* Thoughts from Others

I have a good friend who has a blog - actually I have a few good friends that have blogs, but this one is a boy, which is entertaining because it is a way of seeing more how a boy thinks, which is sometimes categorically different than a girl. This blog is weird to me in that Judah and I share it - therefore it contains both gender thinking patterns. Anyway... This boy who blogs often throws out quotes form stuff he is reading, which I like a lot, because I like quotes, I like reading, and I like to hear what he thinks is worth quoting.

I will point out that this friend has not updated his blog in almost two months - an amount of time I find totally unacceptable. I have not pointed that out to him on his page, but as I know he reads mine I will point it out here. (If you can update your twitter status 27 times a day you can throw in a blog every now and then!!!)

I digress again - I am stealing the quotes from others idea from him, which he may or may not have stolen from someone else. I say this all because of the few, ok seven, readers of this blog, many also check his so I want to give credit where credit is due. I am against plagiarism but not against quoting with foot notes!

My second random plug is for my mom who gets me a Guidepost subscription every year for Christmas, a fact that rarely makes the thank you note but is no less appreciated. Guidepost is a great little (literally) magazine to get. Always uplifting and not just for older generations. It is sometimes cheesy but has some gems as well. Today I will share what I think is a gem.

In the March 2009 edition writer John Sherrill talks about his experiences with his wife over sixty years of marriage as she has battled depression in the article "A Tender Touch." I found the whole story touching, especially as they walked that road far before depression had the acceptance and treatment that it does today. He closed with some thoughts that struck me as particularly applicable to everyone. He talked about the need to be praise-ful. Some one once told him "Think about the difference between thankfulness and praise. Thankfulness is us-centered; when things work out the way we want, we're thankful. Praise is God-centered; praise means becoming aware of God in your life right now." Mr. Sherrill goes on to say that "praise takes our eyes off our problems and puts our focus back on God..."

I liked the thoughts. Hope you do too.