...not know the love of a good man

There's always so much talk about the love of a good woman. Rightly so, our love IS divine! I am not one of those women who bad-mouths men, or really cares to hear other women do it. Of course, there are less-than-desirable ones out there, but not all of them are that way. Heck, to play that game, there are less-than-desirable women out there! A good man makes the world spin as well as a good woman. He just does it differently because (surprise!) he IS different. Knowing a good man is enriching, enlightening, and burden-easing. He is to be honored and respected, bestowed dignity and favor. However, to be loved by one...well, that takes it to a whole different level.

To know the love of a good man, you know that he:

• makes you laugh all the time because it's just as fulfilling for him to see you smile as it is to have fun
• picks up your dirty tissues when you leave them on the console table in the living room
• does the laundry just because you don't want to
• sees you're upset and checks in with you because, even though he knows you well enough, he knows you still need to talk to get whatever it is off your mind and be happy again
• will be honest with you about how your hair looks as if a bird lives there all the while saying it in a loving way
• lets you make the decision about where you'll eat for dinner, secretly hoping it will be the taco shop, but still okay if it's pizza and wings...again
• will go out of his way to make sure your car is safe to drive no matter how many times you tell him about the chug-chug-thingy sound
• will embrace your family as his own just because it's YOUR family and nobody else's
• is wise and has great things to say that either heal your heart or give you a better perspective
• sets a solid example for your kids as to how you should be toward others, especially the forgotten and discarded
• will enjoy a chick flick, chocolate, and a foot rub just as much as you do
• has many, many other aspects that contribute to your well-being

So 3 cheers to those men out there who are good, solid men - hip hip hooray, hip hip hooray, hip hip hooray!...and thanks all around.

NEXT: The final touches: shoes, jewelry, and purses!

...stay, so get a move on!

Picture this: You're on a great, big ship. The ship is full of people and things and situations that have taken up all the waking moments of your life for a long time. They used to satisfy, fulfill, and make do. However, you start to realize that they're not working out so much anymore. You want more. You want more for yourself, more for your future. You've decided to chart new waters. You want to get off the ship, but realize the only way to get out to sea in search of a new land and new life is to lower the dingy, grab the oars, face the waters and just go. So you do...

Of course we have to be wise and not flippant about it. When we are in places in our lives that not only don't work out for us anymore, but become sorely unhealthy and almost poisonous, then it is time to get a move on. It doesn't matter the situation. We are placed on this earth to thrive, to live abundantly, to contribute to the health and growth and spiritual deepening of others as well. Am I saying life should be perfect...without challenges...unhurtful? Uhhh, no. That is a given. Jesus says that we will have trials and tribulations. He told us it was not going to be easy. We are human. We hurt ourselves and we hurt each other. There will always be sludge in life. BUT, we don't have to LIVE in it. We can see it for what it is (acceptance), we can face it head on (building courage), and we can walk through it while we search for truth and a better way (persistence).

The reason many stay put is because of fear. Fear of what others will think. Fear of "what if". Fear is at the root of all that holds us down and back. The beautiful thing about moving forward in spite of the "what if"s is just that - it's moving forward. The more forward we move, the farther away we get from all that taints our hearts. When we move forward from people or things or situations, we see the truth of what they were. We can learn what we need to learn from them, but leave it at that.  When we move forward, we may end up walking alone or we may have company by our side, and how long will that company stay with us? Who knows. But ultimately, it's our lives to live. Move on.

Life is an adventure. Every day is an adventure. If we wake up, it's because God allowed us to have another opportunity to thrive, not just exist...to reach out, not just receive...there's nothing like lowering that dingy, and rowing on a prayer. It brings freedom.

NEXT: The love of a good man

...not have a dog

To have a dog in your life is like having a friend, a doctor, an exercise partner, a taste-"tester", a protector, and a child. I grew up with cats and little, hyper, yappy dogs that drove me nuts, but somehow those little dogs still left a soft spot in my heart all the days they were here with us as well as after they died. I loved my cats...A LOT. In our home, cats reigned supreme because we just loved them so much. We spoiled them like crazy, which I believe explains why they lasted so long in life. They cuddled with us, gave us little licks on our hands here and there. They were independent when we wanted them to be, and of course, they were independent when THEY wanted to be. Particularly the latter, wouldn't you say? The dogs, on the other hand, though loving alike, were always very dependent on us. They were more into their humans than our oftentimes snooty cats. I have realized more and more over the years that dogs seem to be nearly human themselves. I mean, come on, how many rescue cats do you see jumping out of a military plane or sniffing the ground for drugs?  Dogs love and crave to BE loved. Why people use them for evil to gain money is BEYOND me, and all I know is we reap what we sow...and that's all I have to say about "those" people.....

How is a dog a friend? It's a companion, that special someone who enjoys our company just as much as we enjoy it's company. How can a dog be our doctor (in a way)? Put it this way, if you have a bug bite on your leg, then put some peanut butter (or some other kind of food that is healthy for the dog) on the bite and let the dog go to town licking it off. It's amazing how quickly that bite goes away! Also, haven't you heard of those stories about animal heroes? Dogs can sense when there's a sickness in your body. They can sense when a woman is pregnant. They know when you're sad AND happy.

They're an exercise partner for you whether you are hiking in the mountains or swimming in a pool. They're a taste-"tester" because where are they when you're cooking? Right at your feet, waiting for you to "drop" something! They protect their humans. They know how to treat their humans better than their humans know how to treat themselves.They're your children when you either don't have any, or in many cases, can't have any. Think about it (granted this is a well-trained "normal" dog): they poop where they're supposed to, they eat on schedule, they go to their bed when it's night time, you have to take them to the doctor for check-ups, they get baths, you can play with them, discipline them (in LOVE, please), and (oy vay...) you can dress them up. The nice thing about them being your child is they don't talk back! They'll do whatever it takes for our love. How can someone NOT want a dog?

NEXT: Moving on