Mary Pierce

Take  a break, listen and laugh along (4 minutes)…

TODAY’S LAUGH: I mentioned to DaMama that Groundhog Day was coming. “What? AGAIN!?” she said, as if it was just Groundhog Day yesterday. I told her about the Bill Murray movie, where he keeps reliving February 2nd in Punxsutawney, PA.

Then, hoping to trigger some fond memories (like the day I was born maybe?), I asked her, “Is there a day you’d like to keep reliving, over and over again?”

“Yes,” she said. “Tomorrow!”

TODAY’S ENCOURAGEMENT: Two questions come to mind: (1) Is there a day in my past that I’d like to live over again?

Maybe reliving those precious baby days of first smiles and wet kisses. Or the day I first met DaHusband. (Mmm. That leather jacket…) Or maybe just one of those October days with an impossibly blue sky and trees afire, when all feels right in this warm and wonderful world.

How about you? What day(s) would you choose? (Comment or send an email and I’ll post for you.)

On the flip side, we all have those days we would NOT want to repeat, don’t we? Life is too short to dwell on those! Forgive yourself and move on.

The second question: (2) How can I make today a day worth reliving?

What makes a day worth living? Not its activities, but the attitude with which I live it.

So for today, I begin with a prayer to trust God for the courage to do right, to be kind, patient, merciful, forgiving, loving, faithful, gentle, joyful, peaceable and self-controlled. And pray that I am granted the grace to relive that,  tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow.

May you be blessed with a day worth living today.

P.S. I’m expecting delivery of 960 clown noses on Wednesday. Can’t wait to see what that looks like!

Listen in to “Say WHO?” Today’s Laugh on radio…

TODAY’S LAUGH: The other morning I woke DaMama up and a few minutes into the morning routine, she looked at me, frowned and said, “I know I know you, but I just don’t know who you are.”

I gave her a hint. “My name is the same as Jesus’ mother.”

DaMama smiled in recognition. “Aha! You’re Mrs. Christ!”

TODAY’S ENCOURAGEMENT: How wonderful to have a moment of laughter in the middle of it all. And I’d have missed that moment if I’d rushed on with the tasks at hand. Life with DaMama keeps me in the moment. (And taking notes, because she gives me great material!)

“Live in the moment” sounds easy. It’s not, with all the noise and clamor of life. So many distractions keep us from being where we are. But we miss a lot that way.

Living in the moment means we shut out everything but what life is offering us, right here, right now.

Wherever you are, be 100% present. While at work, work for all you’re worth. Give 100% to the task at hand. (Make the boss glad she hired you!)

When at home, be 100% present. Give your loved ones all of yourself. Laugh, hug, talk, and enjoy life together. (Make the family glad you showed up!)

Wherever you are, right now, clear the distractions. Forget multi-tasking. Give 100% of your focus and energy to this moment. Right here. Right now.

Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, BE there, with all your heart. 100%.

And in this moment, may you be blessed!

LISTEN AND LAUGH ALONG to Today’s Laugh audio… (What’s YOUR gift?)

TODAY’S LAUGH: I confess. I’m hooked on the American Idol auditions. Look at this guy.

Larry Platt is his name and he’s an internet sensation, enjoying his moment in the spotlight.

TODAY’S ENCOURAGEMENT: Larry’s living proof that you don’t have to wait until you’re polished, professional or perfect to have an impact in this world. You just need a lot of passion and some courage.

Seriously. LOOK at this guy! Larry Platt got out there. He made his statement. He took his shot.

How about you? What’s your dream? What’s holding you back?

Are you listening to that little voice that says you can’t do it–or you shouldn’t do it!–so don’t even try? (Where did that liar come from anyway?)

We all–even the most accomplished among us–hear that little voice. I am grateful that Larry didn’t listen. I’m grateful that Susan Boyle didn’t listen. Grateful that Mozart, Edison, Curie, Bell and the rest didn’t listen to the voices of doubt and discouragement. I’m grateful they took their shots.

Maybe one day somebody will be inspired watching you, listening to your song, reading your words, enjoying your art–whatever it is that comes from your passion and courage–and be grateful that you took your shot.

