YOU MUST AND SHOULD INDULGE YOUR GOD-GIVEN GIFTS OF TALENT - IT'S GIVEN YOU FOR A PURPOSE

 

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If only to prove my point that you must and should indulge your gift of talent, I am posting here paintings (in watercolor) which I did the past few weeks or so. I am showing you that talent is a gift from a magnificent God who simply wants you to enjoy life through expressions of your heavenly gifts.
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Now this gift which I speak of varies from person to person. Things such as the gifts of song... of writing... of poetry... of dancing... of designing... of needlework.... culinary skills perhaps.... of creative ideas which turn the ordinary into the extraordinary. Or the gifts of leadership... teamwork... compassion... kindness.... vision.... management... teaching.... healing... organization... of being a visionary... an inspiration... an encourager... a brilliant builder.... or being simply a Pollyanna to the world.
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These gifts are not there or given you just for the heck of it. They are given you... or us... to serve a purpose. But I'm not going to tell you what your own purpose is because I think and believe that Somebody up there will lead you to discover it yourself. As He had given me opportunities to discover mine.
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With no formal training in the art of painting, one day several yeas ago I decided to give it a try armed with just a simple desire to paint. My daughter seeing that I had more free time in retirement gave me a huge nudge or push to get things done pronto before and to quote her.... " the desire gets lost or vanishes in thin air." Yeah, it was a push I could no longer ignore. I guess its time had come. And so I did!
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I can't tell you in sufficient words the satisfaction and delight felt in accomplishing something you thought you never knew or had. Through the years that followed paintings in watercolor came out from my first fumbling steps and on to honing my newfound craft while growing too with every canvas finished. And now trying my hand at acrylics. Still so much room to learn and grow... and happily at that. Thank God.
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I urge and encourage you to seek out your gift; it's there waiting to be discovered. When you soon discover your God-given talent, do remember to share the precious moment and experience with us, your friends. We'll be expecting it. :-) God bless you.

TO YOU ALL........

To my dear friends here in the blog,

a heartfelt MERRY CHRISTMAS!  May the season bring to you bountiful blessings from the heart of God .. way beyond measure -- far more than your kind hearts can hold.  Thank you for the gift of your friendship. 

God bless you and your dear dearest ones now and evermore.

Ellen

GRATITUDE AND THANKFULNESS - THE GRACE OF SEEING GOD BEHIND EVERYTHING

 

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"We don't need more to be thankful for,

we just need to be more thankful."

Author Unknown 

Gratitude as defined is .....
the quality of being thankful;  readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.
Thankfulness is .....
warm friendly feelings of gratitude, appreciativeness, gratefulness, gratitude.
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As you can see, they are close cousins and run on the same engine of appreciation. I still recall what my mother pointed out to me some years ago when I was just a kid in pigtails with a glaring gap up my front teeth... she would say ----
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"Always be thankful, not only because you have to, but because you see beyond the gift --- to the true Giver of the gift."
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Thank you is not just a word nor a show of politeness and good manners. It is understanding and seeing far beyond the person standing before you doing the good you receive. Because in truth, he is simply the carrier, conduit, or channel of good and blessings and miracles which a Higher Presence wants to gift you with. Thank you is acknowledging the power of the Divine.
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And because we also know that the same Higher Being works in ways beyond our limited knowledge, so when things come to us wrapped in awe and magnificence way beyond our human understanding, these entirely and without a doubt point our eyes, minds, and hearts back to Him. Gratitude is the grace of understanding His magnificent work in our ordinary tiny mundane lives.
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As mom would simply put it --- 'We are simply tools for good in God's loving hands.'
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On this note, I would like to thank you -- my blogspot family and community -- for being there and tirelessly appreciating what I do. I hope that you enjoy the writing as much as I do writing it.
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May God bless you and your family with everything good far more than your hearts can hold. In Christ I pray. 

