September 25, 2016

PICK THREE

Pick three of these words

to describe you: cool, hot,

young, old, innovative,
picky, pushy, polite,

cautious, cunning, crafty,

shy, savvy, suspicious,

worker, non-stop, quick,

slow, deliberate, exact,

sloppy, lazy, behind,

holy, saintly, servant.

Note: this is self-test # 25 on my blog. Can you find the other 24? This is best done with 1 or more other people. You do yourself and you do the other person or persons and share the results.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2016

September 24, 2016

ALONENESS

Aloneness - the sense and sound -

of that word - that statement - contains

about 83 percent negative feelings.

Aloneness - the feeling we all feel

when we’ve done something dumb -

or said the wrong thing in public.

Aloneness - in a far city - alone - and
at the moment our family back home 
is not going right - and we feel, “Uh oh!”

Aloneness - and we sense we’re

a lost coin - dropped by God - and

our faith that God wants us is gone.

Aloneness - and we’re found like a

lost sheep  or a lost child and nobody

really cares that we have returned.  

© Andy Costello, Reflections, 2016

Cf. Luke 15 - whole chapter

September 23, 2016

SQUEEZED

We know the feeling. We’re in an elevator,

subway, doorway - with too many people -

coming and going…. squeezing in and out -

or we’re squeezed into those moments

when a lot of people want us. They want  

our time - our  help - our  money, us.

We feel like a tube of toothpaste. We only

have so much of me in me. It’s at those

times I want to be in a car all by myself -

alone - no traffic, yet life feels like I’m in

the back seat of a car - stuck in traffic  -

somebody else is driving - and I’m trapped

between two other people and they are fat

and I can’t  move. I’m being squeezed.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2016

September 22, 2016

LEATHER

Once he hit 40,

he only noticed leather -

nothing else - not his

wife - not his kids -

leather - brown leather

shoes - the brown leather

bag the lawyer on the

other side of the table

reached into two times

during the meeting -

the leather steering wheel
cover in his brother-in-law's car -

leather - wanting leather -
without knowing it - wanting
better - wanting more -
don't we all?

 © Andy Costello, Reflections 2016

CHOICE

At some point we need to realize
we are what we eat - we are what
we choose - we are what we read - 
we are what we watch -  we are 
what we put on our plate. When 
we're kids, life is a sit down meal - 
but looking back, life is a buffet. 
Get up. Move. Grab a plate. Choose.

© Andy Costello Reflections 2016

September 21, 2016

DIDN’T  LIKE  FISH

She didn’t like fish.

Some people don’t like

where they come from -

even if it was zillions

of years ago.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2016

September 20, 2016

COMBINATIONS

Salt and pepper -

but not sugar and salt.

Him and her,

but not him and her.

Forgiveness and mercy, sometimes,

but sometimes it's too difficult.

Heaven and hell, yes - at times,

but no, not in the long run - never.

Forgive and forget,

yes and no.

Fiddle and violin - no,

but fiddle and dancing - oh yes!

Rose petals and tissues, but

not sandpaper and sarcastic words.

Winter and summer, but you need

to have spring and autumn in between.

First and last, but sometimes

the last shall be first.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2016