ƸӜƷ (¯`·.¸¸.Still Life.¸¸.·´¯) ƸӜƷ

ƸӜƷ (¯`·.¸¸.Still Life.¸¸.·´¯) ƸӜƷ

written by Denise Kennedy

Hi everyone, firstly may I send huge apologies for my delay in writing a new blog post, but life has been a bit of a challenge of late.  I will not go into the details of it all, but suffice to say that although I am a student of business at the moment, some of my greatest lessons these days have been much removed from the surrounds of a university lecture hall, and leaning more towards the daily challenges we all face.  Life brings its own lessons and these are the stuff life is made of.  Still, life goes on, and we learn to roll with the punches.

♥♡ ♥♡~~ Some of the things God whispers to you are to be proclaimed from the rooftops & others are to be pondered in your heart. ~~♥♡ ♥♡ ~ ƸӜƷ

I have been in such a place of busy-ness, schedules and decisions of late, yet even in all of the activity it has seemed at times that all was hushed and quiet in my soul.

Some have said “Hey Denise, I miss you!” to which I replied, “Hey, thanks, I kinda miss myself too!”  Not having the time available to drop everything and do the things I most love, I have somehow missed the most ‘creative’ parts of my daily routine.  So today, in the midst of a busy schedule I have taken time out, just to write this life lesson that has found a place in my heart over the past month. So thanks for your company and allowing me to ‘be’ with you, getting lost in what I love…writing!

Please let me tell you something precious, which hopefully will resonate in your own heart too.  Through all of the busyness and activity, I have felt God holding me gently in a place of stillness.  I have always loved butterflies, and lately I have found myself captured by one butterfly quote after another.  They are all gathered together in my journal as I speak (or type) ~ but it is more than the beauty of a butterfly that has captured my imagination these days, it is the cocoon:  the process of stillness, change, darkness, waiting, pondering, and patience.

I can only say that in these nights of deep thinking, processing and change, I am seeking to learn the art of the still life. So what does the word still mean?

STILL: Not moving or making a sound, deep silence and calm. Remaining tranquil, placid, and without action – To be free from disturbance, agitation, commotion or panic – To be stilled by one in control, to be made at ease, hushed and comforted.  To sense the ease of solitude, lack of hustle and bustle, or to be overcome with a profound hush. ~ ƸӜƷ

Some would say it sounds easy, relaxing, blissful, and such a beautiful endeavour.  The activist in us would say otherwise, finding it hard to relinquish control over a desired outcome or process.  I have learned that to ‘be still and know’ is not always an easy option, but nonetheless it is the best practice for a true believer.

So back to my cocoon, or the lessons thereof : Do you think the caterpillar knows it will suddenly emerge from this dark, lonely place of confinement, as a stunning winged creature of amazing beauty? Does it realise that in the dark, everything it ever knew or experienced to date, is about to be utterly transformed into a vibrant, new existence where it will know flight and freedom like never before?

The following quote encapsulates this thought perfectly:

“I always wondered, when a butterfly leaves the safety of its cocoon, does it realize how beautiful it has become? Or does it still just see itself as a caterpillar?” ― (The Air I Breathe) ~ ƸӜƷ

Does a butterfly, one day catch a glimpse of a stunning reflection as it flutters above a calm lake and only then realise the magnitude of this change? There is nobody in the cocoon to talk it through the changing process, and how true that can be for us too.

