Do It Anyway

There is a wonderful poem that Mother Teresa wrote that I'd like to share with you. I keep it framed on my desk at work. It has been a true blessing to me - I will it will be to you as well. Enjoy!

Do It Anyway

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered: Forgive them anyway!If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motive; Be kind anyway!If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some enemies; Succeed anyway!

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; Be honest and frank anyway!What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight; Build anyway!If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous; Be happy anyway!The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; Do good anyway!Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough; Give the world the best you’ve got anyway!

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God; It was never between you and them anyway!

-Mother Teresa

Happy Birthday America!

Happy Birthday America! It's the 4th of July and today is a day that as Americans we should celebrate our great country and remember how blessed we are to be here. Whether you are swimming in the pool, eating tasty hot dogs off the barbecue grill or watching the fireworks, remember there is more to this day this just fun activities with your family - it's about our freedom and the birth of our wonderful nation. Let's be thankful to our forefathers who fought for this great land.

In honor of the 4th of July, why not do something positive before heading out to that 4th of July family picnic. There are plenty of simple things that you can do that won't take much time, such as:

Send our troops a Camouflage Bible. Since our military troops are a large part of the reason we enjoy the freedom we have, let's pay them back by supplying them with a great gift of God's. A Bible will be a source of inspiration and will be a blessing to them. To donate, visit the International Bible Society Store.

Write a letter to our the President or other government official thanking them for the great job they do. Remember, even if you do not agree with all their decisions and policies, they are responsible for keeping our nation civilized and free. You can't argue that they are doing that and for that we should be thankful. For information on how to contact the White House, visit The White House's homepage.

Clean up this great land. Every where you go your see some form of trash sent out of car windows by a careless person. There doesn't have to be a formal program that you have to join to go out with a trash bag and pick up trash. Pick an area in your hometown like a park or busy street with a lot of debris and decide how much you are going to clean. Then get trash bags, gloves, and a large stick to help you pick up things without touching it. You'll be doing the land of America a great favor!

Have a blessed and safe 4th of July!

Wishing you "Blessings from Above,"

Denise

Empowerment 101

This Friday I had the privilege of going to a conference at the university where I work. It was sponsored by our Women's Network and was comprised of women from our university and those from other colleges in the state.

Let me stop you before your roll your eyes at the thought of going to one of these conferences. I'll just tell you up front it was quite a blessing for me to be there and I know my boss' invitation to go was no mistake. God wanted me to be there to here the many messages that the two female speakers delivered. Dr. R. Barbara Gienstein, the President of The College of New Jersey and Kirstin Carey, Founder of Orange Tree Consulting, had quite a few things about empowerment that I really needed to hear.

Speaking to the ladies for a minute here, it's a fact that we often operate our lives at a lower standard than we could and I am just as guilty as the rest of us. And there are a lot of reasons why we aren't up to our full potential. I know for one, I am always tired because of a under active thyroid and I am sure so many of you can relate (guys too!) with your own health issues. Add to the equation a job that may keep you stressed, kids whose needs never seem to stop, and just too many darn things in life to accomplish! Of course we are having a tough time succeeding.

Thankfully the two women speakers made several wonderful points to help me and the rest of the audience from drowning in self-pity. Want to know how to empower yourself? Here are a few suggestions (and these apply to you too guys!):

• Stop talking negative to yourself. If you tell yourself you are going to fail, you are.


• Give a firm handshake when you shake some one's hand. They'll have more confidence in their dealings with you.


• Keep the right company for social activities. Associate with people who going to build you up, not bring you down.


• On a professional level, encircle yourself with others who are like-minded and are willing to help when needed.


• Continually commit to bettering yourself even if progress takes a long time.

I bet we can name many other things that will help us hold our head high or empower us as they say. We'll probably visit this again in another post. For now, let's just be thankful for these reminders and that God placed these two wonderful women in front of me to encourage me to better myself and to be able to write about it to encourage you to do the same.

