All my life I have heard, the more everything changes, the more it remains the same. All you have to do is look in the mirror and you will see the changes. Time doesn’t stop for anyone. Young or old, time will change us into the person we really are. It’s being who we really are that sometimes takes getting used to. We all wanted to be super heroes, important and powerful people. But for the most part, we have become average citizens with families, friends and mortgages. This isn’t a bad thing. It is just something unexpected. We all have high hopes of adventure and romance. And sometimes it really does happen. After the Vietnam War, I took a year and traveled all over the country. I lived in several places and enjoyed the journey. But in the end, I got homesick and came back home. That is one thing that doesn’t change. Home is where your heart is. People will come and go. Some will remain friends all your life. But family is a constant in our lives. We grow up and have babies. They grow up and have babies. It is a cycle that keeps repeating itself with every generation. We will work to provide for our family. We will raise children and so on. We are all different people who do the same thing. You see we are a large family, even though we don’t believe that we all speak the same language. That language is family. The basic unit of life that God gave to us. Despite, all the differences, we will be joined together as a family in the end. No one is left out. Everyone is invited to come back home. it is all up to us what we do. But can’t you hear our Father calling us to come home.

www.joseph1637.com

joseph1637@juno.com

I was just looking a story of a young boy about 10 years old, who makes teddy bears. He makes them to give to children in the hospital. They said he has made over a thousand of them. His dad had a recurring cancer which got worse with stress. The young boy made a bear for his dad. The man has been in remission for a year. The power of love is nothing new. It has been here since the beginning of time. God gave us certain things that are powerful. Loving with our heart is one of them. We can reach people that are unreachable with our heart. Change situations that no one could through force with the power of heart-felt love. It requires all of us. To love that way, we have to be all in, not just superficially. It is funny that people can see that kind of love a mile off. And people know whether or not it is real. So many people don’t want to love that way because who you are shows through. There is no hiding when you love with your whole heart. It is a way of life. And I wish more people were like that. Because this world would be a better place to live in. You see that kind of love is from God. It comes from knowing God. Why, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts. And there is no hiding it. It is meant to be shown to the world.

www.joseph1637.com

joseph1637@juno.com

Thanksgiving is over. We have officially entered into the Christmas Season. Black Friday started on Wednesday afternoon and will end when all the retailers sell all the stuff they bought for Christmas. Today is called Cyber Monday. Because there is some droid somewhere making deals. I wonder what people are going to be like by Christmas, since most were angry for Thanksgiving. My email address is loaded with deals from everywhere. Every retailer that I looked at their site, has sent me an email. One retailer, I ordered 2 things and they sent me 6. Even on my social media page, retailers are sending me deals. I am making Christmas gifts this year. I am making Satsuma jelly. A satsuma is an orange that is in season now. I would rather be personal with the gift, then buy a gift card for someone. My grandmother showed me this years ago. She would make clothing or crafts or food for gifts. She could crochet better that anyone I knew. Then she could make lace doilies for furniture. It was a gift that out lasted the season. The purpose of giving gifts is to do something constructive for the person. It isn’t just to give money or to show off. It’s about 4 weeks to Christmas. What are you going to do with your gift giving? Are you going to try and empty your bank account or is it going to be a real gift? The Christmas season is here. Make it worthwhile for your family and friends.

www.joseph1637.com

joseph1637@juno.com

From the beginning of time the basic unit has been the family. It is the most important unit in our lives. Not only does that unit provide for our physical needs but our spiritual as well. Every other unit in the world is based off the family unit. It is the building block of life itself. When that unit is, disturbed or broken, the rest of the entire unit is broken. God created the family unit from the beginning. When He said that a man shall leave his family and shall be joined to his wife and they shall become one flesh. Then He said what God has joined together let no man put asunder. Divorce wasn’t God’s plan. It was man’s. Children are supposed to be the result of marriage. Because children are a part of the heritage of God. And abortion is the result of man’s attempt to subvert God’s plan. I pity the people who have to stand before God and answer for abortion. Not only are children a heritage from God, they are sent to teach us about life itself. They are here to teach how to act toward man and God. And without them we can never be whole. The holidays give us an opportunity to strengthen our family ties. We need to take advantage of this opportunity. Because once it passes, it won’t come again. Take time and give the gift that binds the world together including our family. It is the love for one another and the love of God.

www.joseph1637.com

joseph1637@juno.com

For each new day brings hope for a better life. Hope springs eternal. It’s funny how our hearts seek out hope. Wanting to believe there is a new and better way to live. And we will go to great lengths to find hope in something. Unfortunately, many people turn to silly or ridiculous things to obtain hope. Why is there such a drive in us? What do we want to accomplish when we find this hope? I have seen people despair because they didn’t find hope in their pursuit. There is nothing created that will satisfy that need in your heart and especially something manmade. It is the Creator that give us hope, not the creature. And when you mention the name of God, people run or criticize you. Man, has no power to change a thing, especially to give you hope. And if you find someone inspirational, it isn’t by their own power. We are the creature not the Creator. What I am trying to do is get people to hope and then believe and trust in God. Everyone strives to improve themselves through every kind of way possible. But there is only one way to have hope that last for an eternity. It is through faith in God. This is believing and trusting in God Himself. Then you will have hope that springs eternal. Because each new day bring new hope for a better life.

