Time With Tandy

Inspirational author and speaker

Time With Tandy

Inspirational author and speaker

Blog

  • It’s Called What?

    Dragonflies, Snowdrifts, & Spice CakeMy second book, Dragonflies, Snowdrifts and Spice Cake has just been released. Although I’m very happy with the title, it’s not the one I had originally chosen.

    This collection of writings came about through reflecting on ordinary, everyday things and finding inspiration in them. For that reason I had decided on Moments of Reflection for the title.

    While attending a conference I was telling a fellow writer about the book I was working on. She asked what I was going to call it and when I told her, the response was not what I expected. She said that title was too boring!

    I could have been offended at her remark but chose instead to be grateful for her honesty. She suggested combining some of the story titles into the book title. It took months of brainstorming to come up with a combination I liked but the feedback I’ve received lets me know I made the right decision.

    What I have learned from this is that when someone disagrees with me I have two options. I can take offense and feel rejected or I can listen to what they have to say and gain valuable insight.

    By restraining my desire to defend my point of view I am able to keep silent and listen. This provides new possibilities for me to consider. I pray daily for wisdom and guidance and God may be using the words of someone else to bring that to me.

    The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint, and whoever has understanding is even-tempered. Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongues. (Proverbs 17:27-28 NIV)

  • How To View The Parade

    God, life , beginning from the endGenerally when I watch a parade it is from a street level. I stand with the crowd of spectators and watch it go by. Although I have a view of what is in front of me, not much more than that can be seen.

    A few times in my life I have actually been in a parade. The view that I get then is not of the parade itself, but of the spectators. It is a unique perspective.

    Sometimes I’ve watched a parade on television. As well as close-ups of various parts of the parade, there is usually another angle shown. It is interesting to see from above with a birds-eye view. This gives a much broader scope. Occasionally from this vantage point the whole parade, from beginning to end, can be seen.

    This is a good analogy for life. I can only see what is happening presently in my life. The whole picture is not available. There is no way for me to see my entire life.

    God is the one who can see the beginning and the end. He knows the routes I need to take and has far more knowledge of my steps than I do. For this reason I need to give him control. This parade route called life will be so much better when the one who sees all is leading me.

    The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.              (Psalm 32:8 NLT)

  • Not Easily Ruffled

    harmony, Jesus, inspirationThree women were visiting and the conversation turned to summer clothing. We talked about shopping for sun dresses and the fact that many of them had ruffles.
    We all agreed that this was not a style we felt comfortable in. As we parted ways, one turned and said, “I guess we’re just not easily ruffled!”

    The play on words brought laughter but the phrase stuck in my mind.
    If I am easily ruffled that means I get it doesn’t take much to get me upset. The definition for ruffle is to destroy the smoothness or evenness of …

    When I take on too many things or don’t allow myself enough time the smoothness of my life becomes disturbed. In other words, I become ruffled. This is a position I find myself in more often that I like to admit.

    The best way to combat this is to slow down and re-evaluate what is important in my life. I have found that I can achieve this by starting each day with Jesus. His love is at work in my life and when I am in harmony with him things flow much more smoothly. By letting him guide me I will not be easily ruffled.

    Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:2 NIV)

  • Lessons From a Birthday Gift

    God, life , beginning from the endI opened a small box and admired the lovely brooch inside. Many eyes were on me as I was asked if I knew why this design was chosen for me.

    Our family has a Scottish heritage and the gift had come from Scotland but I figured there was more to it than that. Focusing on the design in the stone I struggled to see what images were there. My family laughed as I came up with some interesting interpretations.

    After a few minutes my son-in-law took pity on me and asked how many thistles surrounded the stone. That was the clue I needed. There were eight, one for each of my grandchildren.

    The stone itself was a Heathergem, made from the stems of the heather plant. Basically, the heather is picked, dried, died and then mixed together and compressed. Eighty tons of pressure is required to press the block of stems together. It was incredible to think this lovely stone was once the stems of a plant.

    The first lesson I learned from this gift was that sometimes I look so hard to find a complicated solution that I overlook the answer that is right in front of me.

    Lesson two was that pressure is not always a negative thing. It is not pleasant to go through times of intense pressure but this stone was evidence that the results can produce something of strength and beauty that would not otherwise be possible.
    I need to remember that God can take any situation and produce something good from it. I only need to give it to him and allow him to do his work.

    And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. (Romans 8:28 NLT)

  • Lessons From an Easter Egg Hunt

    easter-egg-huntWe were holding our annual Easter egg hunt for the family. The grandkids were excited and couldn’t wait to get started. Once everyone had arrived, they were given some instructions and then we counted to three so all could head off at the same time.

    We heard many squeals of delight as they discovered the hidden treats. There were always adults nearby to give assistance to whichever child needed it. Everyone had a good time and memories were made.

    Our grandchildren know that we always have treats for them in our pantry. It would have been so much easier to gather goodies from there than search through the house for the unknown. There’s something exciting about the hunt
    though.

    This reminded me of my life. Many times I’ve set out searching for something even though I didn’t know what it was I was searching for. When I saw others finding what they wanted, I grew frustrated. Where was the treasure I needed to be fulfilled? If I couldn’t find it on my own, was there someone nearby to point me in the right direction?

    What I discovered was that it was within my reach all along. I had been so focused on my search that I’d missed the treasure right before me. Jesus provided the answer to all of my needs. All I had to do was to put my life in His hands and trust Him for the outcome. He has led me on bigger adventures than I could have planned for myself. His faithfulness is so great that I am excited to see what treasures are in store for me as each day unfolds.

