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What a marvelous time of the year.  I can’t remember a more enjoyable Christmas season.

This week I’m kicking back and recharging my brain.  That gives you the chance to review some of my best and most popular posts. 

Enjoy.

See you on the other side of the new year.

P Michael Biggs

1 - Is it Your Turn

2 - The Key to Life

3 - Possessions

4 - Sometimes We Just Have to Get Back Up

5 - Listening

Is There Room

A vivid memory of one of my childhood Christmases was when all ten kids and grand-kids came home.  That was such an exciting Christmas.  There were twenty-eight of us gathered together that year.

And through some magic we managed for all of us to stay under the same roof.  Amazing.

We tease about eating in shifts and scheduling bathroom time, and we managed all of it with grace, laughter and unity.

There was room for everyone.  Did you catch that? 

The Christ-child left a cozy spot by the fire in Heaven to come to a town called Bethlehem.  Unfortunately there was no room, even for the Son of God, so his parents stayed in a barn. 

A barn – for the Son of God 

Are we making any more room for Him today than we did over two-thousand years ago? 

Are we still crowding Him out?

Do we still say “No Vacancy” just because it is inconvenient?

Throw open the doors, turn on the lights.  Welcome Christ back into our world. 

We’ve tried for a few years now to eject him from our schools. 

     Are we better off?

We’ve tried to keep him out of government and schools.  How is that working?

The most spacious places around?  Our hearts – yours and mine.

Here is a lyric from a Christmas carol that captures my prayer.

O come to my heart, Lord Jesus;

There is room in my heart for Thee!”

Merry Christmas 

from Up-Words

Offer Hope at Christmas

In July and in December

My friend Harold published a book a few years ago in which he tells this story.

John was divorced, with two young boys.  The week before Christmas the boys were with their mother and grandmother.  On Christmas Eve, John picked them up at the train station.  They were laden down with all kinds of Christmas loot. 

At their father’s home, later that night, they oohed and aahed as they showed him the gifts from their mother and grandmother.  When they finished, they looked around at the sparsely lit, small tree, and small smattering of gifts, and asked, “So Dad, what are you giving us?”

With careful words, John said, “Boys, all I have to give you is myself.  It’s not much, but it’s all I have.  I do promise this – I’ll never leave you.  I’ll always be there for you, not only in December, but in July as well.  For I love you.  You have my love.”

That speaks to me today. 

Is there really anything else we could desire but to be loved?

I’m full of Christmas love right now.

Merry Christmas.

(An abridged version, taken from The Gifts of Christmas by Harold Ivan Smith)

P Michael Biggs

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Hark!

The carol is familiar, and sung often during this season.  But what the heck does it mean?

HARK!

Is it an alarm?

Is it a warning?

‘Hark’ simply means “to listen to somebody or something”.

So what do “Hark” and “Christmas” have to do with one another?

There are multiple layers to this wonderful story of Christ’s birth.  I think, perhaps, it is a suggestion to take note, notice, observe, look and see with sight and insight.   In the carol, we are asked to listen to the message of the angels. 

“Hark” is an archaic word.  I imagine we only hear it at Christmastime.  Yet the admonition is there.

It says in effect:  “Pay attention people.  Something wonderful is happening and you don't want to miss it.” 

I'm paying attention ...

  To the music of the season

    The lights of the season

      The smells of the season

        The joy of the season

I am harking.

Have you “harked” yet?

P Michael Biggs

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Finding Peace at Christmas

In the much loved Christmas carol Do You Hear What I Hear, we find a five-word phrase tucked away that is kind of important.

“Said the King to the people everywhere

Pray for peace, people everywhere”

These words are so simple they could easily be overlooked.  Yet what I love most about this idea is that everybody can pray.  Almost everyone prays some kind of prayer at differing moments in a lifetime.

What if we started a movement of praying for peace?  Have you ever known a time in recent history when the need is greatest for peace to break out?

Let it be so. 