BEGIN TO SEE WHAT TRULY MATTERS - WHAT YOU DO WITH IT DEFINES YOU

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I was on the phone with a long-lost friend chatting about good times, bad times, the good old days. Then she suddenly became nostalgic with thoughts unlikely and least expected from her. She was more the type who cared not what happens to the world just as long as she had her favorite crispy pata on the table and later sit down to watch her favorite telenobela.
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She began talking about ......how life is short, how she misses the attention usually poured on her by children now living separate lives, the aches and pains she now feels in her body, the things she failed to achieve in her prime and other regrets, but at the end of her long list sadly resigned herself to her fate and humbly turned grateful to her God. "We all grow old" she added "but each on a different pace and time. Still there are days when you wished time would stop but at that right spot when you felt everything was alright."
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That got me to thinking.....
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Not about that aging thing but about .... "...wished time would stop but at that right spot when you felt everything was alright."
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When is "..that right spot when everything is alright"? Is there a one measure which tells us that? Does it mean being problem-free as hoped for by many? Does it comprise perfection as perceived by passionate devotees of such principle? Does it mean that so-called forever-moment of completeness and satisfaction as promoted by media and the movies?
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Nah I don't think so. I have learned that there is no problem-free life. Problems, as we know it all by now, are there for this one sole purpose -- that of shaping us into our highest physical and divine potential. Neither does perfection exist; perfection does not happen here but at the end of our life journey. And forever moments are illusions created by temporal hopes dreams and aspirations.
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Well, time does not stop for anybody or anything, right or wrong. It just moves along like it's nobody's business that it does. And it brings us along with it .....with our dreams, hopes, expectations in tow. Time does not care if we make it or not but it does expect us to do what we can in the time allotted us to do it. But whether we succeed or fail, are happy or sad, feel good or bad, are fulfilled or rejected --- it's all the same to Time. When it cracks its whip we are expected to move along... with or without our baggage. To where? To wherever it takes us. Time's other name is Life.
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To my good friend, know this..... From the standpoint of age, you begin to see what truly matters.... the things that do and those that don't. You see everything and learn to count your blessings. Consider yourself so very blessed!
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Life and Time is good however you may look at it. It's a gift. What you do with it is what defines you, at twenty-six or sixty-two.

LIFE IS NOT A RACE - IT IS A GIFT SO ENJOY IT

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Have stumbled on this quote...... but I don't know who wrote it. I would be happy to know who wrote this .... he or she wrote such a beautiful piece. To quote.......

LIFE IS A GIFT

Today before you think of saying an unkind word–
...think of someone who can’t speak.

Before you complain about the taste of your food–
...think of someone who has nothing to eat.

Before you complain about your husband or wife–
...think of someone who is crying out to God for a companion.

Today before you complain about life–
...think of someone who went too early to heaven.

Before you complain about your children–
...think of someone who desires children but they’re barren.

Before you argue about your dirty house, someone didn’t clean or sweep–
...think of the people who are living in the streets.

Before whining about the distance you drive–
...think of someone who walks the same distance with their feet.

And when you are tired and complain about your job–
...think of the unemployed, the disabled and those who wished they had your job.

But before you think of pointing the finger or condemning another–
...remember that not one of us are without sin and we all answer to One maker.

And when depressing thoughts seem to get you down–
...put a smile on your face and thank God you’re alive and still around.

Life is a gift – Live it, Enjoy it, Celebrate it, and Fulfill it.

(Unknown) - Unquote.

May your weekend be blessed with wonderful moments and blessings -- God's gift to you. But definitely!

FOR THE LOVE OF WRITING

 

A young girl in the blog once asked me ......  'what can you tell me about writing?'

She apparently loves to write, as one could easily see in her blog. Big talent with writing, that I could see and so did others who came to view her blog. But she wanted more. And she was feeling downhearted as she hoped for bigger attention in the blog.

I said....

There isn't much I could say that you don't already know and perhaps may even know more than I do on some stuff. But if you must ask then allow me to humbly share a few things which I have learned though the writing years.

1. Write from the heart --- When the heart is in the writing it comes out real and true. Let your heart speak. Sometimes the mind puts in a lot of things into the writing, things which you don't necessarily have to or need. Shed the ego. When the heart speaks, the thoughts come clearer.

2. Make it simple --- Simplicity is beauty. No need to gild the lily, so to speak. Simplicity stands on its own strength and beauty. Write that even a seven-year old kid can understand you. No unnecessary frills. No big words to boggle the mind. If there is a simpler way to say it, then use it.

3. Write because you love to write --- Whether you get dozens of readers in your blog or fewer, don't let that influence your writing. The writing must continue because you just love doing it.

