Mary Pierce

TODAY’S LAUGH: Picture it. I’m sitting at an outdoor cafe table under a white canvas umbrella. The sky is a perfect deep blue. It’s 85 degrees. Palm trees sway above as I sip fresh pineapple juice and watch the gentle waves of the Pacific roll onto the beach at Waikiki. Ahhh… Paradise.

Then something wet hits my arm. And hits me again. And again.  I look up and see the shadow of a pigeon perched atop the umbrella and it has chosen that moment to, um, “let go.” A lot. Green slime rains down from the umbrella onto my white beach cover-up. It splashes into my drink. The waitress rushes over with a wet towel from the bar. “Oh! You POOR THING! SO MUCH! EWWW!”

I think about that saying, “Sometimes you’re the pigeon…” and I know how the statue feels. As the waitress helps clean up she says, “This is a blessing, you know!”

TODAY’S ENCOURAGEMENT: A blessing? Yes, in Hawaii it’s considered a good thing to be pooped on by a bird. It’s also a blessing, I was told, if it rains on your wedding (and most wedding are outdoors). And it’s even a blessing to step in what the dog leaves behind!

Stuff happens, even in paradise. The Hawaiian attitude got me thinking. Is it possible to make lemonade out of EVERY lemon in life? Is it possible to see something good in EVERY trouble? The answer is yes. It’s a choice we make.

“Hang loose” is the motto in Hawaii. “So what?” is the attitude. So it rains on your wedding. So what? (Marriage is more than the ceremony, isn’t it?) So you get bombed by a bird. So what? (You’re washable, aren’t you?)

Inspired by the Hawaiian way, I’m trying to “hang loose” this week. Join me, won’t you?

Besides the pigeon lesson, I learned the meaning of “aloha.” It’s not just “hello” and “goodbye,” but an expression of love and blessing.

So “Aloha” (love and blessing) to you, friend, and “Mahalo” (thank you) for being a blessing to me.

P.S. We were privileged to stay at a military R&R facility on Waikiki, visit the Pearl Harbor memorial, and meet so many brave military folks. I came across this thought: “A veteran is someone who, at some point in life, wrote a check payable to ‘The United States of America’ with the amount, ‘Up to and including my life.’ “

When you see someone in uniform, realize that you are in the presence of that kind of person. Tell them, “Thank you for your service.” Pray for their safety and for their family. We’re all in this together.

BE SURE TO VOTE ON NOVEMBER 4th. It’s a privilege others fought and died for. Honor their sacrifice. Vote!

P.P.S. More pictures of paradise are posted on my Facebook page.

TODAY’S LAUGH: I heard it on the radio so it must be true: Baking banana bread is a great remedy for today’s economic stresses. I thought, Huzzah! Now I know what to do with those shriveled up black things on my cupboard!  Turns out they were zucchinis. Oops.

TODAY’S ENCOURAGEMENT: The Banana Bread Stress Remedy works on so many levels. Stress saps our potassium; bananas are loaded with the stuff. And the process of following the recipe keeps the mind occupied, so we can’t worry about our retirement funds. The physical action of measuring and stirring makes us feel like we are accomplishing something, in a time when we feel powerless over economic forces.

And the aroma–oh that heavenly aroma–as the bread bakes is soothing to the soul, conjuring up warm memories of better times. And then there’s the moment when you pull your browned masterpiece–Gorgeous! Perfect!–from the oven. Such sublime satisfaction! And the final delight–lopping off a still warm slice and savoring the taste and the texture. Divine. Simply divine.

Ahhh… Admit it. You feel better just thinking about it, don’t you? I sure do. It works that way because baking banana bread is an act of creation, and when we’re creating we’re closer to the One who has everything under control. And that’s the surest remedy for stress there is.

Reduce your stress by creating something this week and sharing it with a friend. Be blessed and be a blessing to somebody else.

Our Favorite Banana Bread

3/4 cup sugar
1-1/2 cups of mashed bananas (3 large)
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 cups of all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chopped nuts (if you wish)
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix it all together. Pour into greased loaf pan (9×5x3 or 8-1/2×4-1/2×2-1/2). Bake at 325 degrees for 60-70 minutes (until it passes the clean toothpick test. Ask your mom if you don’t know what that means.) Let cool 10 minutes, remove from pan. (From the Alpha-Bakery Children’s Cookbook, 1987 from General Mills, Inc.  Make it with some kids and add lots of laughter to the mix to reduce even more stress!)

//////

Next Week: I won’t be posting next week 10/21. DaHusband and I will be in Honolulu for our anniversary. Aloha until the 28th! 

TODAY’S LAUGH: It’s an uber busy morning. You’re running late for work, and your five-year-old comes into the kitchen with bubble gum* in her long hair. And your toddler chooses that morning to decorate the living room carpet with toothpaste. And lipstick. And the cat gets sick in your closet, and you can’t find two clean shoes that match. Eww.

“WHY ME, LORD!?” you scream as you melt down. This too shall pass, you hear in reply. You answer back, loud enough for the neighbors to hear, “DO YA PROMISE?”

TODAY’S ENCOURAGEMENT: You need—we all need—a “rescue plan” in times like this! That phrase is everywhere lately. Are you confused by all the economic stuff? Don’t feel bad. I spent over a decade working in financial services, including Black Monday of 1987 (which was, just so you know, NOT my fault)  and I don’t have a clue what’s going on.

But I do know this: The rescue plan for your own economic concerns and for those crazy life moments is the same and it’s simple: DON’T PANIC.

Panic gets you nowhere. This is not the time to dump the portfolio. Or the cat. Or the kids.

Don’t panic. Take a deep breath. Count to ten. Pray for wisdom. Pray for strength. Pray for peace. “This too shall pass” IS a promise.

Don’t panic. Count your blessings. How different life would be if we spent as much time counting our blessings as we do thinking about our troubles.

Just for today, for this moment, don’t panic. Breathe…breathe…breathe…

Now go encourage somebody else to breathe today.

//////////
P.S. Sorry I missed posting last week. Driving a thousand miles in five days wiped me out. Taking my own advice, I took a few days off to breathe and recharge. I missed you and I’m glad to be back.

P.P.S. Stay tuned for info about the Holiday Giveaways coming in November.

*True story. Check out “The Worst of Mornings” in Confessions of a Prayer Wimp.