Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.
From Romans 8:28: “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose.”
Desmond Tutu (1931-2021) was a South African Anglican bishop and Christian theologian. He was perhaps best known for his efforts as a human rights activist in dismantling his nation’s system of apartheid.
Grandparents Jim and Marge experienced a love story that began in their teenage years. Little did they know where life planned to take them in the years to come.
In 1911, Jim was born in the tiny town of Marmarth, North Dakota. The small community of about 800 was founded as a railroad town along the Milwaukee Road line. The transcontinental railroad traveled from Chicago, Illinois to Seattle, Washington.
When Jim was an infant, his family moved to Cleveland, Ohio. He excelled academically and athletically during his school years.
Born in 1912, Marge already lived in Ohio when Jim moved there. Eventually their lives intersected during junior high school. Her father was a Cleveland native while her mother was born in Belfast, Ireland.
With their love blossoming, Jim and Marge were married in 1928. Jim pursued his career goal of becoming an engineer with his studies at the University of Akron.
Sadly, the arrival of the Great Depression crushed Jim’s pursuit of a college degree. With money very tight, Jim needed to pursue a different career.
In 1936, Jim, Marge, and their first-born son traveled to Billings, Montana. Jim had been hired to work for a wholesale and produce grocer. Working for the Gamble-Robinson Company for 40 years, Jim eventually became the general manager of its Billings office.
When World War II arrived, Jim accepted his responsibility and served with distinction in the U.S. Army until being honorably discharged at the war’s end. Meanwhile his young family endured without him being at home.
Marge and her three young children managed to make life as pleasant as possible during Jim’s wartime absence. Unable to drive a car, Marge used other means for transportation. Rationing of vital commodities during the war made for useful transactions because Marge traded her gasoline ration cards for other ones.
Billings was growing, but it still had the feel of a smaller, close-knit community. Neighbors helped out each other. Church was a center of worship and fellowship for the young family as well.
When Jim returned home, the family continued to live in Billings at the same home. As childhood sweethearts, Jim and Marge experienced quite a life journey, which took them from their former homes in Ohio to a lasting one in Montana.
This story recalled the start of my mother’s family. Being the middle child and only daughter (born in 1938), Martha started a family of her own with the birth of her first child in 1956 (Richard). Eventually the family would number five sons and one daughter.
Previously, the story of my paternal grandparents was published. In case you missed it, here is a link: Grandparents Love Story (Episode One).
Life is always in motion, so you cannot be stuck.
Look around less, imagine more.
Esther Hicks (born 1948) is an American inspirational speaker and author.
Youth teaches lessons
Time adding insight
Hours keep adding up
Answers feel just right
Journey never ends
One more mountain quest
Filled with adventure
Ready for each test
Years seem to shorten
Days grow longer
Stories warming heart
Now feeling stronger
Tomorrow teaching
Mature moments shine
Gray matter adds up
Life tastes like fine wine
Scrapbook completed
Clock waits, now reflect
Life filled, no regrets
Legacy connects
Contentment is the only real wealth.
A heart can no more be forced to love than a stomach can be forced to digest food by persuasion.
Alfred Nobel (1833-1896) was a Swedish chemist, engineer, and philanthropist. While he was known as the inventor of dynamite and blasting caps, his influence has been felt for generations due to his generosity. He bequeathed his personal fortune to fund the Nobel Prize.
Morning symphony
Coffee’s rock-steady rhythm—
Caffeine harmony
Kellogg’s Rice Krispies
Coolest breakfast champions—
Snap, Crackle, and Pop
Wendy’s – McDonald’s
Choosing ultimate burger—
Dave’s Single – Big Mac
Women, if the soul of the nation is be saved, I believe that you must become its soul.
Struggle is a never ending process. Freedom is never really won, you earn it and win it in every generation.
Coretta Scott King (1927-2006) was the wife of civil rights activist Martin Luther King, Jr. In her own path of life, she assisted him in the march forward for civil rights, as well as being an accomplished author.
Be yourself. The world worships the original.
Happiness is good health and a bad memory.
Ingrid Bergman (1915-1982) was a Swedish-born actress who starred in a variety of European and American productions. Over a five-decade career, her acting earned her countless awards, including three Academy Awards.
The need is great and so are the opportunities to make a difference.
I think “quiet” sometimes is a greater power than noise. It can harbor and reveal feelings that can’t be expressed.
American actor Paul Newman’s life was much more than just the films he starred in. While he earned an Academy Award for Best Actor in “The Color of Money” (1986), he left an indelible footprint with his efforts as philanthropist and entrepreneur.
American actor Robert Redford starred in two films with Paul Newman: “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” (1969) and “The Sting” (1973). Redford’s directing skills have received four Academy Award nominations with one win for “Ordinary People” (1980).
The real test of the saint is not preaching the Gospel, but washing disciples’ feet, that is, doing the things that do not count in the actual estimate of men, but count everything in the estimate of God.
From 2 Corinthians 12:15: “I will most gladly spend and be spent for you. If I love you more, am I to be loved less?”
Oswald Chambers (1874-1917) was a Scottish evangelist and Christian teacher. Following his death from an illness while in Egypt during World War I, his wife took on the task of transcribing the detailed notes she had written from his lectures and sermons. Gertrude Hobbs Chambers’ efforts resulted in the publication in 1924 of MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST. I frequently read from this devotional, and it has greatly deepened my faith and understanding of God’s Word.
Big Sky Buckeye 