Author: Regina Cates

By Tim Moody

When I was a boy, I was loved by the sweetest women in the world. My Mom, of course, beautiful in every way was one. Smart, devoted, lovingly and fiercely protective of her family. But then also, on my Dad’s side, there was my grandmother, Maude, whom I called Nana. Quiet and reserved, small and lovely, she was a tender presence. By my Aunt Laura, who was fun and beautiful with a contagious laugh, generous and open hearted. By my Aunt Mary, tiny and petite, poised and gracious. By Aunt Florida, snow white hair and the most winsome smile, a deeply self-confident woman.

On my mother’s side, there was my grandmother, Ruby, whom I called Momo. Quite simply, a saint. I adored her. My great-grandmother, Joanna, whom I called Gammy. A gifted pianist, the first female American Indian graduate in the school of music at Bacone College. Her embrace was arms of love. And there were my Aunt Emerald and my Aunt Jackie, wonderful women of grace and affection.

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Gratitude is immensely powerful to keep our focus on all that is going right in our lives. For instance, I am so grateful to the people who take care of my trash and recycling. I put it out and they take it away. That truly rocks!

I am grateful for police and firefighters. These women and men have chosen to put their lives on the line for you and me. Overall these fine public servants truly rock!

I am grateful that I can go to the corner store to get fresh food. I am grateful to live in a warm apartment. I am grateful to feel love and to love.

I truly believe the quality of the life we create is directly related to the depth of our level of gratitude. For the small things that make life easier. For the people who help make life easier. And for the love that makes life worth living. Each of the people who positively impacts us is an #AmbassadorOfLove. I am grateful to be surrounded by them.

Dealing with physical pain over a long period of time wore me down. After a while, life was dull. I found less joy in daily activities, and the constant discomfort kept me on edge. Every day I woke up focused on the pain. Each evening I went to sleep wishing something would change.

When I received news that my twenty-nine-year-old cousin had been killed in an automobile accident, I experienced a dramatic shift in the way I viewed life. Physical pain turned into a positive sign that I was still alive. It was surprising to discover how much my pain decreased when my focus changed from living in pain to appreciating the life I had.

After being downsized from a job, I faced the daily temptation to just give

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My friend Sydney and I only get to see each other once a week. So, we only have a few hours to be together. Recently when I arrived she leaped up to give me a huge hug which felt fantastic. After a few minutes of catching up she immediately went back to playing with her iPad.

So I asked Sydney to pay attention to me rather than her iPad. She began to cry. After a long time and several attempts to find out why she was upset I finally figured out she was upset because she thought I was angry with her. I held her hand and assured her I was not angry. But friends must be honest with one another and I told her I felt that technology was more important to her than spending time with me.

I am not a parent but I recently interviewed a parent about the dangers she witnesses of technology negatively impacting her children’s ability to have healthy and respectful interaction with others.  This is something I feel each parent must stay on top of because we don’t want to create a generation of young people who cannot talk to or relate to one another. We don’t want our children to think machines that don’t feel are more important than human beings and animals that do feel.

Sydney and I are okay because we talked it out. Which is another important aspect about relationships that we must teach children. When something upsets us we cannot just sweep it under the rug or refuse to share our feelings. We have to be honest with one another. Which is exactly the relationship Sydney and I are working to build.

By Tim Moody

I saw a decal on the back of an SUV the other day. It read: “Not of this World” and had a Christian cross underneath it. I never have understood this concept. Years ago when I was a minister I used to wrestle with the idea Christians are somehow not supposed to be of this world. What are we supposed to be, aliens? As often happens I think those passages of scripture that mention that phrase are misunderstood. Jesus once said his kingdom was not of this world. But that was clearly a reference to how he dealt with life as opposed to how the Roman Empire handled it.

He came from love; they came from fear. His approach was acceptance; theirs was suspicion. His mission was peace; theirs was domination.

St. Paul used the phrase in one of his letters. He often spoke out of his harsh background of persecuting Christians. I think sometimes Paul pushed too hard. People who have had unhealthy, scarred, abused, intemperate pasts often use their religious beliefs in the extreme. They overcompensate for their previous behavior by trying to keep everything in the present, structured and under control. Paul had those moments.

