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Light, Love, Hope

Light in the Darkness Surrounded by Love with Hope for those in need.

Is there ever a time that you should consider just walking away?

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Today is going to be a little different from the past few Wednesdays. There is a little something that I came across this past week that really hit home with me. I love reading through people’s posts on FaceBook. Many times people will post quotes that really get my mind going. This past week I came across the following graphic.

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This is something I think we should all take into serious consideration. I say that in reference from the other end of this quote; as I seem to be the person that gets ignored by family and friends quite frequently.

I try to always be caring and give to those that I mean a lot in my life. It gives me great joy to show that I care by giving to others in some way. I give of myself without any expectation of return as I feel that is one of the ways that God blesses us in the sense of having made a small difference in the lives of others.

Yet many times, I end up being ignored and at times forgotten by family and friends. I do realize that each of us has a full life that takes our all of our attention and can over whelm us at times. But as this is something that continually happens to me I begin to wonder if there is some underlying message that people are trying to tell me. It is hard not to think that. Many times I have family members ask me the day before an event if I am still coming when I was never invited in the first place. It does make me feel as if I am an afterthought to people.

So to get to the thought behind the title of my post; is there ever a time when you should just consider walking away? I would love to hear thoughts from others on this as I am seriously considering walking away from a few situations in the near future. It is a hard thing to consider; an even harder thing to do.  Yet, I feel it may be the right thing to do at the moment.  It is not that I do not care any more.  It is just that it hurts to be in a situation like this.  There are times when we need to look after ourselves as much as we want to look after others.  We must trust with our heart that God will take care of those you care about even if you are put into a situation where you can’t be there for them because they don’t want you there.

~The Quiet Computer Guy

Prude-Woman

Self-discovery: I am a prude

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Yes. I admit it. According to Miriam Webster’s Dictionary a prude is “a person who is easily shocked or offended by things that do not shock or offend other people.” Thus, I am a prude.

How did I come to this conclusion? I was working an event this weekend. I am a volunteer for a music organization called the RAMIs or Rockford Area Music Industry. Our mission is to give out scholarships to graduating seniors that intend upon pursuing the study of music in college so we have several fund raising events throughout the year. Today’s event was our Rock’n Roll Garage Sale. It was here at this humble event that I finally admitted I am a prude because the following question kept coming to mind all day:

How can people walk out in public with no thought or consideration of their appearance?

Maybe I should try to add the words “no shame” in there somewhere.

Upon arrival to the event I had to wait for a young gentleman bending over to pick up a pile of guitar cords that had fallen off his stack of items he was carrying. As I was behind him, I was greeted to a sight that I truly did not need to see; a full moon at 10am in the morning. I held my tongue and quietly waited as he and his friend gathered up the cords. Later in the day, another incident of the same vein occurred. A woman walked into the hall with a top on that barely covered her essentials.

I am always conscious of my appearance in public and I dress appropriately. Yet I see more and more people that just don’t seem to care how they look. Have we as a society just come to a point where we don’t care about ourselves anymore?

~The Quiet Computer Guy

Hope Is Real

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Recently my daughter wrote a post about an organization called To Write Love On Her Arms.  We purchased some of their merchandise and have been proudly wearing their shirts.   The ones we like the best are the ones that say “You’re Not Alone” and “Hope Is Real.”    We have gotten a few double takes as people have seen us walking around with these messages.  We feel they are messages that people every where need to see, hear, and feel!

How many times have you felt alone in this cold, cruel world?   How many would admit feeling hopeless in various different situations?   I think, if we are honest with ourselves, we have all had these feelings at some point in our lives.   That is why I’m here to tell you today and every day, as long as you need a little encouragement and support along your journey, that you matter!  You are enough!   You mean the world to someone and may not even realize it.   You are not alone as God is right there beside you walking every step of the way, and when you feel at your lowest point or your absolute weakest, that is when God will carry you the rest of the way.

When I lost my sister almost 13 years ago, I did not see how I would ever be able to go on without her.   I felt like the entire world crashed down around my feet.   I could barely breathe and found myself asking how do I go on?   It was one of the hardest things to ever face for our family.   There were times that I felt so incredibly alone and so hopeless, but I had family and friends that came alongside of me to remind me that they were there, they loved me, and we would get through this together.   We all had questions that went unanswered around her death, and it pains us to this very day what happened and the circumstances leading up to her taking her own life.   I’m sure at that moment, she felt incredibly hopeless and was filled with such feelings of loneliness and despair.  Oh how I wish I could have helped her.  I wish I could have saved her.   I wish she would have turned to me in her darkest hours to let me help her through this.

