Hi friends.  Welcome.

Friday hey.  Need a quiet place to cool your heels a while? Need a few minutes to yourself ? Yep me too – – –

So here are a few good things I’ve pulled together with that in mind.

A Good Word

KJ Ramsey

A Good Look

Embrace something/someone you love – even if its a stretch

More of this gorgeousness at Daddy of Dogs

A Good Idea 

Do the Dishes

from Karen Harrison

I was driving home in the dark, a million things in my head and the tears falling out. Oh you know, just 2020 “This is Us” sort of stuff. I know you know. And on top of that I started missing my mom, the grief piling on top of me like 9 loads of laundry.

But then, I imagined my mom beside me in the car. And like a crazy woman I put my right hand out and over to the empty seat and I IMAGINED her holding it.

I said, mom, what should I do about x y and z? I was just pulling into my neighborhood, Christmas lights sparkling, the snow banks melting, the rain on the sun roof of the car, plunk splat, ping, plop.
Immediately I heard her say; go home, clean the kitchen and do the dishes.
That was her answer to ALL of my problems. x, y AND z!

Maybe the answer to complicated things, is found in simple things.
Maybe the way to stop overthinking something is to start doing something.
Maybe the key to softening our hearts toward others is found in serving them.
I mean…yes!

You guys I was ready to go home and lose my mind because I KNEW the dishes and the mess in the kitchen would be waiting for ME.

BUT the warm water from the sink calmed me. And the clean kitchen after I was done felt like an accomplishment. And instead of being mad at someone, I was happy with myself. And because I was happy with myself, I was kind to my people. And because I was kind to my people, x, y and z quietly slipped out of my mind and through the back door.

My mom used to be this way. She did the work. She never complained. This is how she loved us. And even now that she is gone, she has found a way to love me still. She is the voice in my head, she is the sparkle in the dark, she is the warmth in my heart and she tells me to keep on giving, even when it’s hard.

Tips for teenagers: if you walk past a mess, clean it up right away, even if you didn’t make it. And then, don’t point it out. This is love in action! Love, mom

A Good Read

Practicing Peace in the Face of Fear

I am afraid of heights. Tight spaces. Physical pain. My husband’s driving, and dying in a car accident (see husband’s driving). I am afraid of the vice of Vegas. Snakes and scorpions. Running out of gas on a lonely highway, or losing my way while driving. More than anything, I am afraid of the wild unknowns that wait for me around every corner. Fear is a frequent and unwelcome companion – – – –  keep reading

Summer Nights

The summer heat in Southern California is brutal, particularly during the August and September months. The temperature frequently climbs over 100 degrees and there’s no rain to ease the sun’s intensity. Our natural surroundings wilt no matter how much water we hose onto them and I feel like I’m wilting as well.

I’ve never been much of summer person

– – – keep reading

That’s it for this week friends. Thanks so much for being here and remember you can browse through the previous articles and posts linked to in The Friday Recliner right  HERE.