Dad

The Beginning - On March 15, 2021, I texted this to my four daughters. "Mom suggested that I send a word of Dad's Wisdom to you each day and I thought it was a great idea so today is the first installment of the DDWOW (Dad's Daily Words of Wisdom)....and it's continuing.

DDWOW #280 - Do the work I heard a saying today that went like this - When you ask God to move a mountain, be prepared to wake up next to a shovel. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” - Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT Most of the time when we ask God for something, it doesn’t magically happen. Usually, God provides a path or opens doors. Sometimes He even closes doors. Miracles do happen but most of the time, we still have to do the work. I love you, Dad #ddwow #work #justdoit #doors

DDWOW #279 - Change There is nothing so stable as change. - Bob Dylan No matter how stable you try to make your life, you will never escape change because change is one of the certainties of life. We can't escape it! So what can we do? How we feel about change is a result of how we deal with change and how we deal with change is directed by how we feel about change. If you look at change as a challenge that makes life more interesting, then change can be a great thing. If you dread it, then change will always be a problem. Let change come and look at it as a way to grow. I love you, Dad #ddwow #change #attitude #challengealicanteinterior24

DDWOW #278 - Money and happiness Money and success don't change people; they merely amplify what is already there. - Will Smith A persons character isn't made better or worse by money. The person you see without money or success will be the same person with money and success. Money or success is just a vehicle to be the person we already are. I know you will all be successful. Focus on being the best person you can be now, so when you are successful in your career or in life, you will shine. I love you, Dad #ddwow #money #happiness #success

DDWOW #277 - Do you see miracles? Jon Bon Jovi said, "Miracles happen every day. Change your perception of what a miracle is and you'll see them all around you." We live in an amazing world. Heck - our bodies are miracles of life. Have you ever thought about the complexity of our body and how all the various parts mysteriously work together to continue life? I'm amazed when I look at the world God created. Nobody will convince me that this is all by chance. What miracles will you see today? I love you, Dad #ddwow #miracles #perception #amazing

DDWOW #276 - Waking up Former heavyweight boxing champion, George Foreman once said, "I get up in the morning looking for an adventure." How do you get up? Does it take you hours to get going, or do you get up and start going right away? Look at each new day as an opportunity to experience a new adventure! Isn't that an exciting way to wake up? I love you, Dad #ddwow #quotes #foreman #waking #adventure

DDWOW #275 - Listen I remind myself every morning: Nothing I say this day will teach me anything. So, if I am going to learn, I must do it by listening. - Larry King It's been said that you have two ears and one mouth for a reason. We should listen twice as much as we speak. Imagine how much you can learn by making this a best practice. I love you, Dad #ddwow #listen #twoears #onemouth

DDWOW #274 - Inner beauty People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within. - Elisabeth Kubler-Ross We've always heard the saying that beauty is only skin deep. Real beauty goes beyond your physical appearance. Your real beauty is reflected by the light that lives within you. If Jesus lives in your heart, you reflect His light to others. Be a light in the darkness. I love you, Dad #ddwow #beauty #appearance #light #jesus

DDWOW #273 - Forgiveness Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. - Martin Luther King, Jr. If someone has harmed me, it is very hard for me not to want to repay them with the same hurt or worse than they did to me. Jesus teaches us to love our enemies. That does not mean that we need to lay down and take their abuse, but for our own sanity, we need to realize that only God can change their heart and so we need to pray that God will touch their heart and then we need to forgive them. I love you, Dad #ddwow #forgive #forgiveness #darkness #light

DDWOW #272 - Take the initiative Hold up a mirror and ask yourself what you are capable of doing, and what you really care about. Then take the initiative - don't wait for someone else to ask you to act. - Sylvia Earle I have always lived life with the attitude that nobody is going to give me anything. I have to work for it. If you know what you want to do, then don't wait for someone to give it to you. Figure out what you have to do to make it happen, and then do it. I love you, Dad #ddwow #initiative #youarecapable #hardwork

DDWOW #271 - Live for the moments Life is not measured by the amount of breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away. God has given us this beautiful world to explore. Save your money and be intentional about exploring it. I think you will find your life more fulfilled through those breathtaking moments. I love you, Dad #ddwow #livelife #moments #amazing

DDWOW #270 - Build it If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door. If you wait for your opportunity, you may be waiting forever. In this world, it is a rare occurrence that an opportunity just drops in our lap. If it does, grab it and make the most of it. More often than not, you have to create your own opportunities. That is called initiative. Be assertive. Take the initiative. Build a door. I love you, Dad #ddwow #building #door #opportunity

DDWOW #269 - Don’t gossip Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people. If you think about the smart people in this world, they are the people talking about ideas. Then the brave ones make them happen. Good things rarely come from talking about people. I love you, Dad #ddwow #gossip #average #small

