How do you begin your day? Do you thank God for another day to have opportunities to make a positive difference at your workplace or just in an individual’s life? Or, are you guilty of saying, ‘Good Lord! It’s another day!’ and roll over for a few more snoozes? Soon enough, one day you won’t be getting up. We’re told in the Good Book our life is but a vapor.

We’re here today and gone tomorrow, so we need to make the most of it— for our sakes or someone else’s.

I need a boost every morning, so I turn on some peaceful, inspirational music to lift my spirits. It works!

Even though it’s in the 30s this Wednesday morning, I remind myself how blessed I am to have a warm house with sun rays filtering through the white sheers at my picture window, allowing my plants to bask in it’s warmth.

In the last (?) season of my life, I try harder not to complain, but to share my hope, peace, and joy I receive from my faith in God. We have to make a choice to spread sunshine or gloomy clouds. Some people you just don’t won’t to ask them how they are. There’s a person I know who has the most negative attitude about EVERYTHING. When I visit her, I quickly interject with how much she is so blessed by mentioning how different things could be. I just pray those words sink in somehow. I’m trying to sow seeds with positive words.

One of the ways is to remind her of those in other countries (which are just a few hours away from us) where people suffer from terrorists or constant war every day. Many Americans are so spoiled with more than what they need. They’re never satisfied. They gripe about the government instead of praying for our leaders. It is our choice to spread the word with what is RIGHT about our country. If someone start ranting about our country, ask them does that mean they would rather live in the Middle East or under communism.

I know there are homeless in our area. Instead of ranting about them, you have a choice to volunteer your time, food, extra clothes, or money to MaMa’s Christ Van , churches, and others who give food, clothing, shelter, and even spiritual uplifting to those under challenging circumstances. Check on Google or Facebook for them.

There’s no excuse not to do SOMETHING.

Because of a few health challenges, I’m limited in helping. All I can do is continue recycling used or donated greeting cards for 7 nursing homes in Seminole, Wewoka, and Holdenville. I got the idea when I realized how life had changed drastically for these residents after COVID hit. (The Seminole Library keeps my box for people to drop their unused or old cards in.) Every year since then, I’ve made 900 to 1,000 of them. I buy card stock, use pictures from card fronts, then embellish them with stickers.

I also continue to write this weekend column to share inspiration with stories about those who are overcomers of addictions and other harmful choices, and testimonies of people who have made life-changing choices of living like the New Testament shares— especially how Jesus lived unselfishly.

Sometimes, after 10 years I think of ending this column, but weekly I see people in restaurants, the post office, or shopping, and they tell me to keep it up because little encouragement is given in regular