Wishing you "Blessings from Above,"
Denise

Tuesday - Blessing Others - suggestions how you can be a blessing to others.

Learning is one of my favorite things to do - it's become quite a hobby actually. I've been in school in the structured school setting for my Associate, Bachelor's and Master's degree. And all the while I was taking those classes, I was taking classes for fun in my spare time. My life was and sometimes still is, one big class. Basket weaving (yes, seriously!), Financial planning, photography are among my top favorite.

After I achieved my Master's degree in Writing in May of 2007, I swore I'd never take another class. Those who know me well knew that wouldn't last long. Before I knew it I found myself in a training class to be a volunteer at a local animal shelter and I often attend trainings at my job (at a University of course!) that I am not even required to take. Then of course there are wine classes and the possibility of glass blowing courses in my future. Like I said, I really love to learn.

But what does this have to do with blessings? Well for starters, God has given me the ambition to learn new things and better myself. Without realizing it my life has really been improved because of these classes. I've made new friends, embarked on many social outings, written articles on my new found knowledge, and created beautiful things I can be proud of and pass along to future family.

I am also very future that we have access to such wonderful things in our country. Many in other areas of the world are struggling just to survive and here, I have so many things to take advantage of. I don't have a long enough life to explore all of the things that I could!

And finally, and post importantly, I blessed by those who have the knowledge and better still, are willing to share it. Today's theme is how to be a blessing to others and that's exactly how you can do it - by taking the time to share something with someone else that could ultimately help improve their lives, get a better job, or maybe just make a new friend. To you it may just be transferring knowledge from your brain to someone else's, but to someone else, that knowledge can be life alter.

And you don't need some biggie big skill to teach others. It can be a simple as teaching how to do domestic chores efficiently or grocery shopping 101. It really can help someone else. Be a blessing to others - be their teacher in some way.

Thanks to all the wonderful teachers that I've had and that are currently in my life. You are a blessing.

Wishing you "Blessings from Above,"
Denise

Dee's Blessings - Blog Blessings

Monday (ok, this is a little late!) Dee's Blessings - people who know me well call me Dee and you can too. Here you'll find the many blessings in my life in hopes of inspiring you to recognize these things, and others, in your own life.

Dee's Blessings is something I usually like to do on Mondays and in case you have't noticed, today is Tuesday. But hey, better late than never right?

This may seem like an odd thing to consider a blessing, but that's what this blog is to me for so many reasons.

• It gives me the chance to express myself
• It gives me an opportunity to write and showcase my skills
• It requires me to step up and be a better Christian by forcing me to recognize my blessings.
• It helps me to point out the blessings in others lives which hopefully impacts their lives in some way.

It's so ironic that not all that long ago I couldn't possibly understand what benefit a blog could be to me. It was only after I started playing around with one and falling upon uses for it that I found it of such value.

I love that it's such an instantaneous thing. I can have a thought and see it online immediately. It's the way to go for me. And although I still try and find writing jobs in hard copy publications, I find it frustrating. I still haven't heard from a few of the publications that I contacted last year, despite emails from the editor expressing a vague interest. At least with the blog I have control over what I do and when I do it. And this way I don't have to pester an overwhelmed editor to get my work seen by the public!

Thank God for this wonderful technology. When it is working properly and utilized properly, it really is a useful tool.

Wishing you "Blessings from Above,"
Denise

Biblical Blessings - The birth of Jesus

Today is Friday - Biblical Blessings - This will focus on blessings found throughout the Bible and how they can apply to our lives today.

While the Bible is filled with many blessings that apply to our lives today, I thought I'd focus on the birth of Jesus Christ with Easter just around the corner. That's when we lost him, but we'll focus more on that when we get closer to the holiday.

For now, let's remember just what a blessing it was for all of mankind that Jesus was born. God cared enough about us to send his one and only son to forgive us of our sins. Now we can live sin free and can have fellowship with God because of Jesus.

