Author Archives: Cheryl Ries

Put Your Heart Into It!

05 Wednesday Aug 2015

Posted by in Attitude, Choices, Discipline, Dreams, Happiness, Inspiration, Joy

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When the heart isn’t into something, it shows! When was the last time you slogged through the day, bereft of any joy and contentment because you had to do something you didn’t want to do or be somewhere you didn’t want to be? Perhaps the last time was yesterday or even earlier today. Perhaps it seems like all the time now!   c0dc4a24f9217c7a154769742cd8b19d

It’s our challenge to not let days, then weeks and entire lifetimes go by with such attitudes. Our heart is the source of our passion. An idea, a belief or a dream may seed first in our thoughts, but the birthplace of our inspiration and our instigation for achieving things is always in our hearts! We don’t get inspired by logical processes or plans laid out methodically in our brains. We get inspired by a light in our soul burning brightly and constantly in our hearts once we begin to nurture that seed. It is what fuels our energy to overcome the doldrums and the blues we may feel as we pursue our dreams and live our lives. If we fail to stoke the fire, the very furnace of our soul’s energy, we will become nothing more than the walking dead. And so it matters to put your heart into most everything you do and to take that enthusiasm and passion with you most everywhere you go!  dis

If you shut out the very source of your passion from your life by focusing on the negative of it all, you are choosing to shut out the ultimate source of your happiness and contentment! Yes it is difficult to carry your passions afire, to keep your heart in things which don’t seem to really be all that exciting or enjoyable. Many things in life just aren’t all that enjoyable or exciting. Our daily lives are filled with things which fall under the classification of boring, dull, monotonous and downright objectionable as a result of their routine nature. But onward we must go and through it all we must persist. If it is all leading us to a destination which promises something much greater, bigger, more rewarding and more pleasurable, then why wouldn’t we? All too often we let the endeavor dictate to us our level of enthusiasm and passion. But we should be taking our enthusiasm and passion with us into our endeavors at a level which honors our hope for the result! Discipline is the price we are willing to pay now for the reward which is coming later! And with our hearts afire, our passions burning, our inspiration keenly focused on some point ahead, we can with discipline and determination choose to make even the most tedious, boring, routine and objectionable parts of life matter!  Signature02

Gauging the Temperature . .

30 Thursday Jul 2015

Posted by in Attitude, Character, Discipline, Humility, Maturity, Offense, Pride, Self-Control, Wisdom

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A quick mind is not always a blessing, in that the mouth has often spoken before the soul has had time to gauge the temperature of the message. It’s not just for the sake of others that we should learn to use constraint in our thoughts, words and deeds. We have a lot to gain from self-control and discipline, especially when it comes to the emotional reactions we have or might have while our buttons are being pushed! Often times, we react before we have had time to assess the value, venom or vile in our own words! And our words can be even more harmful within us than they are powerful or life-altering to others.  a-quote-it-up-9

It’s not entirely unacceptable or ill-advised to criticize, to reproach or to correct others in their behaviors and speech; but when we do, we expose ourselves to all of that in return, all while exposing at heart our motive in doing so. Unless we are doing so to help the other person, to rectify a misjudgment or to correct the circumstances within a particular situation, we’re possibly lashing out just to be right. And that is often not as advisable a seat from which to launch an attack on someone! We all have our right to opinion, belief and freedom of expression. So when another shares an opinion in which we have a momentary negative reaction, perhaps it provokes in us some anger, then we owe it to all concerned to examine why we feel as we do. Perhaps we’ve jumped to our reaction. Maybe we’re not open to a new point of view. And just maybe it is something we know for a fact is wrong or ill-advised. The best response is always a thoughtful one! If we know there is a price within us for our words, thoughts, deeds and the way we behave towards others, then we will temper and measure from within first. We should share with others our opinions, beliefs and thoughts. We should act in accordance with those. But we shouldn’t assume that our way is the only way, that we are always right or that it is up to us to change others to suit us!   Be-selective-in-your-battles