www.joseph1637.com

joseph1637@juno.com

Time is relentless. And time stops for no man. God put it into motion and time does its job. I can remember my brothers and I in our one bedroom getting ready to go to sleep. My younger brother would sing a song as we fell asleep. I can see the new house we moved into when I was 12 years old. All the holidays we spent at our house. When I graduated from high school, I moved 2 blocks away from home to go college. Just close enough to go home for a meal and to wash clothes. I remember my first girlfriend in college. Then joining the military after college. Then my life changed when I met the Lord. I remember the first time I met my wife. Then holding my sons for the first time in our home. I remember when my 4 sons thought they were big enough to take me for fun. And I held them off until my wife jumped on my back. I remember when each of my sons went off to war. And the day they came back. As each son left home to make their way in the world. I remember when my grandson was born. The day my parents died. And the day my younger brother died. Time waits for no man. It is here to help us tell the season in our life. But there is a constant in this every changing world. That constant is God. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. I miss my family that has gone on, but I know that I will see them again. Because God has promised and He isn’t a man that He should lie. So, time marches on.

www.joseph1637.com

joseph1637@juno.com

I was watching the evening news looking at all the people who are traveling this holiday. The airlines can’t catch up to the demand. There is a snow storm from Georgia to New York state. There were so many cancelled flights. The trains and buses are full and traffic is backed up from here to there. By the time most of these people get where they are going, it will be time to go back home. There is a different mood this year in America. For most of my life I have watched people intensely from November to January. And the bad mood most people are in doesn’t happen until they begin to spend serious money for Christmas. But it is more than just a bad mood. Most people are glad the presidential election in over. But it is more like people have been beaten up and they are tired and wounded. It is an unsettling predicament. Thanksgiving is here. There will be food, family, friends, football and naps, not necessarily in that order. I know that I will try to make the best of it for my family. I am truly thankful for our health, wealth and spiritual prosperity. If you are among the wounded, it’s time to count your blessings. To see what you have and are grateful for. And I tell you that things won’t look as bad if you do. Then you can have a Happy Thanksgiving.

www.joseph1637.com

joseph1637@juno.com

A wife, of an old friend who had recently died, came into the business. I introduced myself. She vaguely remembered me. We began to talk about her late husband. She began to cry as we talked about him. She remembered my cousins and younger brothers. I spent 12 years of my life as a schoolmate. And after all these years of not seeing him, I missed him. It’s funny how that works. You would think that after a while it won’t make a difference. But it still does. From our birth, all memories and experiences are stored in our heart, whether we use them or not. They are at our beckon call. Some people can call them back faster than others. But once you do you have to deal with those memories. You would think that dealing with the future is hard enough. Then having to deal with the past, sometimes can be overwhelming. The holiday season is here. Thanksgiving is 2 days away. There will be plenty of food. And most of it I will eat and enjoy. The past seems to be reaching out to me. But I won’t let it stop me from enjoying myself. I am listening to the song, “Linus and Lucy” from a Charlie Brown Christmas. If you don’t remember the song, play it on U-tube. You will get a kick out of it. If only we could be a free as those children. Make some new memories this holiday, some good ones. And share it with your family. Happy Thanksgiving.

www.joseph1637.com

joseph1637@juno.com

There was a man named Charles Schulz. He didn’t finish high school. He was an artist. He drew primitive style cartoons. After serving in WWII, he was a regular cartoonist in the Sunday paper. He had applied to the Walt Disney studios, but was rejected because his style was too simple for them. So, he drew his own cartoons and became very successful. If you don’t know who I am talking about his cartoons were the Peanuts gang, Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus, Lucy and the gang. His message was simple but real. When people talk about their lives, they will say that they wish their life would be simple again. We try to make our lives too complicated, thinking that it is better. We strive for the easy life, but not the simple one. The simple one, though it is not complicated, it is harder to live. To live the simple life, you have to be truthful with yourself and others. There can’t be any walls of pretense. I try hard not to pretend in my life. Keeping up with the Jones’ is a pitfall for anyone who tries. Living a simple life exposes you to the world. People can see who you are. And everyone will not like or care for you personally, including yourself. Which is such a personal disaster for anyone, Duh. There is a song from a Charlie Brown Christmas called “Linus and Lucy”. It is where all the kids let go and dance the way they want to. And you should agree your life is a dance that you should be free to dance your way. You see simple is better than easy.

www.joseph1637.com

joseph1637@juno.com

It is easier said than done to begin again. I was telling someone today about losing my house and things to the flood. I began to feel the anguish again. It isn’t easy although it is sometimes necessary. Many things that I thought were important in my life turned out not to be. It didn’t mean that I wouldn’t have kept them, but they were destroyed by the flood. So, I have to begin again. I am not starting at scratch again. I have all the memories and knowledge I have acquired along the way. I have been using that information to write this blog. One the 1^st things I asked God for was wisdom and understanding. He let me see things and understand what was going on. I didn’t always want to see the truth, but it is there. I’ll tell you a truth, that it is a pain in the rear to begin again. We sold our house and are looking for a new one. All I can say to that is, God have mercy on my soul. Talking to real estate people, listening to their pitch and telling them maybe, is well painstaking. I was a real estate agent once and didn’t like it much. Although, I know that I needed to begin again, I didn’t want to. You see there is a plan for our lives that God reveals to us a little at a time. We don’t see the big picture all the time, because we would try to take it over and screw it up. God shows us a piece of the puzzle and lets us deal with that for a while. It is where faith and trust come into play. If we don’t have both faith and trust in play, our lives fall apart. I have walked with God for 40 years. I have found that the more I believe and trust Him, the better my life is. And so I begin again.

www.joseph1637.com

joseph1637@juno.com