And think how miraculous his birth was. God planned his birth for centuries prior to it's actual happening. He orchestrated so many things it's amazing. And then he planted Jesus in a virgin, Mary, and gave her the responsibility of giving birth to him. And there was nothing King like about the night that he came into the world. He was born in a manager and didn't even have a bed to sleep in. Yet he made such an impact on the world he lived in and the rest of humanity to come. Millions and millions will have been blessed by his prescense.

Why was Jesus a blessing for me and for you?

• Now you can converse openly with God.


• Once you accept Jesus into your heart you are saved and will go to heaven to enjoy eternity with God.


• He saved us from our human sin.


• His life was an inspiration on how we should live and treat others.


• We can live because he died.

Thank God for the blessing of Jesus and all he did. We should be so thankful!

Wishing you "Blessings from Above,"
Denise

Today's Blessing Expert - Leslie Sansone

Thursday - Blessing Experts

Everyday I "walk" with Leslie Sansone to try and shed some pounds. Leslie is the creator of the Walk at Home program, a wonderful exercise routine that allows you to "walk" in the comfort of your own home. If you keep up to the pace of her music, you'll have "walked" one, two, three, or four miles in your own living room.

I love utilizing these DVD's because first, I stay in the comfort of my own home. This works out nicely when I the weather is bad, it's dark out, or I truly just don't feel like getting out of my jammies to walk outside! Second, Leslie is such an uplifting blessing to my day. She's enthusiastic and encouraging.

Leslie's Walk the Walk series is a spiritually focused workout set to positive Christian music. During the exercise routine, comprised of four basic movements, Leslie praises her Creator and counts her blessing.

So what does Leslie see as a blessing? She only says three blessings during her Walk the Walk tape (yes, I've had these tapes for a long time!), but boy they are big ones:

Her customers that walk with her - without us she wouldn't be in business and wouldn't be as successful as she is - at least not in the exercise industry.

Her health - this is truly important and is something we should all be grateful for. Your health is one of those most precious gifts you can have and often we don't realize that until we're sick. Once you become unhealthy, particularly if you have an lifelong ailment, it can make the day-to-day routine extremely difficult. Perhaps the illness keeps you from working on a regular basis or maybe it isn't life threatening, but just down right inconvenient. Either way, getting through the day can be tough. While you are healthy, enjoy every minute of it. Live your life to the fullest because you never know what our bodies have in store for us.

Her family and friends (everyone you love) - it's smart of Leslie to recognize that the people she holds most dear are a blessing. They'll be there during your darkest hour and will help you when you just need a little lift. They are the people that are most likely to stick with your through thick-and-thin. Don't take them for granted. They are important and they can be gone in a flash.

Leslie is a wise woman and I am blessed every time I workout to her DVD. She truly is a blessing in my life. She's helped me lose weight in the past and she's working with me again to lose what I gained in recent years from medication.

Check out her website if you have time. Leslie is bound to be a blessing to you too!
Blessings!
Denise

Blessings Inspirations - Psalm 128:2

Wednesday - Blessing Inspirations - a look at Bible verses and quotes on the topic of Blessings.

I love what Psalm 128:2 in the National International Version (NIV) of the Bible says. It reads:

"You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours."
- The Bible (NIV version)

I believe that verse is saying to us that if we work hard at whatever we are doing we will be blessed in many ways and will really enjoy those blessings. As my previous Pastor, Pastor Russ, use to say, "Bloom where you are planted," meaning that we should work hard at whatever we are doing and do it well. As we can see the Bible says, in so many words or less, work hard and God will reward you.

I can see this reflected in my own life as I've worked hard at establishing a new home within the last few years, I've gone on to obtain a Master's degree in Writing, I've worked hard at establishing relationships at church and on my job, and I've taken on the role as a wife. After approaching these things with positiveness and determination (most of the time anyway!) God has blessed my with a wonderful part-time job at a local university that I've always wanted to work at, has given me the time to start on a new goal of freelance writing, has provided me with many new and wonderful friends, and has given me a really great marriage.

