a long post. Brace yourselves.......

Respect was important, as I was growing up. If any of my 5 siblings or I showed disrespect toward my parents, we either got "the look" from my father, the "I'm very disappointed in you" from my mother, a spanking on the bottom (depending upon the degree of disrespect), or we were made to brush our teeth with a bar of soap (reserved for times of extreme sassing, such as the time when I yelled at the top of my lungs that I hated my father's guts, just because he scolded me for being sloppy when I was drying the dishes). Before anyone cries "ABUSE!!", let me just say that I never felt abused as a child. I grew up in a very loving home, by two very wonderful parents. My parents loved me enough to discipline me when I needed it. Back then, parents weren't afraid to discipline their kids, because it was called good parenting. I felt secure & safe because I knew what my boundaries were, & I knew my parents cared enough about me to set them.