May you be filled with passion and courage today, and may you be an inspiration–right here, right now–to everyone you meet!

TODAY’S LAUGH: Four-year-old grandson Joey was here the other night for dinner. Spying the bowl of leftover holiday candy, he asked if he could have a piece. I said, “We have to eat dinner first, and then we’ll eat ALL the leftover Christmas candy! How would you like that?” (I thought it was a GREAT idea.)

“No,” Joey said, ‘We should only have two or three pieces so we don’t get a tummy ache.” (There was pity for his foolish grandma in that look he gave me!)

From the mouths of babes…

TODAY’S ENCOURAGEMENT: Joey was right, of course. I just didn’t expect such wisdom from a four-year-old. But thinking about it later, plenty of wisdom has come my way over the years from unexpected sources.

For instance, a stranger made a “random” comment to me in the grocery store one day that changed my outlook on life. Another day, a friend asked a simple question that led me to make huge changes in my life. I’ve been impacted by a “Dear Abby” column, a quote from a favorite author, and people I’ve heard on the radio.

One long-ago evening, I listened to a message left on my voicemail by a “wrong number” that was exactly what I needed to hear at that time. And at a time when I felt lost and hopeless, it wasn’t a preacher but my tough Marine Corps cousin who pointed me back to God.

Timely words. Unexpected sources. Such words have inspired me to forgive, to forget, to move forward, to slow down, to love, to share, and to laugh. And even to eat more sensibly. (Thanks Joey!)

How about you? Who has offered a bit of wisdom, an unexpected “timely word” to you? If you can, let that person know how much their word meant to you.

Maybe today you’ll hear a “timely word” that will lead you toward greater love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, healing, self-control, gratitude or faithfulness. Whatever it is that you need.

And today may you find comfort and courage in the certainty that you –whoever you are, in the middle of whatever it is–you are loved!

You are loved.

LISTEN IN and LAUGH ALONG…

TODAY’S LAUGH: As DaMama ate her dinner the other night I said, “It’s a new year, Mom, and the time people usually give up bad habits and such. Is there anything you want to give up for the new year?”

“Yes,” she said. “This dinner.” I couldn’t blame her; it’d been three nights in a row of leftover turkey, stuffing and gravy. Ugh.

TODAY’S ENCOURAGEMENT: DaMama likes to keep life simple. She lives for today–actually more for the moment.

Following her lead, I’ve decided not to make the usual dozen resolutions I fail to keep past the first week of January. Instead I’m framing my desires for the new year in terms of “less and more.”

Less lazy leftovering, more conscious cooking. Less loafing, more moving. Less procrastination, more action. You get the idea.

What if I spent a minute less today feeling sorry for myself, and spent a minute more encouraging somebody else?

What if I spent a few dollars less this week on my own wants (Do I really NEED MORE stuff?) and donated a few dollars more to others less fortunate?

What if I spent a little less time worrying, “What’s in this for me?” and a little more time figuring out, “How can I bless others in this situation?”

What if I spent less time being afraid and more time trusting God? Less time complaining and more time being thankful.

Perfection I can’t do, but “less and more” I can manage. Every little step is progress in the direction of a better life.

How about you? What “less and more” will you pursue today?

Wishing you a happy, healthy–blessed–New Year!

Listen to some Christmas Encouragement from me to you…

Today’s Laugh: I couldn’t resist “elfing” the family - DaHusband, DaMama, DaDog and me -  just for fun. And I must say, it’s delightful to see DaMama moving like that!

We wish you and yours a blessed and joy-filled holiday season and the happiest New Year ever!

Today’s Encouragement: Here’s a Christmas message I wrote a few years back. Wherever in your life this Christmas finds you, know that you are loved. Merry Christmas!

Feelin’ Scroogey

On a not-too-long-ago Saturday after Thanksgiving, Terry and I wrestled the eight-foot Frasier fir into the house and anchored it in the tree stand. Then Terry brushed the needles from his jeans and headed outside to tackle the outdoor lights—a “guy job” if ever there was one.

“Decorate the tree any way you’d like,” he said as the door closed. A “gal job,” evidently. Bah. Humbug.

I was feelin’ Scroogey.

