God isn't finished with me yet

I came within inches of having a horrid wreck last night.

Yesterday I drove three hours to watch my 8th grade granddaughter play Volleyball. My drive home to Estes Park was eventful. I was on highway 119, it was around 7:00 p.m., and it was foggy enough for me to have my windshield wipers on slow. I was traveling around 35 mph, there were two vehicles behind me, and as I steered to the right to go around a mountain curve, I lost control on the ice. The car spun around and headed for the left hand shoulder. There was no guardrail, no visible trees; just an obvious drop-off. I was driving a Solstice convertible and I remember thinking, "Oh My God!" I really thought I was going over the edge of the road into the black night seeing nothing that could stop me from going straight down the mountain.

Suddenly, the car turned sharp to the right and stopped abruptly on the gray gravel shoulder with the car facing the highway. I didn't wreck! I pushed on the gas and inched my way off the narrow shoulder and back onto the right lane. The two cars behind me, that had stopped when they saw my loss of control, passed me after I was moving forward with no visible evidence of harm.

During those terrifying seconds, there was no oncoming traffic. Had there been, since I was in their lane of travel and they had no means of seeing me until they rounded the curve, they would have hit me head-on or broad-side, and we both could have gone over the edge.

My left hand automatically flew over my mouth. I crept along the right side of the road for several miles, my hand still over my mouth. I don't remember breathing, or thinking. I do remember whispering, many times, "Thank you sweet Jesus!"

I still had at least 40 miles to drive to get home, and somehow, I did.

I am trying to work my way through the maze of book publishing. I have written My Clients - My Teachers, a book about 54 mental health clients and one therapist disclosing the heart and soul of psychotherapy. I get very discouraged and lost. After my harrowing experience on highway 119, in the dark heavy fog, I know God isn't finished with me yet. I am still here to finish what I have begun and what could help so many people.

Wish me luck, although I think I am about the luckiest person I know right at the moment.

Until the next time: Live while you live 

Call 911, without hesitation, if you are in danger of hurting yourself or someone else.

Appreciation

Being grateful and feeling authentic appreciation is one of the most successful means of attaining good mental health.

What or who have you appreciated today?

This morning I went for a walk behind the Leid Lodge in Nebraska City. I was grateful for the:
-  hot coffee
-  quiet
-  solitude
-  sun finding its way through the fall leaves
-  solid wooden bridges
-  family of deer who stopped their play long enough to say, "Good morning!"
-  music from the high school marching band practicing on a nearby football field
-  two squirrels playing on the stately oak tree
-  ability to walk
-  beauty of nature
-  fall colors
-  refreshing air
-  ability to see the good around me
-  opportunity to take such a peaceful walk
-  one more memory

I challenge you to make your own appreciation list.....right now!
  

Until the next time: Live while you  

 

Call 911, without hesitation, if you are in danger of hurting yourself or someone else.

 

Become aware of natural, no-cost education

I think life is about learning and I learn something every day. Following is an incomplete list of what I learned on the afternoon of October 2, and the morning of October 3, 2013:

-  it is okay to be silent......words not spoken are often the most effective communication
-  people you know well can surprise you with unexpected positive or negative behavior
-  God's beauty never ceases to astound me
-  self- confidence ebbs and flows....it is not a constant
-  trust is the number one necessity for building relationships
-  ask questions - an honest answer can save a ton of time and  stimulate encouragement
-  if you want something .... Really want it-you must DO something every day to get it
-  when I feel overwhelmed .....I need help (practice what I preach)
-  Montana is gorgeous!
-  gratitude is the most important source of happiness
-  you can't persuade (get people going in the same direction) unless you use descriptive words
-  the world has gone smart phone - landlines are soon to be obsolete
-  roses carry a universal message....."I love and value you."
-  I REALLY want "My publisher" to be a part of MY vocabulary
-  the Rocky Mountains gives us more shades of green than a box of 120 crayons
-  fairness is important to the young and to the old
-  if we smile, even if we are not happy, we feel better
-  my daughter was my best birthday present ever
-  Few things are more contagious than laughter
-  authentic is my brand word

All of the above came to me in less than 24 hours. Life IS about learning. Pay attention.

What have you learned today?

Until the next time: Live while you live! 

Call 911, without hesitation, if you are in danger of hurting yourself or someone else.