What things have God rewarded you with for all your labor? Do an inventory and I bet you will see a lot of things God has done for you.

Wishing you "Blessings from Above,"
Denise

Blessings Others - Dog Sledding

Tuesday - Blessing Others

I've been away for several days in the Poconos Mountains in Pennsylvania so I haven't been able to blog for a while. That's ok though. I had a great trip and was richly blessed while I was away. This works nicely since Tuesdays are "Blessings Others" day on my blog.

While Nick and I were away we did several fun activities including snowmobiling and dog sledding - that latter being my favorite! What a wonderful thing to do that you can't find every where. When I found out they run a business at the Pocono Manor Inn Resort, I just had to do it. Sure it was a little pricey but that didn't matter to me. And I am glad we did it! We were blessed to have had the chance.

Seven sweet Siberian Husky dogs and their owners took us out on the snowy terrain for a fun-filled ride that lasted a little over an hour. We heard a little bit about the dog's past and had fun watching as their owners picked one-by-one who would be the lucky ones that would have the honor pulling our sled. Each howled and scratched their paws in the snow to signal they wanted to be one of the chosen ones.

After all six runners were in place, the lead dog took his place in the very front to do the leading, but not before checking out who was part of the pack! He checked everyone out to see who he was leading.

Not only were we blessed by this wonderful experience and these sweet dogs, we were blessed by an act of kindness from the owners of the business. You see, the day we went, the sun was shining and it was 50 degrees. Much of the snow had started to melt affecting our ride and slowing down the dogs. Although we weren't complaining a bit, the owners felt bad and decided to give us a free ride next season. How very nice! We'll remember them and surely go back.

They blessed in a tremendous way by giving us memories and by offering a chance to make more memories, free of charge. See? Small acts of kindness is all it takes.

Next Tuesday we'll take a look at identifying ways to bless others.

Wishing you "Blessings from Above,"
Denise

A Schedule for my blog, "Blessings from Above"

As I delve deeper into this new world (it's new for me anyway) of blogging, I am learning quite a bit as I go along. I've read more blogs than I can remember and have been reading "Clear Blogging," by Bob Walsh which I'd highly recommend if you are new to blogging (and even if you are experienced!)

Much of what I've read and seen says it's important to set up a schedule for everyday of the week rather than just posting things at random. So here goes....this is what you'll now find on Blessings from Above:

Monday - Dee's Blessings - people who know me well call me Dee and you can too. Here you'll find the many blessings in my life in hopes of inspiring you to recognize these things, and others, in your own life.

Tuesday - Blessing Others - suggestions how you can be a blessing to others.

Wednesday - Blessing Inspirations - Insightful quotes, Bible verses, and poems on the topic of Blessings.

Thursday - Blessing Experts - here's where I will share with you what Christian leaders, authors, musicians, and speakers, have to say on blessings. My post about Joel Osteen would fall under this category.

Friday - Biblical Blessings - This will focus on blessings found throughout the Bible and how they can apply to our lives today.

Saturday and Sunday - A breather from the week with an occasional posting - anything goes on the weekend!

Enjoy!
Wishing you "Blessings from Above,"
Denise

Joel Osteen Says Bless Others

Joel Osteen, a Christian author and Pastor of Lakewood church, a church with 38,000 people in attendance every week, recently published the book Become a Better You. You can get it in most bookstores or online as an audio version through iTunes as I did. Everyday, Joel and I work out together while he ministers to me.

In the chapter titled "Being good to people," Joel suggests waking up and not only looking for blessings in our lives, but to be a blessing to others. He believes that you'll end up with so many blessings of your own, you won't know what to do with them all. His thought it that if you bless others, God will bless you.