There are many who have studied the intricate transformation of a caterpillar into the elegance and profound delicate beauty of a butterfly, but for one moment, let’s consider our own still life transformations…do you desire a breakthrough of your own? Do you hunger for an experience that takes you on an adventure that is wonderful and beyond your wildest dreams? Well, maybe like me you do. So, why not let it happen? Take the time to be still, to contemplate a metamorphosis of phenomenal proportions.  There are wings waiting for you to use, there are dreams waiting for you to chase, and there’s an adventure with your name written all over it! Nobody can create the atmosphere for change for you, no matter how much they wish they could.  The only person you can change is yourself, and many have tried and failed miserably. I cannot set you free, nor can I do more than invite you to take the time to be still, and dream of flying.  The following words describe beautifully the courage and strength necessary in finding one’s wings:

 

“As a child, he’d found a butterfly emerging from a cocoon. He’d tried to help it by prying open the husk to set the insect free. It had lain in the sun, beating its wings as they dried, but had never flown and soon it died. His grandmother explained the butterfly needed to go through the difficulty of freeing itself in order to have the strength to fly.”
― Laura Bacchi, Butterfly Unpinned ~ ƸӜƷ

I never want it to be said of you or I, “They never flew!”… I want to live my days in courageous colour, displaying all of the wonderful qualities my Maker has bestowed in me.  I want to find the strength to fly and leave no room for regrets.

My new mission statement these days is:

 “I have a little brown cocoon of an idea that may possibly expand into a magnificent butterfly of fulfillment…”    ― L.M. Montgomery ~ ƸӜƷ

There is a time for stillness, but then comes the time for flight where we say, “Goodbye Cocoon, I’m going UP!” …the sky awaits.

Don’t let it be said of you, “You never flew!”

Near Life Experience ♥ ♥ ♥▬▬▬♥

NEAR LIFE EXPERIENCE ♥ ♥ ♥▬▬▬♥

by Denise Kennedy

Sunday night, and I am too tired to study but it is too early to sleep. So here I am.

Today was wonderful.  There are many reasons why. It is ‘Thanksgiving Sunday’ and that is always good news. Time to say thanks to a good God, for all the good times, good family and friends, and oh yeah, the good home-cooked food I just devoured…(homemade by me)

But I heard a sentence today that stopped me in my tracks. An hour later, well actually, several hours later, I am still thinking about it.

“Some people survive near-death experiences, but many spend their lives having near-life experiences…” (Well it went something like that I think, but you get the gist?!)

We all know what a near death experience is.

A near-death experience (NDE) refers to a broad range of personal experiences associated with impending death, encompassing multiple possible sensations including detachment from the body; feelings of levitation; total serenity, security, or warmth; the experience of absolute dissolution; and the presence of a light.  These phenomena are usually reported after an individual has been pronounced clinically dead or otherwise very close to death, hence the term near-death experience. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Near-death_experience)

May I repeat the line? “Some people survive near-death experiences, but many spend their lives having near-life experiences…”  After I heard the phrase, I erupted in laughter, nervous laughter.  You know, that kind of laughter you find yourself in when you are facing an awkward moment or you want to squirm your way out of the present challenge.  The thought instantly caused me to think about the many moments where life invites us to live, or we are faced with a choice to avoid a great adventure and sit that dance out.  When I think of a near-life experience I imagine it is that point in life where we must make a critical decision, where we either live the life we want or we don’t.

So what do the majority of us do when the near-life experience presents itself?  Do we run into the nearest telephone box, do our Clark Kent turnaround and spin out of there in our Superman outfit, ready to take on the world? I wish it were so.  I think most of us see life sizing us up and we run away from meeting the challenge.  So many do not survive these near-life experiences, we avoid those challenging steps that would take us on a new journey to the life we really wish we were living.  Why? It takes more courage to believe in nothing than in something, and it takes raw guts to be someone who lives a fearless life.  I don’t know about you, but I want to live UNAFRAID!!

I don’t want to reach the end of my life, only remembering the moments I almost lived. I almost dreamed. I almost loved. I almost conquered my fears. I almost fulfilled that incredible adventure. I almost made a difference. I almost became the person I was created by God to be.  I don’t want to look back and live with that regret! How about you?  I don’t want to see something inside of me die every time I walk away from the ‘almost’ things of a near-life experience.  I want to really live. Fully alive and seizing every day like it were my last, for one day it will be.

