Mr. Big

The big game started, and “Mr. Big” wasn't there yet. The poor team was struggling without him, and everyone was wondering where he was. They said, “You just wait. When “Mr. Big” gets here, then we'll start winning, everything will change, and we'll stomp them good.” People waited, but still there was no “Mr. Big.” Finally, after about ten minutes, “Mr. Big” arrived.

He was huge, and the crowd cheered as he ran on to the field. Everyone knew this was a game changer. Everyone knew this was exactly what the team needed. High fives were exchanged by the players in the huddle as the quarterback ordered the play. The players lined up, the ball was centered, and Bam! Crash! went the pads and players. Suddenly the whistle blew, and the play was over. Everyone got up. Everyone, that is, except, “Mr. Big.” There he lay - knocked out cold. “Mr. Big” had not made it one play. The crowd's eyes grew wide open, and a gasp was heard from their lips as the medical cart raced out on the field. Their expectations turned into disappointment, and their once thought hope was being carted toward the locker room.

Hopes and expectations based upon human beings often falls short. The writer is amazed at how many put their greatest trust in that which is frail, limited, and subject to fall. It seems that those with reason would place their confidence in something, someone quite greater than any problem the world could throw their way. Now that would be a game changer. Until tomorrow...Why Say More?

Want the Whole World?

The commercial reads, “You can have anything and everything you want. All the money, all the fame, all the power, and all the people to use at your discretion. There are no rules or taxes for you because you have control of them all. Everyone must move out of your way, and you will never have to wait. You get everything on earth when you want it, how you want it, where you want it, and for any reason you want it.

In addition, you will have physical benefits too! You can eat anything and everything you want, and yet always maintain that rock hard body. You will never be sick, and even though those around you are dying, none of the diseases will ever effect you. In fact, you can jump off buildings, be shot by bullets, be run over by cars, but none of these things will ever bring even one scratch on your body.

You will be socially superior too, because everyone will love you, and no one will ever talk badly about you. You will be on the front of every magazine every week and you'll win every award known to man. When the news comes on throughout the day, you will be the number one story. In fact, every talk show will feature you, and every book that you write will fill the number one seller's lists. Oh, and by the way, your family always gets along with one another, and no one ever has any trouble with any other family member.

In other words, you get anything and everything you ever desire on earth. You cannot be denied. You will not be rejected, and life will be a complete bed of roses for you. There is only one catch, “lose your soul.” Until tomorrow...Why Say More?

In Between

Does he turn left or right, choose this one or that, go here or there? Do they stay up or down, in or out, over or under? So many choices, and they all have results. So many decisions, and they all have their costs and rewards. How ever shall one choose, and why does it always seem that there is a period of time when a person is “in between.”

The proverbial “y” in the road faces people every day. If he goes this way, then this will happen, and if she chooses that way, then that will happen. Now he or she stands for a moment, hours, days, months or sometimes years deciding which path to take. Robert Frost wrote: “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I – I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.”, and one supposes that his summation was appropriate for him, however, that may or may not be so for the reader. The one most traveled by may be the best choice. Independence is not always suitable direction.

Indifference has no stead, and indecision is a decision. Mobilization is necessary, and opportunities pass for those unwilling to venture. Soon a choice must be made, and rather than being stuck in life's bottleneck, judgment must be acted upon. Once the pathway is chosen, one sense of freedom lies on the other side. Besides, there is always the “y” that will be down the path that allows one to reverse, retract, and turn back again, or is there? There is only one chance for some things, so choose wisely. Until tomorrow...Why Say More?

Passing Through

What goes up, comes down. What goes in, comes out. What goes around comes around, and principles such as these are used everyday to make some sort of sense about living. Most readers know the true measure of these rules as they have occurred more than one time or so in their lives. Who doesn't know the bounce of a trampoline where one flies up the air only to shortly come back down? Who doesn't know the digestive tunnel where flow and passage is important and sometimes flow is faster than others, and who doesn't know the reciprocating effects of reaping what one sows? Passing from one state to the other is as important as breathing itself. Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, Breathe out.

“Stifling, smothering, restricting, and restrain, constricting, compressing, retarding and refrain, all of these impeding what naturally should be, cannot deter the end result of what occurs to me.” Poetic justice for the soul who makes mistakes, and prosaic fundamentals for those who foster good. Elementary reciprocity and return for planting well, the harvest for the seed that is sown sometimes takes a while. However, these seed always produce fruit.

