My granddaughter is struggling today with the birth of her first child. There is a complication that will, hopefully, be resolved by the attending physician.

Men have a moment of gratification.

The woman spends the next 9 months trying to deal with the consequences of that moment.

There is a new sensation taking place within her body unlike any other experience heretofore.

It’s not uncommon that she may begin with morning sickness.

She now begins to assimilate all the adjustments necessary to begin the creation of a new human being.

Her body changes it’s shape while accommodating the space required for the infant to grow.

A new wardrobe is required.

Frequent visits to the doctor become routine.

Yet, the big test is yet to come.

The birthing process is more painful than any other experience she has had.

And then the new mom begins a lifetime of nurturing her child.

I hope all dads appreciate and actively support her in the days and years ahead.

Because she is what heroes are made of!

If not today, when?

If you have food in the frig, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75% of the world.

If you have money in the bank, you are among the 8% wealthiest.

If you have a computer, you are among the 1%.

If you’ve never been in battle, in prison, tortured, or suffered starvation, you’re ahead of 700 million people.

If you can attend a church without fear of harassment, arrest, torture or death, you’re more blessed than 3 billion people. (“What happens in heaven when we pray”)

So, how do you react to these sobering statistics?

I would like to suggest that TWO QUALITIES should forever dominate our lives:

COMPASSION-Let’s be aware of the overwhelming suffering of the great majority of our fellow human beings! And do SOMETHING to help!

GRATITUDE-This should be the operative word of our behavior!

If not today, when?

… ONCE WE GET TO KNOW THEM!.

Look around you.

Yes, this is the best time of the year when traditional flowers are in full bloom.

And let’s take a closer look at the many weeds who are flowers too.

They are smiling back at us.

I was driving to my granddaughter’s soccer game and was stopped at a busy intersection waiting for the light to change.

I glanced over at a bunch of weeds growing right next to the road that had become tiny yellow flowers.

Hundreds of them!

Because there was no curb, some of them had been run over by passing cars.

Those that remained were shining forth.

There are people who are flowers too ONCE WE GET TO KNOW THEM!

Look around you.

Flowers everywhere!

If not today, when?

Each day is followed by night.

Thank God!

Night time gives us some restful time to recover from the previous day.

Sometimes it allows us to sleep peacefully because it was a GOOD DAY!

And there are other nights when we need to recover from a BAD DAY!

Hopefully, we can look upon each day as a chapter in our evolving, lifetime story.

Each day is not a continuum of previous days.

It usually has a personality unique to itself.

Yesterday, we rejoiced with our sick daughter who underwent a successful medical procedure.

Today, we say, “Farewell” while attending the funeral of a friend.

And so it goes as we we add another chapter followed by rest time.

IT’S A GOOD PLAN!

Our 46 year old daughter is fighting for her life.

Because of hepatitis C, which she was born with in Vietnam, she required a liver transplant a few years ago.

After recovering from that major medical event, she contracted lymphoma.

After multiple chemo therapy treatments, she survived.

Now, she is battling a more severe lymphoma attack.

This time, the recommended treatment requires painful remedies and isolation.

She has a tremendous caretaker who happens to be her husband!

He is on top of all the details of her medical needs.

He keeps track of her many, many appointments and her schedule of medicines.

He is in every meeting with her doctors while taking notes.

As hard as her suffering has been, he is suffering too.

Although, she has multiple doctors who have multiple patients, he knows more about her medical condition at any given moment than anyone else.

Their daughter just graduated from high school and has been admitted to an excellent university.

Hopefully, mom will live to see her daughter graduate from college too!

Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you!

Are you one of those who needs to be on time or not so much?

This is another category we can use to divide humanity into two distinct groups.

The interesting observation I’ve made is the fact that both groups get annoyed with the other.

The ON TIMERS would like everyone to be on time.

The NOT SO MUCH group say, “Why be so uptight? Live a little!”

And on it goes for a lifetime.

Neither one is too interested in changing their position on this topic.

Perhaps there should be some flexibility if it’s a personal appointment.

I don’t feel the same way if it is a business appointment.

In business, you only have one chance to make a first impression.

And first impressions are lasting ones.

I would like to say more, but I’m late for an appointment!!!!

Life is a roller coaster!

Sometimes the track goes up and down. You know the UP will be followed by a DOWN.

And so it goes with our lives.

So, what approach should we take with all this mayhem?

Let me suggest that we don’t let ourselves get too high with the UPS nor too low with the DOWNS.

Easy for me to say. Hard to do.

But it is necessary that we make the attempt to steer the ship through stormy seas till we can once again enter smooth waters.

It seems at times that the DOWNS are too long and the UPS too short.

Have you ever made a list of your blessings?

How often to you feel gratitude?

Is your glass half empty or half full.

Embrace this life with all its WONDER!!!!!

If not today, when?

A Cape Cod lobster diver is safe Friday, following a fluke encounter with a humpback whale that nearly made him the leviathan’s lunch.

Michael Packard was diving off the coast of Provincetown, Massachusetts, Friday, when the whale caught him unawares.

“I got down to about 45 feet of water, and all of a sudden I just felt this huge bump, and everything went dark. ‘”Oh, my God, did I just get bit by a shark?'”

“Then I felt around, and I realized there was no teeth and I had felt no great pain,” Packard said. And then I realized, ‘Oh, my God, I’m in a whale’s mouth and he’s trying to swallow me.'”

“All of a sudden he went up to the surface and just erupted and started shaking his head,” Packard said. “I just got thrown in the air, and landed in the water and I was free and I just floated there.” (CNN)

UNLUCKY –THEN LUCKY!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you’ve been trying to eat healthfully, you’ve probably heard about the benefits of eating breakfast. But you might be wondering whether it’s also important to pause for a midday lunch break — even with a very busy schedule.

“Carving out time for a satiating, balanced lunch can really help organize the eating day and keep us in better touch with our actual hunger cues,” said registered dietitian nutritionist Tamara Duker Freuman. “So we can eat when hungry and be less likely to snack our way through the entire workday.”

Skipping lunch can cause more than hunger pangs, low blood sugar and irritability. It will also almost guarantee that you consume the majority of your calories in the evening. That can wreak havoc on your waistline and health, according to Freuman. It can contribute to sleep problems, too. (CNN)

Listen to the experts.

A healthy body insures a more productive day!

If not today, when?

I’m asking you to do something that is unnatural.

I’m suggesting that you deliberately prioritize the needs of your spouse ahead of your needs.

And I’m asking your spouse to reciprocate by putting your needs first.

Most of us made the decision to marry a specific person because we saw the benefits WE WOULD GET such as: a sexual partner, a companion, a confidant.

Yet, if the marriage is to last “till death do us part,” we must make our partner’s experience in this marriage SOMETHING HE/SHE WANTS TO ENDURE!

Do you and your married partner feel your relationship is FAIR TO BOTH PARTIES?

If not, hopefully, it’s not too late to begin focusing on your spouse more than yourself.

I know of a married person who says to his spouse each morning: “How can I help make your day a good one today?”