‘The difference between school and life is, in school you are taught a lesson and then given a test. In life, you are given a test that teaches you a lesson.’ (Tom Bodett)

In summary, can I say, grab life by the reigns, ride it for all you are worth. Be ready for those near- life experiences, the white-knuckle rides that scare you to pieces, but take you to heights you never dreamed possible! I am with you – I am doing this.  Why, just today I took a leap of faith into the unknown to me, but known to God.  And tomorrow I will do my best to look for another opportunity to not miss, to not sit out on, to have the best life experiences I can. I don’t want to miss a thing!

♥ ♥ ♥▬▬▬♥ Laugh, even when you feel too sick or too worn out or tired. Smile, even when you’re trying not to cry and the tears are blurring your vision. Sing, even when people stare at you and tell you your voice is terrible. Trust, even when your heart begs you not to. Sleep, even when you;re afraid of what dreams might bring. Run, even when it feels like you can’t run any more. And, always, remember, even when memories pinch your heart. Because the pain of all your experience is what makes you the person you are now. And without your experience – you are an empty page, a blank notebook, a missing lyric. What makes you brave is your willingness to live through life and hold your head up high. So don’t live life in fear. Because you are stronger now, after all this happened, than you ever were back before it started. (BY Alysha Speer) ♥ ♥ ♥▬▬▬♥

Don’t almost live, instead, live intentionally!

¸.·’★¸.·’★ PROMISE YOURSELF ¸.·’★¸.·’★

¸.·’★¸.·’★ PROMISE YOURSELF ¸.·’★¸.·’★

My blog entry today is basically a simple, yet profound collection of words, which when pondered on regularly, I believe will change the reader, the ponderer and the way we do life! Ponder on.. .. .. & feel free to comment below. I love to hear back from you. I will share more soon, for there is much to write!!

¸.·’★¸.·’★¸.·’★HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all my family, friends & loved-ones!

Love well, Love hard, Love sincerely! NiseyK ¸.·’★¸.·’★

*.¸.*♥ღ – Credible & Incredible? – *.¸.*♥ღ

*.¸.*♥ღ – Credible & Incredible? – *.¸.*♥ღ

written by Denise Kennedy

As I sat yesterday in my usual three hour Strategic Services Management Marketing lecture, in order to complete my Bachelor of Business Hons Degree in Entrepreneurship by May of 2013, I was strangely challenged by an innocent word play.

Let me fill you in…

We were discussing the various ways one would develop your company’s ‘Flower of Service”,  with a view to offer the best functionality for the service or product that users or customers are willing to pay for.  We discussed the various ways you can add value to your customers experience while also running an effective and innovative marketing strategy. It is all about the core of your service plus your additional back-up services, which guarantee you the differentiation you desire. The ‘petals’ you develop as part of your marketing strategy are of immense importance, but so are other elements.

So, as the word ‘credible’ was suggested a few times, and we tossed around the idea of creating these added services as a business, I started to think about the word ’incredible’.  The Incredible Hulk would never have become the superhero we grew up believing he was, if it were not for his superhero powers to impress and deliver.  So in the latest new word of my amazing 5 year old nephew/godson, be “CLASS”, be a class person who delivers in an awesome way!

I would imagine every entrepreneur, whether an innovative product designer or a creative service manager, wants to be ‘incredible’.  But I am also pretty sure they want to be ‘credible’ too, wouldn’t you?

So how does this translate?  Well, yesterday I went off on a roll thinking about these two words and their definitions:

CREDIBLE:  Able to be believed; convincing. Capable of persuading people that something will happen or be successful. Being capable of being believed; plausible.  Keeping your word, being worthy of confidence and reliability. Being of sufficient military capability to deter an attack or carry out an operation successfully:  Those of you involved in the marketing world may have heard of the term ‘credibility gap’: this describes the difference between high expectations aroused by unrealistic claims, and the actual performance of a product or service.

So for a moment let’s just switch to my other focus word and see how it is defined.

INCREDIBLE:  Marvellous, amazing, astonishing, barely believable.  It can be described as possessing a rich quality that provokes amazement and awe from your audience or customers.   Others see it as maintaining a quality which is awe-inspiring and astonishing.

