Photos with words . . .

Good Morning from Lake Guntersville, AL. Things are great. The water as you can see is crystal clear. It appears like it is going to be a wonderful day. I am going to add some other photos here of our trip so far. I miss home, but I am having fun learning and growing each day. Look at Proverbs 13, it is a wonderful chapter of wisdom.

We are on our way to the Tennessee River 600.

Here is the Sunset in Knoxville from the 11th floor of the Marriott downtown.

Here are the boys at the send off from Knoxville.

Curt and Lucas on the send off of day one from Knoxville.

Josh being silly with Curt's Summer Wheat.

An alagator we found and lost again.

The Boys having fun in the water.

Curt and Lucas coming in for lunch and gas.

Well that is all that I have time for today. I love you all. Peace

Here I sit . . . and happy so . . .

Greetings. I am here at the Holiday Inn in Guntherville, AL. I am having fun with my brother and my two sons and nephew. We have been in Knoxville and Chattanooga, TN and now we are working our way down the Tennessee River. My Brother decided to run his Honda Jet Ski in the Tennessee River 600 . You can check out the website. It is cool so far. I will post photos when I can. I will chat with you all again soon. I miss you. Peace

Just some Quotes . . .

Hi, I know it has been a few days. I actually thought I would blog more than I have this summer. I leave for Tennessee today with my brother and sons. We are going Jet Skiing. We will have fun.

Here are the quotes:

"The only thing that matters is your word and weather you live up to it or not"

Actor David Duchovny, "The X-Man Cometh," p.82

"Know what you want to do, hold the thought firmly, and do every day what should be done, and every sunset will see you that much nearer to your goal."

Elbert Hubbard, American Writer

So, what do you think? Are they true? Better yet, how do they adjust the way we think and live? Have a wonderful day. Peace

Regret . . .

This is a word that creates many emotions.

First lets look at the definition.

The American Heritage Dictionary says:
re·gret

1. To feel sorry, disappointed, or distressed about.
2. To remember with a feeling of loss or sorrow; mourn. v. intr. To feel regret. n.
3. A sense of loss and longing for someone or something gone.
4. A feeling of disappointment or distress about something that one wishes could be different.
5. regrets - A courteous expression of regret, especially at having to decline an invitation.

The Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary says:

Regret - Re*gret"\ (r?*gr?t"), n. [F., fr. regretter. See Regret, v.]

1. Pain of mind on account of something done or experienced in the past, with a wish that it had been different; a looking back with dissatisfaction or with longing; grief; sorrow; especially, a mourning on account of the loss of some joy, advantage, or satisfaction. "A passionate regret at sin." --Dr. H. More.
2. Dislike; aversion. [Obs.] --Dr. H. More.
Syn: Grief; concern; sorrow; lamentation; repentance; penitence; self-condemnation.
Usage: Regret, Remorse, Compunction, Contrition, Repentance. Regret does not carry with it the energy of remorse, the sting of compunction, the sacredness of contrition, or the practical character of repentance. We even apply the term regret to circumstance over which we have had no control, as the absence of friends or their loss. When connected with ourselves, it relates rather to unwise acts than to wrong or sinful ones. --C. J. Smith.

Is it possible to live an entire life and not feel regret?

Here are some quotes that I found on the Net about regret:

1. "Many of us crucify ourselves between two thieves - regret for the past and fear of the future."

2. “If we spend our time with regrets over yesterday, and worries over what might happen tomorrow, we have no today in which to live.”

3. "Regret is an odd emotion because it comes only upon reflection. Regret lacks immediacy, and so its power seldom influences events when it could do some good." William O'Rourke

4. "Never look back and regret, look back and smile at what you have learned." Michelle C. Ustaszeski

5. "It is not the experience of Today that drives a person mad, it is the remorse or bitterness of something which happened Yesterday and the dread of what Tomorrow may bring." Author Unknown

6. "We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons." Jim Rohn

7. "A man is not old until his regrets take the place of his dreams." Yiddish Proverb

OK, now on to some personal thoughts. I do not want to have regrets in my life. I do not want to spend the time and energy mulling over them. However, I do have them, and often they have abused my soul. I do not believe it is possible to be a human that interacts with other humans and not encounter regrets. Regrets come in the quietness of the mind through the door of introspection and reflection. Mind you I do not see regret as the enemy that is to be totally shunned. It can be a great teacher. However to languish in its classroom can bring nothing but death of a great future.