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I was behind my apartment and saw a young man intentionally throw a glass bottle in the middle of the alley. As soon as he realized I saw him, he ran away.  I walked to where the broken bottle was and picked up as many pieces as I could and threw them in the dumpster.

As I returned to my apartment I wondered why he would do such a thing. Why would he want to cause upset to someone who gets a flat tire or possibly pain and injury to a pet that may step on the broken shards? And, maybe he did not think about the consequences of his actions. Perhaps he just shattered the bottle as a joke or because he was bored.

We are all at different levels of awareness about how the actions we take impact others. I am so grateful to have learned what I put out comes back to me.  I’m glad I care because no matter what anyone else does I am completely responsible for my thoughts, words, attitudes, and actions.

We cannot control or change anyone but ourselves. So the way for us to move past the unconscious actions of others, is to do everything within our power to right the wrongs we see.  No one has to know or see the actions we take, like picking up the broken glass. God sees. And that is most important.

My father is almost 95 years old. He went to the local grocery store. As he was leaving he found the flat crosswalk at the store entrance blocked by a huge pick-up truck that parked illegally right in front of the doors.

My dad saw a man get out of the truck and said to him, “Excuse me, this is a no parking zone. Can you please move your truck so we can safely go around?”

The guy responded, “You just take care of your groceries old man and I’ll take care of how I park.”

My fragile old father was forced to go over a big curb with his shopping cart because the man would not move his truck.

I know exactly what you’re thinking. My egocentric pride reactively thought the same thing.  How dare the man treat my dad so rudely? Who does he think he is? How can anyone behave with such calloused entitlement and

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This is my friend Eren Cannata. He is an Emmy winning songwriter who, for over fifteen years, has pursued his dream of signing with a major record label. A label that is fair, supportive, and that values equality. A rare thing in the music industry I’m told.

Recently Eren met with the executives of a major music label that creates the honest and fair atmosphere he dreamed of becoming part of. I am excited to share that he was signed to a deal which was better than he dreamed.

It takes time, effort, determination, and persistence to achieve the dreams we have for ourselves. So hold on to your dreams and never give up pursuing them. Eren is a perfect example of keeping the faith, doing the work, and being ready when the day we dream of arrives.

Listen to the podcast I did with Eren here: https://bit.ly/2pbFe71

By Tim Moody

I recently spent the weekend with my son, Luke, in southwest Oklahoma. He manages a large ranch there set in the hills of vast trees and rugged trails. I love going there because, for one thing, I get to spend time with him and his dogs, Maggie and Gus. And for another, I get to get out of the city and enjoy the peace and quiet of the country.

The ranch is a majestic spot set on nearly 3,000 acres and Luke has transformed it into a real paradise. The grounds around the ranch house, the barn, the shed, and the corral are immaculate. Big trees stand by the house and shade the nearby fire pit. It’s a perfect spot for morning coffee or friends around a fire at night.

There are cattle and horses that Luke tends to and across the rolling hills deer graze and raise their heads to stare if Luke and I pull up in the gator. Then they take off, running elegantly into the woods.

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I was five years old when my dad stole a tiny piece of my candy corn. After making the Halloween rounds with mom I sat at the kitchen table with my haul laid out before me. Deciding to open my favorite treat first, I placed each candy corn neatly on the table. Starting from the left with the largest piece I continued by size until on my right was the smallest one. It was my favorite and I was saving it until the end.

Without warning my father swooped into the kitchen, grabbed my tiny favorite and ate it.  I burst into tears. He dropped to his knees, wrapped his arms around me and asked what was wrong. I told him the tiny one was my favorite. He said he took the smallest one because he wanted me to have the big pieces.

The next day my dad brought home two packages of candy corn. We sat across from one another at the kitchen table lining up each piece. After all the pieces were laid out he gave me the smallest one from his package and I gave him the largest one from mine. Fifty four years later the memory of that exchange with my father is still a sweet treat within my heart.

This week, be thankful for all the pleasant memories you have of your life. Regardless if the relationships you had with your parents and family are positive, or not, find the memories that are positive.  Feel gratitude for those times because by concentrating on the positive you will create more positive in the present, and future.