Clackers and Kites and other fun stuff...

When I was still a child...simple at heart...here are some things I loved to do:

I loved 'clackers'. They were glass balls, hanging on a piece of heavy string (mine were purple glass)...and you 'clacked' them together. I don't even know how to explain them to you, but if you know what they are...you know what I mean. My Mom disliked my clackers...alot! They were noisy...and in her opinion, unsafe.

I loved to fly kites...my favorite were called "bat kites," and I guess you can probably figure out what they looked like, without a long description. Kites are fun...adults should fly kites more often, I think.

I loved to play kickball, football, soccer, baseball, basketball, tennis, ping-pong, billiards (pool), 4-square, tetherball...do you detect a theme? If the game involved an orb (or pigskin)that I could hit, throw, kick or otherwise play with in some manner, I loved it. I still do, and I try to play as often as I can...how about you? Are you still playing games that you love? Just wondering...

I loved to play with dolls, and Barbies, and stuffed animals, and Hot Wheels. Yes, I said Hot Wheels. MatchBox Cars were okay, but Hot Wheels! Hot Wheels were way cool! They came with bright orange race tracks, and my brother and I used to have sword fights with the pieces of track...very fun!

It's that time of year again. Is anyone else old enough to remember going through the Sears catalogue at Christmas, in order to make your list for Santa? What fun! The imagination can just run wild with all the possibilities of what Santa might bring...and an imagination run wild can be a very good thing.

How is your imagination doing these days? Do you cultivate it? Not too long ago, I was encouraged to make a 'vision board.' This involves buying a $0.39 piece of poster board (maybe it costs more than $0.39 these days, I don't know for sure)...getting together some magazines, and then cutting out pictures and words that depict what you'd like your life to look like...and pasting them to the board. I used an Elmer's glue stick...not the same as the Elmer's glue we used as kids, but it works! Creating a vision board is an excellent exercise, in my humble opinion! There is no end of possibilities for how you can select words and phrases to create the message you want for your life...and the pictures...all kinds of pictures! It is so much fun...I highly recommend it!

My vision boards (I've made 2 of them recently) contain pictures and words and phrases that inspire me, make me laugh, and give me a vision of the future I want to live. You might think I'm being silly, and to be honest, I'm just a tad nervous that you will think I'm silly...but I'll share a few things from my vision board that have inspired me...maybe you'll be inspired to make your own vision board!

"Discover your inner tango." This is one of my favorites...and it can mean whatever I want it to mean, so don't ask!

"Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or a day, or an hour, or a year, but eventually it subsides and something else takes its place. If you quit however, it lasts forever." -Lance Armstrong

I don't know what you think of Lance Armstrong, but I'll say this about him - he's been through cancer that was in at least 4 of his body systems/organs, so as far as I'm concerned, he gets to say something to me about dealing with pain...and about never quitting...life is hard sometimes, but don't quit! The pain, whatever it is...eventually subsides, and something else takes its place...so keep hanging on, even when things are hard.

"It's never too late to make a difference." This is my life theme right now. I write blogs to make a difference. So far, I know for certain that I have made a difference in the life of exactly one person...and that's enough!

The main thing to remember...for me...for you...it's never too late to make a difference. You matter. You're making a difference for someone, somehow...somewhere. Be inspired by this all important truth - you matter.

If you've read this far, you might think I skipped the readings from the Daily Office today...but you'd be wrong about that! I read all of the passages, and this one in Psalm 116 spoke to me...about how God loves me...the childlike me...and of course, he loves the childlike you as well!

The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion. The Lord protects the simplehearted; when I was in great need, he saved me.

Don't ever lose touch with the simple, childlike part of your heart...remember the things you loved to do as a child...remember what it feels like to enjoy unbridled imagination...and sometime soon, invest a few bucks and a few hours of your time, and make a vision board for your life in the new year! If you make one, I'd like to hear about it...and see it. It's fun!