Roll With the Changes . .

12 Tuesday Jul 2016

Posted by Cheryl Ries in Attitude, Change, Choices, Conquering Fear, Discipline, Freedom, Peace, Strength

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Every day rolls in on new breaths, with new promises, and a lot of unknowns. Why do we allow ourselves to get stuck, feeling we are cemented where we are? Why do we believe we are stagnant, unmovable, and unchangeable when all around us everything is moving and changing? When we realize that we are too, we should see everything in us and outside of ourselves as a part of the flow of life.

We and all of life are always morphing into a new state of circumstances and a different state of being. Just when you start to get that taste of stagnation, and that need to step out of a rut, propel yourself with the flow around you. There is nothing which cements you to a place, a way, an idea, a part or to any aspect of life permanently. We fluctuate, we come and go, we ebb and wane through the lives of others and in our own situations. We aren’t holding any space anywhere forever! So if it’s one you relish, make sure you relish it well and appreciate what you have while you have it and where you are while you’re still there!

Celebrate it, savor it, and be thankful for it! If it is one in which you have many regrets or feel uncomfortable, then use it as a catalyst to propel you to a new place and a different space! Don’t allow yourself to dwell in the discomfort and the angst of all the change in life, take the positive from everything and build within you a strong, sturdy yet flexible support. Make yourself able and willing, and life will seem more endurable and gentle to you! Today is a new day with new promises and new challenges awaiting you. Be a part, it is only in facing our role as perpetual students in life that we see our ability to grow and to change because of all the challenges and changes, as well as through every single thing!

In This Together . .

05 Tuesday Jul 2016

Posted by Cheryl Ries in Attitude, Character, Compassion, Contentment, Family, Gratitude, Kindness, Life, Maturity, Wisdom

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God, Humanity, Peace

Have you ever seen a baby born? I’m sure we all have, whether on television or in real life! We’ve noticed the striking similarity of all babies born in the world, regardless their skin color, their nationality, their nation’s economic status, or the timing of the arrival. All babies born in the world come without anything. They come sans clothing, food, shelter, shoes, or material goods of any kind. They all come via some parentage, but many are even separated permanently from that human connection. What we should find most striking in this comparison isn’t that we come at all, but that we all have made it as far as we have!

We have much to ponder when we consider this fact: perhaps we don’t have all that we would want to live by our own standards when born, but in some way we have all we need, otherwise we would surely all come bearing something more than just ourselves. Perhaps we’re truly meant to find our way into various compassionate communities (for example – family, friends, neighbors) where we are taught to be good members of that community and to be responsible for one another? It is only when we start to believe we won’t be given all we want, that we start to think we’re deserving and entitled to more than we need. Our desire to have that which isn’t our’s easily or naturally morphs from a noble motivation to attain and achieve some personal goals as well as dreams, into instead a raging fuel which ignites our lust, jealousy, greed and thus, tyranny.

Whatever it is we amass from birth with integrity, through our own efforts, with a lack of malice is ours rightfully. God blesses us each differently, each uniquely according to His desires. What is ours is ours, what is someone else’s belongs to them. It is not our place to deem His motives, but to make righteous our own! And we have each other, lest we forget that the hands we rely upon to take us from our bare-naked infancy to sustainable life, are our fellow humans. Why do we then learn so easily to repudiate these essential components of community into which we are surely purposefully born, all the while choosing often to be self-serving and self-involved instead?! We’re meant to be for each other without taking from each other. We’re meant to coexist without coveting. We’re meant to weave together as one patchwork of variation (language, color, beliefs, etc.) without repudiation! Perhaps what was inside of you when born actually matters more than anything on the outside anyway?!

Freedom or A Prison For All . .

30 Thursday Jun 2016

Posted by Cheryl Ries in Character, Choices, Discipline, Ethics, Freedom, Maturity, Self-Control, Uncategorized

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Ethics, Freedom, Self-Control, Self-Discipline

Our nation was built on inherent rights which serve as the backbone of human freedom, but those become meaningless when citizens no longer hold themselves to the standards of behavior necessary to maintain such freedom! It is indisputable, people simply cannot do whatever they want without regard for the consequences. There is freedom, as we know it from the day we are born, but with maturity, we have to learn to be lawful and civil to dwell with one another sans chaos. Self-discipline and self-control are essential counter-balancing measures for people to live lives which shun the additional restraints other men seek to place upon them. Someone or some other entity (like a government or a law-enforcing body) always step in to take up the slack for our lack of self-control and self-discipline. And every time that is necessary, a bit of our freedom is eroded!

