a little more love make it right...

Listening to: Abba, Lay your love on me

   (via Mama Mia)

So I'm not sure if you are familiar, but, my Dad had Olivia Newton John's Greatest Hits record (circa 1980).  By approximately 1986 this record could have been heard on a loop - complete with scratches made by the ultimate child fan who happend to figure out how to coerce the record player.  ...You should have seen my reaction when my Dad told me a few years later about Grease.  Wow.  Anyway - one of the songs which appeared in the greatest hits song list is the very title of this here blog entry. A little more love is not exactly the love song to live by, but I'd say there is a bit of a message in the chorus... will a little more love make it right? 

Applying these sentiments to everyday living is not always easy, but I have found it to be the right thing.  Love and appreciation, enthusiasm, sincerity and compassion contribute equally to an odd concoction called grace - a concept that is not always appreciated and accepted in the daily comings and goings of our society... and a part of me wonders if this is my theme for the year? Maybe. Maybe its more than grace... Maybe its knowing people. Maybe its loving the hiccups, or as my Dad and Dale Carnegie both say - maybe it's making lemonade out of lemons. - You add some sugar and sometimes something fun and spunky to spike it and suddenly that lemon is awesome and tastes like sunshine - but YOU have to add the sugar, and sometimes even the alcohol.  

One of my favorite passages is 1st Peter 4:8 - Above all, love each other deeply because love covers over a multitude of sins.  It is not the sin - but the love.  It is covered.  Coverage means - to be or serve as a covering for; extend over; rest on the surface of; to place something over or upon, as for protection, concealment, or warmth. The sin is not registered or counted because it is covered, by love. In love itself is where grace can be found.  What would the world be like if we extended a little grace to each other?  

The other day someone posted on facebook that they were sitting in a cab on a busy street.  On one side of the street someone sneezed.  On the other side of the street someone said "Bless you." This is a little tid bit of what I'm talking about....

 

Over the last few months there's been a bit rockin' and hip hoppin' as is oh so typical.  Life gets crazy busy - but in the hustle and bustle I have encountered a few folks who have extended this same time, energy, enthusiasm, grace and coverage to me - some are old friends and some are new.  But with whatever wind has blown them in my direction they have made me incredibly grateful because their coverage has sustained me in more than a few less than stellar moments.

love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness and self-control:

This is like the ultimate piggy-back ride "If you wanna be happy for the rest of your life..." I would recommend the list above.  I have a busy job.  Time and money go hand in hand every day - but the one thing I sometimes forget mid-busy-day is that time and money are definitely NOT why I have a job.  It is so easy to let the humanity aspect fly out the window and kick and scream and act like an unruly child - but we don't because we've got a little self-control.  Maybe in applying 8 things before self control might "back to the future" the whole idea completely - talk about turning your corner of the world a little upside down...  I have found my best days are when I get to help someone, make someone smile, make a difficult task a bit easier or eliminate a problem for someone else.  Sometimes I too need to be reminded that the people are more important than the time and money thing.  Yes, I know - I do 100% understand where time and money fit in the scenario - and yes, I agree that these things are imperative to running a business.  But, lately in managing a big hairy project, I am doing everything in my power to make sure the people on my team feel like they are actually on a team - contributing to great things with their efforts, ideas and actions. And I have to tell you, running a project this way has made me happier as a result - even in the midst of big hurdles and long hours there is light and laughter and support from everyone - it's a real team.  

The picture above I took while I was on a layover in Georgia a few months ago.  My flight that morning was SO early and I remember being crabby that the red-eye was the only flight out I could actually get.  I think it was right around 7:15 a.m. when I landed and took this shot.  I sat in the airport in front of this giant plate glass window and watched it rise for as long as I could and I remember thinking - the time to sit here and watch is such a gift.  Suddenly my lemon got a little sweeter...  So, in turn rewinding back to my scratching-Olivia Newton-John record days... The record was my Dad's.  I honestly never remember one complaint out of him over the fact that I scratched the living daylights out of this thing - but it became his gift to me because I loved it so much and he saw the joy I found in it.. a gift. 

So to all of you - there is someone whose life you touch every day in small and big ways.  I hope you realize the impact you can have on those who surround you. To those of you who cover me... you're my sugar and sometimes even the alcohol in my lemonade. :)