P Michael Biggs

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Decorations

We now move full speed into the Christmas season.  We already see the sights of Christmas with a few decorations already on display at some of our nearby neighbors and our lovely town is already lit up and is a picture of loveliness.

So, what decorates your life and my life?

Sometimes it is a ring of value, or a watch.

Some decorate their lives with automobiles and boats.

This is not a how-to post.  It is simply a thought that might, perhaps cause us to simply ponder the decorations in our lives.

Decorations come in all sizes, colors, shapes and dimensions.

They include:

 A diploma

  A job

   A name brand suit of clothes or jewelry

    Dating or being married to the right person

     Aligning with the ‘right’ religion or dogma

I love to decorate the space around me with books and a great music library.

Decorations can be good or bad.  It is what we gain from having that particular decoration in our lives and how we interact with it, and allow its influence to affect us.

Mostly, I hope your decorations add value to what you do, how you do what you do, and it brings you occasional moments of joy and peace.

P Michael Biggs

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The Coffee Break Syndrome

Coffee has seemingly taken the world by storm.  And I have become a coffee snob of sorts, but that is not what I want to write about.

 

The coffee “break” demands our attention today.  I found this quote recently and regret not capturing its source. 

“We are good at drinking espresso,

but lousy at taking a coffee break.”

Don’t forget the “break” part.  That is a part of life too.  Remember, the heart pauses between the beats.  The weekend gives us a break from the 5-day grind.  And we need a sleep break for a few hours every day.

We need the break.  Call it ‘the pause that refreshes’ to borrow from Coco Cola’s long ago slogan.

Taking that occasional “break” is how our bodies are wired, and without the break our bodies can become unwired.

Think about that the next time you go for coffee.

P Michael Biggs

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The Voice Inside

One of the best skills I’ve ever developed is to heed the voice inside of me.  Some call it instinct.  Some call it “reading people or situations”. 

It works for me. 

I use it in meeting new people, in entering business decisions, even in making retail purchases.

Carolyn and I bought a new coffee maker two weeks ago from the second store we visited.  We bypassed the first store where we saw the same device at the same price.  Why?  We didn’t like the vibes the sales clerk gave us.

Right or wrong, good or bad, our senses work for our good most of the time.

Do you trust yours? Shel Silverstein puts it well in this great poem.

P Michael Biggs

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Fear Vs Creativity

Fear is a good thing to have.  Without fear we would walk into on-coming traffic, we would go where alligators live, and try to make friends with bears. 

Fear is a good thing.

However … we don’t need fear when it comes to creativity.  Fear kills creativity. 

Creativity needs air and space and loves the idea of possibilities. 

Fear stifles; it cramps your space and rejects all things new.

Never let fear drive the bus.

P Michael Biggs

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Listening

“Listen up.”  When someone says that it

usually means they think they are going o say something important, even profound. 

And we do them the courtesy of listening.  We pay attention.

Notice I said nothing about agreeing with them.  We just offer the courtesy of listening. 

Listening does not mean agreeing.  All anyone really wants is to be heard.  We don’t want you preparing your comeback in the middle of what we are saying.  We want a few minutes to be heard. 

And then we discuss.  If we agree, my goodness, that is amazing.  That is community.

And if we disagree … we have been courteous, we’ve been polite and we’ve been in good relationship simply by listening.   And we ask for the same courtesy when we give our response.

Something to consider.

P Michael Biggs

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Wrong Is Not Fatal

This is some of the best news I can give you today. 

It is just wrong, and we have a chance to self-correct.  We can do-over.

Actually - wrong is one of the greatest universities in the land.  You should attend some time.

You might learn something.

I know I have.  

P Michael Biggs

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Aspirations and Possibilities

Got aspirations?  Then you have possibilities.  If the seed is inside of you as a “wanna-be”, then perhaps this seed needs a bit of nurturing and encouraging. 

I was a wanna-be writer for thirty years before I finally dared do something about it.  THIRTY YEARS!  What a waste.

The redeeming thought from that is this – now I’m doing something about my writing urges.

To what do you aspire?

Put your right foot out and begin the march toward whatever it is you aspire to do or be.

