Browsed by
Tag: health problems

Go Haywire

Go Haywire

Comments 4 comments

Go Haywire--tangled fence wire and leavesLife goes haywire from time to time. Everything goes wrong. Nothing works right.

Recently, emails of my blog posts stopped sending. I had changed nothing. They simply stopped. Plus:

  • Friends and family members suffered major health problems.
  • Several loved ones died.
  • Freezing temperatures and electricity problems left us in a cold, dark house.
  • Slick roads prevented travel.
  • To-do lists grew out of control.

My life went haywire.

Go Haywire--stacked hayGo haywire probably relates to the wire farmers once used to bale hay.

The wire held the hay together. Farmers also occasionally made repairs with old wire. Such repairs rarely lasted. In addition, thin wire easily tangles, as seen in the fence wire above.

Go haywire has two main meanings.

The Free Dictionary explains both.

  1. “To go wrong; to malfunction; to break down.”

Like the people and possessions in my recent life, everything falls apart.

  1. “To become irrational or crazy.”

When life gets crazy, acting crazy often follows. Because my surroundings felt out of control, I had a tough time staying in control.

Personal reactions do not have to depend on circumstances.

Once I changed my self-talk and thoughts, my emotions also changed. Hard times happen. That’s life. Yet, good can come from those times.

Whether circumstances remain calm or go haywire, I want to let go and let God hold my life together.

“Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control” (Proverbs 25:28 NIV).

Thanks to Randy Gosser for the suggestion and to Connie Atwood Murphy for the photos.

Do you have an expression you want explained or a thought about this one? If so, please comment below.

Subscribe to receive my weekly posts by email and receive a free copy of “Words of Hope for Days that Hurt.”

If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends.

Tough Cookie

Tough Cookie

Comments 26 comments

Tough Cookie -- Tim DerringerMy husband is one tough cookie. The way he handles hard times amazes me.

A tough cookie has often experienced a hard life.

My husband has suffered from:

  • A malignant brain tumor (In 2004, he was expected to live three to five years.)
  • A heart attack, stroke, and fall that caused a severe brain injury (In 2009, all three happened the same day. He was not expected to live 24 hours.)

A tough cookie is a strong person. 

My husband refuses to give up in spite of health problems. He:

  • Almost never complains
  • Rarely gets discouraged
  • Fears little
  • Refuses to accept defeat

A tough cookie decides to make the most of life.

My husband would prefer to be healthy and able to work. However, he chooses not to be a worry wart. Instead, he enjoys what he can. He crosses each day’s bridges as he gets to them.

A tough cookie is not perfect.

No one is perfect. Life is not perfect. However, like all of us, my husband has a choice: complain or do the best he can. He says what happened to him is just the way the cookie crumbles. Therefore, he makes the best of life.

A second explanation of a tough cookie:

  • A difficult person
  • Someone who always wants his own way
  • An unpleasant co-worker

I seldom hear anyone use this second explanation.

“I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances” (Philippians 4:11 NIV).

Do you know a tough cookie? Please comment below.

Subscribe to receive my weekly posts by email and receive a free copy of “Words of Hope for Days that Hurt.”

If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends.

Thanks to Talmadge “Tim” Derringer for permission to share part of his story.

Save for a Rainy Day

Save for a Rainy Day

Comments 2 comments

Save for a Rainy Day--clouds and rain at Niagara FallsWe never know what the future holds.

Therefore, we need to save for a rainy day.

A few of us enjoy rainy days. Many people do not. For them, a rainy day means a bad time.

  • The sky becomes dark.
  • They must cancel outside plans.
  • Everything turns wet and messy.
  • They get in a bad mood.

Whether we like rainy days or not, we should prepare for them.

  • Keep an umbrella.
  • Make inside plans.
  • Dress for wet weather.
  • Do something to improve our mood.

When we save for a rainy day, we prepare for hard times.

Storms in life occur as well as storms in the weather. Life storms may include:

  • Job loss
  • Health problems
  • Home or car repairs
  • Other unexpected bills

We prepare for a rainy day – an emergency – by saving money. We hope we never have to spend that money. Yet, we have it if we need it.

As an old song reminds us, into each life some rain must fall.

Sometimes when it rains, it pours. Therefore, let’s batten down the hatches and get ready for the rain.

“The clouds poured down water, the heavens resounded with thunder” (Psalm 77:17 NIV).

Do you have an expression you want explained or a thought about this one? If so, please comment below.

Subscribe to receive my weekly posts by email and receive a free copy of “Words of Hope for Days that Hurt.”

If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends.