March 28, 2026

encouragement+

says—"A form of encouragement is talking reality and not just telling folks that everything will be great ‘cause it ain’t.” He went on to say—"It is good to learn to face reality and learn how to deal with it (i.e. learn how to handle real life); if children don’t learn to handle failures, life will be very hard for them; they will live in a make believe unhappy world.” My Daddy, Chester, would say to me—erv, everyone has problems, but they just handle them different.

 CoachB coaches about—"We need to have a balanced life—money, relationships, spirit and health.” Think about that folks. It appears if we get out of balance, life is distorted and isn’t as good which is easy to do (i.e. this is my opinion). 

A devotion I read early one morning said—If we have the right mind, we can be joyful even in and during and while enduring a conflict. AverageJoe says—That seems far fetched for me to understand! Saturday question—Where do we find the right mind?

We saw this on a bench on the Coast Trial in La Jolla along the cliffs. Sooooo who could be our Alex that we would like to live like or do live like? Does our Alex know that they encourage us? Maybe we telling them that they are our Alex might be an encouragement to them. You can’t do it when they are dead, that is for sure! Or as a friend said to me--Give flowers and money with a warm hand!

James, anybody can be a James, says—The business that delivers a quality product every time earns the customer's trust. A  person in a relationship who shows up is reliable — who keeps promises, who responds with steadiness — earns the trust of the other. The pattern is the proof." Now that can be encouraging to have a friend like that.

I encourage you to enjoy every sandwich and give thanks. I believe giving thanks is a great opportunity for us to handle disappointments. Not to complain but to give praise and thanks about something. It works for me. David was a great example of doing that. His example works for me. He's one of the best, my opinion.

SusieQ says--Mommy and daddy shouldn’t always bail Jr or Susie out, no way should they! Children need to know there are consequences from their actions, good and bad and learn to deal with them.

CoachB encourages me with this statement—"Ya gotta move on to the opportunity of a lifetime and our lifetime is the opportunity.” Dale Carnegie said, “Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain—and most fools do. But it takes character and self-control to be understanding and forgiving.” Saturday question-- Why not take a moment now to pray for that difficult person in our life? I believe that is a great form of encouragement, my opinion. And who really is the big winner, the person we dislike or us? Most folks don’t even know we dislike them. How crazy is that! LuckieEddie says--I seem to let other people be in control of my attitude. How crazy is that!

I believe there is power in encouraging others. And most people don’t even realize it. It encourages them and it encourages us. It feels sooooo good! And how we encourage others is different for different folks, for sure. AverageJoe says--We need to keep this in mind: People don't remember what we say, but they will remember how we make them feel.

I was getting gas and above the pump was this sign. It appears to be great marketing in tempting everyone to spoil themselves, you deserve it, just go ahead and have something you enjoy, don’t worry about your calorie intake, just eat and be happy. It’s a subliminal encouragement message to our mind. It must work or they wouldn’t do it. I read this while eating my oatmeal with half a banana on it—Self-discipline is the best discipline. Such is life.

I saw some folks throwing coins into a wishing pool the other day for I would guess for one wish. Saturday question--Soooo if we could have one wish what would it be?  That question sounds like a question at the Miss America contest. There they have to answer it politically correct or they won’t win. I guess most folks would wish for money. I know what my wish would be. Do you? Please send me your wish. I would be interested. You can send it with your name or anonymous. I would be interested. Saturday question—Do most folks wish for something for themself or for something for someone else? Now that might tell us something about ourselves. Crazy huh!

Have a FUN day my friends unless you have other plans. (-:

erv

MyDeceasedFriendJean said—A person who never makes a mistake is a person who never does anything.

March 21, 2026

the way I see it

A senior citizen, a name older folks are called among many other names, said this--The older we get, the smaller our dreams get. When we're young we want to change the world but when we're older we just want to get through the day without any problems. I don't agree with that statement completely. I have a lot of big dreams. My dreams might have changed some but I still have a lot of dreams. But that is me, that's the way I see it!

Saturday question—What do you really like to talk about? Food, pickleball, politics, weather, sports, price of corn, money, quilting, other people, cars, your job, yourself, your family etc. The way I see it, many conversations we like, others might have very little interest in.  Violet Stillwater (i.e. that is her bar name she says) asks--Sooo what are the contents of important conversations?

I would have really enjoyed visiting with C.S. Lewis. Actually, he would at every 4 o’clock go to the pub and sit on the end stool at the pub, have a pint, and talk to anyone. Some of his writings are very hard for me to understand and some are sooo full of wisdom which I think I understand such as:  "To be happy at home is the end of all human endeavor. The sun looks down on nothing half so good as a household laughing together over a meal, or two friends talking over a pint of beer, or a person alone reading a book that interests them; and all economics, politics, laws, armies, and institutions, are only valuable in so far as they prolong and multiply such scenes." A friend some years ago gave me one of Lewis' books and told me, I can’t understand it, maybe you can.” I couldn’t!

