Roar with Delight

by Sandra Metzbauer

“An injured lion still wants to roar.” ― Randy Pausch

As the sun rises over the horizon of a new day, the lion rises and stretches in the warming glow. It is another day, another chance, another opportunity to roar.

Rise my friend and roar with delight of the day!

Ride the River

Carolyn Derstine

“Life is like the river, sometimes it sweeps you gently along and sometimes the rapids come out of nowhere.” ― Emma Smith

Life feels very melancholy these days as a good friend battles most bravely against illness. The strength of his faith is an inspiration to me and is an example for many to learn from.

With no promise and no guarantee of what your outcome will be, faith is very powerful.

Faith helps ease the many transitions we go through in life. It gets us through the harsh river rapids of circumstance we each go through. Some might call faith a way for the heart to trick our intellect into submission.

I believe it is our heart and intellect coming into agreement, allowing us to float more peacefully down the river.

Floatin' down that old river boy, leaves me feelin' good inside,
Floatin' down that old river boy, tryin' to get to the other side.
"Ride The River" - JJ Cale

Stay inspired my friends.

Shifting Breeze

“In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures. For in the dew of little things, does the heart find its morning and is refreshed.”
― Khalil Gibran

The wind shifts and the season begins to change. The cool winds of fall are beginning to find their way across our exposed faces. It marks a shift in time as change makes us adjust to a new normal. The change is not something we necessarily want to go through.

Our heart hangs onto the hope of a continued warm summer wind. Of walking with friends along the warm beaches; of feeling free and happy in the company of those that share our summer. As the cool breeze presses down, the heart wants to push it away. The heart hopes for the change not to happen, but it does.

It is in our intellect that reminds us the seasons change, that everything changes over time. The earth moves in rhythm to time bringing the cold and causing the leaves on a tree to die but not before they explode in spectacular color. Everything has a perfect cycle to it, motion of the earth, the seasons, and time itself.

This is how time holds us in it's grasp. A battle between our heart and intellect, to want things to remain as they always were but always changing in perfect manner. We find acceptance eventually and the heart pulls the memories inside keeping them warm and safe. The warm winds will return, new leaves will bud in the spring and life will continue to flourish.

Yet what the heart contains will always remain. Time can not steal that from us. The cool winds can not blow it away. We get to keep it for eternity.

Stay inspired my friends.

Standing Together

“Together we stand, together we fall, together we fight and fight for it all.”
- Unknown

There are times of exhilarating fun and enjoyment in life. Friends playing cards while talking of events past and future. The laughing and cajoling as each connects with the other in a community of togetherness.

It is in those moments, those connections we forge a bond that will bring us through the tough times and the really tough times. It gives us the strength to lean on each other, to cry, to worry but also to hope.

It would be great if we could walk the same path forever.

We walk for periods of time with each other, supporting, carrying, encouraging and simply being there on the journey. Time, circumstance and life itself changes our paths and we are unable to do anything to prevent it.

What we can do is make the most of our time together.

To make them great times.
To make it time well spent.
To have been there for each other.

I sense the path changing and it increases my anxiety over what lay ahead. I have my friends still on the path with me and I will enjoy every moment with them. They comfort me as I know I comfort them. We each dream for a lifetime to walk together until we can no longer walk. And we know that our walk together will have been forged in eternity.

When we stand together, we may fall together but we will pick ourselves up and fight, fight, fight for it all.

Stay inspired my friends.