Category: Encouragement

What The World Needs Now

I had an unusual experience. I was thinking about the word “Compassion” and I immediately saw it split into two words: “Come Passion”. It seemed so perfect to express what is truly needed when I think about my brothers and sisters-at-large who are suffering. It’s easy to say a kind word or promise to “keep them in my thoughts and prayers”. What a tired saying that is! I asked myself:

Do I really “think” about them?
Do I really  “pray” for them?
BIG Question: What do I really “do” for them?

This year I am determined to put hands and feet to my thoughts and prayers. How about you? We won’t change the world by standing still.

Nana’s Nudge: Look around you this week. Who needs a little more of you?
Nana’s Songs:  What The World Needs Now  |  Do Something  |  Build My Life  | Brother  |  Speak Life
Nana’s Prayer: Father, open my ears to hear others’ cry, open my eyes to see others’ needs, open my mouth to speak words of encouragement, open my heart to provide what I can when I can. Help me to love them as You do.

Waxpaper Vision: Gone!

What clouds your vision?One of the challenges of growing older is the loss of vision. For many of us, we develop cataracts.  This is a condition in which the normally clear eye lens becomes cloudy, causing blurry vision similar to looking through a foggy window–or for me– like looking through waxpaper.

Last Thursday I had cataract surgery on my left eye and will do the right eye at the end of the month. I was absolutely amazed at the difference this artificial lens has made on my vision. When you’re released you have a plastic guard over your eye for the first day. Even with the plastic guard, I could actually “see” an immediate difference, particularly in my peripheral vision. The light almost hurt it was so bright. Now that it’s been a couple days, I’m getting used to the difference. The best way to describe it is my left eye sees LED white light; while my right eye sees regular, soft warm light.

As I was dressing this morning, I was thinking about this amazing change in my natural vision. These cataracts have built up gradually over the years. Because of that, the changes in the brightness of light and the brilliance of colors diminished so slowly, that I wasn’t aware of how much I had lost “true” vision.

We kind of do the same thing in our lives, don’t we? As the years and decades pass, we develop “filters” through which we view ourselves, our family, our friends, our work, and our culture. Truth sometimes gets a little glazed over and we begin to see everything through our truth, our view, and our own filters.

Nana’s Nudge: Is your vision is a bit cloudy on life, people, situations?
Nana’s Songs: I Can See Clearly Now | A New View of the Moon | True Colors | Open the Eyes of My Heart
Nana’s Prayer: Father, open our eyes to Your magnificent creation–the world around us–and the beautiful people You have placed on this earth. Open our heart to love as You love us. Remove the waxpaper from our eyes.