Hello, my friend!
I hope you’re having an excellent day! It’s a cold and dreary one here in south Texas, but I can’t complain much; lately we’ve been blessed with many spring-like days, whereas our Nebraskan friends and family have been texting about the sub-zero temps for weeks! I can’t even imagine… After roughly forty-eight hours of wintry weather, I begin to go stir-crazy. Speaking of stir-crazy, here’s a bit of trivia for you, courtesy of the oh so handy Merriam-Webster online dictionary:
“Stir is a 19th-century slang word for ‘prison’ that some word historians have suspected to be from Romani stariben, of the same meaning. But a convincing argument of that origin has yet been made. Today, stir-crazy describes any person who has become restless, agitated, or anxious from being or feeling entrapped in some place.”
Anywho, make sure you’re supplementing with a solid Vitamin D; it’ll help with the winter blues and give your immune system a cold- and flu-fighting boost!
Alrighty, onward with this week’s Top 4!
Source of Success
“Genuine success comes from developing a sense of purpose, setting and pursuing realistic goals, and holding a belief in personal responsibility.” – Sally K. Norton, toxic superfoods
Aimlessness and Unanswered Prayers
“Jesus desires that we shall be definite in our requests, and that we shall ask for some special thing. ‘What will ye that I shall do unto you?’ is the question that He asks of every one who in affliction and trial comes to Him. Make your requests with definite earnestness if you would have definite answers. Aimlessness in prayer accounts for so many seemingly unanswered prayers. Be definite in your petition. Fill out your check for something definite, and it will be cashed at the bank of Heaven when presented in Jesus’ Name. Dare to be definite with God.”
– from Streams in the Desert
The Privilege of Wreckage
“Nietzsche was the one who did the job for me. At a certain moment in his life, the idea came to him of what he called ‘the love of your fate.’ Whatever your fate is, whatever the hell happens, you say, ‘This is what I need.’ It may look like a wreck, but go at it as though it were an opportunity, a challenge. If you bring love to that moment — not discouragement — you will find the strength is there. Any disaster you can survive is an improvement in your character, your stature, and your life. What a privilege!
Then, when looking back at your life, you will see that the moments which seemed to be great failures followed by wreckage were the incidents that shaped the life you have now. The crisis throws you back, and when you are required to exhibit strength, it comes.”
– writer and professor Joseph Campbell