Decorating the tree with the children had been our annual tradition, accompanied by hot chocolate in special Christmas mugs and the old Sesame Street Christmas album on the record player. (Album? Record player? How old am I?)

We amassed quite a collection of ornaments, adding one each year for each child. And wherever we traveled, we picked up an ornament souvenir. Every ornament had a story.

Year after year I’d told the children those stories, sipped the hot chocolate, and listened to the music. But this year I was decorating solo. This year the nest was empty. And cold. So was my Scroogey heart.

I opened the box of ornaments. The “Katy 1980″ wooden doll ornament looked so much like my daughter back then, right down to the white-blonde string hair.

“Where are you, little stringy-haired girl?” I asked the ornament. Living in the college dorm. Grown up. Gone.

“Humph!” I said as I hung her on the tree.

Next I found the “Betsy 1986″ ballerina ornament, with her toe shoes and tutu. Where was she? Too, too far away. Halfway across the country “finding herself.” Would she ever find herself home again? And where had “Alex 1978″ gone? All grown up and working in another state.

“Bah!” I bawled as I dangled them from the evergreen. I hung up the six white felt star ornaments we’d picked up at a fast food restaurant. That day Terry and I went Christmas shopping with our combined six children–our version of the Brady Bunch. We’d stopped for lunch. The ornaments came with the kiddy meals.

“Kids!” I griped as I stuck them on the tree. “Growing up…just like that!”

I grumbled and mourned my way through the ornament box. Each one made me miss someone or something. I felt more hum-buggy by the minute.

Toward the bottom of the box I found an ornament from a long-ago church Christmas Tea. Each little net bag filled with potpourri and tied with gold cord represented one of God’s gifts to us. The tag on mine read, “Gratitude.”

Humph! I thought. What do I have to be grateful for this year? Left alone in a cold house full of empty echoes of Christmases past. What is the point, Lord?

I looked at the tree. One of several Victorian-style ornaments caught the afternoon sun; its sequins, beads and baubles glinted. These ornaments were survivors from my childhood, given to me year after year by my best friend who was, at that moment, battling cancer. And surviving.

Shining on another branch was a tiny White House ornament Terry and I bought on a trip to Washington a year before his heart surgery. Terry was, at that moment, strong enough to be outside stringing up the lights.

I looked again at those six stars. Our six children were, at that moment, healthy and happy, living life and chasing dreams.

All those years, all those people, all those memories. All those blessings. Our Christmas tree, bearing witness to God’s many gifts to us, and a symbol of His greatest gift—the Christ tree, decorated by God’s Son Himself, for us all.

Jesus, God’s Son—His birth was the point of it all. I took a deep breath. Maybe I did have something to celebrate after all. I began with a whispered prayer.

Thank You, Lord. Thank You, Lord. Thank You, Lord…

////////////////////////////////////////////

P.S. I’ll be back on January 5th with more laughter and encouragement for you. Until then, may you be blessed!

TODAY’S LAUGH: Coming home from a recent speaking trip, I caught my sister-in-law (she and my brother had been staying with DaMama) in the middle of cleaning our house.

“I was worried you’d be offended if I cleaned,” she said. “Are you?”

“Heck no!” I said. “I love the smell of Pinesol–especially when someone else is swinging my mop!”

I told DaMama later, “Imagine that! Jeanette thought I’d be offended if somebody else cleaned my house.”

DaMama said, “Does she know any other jokes?”

TODAY’S ENCOURAGEMENT: There are times in life we simply need to graciously accept help from others. But how hard it can be to admit we can’t do it all. I know. I’ve been a Wonder Woman Wanna-Be in life.

But I’m getting over it. I’m learning–thanks to DaMama’s example–to surrender my pride, my stubborn “I can do it all!” attitude and accept help when I need it.

How about you? Still trying to keep it all together? Why not let it go this week–maybe just a little bit–and accept help from somebody else?

Maybe somebody else can bring part (all!) of the next dinner gathering. Maybe somebody else can do some of your holiday shopping. Maybe somebody else can help with cleaning or decorating for the holidays.

Letting others do for you is a little gift to yourself–and to them! So surrender your Wonder Woman fantasy (especially that metal bra) and let somebody help you this week.  You’ll be glad you did!