When we were in San Diego, Jeanne saw a skirt in the window just like the one she had when a young lady soooo she went in as a throwback feeling. It was an up-scale women’s store for young women. As she was leaving, she noticed a security guard sitting by the door soooo she asked him if they have a lot of theft—no very little but they hire us to give the young ladies a feeling of security sooo they will want to shop here. Soooo I had to think, where do humans get their security or think they get their security? The way I see it…

The way I see it when faith moves out worry moves in. Those two qualities cannot occupy the same thought. It’s just like you can’t be thankful and discouraged at the same time. But the way I see it, I have a choice as to what I'm going to think about. It is certain that two folks can look at the same situation and see two different things (e.g. an opportunity or a problem). Why is that do you think? Isn’t the mind interesting! AverageJoe says—What you put in your mind will come out of your mind soooo try to be around good people (i.e. they rub off on us). If you don't believe me, just look around folks! It's not rocket science. That's the way I see it!

I would like your opinion as to what changes folks or is there anything that can change a person. The way I see it is that folks don’t change much or at all or maybe they do but it takes something really bizarre for that to happen. Ok, the way I see it, some genetics just can’t be changed, and the mind is trained by our environment of past and present to a point that it’s rather dialed in for the long run it appears. Sooo what is your opinion as to what might change folks—maybe like a disease, catastrophe, experience, money, accident, The Holy Spirit, ageing, etc., it has to be something that we have absolutely no choice on and I still wonder if folks change. Sooo if that might be true, why do we keep trying to change other folks. That is the way I see it. JoeBlow says—C’mon erv, people change all the time, you must be blind, where have you been! CrazyMarivin, who is as smooth as butter,  asks—Soooo does that mean that good people don’t chance as well?

A friend and his son were in a car accident that really could have resulted in serious injury or death. They were spared. It recently has been a year since that happened and I asked him if he still thinks of it—everyday when I get into the car; we have been very blessed. The way I see it, it appears that his thought process has changed.

I saw this on a car in Costco parking lot! The evenings have just been beautiful sooooo we go for walks. An acquaintance who we met walking told us she got hit by a car the other night crossing a street in our 55+ community. She got knocked down but didn't get hurt. She has tire prints on her toes to prove it. The person didn't even stop, maybe they didn't even know they hit her.

Do you like to set people straight? That means then that we think we are right and they are wrong. I know folks who always think they are right and love to argue what they think is their perfection. I like discussions but not a lecture sooo much, there is a huge massive difference in those two. Saturday question—Should we try to change folks who are legally wrong, morally wrong, destructively wrong, with possible addictions, ethically wrong or let them be? ItchieBitchie says, as I see it—You can’t win a pissing match with a skunk! Ya, I read in the Book that it’s foolish to argue with a fool! It’s better to smile and say nothing (i.e. that's the way I see it)!

The way I see it--Besides praying for wisdom in the specific areas that arise in life, we should also pray daily for wisdom to walk wisely through this world. Suck it up cupcake and let's get going!

Have a FUN day my friends unless you have other plans. (-:

erv

MyDeceasedFriendJean said—Actions speak louder than words.

March 14, 2026

attention span

I tell you what I would do! BUT I realize that you probably don’t much care what I would do; I got it! And here is part of the reason: The female population aged 80 and over accounts for approximately 2.3% of the population and males 80 and over account for1.6% of the population. I’m 1.6% of the U.S. population and that is a very small slice! Soooo who really cares much of what the 1.6% of the folks think. I get it! ItchieBitchie says--Unless they want money!

We were at a concert, and the leader of the singing group told us that they do little clips on YouTube of their group. They do them acapella and they have to be less than a minute. Anything longer, people won’t watch them. That is about how long the attention span is of folks now a days. Da! He said, they have had many thousands of hits (i.e. very successful). Soooo I’m going to try to keep this short—under a minute! Read fast! And it’s acapella!

I have noticed more recently that if a person is telling a story or talking about their family or telling about their vacation, if it’s longer than about 15 seconds, the folks have lost interest. JoeSmiley says—Who really cares about other folks’ 48 vacation pictures!  In watching tv ads they move soooo fast and quick that my mind sometimes can’t keep up (i.e. of course I’m 80)! The only thing I see that is not true is with praise songs at church; they repeat the same 7 words 11 times soooo they are called 7-11 songs! And the same is true, most folks lose interest! Some just sit down and read their text messages! We live in bing bang done world.