Don’t wait to be asked.

P Michael Biggs

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Great Men

(Women, have no fear; you are included too.)

Who doesn’t want to be great at something?  Some of my past dreams have been – great drummer, great conductor, and a great 2^nd baseman.

Where did I put that manual on The Road to Greatness?

Oh yeah.  There is no manual for that one.

There are perhaps, road-signs along the way, books that one should read, ideas one should entertain, but one complete lesson that leads to greatness?

I want to take a quote from The Godfather by Mario Puzo.

Class dismissed. 

  

P Michael Biggs

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Small Acts

Never underestimate the value in a small gift or a small act.  I found a life-changing idea in four common words – “I approve of myself.”

This week I gave a man $5.00.  I had a whole lot more money that $5.00 in my bank account, yet it probably meant my friend Lou could eat one more meal until his monthly check comes in. 

In my years of living I have been the recipient of dozens of perfectly timed words of hope, or small acts of kindness that have landed in my lap.

I believe in small acts when delivered in love.

P Michael Biggs

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That Mouse Won't Fly

Some ideas just don’t seem to work, to the average mind.  But W’s mind was different.  He believed in his idea.  “They” even went on to say that he lacked imagination.  He had no good ideas. 

He persisted.  He knew his mouse would fly.  And so it did.

But not before some setbacks and hardships.  At one point it is reported that Walt Disney resorted to eating dog food to stay alive. 

And after a string of failures, his Mickey Mouse cartoon flew.  It flew into the hearts of children the world over. 

The next time you have an idea and it is facing negative press, remember Walt and his mouse that everybody said would never be a success.

Been to Disney Land or Disney World lately?

P Michael Biggs

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Mistakes and Learning

We’re taking a lesson from a small little book today – Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach.  Here is the quote.

He made mistakes along the way,

but he learned from his mistakes.

He crashed and burned more than once,

but he got back up

in the air and flew again,

farther and faster than before.

I like the phrase – “and flew again.”

That is the spirit of one who does not give up easily.  That describes people like you and me.

I found out recently that we let a typo squeak through on my book The Letters, and it happened on the Table of Contents page.  I misspelled table for “Talbe”

I’m still writing.  I’m still a writer. 

I made a mistake.  I am not a mistake. 

And neither are you!  We learn from our goofs.

P Michael Biggs

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The Key to Life

Okay class.  Remain standing and listen up.  I will be brief.

The key to life – Personal Relationships.  Got it? 

P E R S O N A L 

R E L A T I O N S H I P S

I once heard Harvey McKay say that he never deletes anyone from his personal address book.  That is amazing.

In the movie Jerry McGuire we find this quote.

A personal note:  Sometimes I like to call my friends just because.  Perhaps it has been too long since we spoke, or maybe my friend is facing a surgery, as is my friend Ian.  So I called him this week just to say “Hi” and let him know I would be thinking of him. 

PERSONAL relationships. 

Make it personal.

P Michael Biggs

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Power

I bought a new book today.  It is by J.K. Rowling – Very Good Lives.

It is based on a speech she gave to the graduating class of 2008 at Harvard University.  I highly recommend this small giant of a book.  I read it in thirty minutes, but its impact will last a lifetime.

And now, Ms. Rowling speaks to us:

~”If you choose to use your status and influence to raise your voice on behalf of those who have no voice

~”If you choose to identify not only with the powerful but with the powerless

~”If you retain the ability to imagine yourself into the lives of those who do not have your advantages

…“Then it will not only be your proud families who celebrate your existence, but thousands and millions of people whose reality you have helped change.

“We do not need magic to transform our world; we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already:  we have the power to imagine better.”

~J K Rowling

Imagine that, our influence could continue working on behalf of thousands and millions who come long after we have left this earth, simply because we heard their voices and we continued singing their song. 

Perhaps it is time to help a brother in need, to encourage one who is downcast, and to bend low enough to lift another up to a new height.

Let us use our voices and influence to make a difference somewhere in this world.

