The Power of Yet

 I would like to think of  "The Power of Yet" as the good news for today.

I know I have been silent for quite a few years. Teaching full time (versus being a paraprofessional) has surely taken up all my spare time. However, this hiatus has not been in vain. For example, one of the things I have learned about is "The Power of Yet!"

What is the power of yet? It is a great way to turn a negative thought into a positive statement.
Let me demonstrate!

I love bread. I really do.... however, I am a terrible bread baker. I am capable of burning even the frozen rolls that you buy at the store and all they need is cook time in the oven. 

Picture taken from Being Ron

Now, I can say "I cannot bake bread" and feel miserable about it OR I can say "I cannot bake bread, yet!"

What is the difference?
The first statement is a negative one. Who wants to keep on trying after this kind of thinking?
The second statement is a positive one as I am just reminding myself that I can learn and I can become a good bread baker. I am just showing kindness towards myself and allowing myself time to learn. 

This power of yet can be applied not just on ourselves, but also for those around us: "he/she does not (fill in the blank), yet!

Such a short word with such a powerful impact. It can help us be more patient with ourselves and others. It teaches us to keep on trying as the time will come that we will succeed. It is a word that gives hope, looks into the future, and encourages us to endure. 

I believe that allowing the word "yet" in our lives is awesome news. What do you think?

Picture taken from SCAS Connections

Money Raised

Employees of a hospital in a small Georgia town were able to raise a considerable amount of money to be donated to several charities.

Through Giving Heart Campaign, the employees raised $150,000 that was then distributed among 46 nonprofit organizations. The article explains that "For more than 25 years, Redmond employees have celebrated a month-long campaign of charitable giving during the month of October."

Way to go Redmond employees. Keep up your great work. Your generosity will go a long way to help the people in your community.

Sierra's Scarves

It is always tragic to lose a loved one.
However, how inspiring, peaceful, and comforting it is to remember the loved one by establishing an organization to help others.

Sierra's Scarves is a community organization which collects scarves, hats, and gloves and gives them to people who need them.
It was started in memory of Sierra Gabrels who passed away in October 2013.

With the large donation they received today, they will be able to help many keep warmer than they would be otherwise.

Thank you for your service to others!

Even Dogs Need Our Help

I am an animal lover, especially when it comes to cats, dogs, horses, and any other domesticated animal.

This story is about a dog that was abused and left for dead. Someone found him and he is now getting better thanks to the efforts of those who found him and contacted the rescue organization.

Why do I consider this good news? Because it is nice to know that there are people out there willing to give of their time and resources to help the helpless, without expecting anything in return. 

It is good news because if you stop and help an animal in distress, you are most likely going to stop and help a human in need. 

And this, my friends, is all this life is about: helping one another without expecting anything in return.

A Waitress Doodled on the Receipt... A Heartwarming Story!

I opened my Facebook feed and the first story I saw was that of a waitress doing a good deed that was repaid with an even bigger one. It was a nice change from this morning's articles and posts.
When I clicked on the link and looked at the date, it said August 16, 2015. It is old news to some, but it was new news to me so I have decided to share it on this blog. After all, I did say in a previous post that I would post when I came across one :)

This story is as good for your soul as chicken soup is good for your body and I hope it will bring a ray of sunshine to your day.

There are still good people out there.

Keeping the Sanity

Many things have happened that have taken me away from blogging.
To keep my sanity, I have decided to start posting again.

Let me start with the words to a song I have learned working with young children at the church I attend:

"Now we have a world where people are confused.
If you don't believe it, go and watch the news..."

I know I feel confused and heartbroken every time I read the newspaper or even look through my Facebook feeds. Not a day goes by that I don't shed a tear because of the multiple postings of horror stories from around the world. If you follow the news (local, national, and international), you know what they are. No races, genders, and religions are exempt.

Yet, I know that among all races, genders, and religions there are good people. There are individuals who do their best to succor those in need of succor, to comfort those in need of comfort, to feed those in need of food, to pray with those and for those in need of prayers, and the list could go on.

I want to focus on these people, the good people.

Long ago, I started this blog because I wanted to bring a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day. Unfortunately, I let the cloudiness get thicker and thicker. Now I have to break through. If I want to keep my sanity, I need to detach myself from this negativity and look for the positive once again.

I am grateful to a friend who posted this on Facebook late last night:

"You have a choice. You can wring your hands and be consumed with concern for the future or choose to use the counsel the Lord has given to live with peace and happiness in a world awash with evil..." - Richard G. Scott

Let us all follow the counsel of the Lord. Whatever you call your God, look to Him for guidance and direction. Look to Him for comfort and peace. Look to Him for ways to bring a ray of sunshine to someone else.

Make it a goal to do a good deed daily. I know I have given this challenge before. I am renewing this challenge. I firmly believe that if we daily do a good deed, whether it be visiting someone who is sick or playing with a furry creature confined in a cage at your local pound, you will feel better, the person or animal on the receiving end will feel better and may be, one by one, we can change our community.

We cannot change the world unless we change ourselves, our families, and our communities.

Let's look for a ray of sunshine and let's be a ray of sunshine as well.

Update

It has been five months since the last time I posted something.
Good things have happened in the world; I just did not have the time to report them.

I have decided that, due to life's demands, I will still post, but only when the news article is right there in front of me. I will not be searching for good news. I will be sharing if something good happens in my community, county, state, nation, or anywhere else in the world when I stumble across it. It may be as simple as something that I have noticed, even though it did not make the headlines.

In the meantime, make your day a bit brighter by looking for good news in your community, county, state, or nation. There is still good in the world today. We just need to be more observant.

Until the next time, I wish you a day filled with joy and positive thoughts. If you feel that there is never anything good in your area, make the effort to be the good news. Help someone in need, read to an elderly in a nursing home, share a meal with someone who has none. Good things can happen and they can begin with you!