Trust

I know each morning that the sun will rise....and each evening the sun will set. I trust it will and don't worry that it won't. Many things we tend to just take for granted and things we trust without even thinking about it. We take in a breath and we blow it out, we get up out of bed and get moving each morning…..well, some of us are a bit slower than others. We make us a cup of coffee and we sit down, trusting that chair will hold us as we do. Many things we just go on and never even stop to understand as it’s familiar and we’ve learned to trust each time we had to do something.

It’s the same with God. I don't always have to understand how He will accomplish His plans....I just know He will. All He asks is that I surrender "my will" to His and TRUST that He will show me the way forward. Just like the sun always comes up each morning and I watch it begin another new day, so does my trust in the Lord. I’ve learned to not worry about things so much as He is there just as solid to me as the day before.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Never rely on what you think you know. Remember the Lord in everything you do, and He will show you the right way." (Proverbs 3:5-6 GNT)

Rule of Business

I had a business owner chat with me, yesterday afternoon, about how he got a little worried at times of keeping his business going. He said he knew I had been doing my wedding cakes for 39 years and wondered how I was able to stay so busy all the time. He was more freaked out about just being in the wedding business for about 4 years now and he noticed more and more starting to do the same thing he was and was worried about staying in business with sinking some $$$ into it. Said he was pretty busy and booking into next year, but worries when he hears of others starting up.

I told him I didn’t have a magic formula for being in business making cakes for 39 years, other than just “keep on keeping on.” My Mother always taught me the Golden Rule….to treat folks the way I wanted to be treated, and it would carry me through. That if I got worked up every time I heard of a new person wanting to make cakes….I’d be worried all the time, but that many who step out into what I do for a living soon find they either can’t cut it, can’t make money at it and drop it after a bit. That I just keep doing what I know best and do the best on each cake order I make. If I treat the customer well, word of mouth is my best advertisement. I no longer really have to run any kind of ads and have more business than I can handle. I told him to think about it….he can’t book every wedding out there. I can’t do every wedding cake or birthday cake in this area….but I am willing to help other decorators by passing on business to them too. It didn’t bother me….as I am busy enough. Stick with it and just keep doing the best for each customer….was my goal.

He said it made him feel better after talking to me and he was not going to give up and that he needed to just STOP and collect his vision again and see that he really was booked and booking into next year, so really he was blessed. I agreed with him and told him I’m not a business person….I hate that part of what I do and to just find his passion and the love he had for when he started up his business…not worry about the other guy.

Come to think about it….we all need to be reminded of that in our lives. Too many look around at what someone else is doing, getting more than they are, buying this and having that….and we need to STOP and see that we really are blessed and have way more than a lot of people. More important to keep treating people the way we want to be treated. It also reminded me after chatting with this guy, that I need to just KEEP ON KEEPING ON and keep fresh the Golden Rule in my life.

“Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 7:12 NLT)

Senior Age

I get it!!! I know many of you who read things I write….are of let’s say the “senior age” and we’re not talking about High School. We’ve reached that certain criteria of being labeled as old coots by the younger generation. I’m constantly bombarded with emails these days on Medicare sign up, insurance supplement companies all vying for me to sign up before I reach 65!! Hitting 63 a few months ago was bad enough but I don’t need help in being reminded daily that I’M OLDER!!! My knee and hip do a wonderful job of keeping me grounded in knowing I am getting older without the help of daily emails saying I’m hitting closer and closer.

All of us are growing older. Face it…..none of us have the fountain of youth. I joke many times and say I wish I could bottle up half the energy of my 3 Grandkids as they go crazy running all over the yard and want this old Gma to chase them or keep up with them….or climb up in the tree house. Sweet Ella always asks me to try and go down the slide….to which Gma tells her there won’t be a slide anymore if old Gma goes down it. Even as I watch my Grand-kids growing older, it reminds me of my age.

Stuff in commercials all the time sending out messages on things that will keep us younger. Face lifts, creams, potions, you name it try to show us we can look and feel younger, when in reality….we are the age we are. Some of us don’t have to act our age though and then again…..some would do better if they did act their age. Gray hair, reading glasses, larger prints books…..you name it, reminders of age.

My brother and his wife were here over the weekend and we got to talking about what we use to could do and how we don’t have the physical stamina we once had. Our minds still say we can do that….but reality hits us in the stomach of….yeah, try that and you’ll be sorry! I’m not one for throwing in the towel either….and I’ve not called a truce with time and going to just plop in a rocking chair and not do some living, however with my older age does come some wisdom to not be stupid!!!

What matters most to me is not trying to look younger or act younger, but to focus on things that matter most to me. God is number one on my list and then my family and friends. I am the age I am and I can’t change when I was born. I know many who have a fight daily with trying to act or be younger. My motto has become: “Age is mind over matter. I don’t mind my age, so it don’t matter.” Again….what does matters is how I am letting God still be in my life and using me and I don’t have to look a certain way or try to be something I am not.

“So we aren’t depressed. But even if our bodies are breaking down on the outside, the person that we are on the inside is being renewed every day.” (2 Corinthians 4:16 CEB)