So now to a large question - What do you do with Regret? Learn, and live. That is it in my mind. Learn from it what it has to teach, then leave it there and begin to live. Each day live for that day, experiencing what it has to offer. If your regret can be corrected, then correct it and move on. If it can not be corrected, then learn, let it go and grow on into the future. Regret is a part of life, weather it is something done or said or not done or not said. It is part of the nature of Life. Learn from yesterday, Live for today, and dream about tomorrow. John Lennon said once - "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." I am saying Live. Know that in life every decision has consequences. Make great informed choices. Do not stop living for fear of regret, then regret is sure to become your bed mate. Live, Laugh, Love. Proverbs 4: 23 says - "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." Many times regret comes in the form of heart issues. It is from love or loves lost. Above all else, guard your Heart. Life springs from our heart. It leaps from our souls. Protect your heart. The Message Bible puts it this way -

Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that's where life starts.Don't talk out of both sides of your mouth; avoid careless banter, white lies, and gossip.Keep your eyes straight ahead; ignore all sideshow distractions.Watch your step, and the road will stretch out smooth before you.Look neither right nor left; leave evil in the dust.

In closing - regret is what it is. It is part of a life lived. We have the potential of allowing it to teach us to live better or it can become a noose that strangles life out of our soul. Do not spend great amount of time in Regrets classroom. Learn quickly and get back to living life. Peace

( note: these are a few thoughts on the subject of regret. Let me know what you think)

Life . . .

What a multifaceted subject. What are your thoughts on this subject? Peace

I enjoy Blogging . . .

Today, I am at blog 100. This is a big day for me, actually one that I thought would have come in June, but it has come today. I want to dedicate this blog to my student and friend. You could even say at times that my friend has become my teacher. Because of you, I have learned to blog. So this Blogs for you Froomla. Thank you for your impact upon my life. I hope to continue to learn and grow and share here on this blog. Peace

Here we are . . .

So, I am on vacation from school and work, but I have never worked so hard. Isn't that a funny thing about life? We have been to Salute to America at Greenfield Village(rain out), Kalahari, Cedar Point and Salute to America (part Deux). I love spending time with my family and my extended family. Today we are going to church, then going to Canada, then we are going to Niagara Falls, then back home. Boy O boy why do we do it to ourselves? I love to have fun, but getting to the fun sure does take a lot of energy out of you. Peace

Where does hope come from?

What is it about HOPE?

Here is one definition from Dictionary.com

American Heritage Dictionary

hope (hōp)

To wish for something with expectation of its fulfillment.
To have confidence; trust.
To look forward to with confidence or expectation

To expect and desire.

A wish or desire accompanied by confident expectation of its fulfillment.
Something that is hoped for or desired

One that is a source of or reason for hope
The theological virtue defined as the desire and search for a future good, difficult but not impossible to attain with God's help.

Hope is a VERB. There must be action in order for there to be some type or expectation of its fulfillment. Let me put it to you this way. A Farmer has hope that he will reap a crop in the fall. That is wonderful, however if he does not plant in the spring, what does his Hope do for him?? There is often an action that precedes the thing that is hoped for. How about me for example, I want to be thinner, and I put my hope in the fact that some day I will be thinner, but if I continue to eat and not exercise where is the basis for my hope. Do not get me wrong, there are things in our lives that rob us of hope at times, maybe a health setback, some sort of abuse from others or some other challenge that may come our way. We may not have asked for these series of events, however they are part of our story now. It is from this point that we must survey what is happening, and make the necessary adjustments internally, emotionally and spiritually, then take the appropriate physical actions to place us again on Hope's road.

Hope gives wings, not Red bull. Hope provides Fuel. It is hope that energises us to continue in the Journey of life. I pray for you today if you feel like you have lost hope. Stop. Think. Seek. Find. Meditate. Refresh. Renew. Review. Restore. Find hope again with in your soul. What is it that you want to see come about in your life? What are your expectations? Let me end with this story from my motorcycle safety course. Look where you want to go. Do not look at the ground unless that is where you intend to end up, Look where you want the motorcycle to take you. That is an important truth. Where do you want to go? Look there. Here is just one section of scripture that has been a great encouragement to me:

Hebrews 12:1-3
Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!

I am praying for you today. Have a wonderful day. Peace