We all have problems in this life.  They seem all consuming at times, and it is hard to think rationally when our heads are spinning as things continue to be hurled at us.  What I wish I could have expressed to my sister is how much I love her, how valuable she was to her family, and how much she truly did matter.

Just recently our family encountered problems, and we struggled.   I felt almost the same identical feelings crash into me this time just as I had experienced almost 13 years ago.  The situation was somewhat different, yet the grief familiar.  To be honest, our family is still struggling through some very difficult issues.  It’s hard to face what has become your reality.   You always hear of things happening, but it’s always to other people.  Surely this can’t be happening to US!  But, it is.   In the face of great difficulty, it’s so easy to just throw your hands in the air and give up.  That would be the easy way out.  Yet, we refuse to do that!   Anything worth having is worth fighting for.   You just don’t quit when the going gets tough.  That is when you hold on tighter and with all of your might.  The best thing to hold on to in this life is each other!

I was told this past week by a friend that I just refuse to give up until I have exhausted every measure, every avenue … and you know what?   That is a very true statement.   I refuse to give up.   I will do whatever it takes because the person involved is worth it.  We are worth it.  Our family is worth it.  Our children are worth it.   Our lives are intertwined, and I believe that HOPE IS REAL for us … for you … for any one out there struggling, no matter the situation or circumstances!  Hope is real!  I believe it with my whole heart.  So, no, I won’t give up until I know that I have tried absolutely EVERYTHING, and then and only then will I throw in the towel.   It’s not over … it’s only just beginning.   Life is worth living, people are worth loving, and hope is worth hanging on to!

When all else fails and you don’t know what to do … pray!   Believe that God is working this situation out for His good, for His honor, and His glory … believe that God has plans for us … plans to give us a hope and a future.

HOPE IS REAL!   I believe it with my whole heart.

 

 

grrr

Why Does Everyone Seem So Angry?

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I don’t post much anywhere on the Internet because I am a shy quiet guy that doesn’t say much. But I do read a lot; especially comments posted on various news sites and FB. I had to laugh at a recent comment made to a story, “Listen pal. It’s the Internet. You’re supposed to be angry.” This has been in the back of my mind lately and it seems the more I read the more this seems to be true.

So why is everyone so angry? I grew up in a home where it seemed that anger ruled. My mother was a very negative and angry person at times. She took it out on my sister and me when we were very young. I was so scared of her that I used to hide under a pile of clothes in the corner of a closet for hours just to get away from her and “the paddle”. That explains a lot as to why I am the way I am as an adult.

I hear stories of “road rage” at times. Yet this is nothing new to me. Riding with mom in the car was like riding with a truck driver; it was !#$@ this and !#$* or that !#@$!@. The hard thing is that being in a situation like that rubbed off on me and I have had to work very hard to not be like that. I think that mom was angry because her life didn’t turn out like she thought it should. I think she embraced her disappointment which fueled her anger instead of looking at all the wonderful things she had right in front of her and being thankful for those things.

It seems that the anonymity of the Internet gives people a sense of protection so that they say whatever they want without any concern for others. That is truly a sad thing. We should always think of others before we open our mouths; especially when we may not really know the true facts of a situation. One of the lessons I learned in Sunday school that has stuck with me the most all these years is that we should treat people the way we want to be treated. We should be spreading love and kindness, not anger and hurt. There will always be times when we get angry. That is human nature. But to let anger rule most of our daily lives is not healthy for us and those around us. Fill your heart with God’s love and try to drive out any feelings of anger that may reside in your heart.

~The Quiet Computer Guy

Release

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I always enjoy Five Minute Friday and the writing prompts provided by Lisa Jo.  Today’s word is: Release.

Ready?

Set?

Go!

