I DESERVE THAT BAG OF M&M'S!!

I am sure as I travel through this journey of writing my thoughts and musings down that I may from time to time "progress" or "digress,"  I am not really sure if those are correct words, but they fit my mind just now.  Perhaps, I may even "sidegress" on occasion. (Miss Kiker, please forgive me...I know that you would not approve of that). Maybe you can give me a little latitude, just on this paper!

I mentioned during my first post, that I would be telling a story of the passage of time in my life over the last several years.  As I thought through those years in the days since that post, I realized that I thought that I really did deserve more than I actually had received.  But, during a discussion with my wife this weekend concerning the plans for our church's Vacation Bible School program for this summer, I found out that I probably really didn't deserve the bag of M&M's after all.

Vickie said that she had heard recently about someone sharing a story with some little children, and it went something like this.....The storyteller said that she started the story by telling the children that she had a bag of M&M's for them at the end of the storytelling session.  All they had to do was to show that they qualified for them, and the candy was theirs. She began by telling the children about the tasks that they would have to accomplish to receive the reward that they thought they deserved. She began by giving them a list, that was easily seen to be things that they could not do.....pick up a car and change a tire by themselves....change the color of  the sky....eat an entire elephant at one time.  Soon, the children realized, that their dream of the bag of M&M's were not going to be theirs.  But, the teacher paralleled this story to the story of how we do not "qualify" for the love and mercy that we receive from God, but, because He loves us, he showers us with blessings anyway.  Then, she told the children, that because she loved them too, that they could come and get their M&M's.

After all of those years of hard work, and honest dealings with people, I felt like that the reward of those efforts would be a successful business, sufficient money for my retirement years, etc...But, when things occurred like they did with the economy and our businesses, I was faced with the fact that what I thought that I "deserved" and what I was facing,  would be two different things.  As I mentioned last time, I had to go through a number of those phases that one must face when dealing with a loss of something important.  However, after the travel through those times, I realized that God, my family, and my friends still loved me and cared for my well being.  

I began to see things happen...good things....things that I could not have made happen on my own. I had to realize that I could not and should not take any credit for these things, if I could not have caused them to come about in the first place.  So, I realized that I still had a "bag of M&M's" coming my way.  Maybe the bag looked a little different that I had expected, maybe it was a little smaller than I expected, maybe I didn't get them quite as quickly as I had expected, but I still had blessings coming my way. I came to understand that I didn't always understand the "Why's", "When's, and "Where's" of God's provision very well, but, that still didn't mean that those provisions were not coming.

That realization made me understand very clearly that my "Plans" are not always the best for me.  Therefore, I am trying to accept what comes my way, and then make the very best of it that I can.  I have been wonderfully surprised at how well it works out when I let Him have the steering wheel. For that reason, I have started on the path to re-tooling, re-training, and re-branding myself.  I have decided to use the internet to market the services that I feel that I have to offer.  Hopefully, these years in the construction industry will still have some value.  I will try to connect with more people, to offer more value, and hopefully to attract more sales for those efforts. Maybe, I will also sell other items, other ideas, other products.  Perhaps, I will be able to "Give Away" things that hold value for some. Who knows, maybe I can give away assistance or kindness to someone in need.  Maybe, that way, they might get their Bag of M&M's.  I KNOW that I am going to get mine!!

Remember, my theme is......

                                  

                                Building up homes!

  

                                              Building up businesses!

                                                               Building up others!

The Golden "Rule" in My Life

I follow a blog of a young lady (who happens to be my niece) and I am very proud of what she has accomplished and what she will continue to accomplish.  As I watched her first post to her blog, I realized that she had taken a step in her life that was necessary for me to take in mine.  She faced a great challenge in her life, and she faced that challenge head on.  In the words of a local wrecker company.....No Ditch Too Deep, No Hill Too Steep!!  She decided that whatever it took...however hard it was...however long it took...she was going to start and finish what she had decided to face.

How does that compare with me?? What did it challenge me to face in my life??  Will I be as successful as she has been??  After a career that has spanned nearly four decades in an industry that fueled the growth of this great land of ours, I faced the economic downturn that started in 2007 in the construction segment of our economy.  I faced the potential of the loss of what I felt was the dream and purpose of my business life.  Eventually, I did face that exact fate.  I lost the business that I had always felt would be the vehicle to provide for my wife and I for the latter years of our life.  I also felt that it would provide the ability and opportunity to help our children get started on homes of their own, and our grandchildren with their education.  But, that did not work out EXACTLY like I had planned!!

So, after going through all of those "phases" that the professionals say that a person goes through that has experienced a loss, I came to the realization that I had essentially two options.  I could continue to wallow around without a plan or direction, or I could pick myself up by the bootstraps, develop a plan, and begin to move forward.  My faith and belief system were instrumental in helping me come to that conclusion, and I will forever be thankful to God for that.

So, just like my niece...I decided to face things head on.  I intend on telling the story of this journey in these blog posts.  Maybe, they will be of little or no value to anyone that reads them, but, I believe that in some form or fashion, someone will have faced the same or similar challenges, and if I can be of help to them, I will be honored.

In my work life, the "Rule" is an important tool for success.  In the construction industry, the "Rule" is used constantly....whether a carpenter, a brick mason, a tile mason, a cabinet installer....we all need to use a "Rule".

In my belief system...The "Golden Rule" is also an important tool.  I think that it is imperative that I DO UNTO OTHERS AS I WOULD HAVE THEM DO UNTO ME.  That is why I decided on this name for this blog.

My Theme:    BUILDING UP HOMES
                                  BUILDING UP BUSINESSES
                                                 BUILDING UP OTHERS

........More to come....