So, how is one to be when he or she knows the “passing through” effect? What should the speech be like, and how should he or she treat others? Will actions be deterred? Will functions be altered? Shall the choices made today keep in mind the harvest they shall bear in the future? Will some actions be stopped, or will new actions begin? Only the reader knows, and only the reader chooses, and only the reader will know the effects and pass through that which is sown within. Until tomorrow...Why Say More?

Passing Through

What goes up, comes down. What goes in, comes out. What goes around comes around, and principles such as these are used everyday to make some sort of sense about living. Most readers know the true measure of these rules as they have occurred more than one time or so in their lives. Who doesn't know the bounce of a trampoline where one flies up the air only to shortly come back down? Who doesn't know the digestive tunnel where flow and passage is important and sometimes flow is faster than others, and who doesn't know the reciprocating effects of reaping what one sows? Passing from one state to the other is as important as breathing itself. Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, Breathe out.

“Stifling, smothering, restricting, and restrain, constricting, compressing, retarding and refrain, all of these impeding what naturally should be, cannot deter the end result of what occurs to me.” Poetic justice for the soul who makes mistakes, and prosaic fundamentals for those who foster good. Elementary reciprocity and return for planting well, the harvest for the seed that is sown sometimes takes a while. However, these seed always produce fruit.

So, how is one to be when he or she knows the “passing through” effect? What should the speech be like, and how should he or she treat others? Will actions be deterred? Will functions be altered? Shall the choices made today keep in mind the harvest they shall bear in the future? Will some actions be stopped, or will new actions begin? Only the reader knows, and only the reader chooses, and only the reader will know the effects and pass through that which is sown within. Until tomorrow...Why Say More?

Wasting Time?

If a twelve hour flight left from Minneapolis, Minnesota at twelve pm. and landed in Beijing, China, the time would be twelve pm. the next day when he or she arrived. In other words, a whole day would have passed. The opposite would be true if a person took the trip in reverse. But let's suppose that one could travel at the speed of light for one hour into outer space. Although his or her personal life would only experience an hour of use, the earth would have aged thousands of years. The concept is as Will Ferrell said in one movie, “Mind Bottling” which rather means mind boggling in common vernacular.

Though time doesn't seem to pass quite that quickly, it is passing, and as a person considers the sand in his or her hourglass, time is slipping away. There is indeed only so much sand that travels through the small opening of the hourglass for each person, and then the final grain falls. What then? However shall it be? Not many know when or how, and then again, most do not want to know such things, but nonetheless, there is only so much time.

How one spends his or her time is of utmost importance. Wasting time is a commodity that cannot be regained. Children grow up, jobs expire, health diminishes, and youth is expended. Those who choose to use their time wisely will never share a regret, and those who waste time shall spend the time they have in sorrow over the time that has passed them by. Until tomorrow...Why Say More?

Wasting Time?

If a twelve hour flight left from Minneapolis, Minnesota at twelve pm. and landed in Beijing, China, the time would be twelve pm. the next day when he or she arrived. In other words, a whole day would have passed. The opposite would be true if a person took the trip in reverse. But let's suppose that one could travel at the speed of light for one hour into outer space. Although his or her personal life would only experience an hour of use, the earth would have aged thousands of years. The concept is as Will Ferrell said in one movie, “Mind Bottling” which rather means mind boggling in common vernacular.

Though time doesn't seem to pass quite that quickly, it is passing, and as a person considers the sand in his or her hourglass, time is slipping away. There is indeed only so much sand that travels through the small opening of the hourglass for each person, and then the final grain falls. What then? However shall it be? Not many know when or how, and then again, most do not want to know such things, but nonetheless, there is only so much time.

How one spends his or her time is of utmost importance. Wasting time is a commodity that cannot be regained. Children grow up, jobs expire, health diminishes, and youth is expended. Those who choose to use their time wisely will never share a regret, and those who waste time shall spend the time they have in sorrow over the time that has passed them by. Until tomorrow...Why Say More?

Worried over Worry

What will happen today? What will happen tomorrow? What is going to happen to him or her or them? Will he say yes? Will he say no? What happens if this happens or that, and what about if the other thing happens? Whatever will be done, if that thing happens then? And then again, what if it never happens, or what if it was all made up? How will he or she or they react, and what will we do next time? It seems there is a whole lot to worry about these days, isn't there?

