19. Be current.
Watch and listen to the news.
Use the internet.
Take a course.
Read the newspaper.
20. Be dependable.
Don’t shirk.
Show up on time.
Be prepared.
Make your promises count.
21. Be direct.
Don’t beat around the bush.
Don’t send someone else.
Get to the point.
Be clear.
On this Thankful Thursday I am grateful for the gifts that Dr. Monty Knight brings to my life. Monty grew up in Ziegler, Illinois and was an outstanding baseball player and a lifelong sports enthusiasts. He went to Baylor but transferred to Southern Illinois University. He started singing solos in church in his preteens and was in great demand. He graduated from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and received his Th.D. from Princeton University. He served as chaplain at the Baylor School in Tennessee. He was director of the Dorchester County Mental Health Center and later pastor of First Christian Church/Disciples of Christ. He is now in private practice as a counselor. Monty writes a hymn each year. He and I have known each other for many years. We both teach at Webster University and we bumped into each other a great deal when he visited the Charleston County Mental Health Center. We have conducted more workshops together as a team than either of us can count. I prize our friendship for so many reasons. Monty has been a tremendous influence in my spiritual development. We can and do discuss everything. Monty has read everything. He has challenged me, pushed me, encouraged me, supported me and reassured me. I am a better person because of our friendship. His wife, Jackie, is an absolute delight. She doesn’t hesitate to set us both straight. Monty was one of the ministers who officiated at our wedding – Monty, Tom Guerry and John Hamrick. You don’t get loose after that. Monty is a mainstay of the Monday Lunch Bunch. He is the author of an outstanding book, Balanced Living: Don’t Let Your Strengths Become Your Weaknesses. On this Thankful Thursday, I am deeply grateful for the presence of Monty Knight in my life.
Thankful Thursday is a day set aside to recognize the importance of someone to our lives and to let her or him know of our gratitude. Develop an attitude of gratitude. Say Something Nice; Be a Lifter. You will be glad that you did.
16. Be competent.
Perfect your skill and talents.
Stay current.
Practice, practice, practice
17. Be cooperative.
Join in.
Offer assistance.
Be a team player.
Do more than expected of you.
18. Be creative.
Get out of your box.
Use your imagination.
Keep asking, what if.
Surround yourself with creative people.
Today is my mother’s birthday. Even though she died in 1988 she is still an ever present part of my life. She was an easy going, enthusiastic, happy, positive person. She was always supportive. Even the dreadful Alzheimer’s disease could not take away her smile or her love of babies. She grew up on a small farm near Woodruff, SC and graduated from Woodruff High School. She and my dad were married just before the great depression. Both of them worked in the textile mill. She stayed employed there until her retirement. She and dad were active members of Northside Baptist Church. My sister, Jean, inherited her generosity of spirit. One of my most vivid memories of her is her standing at the kitchen sink watching for my dad’s pickup truck to turn into our driveway. That was her signal to put supper on the table. In her younger years, she was an avid softball player and she played on the mill’s team. She and dad were both good swimmers. They enjoyed square dancing and dad was a great caller. Both Jean and I inherited a double dose of the puritan work ethic. Long before anyone ever heard of the feminist movement, we grew up in a home where there was no woman’s work or men’s work. There was just work which they did together. They had his and her lawn mowers. Hers was electric. We were not sent to church. They took us and stayed. The worst thing that Jean or I could do was to try to play one parent against the other. It never worked and usually ended badly for us. This is the first time I have written about a deceased person for Thankful Thursday, but, she lives on. Her influence is everywhere. She loved Christmas. Now she just has a more intimate view. On this Thankful Thursday, I am grateful for my mother, Edith Gossett Carnell.
Thankful Thursday is a day set aside to recognize the importance of someone to our lives and to let her or him know of our gratitude. Develop an attitude of gratitude. Say Something Nice; Be a Lifter. You will be glad that you did.
13. Be cheerful.
Smile at people.
Greet people.
Think happy thoughts.
Trust people.
14. Be committed.
Take a stand.
Don’t equivocate.
Be tenacious.
15. Be constructive
Cooperate with others.
Present solutions.
Develop fresh ideas.
Don’t deal in personalities.