Thanks to the eroding behaviors of the lawless, a free society like ours can no longer maintain the same state of freedom which feels comfortable for the entirety. No man is able to decide for another how he should live his life, but that is exactly what happens in a society in which morality and civility decline! With fewer of us caring to self-regulate our behaviors and accepting personal responsibility for those errant choices we make, external control by some other entity becomes a dire consequence we all must then endure. We all must endure more laws, more regulations, more restrictions and more controls upon our freedom and choices, even though the chaos still grows more noticeable from the burgeoning lawless portion of our society. What is obvious is that the lawless already not obeying laws or self-controlling their behaviors will not respond to even more controls and laws!

The answer to our societal problems is always found within each individual, making them responsible for their own actions and behaviors is essential. No one else has the right to say for another how their life is to be lived, unless and until that person has ceded their own self-control and self-discipline by a choice or a series of choices. Otherwise, what we have, as a result, is a national “prison” of laws, restrictions, regulations, and rules which bind the law-abiding right along with the lawless. That is why “we” should stop asking for more laws and controls to be placed upon society as a whole from a faceless, growing government of gigantic bureaucratic agencies unable to keep themselves in check. “We” should start calling for enforcement of the laws already on the books and accountability for those who are truly at fault when laws are broken. If you consistently enforce the value and necessity of morality, ethics, civility, and insist upon lawfulness by insisting that people are held accountable and pay their debt or recompense to society, a society stands strong against the chaos of freedom left unchecked and unbalanced! And this standard must be set from the top down at a universal Federal level all the way down to our communities and households! Each and every single one of us must be a responsible participant and each one of us must be accountable for our choices. Only those who are unable to self-regulate and self-discipline, such as children prior to maturity, are excusable for not exercising self-control. Such freedom as is inherent in us is hard to restore once bound and restricted! And if we lose our freedom here, God help us and the world!

Waiting While Waiting . .

16 Thursday Jun 2016

Posted by Cheryl Ries in Attitude, Choices, Discipline, Lessons, Patience, Self-Control, Strength

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Maturity, Patience, Waiting

Waiting is often the hardest thing to do! As Tom Petty has warbled in the song, The Waiting: “The waiting is the hardest part . . Every day you see one more card . . You take it on faith, you take it to the heart . . The waiting is the hardest part . . “. We’re usually waiting for promises to be kept, waiting for dreams to come to fruition, waiting for word, waiting for action, waiting for life to reach a desirable state so that we might act, or waiting to hear some news! All the ways we wait remind us to be patient, enduring and persistent. We may have no choice but to wait, we may realize we have plenty of ways to take baby steps in the direction towards that which we await. We may just have to call upon our inner stores of strength and summon every ounce of faith and patience we have, but we shall wait over and over! And for those things worthy of waiting, the wait must prove worthy in return!

Expect what you may, endeavor what you might, make patient your rest when that is what you must, but in all regards know that the waiting itself brings us the gift of strength and stamina by just occurring! We build our inner selves in great part working towards and waiting for things, events, goals, and developments. We mature a lot by waiting while we keep on going! Know that whatever you faithfully await in life today, it comes only by way of your patient resolve and persistent fortitude, enduring until you no longer need wait. And then the cycle repeats, in some new way, in regards to some other matter, but such is life! In fact, often the cycle of waiting for things overlaps other matters in which we are doing the same thing – waiting some outcome, development or desired conclusion.

Just because of how often and how much we wait in life, learning to self-discipline and self-control our emotions, reactions, and perceived endurance might come in handy! Develop fully the fruit of your Spirit that is patience, for it gives you the sustenance you need when you are waiting!

A More Expansive Sense of Gratitude . .

02 Thursday Jun 2016

Posted by Cheryl Ries in Blessings, Celebration, Choices, Contentment, Faith, God, Gratitude, Hope, Positivity

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Blessings, Contentment, Gratitude

Each day, I try to think of ways and things in which I am so grateful, blessings I acknowledge usually at the start or end of my day. But the other day, I was so overwhelmed within with the sensation of how rich my life has been overall! It was a definitive sense unlike any I remember having had before! It seemed as though the Spirit within me was lifting me to a place of gratitude the likes of which I hadn’t known prior! It was a flood of sensation, with a highlight reel of my life passing through my mind simultaneously with the reflections I was having. In my heart and mind, I could take and comprise all that I had once enumerated singularly into something greater, bigger and more expansive. I could take my gratitude and place it upon my life in its entirety. I believe God was reminding me through the Spirit’s leading to stand strong in hope, faith and to remain contented, as He had provided so much for me throughout my life. My life in total reflects more than I often even remembered and my life’s value is more esteemable than those daily lists might reflect! Instead of having my daily list of things in which to be grateful to use as a means of silencing the fears, doubts, worries and consuming, disturbing emotions which stir within me during these unsettling days here on planet Earth, God was giving me (through the Spirit within me) a fuller, bigger and more expansive sense of gratitude to stand firm and strong anew each day!