There comes a time in your life where you have to stop holding things in.  To heal, it is necessary to reveal, to come clean, to admit your shortcomings and faults.  In doing so, you release the hold that it has over you.  For so long you’ve been a prisoner.  You have been locked inside your prison cell of your own making, suffering in silence, surrounded by lies.  You’ve been unable to progress, unable to heal, and unable to forgive.  In all of this, you’ve been unable to feel as well.  The pain was so great that you became numb, and yet, you held on to it so tightly, almost with all of your might.  Once you decided that enough was enough and you came clean with those around you … with the most important person being yourself … you slowly saw the binds that held you releasing you.  The chains of this addiction could hold you no longer.  You, yourself, held the key to release yourself from this self made prison, and you did it.  You faced your fears.   You took a good, hard look in the mirror and confessed.  You, then, took it further and confessed to those closest to you as well, and in doing so you are crushing the enemy.  The one that wants to keep you locked away forever in this hell, you’re saying, “No more!”   You, yourself, have taken away the power that it held on you.  You are fighting with everything in you to be a better person, to do the right thing, to come clean once and for all.  It takes a lot of strength to do what you’re doing.   Your determination does not go unnoticed.  You are fighting this with everything in you – fighting for your life, your marriage, your family, your dignity, your self worth, for your own self respect … and you are winning!   You have taken back the power that this addiction held over you.   It cannot harm you any more.   You are strong.  You are determined.  You are a fighter.  You are a survivor.  You have found such a sweet release from the prison that you’ve known for so long.  It’s time to turn it all over to God and trust that He will see you through this.

Un-forgiveness has plagued you, tormented you, harassed you, haunted you, entrapped you.

I forgive you.

Now it is time for you to forgive yourself.

Release the chains that bind you to that lifestyle.

Rise above it all.

You are a prisoner no more.

 

STOP!

 

 

 

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Listen

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Listen to Him calling
Softly now then more intense
Calling out after you
In the night

He wants you
All of you
Your perfect imperfections
Your beautiful flaws

Feel Him wipe away
Your sins
The moment
You utter the words

Barely a whisper
As the words fall from your lips
He listens
With His heart

And takes you
Into His arms
Wiping the slate clean
Once and for all.

You are forgiven
My child
Go and
Sin no more.

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Unexpected change… A tribute to The Bagel Place

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I have been in what you might call a “rut” for close to fifteen years. When most people say they are in a “rut” it is usually not a good thing. My “rut” was a good thing. It was something that made my day start off with a little piece of heaven. But Tuesday morning it all came to an unexpected end.

Each morning on my way to work at 6am, I would stop at a little local shop here called “The Bagel Place.” I loved the Bagel Place. They had a bagel called the “Seedy Stick.” They were so good. I loved getting a couple of sticks in the morning. It was one of those things that would just seem to make the day start out on a good note. Alice Anderson opened the Bagel Place 34 years ago. I started my “morning routine” in 2000 as the Bagel Place was on my way to work. Stopping in every day, I got to know Alice quite well. Since I was a good customer, Alice treated me many times over the years to little special things like mini banana bread and other wonderful creations she made. Alice retired and sold the business not long ago. The new owner kept to the way Alice ran her business. Even though she was gone, it was still like she was there. The bagels were still as yummy as before.

As I pulled up Tuesday morning, to get my bagels I noticed something strange. The shop was dark. As I walked to the door I saw the sign posted. In brief it said due to unexpected circumstances after 34 years the Bagel Place was closed. It was quite the shock as I had been in there Monday morning. I began to wonder if the other early morning regulars knew yet as I got there a few minutes before six that morning. There were four of us that were there every morning. Though we never got to know each other more than in passing, it felt like we had a camaraderie as the “early morning group.”

Unexpected change it never easy. Yet it is a part of life that happens often. It’s not something we can plan for, we just have to accept it and make the best of the situation. I will miss the Bagel Place. It will always hold as a fond memory in my heart.

~The Quiet Computer Guy

WeCare

We Care Wednesday – The surprise care package

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This past week I really haven’t had anything truly annoying happen to write about. It has been a great week! So let’s get on to this week’s RAK.

This week I would like to talk about something I do occasionally for people. I usually listen quite well so I pick up on the little things people mention that they like. Using this knowledge I will put together a little care package for them. This could be a small assortment of their favorite candies or just little tchotchkes ( I have always wanted to use that word in something ). What I like doing most is doing a little creative baking. I like to experiment a bit while in the kitchen. One thing that has stuck in my head from my childhood is my grandmother always saying something like this; “never give store bought goodies. Always make them yourself.” I realize some people are not comfortable with making things from scratch and using a microwave is easier, but I find doing a bit of baking fun and relaxing. Lately, I have been having fun making brownies with different treats inside. Here is the base recipe from Better Homes and Gardens, it takes about 10 minutes to make and 30 to 35 minutes to bake:

½ cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
2 1-ounce squares, unsweetened chocolate, melted
½ cup sifted all-purpose flour
½ chopped walnuts

Take out butter at least an hour before mixing to let it get to room temperature. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cream butter, sugar and vanilla. Add eggs; beat well. Blend in chocolate, then stir in flour and nuts. Bake in greased 8x8x2 inch pan at 325 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes.

