Article by Judy Mosley

Being an introvert, I often find that by the end of the day, I feel like I’ve run out of words.  I don’t want to talk anymore.  I will gladly listen, but I may not want to respond.  At least, that’s how I feel.

But, even when I don’t feel like talking, I have to talk.  I can’t keep from talking. Because talking not only helps me fulfill my own needs, but serves to help the needs of those around me.

Now, we may understand that there are better ways of communicating to those around us … but we may not know how to do that.  In living my own life, these are some things that I have to keep in mind, whether I am talking to my husband, my children, my parents, or the cashier in the checkout aisle:

Be honest

This is meant to be instructive in two ways … First, many people pretend that being honest gives them the liberty, even the right, to say things that are absolutely outrageous.  I believe that you can say absolutely anything if you say it in a way that isn’t disrespectful to the person that you are speaking to.  

But some things should never be said. It’s not being “honest,” it’s called being rude and hurtful … and I would say that most of us know the difference if they are “honest” with themselves. Read More »

Article by Kevin L. DeWitt

Some people are completely happy with themselves, their lives, and their prospects for the future.

I venture to say most of us don’t fall into this category.

What‘s the main difference between those lucky individuals whose lives seem to be on-track and those who, despite colossal effort on their part, appear to have all of the odds stacked against them?  In some cases it may simply be a matter of luck.  However, I believe that many of those whose lives are content in the moment … do not live in the past.

Whether you are thinking about your personality, your career, or your life in general, success means focusing on the here and now.  Yes … it‘s important to acknowledge the choices and experiences which resulted in you being where you are today.  Yet it is even more important to not allow yourself to become so caught up in thoughts of the past that today passes you by.

Self-motivation is one of the keys to ensuring that you don‘t continue repeating the same mistakes.  You may have had one or more errors in judgment which led you to take the wrong path, or to make mistakes that were not in your best interest.  I know I have.  Yet you can acknowledge this without rehashing them over and over again in your mind, and simply be determined to make different, better decisions today.

Then is over; this is now.  The less time and effort you put into looking at the past, the more time and energy you will have for living and experiencing this day. Read More »

Article by Judy Mosley

It hit me today.  I’m hot!

We were eating lunch outside with our next door neighbors. There was little shade in their backyard and the sun shone brightly in the cloudless sky.  The humidity was high as we enjoyed the food and conversation … But, what I couldn’t keep from thinking about was that I was so hot!

What I haven’t mentioned is that I was wearing pants. I’ve been wearing pants for at least seven straight summers.  I own only one pair of shorts and those are for running. And the reason for refusing to wear shorts for at least seven years of my life is because, somewhere along the line, I decided that my knees were ugly … Read More »

Article By Kevin L. DeWitt

“…thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself…”

Leviticus 19:18

I have not been as good as I should at living the Golden Rule for most of my life.  However, this is one of the areas in my life I have been thinking a lot about lately and one I want to improve upon.  That’s partly why the title reads “Practicing” as opposed to something that may imply having mastered it … it’s always a work in progress.

While putting the Golden Rule to work in our everyday lives will help to make others happy, the simple truth is that it will make me happier as well.

Not that living the Golden Rule requires a benefit or payoff or some “angle” … but these are not small dividends.  Apply the Golden Rule in all of your interactions with others, help your neighbors, treat your family with kindness, help your co-workers, help a stranger in need.  These actions will help the people around you … and people will treat you better too.  Just as importantly, you will find a growing satisfaction in yourself, a belief in yourself, a knowledge that you are a good person.  These are large dividends.

Here are some practical ideas for putting the Golden Rule into practice in our everyday lives: Read More »

Article by Judy Mosley

It’s a simple signal - a little growl in the stomach or the sudden urge for “something.” Human beings are superior for knowing when we are hungry.  Even if we aren’t exactly starving, we will snack as much as possible to keep hunger at bay.

There is another part of us that needs just as much attention.  It can’t be seen on an x-ray or an ultrasound, but it’s still an important part of who we are.  We’ve all felt its’ many signals … from unwarranted anger, the loneliness that creeps in while we’re in a crowded room, to the feeling inside when we have nothing left to give to those around us, just to name a few.

It’s our soul speaking to us in different ways, and it’s telling us it’s hungry.

Feeding our soul, however, is not as simple as going to the fridge and eating Thanksgiving leftovers.  We must give our souls what will nourish it and make it strong.

Why feed our souls in the first place?  

If food, water, shelter are all we physically needed, wouldn’t those be enough?  No matter who or what we believe in, we admit that there is something deeper that surpasses our physical hunger.  There is something inside us which pushes us further – to be more, to do more than simply exist.  I call it the soul.   When we overlook that deeper part of who we are, the effects can show themselves in a myriad of ways.  We might lose focus.  Goals that we have set for ourselves might not seem possible.  Our view of our future may become distorted.  Being surrounded by the mundane and monotonous, we start believing that things will always be this way.  Change begins to feel like an enemy instead of a friend.  And, it becomes difficult to make ourselves available to those who need us the most. Read More »