I’ve always been loved, cared for, fed, clothed, housed, educated, and have had many opportunities to travel, explore and adventure in this life. I was born in the USA, which in itself, is a blessing for our commitment to human rights and freedom, as well as the richness of our nation. I’ve had so much joy and overcome so many things which surely could have been much worse, but for the grace of God. I have great parents (one surviving), siblings and grandparents (though all have passed). My family was always nurturing and full of love. I have lifelong friends who are like family. I have eyes, ears and a heart which sees the beauty of life around me each new day. I was given the gift of not shying from hard, physical work, which had taught me a lot about myself and my own abilities. And I have a desire to learn in spite of any fears, doubts, and worries which might stop me from trying. I persevere. And none of this is my doing! It has all been because of God’s grace, mercy and for His purposes. My role as a created being is to live according to His plans and purposes, a role I have learned to accept and in which I am content.

If you ask God to reveal His wonder in you, in others, in the world, He will! If you wonder about your own life, pray for Him to fill you with all the reminders and recollections of how He has cared for you and loved you through others and throughout your life! I’m so grateful for the richness of my life and all my blessings through His grace! Have I had it all? No. Do I have everything I would have wanted? No. But I have so much, have had so much, and am so full of gratitude, I don’t have a need to count or enumerate those things I might be missing! Let me always remain in this state, through the grace of the Lord, by the Spirit within me.

Motherhood . .

08 Sunday May 2016

Posted by Cheryl Ries in Blessings, Celebration, Family, Maturity

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Blessings, Love, Mother's Day

A mother’s love, guidance, compassion and caring heart are truly treasures to those who depend on them for life, safety, instruction, modeling and survival. Her role is to bring life to the world, to carry within her the next generation, and to nurture that life in body and soul for as long as she is able. Those who commit to such a role with a fullness of heart are truly not only life-givers but life-sustainers as well!

purposefully and with awareness. It might be taken on by others by choice or out of necessity, but life itself cannot be sustained without women who participate in the reproductive plans God made of first enlisting the female body, heart, and soul. A mother’s role is to be held in high regard and esteemed, for her place in God’s majestic plan requires unselfishness and sacrifice on her part and willful participation in something much greater than herself. Her impact in the world is enduring and necessary for generations to thrive and prosper. Without the participation of women, life ceases! And the Bible is full of Scripture which serves to remind us of how invaluable women are to creation itself!

God bless mothers today and everyday for they bring each generation to life! God bless our dear moms today, for doing what they must when they must and for the love they’ve shared along the way! God bless my mom for doing her best and for loving each of us unconditionally, taking on the role of a mother as God surely designed it for His purposes and plans, with sacrifice and commitment instilled within her heart! A mother’s love echoes for generations in the living, breathing, and loving souls who walk this earth!

Revised Expectations . .

27 Wednesday Apr 2016

Posted by Cheryl Ries in Attitude, Blessings, Choices, Contentment, Positivity

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Attitude, Blessings, Contentment

Often when we’re expecting something to be one way, we’re surprised to discover it come to pass in another way! Last Thursday, we went out on a whale-watching boat from Oxnard in hopes of spotting whales with their calves in their migratory progression to the cooler waters to the North. We were out on seas made choppier by winds which were increasing in intensity for about two or so hours, leaving unsuccessfully without seeing a thing! The captain determined that it would not be wise to venture closer to the Channel Islands, as the waves out in deeper water were even worse! We didn’t even see a dolphin and just a day before they had estimated thousands of them were seen in the area. The abbreviated trip was a bit disappointing to us all, but the ship’s captain gave each of us a full-fare voucher for another boat ride, to use whenever we are able.

One hour later, as we sat beach-side at our table in Malibu, we spotted whales within just feet of us, traveling with their calves where the waves broke on the beach. From the distance of our table, we could see about ten passing in procession, spouting, and breaching as they traveled. Everyone in the restaurant left their tables to watch the procession with great interest through the large windows. Now we surely felt rewarded for the day’s efforts to find such majestic creatures as the Humpback whales casually passing by while we were eating our delicious lunch with such breathtaking views!