And it doesn't have to be some monumental thing. Simply holding the door open for someone else or complimenting them can be a blessing to them.

Joel is right. We're all on this merry go around of life together so why be so selfish or self-centered? Why not help someone else along the way?

In an effort to walk the walk, I stopped to talk to a person I know from church in the supermarket. I don't know her real well, but that doesn't matter. I knew she was new to our church and I wanted to make her feel welcome. I even complimented her on her newly done hairdo which looked particularly good that day. Hopefully I brought cheer to her day in some way.

Give it a try. See how many ways you can bless others and then take note of all the wonderful things God does for you as a result.

Wishing you "Blessings from Above,"
Denise

Cardinal Blessings

This past Thursday, February 21st, 2008, I put a post on how to recognize a blessing: slow down, take it one thing at a time, and write down all the good things that have happened to you.

Now I'd like to share in this posts, and in future posts, the many blessings that I've recognized in my life that you may not think of as a blessing.

I love the color red. Anything red catches my attention. So, it was no surprise, when I opened up my bathroom window while my bath water was running, I saw a pair of red cardinals sitting in a a leafless tree on our property. My bathroom is on the second floor and sits up pretty high. The tree itself has grown pretty tall as well making it as high as our house. The two birds, male and female, were perfectly placed just outside my window. One was facing me and the other was facing the other direction. But, both were in my line of site. I know they were perfectly placed there by God for me to admire. Fortunately, I noticed them. Sometimes it only takes a minute to appreciate these little things. Had I been rushing around like I often do, I probably would have missed them.

What piece of God's art work have you noticed lately?

Wishing you "Blessings from Above,"
Denise

Prayers Please

Please pray for a friend of my cousin Stacey's. Her friend's 3 year old child has been diagnosed with Leukemia. Just be with the family and give them strength to get through this. And pray that the children makes it through with a clean bill of health. May this family be blessed from above.

Thank you for your kindness.

Wishing You "Blessings from Above."
Denise

Transportation

My husband and I have a Corvette that we've always wanted. Not because of how nice it looks or how fast it goes, but because of the places it takes it. We love all our cars for the same reason. They give us independance.

Because of our cars we can:

• Go places we wouldn't get to go otherwise


• See family and friends we wouldn't be able to see.


• Learn new things


• Get goods for our everyday lives that we wouldn't get near our home.

As much upkeep as cars and other modes of transportation can require sometimes like oil changes, keeping pressure in the tires, and other bigger maintenance jobs. It's worth it for the freedome we get from cars. Next time you are at the gas pump stressing over the cost of gas, be thankful for the car that God gave you. It's really a great invention.

Wishing you "Blessings from Above,"
Denise

Deuteronomey 28:1-14

The Bible mentions "blessings" repeatedly. I love Deuteronomey 28:1-14 - I think it in itself is a blessing! Enjoy the verse below.

Deuteronomy 28:1-14
1 If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. 2 All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God: 3 You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. 4 The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock--the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. 5 Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. 6 You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. 7 The Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven. 8 The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The Lord your God will bless you in the land he is giving you. 9 The Lord will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the Lord your God and walk in his ways. 10 Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they will fear you. 11 The Lord will grant you abundant prosperity--in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground--in the land he swore to your forefathers to give you. 12 The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. 13 The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. 14 Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them.

Got your health? You got it all

Two years ago I suffered from depression. I'd swing back and forth between high panic attacks that had me pacing the floor to low depression that prevented me from getting out of bed some days. It was scary and lonely. I thought for sure I was losing my mind.

Fortunately with the help of intelligent doctors, much needed medication, and of course, prayer, I am better. Ok, I have my days - we all do, but now I can step back and smell the roses, as they say, a little more. I have more of a "just do it" attitude because I can do it. If I feel up to it I might as well visit that attraction I've been interested in seeing, tackle that hobby I've been curious about, make a new friend, since there was a time I couldn't. That horrible time in my life has helped me to appreciate life, and my health, so much more.

