Life Lessons Learned From Liam

Yes, it’s true! It’s possible to learn what’s really important in life as seen and shared by a 2-½ year old boy named Liam. Of course I’m rather partial, he is after all my grandson and “Grandma’s Little Man”.

Come along with me on one of our little adventures…

Liam and I like to go for a walks. It seems I always have a purpose in mind and Liam just simply enjoys the journey. While I’m focused on getting there, he has other ideas in mind. It becomes very clear Liam has yet to hear the phrase, “Walk with a purpose!” Not yet anyway, and you can be sure he will never hear it from me!

First of all we stop longer than we ever walk. We sit on the sidewalk (yes, it’s cold and yes I remember what our mothers told us about sitting on cold sidewalks) nevertheless I am the Grandma after all. Part of my job description is doing what ever my grandchildren enjoy. (Of course when he gets much older and wants to sky dive I will have to break my own rule and decline.)

After we have sat on the sidewalk for a while picking up stones, twigs, grass and yes, some unknown objects, then and only then we move on. A few short steps later and we’re picking up maple keys and throwing them up in the air. At first I just want to watch him as he squeals with joy. Liam on the other hand will have none of that! He insists we both throw them up into the breeze together. As I toss mine I am reminded of my childhood and how much fun this really is. Liam laughs spontaneously with a belly laugh so deep it would cause even the most solemn person to crack a smile.

A few more steps and Liam feels it’s necessary to bend down and touch all of the driveways as we cross over them. My job as I see it, is to point out whether they are made of asphalt or concrete. This becomes too much fun for him and we must repeat these actions over and over and over again. I have to say I don’t think I’ve ever had this much fun touching driveways, have you? It’s at this point that I am reminded that I had indeed promised myself to begin an exercise routine. Something that seems to skip my mind when I am not with him put pops up over and over again as Liam and I go on our adventures!

I now think I’ve forgotten what our destination was to begin with. I’m so wrapped up in watching the planes fly overhead and laughing with Liam at what tricks the birds seem to be up to. Everything is simply fascinating! After walking for about 35 minutes to a destination that could have easily taken 8, we finally arrive. Yes, that’s right, we are at Liam’s neighbourhood park.

While he is busy climbing up the jungle gym and then sliding down the slide I’m busy catching him and making a huge fuss over how great I think he is. Of course, I never need an excuse to sing his praises, that’s for sure. After countless repetitions we now embark on a much bigger project. In case you’ve tried to guess what our next task is, forget about it. You could never guess in a million years. Liam has decided that we need to cover a huge rock with as many dried leaves as we can find in the park. I have to admit it was actually fun. This is what they must do in the army known as camouflage. Liam is wise beyond his years! Why should the other kids that come to the park and find this rock so easily? He must believe he’s making it more fun for the other kids or why would he do this?

When it’s time to leave the park I illogically assume the trip home with be quick without any stops. How wrong could one Grandma be? After all, on the way to the park all the things we did were so much fun how could we not do them all over again and again. Of course this time with a detour into a muddy forest. Oh well, so much for my shoes. Liam was smart enough to wear his boots ☺

Lesson Learned:
Now I don’t focus on the destination or I will miss the fun along the way! When I’m out with Liam I do what he taught me to do, I enjoy new things. I make sure I look up and all around. I never realized how much I was missing until now.

P.S. Always check out what your grandchildren are wearing on their feet. This perhaps may give you a hint as to what you’re about to step into.

Check more from Diane Broos at her website www.dynamicliving4u.com

Just Keep Shaking It Off!

Sometimes in life you find yourself in a pit so deep that it seems as if there is no way out. Remember, “It’s your life and you call the shots, it’s not over until you say it’s over, no matter what!

This is the story of the mule that fell into a deep dark pit one day. He was in there wondering what to do. Some time later the farmer heard a sound that he was unfamiliar with. As any good farmer would do he walked his land in the direction of this unbearable noise. When the farmer looked down into the pit, (which by the way, he almost fell into himself) he saw that it was his prize mule. Not only was the farmer shocked and concerned for his animal but also for his own ability to get the mule out.