Some say that ninety five percent of the things people worry about never come true, and then others reply, “But it's the five percent that I'm worried about.” People worry over dates, spouses, children jobs, trips, meetings, games, tests, interviews, health issues and the like every day. Some worry where the next bite of food will come from, and others are anxious over where they will sleep. The bills have pushed to the top of the list for most worryites these days, and wondering where the next dollar will come from has made the forefront. The list of worries goes on and on and on in most who breathe, and the compilation of concerns seem to have no end in site.

So, what is one to do about worry? Some have read or heard, “Don't worry or Be anxious in nothing”, however, the writer has never known that phrase alone to remedy the problem. Sharing with others may help a little, but most people have their own worries and unless you pay them handsomely, they really don't want to hear it. So where is the peace that replaces worry? Where is the rest that cures restlessness? Where is the cure for compulsive anxiety? There is an answer, and those who seek deep enough will find, those who ask more will discover a solution, and those who knock on enough doors will find an open door waiting to remove all worries, anxieties and concerns. Now, let the search begin. Until tomorrow...Why Say More?

Worried over Worry

What will happen today? What will happen tomorrow? What is going to happen to him or her or them? Will he say yes? Will he say no? What happens if this happens or that, and what about if the other thing happens? Whatever will be done, if that thing happens then? And then again, what if it never happens, or what if it was all made up? How will he or she or they react, and what will we do next time? It seems there is a whole lot to worry about these days, isn't there?

Some say that ninety five percent of the things people worry about never come true, and then others reply, “But it's the five percent that I'm worried about.” People worry over dates, spouses, children jobs, trips, meetings, games, tests, interviews, health issues and the like every day. Some worry where the next bite of food will come from, and others are anxious over where they will sleep. The bills have pushed to the top of the list for most worryites these days, and wondering where the next dollar will come from has made the forefront. The list of worries goes on and on and on in most who breathe, and the compilation of concerns seem to have no end in site.

So, what is one to do about worry? Some have read or heard, “Don't worry or Be anxious in nothing”, however, the writer has never known that phrase alone to remedy the problem. Sharing with others may help a little, but most people have their own worries and unless you pay them handsomely, they really don't want to hear it. So where is the peace that replaces worry? Where is the rest that cures restlessness? Where is the cure for compulsive anxiety? There is an answer, and those who seek deep enough will find, those who ask more will discover a solution, and those who knock on enough doors will find an open door waiting to remove all worries, anxieties and concerns. Now, let the search begin. Until tomorrow...Why Say More?

Whispers

The scene is a small group of teenagers gathered in a circle. Everyone is chatting when suddenly, one of the girls across the circle turns and whispers in the ear of the girl standing beside her. They both simultaneously look back at one of the other girls in the group and giggle. Now the question of the others in the group, particularly the one to whom they stared, is “what did she say, or what's the big secret?” Emotions are invoked. Perturbed attitudes are developed, and the demeanor of the group is altered. The whispers have spoken, and now the unveiling begins.

Whispers upset most people who encounter them. They seem to give an overlying message that the one who is not included isn't worthy or important enough to hear what is being said, and yet whispers are used every day. Sometimes they are exposed like when a small child is whispered to about a gift for her daddy and she blurts out, “We're getting daddy a saw for his birthday?” Of course then there are those top secret whispers like the one given to President Bush on nine eleven before the group of students. For the most part though, whispers affect those who are left out, and those who use them harmfully alter human kindness.

An old manuscript states, “That which is kept in secret shall be shouted from the mountaintops!”. Now what if that occurred everyday? What if as soon as a whisper was shared suddenly a loud voice spoke from the sky and told everyone what was just said? What if there were no secrets, and what if everyone knew every whisper that everyone said? A person would suppose that the noise would be so loud that no one could hear anyone whisper ever again. Shhhh....the writer is whispering now, ooops, the whisper of the writer is that the readers are awesome! Until tomorrow...Why Say More?

Look for the Harvest

They're all around. They are everywhere. They're in the stores, in the malls, in the office, on the job site. They're next door and across the street. They are in this city, and they're in the city near by. They're across this nation, and all over the world. If they were a disease, they would be an epidemic. If they were an illness, they would be an outbreak. What are they the reader may be asking? People who are hurting, brokenhearted, depressed, imprisoned and lonely. They are essentially like a ripened field who await those who will harvest them with care.

Life is hard, and sometimes it is harder than others. Disappointments come, and unfulfilled expectations arrive. People hurt one another, and those who have authority often abuse rather than guide. Neglect and inattention thrive in some environments, and children are often exposed to arguments and fighting rather than care and tenderness. All of these contribute to the unfulfilled life that reaches out for another person or someone to give aid.