If you look at your own person-hood as a brand, do you see yourself as a trustworthy person who delivers a credible value to those who do life with you, or are you more concerned about your ‘incredible ways’ than to bother with maintaining a strong ethical stand when it comes to fulfilling what you promise?  These questions provoked me yesterday, and I considered the many organisations worldwide, who promise a product or service of infinite value to their consumers/users, while failing miserably in their real genuine power to deliver.

As I embark upon a new chapter in my writing career, I am so aware of the importance of being ‘credible’ and ethical, while hungering for the ‘wowness’ of the ‘incredible factor’ also.  These are deep questions which cause us as entrepreneurs, to challenge our core beliefs.  I believe it is possible to encompass both of these amazing qualities into our marketing mix, our ‘Flower of Service’, and more importantly our dealings with colleagues, family, and friends on a daily basis. Good petals are only valuable if they are equally as credible as they are incredibly wonderful!

In my current studies, I am seeing many stories of human resource departments having to fire people due to their poor moral standards, ethics or personality traits.  It is sad, that people who tick all of the boxes  in remarkable ways, can fail in the personality department and lose their employability over it.  You may deliver incredibly well in your interviews, but turn out to be an awful person to work every day with.  Be careful!

So I say, let’s aim to be both ‘credible’ and ‘incredible’, be wonderfully credible! Let your reputation never turn out to be a disappointment to those who put their trust in you to deliver what you say you will!

Have an awesome and incredible day! Capture every opportunity you can, and aim to develop into a “Flower of Service” that is exactly who you say you are!

Nisey Kennedy

ღ ღ ღ Love Out Loud! ღ ღ ღ

ღღღ

LOVE OUT LOUD!

ღღღ

In Defense of LOVE…

ღღღ

To love; is it the desire of the weak, or is it a characteristic of the strong?  Or is it both? Well I say love makes you strong, love armours you with resilience and persistence when all around you seems to be a battleground. Find something or someone you love and suddenly a hard quest or a seemingly insurmountable obstacle is seen as a challenge to overcome at all cost.  Love; it makes weak men rise up and do things they never thought they could do, or desire to do.  It makes damsels smile with pride and respect for the man who is willing to prove his love to her.  It makes lovebirds sing and creation burst with colour. Love; they say it makes the world go round! What do you say it is?

Depending on what you believe love to be, will determine how you love.  How you love others is the very oil of friendship, courtship, family life and relationship. Upon love, hangs every other action, deed, desire, hunger, thirst and accomplishment.  You will endeavour to do great things for someone or something you love.  Yes you will do many things for less than love, but in the end you will still do something because you love what you do or you love the one you are doing it for. Many have done a difficult or unloved task, simply for the joy they see on the face of the loved-one it is accomplished for.  What a motivator love is.

So today, in defense of love, I say LOVE in such a way that the world takes note, sits up and recognizes a different kind of love they have not beheld before.  Love dangerously; in such a way as to walk where there is risk, where there could be pain or gain.  Love extravagantly; count nothing as too much to endure. Leave nothing unsaid, unknown or unspoken. Love valiantly; whether it is returned, received, appreciated, applauded, or sought for ~ choose to love with honesty!

The world needs love – we see it in the love God has displayed towards an uncaring world. Yet we did not love Him, He chose to love us.  To love someone who loves you back is easy to do, depending on how genuine your love is.  But to love those who do not want your love nor see any value in it, is a task only the strong can do.  If you know you are loved by a Greater Love, a source far more magnificent than any human love, then you can give love knowing He has you covered, protected and guarded.  To love with unconditional love, is truly a love that loves in all weather, all conditions and all challenges.

Today I defend love. I believe it holds some of the most extraordinarily mysterious qualities I have ever known.  Love heals and hurts; Love makes one sad and happy; Love lifts you up and can let you down; Love fills you up or leaves you empty.  Love is truly one of the most incredible gifts we can bestow upon another soul.