Too many people nowadays react and respond without thinking through the cost of such a step to those involved and more importantly even, to themselves. We must learn to mature in our ability to control our emotions, such that when we feel the need to react, we are first able to control and discipline ourselves enough to examine our own reaction prior to responding. Maturity is not about having the need to be right all the time or the requirement to vindicate one’s own beliefs, thoughts, words or actions. Maturity requires a more disciplined and controlled approach to life; it requires going beyond the seconds involved in a reaction and response, to consider what might happen next. Maturity looks ahead at the cost of reactions and responses, it weighs the virtue or detriment to every thought, word and deed. It measures the soul’s weight before and after an emotion, considering the potential for baggage which comes from reacting in error! Maturity teaches us the invaluable lesson of responsibility, consequence and lightening our soul’s load. Maturity within gives us confidence and supports our self-esteem, so that we don’t have to prove our ego’s cries for vindication, rightness or acclaim! And when we learn those lessons, we are more civil in society; we aren’t as concerned with our ego’s own need to be right, we’re less fragile and insecure, we’ve less need to put others down for the sake of building ourselves up. We truly are more tolerant and accepting, no matter the opinions, words, beliefs, thoughts and deeds of others! Inner peace is the badge of honor we get to possess when we master a level of maturity which self-controls and self-disciplines emotions, reactions, and responses.

A Life Honored . . Anew Each Day!

08 Wednesday Jul 2015

Posted by in Attitude, Choices, Contentment, Family, Fullness, God, Life, Love

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Yesterday I had to have something precious cut down and removed because it was no longer viable or thriving, but rather dying by degree. It was hard to part with the Purple-Leaf Plum tree I first planted out back right after my dad passed, nearly a quarter century ago, in his honor. He adored nature; and it was the closest tree I could find in Phoenix back then to the brilliant hues of Red Maples which he adored! oshimoto_e45_018

I must admit, I got a bit sad thinking of the tree being cut down after all this time, and then again seeing it piled up in freshly cut pieces. I had to accept its slow demise over the last few months just to get to this point where I could even consider having it cut down! It surely seemed to be the right time to remove this beautiful specimen, which once was so glorious and colorful; but it surely wasn’t easy to accept it, lying there in pieces! At some point in my observation of the tree’s remnants, my emotions shifted from sadness to a stable contentment; there was a shift in mind and mood, in realizing there was so much more than just this one failed tree of honor connecting me with my dad’s passion for nature!   bible-verses

I realized that all of my life I’ve sought the refuge and peace of nature, enjoyed the wilderness and appreciated the beauty in almost every plant because of my dad’s influences and preferences! He shared his heart and soul’s passion for growing plants, gardening, landscaping, exploring the wilderness and seeing all the beauty found in God’s majestic natural designs with me; so I now have that same appreciation in my soul by which to honor his life’s legacy every day! God blessed us all with hearts, minds and senses by which we may appreciate the wondrous natural world around us; and I surely witnessed that in my dad’s life by example! And in the place of that beloved tree, I will create an edible garden around an old wooden picnic table I inherited just yesterday from a dear family friend. Everything continues in its seasons, for its reasons and for God’s purposes!  Signature02

My Joy Is Not Conditional . .

06 Monday Jul 2015

Posted by in Attitude, Choices, Contentment, Faith, Joy, Positivity

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It feels great to consider the possibilities of a new day joyful, even though there are many unexpected moments and uncertainties ahead. My joy is not conditional. It won’t come or go, untethered, as if adrift in some wind’s changeable currents. Joy is a state of being, a decision of one’s soul and spirit. It is not really changeable, unless the soul or spirit renounces it in favor of unease, negativity, misery and inner unrest. bible-quote

Joy comes from living contentedly, at peace and in faithful rest by purposeful choice in God and His will. Joy isn’t the same as momentary happiness, it goes so much deeper than that! Real joy dwells within the emotions and temperament of a determined and disciplined soul; and thus is tied to the self-control of emotions and the attitudes consistent within. No outer influence can take your joy, unless and until you cede your joy from within as a result. Things happen which take our happiness for a time and even bring us great sadness; but joy is a rebounding state within, whereby the soul refuses to don the gown of misery, negativity, faithlessness or hardness forever as a result.  bible-verses-4