The key to this harvest lies in getting through the shell. Each person who has been subject to the above mentioned behaviors develops his or her own way to protect themselves. Their exposure has caused their sad, mad or mean demeanor, and sometimes long and caring effort is required to harvest there. These are the fields most give up on. These are the field most allow someone else to glean, however, these may be the very fields that the reader has been placed in by the master agrarian above, and the harvest truly is plentiful. Good harvesting. Until tomorrow...Why Say More?

Look for the Harvest

They're all around. They are everywhere. They're in the stores, in the malls, in the office, on the job site. They're next door and across the street. They are in this city, and they're in the city near by. They're across this nation, and all over the world. If they were a disease, they would be an epidemic. If they were an illness, they would be an outbreak. What are they the reader may be asking? People who are hurting, brokenhearted, depressed, imprisoned and lonely. They are essentially like a ripened field who await those who will harvest them with care.

Life is hard, and sometimes it is harder than others. Disappointments come, and unfulfilled expectations arrive. People hurt one another, and those who have authority often abuse rather than guide. Neglect and inattention thrive in some environments, and children are often exposed to arguments and fighting rather than care and tenderness. All of these contribute to the unfulfilled life that reaches out for another person or someone to give aid.

The key to this harvest lies in getting through the shell. Each person who has been subject to the above mentioned behaviors develops his or her own way to protect themselves. Their exposure has caused their sad, mad or mean demeanor, and sometimes long and caring effort is required to harvest there. These are the fields most give up on. These are the field most allow someone else to glean, however, these may be the very fields that the reader has been placed in by the master agrarian above, and the harvest truly is plentiful. Good harvesting. Until tomorrow...Why Say More?

Secret Thoughts and Intents

The commercial said, “Just call this number and receive your personal psychic reading today.” However, one of the first questions that is asked is, “What is your name?” Now, if this really is a psychic, why wouldn't the person on the other end know who it was who called them? Why would the name be such a secret? Wouldn't they already know and be anticipating the call? Shouldn't their be some forethought as to the specific time of the call, and wouldn't this person who supposedly can tell the future just answer the phone, “Hello so and so” rather than even have to ask the name? As one general used to say when it comes to knowing the thoughts and intents of the heart, this is “Bovine Scatology.”

However, what if there was one who really knew the thoughts and intentions of a person? If people really knew what each other were thinking and what they intended, what would be their assessment? Would they still be friends? Would their evaluation of the insanity level be heightened, or would they find genuine compassion, relentless mercy, and a forgiving spirit?

Studied non-observance and selective disclosure retard such discoveries as well they might, for who knows how much more chaotic this world might be if everything were known. One wonders if man would even exist if all the thoughts and intentions were exposed. Interestingly enough, there is one that knows every thought, every idea, every imagination, and every intent each person living has in mind, and He's not sharing or revealing secrets with anyone. Until tomorrow...Why Say More?

A Story from MRZ CENTRE Outreach

The doors do not open until nine, but she arrives a little after five. It's freezing outside, and as bundled as she can be, she waits quietly with her little push cart. Though her hands are bone chilled, she patiently makes small talk with the others who are gathered. There is going to be groceries offered today, and her family needs them. Some extra clothes during these cold months are especially desired, and there will be a few new items from which she may choose. Maybe she will pick up new book or a toy, they might help put a smile on one of her grandchildren. A woman who loves and has need like she does knows that it is a small sacrifice for such a blessing. Today she'll receive some help, and today will fill in the gap. Today is MRZ CENTRE Outreach day.

Every second and fourth Saturday of each month, the doors open at nine in the morning to MRZ CENTRE on Monroe Street in downtown Tallahassee. People who have similar stories to the beautiful lady mentioned above have gathered outside the doors and line the street. Their needs are great which include food, clothing, shoes, and care. Inside the building there are dozens of volunteers who come out on a Saturday morning just to offer some comfort, some love, and a hand extended to those who have so little. For a few moments, sadness is removed from their eyes. For a few moments, they find there are people who really care in this world. For a few moments, they find love without charge which many have told before them there should be.

Readers are welcome to see for themselves, and readers are welcome to ride by and observe. Readers are welcome to join and serve, and readers are welcome to listen to the stories of those who walk through the doors of MRZ CENTRE to find help in their time of need. These indeed are the least of these my brethren, and they dwell in our midst. Until tomorrow...Why say more?