Now here is where I experiment. I don’t like nuts so I have made this recipe without nuts many times. Some of the things I have used instead are; 3/4 cup caramel chips or 3/4 cup peanut butter chips or 3/4 cup dark raspberry chips.

Here are some other things I have tried that turned out awesome. After pouring the batter into the pan push in Hershey’s Kisses or any other kind of candy you may like before baking. I have used a variety of Hershey kiss flavors, Rolos, and Ghirardelli chocolate squares in different flavors. My next experiment is to try mixing in M&M mint or M&M peanut butter candy.

Once the brownies have cooled you can frost them if you like. Sorry, but I like my brownies without frosting so I don’t have a frosting recipe to share.

Enjoy.

~The Quiet Computer Guy


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If only I could

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There are many times in life we see a bad situation happening involving people we care about but we are unable to do anything. When that happens our minds can go into the “If only I could” type of thinking. It is very easy to fall into this.

If only I could have stopped things from happening this way.

If only I could help take away their pain.

If only I could fix the situation.

Yet many times it is not within our ability to do what we in our hearts wish we could do. We need to have faith the God will guide those involved to make the right choices to better the situation. The best thing we can do is to offer our friendship, compassion, kindness and comfort to help them through the situation.

~The Quiet Computer Guy

 

Be Still

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When troubles come into your life and you’re not sure what to do, where to turn, and who to run to …

When the eye of the storm is coming right for you …

As the world spins out of control at times around you …

Just be still …

Be still and know that He is God.

Say it with me …

“BE STILL AND KNOW THAT HE IS GOD!”

He will never leave you nor forsake you.

TRUST it … BELIEVE it …

Tuck those promises away in your heart.

They aren’t just any ole promises … they are God’s promises!

Hear Him calling to you now:

Be still and know that I am God!

Five Minute Fridays: Messenger

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We have a special guest post for today’s five minute Friday from Susan:

Messenger

We have a new messenger at our house. Who would have known this docile corgi/shepherd mix would eventually be the one to alert us of impending doom? This morning I awoke to Oreo barking ferociously to let me know a man was in the far back, behind the fence, a safe distance away. This man was a dear friend returning our tractor to us–but it was a man! A man, not a woman. I suppose women could break into our home unannounced. But if a man comes near the property, we know. Even when Daddy or brother come home, we now know. I don’t know what misfortune must have happened to this wonderful best friend before we rescued him from the Humane Society, but whatever evil may have been done was done from a man. Oreo has been with us over a year and a half, but this new job as the messenger of men is somewhat sudden. He has learned (or taught himself, really) that he needs to tell us when some new male is in the area. This is convenient in the case of UPS or FedEX, because the house is long and I hate to miss a package. Our messenger of men is also the messenger of love. He has a weird thing we call a smile. When he’s excited to see us, he smiles and nods his head–and usually sneezes several times. He doesn’t do this to anyone he doesn’t like, so that’s given me a great judge of character from my dog’s point of view…as well as loving sneezes.

Susan

We Care Wednesday – The Surprise Note

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Welcome to We Care Wednesdays. Each Wednesday we want to talk about things the bother us no matter how big or small. Plus, we want to challenge everyone to do a little RAK (random act of kindness) during the upcoming week. We will be giving a suggestion for something simple to do. What we would really like is for you to be part of this and to give us suggestions, too.

One thing that can get on my nerves while driving is people that think they need to pull right up on your bumper at a stop light. I feel like these people are so close to me that they can read the tag on the back of my shirt. And yes, I have just admitted to the entire Internet that I sometimes do not pay attention in the morning and I walk out of the house with my shirt tag showing. What I don’t understand it do people not know that it is a safety risk to get that close to the car in front of you. I have seen way too many accidents where there are cars sandwiched in the middle of a multi-car pile up because everyone was pulled up right behind each other.

Now let’s move on to our RAK of the week. This week I want to talk about leaving a little note for someone. Take a post-it note or small piece of paper and write a little something on it. Some things you might write down could be “You are loved” or “God loves you. ” You could do this for your family or leave the note somewhere in public. I had an experience several weeks ago at the market where I was standing at the deli counter trying to decide on what to get for dinner when someone walked by and said “God loves you.” I turned around but didn’t see anyone else there so they must have been talking to me. It gave me a wonderful feeling to hear that for no reason.


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