Joy is the soul’s chosen acceptance of life’s bounty, beauty and blessings, in spite of moments of unhappiness and periods of great sadness! Being joyful is to keep one’s heart focused on the very blessings of life and the promises of God with faith, hope and a sense of calm; concentrating on what is positive and uplifting rather than to hold onto what saddens, breaks or strips from us our hope. Joy belongs to the over-comer; who with faithful expectancy and hope, sees each new day as a priceless gift regardless what is looming, what actually happens or what may yet come! Consider this new day joyful, for that is your choice!  Signature02

Some Will Never Grasp . .

02 Thursday Jul 2015

Posted by in Choices, Contentment, God, Hope, Joy, Peace, Positivity, Uncategorized

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Some will never grasp how much beauty and joy there is in life. They’ve made up their minds that because they don’t live in a bigger house or have all they want or make more money or realize all their dreams or . . well, they just find endless ways or one reason to write all their life off as failed, terrible, rejected, horrible, miserable or worthless. No matter the beauty around them, the love of others, the gift of one more day or the bounty of life’s miracles played out each second, they’ve decided to view all of life as negative. Perhaps they’ve endured tremendous things which took their joy. But in letting their joy lapse every day since, they’ve given their power over to others or to situations or to circumstances which negate their contentment, joy and peace of mind for the rest of their life! If I tried to convince them that there were blessings all around them, joy in precious moments, gifts of time and breath, or a bounty of life they’ve chosen to waste, they simply would not believe me easily or readily. They’ve made up their mind, this life sucks!    96022541

Unfortunately, they would miss seeing the examples of others whom I have witnessed. Perhaps they have not taken notice of those souls, pressed with possible peril or up against unbelievable odds themselves, who are determined to be joyful in spite! Possibly they refuse to notice for themselves the very nature of life’s daily persistence; how it pulls us into each new moment we’re given whether we like it or not! How I pray daily that every soul could experience such a sense and awareness of life’s preciousness and meaning; as well as the very worth of each person, every creature, each bounty of abundance or the infinite blessings in every single day. Unfortunately, some people have made up their minds that this life wasn’t bountiful enough. Sadly, they’ve chosen to believe nothing is a real blessing, not even their own beating heart. Tragically, they don’t respect or value their own infinite worth, much less believing that about others. All of their life is lumped into the negative overall mindset they have created for themselves or experienced. Maybe it takes God’s hands and His will upon our lives to realize our own failings in that regard; for that would be my explanation as to why I see everything as I do. It would be my response as to why I refuse to give into life’s overwhelming negativity and the daily chaos which threatens my peace of mind and my positive spirit.  I am not sure even then that some souls will ever understand the true value, meaning and purpose for their lives, if they refuse to let God be a part of theirs. I only know that without an understanding as to what love truly is, from Whom it comes, people feel dejected, adrift and lost more often than not. Life becomes increasingly meaningless when there is nothing of meaning to enrich it. God is my tether in calms seas and storms! He gives my life its meaning! 306528_10150979705179939_409182314_n

Without sensing a purpose greater than themselves for being, life itself must seem tragic, cruel, hopeless, fatiguing or brutal at times. God gives my life such infinite sense of worth, purpose, hope and love; like a big safety net around my soul, He gives me beauty for my chaos, a will to not cave in and a hopeful desire in His promises to faithfully expect what awaits me beyond this breaking world. Some may think me foolish for believing as I do; but if they believe THIS is all there is to life, only the chaos and madness of this world, I would believe them the fools! Comparing and contrasting the mayhem, failings and futility of humanity to the promises of God is always going to leave humanity lacking. And so we have a glaring perspective on what is happening in the world right now. Humanity is failing more and more the further it extricates itself from God! Souls are perishing in the futile void created by human will without hope, faith and an understanding of their value in life or God’s will for their lives. A life with God is not going to be trouble-free or seem idyllic. In fact, there will be challenges as a believer which often can make things seem harder! But His love, promises and the hope which He instills offsets the challenges, difficulties, trials and failures; washing over the faithful, restoring and renewing their souls and spirits. How sad for those who miss the chance to have contentment, joy and peace of mind in this life as well; in knowing God and His love!  Signature02

Cleanup, Maintenance and Restoration . .

30 Tuesday Jun 2015

Posted by in Attitude, Choices, Contentment, Discipline, Joy, Maturity

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A little rain, a lot of rumbling . . after last week’s monsoon, the one last night seemed a wee bit gentler and efficient. It was just progressively darkening skies, which promised rain and finally delivered with thunderous claps; there were no huge dust storms carried in by disturbing wind gusts. No more tree branches came down and not much debris was scattered.  I hope it washed away some of the remaining mess from the last storm last week, which just blew a lot of stuff into new places!  article-2011713-0CE2031700000578-751_964x626

Earlier yesterday afternoon I had warned my friend Joe, while he cleaned my pool, that there were storms hovering nearby. He looked all around the sky for proof, not really all that convinced. In jest he told me that once he cleans all the pools for that particular day in Summertime, during our monsoon season, he goes home and shuts the windows and shades in his house to effectively shut out the fact that a storm might come and eradicate all that day’s hard work out in the heat and humidity! It would have been hard to silence last night’s storms in that way, booming with such resonance! I hope he was successful though. I’m sure that it is frustrating to have cleaned all those pools yesterday, only to have a storm roll through and mess them up anew.  1394793942827

But isn’t that life’s real conundrum for us all in some way . . our real lack of control as mere mortal human beings in setting circumstances and keeping them just as we want them, neatly, tidily and ideally?? Each day we take what comes, giving everything our best for that day in hopeful planning, reaction and response. We must loosen or release our hold and our sense of control on most everything but our emotions; and faithfully, we must learn to wait to see what comes next in life. Rarely do things go entirely as we had planned or envisioned in our minds eye. Clean up, maintenance and restoration is not just left to those who clean pools in Phoenix during monsoon season. It’s just a part of life we must all come to expect and to tolerate! Most of the time, because we can only control what comes from within us . . . we must learn how to adapt, to alter and to amend our plans when life doesn’t play out as we planned. If we want to enjoy our lives overall, we must not let the unexpected and unplanned stuff which happens that is out of our control overwhelm us or impact us for too long. We must resolve ourselves to cleanup, maintenance and restoration each new day.  Signature02

Appreciation Must Not Wait . .

24 Wednesday Jun 2015

Posted by in Attitude, Choices, Contentment, Gratitude

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Appreciation must not wait until we have all we want or everything we think we need. To appreciate life means we start by assessing what we’ve already got or already have had as having value, knowing that even our breath and heart beating this day is reason for our gratitude. Often we become so empowered by our desires and wants that we forget to be thankful and content in all that in which we’ve already been blessed!   1240126_703685716311915_1942277022_n

Every day of life, every friend who walked beside us, every supportive and loving family member, every day of sunshine, each day of rain, every beautiful flower we beheld and each phenomenon we treasured, every mile we journeyed and every adventure we made it through safely, every day of good health and every thing we’ve overcome, every passage and every milestone, every significant matter and all achievements, every gift and each staple of our daily provision . . each and every second of every day of all of our lives we’ve been given something in which to appreciate life and to celebrate with gratitude! If only we would look at the sum of our lives, not measuring it by only what we’ve lost or never had. If only we would see the sum of great treasure which we inherited at birth, were given over time, met as dear souls, came upon as gifts to us, or have already earned by our labor and efforts. So many people are caught in what they’ve not gotten, that they forget to appreciate fully all that they’ve had. Many are mourning what they had and lost, not realizing all they still have left around them. Many never know to be thankful for their abundance even though by comparison, they would surely be assessed as more than blessed; they might even covet others for what seems enviable in their lives! And many never know to see even their own breath and heartbeat as valuable; for in each breath and in every beating heart lies the seed of life’s potential and plentiful reasons for gratitude.   246170384_5PTKhJj9_c

It’s so easy to forget all that life has placed within our reach, focusing on all that we’ve yet to grasp. And it’s even easier to proclaim our lives as worthless, unproductive or valueless when we measure our joy or success in terms of what we’ve lost or never gained, or in comparison to what others have. With appreciation, with gratitude, all of life starts to take on value; we realize all in which we’ve been blessed, even what we once might have taken for granted . . our breath and our beating hearts, our being alive! When we view our own lives through the eyes of gratitude and appreciation, we no longer put all of our focus on things which deplete us of our overall joy, contentment and peace of mind. Signature02

Freedom’s Flag . .

14 Sunday Jun 2015

Posted by in Attitude, Celebration, Freedom, God, Gratitude, Pride

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What an honor it is to see that banner flying high and proud! I look for it when I take the drive along the I-10 West, there at Vicksburg Rd; it stands out majestically over all the vast and empty spaces, flying for all to see. I partake of its grand beauty when driving one of my favorite shortcuts home near the Kierland area; it flies so obviously in front of an office building there by the fountain. There are two of them flying on a corner nearby my neighborhood. I look for our flag, happy and joyously spotting them wherever they are and whenever I notice them! And I am happy to say, our flag can bring tears to my eyes for its history and its majesty; I get emotional and well up with pride for what it means, especially when I consider the options and all the possibilities were it not to fly and were it not flying for freedom’s sake all around the world.  american_flag_cross_z5mi

I suppose there are many who don’t see it that way; they would no sooner shed a tear in its honor than they would seek it out with hopeful eyes. But I cannot worry about those who don’t grasp all for which it stands; and I surely cannot grasp their lack of appreciation for the many generations of freedom over which it has flown. I merely know in my own heart and mind why Old Glory flies for the sake of this nation! It surely indicates our national acreage, land and properties, but it also flies as testimony to our hope for freedom at its very core – within the human heart, mind and soul!   vintage-flag-day-3

There would be no freedom in the world right this minute if not for this nation, the USA, standing watch over such an aspiration as freedom for nearly 240 years now! May God keep us centered in our focus on freedom’s preservation, knowing it is the goal of every human to walk in freedom’s light by His Divine hand of creation! May we treat our majestic flag with honor and reverence because it stands for freedom! It reflects the hope of all humanity to live in freedom both here and around the world! And it reminds us of all those who gave everything in service to this nation, in upholding freedom’s priceless call upon the human heart! God bless this nation on Flag Day, 2015!   Signature02

Walking By Faith . .

04 Thursday Jun 2015

Posted by in Choices, Christianity, Faith, God, Life

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If you want to dismiss all things Biblical as imaginary and implausible, then you have to eradicate the history of a lot of actual people referenced in the Bible and in history books as well. And although you may not have personally seen those people because they existed generations prior to our lifetime now, you cannot just automatically dismiss their reality simply because they were “invisible” to you, by way of time and generations passing! If that were the standard, every person who was deemed a historical figure, but no longer lives now in this time frame, would also be considered imaginary . . . wouldn’t they?   images (3)

Perhaps many of our own distant relatives would fall into that category, as we in the present time just cannot prove by eye-witness testimony that they existed! Oh wait . . we can. We have life, we have generations of people who succeeded by birth from those who are no longer here. And in those generations, we have recorded factual history passed down from others throughout time, referring and citing the presence of those whom we still speak of or read about today. So why are some deemed imaginary now, while others are not?? Why is it so easy to doubt the stories of the Bible, though Christ walked among us, having life and living with people? Why do we doubt the writers of the various books of the Bible, whom over many years chronicled their eye-witnessed testimonies, their personal accounts of interactions with actual living souls and their very own prophetic experiences?? Why is it easy to dismiss a history-filled book and the very Subject which fills its pages? quote-god-ceases-to-be-god-only-for-those-who-can-admit-the-possibility-of-his-non-existence-and-that-giacomo-casanova-33212