P.S. UPDATE on DaMama: I’ve been MIA for a few weeks as we adjust to new schedules for DaMama’s care, and the many new helpers (Bless them!) who’ve been coming and going to provide the increasingly “hands on” care she needs. We’re enjoying these precious days together, and taking life one day at a time, which–(Thank You, Lord!)–is all we get anyhow. And one day at a time is plenty, isn’t it?

Thanks for your patience, your well-wishes, and your prayers. Thank you for blessing my life!

It’s been one of THOSE months.

Family issues, DaMama’s health, and computer breakdowns have me completely derailed. Discombobulated.

I hope to be back on track soon.  Meanwhile, keep smiling, my friend. And be an encouragement to somebody today!

P.S. Prayers for DaMama and her family are greatly appreciated. Thank you!

TODAY’S LAUGH: “I love Thanksgiving,” I told a friend. “We have so many family traditions.”

“I hate Thanksgiving,” she said, “for the same reason. Our Thanksgiving traditions? My father tells my sister she’s too fat. My mother nags my oldest brother about getting married. My other two brothers argue about politics, and my grandma can’t shut up about her religion. Meanwhile my Aunt Thelma drinks too much and yells at my Uncle Hank for smoking in the garage. And somewhere between the turkey, which is always dry and the soggy pumpkin pie,  my parents tell us all what a shame it is we don’t get together more often. HA!”

Desperate to find a bright side, I said, “Well, at least you have some traditions.”

“Yeah. Lucky me,” she said. I think she was being sarcastic.

TODAY’S ENCOURAGEMENT: Okay, so some traditions–especially the stressed-out holiday kind–are not worth passing along. The best traditions are often simple, everyday things.

DaMama bowled on Wednesday nights when I was a kid while DaPapa took my brothers and me out for ice cream and then to the library. It was a tradition, at least for bowling season. With our own children, Friday night was pizza and movie night at home.  Simple things, fondly remembered.

What good traditions do you remember growing up? (Root beer floats on hot summer nights. Jumping in dry leaves. Loving holiday gatherings.)

What wonderful traditions are you establishing with your loved ones? Sometimes the most memorable times are the simplest times. Nothing fancy. Just time together.

And if your family still carries on “bad” traditions–especially around the holidays–maybe this year you can be brave and break the cycle. Maybe this year, you’ll refuse to participate and set yourself free.

I’d love to hear about your traditions, holiday or otherwise. Maybe your story will inspire someone else to start a tradition of their own.

May you be blessed as you remember and as you make new, good memories this week.

Listen and laugh along…

TODAY’S LAUGH: It’s the new math for my life: ten days, four cities, over a thousand audience members. And meanwhile, back at home, thirteen people were in and out of our house taking care of DaMama while I was on the road speaking.

I told her yesterday, “Wow, Mom, this has been a crazy week. Thirteen people in and out, coming and going. Don’t you feel special? It ‘takes a village’ just for you!”

She said, in her usual deadpan, “And the village is called Crazyville.”

TODAY’S ENCOURAGEMENT: Crazyville, indeed! And you know the feeling. It takes a lot of planning to make life work. Thinking, charts, notes, phone calls, anticipating — all are needed for life. All are needed for some of us to just get out the door in the morning.

Planning is the key. Crazy week worked because we planned ahead. We knew what our goal was, and the goal was NOT just to endure it and collapse exhausted at the end.

The goal–the outcome–we really wanted was to be a blessing to those we met along the way, to have DaMama blessed with the TLC she deserves, and to be grateful for all we have–the family, friends, resources and opportunities. (THANK YOU to all who helped us out!)

And now another “crazy” time is coming–the holidays. Advance planning is needed.

As you anticipate holiday gatherings with your “village,” what’s the outcome you really want? (Surely not to collapse exhausted on January 2nd!)

Make your goals to “Be a blessing” and “Be grateful.” Let those outcomes determine what should be on your to-do list.

Planning now will make your holidays less “crazy” and more a time of joy, connection, fulfillment and fun.

Thank you, dear reader, for blessing my life. I’m grateful for you.  Now go be a blessing to someone else today!