DDWOW #268 - Interruptions The person who says something is impossible should not interrupt the person who is doing it. Don’t surround yourself with people who try to stop you from chasing your dream because they are too afraid to chase theirs. Surround yourself with people who will encourage you and support you as you pursue your dream. I love you, Dad #ddwow #interruptions #distractions #dreams

DDWOW #267 - Funny quote with a lesson “I walk around like everything’s fine, but deep down, inside my shoe, my sock is sliding off.” —Anonymous We don’t really know what is going on inside other people. It’s best to be kind to everyone because your kindness is just what they might need in that moment. I love you, Dad #ddwow #empathy #lifelesson

DDWOW #266 - Black Friday Have you ever wondered why today is called Black Friday? One story says it was coined by the police in Philadelphia because of all the congestion surrounding fans coming into town for the annual Army-Navy football game. Bus and taxi drivers started also calling it Black Friday because of the crowds. Retailers wanted to capitalize on all that congestion that they started marketing using that name, hoping to turn that term into a positive. By the 80’s it started to spread nationally. I think of another Black Friday. That is the day before Easter that Christians remember when Jesus died on the cross. It is also a sad and negative day. But if we realize that Jesus had to conquer death and raise again, it puts it in a pretty good context. Which is why Christians call it Good Friday. Have fun today! I love you, Dad #ddwow #blackfriday #thanksgiving #easter

DDWOW #255 - Thanksgiving Prayer Thanksgiving is a day to give thanks for all God has provided us. So, I want you to know what I’m thankful for. I’m thankful that I have four beautiful, wonderful, brave, confident, loving, God-fearing daughters. I‘m thankful that I have a beautiful partner in life for almost 33 years so far. I’m thankful for a great job that pays great. I’ve been with my current employer the longest in my whole career and I don’t plan on leaving for at least 8 more years. I’m thankful for good health. I may have aches and pains but I’m in relatively good health. I’m thankful for extended family. We don’t get to see each other very often but family is important and I know that they will always be there for me with support and love. I’m happy for the life I have. I’m thankful for our little house. I’m thankful for my whiskey collection. I’m thankful for my recliner. Last but not least, I’m thankful for the knowledge that Jesus died on the cross to pay for my sins. I’m thankful that He rose from the dead, conquering death, so I have a hope for eternal life with Him. So, Happy Thanksgiving! What are you thankful for? I love you, Dad youtube.com/watch?v=egIB7tYW… #ddwow #johnnycash #thanksgiving #gratefull

DDWOW #254 - Time off Life is hard. Seriously, if you think school life is hard, wait until you have to start adulting. I really think this is why holidays and vacations were invented. The powers that be decided that we need a break from our everyday grind. We need time to spend with family. We need to experience a different environment. We need to recharge. So, on the eve of Thanksgiving in Branson, let’s make sure we enjoy every moment. Give your mind a break. Have some fun! I love you, Dad #ddwow #life #adulting #hard

DDWOW #253 - Hot sauce I woke up this morning thinking about hot sauce. Hot sauce is rarely eaten by itself. It’s used to spice up other dishes. It can make a bland dish more exciting. It can cover up a bad taste or even a mistake we made. Isn’t that how life with Christ in our hearts is like? Jesus takes our bland life and makes it more exciting. His Love and forgiveness can cover the mess that we make of our life. Just like everything is a little better with hot sauce, life is so much better with Jesus. I can’t forget to pack the hot sauce for our trip this weekend. I love you, Dad #ddwow #hotsauce #spice #jesus

DDWOW #252 - Ch-ch-ch-changes I watch the ripples change their size But never leave the stream of warm impermanence and So the days float through my eyes But still the days seem the same And these children that you spit on As they try to change their worlds Are immune to your consultations They're quite aware of what they're going through - David Bowie, Changes I was thinking about our trip to Branson and this could be the last year we are all together for a while. With graduations coming up, nobody knows where they will be next Thanksgiving. As a parent, I know this time will come. I’ve also known that as part of growing up, you are going to make your own path and your own decisions. You may even go against my “consultations”. That’s OK. That’s part of growing up. Know that Mom and I cherish every moment we get to be around you. We love you and will always be your biggest cheerleaders. I love you, Dad #ddwow #change #bowie #growingup

DDWOW #251 - Big Shoes You’ve probably heard the phase “big shoes to fill”. When we hear that about us, we can get intimidated. Are we up for the role? Can we do the job? Instead of being intimidated, think of it as those are the shoes you need to put on. They wouldn’t give you the shoes if you didn’t deserve it. Be confident. Put on those shoes and make them your own. I love you, Dad #ddwow #bigshoes #intimidated #Confident