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Tag: Diana Derringer

My Cup Runs Over

My Cup Runs Over

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My Cup Runs OverTea, coffee, milk – whatever the beverage – my cup runs over quite often.

I fail to pay attention, and I pour more than my cup can hold. I can make some big messes.

My cup runs over in other ways as well.

With these, I don’t make a mess. Instead, I find I’m abundantly blessed with:

  • More than enough to meet my daily needs
  • The love of friends and family
  • The opportunity to share that love and those resources with others

Often, we apply this expression to big moments or benefits. I find, however, that my cup runs over more often from the little things, such as:

  • Breathtaking sunrises and sunsets
  • Children’s laughter
  • Fresh garden vegetables
  • Hugs, with arms or words
  • Quiet moments alone or with someone I love

During hard times, when my cup’s almost empty, I recall those experiences.

I also rest in the knowledge of God’s love and care. Now, that makes my cup run over!

This phrase comes from Psalm 23, one of the best known psalms (songs) in the Bible.

“My cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever” (Psalm 23:5-6 NKJV).

What about you? What makes your cup run over? Please comment.

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Get Your Goat

Get Your Goat

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Get Your GoatIf I get your goat, I make you angry or upset.

Although Jenny and I both got a goat in this photo, we were definitely not angry or upset. What fun we had with Paul and Janet Hert at Green Hall Farm, feeding, holding, loving, and learning about goats.

I wish we would all relate to one another that way. Why do we choose to:

  • Annoy one another for no good reason?
  • Hurt others when we hurt?
  • Make fun of people different from us?

Why don’t we:

  • Seek the best for one another?
  • Help one another through good times and bad?
  • Celebrate our differences?

Like Jenny and I did with the Herts’ goats, let’s:

  • Feed one another when we’re hungry.
  • Hold one another when we hurt.
  • Love one another unconditionally.
  • Learn from one another’s life experiences.

“In that day the wolf and the lamb will lie down together, and the leopard and goats will be at peace. Calves and fat cattle will be safe among lions, and a little child shall lead them all” (Isaiah 11:6 TLB).

Do you have an expression you want explained? If so, please comment below.

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Pull Yourself Up by Your Bootstraps

Pull Yourself Up by Your Bootstraps

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Pull Yourself Up by Your BootstrapsTo pull yourself up by your bootstraps (bootlaces) sounds impossible. With your boots on your feet, how can you lift yourself by the straps?

You can’t. Yet many people lift themselves from what appear to be impossible circumstances every day.

My parents and many of their generation:

  • Grew up poor
  • Had parents die young
  • Received little formal education

That sounds like the perfect formula for failure. Nevertheless, most of them live happy, productive lives. They pulled themselves up by their bootstraps and:

  • Did what they had to do to make a living
  • Loved and provided for their spouses and children
  • Returned to school as adults or became self-taught
  • Spent what they had, not what they hoped to earn

They never whined about their losses. Instead, they did their best each day and helped others do the same. No one picked them up and carried them. They did it themselves, as they said, “with the good Lord’s help.”

Life’s not always fair. They accepted that reality. They made the best of their circumstances.

I salute them, one and all.

“All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty” (Proverbs 14:23).

Do you have an expression you want explained? If so, please comment below.

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