Today someone is watching how you love, choose wisely and graciously. Today a friend desperately needs someone to prove to them that love carries weight and a legend all of its own! Today how you love makes a difference to the hurting around you.  No matter how you perceive or have experienced love to be, you can still choose to defend it based on what  you believe love should be. You are the only one who can determine what kind of ‘lover’ you will be!

LOVE; Guard it, treasure it, redeem it, communicate it, risk it, prove it, speak it, display it, fight for it, embrace it, protect it, safeguard it, live for it, die for it, celebrate it, validate it, cherish it, define it, sacrifice for it, heal with it. Do it!  It is those who love, that know how to decorate their own soul, grow their own garden and appreciate the art of loving.  Loving is an art, but that artist lives in each one of us waiting to be displayed in your own sweet beautiful way!

Live in defense of love! Love heals! ღ

Somebody is waiting to be loved the way you love, so Love Out Loud! ღ

♥.¸¸.•*`*•♥ Denise

 

♪♫•*¨*•. In The Hallway .•*¨*•♫♪

♪♫•*¨*•. In The Hallway .•*¨*•♫♪ by Denise Kennedy

For several weeks now, a phrase I heard has rolled around my head, at times causing me to literally stop all I am doing and let it impact my heart deeply.  ♪♫•*¨*•.“Until God opens the next door for you, PRAISE Him in the hallway!”.•*¨*•♫♪

As I sat in the garden to begin writing this piece, and had simply written the quote at the top of my blank page, my cell phone rang…my dear friend shared this exact quote with me as we talked, having had no idea what I was writing about…perfect timing and confirmation!

God opens doors it’s true – sometimes He opens them as soon as we ask, while at other times He chooses to open them whether we ask or not.  There are occasions when God seems to keep us in the holding pattern, circling to land, and we wait and wait.  Recently a huge open door presented itself in my life, and as I currently walk through it, I’m very much aware of the other doors I want to open in my life.  There is a lesson in ‘doors’ and a learning curve in how we handle them.

Is there anything grander than that perfect ‘door-swinging open’ moment?  When at last that brilliant big door you have been waiting on, opens wide before you and you rush right through it with heart-beating expectation, and excitement.  It is a wonderful time, and we thank God as we run with our arms waving over our head like a giddy child at Christmas.  So, what happens when the door seems to be solemnly closed, at least for now, or forever?  Do we sit sunken and dispondant in the hallway of our life, dreading the season of waiting?  Do we sit there quite possibly drooling at the door handle begging it to open, and tiresomely hating even the wallpaper or paint on the familiar walls around us?  In this place our attitudes can become indifferent or non-challant, despairing and forlorn.  But read again for me if you will, these thought provoking words:  “Until God opens the next door for you, PRAISE Him in the hallway!” ~ read them again, this time slowly and let them sink deeply into your tired heart.  Let them rest there unshaken and still.

♪♫•*¨*•.“Until God opens the next door for you, PRAISE Him in the hallway!”.•*¨*•♫♪

What door are you waiting on?  Are you imagining a new career which will suddenly bring success and comfort into your life?  Is there some new quest or adventure beckoning you on to a place of wonder, that somehow seems out of grasp for now?  What or who are you possibly waiting for?  Well, stop right now – could it be that in all of the time you are waiting for these doors to open, that God wants you to learn to be content right where you are, with Him in the hallway of your life?  With Him in the hallway could be the preparation place for what is behind that yet closed door?  There could be amazing secrets, words of wisdom and songs of ascent that He longs to share with you, as you sit in the hallway of your present life.  Don’t wish this season away, there are diamonds and gems to be gleaned at your feet.

Have you ever locked yourself out of your hotel room?  You sit there on the soft plush carpet hoping a room porter will come along, or you wait on that family member who said they would be with you shortly.  You suddenly notice the hallway you usually rush hurriedly down, in a whole new light and from a very different view now that you’re sitting on the floor.  You see the beautiful light fittings on the chandelier above you, or you admire the ornate mirrors and exquisite paintings on the walls.  You take time to appreciate the flowers in the cut glass vases and the stunning antique furniture beneath them.  You see, sometimes God causes the doors to close so that we simply learn to appreciate what is around us, and we begin to praise Him in the hallway of paused moments.  True it has to be said, when we finally get inside to the other side of the closed door, we truly welcome it with a greater appreciation, having had to wait for it.  The delays can cause a deeper appreciation to grow in us, which will make the grand door opening event a far more delightful experience.  Sometimes, what the heart must wait longer for, it also grows to miss and then value much more!

God may open the right door but in a different way, He may even open a completely different door at a time we had not foreseen or planned. He may even lead us through a door we do not want or desire at any time in our lives, and these are the moments that show us whether we really trust Him or not.  These seasons reveal to us what is really in our heart – if we trust Him as the ‘Door Opener’ of our lives, then we trust His timing too!  You may see others rush through the doors that you yourself wanted, and as they disappear through it leaving you with only the sound of their laughter, you sink again onto the carpet of your life and wonder why?  It seems so unfair you feel – but for now, just leave the lives of others in His hands, their journey is not any of your business, let it go.  Don’t envy the lives of others, when really only they and God know the journey that took them to that place of His providence.  The same God of providence and provision is also with you.  He longs to be the One your eyes are fixed upon as you sit in your hallway.  He wants to be the One you lean on, run to, sing to, cry to, talk to, laugh with, live with, rely on and depend on!   The doors that you walk through are important, but timing is crucial and critical, indeed the right door at the wrong time is a disaster waiting to happen.  So whether someone else has closed a door for you, or indeed if it were you who slammed it shut yourself, start trusting God that He can open it again at just the perfect time.  If an employer, friend or family member has let you down with regard to a door you were pounding on, stop pushing it!  Begin instead to look to the only One who holds all the keys to all of the doors, all of the careers, jobs, plans, adventures, and dreams you’re hoping for in the future.  If you’re tired of pounding doors or screaming at them to open, decide to sit down, not in defeat but in strength.  For you know that the Key Holder is in control, and at just the right time and in just the most perfectly beautiful way, He is able to unlock that door, sweep you up and walk you through it.

As I walk through doors, and contemplate many new ones, I know that there is a still, quiet place called the hallway – and there are wonderful lessons to learn there, there is strength to be found there, with the Key Holder of my life.

“We have the choice to: Worry or Worship. Panic or Pray. Tremble or Trust.” – Rick Warren ♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸❤¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪

There are doors we are called to wait at, keep knocking on or keep believing for – these are the ‘Faith Doors’ in our lives, and we keep on asking and seeking, and God will honour us as we trust Him.  But whether the doors open that we want or not, we must learn to ‘Praise Him In The Hallway’, while we wait – God also waits, on our honest response!  So sit down in strength, in trust and in the knowledge that the One with the keys and time in His hands, knows what He is doing –

He is doing something in our hearts in the hallway!

☑♥~ Fist Bump~♥☑

☑♥~FIST BUMP~♥☑ written by Denise Kennedy

Good Monday morning to you.. .. .. I like Monday’s, I guess they just feel like the first page of the book of a brand new week, and brim over with new possibilities.  Of course it is better if it is sunny,

but as I look out my window, the rain is teaming down softly and gently.  Actually it makes a change from the Indian Summer we just had this past week.  Today, rain is absolutely perfect for what I need to do! Clearing presses, preparing bags of clothes for the charity shop, and generally trying to declutter my life of clothes and books that would be better with someone else who needed them.

It is funny when you start to rummage through old boxes and bags, the things you find: memories!  But also among all of the memories I found many of my handwritten journals, ‘Precious Moments’, “Holly Hobbie”, and “Camo Girl” themed notebooks, full of my many letters to God.