So in spite of the less than desirable results of our adventures out to sea, we rolled with the results and were rewarded in spades for it! Even when we were out there not spotting whales or dolphins, while several of our fellow passengers got seasick in the choppy seas, we maintained our contentment just for having had such a great experience. Things don’t always go as we plan in life, but if we keep our attitude of gratitude through our revised expectations, we surely can count our blessings more easily than when we don’t!

An Easy Escape . .

18 Monday Apr 2016

Posted by Cheryl Ries in Attitude, Choices, Contentment, Escape, Gratitude, Happiness, Joy, Peace

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Contentment, Joy, Peace of Mind, Rest

When we feel the pressures, stresses and fears of life pushing inward upon our souls as well as our spirits, we have only to seek out nature and a quiet calm surrender within it. When we don’t feed our spirits or our souls with the nutrients of life – the beauty and tranquility into which we can easily escape even for a moment – we deny ourselves an idyllic meditative and prayerful place. Yes, you may encounter imperfections in nature . . you may find yourself in a sneezing fit from flowers that are blooming, or you may find a critter scampering near you that startles you a bit, or you might feel vulnerable just from the sheer quiet. But in truth, I find nature no more or less threatening than the city streets clamoring with traffic and noise.

I escape to the quiet surrender of mountains, streams, deserts, ocean vistas, and meadows. I find such great delight in the quiet of a forest, the gentle lapping of a stream against rocks, the wind caressing the petals of wildflowers in a faraway meadow, the desert filled with cacti unique and surreal. These are the places we have near. For myself, I also have made an effort to surround the house in which I live with those same things . . variations in height for interest, trees to provide shade and shelter for wildlife, the greenery of all variations and types for a never-ending blending of leaves, colors and textures, cacti of all sorts, as well as plentiful flowers to bring scent and beauty with each new bloom. I also have added features with the sounds of water moving and a bird bath to attract nature’s visitors during all times of the year. My goal is to make my yard not only a sanctuary for many of nature’s creatures, but for anyone who is here! I still enjoy greatly my trips to surrounding mountains, streams, lakes, meadows, and wilderness, but at least I have some place to easily escape here too.

It’s amazing to me, how even just a block from a major street, life can seem completely tranquil amidst the beauty of nature all around me! I would suggest to everyone who struggles with the stresses of life to create for themselves, even in a small space, a tranquil retreat, a quiet spot to just be . . for nature is an abundant resource for our pleasure! And escape to nature often too . . it awaits you somewhere not too far away! There you will find a great place to calm your nerves, soothe your spirit and to connect with the Creator.

Easter’s Gift . .

27 Sunday Mar 2016

Posted by Cheryl Ries in Celebration, Choices, Christianity, Faith, Life, Wisdom

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Easter, Fruit of the Spirit, Jesus, Resurrection Day

Such a beautiful morning! This Sunday, many in the world are celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus, as He rose from the dead after suffering a most horrific death through crucifixion upon the cross on Calvary. We know that promises God made to His people for redemption and salvation throughout all time were fulfilled through the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus! And so we shout Hallelujah, we sing songs of praise and worship, we join with family and friends in church services and special activities. For me, it is the best time of year, as I am so overwhelmingly filled with the sense of love, promise, hope and faith in God’s gift of salvation! I could never earn or merit such a gift of love, but it is mine just because I know and accept that Jesus died on that cross for me! Jesus defeated death and so shall we who believe!

And so this wonderful morning, I am especially saddened to hear about another terrorist attack in Pakistan today, killing over 100 and injuring over 300, mostly women and children who had gathered at a park. This tragedy speaks to the undeniable evil which is consuming so many hearts and minds in this fallen world. It seems to be mutating and spreading, taking so many who perpetuate it into an eternity where nothing is promised but death and constant torment. After all, eternity and life are promised only through the ultimate gift of love, that which was given freely to the world through the sacrifice Jesus made for all of us. His death was the blood sacrifice required to eradicate the burden of sin which is an inevitable part of our human state of being ever since Adam and Eve fell victim to its lure in the Garden of Eden. For all time, for all of us, the overwhelming burden of our sin has been born by that horrible beating, suffering, and ultimately death in an unimaginably painful manner on the cross. God promised such a gift, as our loving Father, because He hopes we all will be with Him for eternity. He never wants to lose a soul, but it will be by sin’s hold on hearts and minds that many will miss eternity with their Father! I cannot imagine such a hell as that, being parted forever from God!

