Tough seems to be the operative word right now, but I’m still finding some great inspiration during these tough times.
I. I’ve been fortunate to be able to watch many of the Olympic competitions in Rio over the past week, many of them live as they happened which is always a special thrill. Watching these highly disciplined athletes from all over the world strive for excellence is always an honor, and once again, I’ve been moved to tears at times and have also cheered a few of them on from our living room, including athletes from other countries, too.
I also saw “Phelps Face” live on the evening it aired. I was cracking up watching it and was not at all surprised when it went viral and produced some absolutely hysterical memes afterward.
Olympic athletes are definitely tough people, including and especially the Paralympic and Special Olympics athletes, and their personal stories are incredibly inspiring. So many of them have overcome very tough circumstances to be where they are and do what they do.
If only our politicians were as inspirational as our Olympic athletes are. Sigh. I guess we can dream…
No doubt the Olympics tend to bring out the best in people during the games, even we spectators that are simply watching on our televisions thousands of miles away.
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.” 1 Corinthians 9:24
II. The weather here at home has been tough over the past five weeks, with no rain and typically hot weather for this time of year. Despite the hot weather, the yard work has not gone away, and I’ve had to be more diligent in working in the yard to get those chores done and still try to avoid the worst of the heat each day.
I would much rather enjoy the cool(er) mornings with a good cup of coffee, but I also don’t want to work in the heat later. The plants, grass and trees still need water to keep them from dying in this heat, and I’m their water source right now until the weather cooperates once again.
Without a doubt, caring for the yard in recent weeks has been pretty tough.
My little reward for all this hard work is enjoying our little outdoor paradise and the wonderful beauty of nature just outside our doors each day, something we haven’t always had here at home in years gone by when we didn’t have the time to tend the yard as we do now. Right now, though, we just enjoy it in the cooler part of the day, but hopefully soon, the weather will moderate, and we can enjoy it much more.
All ten of our Red Rocket crape myrtles are in full bloom, and they are absolutely gorgeous, despite the very tough hot and dry weather. This is something I’ve come to look forward to each summer in early July, and once again, they did not disappoint, having grown even more since last year.
Birds have to be tough survivalists in the weather we’ve been having lately, but sometimes it doesn’t work out for them. For the second year, a little nest in the tree in our backyard failed. A dove built the nest and seemed to be thriving before we went on our trip over the 4th of July weekend, but when we returned, it had failed. Once again I am very sad, too. Nature isn’t always kind, by any stretch.
Doves are visiting in abundance, as well as robins, cardinals, house finches and blue jays, thanks to our beautiful trees and bird feeders, and I love to hear the doves cooing in the early mornings to greet a new day.
“Flowers are appearing on the earth. The season for singing has come. The cooing of doves is heard in our land.” Song of Solomon 2:12
III. One of our local sportscasters is once again doing something fun as the high school football season will be underway soon. He interviews a different coach each day about their players and their upcoming opponents, and he actually tracks the number of times each coach says the word tough in the interview.
This sportscaster has found a creative way to keep viewers interested in all the interviews, not just the ones that concern their home team, and it’s fun to watch each evening. One coach recently uttered the word tough 28 times during the interview, too.
Hats off once again this year to a very creative sportscaster! Who knew tough could actually be quite funny!
“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. ” Proverbs 17:22
IV. A dear friend and her elderly mother are both going through a very tough time right now. Her mother became seriously ill about three weeks ago and is not expected to live. She moved her mother to a private nursing home with Hospice care a few days ago, and I’ve been on call for her each day to help as needed.
It seems that I’m now the “go-to” person when friends need advice to care for their parents toward the end of life, since I’ve already “been there and done that” several times. I’m so happy when I can help others with the knowledge I gained and resources we used and/or learned about as our own parents all fought their own terminal illnesses.
Without a doubt, this is how God uses so many of us… by simply sharing our personal experiences and testimonies with others in this way to help them in their own struggles, and I always give thanks when I’m able to help someone else during a tough time… because I *have* been there and done that and know how I desperately needed help myself.
If there is any good that can come from enduring tough times ourselves, it’s being able to grow in our own faith and also help someone else lessen the effect of their own tough times by loving and helping them through it.
“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.” Proverbs 17:17
V. Our country is in a tough spot these days, for sure. It’s sad when there just seems to be nothing good on the horizon for our nation on a macro level, but the good I’ve seen manifest on a micro level lately has truly been uplifting. This is where we can actually make a difference anyway. Spewing hate and division on a macro level accomplishes nothing good but does afford a few loud voices some attention, unfortunately, as well as a lot of misinformation… and I do mean a *lot* of it. In times when it’s just so tough to find out what is true and what is not, we have to dig deep to look for it.
Perhaps we should just show what we’re made of each day on a micro level, and maybe, just maybe, some day things will improve on a macro level, hopefully sooner rather than later.
I need to remind myself every single day that God is still in charge, too,… “our refuge and our strength” in times of trouble. — Ps. 46:1
And to my sweet friend in Louisiana who sometimes reads my posts here, I continue to pray for you daily as you and your family an pets endure the horrific flooding and possible loss of your home/cars/etc. Our tough times pretty much pale in comparison to your tough times right now. I am once again reminded to never take anything in this life for granted and to ever be thankful for even the smallest of blessings each and every day.
Have a blessed week, friends, and look for blessings, joy and inspiration all around you, no matter where you are! 😀
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” John 14:27
My Five Fs 