Time for some
vulnerability, authenticity, gratitude, & worship.
November's famous Thursday is coming. In grammar school,
we learn about collaboration of Pilgrims & Native
Americans. We have all sorts of pics & examples &
expectations of food feasts. SO, What are our current
expectations?
What's your
definition, understanding, meaning of the word
thanksgiving? Of the holiday? Depends upon what we
value in life? Depends on the systems & environment both
within & out of our control? Depends upon what life has
thrown your way?
During the past
little bit, I've dealt with death, disloyalty, disappointment,
and hurricane disaster. Why is it, that a person trained in
relationship understanding, development & enhancement should
have so many challenges in his own life?
Because:
No One promised you a "Rose Garden". (song from the
70's) Belief in positive mental attitude, in Our God, human
connection, education, $$$, and everything/anything else will
fail to protect you from "life". BUT, al these aspects
can come together to help us make meaning from whatever station
we travel through currently! Some of the best wisdom comes at
the other end of disaster. Ex: Winston Churchill - Never, Never,
Never Quit! (WW2 era) is as valid today as was then. William
Jennings Bryan Dorn gave the same speech at the graduation of
seniors, GHS, 1974.
How do we rise
above the casualties, the hardships, the unexpected realities of
life? By contributing to a cause that is higher than
Self. BY taking your truest dreams, values, beliefs, a
step further than ever before.
Addicts are
addicts because of the dopamine rush that came from the first
usage of their habit. Dopamine is powerful. The same dopamine
& also some seretonin (The attraction chemical) happens when
you feel you're helping someone else. Wonderful cure for what
ails ya! And Biblical too.
SO, in the
midst of all that has happened in the past year, I can still be
thankful, grateful.
1) I have a chance to share with so many lives in so many ways,
through Cultured Cowboy. (Talk about a Carolina Cowboy high!)
2) I'm still a survivor of cancer. From we'll make you as
comfortable as possible for the next 3 months, to no recurrence
yet. And a surgeon that was astonished that the tissue removed
was DOA, as he put it.
3) Gas prices have come down some in SC. Maybe food costs
will too.
4) New fur factories should be operational soon, so 2025 will be
a year much easier to fill felt hat orders.
5) Some of the major boot makers, who have let quality slip, are
talking about better products again.
6) A Pop singer did Country, & line dancing has become a
larger thing again. Been a while for most areas.
7) God is still a God of Love.
8) Although I don't have the number of people working with me
that I really need, I'm being able to pay off bills quicker.
This cash flow is especially needed since Hurricane Heleene
rip-snorted my farm.
9) The retail store only had exterior cosmetic damages; no trees
crashing through the store roof!
10) Although my mind is somewhat slower at 68, and my body is definitely
slower, I can still climb on the barn roof & replace tin; I
can still chainsaw trees off the fences; I can still look at my
dogs & horses, cats & wildlife, (Gotta couple skunks
that think they belong on the front porch.) (Wild deer jump the
fences & visit me.) with awe and reverence, reminded of the
many miracles of life offered all of us.
I'm looking
forward to sharing the holidays with many of you. Email your
pics my way (I might share some on the Cultured Cowboy site)
When asked why, when I should be retired, I'm still looking to
expand this business: It's about the relationships.
It's about growing a huge network of rodeo & trail riding
buddies. It's about having a platform to share
salvation. It's about much more than the orders we get
from all of you, (Though BELIEVE me, they are more than greatly
appreciated!) It's about the little kids that come ride the
"Bouncy" horse on the porch. It's about the couples
who come in to share their wedding plans, their newborns, their
lives. It's about sharing stories, tales & adventures with
the elders among us. It's about helping coach people from
self doubt to self confidence.
God Bless you
all, through the thick & thin of life. Life is filled with
seasons that make us grow into the person we are to become!
Chucky T
Dear God, Thank You for family and
friends. God, if anyone is out there thinking life is not worth
living, if any person is hurting so much that escape seems
normal, please let them run into us; so we can tell them that
there is good news. Let them remember that somebody needs them
too. It's the feeling of giving that makes all life worth
living. Not that we are so important, but that we can make a
difference in somebody else's life. That is really what makes
life worth living.
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