I read today of an Easter Egg hunt in Connecticut which turned into a stampede, by which adults were so driven to have free stuff, that they actually overran children in their pursuit of stuff! Again, I was reminded that Easter does not mean the same thing for everyone as it does for believers. When we lose sight of the real meaning of the day, the real reason for this day – the celebration of the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus – we cannot carry into the day anything but human, selfish, ego-driven and sinful natures! This type of behavior is shocking, as is the terrorism laying waste to our world surely, but it isn’t really hard to understand! It’s the result of people having moved further from God and more comfortable with their sinful nature. It’s the natural consequence of sin taking a stronger hold over hearts and minds which are not desirous of being obedient to God or as full of God’s fruit of the spirit. Those nine fruits are so evident in Jesus during his time walking this earth that we should be inspired to fill our spirits with them as much as we’re able! Jesus provided us the ideal example of God in human form! The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, mentioned in Galatians 5, 22 -23. These fruits evoke the very nature of people endeavoring to be more Christ-like and more Godly. It’s obvious to notice the opposite effects at work in our population . . especially in the two shocking behavioral stories which I read about today and shared here with you! It’s a choice we all make, to know the Lord or to live believing that this is all there is! If this were truly all there is, God help us!

Good Friday Reminders . .

25 Friday Mar 2016

Posted by Cheryl Ries in Blessings, Choices, Christianity, Faithfulness, God, Gratitude, Hope, Inspiration, Peace

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Eternity, Faith, Hope, Love

This morning, I had made a plan to drive to another part of town with my mom to have breakfast and do some shopping. It seemed a great plan for our Good Friday in preparation for Resurrection/Easter Sunday this weekend. We started out fairly early and ran into a delay on the highway. It wasn’t long before we saw the reason why all the lanes of the freeway were back up. Five or six vehicles had apparently collided in some sort of debacle, which had sent them turning, spinning and careening in all directions. One had penetrated the wire fence separating the freeway lanes and granite-covered sloped shoulder from the traffic lanes up to the access road running alongside, another had smashed into the median and turned toward oncoming traffic. The granite from the shoulder had been flung all over the lanes, and the emergency vehicles were still not on site. Obviously, we had just missed the mayhem occurring, and the ensuing chaos of ambulances, tow trucks, police cars and cleanup crews. We proceeded through the mess with caution, along with the other three lanes of traffic, winnowing into two to bypass the strewn-about cars and the people who drove them. It was frightening to witness the scene, surely something shocking and potentially fatal had occurred. It shook us up as we passed cautiously, and it seemed such an auspicious start to the day. I could only say prayers for the people who were awaiting help there on the freeway this Good Friday morning.

And as we made our way to breakfast, we felt contemplative and still a bit unnerved for having witnessed such a mess for all those people involved in that traffic accident. We wondered how all the occupants of those vehicles were and if they had made it through the catastrophic start to their day. On such a beautiful and celebratory morning as this, it surely seemed a tragic start for those drivers and passengers in the five or six vehicles involved. And it reminded us of how fortunate we were today, having just made our way to our destination safely and soundly. It reminded us to be grateful again for our lives and for the moments we have. All blessings for sure! I had already seen sad news before leaving the house in regards to those still missing in Brussels, Belgium after the terrorist bombing there two days ago. I had learned that the two missing siblings, who were on their way home to New York, had been killed. I couldn’t help but feel sad hearing about the loss of two such young victims with all their lives ahead, and for the fact that so many around the world had hoped and prayed for them to be found alive. I know they probably died instantly, as I heard they were right near the bomb as it detonated.

And I realize today has epitomized Good Friday, even with the trauma, danger, loss and sadness for some. Just like that day, even though Jesus was crucified in horrible and excruciating fashion, we know He conquered death and the grave! Even in spite of the chaos and mayhem of this world, the goodness, love, mercy and faithful promises of God are with us always! We needn’t fear death, or whatever comes to our flesh, for His promises have stood the test of time. Prophesied and fulfilled that fateful day over two thousand years ago, Jesus willingly going to his death upon that cross is our constant source of peace, an assurance of God’s abiding love and a way to live with joy in spite of the world we’re now in! All the battles, heartaches, pains and torments we face are fleeting and can never take us from God! For as Jesus overcame this world, the wages of sin and death itself, so will we! All these things which can impact us while we live in the flesh are passing, our eternity is what matters! The ultimate blessing in this life is knowing that God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only begotten Son so that whosoever believeth will not perish but have eternal life! John 3:16

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Author Archives: Cheryl Ries

Roll With the Changes . .

In This Together . .

Freedom or A Prison For All . .

Waiting While Waiting . .

A More Expansive Sense of Gratitude . .

Motherhood . .

Revised Expectations . .

An Easy Escape . .

Easter’s Gift . .

Good Friday Reminders . .