Since I was a child I loved to write, and finding all of these etchings and heart-to-paper thoughts just overwhelmed me with the goodness of God in my life.  Among the boxes, I also found my safely kept “Love Is” collection – I remember as a young pre-teen I discovered these romantic little cartoon characters on the crossword page of the Irish Independent, and from that day I saved a little of my pocket money so I could always buy that Sunday newspaper, purely to read that cute caption and cut out that little cartoon.  I found them all safe and sound, although a little discoloured.  I then came across my hand painted island pictures, tropical beaches, butterfly skies, and dreamy horizons: I love painting!

Some of these things I will keep, some I will read and then carefully leave out to be shredded, but one thing I will always keep, is the knowledge that through all the years that these books and boxes represent, God has watched over me and cheered me on through every day.  He roared from the sidelines as I ran like the wind though my cross country and sprint competitions – He shouted my name out when I won my first basketball trophy and art competition medals – He applauded my efforts as I worked and studied full-time in Theology College, and even saw to it that I won the beautiful ‘Dorcas Award’ – through all of these years He has been my Great Rewarder, my Faithful Encourager, and always my daily strength.  Today I like to think of it as the “fist bump of God”.  He has high-fived me and said “Well done daughter, I am so proud of you!” – The Great I AM is proud of me, and proud of you too!

Maybe you have never needed, or felt the fist bump of God, or the approval of your Creator?  But to me His voice has been the sweetest one I know.  On days when I thought the battle was too hard, or the race too long, He gave me my second wind and helped me win the gold.  When decisions were scarey or people let me down, He never left my side and taught me a better way.  When roadblocks and hurdles tried to throw me off course, He came along beside me and made the way clear.  The fist bump of God is His acknowledgement that He not only sees your efforts, but you are also on His team, the winning team!  A fist bump can also be a symbol of giving respect when it is due. It is commonly used in baseball as a form of celebration with teammates, and with opposition players at the end of a game.

According to St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Bernie Miklasz, the fist bump was created by Stan Musial.  It is said that knuckle bumping started in the 1970s with NBA player Baltimore Bullets guard Fred Carter.   Others claim it began with the Wonder Twins, minor characters in the 1970s Hanna Barbara superhero FISH cartoon Super Friends, who touched knuckles and cried “Wonder Twin powers, activate!”  However, the “fist bump” or “pound” can easily be traced as far back as the late 1800s and early 1900s to the boxer’s handshake as a way to greet when hands are gloved.  So it was the handshake of fighters, determined to find away to say “Well done!”   Some fist bump to celebrate sports victories, to agree on a good point, or in a congratulatory way when you want to say “good job.”

Some say it is no different than a high five. Experts have said that it is not suitable for those in love to do as it is seen as a ‘we’re just friends’ kind of gesture, but in my opinion aren’t the best relationships the ones that have a strong friendship too?  Either way, I am grateful for the friendship and the fist bump of God, for His accolades after every accomplishment, and for His tender, proud, kind, encouraging words that say, “Job well done!”

Someone gave me the following verbal fist bump today;  “Denise, you are already amazing and will just be even more amazinger!” (I love new ‘made up on the spot words’) – God says we are just becoming more amazing as we let Him develop and change us!

Every relationship has its trademarks, those unique and memorable things that someone does that make you love them more, it is one of God’s trademarks to encourage us.  Trademarks are the unique things we find so endearing about others, and soon after we meet someone we learn to love their quirky ways.  God has His favourite things about you too.  So as I embark on a new challenge this week, which will take me through a few months of intense study, I am already aware of the fact that I will need fist bumps all the way through, and when May finally gets here, I will again here God say, “Job well done Nisey!”

God doesn’t want to be a silent partner in your life, your job, your career, your relationship or marriage, personal life or business ~ let Him speak the loudest! Let Him be the most important fist bump you get, hear Him say “Job well done!” And while we are at it, let’s not be afraid to fist bump each other, verbal or otherwise – find a way to say “Good Job!”

Remember, a fist bump says = “We’re in this together!”