The world can be a crazy place. Some times it helps to step back, close your eyes, and list out a few of the things you’re grateful for. Here’s what I’m grateful for the week of January 5-11:
What I’m grateful for:
—Girls, girls, girls. Oh, it’s not what you think. My wife is spending her weekend at her aunts cabin – house in the Pocono Mountains with her cousins, extended family, and friends at Girls Weekend. It’s a yearly thing. Oh, I have no idea what they’re up too. They all claim that it’s like traveling to Las Vegas. You know the saying: What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.
When my wife packs her bag to leave, I’m always a little bit jealous of her. I tell myself that a weekend away with the guys sounds like fun. I’ll joke with her about needing to organize a “Guys Weekend.” But then she heads out the door and I remember how much I love hanging out by myself. I’ll spend my weekend relaxing. If I want to sleep-in on Saturday, I’ll sleep-in. If I want to eat pizza for breakfast, I’ll eat pizza for breakfast. If I feel like being a slob, I’ll be a slob. I’ll spend much of the weekend watching the NFL playoffs (Go Philadelphia Eagles) and chilling. No place I have to be. Nothing that needs taking care of. Just me. Oh, it will be a great weekend. “Come back soon honey.” Ha, ha.
—The Power of Sport. January can be cold and blustery in Pennsylvania. You never know when an unexpected storm or gloomy day will come. A storm rolled in last weekend and just like that we had an inch or two of the white stuff. Sports has long provided me my very own shot of Vitamin D to keep me strong and help get me to spring. Here’s what I mean: The NFL Playoffs kick off in full this weekend. The NCAA Football playoffs have my attention. The NBA has my attention too. Thank you sports for getting me through the bleakest months of the year. I can’t imagine life without ya!
—A record player and old records.
What gave me a smile?
Former President Jimmy Carter was buried this week. The media has covered better than I ever could. A funeral is a sad thing, but reading through some of Carter’s old speeches and comments, I can’t help but smile at the wisdom. Hopefully you’ll do the same:
Living in Peace:
- “We cannot be both the world’s leading champion of peace and the world’s leading supplier of the weapons of war.”
- “We will not learn how to live together in peace by killing each other’s children.”
The Power of Democracy:
- “The best way to enhance freedom in other lands is to demonstrate here that our democratic system is worthy of emulation.”
- “Sometimes, I’m fearful and, sometimes, I’m hopeful. But, overwhelmingly, I’m hopeful. I have confidence in the basic integrity of the American people.”
The Importance of Community Service:
- “I have learned that our greatest blessings come when we are able to improve the lives of others, and this is especially true when those others are desperately poor or in need.”
- “I have one life and one chance to make it count for something. I’m free to choose that something. That something—the something that I’ve chosen—is my faith. My faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I can, whenever I can, for as long as I can with whatever I have, to try to make a difference.”
- “What are the things that you can’t see that are important? I would say justice, truth, humility, service, compassion, love. They’re the guiding lights of a life.”
How to live a life well-lived:
- “We should live our lives as though Christ were coming this afternoon.”
- “We must adjust to changing times and still hold to unchanging principles.”
- “We have a tendency to condemn people who are different from us, to define their sins as paramount and our own sinfulness as being insignificant.”
- “God always answers prayers. Sometimes it’s ‘yes.’ Sometimes the answer is ‘no.’ Sometimes it’s ‘you gotta be kidding.’”
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Writing from the Heart with Brian 
the power of a girs’ weekend is unmatchable and such an incredibly import part of life. also time at home alone is so valuable, just doing whatever you want with your time, choosing your favorite activities, nothing at all, or a mix of both. yes, jimmy Carter, just continues to amaze me.
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I wouldn’t know about that power you speak of!!!! I keep trying to get an invite but none have come!!!🤣🤣🤣 And yes, there’s so much good in the alone time. I always over plan all the things I’m going to do.” Ha ha.
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Enjoy your ‘alone’ weekend.
Reading the third paragraph, I can’t help but wonder if you also get to panic with last minute cleaning just before the wife returns.
