Recirculate

You never know where you might find inspiration. Sometimes, it appears on a valve control.

Huh?

This morning, I was adding the final round of chemicals to the pool for the year. The directions indicated the importance of making sure those chemicals were distributed throughout the entire pool, for maximum effectiveness in keeping algae and other undesired material from settling in during the winter months.

All of this is fine and good…except when it’s not getting distributed. That was my dilemma, as the filter did not want to kick in.

Turns out, there’s a feature on the valve control called “Recirculate”. Basically, it bypasses the filter and just shoots the water back into the pool, moving it all around and, in this case, making sure those important chemicals would get distributed.

It got me thinking…recirculate. To circulate something by definition means to move or cause to move continuously or freely through a closed system or area. To recirculate is to circulate continuously.

I don’t know about you, but there are some things I need to start making sure to circulate and then recirculate inside me, more often. God’s truth and equally, His grace. The eternal hope we have in Jesus – no matter what life brings our way. Positive self-talk and thoughts. You know, good stuff.

Problem is, the things I tend to have circulating in my mind aren’t always good. I get bogged down with yuck so easily. It’s been too easy for me to forget He has a good plan for my life.

The things circulating – moving continuously or freely through our minds – can be detrimental to us. Negative thoughts circulating continuously will only take us away from the destiny God has for us and the peace we can have during this life, even when the challenges are many.

It’s time to grab onto the hope which can make me glad at all times, and recirculate it until it is all that is flowing inside of me. But, why stop there?

Circulate also means pass or cause to pass from place to place or person to person. I want to share hope with everyone, pass it from place to place. Admittedly, it’s been a little while; some chapters of life are more difficult than others. But, God is still good, through it all.

I’m going to hit the “recirculate” button on hope, joy, peace, and everything good He wants inside me. We’ll see what happens next.

Have a great day.

Peaceful Paddling

My wife and I had a “staycation” of sorts this weekend…and it was everything we’d hoped it would be.

We’ve been on go, go, go mode for so long, it seems. This was an opportunity to recharge our batteries and just enjoy a few days together. As we sit here in continued relaxation mode afterward, both of us would tell you it definitely was worth it.

My parents are out of town for the week and so we went to their place for the weekend. They have a pool, the lake is nearby – why not? It was fabulous.

Granted, we were aided by essentially perfect weather. 70-something and sunny the past two days, with a nice little breeze in there at times. Amazing.

We did some poolside sitting (and napping), played a little golf,  sat and talked a lot, saw some friends for dinner one night. Simple pleasures.

What we did the most, though, was canoe. We spent probably seven or eight hours out on the water the past two days. Time well spent.

Sure, we threw our lures into the water in hopes of reeling in the big one while we were out there. But, fishing wasn’t the main attraction. Exploring a body of water I’d never really been able to before and getting to do that with my wife was a winning combination.

I’ve included a short video from one of the areas we were able to experience this morning. Hope you enjoy it at least somewhat as much as we did.

Peaceful paddling. Wonderful weekend. Batteries recharged. No complaints. 🙂

Myrtle Beach

…was amazing. What a great trip.

We hit the ocean, enjoyed the pools at the hotel, walked along Ocean Boulevard, played at the arcades, saw a hula and fire show, went bowling, bought some souvenirs at the beachwear stores, and were complete tourists in the city where I used to live. It was great.

Saw a bunch of old friends in the process while we were there, which was really terrific. It was good to see my people 🙂 I miss that place. Fun times and some good memories made this past weekend for sure. I’m thankful and blessed to have had the opportunity to go.

Until next time, Myrtle Beach…