The Ring With The Blue Stone

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children, Dad, death, Diana Schwenk, family, foundation, gift, good character, grief, growing up, History, Hump Day Chronicles, lessons, life, Life's like that, love, memories, Mom, parenting, safe, Stuff my parents used to say and do, values

My parents in 1960 and the ring with the blue stone

When you want to build something, you start with a good foundation. When you want to understand something, you start with the fundamental pillars of the subject. In other words, you learn the history, the mechanics of it, the whys and whats and wheres.

In the same way,  when you feel lost, it helps to go back to where you began so you can remember where you came from, what you have learned about this business of living, what you truly long for in life, and how you can get it and how you can share your gifts with the world. Sometimes you grab onto a symbol of the past and carry it with you like a talisman that you can look at, or touch when you need to be grounded.

Since Dad passed away, I’ve been in kind of a fog. I got the basics covered, you know…  I wake up, brush my teeth, shower, dress, exercise, go to work, eat, go to bed and start it all over again the next day. 

But I’ve lost a bit of my oomph.

A bit of my zest for life.

Dad was always my rock.

He had this way of making me feel secure and letting me know that he was there for me, no matter what.

My Plan B, if Plan A should fail.

Although I rarely resorted to Plan B, I knew I could if I had to, I knew it was there if I needed it.  

This past New Year’s Eve, as I was deciding which piece of jewelry to wear for an event I was attending, I came across the ring with the blue stone. The ring that cost forty dollars in 1960 and took Dad several weeks of saving so he could buy it for Mom to celebrate their first anniversary.

Dad was so upset when Mom gave me that ring almost thirty years later. But I’m so glad she did, so I could find it on the last day of 2016 and slip it on my finger. And with the wearing of it, remember the values he taught me and the traits he exemplified; like a good work ethic, empathy, diplomacy, loyalty and strength of character.  

What a gift!

What a great foundation from which to find my way again!

~ HUMP DAY CHRONICLES ~

Being Good

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200 words, caring, community, Diana Schwenk, Diana's Enormous Book of Quotes, good character, goodness, growing up, happy, health, integrity, living in the moment, Purpose, service, Who I am

Waste no time debating what a good man should be. Be one ~ Marcus Aurelius

How do you ‘be good’?

Have you ever been caught up in a conversation about what it means to be a good person?

Or found yourself going back and forth in a thought loop about it?

I know I have.

Maybe it’s because I’ve been conditioned to do so. You know, like in a job when you want to do something good.

You plan.

You build strategies.

You implement.

You monitor.

And tweak as you go along?

That’s all fine and dandy at work, but is that all there is to it when you want to be a good person?

I’ve been thinking about this since reading the above quote and in light of choosing service as my word for 2015.

Maybe it’s as simple as the difference between doing good and being good.

Doing good in a work setting, takes planning.

Being good is more of a character trait that is developed over time…

…acting in the moment, from the core of who you are, when an opportunity presents itself.

~ DIANA’S ENORMOUS BOOK OF QUOTES ~

What do you think?

You Are So Much More Than That

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200 words, beauty, daughters, Diana Schwenk, empowering, encourage, generosity, good character, helpful, honesty, image, integrity, kids, kindness, life, love, miracle, self-worth, teens, true to yourself, Who I am

Always remember–you are a fine piece of china. Don’t let anyone treat you like a paper plate. ~ Naomi Campbell

Michaela in the mirror

MAYBE IT’S BECAUSE I was a teenager once, or maybe it’s because I raised a daughter…

…but when I read this quote I thought of women and how we compare ourselves to impossible ideals.

When you look into a mirror, what do you see?

Are your eyes too close together? Too small? Do you have uneven skin tone? Are your teeth crooked? Too yellow? Is your nose too big? Are your lips to thin?

If I looked at you, I’m sure I would see beauty. But you are so much more than that.

When you look inside your heart, what do you see?

Are you true to your word? Are you kind? Are you gentle? Are you motivated by love? Are you mindful of others? Are you helpful? Generous?

You are worthy of respect. You bring value to this world. You are a glorious miracle.

Don’t let anyone ever tell you different.

~ DIANA’S ENORMOUS BOOK OF QUOTES ~

 Are you a fine piece of china or are you a paper plate?

What if

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caring, community, compassion, courage, courteous, Diana Schwenk, diversity, equality, generosity, good character, goodness, happy, helpful, hope, integrity, kindness, love, meaningful, passion, peace, question, spiritual, tolerance, world issues

I know I’m not the first person to ponder what if and I probably won’t be the last.

Even as a child, I would question the way we humans treated each other while at the same time I know full well that, at times, I’ve treated people differently based solely on their appearance or status.

Why do I do that?

I clearly remember wishing that humans would intentionally start marrying people outside of their race and having children. My child-mind wondered how many generations it would take before we all looked alike, spoke the same language and adopted similar values and beliefs.

I still find myself yearning, praying and wishing because isn’t every person worthy?

Isn’t every life sacred?

Realistically, I know that there’s probably no chance we will all become one people, with one language and value system but…

~

What if it didn’t matter if you were black, white, red or yellow?

What if it didn’t matter if you were politically left, right, or in the middle?

What if it didn’t matter if you were educated, uneducated, employed or unemployed?

What if it didn’t matter if you lived in a mansion, an apartment, a hut or on the streets?

What if it didn’t matter if you were rich, poor, or somewhere in between?

What if it didn’t matter if you were Christian, Jewish, Muslim or something else?

What if it didn’t matter if you were straight, gay, bisexual or trapped in the wrong gender?

What if it didn’t matter if you were fat, skinny, short, or tall?

What if it didn’t matter if you were physically ill, mentally ill, or healthy?

What if it didn’t matter if you were young, middle-aged or ancient?

What if it didn’t matter if you were happy, sad, alone or overwhelmed in a crowd?

What if your status wasn’t determined by birth, religion, gender, or economics?

What if it didn’t matter if your hair was blond, brown, red, black or purple?

If your eyes were blue, green, brown or black?

If you spoke Hebrew, Arabic, English, French, Spanish, Chinese, Polish, German, Russian, or Pig Latin?

If you were Asian, African, European, North American, Hispanic, or Middle Eastern?

If you had a high or low IQ, EQ or cholesterol level?

What if you understood that at your core…

that in essence we are all spiritual beings

who just happen to have a variety of different outer shells and experiences?

What if all that mattered was that you had good character and integrity…

that you strove to find beauty and goodness and meaning in others and in all that you do?

that you were:

Kind to others

Thoughtful

Generous to a fault

Courageous

Tolerant

Loving

Encouraging

Helpful

Hospitable

Compassionate

Truthful

Courteous

Passionate

Hopeful

I want to make a conscious effort to live these values in my life. I know I won’t always be successful, there will be days when I fall short but if I can become aware of the times I don’t quite measure up, I can correct myself and begin again.

What do you think? What are some of the things you could do differently?

What if?

Related articles

Every now and then I look at the links WordPress recommends. I was quite moved by the link below. If you have a moment, give it a read. It really is quite powerful.

• What Will Matter – Michael Josephson (tersiaburger.com)