Wishing you good health and "Blessings from Above,"
Denise

Tapper II

Those who know me, know I LOVE my precious, Tapper, a sweet fuzzy little bunny rabbit, so it's no surprise that I am writing about him for a second time. And I hate to say it, but you'll be hearing about him again and again.

I can't help it. He makes me laugh and cheers me up when I am feeling a little down. I mean, how many rabbits do you know of that hop up on the couch or jump in the toilet just to see what's in there? Rabbits don't take baths so you can imagine his reaction that first time when he felt water on his fur. He jumped out just as fast as he jumped in the toilet and let me tell ya, there was water everywhere as he tried to shake it off him. Then there was the "puberty period" when he found "romance" on my wrist, my bathrobe, a decorative teddy bear and just about anything he could climb up on. Boy does his tail wiggle fast when he is excited!

Of course it is so sweet when I make kissy noises which prompts him to lick my face, my nose, my arm or whatever. He almost does it on command now. And then there is the bunny sprints and leaps he does in the air when he is out of his cage having a good time.

Tapper is such a joy to have around. He really brightens my day. I have an angel living in my house and he has fur!

Wishing you "Blessings from Above,"
Denise

Lost skills found

I always get upset over my paternal grandmother moving and then passing away so early on in my life. She was an Italian woman with a lot of talents. She could cook a delicious meal for an army in a half-an-hour or less and I still have all the blankets she crocheted and the Christening gown she made for me 33 years ago. Not only do I miss her, but I feel like I could have learned so many of these wonderful things from her in my adult years.

Three years ago this March I took on a new job at a local University. I thought the only benefit was going to be earning cash to pay the bills. It turned out to be much more than that. I make money, friends, and learn new things to help me in my job and my personal life.

Three of my co-workers and I have become good friends. We've spent many evenings in the Sahm Craft studio eating, drinking wine, and learning new things. They've taught me all kinds of things from creating beautiful stained glass pieces, to scrap booking techniques, and crocheting. Not only do I bond and make memories with them, I am able to learn the things that my grandmother was never able to teach me and turn around and use it for good. Right now I am crocheting a blanket to keep the animals warm at the animal shelter and I hope to teach others my new skill when I get a little better at it.

Wishing you "Blessings from Above,"
Denise

Bibles

There are six Bibles in my house and only two people live here. Think how fortunate we are to have one Bible, let alone six. People in other countries are often persecuted if found with God's Word. Add to that the fact that I can read it because of a good education and have the willingness to accept what it says, you can see how lucky I am.

Although I've yet to read the Bible from cover-to-cover yet, I plan on it. For now, I read it in bits and pieces, grateful for it's words. A verse that I came upon recently is a favorite: "The Lord bless you all the days of your life." Psalm 128.5 I truly wish that for you and your family (and mine too!)

Wishing you "Blessings from Above,"
Denise

Steven Curtis Chapman

Steven Curtis Chapman, a Christian singer, is one of me and my husband Nick's favorite singers. His songs are always upbeat and positive. For Nick's birthday I bought him Chapman's new CD and surprised him with tickets to his concert a few weeks later. While we were at the concert, Chapman talked about adoption, a topic close to his heart since he adopted several Chinese girls. During the show, he casually asked that we drop change in designated buckets if we wanted to - all proceeds would go towards adoptions. What we didn't know until the end of the concert was that the money we raised that night would go to a family in Lancaster, PA (where the concert was) that Chapman had already selected. They had applied for his grant that would help them with the fees of adopting their baby boy and show-goers would be a part of helping. Chapman brought the couple, their children, and the one month old on stage and announced that we helped to raise $2,000 that night. Chapman would do the rest.

Not only was I impressed with Chapman's singing, I was impressed by his compassion. I felt touched that night as I realized that there are still caring people in the world. Now that baby boy has a family - now that's a blessing.

Wishing you "Blessings from Above,"
Denise