My personal gal at the car dealer when I was getting our vehicle serviced was maybe in her 20s and she really knew cars, I was just amazed, and a nice girl too! I asked her how she learned soooo much about cars and she said from her father and her husband (i.e. what does that tell ya). Her husband and her do car drifting. We did not know what that was and she explained what it was and showed us videos! Crazy! That’s something you might do but not me! My attention span could not handle that! Besides she told us that it's very expensive!

Analogy! Soooo a friend and his wife were riding in the back seat of our vehicle. He told me that it sounds like your real wheel bearings need to be replaced as they are growling and you should do that before driving to San Diego.  Sooooo, yes, they were bad and I had them replaced because of the noise and for safety sake. Soooo, I got soooo used to the noise that I didn’t even notice it but after they were replaced, wow, was it quieter, way better! Da! Sooooo, if we would tell someone that their life would be better if they become a believer, they wouldn’t know the difference until they became a believer now would they! Da! We can become soooo use to the nose!

I’m working on “just not looking but learning more to see!” CoachB says, we look with our eyes but see with our mind and spirit, meaning we look at the same things but understand things completely different. That is because of our genetics and past and current environments. I’m going to try to increase my ability of seeing more and not just looking  (i.e. adjust my attention span). BUT I question if we as humans can really change very easily or at all. AverageJoe says—I have a very hard heart! Listen AverageJoe, everything is possible! Even surprises happen sometimes like a jack in the box! Fliptheplancake--If folks are really good folks, the odds are very good that they are not going to change!

Writer and scholar C. S. Lewis reminds us that skills are not acquired at a distance, but through participation: "If we want to get warm we must stand near the fire: if we want to be wet we must get into the water. If we want joy, power, peace, eternal life, we must get close to, or even into, the thing that has them."

A-SmartPerson from La Jolla said, “erv, success is often found by practicing the fundamentals that everyone knows they should be doing but find too boring or basic to practice routinely." I agree but ‘the fundamentals everyone knows’ aren’t all the same for sure! Da! Look around folks, it’s not rocket science!

We really enjoyed attending Shadow Mountain Community Church and hearing Dr. David Jeremiah speak. He is an icon and is 85 (i.e. it was great to see and hear him in person). He still preaches at 3 services each Saturday/ Sunday despite his age and bad health. Amazing. A great experience. For some of you, hearing Dr. David Jeremiah speak doesn’t mean anything! We see things differently now don’t we. Or as a person said to me—erv, we don’t think alike!  Maybe our attention spans and beliefs are different! Could be! Such is life.

Have a FUN day my friends unless you have other plans. (-:

erv

MyDeceasedFriendJean said--You can catch more flies with honey, then you can with vinegar.

March 7, 2026

what I thought about

Here are a few thoughts that I thought about while walking on the ocean beach the last month. A few of the zillion zillion zillion thoughts I thought about!

Contentment feels good

God whispers gently in my ear and I heard many things that refreshed and restored me a.k.a. great encouragements.

In 20 years it won’t make any difference about soooo much stuff, but what will matter is what I have done with what I have been given.

What is important in my life and what isn’t.

We are all individuals, it appears. Psychologists tell us that every person struggles to understand their own identity. 

erv, remind myself today to not be discontent as the Lord wants me to be happy and to do good while I live. Live my life joyous!

What goes on in my mind is invisible, undetectable to other people

Be humble erv or you will stumble

I think once again that God is God and God is unfathomable to me, God is way beyond my comprehension.

Ecclesiastes many times tells us to enjoy life.

We saw thousands of gals up to the age of about 26 wearing shoe-string bikinis. After that age, swim attire seemed to change to the far extreme of our age group were we saw very few folks our age walking the beach and the ones that did wore long sleaves and a sun hats! Very little skin showing! Age seems to change folks alright!

Real growth is about becoming more of who I already am

It's a great feeling to love and be loved!

Am I persistent and am I consistent

Why have I been soooo blessed and why haven’t I been blessed more or less!

Some feelings are indescribable; they are beyond words. Watching dawn of a cloudy dreary rainy day over the ocean was just beautiful to me; hard to explain. Very touching.

I think that some folks talk in code and I need to figure out their code; they just don’t talk straight out!  

We heard Dr. David Jeremiah speak in person every Sunday we were in San Diego. He is dynamic and is soooo humble, my opinion. I have thought a lot about humility and the ocean atmosphere is very conducive to that thinking; it’s very humbling to me. It makes me think what Dr. J says—We are not in charge of the world, but God is. I sometimes think I’m in charge and try to make everything work the way I want it, but it doesn’t happen. I try to manipulate reality; I can’t do it. Sometimes I learn the hard way that I’m not God but just erv! It appears that humanity really struggles with this!

 Hope is soooo great!

Our minds are amazing and hard to understand

And the conclusion of matter is: Life goes on!

Have a FUN day my friends unless you have other plans. (-:

erv

MyDeceasedFriendJean said—A chain is only as strong at its weakest link.