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Yes, I normally do a mad rush of cleaning right when she leaves and make sure I don’t mess anything up until Sunday. Time to be a slob!!!!!🤣🤣🤣
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I definitely shed a few tears watching President Carter’s moving funeral.
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Yea, he’s the first real politician and president I remember. I vaguely remember Nixon but the congressional hearings and stuff were just background noise, as we switched the TV to something “better.” Glad yo see people take another look at Jimmy Carter and realize what a great man he was.
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Same. I only remember Ford because I saw him speak during the bicentennial and I remember when Nixon resigned, but that’s about it before Carter. Remember all the peanut 🥜 farmer jokes during Carter years? I also remember his controversial brother Billy…and his mother Miss Lillian…and that Amy had a cat. So I guess I mostly remember the cultural stuff about Carter, not the politics. I really didn’t pay attention to politics til Reagan.
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I do remember the peanut jokes and Billy beer. The one political thing I remember. During the hostage standoff, of my older brothers brought home a risqué tShirt telling Khomeni where to go. My mother wouldn’t let him wear it in public. Ha ha.
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In retrospect, I wonder if we took Jimmy Carter a bit ‘for granted’ as he continued his life after his time in The White House. We’d see a news story now and then of some humanitarian act he was part of, but it seems that the majority of his life was spent in performing humanitarian acts, quietly and humbly. Only upon his death have we really opened out eyes to who Jimmy was. He will be praised vocally as the days and weeks pass, but sadly, this time will pass and we will again lose sight of the greatness of the man. It would be my wish that the powers-that-be would find a way to honor him permanently so that we are always given a reminder.
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He was quiet about his work … at least the post presidency work. For better or worse, our society likes people who are out there and pounding their chest! Yes, let’s hope his example gets picked up and honored!
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Love these three! I’m all for girls weekends (or weekends alone) and sports. But I really LOVE your Jimmy Carter quotes. I didn’t intend to sit and watch his memorial at 8am on a weekday but I was so captivated I couldn’t look away. What an incredible man!
Enjoy your weekend! And thanks for these big three to go with ours!
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I didn’t really have a chance to watch but have watched snippets. They’ve reminded me of the power of great speeches — both the prep and delivery. I found his grandson’s to be riveting!
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So much to love about Carter…so much. Especially as a counter point to current “leaders”.
Thank you for the smiles in this post, Brian! And I’ll admit something silly. When I read, …”the bleakest months of the year…” my eyes translated ‘bleakest’ to ‘blanket’. And I thought – ‘heck ya – blanket months, yes indeed…brrr’. Geez. I think I’ve got brain freeze. 😁
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Nah, I think blanket month works perfectly. Temps in the low 20s … calls for, well, a blanket! 🤣🤣🤣🤣
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Yesssss….teeth chattering! Yessss! 😁
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Girls Weekend sounds like fun both for your wife and for you and your quiet time. I hope you both soaked up all the goodness this weekend!
President Carter received quite the lovely and well deserved tributes this past week. A contrast to the incoming regime!
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I feel the same way as you whenever Tara goes off somewhere without me. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, I take advantage as best I can. If that means pizza for breakfast, so be it!
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😄 I relate to your admission of enjoying time by yourself. In fact, I recently posted a blog about my musings on whether I might in fact be a closet recluse. Honestly, I could spend days with my nose in a book or typing up content.
Perhaps it is an occupational writer’s curse: if I’m not in my head, I’m outlining a story or an article or an eBook, or polishing someone else’s. And I am perfectly happy to do so on my own. (Provided my dog is somewhere nearby…)
Aye, I’m a weirdo. 🤭
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Here’s to the weirdos! Oh, if left to my own devices, I would most certainly be a recluse or a hermit. I can always find writing or a book to keep me busy. Throw-in my hatred of small talk and, oh yea, I have it pretty bad. Ha, ha. But out of those periods of reflection, look at all the great things we produce. Right? Ha, ha, that’s what I tell myself anyway. 🤣🤣🤣🤣
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Quite right, Brian. Productivity looks different for everyone – even weird for some. 😄
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I’ll take the weird (over some others out there)!!!!! 😎😎😎😎
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