    “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness”  (Lamentations 3:22-23 NIV)

  • Do You Wear a Mask?

    authentic, Jesus, strength
    My husband and I recently attended an event called Behind the Masque. It was mandatory for everyone attending to wear a mask. I had discovered that it wasn’t easy to fit a mask over my glasses so chose to have one painted on.

    After I told the face painter that I liked turquoise and had a book coming out with the word Dragonflies in the title she came up with the amazing design you see pictured here. It was a work of art and seemed such a shame to have the canvas washed clean later that night.

    Although people wore masks during the evening, we could usually tell who was behind them. This made me think of the masks I have hidden behind in my life. Maybe I haven’t hidden quite as well as I thought!

    My struggle has been to be authentic. My ego doesn’t want to let people know that everything in my life isn’t perfect. They may not like me if they really know what’s behind this mask of confidence and self-assurance.

    I was speaking to a friend about this and we agreed that wearing these masks is exhausting. She had recently taken hers off and was amazed at the new depth in her relationships.

    In order to remove my mask I had to stop thinking I needed to do things on my own strength. Instead, I allow Jesus to take control. He has told us that he works best in our weakness. No I don’t see my weakness as a bad thing, but as an opportunity to let his strength work through me.

    Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. (2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT)

  • Are You Thick Skinned?

    self-interest, God, prayer, inspirationLately I’ve been starting my day with a slice of fresh lemon in a mug of hot water. I enjoy the taste, and have also heard this is good for digestion.

    The last lemon we purchased had a very thick rind on it. This made the skin to pulp ratio higher and produced a bitter taste. It also meant the slice was bigger and took up more room in my mug.

    When I mentioned to my husband that this lemon had a very thick skin, he asked if being thick- skinned was a bad thing. I replied that I prefer my fruit to be thin-skinned but it’s not good for me to be that way.

    If I’m referred to as thin-skinned it means that I am oversensitive. My feelings get hurt very easily. Everything becomes about me. This can make life very uncomfortable.

    Conversely, being thick-skinned would mean I have set up a barrier between myself and everyone around me. Although I would not be easily offended, the fact that I would be largely unaffected by the needs and feelings of others would not be positive. Again everything would end up being about me.

    Neither of these scenarios is where I want to be. I am aware that my life runs much smoother when the needs of others are as important, if not more so, than my own self-interest. Spending regular time in prayer with God will ensure that I don’t become too thick-skinned to follow his direction for my life.

    And then what happened? Well, when Israel tried to be right with God on her own, pursuing her own self-interest, she didn’t succeed. The chosen ones of God were those who let God pursue his interest in them, and as a result received his stamp of legitimacy. The “self-interest Israel” became thick-skinned toward God. (Romans 11:7 The Message)

  • Floating Shells

    life, challenge, God, trustAs I walked along the beach I spotted a tide pool ahead. It was filled with shells that appeared to be floating on the surface. Fascinated, I hurried over to have a closer look. What I found surprised me.

    The shells were not floating, they were on the bottom. Crystal clear water had magnified them and created a false illusion.

    I took a couple of pictures and moved one. The picture that stayed in my mind’s eye brought some serious reflection.

    How often, I wondered, do I make assumptions and even decisions based on how things appear from a distance?

    When I look at others and think I’d like the wonderful life they have, do I realize that I only see an illusion and not the close up reality?

    The same applies when I look at someone who appears to have very little. The peace and contentment this person has may far outweigh anything I could imagine.

    The only life I can see clearly into is my own and sometimes even this is a challenge.

    God always sees the hearts and knows the minds of his people. This is why I trust in him rather than on my own understanding.

    It is better to depend on the Lord than to trust mortals. Psalm 118:8 GWT

  • My Hourglass Life

    God, love, inspirationDuring a recent dental check-up the hygienist asked if I was brushing my teeth for a full two minutes. After telling her that I really didn’t know, she gave me a cute little timer. It has a smiling tooth on each end and sand that takes two minutes to flow from the top to the bottom.

    This got me to thinking of an hourglass and how it relates to my life.
    When I was much younger my only thoughts of hourglass were related to the ideal body shape I wanted to achieve. Since that was not in the realm of possibility I filed this word in the recesses of my mind.

    Now that I’m much older, and hopefully a little wiser, I view the hourglass in a totally different way. The sand is representative of the sands of time, slipping away. I have no idea how much time is left but I do know that it is less today than yesterday.

    For this reason I need to make the most of each day. Unlike the sand in the hourglass, I can’t turn my day over and get the time back again. I don’t want to watch passively as the sand/time slips away.

    No loving words should be left unspoken and no kindness left undone. God has given me a certain number of days and I don’t want to waste them. I need to consciously look for ways to use my time to reflect his light and love.

    A person’s days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed. (Job 14:5 NIV)

  • You Have the Power to Change My Day

    positive, encourage, prayer
    poster from notsalmon.com
    Recently I was engaged in an activity I enjoyed. Everything was going along smoothly until someone voiced a few complaints. These were things that I hadn’t noticed previously and that had never interfered with my enjoyment of the activity. Before long I felt my positive attitude slowly being eroded with these negative thoughts.

    Things that had never been an issue for me now seemed to be all that I noticed. Instead of focusing on my positive experience I started seeing what could be a negative for others. My peace and enjoyment of the activity slipped into the background.

    Looking back on this, I realized anew the effect words have to influence others. It only took a few to change my outlook. If a few words could change my positive thoughts to negative, the reverse must also be true.

    That means I need to be very conscious of my words. If I speak in the heat of anger I will regret it later. Instead I need to speak words that will encourage and build others up. On my own, this can prove a difficult task at times. When I stop and pray about my attitude, the words that I speak will be ones that will encourage and build others up. This will ensure that the only way I change someone’s day is to make it more positive.

    Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. (Ephesians 4:29 NLT)