Mentor

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veryone needs a mentor or two, or three, or four… It does not matter your age, sex, sexual preference, race, color, creed, or religious preference! Everyone needs a mentor at some point in your life. Often, if you think about it; at every stage in life, you need one, whether you have one or not; you cannot make it purely on your own volition. A mentor is one who has been where you are trying to go and knows the best route to take; one who is willing to take the time and teach or instruct you in the right direction. Usually parents are the best mentors for their children, if they are fairly solid and have the respect of their children.

I was talking to a friend of mine, who is turning 65 this year and will soon be eligible for Medicare and open enrollment for “Any” supplemental insurance she would like. As we talked about her future insurance plans, she was debating whether or not to pick-up a supplemental policy, at this time. I strongly encouraged her to not even think about, “not” getting one. It was mandatory! Well, as far as I was concerned.

I explained to her that she only has this “one” opportunity to get that extra help, without any medical discrimination. It does not matter how sick you are, I explained, the insurance company is not even allowed to “ask” you about your past medical history. However, if you miss this golden opportunity, you may regret it the rest of your life, for you may be unable to ever get a supplemental policy, should you encounter some major medical incident in your life, after this “open window” of opportunity has passed.

She listened intently, as I proceeded. “I only wish that I had, had someone to emphasize to me the great importance of getting supplemental insurance, during the year that I was eligible. I wouldn’t have all of the medical bills that I have presently incurred.” She listened and signed up. “I wish that I had, had a mentor to help me transition to this stage in my life”, I lamented.

After the conversation, I began to think about the mentors in my life, and I concluded that the one, which is the MOST outstanding, is the mentorship of my eldest daughter, Euniece at http://www.mzzdunningreads.com. Now, you’re probably saying, “I thought parents were supposed to be the mentors?” They are when you’re talking about simple life skills, or things you know about; but sometimes a child can teach a parent far more than many parents are willing to learn; especially when it comes to technology and maneuvering on the Internet and interfacing on social media. Had it not been for Euniece, this blog would be just an undeveloped thought.

Now, do not blame her for my content; it is strictly my own. However, you can send up a “thank you” prayer, on her account, if you are ever blessed by reading this blog. And so you have it! One of the greatest life lessons one can learn. Never think you know it all; or that you cannot learn from someone younger; or that you are a “self-made” person or any of that nonsense. Everyone has been mentored at some point in time, even if it was by a pseudo-mentor. Now what do I mean by a pseudo-mentor? One who is not really in your life, but one whose style or methodology you’ve copied by reading about, watching, or merely hearing about. A pattern was set before you and all you did was follow, with some tweaking along the way.  Therefore, we all need to be humble and grateful for those who have gone before.


More: http://www.mzzdunningreads.com.

Steam on the Mirror

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his morning, as I showered, I left open the bathroom door. It is not something that I do often, for sometimes it makes the bathroom chilly. And although it is in my bedroom, still taking that liberty would disturb my husband, if it was late evening. However, my reason for doing it this morning was to avoid hearing the blower fan, which keeps the mirror from fogging. I’m really put off by a foggy mirror, but really didn’t want to hear the fan.

Since I’m usually in a hurry after leaving the shower, I want the mirror to readily reflect my image, so as to make the last part of my preparation to start my day, much easier. Therefore, upon the completion of my shower, I drew back the curtain and the mirror was exactly as desired. Way to go!

I had made a decision and in one simple adjustment to my routine, everything had worked out just fine.  It lead me to consider how I might multiply that success across the board, today; just make an adjustment here and another one there; then wait for the results.

I later concluded that sometimes you just need to avoid the opinions or input of others; it can fog up your thinking. By making an adjustment or wrestling through a problem on your own, toning down the rhetoric of others, by simply not sharing, could do wonders. It is then that you need to seek the quiet of your own thoughts, as you prepare for the day. However, if you leave open the door to your heart, listening for that “still small voice”, instead of the others, your goal can surely be accomplished; and you will be able to see clearly, the reflection of that decision. Additionally, Christ may very well see His reflection manifest more clearly in you, also. All of this will assist you as you prepare for the day that lies before you. Whoo-hoo!

More:  http://amzn.to/2c6kELD

Frozen Strawberries

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y husband and I really enjoy drinking fruit smoothies. Although we prefer using fresh fruit, it is not always available. As a result, we try to buy fruit in season and freeze it, so that we may have it throughout the winter. Today, I planned to fix one of our favorite smoothies, which called for strawberries. The only ones I had were frozen solid in the freezer. Occasionally, I’ll take the time to run warm water over the bag and then stick them in the blender; other times, when I don’t want to add ice, I’ll just bang the bag on the corner and loosen up the fruit, then take out whatever I wish to use and return the balance to the freezer. Today was one of those days. As I tapped the bag of strawberries the first time, nothing budged, so the second time, I gave it a hard slap against the counter and it loosed just the right amount of berries. 

As I thought about the process of loosening the berries, the thought flashed across my mind, about how God sometimes has to do the same thing for us. Sometimes we’re like the frozen strawberries; we can get so stuck in our own selfish wills, not wishing to move one iota. We formulate ideas and opinions and then dig in our heels, to make sure that we will not be moved. When we are dealing with principles of right, I can see how that could easily happen. However, sometimes it’s just our opinion about a matter and by holding on to it, we can cause harm to our relationships with other human beings. I mean, honestly, is it really that big a deal? Can there not be some type of equitable compromise made? Must you be right, this time; again?

 Because God is a loving God, who cares for each of us, every now and then He might have to allow a set of circumstances to occur in our lives that will break the hardness of our hearts whereby we can loosen our die heart opinions; and His will can ultimately be realized; thus helping us to maintain valuable relationships with others.

Don’t be a frozen strawberry! Think about it. Is it really worth it?

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Ginger