Oh the very ease at which some dismiss God’s presence and the manner by which Jesus was not only prophesied for centuries, but came to dwell and to die for all of us. The terminology I hear used most often these days when unbelievers refer to God is “puppet master in the sky”. Is that what someone or some group is teaching them? It is so commonly used as a reference, I wonder if those same people then commonly label others they never knew or witnessed in their lives as imaginary? Because they cannot see God, He is surely imaginary to all of those of us who do! I suppose all the great explorers and historical figures have been demoted to imaginary as well then? We didn’t see them either, did we?! Was there really anyone brave enough to set upon the yet navigated seas to deem the world round not flat? Or was that just imagined? Was there anyone daring enough to build cities in the desert, pyramids of stone deemed impossible by that period of time due to a lack of engineering equipment and tools? Perhaps those are imagined too.  Quotation-Voltaire-existence-god-Meetville-Quotes-71940

So much of what we accept now is truly just as random in its plausibility as is the existence of God, if we use our own eye-witness experience to render it viable or believable! I personally don’t need to have seen everyone I have heard about in this life to believe they exist, so I am able to believe by faith that Someone greater than us all exists as well! But only time will prove that to those resolute in their doubt or denial . . I look at every thing and every being around me and see God’s hand of creation. I’m not sure how I came to be so positive of His existence, much less so sure of things written in the Bible, but I am. And I am just as sure about God in His eternal majesty, as well as Jesus and other Biblical figures in their human states, as I am that various other notable human beings walked this earth at particular times to provide for us in this generation not only life but progress in that life! God’s existence is never something I doubt now as I’ve learned to have a meaningful relationship with Him through Jesus Christ. In that, I have received the Holy Spirit within me and now I am growing spiritually in ways I never imagined! I see many things by faith with eyes blinded to things of this world. And I’m happily and contentedly looking forward to my life to come! I guess when it comes down to it, I don’t mind being God’s beloved child, even if that makes me seem a puppet in another person’s eyes!Signature02

Rolling With the Changes . .

02 Tuesday Jun 2015

Posted by in Attitude, Change, Choices, Conquering Fear, Contentment, Courage, Growing, Joy, Lessons

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I’m rolling with the changes . . otherwise the brakes of resistance I try to apply wear out from fighting against the natural state of things. Life is ever-changing and though we might believe ourselves easily rocked by all the change we experience, we are only able to truly grow and develop when we’re forced out of our comfort zones. Change is life!  Persistence-and-Determination

We begin as babies incapable of fending for ourselves or appraising our own course; were we not to change, we wouldn’t even understand that we had life! So why does it often become harder to accept all the change of life by the middle or perceived end? I suppose it is our awareness having awakened us to the realities of life’s abruptness and unfiltered truths. Life can seem so hard once we understand loss, brevity, failure, fear, doubt, worry, anxiety, lack, need, and all the emotions which push upon our souls. But at the same time, life is supposed to have prepared us each step of the way for exactly what comes next, known or unknown. We should know by now that we’re not invincible, infallible and that our time is not infinite here on earth; but we should also believe ourselves successful at having made it this far!  Socrates-Quote-on-Change

We’ve learned, grown, developed, overcome, strengthened our minds, bodies and spirits for the journey yet to come! Why then be reticent when changes happen? Without change there can be no actual growth or development in us or around us, in which we might take great pleasure in having mastered another life skill or challenge! Life wouldn’t be much at all were we to remain as we once were. If we keep applying the brakes to our life as it changes around us – hiding or diverting from the changes we fear, dread or imagine – we risk stalling, crashing or disabling our own lives in the process. In the end, life is really the sum of all that we met and overcame in pursuit of some level of contentment, inner peace and joy within our souls! We should welcome the changes as new tests and testimonies for having stood tall and strong in this life!  

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