Forgiveness Layer by Layer

One of the most ghastly and gruesome and yet necessary tasks ever seen by man is performed by researchers who examine cadavers by slicing extremely thin layers of cell tissue from the top of the body down to the feet. By freezing the corpse, these scientist use a machine that produces paper thin layers that may be observed through a microscope. Their hope is that certain functions, malfunctions or maladies may be discovered. Just watching one of these processes is enough to make one's stomach turn and is much like seeing road kill to the soul. Most know of what the writer speaks. They look, grimace and look away, but have to look again to be grossed out one more time. Anyway, forgiveness is much like this.

When a person has been offended, wronged, and damaged by another, what he or she does with the damage has a direct relationship to the soul. Each offense carries with it a slicing device that is much like the one describe above only this one cuts inside and is invisible. Another wrong cuts another portion, and another umbrage severs another layer. Piece by piece and sheet by sheet a person who once was whole inside begins to disappear. How ever does one deal with such an atrocious device? How does a person shut off and dismantle such a destructive tool? Forgive.

A wise older man once said, “What anybody does doesn't have to take anything away from me unless I let it. If I forgive, nothing more is taken away, and since the person has already damaged me, I'm not giving them anything more.” Forgiveness shuts down the machine. Forgiveness stops the power. Forgiveness allows a person to stay whole. One wonders, if an examination of the reader could be made, how much soul would be left to observe, or has someone else been given the power to take it away slice by slice and layer by layer? Until tomorrow...Why Say More?

Imbecilic Succession

A young girl watched her mother prepare a ham for baking and noticed that she cut the end off the ham before inserting it into a pan. When she could find no reason for the cutting, she asked her mother, “Mama, why do you cut the end off the ham before you put it in the pan?” The mother replied, “I'm not really sure. My mother always did. Let's call grandma and ask her.” So the mother and daughter called grandma and asked, “Grandma, why do you cut the end off the ham before you put it in the pan?” Grandma answered, “I'm not sure. My mother always did. Why don't you call and ask her?” So, the little girl and her mom called great-grandma. “Great grandma” they asked, “Why do you cut the end off the ham before you put it in the pan?” To which the elderly great-grandma replied, “Oh honey, when I was younger, we had a pan that was much too small to put the whole ham into, so I would cut off the end so that it would fit into the pan.”

Some traditions are like that. They are just right for the time, have no current day thought, and are continued by rote rather than reason. They are followed by imbecilic succession rather than introspective pursuit, and those who engage in them have no better idea about their beginnings or function than the mother who continues to cut the end off a ham without good reason. In other words, sometimes people do not stop to examine why the do what they do. They just do them without asking, seeking or knocking because it's the way it has always been.

Advantage belongs to the one who asks, seeks and knocks to discover reason for traditions. Sometimes in pursuing one finds good reason for succession, and other times he or she finds a totally different path. What most will find if they choose to disengage from continuance without understanding is that the pursuit leads to a “He” rather than an “it”, and those who are wise enough to find that tradition will find that the “He” is unalterable, consistent, everlasting and worthy of succession. Otherwise, keep cutting the end off your ham. Until tomorrow...Why Say More?

Renewing the Mind

What would happen if one day a person woke up and his or her mind was gone? What if he or she didn't know where they were, whether they were married or not, what their car looked like, whether or not they owned a home and what kind of job they enjoyed? What if suddenly all the faculties that were relied upon for years vanished and the slate was washed clean? Relearning would have to be employed. Memory would have to be reestablished, and localities and relationships would have to start all over again. In other words, there would be a renewing of the mind.

Mind renewal, now that's a new one or is it? Could a person begin thinking one way and then be convinced to think another? What if the old way was better once the new way was employed? How would one know if the old thinking was replaced? Can a person really ever be made new in thoughts, ways, relationships and actions?

One of the capacities that seems to get better with age is the “forgetter” which basically means that it is much easier to forget things as one grows older. Maybe when the “forgetter” gets better it is a good time to renew the mind that could be forgotten that there was a mind to ever need forgetting in the first place. Whatever in the world is this writer talking about? Who knows, the “forgetter” is working overtime again. Until tomorrow...Why Say More?

