I'LL DO THE PRAYING...YOU DO THE LIVING

How many of us, all too often, are in desperate need of a kind word? An ear that listens?  A heart that understands? Or a soul mate that reaches out from across the miles and says, "I care, I understand."

He writes a few words that instantly tell you he 'gets' it, he has been there, or perhaps is there himself. "Just wanted you to know that you are in my prayers. Hang in there. Stay busy. If you're anything like me (which you are), it is much easier to deal with difficult things when your mind is not idle."

Then he tells you he has searched and searched for an entire afternoon for a quotation that would be meaningful and heartfelt and meant to help.

Courage doesn't always roar.

Sometimes Courage is the quiet voice

at the end of the day saying,

"I will try again tomorrow."

- Mary Anne Radmacher

The letter ends with, "So all we can do is try again tomorrow. I will do the praying... you do the living. Take Care. Talk to you soon."

Now this is a friend.  How precious his words are to me.  How my heart doesn't feel quite so alone.  Someone understands, someone far away is holding my hand and telling me it is all going to work out and be alright. How could I be more blessed?

Angels come into our lives in a myriad of disguises, shapes and sizes, and usually just when we need them the most to heal a broken heart, to hold us when we cry, and to provide solace in times of trial. All they ask of us is to be aware and open to their presence. And they ask us to believe. My angel is my beloved Penny in the photograph.  I know she is watching over me and guiding my every move.  Her legacy is more grandiose than ever expected. "I love you and miss you every second of every day!"

Perhaps you find yourself praying every once in a while for a different life than the one you have.  "If only life were different." Then something happens that opens your eyes and tells you that perhaps this is the life you were meant to have.  This one precious life...this wild ride that isn't always easy.

Abigail Thomas in A THREE DOG LIFE ~ A MEMOIR says it beautifully, "There's nothing I want to relive ~ certainly not youth ~ and as for what's to come, I'm in no hurry.  I watch my dogs.  They throw themselves into everything they do, even their sleeping is wholehearted.  They aren't waiting for a better tomorrow, or looking back at their glory days.  Following their example, I'm trying to stick to the present." 

Good things happen slowly.  And for me, my dogs are my little angels without wings. So for today here is my agenda:

Be less quick to anger.

Show appreciation more.

Forgive.

Understand the way other people feel.
Slow down enough to consider what is true and what is real.

And today I will remember the Golden Rule for truer words were never spoken.  More than anything else the Golden Rule is about kindness. 

What is on your to do list?