4. Write about what you know --- How can you write about roses when you haven't stepped foot in a rose garden at all? Welcome experience. Read books. Talk to people. Make regular deposits to your knowledge bank. Learn... and keep learning. Make mistakes but learn some more.

5. Writing is a gift --- Just like other gifts which a wonderful God has so generously bestowed on everyone. Appreciate it; thank God for it. Nurture it. Build dreams with it. Breathe life into it.

These aren't all. I still have much to learn... to grow... to write more. And I intend to do that until my fingers drop. :-)

To encourage her further, I found these lovely inspiring images on the internet and thought to post it here along with this piece. Keep at it, girl; just keep writing because you LOVE to write. God bless you!

SHINE WITH YOUR LIGHT

I liked this right after having stumbled upon it in a book recently. Just had to bring it here so that I could come back to it again and again. To quote -

"Everyone has inside of him a piece of good news. The good news is that you don't know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish! And what your potential is!"  -- Anne Frank (Germany)

Unquote.

I think that's a good reminder of who we are. We are not meant to live mediocre lives but were meant to live outstanding lives. We are each given a talent by which God expects us to put to good use. And this putting to good use should not only benefit the self but should contribute to the well-being of the other or others. I think that is just what we are supposed to do.

We were designed for a life that should shine with who we are with our God-given talents. To shine does not necessarily have to mean being on the center stage of achievement or drama or grandiose trappings or show. That could be nice but isn't the only way. I believe that there are a diversity of ways to shine as there are many different talents God has poured upon each and every person.

Here's another quote I like too:

"We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully."  -- Romans 12:6-8

The trick I believe is to discover what yours is. Because truly you can be great, you can love amazingly, you can accomplish wonderful things, and you definitely have potential. That, incidentally, is by God's design.

So shine with your light.

WHAT'S A SUNDIAL IN THE SHADE

Never think that you can't. Just because you see somebody shining brilliantly in what he does, it does not mean that you can't do just as well if not better with your own. Maybe the problem is - you haven't given it a big try. I say Big because there are admittedly small tries, feeble tries, fearful tries, and indifferent tries. What you get depends on how much you put in. Make that your first and only rule.

Humility is good. But again there is false humility, misplaced humility, fake humility, and proud humility. The genuine kind is one that honestly knows his own capacity for greatness alongside his limitations. But the latter does not worry him at all because he understands that it is not his inadequacies which define him as a person but his strength to be the best of what he can be and with this do the good he wants to see in the world.

Ordinary maybe but sometimes there lies within a miracle waiting to be born. A miracle when someone does an ordinary thing extraordinarily. And the world applauds. Never underestimate ordinary -- within its cover is potential.

So then.....

"Hide not your talents, they for use were made.
What's a sun dial in the shade?"
-- Benjamin Franklin

A GIFT TO MY BLOG FRIENDS

Hi Folks!

I was sitting at the computer one day last week and cruising down my blog archive. And honestly I was literally amazed by the Comments section and felt so overwhelmingly thankful for all the lovely, inspiring, warm, encouraging, and endearing comments and messages seen on every post written through the weeks, months, and years. Am so lucky and blessed to have such wonderful people visiting and viewing the blog. You made the blog so special and of course gave me my widest smile every time you dropped by. You bet! :-)

And so I thought I'm going to do something special for you, just for you my friends. The result of which is the above landscape sketch in charcoal pencil right off my sketch pad. :-)

Yes, this post is something different this time. Because this is a GIFT to all my wonderful FRIENDS in the blog, old and new, visible and invisible.

To your heart -- from mine.
God bless you all!

Ellen

WRITING FROM THE HEART

The other day someone said to me 'Love reading you.' I thanked the person and smiled carrying those words in my heart. It could mean two things really: she loves the writing -- or -- she loves seeing 'me (or bits of me, she thinks; curious aye? hehehe..)' in those lines that I write.

A writer can be both. Because a writer true to his calling and passion will only write from the heart. Life, within and without, as seen through his eyes translates itself unto the printed page. But why does a writer write?

In pursuing a 'passion', you don't bother to ask why. You simply relish enjoy - delight in the process. But writer or not, when you feel that you have something to say and you feel that nudge in your heart, go ahead and say it or write it. Just be sure that it's something which will bring a smile to another person's heart or day.

God's gifts are meant to bring joy and smiles into your life and if allowed -- to somebody else's life too. :-) God bless you!!