William Ackerman - The Bricklayer's Beautiful Daughter (2004)

https://youtu.be/9Cpaqo0GCMQ

Being and Breathing

One warm evening may years ago...

After spending nearly every waking minute with Angel for eight straight days, I knew that I had to tell her just one thing. So late at night, just before she fell asleep, I whispered it in her ear. She smiled - the kind of smile that makes me smile back - and she said, "When I'm seventy-five and I think about my life and what it was like to be young, I hope that I can remember this very moment."

A few seconds later she closed her eyes and fell asleep. The room was peaceful - almost silent. All I could hear was the soft purr of her breathing. I stayed awake thinking about the time we'd spent together and all the choices in our lives that made this moment possible. And at some point, I realized that it didn't matter what we'd done or were we'd gone. Nor did the future hold any significance.

All that matter was the serenity of the moment.

Just being with her and breathing with her.

The moral: We must not allow the clock, the calendar, and external pressures to rule our lives and blind us to the fact that each individual moment of our lives is a beautiful mystery and a miracle - specially those moments we spend in the presence of a loved one.

Written by Marc Chernoff

Fiona Joy Hawkins - Blue Dream (HD, HQ)

https://youtu.be/fNG5QkH1zZs

Good Things Will Come

There may be days when you get up in the morning and things aren't the way you had hoped they would be.

That's when you hate to tell yourself that things will get better. There are times when people disappoint you and let you down.

But those are the times when you must remind yourself to trust your own judgments and opinions, to keep your life focused on believing in yourself.

There will be challenges to face and changes to make in your life, and it is up to you to accept them.

Constantly keep yourself headed in the right direction for you. It may not be easy at times, but in those times of struggle you will find a stronger sense of who you are.

So when the days come that are filled with frustration and unexpected responsibilities, remember to believe in yourself and all you want your life to be.

Because the challenges and changes will only help you to find the goals that you know are meant to come true for you.

Keep believing in yourself.

Author Unknown

My First Day as a President by Max Lucado

Best I can guess from looking online, there are twelve steps from the door of the oval office to its desk. I've never been there. Doubt that I ever will. But if ever bequeathed the tittle "President of the United States" I have an idea how I would handle my first day in office.

I would, freshly sworn in as commander of the free world, enter the office, ask my secretary, Chief of Staff, Vice President, Wife, and anyone else who wants to come in, to wait. Give me a few minutes, please. I'd close the door, take the dozen steps across the room, stand for just a second behind the desk, and hit my knees.

With hands folded, head bowed, and heart open I would confess, "God, I don't know how I got here. I don't know how this happened. I don't know what the voters were thinking...but I know this, if you don't take over, we're sunk."

At that point I would present my prayer requests.
- heal the hurts of the land
- stop the violence in this land
- show us how to love each other
- give us a second chance at caring for babies, hungry people, and mountain streams

On and on I'd go. The secretary would buzz, but I'd tell her to wait. The Russian President would call, but we'd put him on hold. My VP would remind me that the parade awaits outside...but hold on, I'm not done yet.

Then, once the prayer was finished, once I'd confessed every fear and claimed every promise, I would rise to shaky legs and send out a decree. On Presidential stationary with Presidential pen I would write: "By virtue of this office, I declare tonight to be "Let's try it again night." I would ask, compel, invite, request, cajole, and recruit every person who has a kitchen table to invite someone dinner. Cook your best chicken or enchilada or chicken enchilada and, for one night, no arguing. Words like Democrat, Republican, Liberal, and Conservative are not allowed and, if used, will prompt and outpouring of mashed potato gravy the lap of the person who says them. For one meal, for one night, we will listen to each other story before we tell our own. We will try to understand how we got angry, so ticked off, so blasted mad, and, before the serving of the pie and the ice cream, we will ask, "Can't we try again?

And, I would suggest that we do what I did - bow our heads and ask for help.

I know. Presidents don't do those things or make such decrees. Then again, maybe they should.

Max Lucado, September 2016

Good Leaders are Good Followers

A young woman was filling out an application for college when she came across the question: Are you a leader? She thought she had better be honest, so she answered, "No."

She was convinced when she sent the application in that she'd never hear from them because of that answer. But she received a letter back from the school that read: "We have reviewed numerous applications and, to date, there will be some 1.452 new leaders attending school next year. We have decided to accept your application because we felt it was imperative that they have a least one follower."

Should all of us be leaders all of the time? Isn't there a time to follow as well as lead?

One man likes to tell about the day he purchased a novelty sign and hung it on his office door. The sign read..."I'm the boss". The next day he came to work he noticed that the office comedian affixed a sticky note to his door that read, "Your wife called. She wants her sign back."

He may be the boss at work, but home is different altogether. I'm marriage and family as well as most social relationships, sometimes we lead and sometimes we follow the lead of another. If the so-called boss happens to be an effective leader at work, he has probably learned that getting his own way all of the time does not produce good results.

As it turns out, the nest leaders area also called follower. Why?

1. Good leaders share leaderships. They know when to follow and when to lead.
2. Good leaders build their skills on following role models for the behaviors they want to learn. What they admire in another, they copy.
3. Good leaders exhibit humility. They remain open to suggestion. When they need it, they ask for   help and follow good advice.

In other words, good leaders are also good followers. They know when to follow in the footsteps of others and when to leave tracks of their own.

You may be a boss, but you will be a leader when you also learn how to follow.

 Written by Steve Goodier