The cry of the mule became unbearable and the farmer ran for help. Soon the word was out and many of the farmers in his neck of the woods offered their help. Try as they might to get the mule out they came up short each time. Finally they came to the consensus that the best way to put the mule out of his misery was to bury him alive. Each got a shovel and in sequence they began to throw dirt on him.

After several hours and hundreds of shovels full of dirt being dumped on the mule he simply walked out of the pit. How could this have happened?

Each time the farmers threw dirt on the mule he simply shook it off, packed it down under his feet and stepped up higher. One characteristic of a mule is that they are known to be self-preservationists and self-thinkers. These traits also contribute to the "stubborn as a mule" cliché. A mule thinks for himself and decides that a particular situation may hurt him. In this instance, the mule’s stubbornness and persistence paid off and saved his life!

Life and people have the power to either bless you or bury you. When you find yourself in a pit some will heap on shovels and shovels of condemnation, rejection, and criticism. A wise person would help those who fall; a person full of pride on the other hand would have a tendency to think they are exempt from such a thing. Personally I have found that people who are risk adverse are the nastiest of all. They console themselves with the fact that they would certainly never find themselves in the same situation.

What I have come to find out by experience is that the reason they don’t is simply because they never take chances. How could you ever fail if you never live outside of your comfort zone?

Take all that gets thrown at you in life and just keep shaking it off, packing it down and stepping up higher. I have four words for you, “ Just shake it off!” Take what was meant to bury you and use it for your escape. Use it to make you stronger and more resilient to the adversities of life.

When we stand before God some will be surprised to find they were solely responsible for their own life and actions. They will finally understand they were not put on this earth to critique the lives of others. Don’t we all have enough to contend with in our own lives?

Remember, in the end, only one opinion will count. God’s opinion of you is the beginning and the end!

In the meantime,

“Do all the good you can, By all the means you can, In all the ways you can, In all the places you can, At all the times you can, To all the people you can, As long as ever you can.”
John Wesley
English religious leader (1703 - 1791)

BTW, in researching mules, I came across a most interesting story entitled: MULE KILLS MOUNTAIN LION - Photos "Stubborn as a mule" has some benefits :)

Never Give Up!

Never give up; help is on its way! Sometimes when you are living in the land of today the monotony of each day can wear on what seems to be your last nerve. Recently I found myself wondering when I will begin to walk out the plan for my life in a greater degree. Gently the Holy Spirit assures me that day-to-day and step-by-step I already am.

Through my frustration I thanked Him and continue on with my thoughts, again a stronger firmer reassurance comes my way. Did you hear a loud voice I am asked? My answer, “no just a gentle knowing in my heart that all is well with my soul” was my response.

When your heart and soul’s desire is to follow after God and you put Him first He will make sure that you are in His game plan. Some people to my surprise, yes, even Christians, never ask what plan He has for their lives. They just go day to day without any thought to this matter. Are they afraid He will ask them to do something that they don’t want to do or aren’t prepared to do? If this is the case they don’t know God! He always prepares us for what He has for us to do.

Life is definitely about the journey, not the destination. Therefore, one could surmise that the journey is far more important than the destination, enjoying life on a day-to-day basis. This being the case, what then should we focus on? The journey. What are we doing each day? Yes, most days are not spectacular in their achievement, but it is the small daily steps that in fact help up reach our destinations.

Today, on what appears to be a seemingly normal uneventful day I have needed to remind myself of this fact, and, this is why I am reminding you, my friend! It is too easy to forget the joy of just being able to breath in the air and fill your lungs full of life. This in itself is something to be grateful for.

Come with me and let’s be truly grateful for this day, the basic building block of the rest of our lives. Interestingly enough, each new day starts with the promise of fresh renewal and yesterday’s mistakes and misses are now in the past, unchangeable.

Gratefulness for the day, each and every day, wow, what a way to live… not always easy to do, however, a daily habit, if acquired, pays big dividends in lives lived.

How many times will we have to do this you might ask? As many times as we have too until the habit of being thankful is truly cemented in our hearts.

Make it a great day!

Additional information at my website DynamicLiving4U.com