Look to the Hills

When a problem overwhelms beyond one's capacity to handle it, where does he or she look? A child moving a tricycle might seem a monumental task until an adult moves the trike with ease. Pushing a car out of traffic may seem impossible until a bus load of football players unload to come along in aid. Financial devastation may evoke despair until a guru of money comes along. Let's face it, some problems are just too big.

But what about depression, loneliness, anxiety, or guilt? What about fear, shame, anger and disappointment? These are intangible. These cannot be handled by a bus load of football players, nor will any guru be able to remove them. Oh, there are commercials that advertise pills, lots and lots of pills, but beneath the medicines, within the soul, where does the real help come from?

An old manuscript states, “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence comes my help. My help comes from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.” Maybe the next time the reader has a problem that plays out to be much greater than he or she can bare, the answer will be found by casting their view toward one who overcame more hills in a day than any person will ever have in a lifetime. Until tomorrow...Why Say More?

The Invitation of Invitations

The invitation read, “In honor of the President of the United States and Mrs. Reagan, the Vice-President of the United States and Mrs. Bush, the Committee for the 50^th American Presidential Inaugural requests the honor of your company at the Inaugural Ball Monday evening the Twenty First of January One Thousand Nine Hundred and Eighty Five. Black Tie.” What an honor, what a special invitation, and what a place of respect it is to be invited to the inauguration of a President of the United States. Oh, yes the example was for President Reagan, but it was the only one easily found, but the idea is to think about what a marvelous invitation this would be to receive.

However, most people will never receive the Presidential Inaugural Ball invitation. Most will never worry about the special attire or the proper protocol to attend such an event, and most will never know the travel, the time, the partying or the cuisine of the evening. No, the basic idea is there are manifold more unspoken, “You are not invited” notices when it comes to the Presidential Inaugural Ball, and if a person attends one in a lifetime he or she is considered very special.

What if there was an invitation to meet with a person who is superior to the President? What if this person was the King of all Kings, and what if he was the Lord of all Lords? What if this invitation was extended to everyone and there was no specific demand for dress code, time or proper protocol to attend? What if the only requirement was to believe in a sacrificial act he performed for all, and what if the only requirement was to accept his invitation? Indeed the honor of this invitation would excel them all, and the respect extended would be beyond any given among men. For those who seek it, there is such an invitation, and for those who receive it, there is a Ball of all Balls to attend. In fact, you're already invited. Will you attend? Until tomorrow...Why Say More?

Rest

The writer slept in this morning. Yesterday was an extremely exhausting day, and this week has employed more activities than most. Tired eyes prevail, and the bones ache from so much extracurricular action. The mind beckons and the body screams, the emotions wale and the spirit yearns for a time of rest.

Rest, what a novel idea: that a person might need to take a day off, get away for a while, set aside some things, take a nap, or read a book. Maybe it's a relaxing ride, or coasting in a sail boat, or cruising around a mall. It might be laying in a hammock or walking through the woods, sitting on a bench or looking over a beach. It could be bundling up in blankets on a couch watching a movie, or sitting on porch watching grandchildren. Rest comes in many forms and styles for people, however, not very many just take the time to...rest.

By the way, rest, at its basic root, implies restoration, and those who are wise enough to listen to the originator of “rest” will find themselves not nearly as tired as they used to be. Until tomorrow...Why Say More?

Be Careful Your Face Will Get Stuck Like That

Two little boys were playing with one another when the one boy began making faces at the other. The other boys saw the onslaught and began making facing back at him. Each boy tried to outdo the other by pulling his mouth with his fingers or distorting his eyes, or puffing out his cheeks and pushing his nose upwards until finally mom walked into the room. Mom saw the theatrics and stated firmly, “You keep making those faces and they will get stuck like that!” Each boy stopped making his faces for a moment until mom left the room, wondered if mom was telling the truth, and then dared to make just one last jeering face at the other. Of course, their faces went back to normal.

However, has anyone every noticed how it seems that some people's faces have “stuck” a particular way? Some faces have a natural scowl, and others are naturally sad. Some people seem to have a constant smile, and others look so mean that not one child will go near them. There may be a bit of truth to mom's saying, “You keep making those faces and they will get stuck like that!”

Muscles in the face are strained and conformed to the attitude one has in his or her life, and over time, the outward appearance that is seen by others reflects one's response to circumstances, difficulties and people. Maybe today would be a good day to take a long look in the mirror or better yet, have someone take a picture and observe the countenance that others see. The face that is stuck there may surprise many, and the realization that this is how others see them may motivate them to change. Until tomorrow...smile...Why Say More?