That would be a fine display of power!

Class dismissed.

P Michael Biggs

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Be Careful with Books

Warning!  Books could be dangerous.  You never know what is inside of them. 

They might contain words of hope, words of inspiration, and words that encourage people. 

Books have been known to inspire revolutions and start love affairs.

Books change people. 

Be very careful when reading a book.  Be prepared to be changed.

You may now return to your normal life.

P Michael Biggs

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How the Phone Is Answered

Answering a phone is marketing – pure and simple marketing.  And everyone markets.  One day in a sales meeting I called four businesses so my sales team could hear the differences in phone personality.  It was quite an experience.

So you’re not in sales?  Do you have a cell phone?  How is it answered? 

Is there a smile to your voice?

Do you respond with a pleasant tone?

Is there an “I’m glad you called”?

Of course you get to choose how to answer your phone.  Just consider how you come across, and if you are okay with that, then march on.

Class dismissed.

P Michael Biggs

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Possessions

I saw a homeless young man last week and bought him some food.  It costs $3.85.  We engaged in a bit of a conversation long enough for me to know he has been living on the streets of Seattle for 2 years.

He was grateful for the food and went on his way.

Today I saw him again.  I greeted him and we exchanged pleasantries.  With great eagerness he pointed to a skateboard hanging from his shoulder.  He told me one of his friends had given it to him.  He was proud of that possession.

 

I seriously doubt that he has many possessions to call his own.  He borrows the parking lot where I work to sleep at night. 

And you and I have an abundance of stuff.  He was as proud of that skateboard as you and I might be of a new Lexus. 

Perspective. 

This exchange gave me a pause for reflection.

P Michael Biggs

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Happy

The chase is on for “happy”.  Are you into it?  Are you running this race?

Here is what I’ve learned about happiness.

~One size does not fit all.  It is a tailor-made program, and you are the designer.

~Happiness isn’t in money or fame.  I see too many people with all of that stuff and they seem pretty miserable.

~Do the “pass it on” thing.  The other day Carolyn and I paid for another customer’s ice cream just because.  That made us happy, and the lady too.

~Give thanks.  Show appreciation to all those around you – the retail clerk, the policeman, the dry cleaning lady, the bank teller, the grocery store manager.

~If you are happy, then please tell your face.  SMILE!

Class dismissed.

P Michael Biggs

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Friendships

Being a people person, I love being around people and engaging in wherever our friendship may take us.  I make friends easily.

And that is the heart of today’s thought.  Do you and I begin friendships with others simply to get them to buy our stuff, or hire us, or for something we can get from them?  Or … do we make friendships to add to our friendship circles?

There should be no conditions on our friendship.  If I befriended you simply because you could do something for me, well, that is just wrong.  If I befriended you simply to win you to my way of thinking, or my doctrine, or my company as a customer, what is that all about?

I felt ‘dropped’ by a friend of twenty years recently simply because I did not want to join his multi-level marketing scheme.  He saw me as a money-maker and once I said “No” he dropped me like a hot potato.

That is friendship abuse, and that is wrong. 

Okay, that is enough for today.

P Michael Biggs

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Cause of Failure

This just in ... 

Seriously.

If it is your passion

If it is your dream above all dreams

If it is your heart’s burning desire

Then keep going.  Don’t stop three feet from success.

If it is not any of those things, then you can quit any time you feel is right.

Good day!

P Michael Biggs

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On Being Brave

Are you brave?  Do you do brave things? 

You are brave when …

~You speak up for right

~ You speak up for those wronged

  ~You post a blog

~You sing a song in public

 ~You ask for extra work at work

  ~You say “I love you”

~You do the thing in spite of your critics

 ~You show your painting to someone 

  ~You let your poem be read

~You apply for the job just out of reach

 ~You call someone to repair a friendship

  ~You attempt anything you fear

Bravery is ...

~Courage

~Influence

~Perseverance

Bravery is courage in action.

Bravery is being valiant, heroic, bold, daring and fearless.

Find your brave spot.

P Michael Biggs

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