by pattyptakkogutek | Sep 11, 2017 | inspiration
Does God not hear my prayers or does he just get it wrong? With the raging wildfires devastating the west coast and the hurricane rainstorms destroying the east coast, I thought perhaps God got things a little mixed up. I’ve been praying for all those rain-filled...
by pattyptakkogutek | Sep 5, 2017 | inspiration
How come it takes a tragedy to teach us lessons? Can’t we learn our life lessons quickly and easily? The ongoing disastrous hurricane hitting Texas and Louisiana reinforces valuable learnings for us all. Amidst our daily lives of striving to be the best and the...
by pattyptakkogutek | Aug 28, 2017 | inspiration
Who has not enjoyed an engaging Danielle Steele novel? This American novelist has sold almost 1 billion books worldwide, making her one of the best selling fiction authors of all time. Her novels revel life lessons that have carried her through heartbreak, the loss of...
by pattyptakkogutek | Aug 21, 2017 | inspiration
I recently had the opportunity to take a wonderful cruise. Every morning we were given the daily ship’s newspaper, “Passages”. This six-page pamphlet helped us “cruisers” to get the most of our days spent in port pointing out the features and highlights. Glancing over...
by pattyptakkogutek | Aug 11, 2017 | inspiration
I’m not a poet, but I do find this piece very inspirational: “Earth’s crammed with heaven, And every common bush afire with God; but only he who sees, takes off his shoes – the rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.”- Elizabeth Barrett Browning How many times have...
by pattyptakkogutek | Aug 5, 2017 | inspiration
We are all called to live the extraordinary life that God has designed for us. We each are unique individuals with our own gifts and talents. There is a mission only you can fulfill and a song only you can sing. Oftentimes we get caught up in what others want of us....
by pattyptakkogutek | Jul 31, 2017 | inspiration
On the road of life there are many conundrums. These complex problems confuse us with no apparent clear solutions. We know that we were made to share in the Divine joy and happiness here on earth. But then Jesus tells us to, “Deny yourselves. Take up your cross and...
by pattyptakkogutek | Jul 24, 2017 | inspiration
Has your life been successful so far? How do you judge it? Do you consider what you do? Where you live? What you have? Your influence? Your power? Your bank account? All of these considerations may be motivational but surely don’t make a complete successful life. Look...
by pattyptakkogutek | Jul 17, 2017 | inspiration
Remember Garfield? Garfield is relaxing in his warm cozy chair watching television, while outside a fierce storm is raging. Through the window Garfield spots one of his buddies shivering and freezing. Garfield is overcome with emotion and exclaims, “I can’t just sit...
by pattyptakkogutek | Jul 9, 2017 | inspiration
One of my favorite quotes comes from Oscar Wilde writing that the two most important days in our lives are the day we are born and the day we discover “why”. God created us for a reason. We each are entrusted with a special mission to accomplish here on earth. No one...
by pattyptakkogutek | Jul 2, 2017 | inspiration
I recently read that we are not here to solve problems but problems are here to solve us. We all intellectually know that hardship can teach us important life lessons, but usually these problems catch us by surprise. Sometimes they pull the rug right out from under...
by pattyptakkogutek | Jun 26, 2017 | inspiration
All of us human beings struggle to get things right. We never seem to get it right the first time. Cultural norms, social pressures, and self-imposed high expectations sometimes forget this crucial point in being human. We judge, evaluate and criticize, not only...
by pattyptakkogutek | Jun 19, 2017 | inspiration
God will overflow your cup, so grab the biggest one you can find. – Rob Liano It’s difficult for us to imagine the immensity of God’s affection for us and how big it really is. God truly delights in our being happy and giving us whatever we need – food, friendship,...
by pattyptakkogutek | Jun 12, 2017 | inspiration
We all try to make our lives as comfortable as possible with our many earthly blessings and gifts. But don’t get too comfortable. We merely pass through this life on our way to the next. All we have and all that we are, we have been given on loan by God. We are...
by pattyptakkogutek | Jun 5, 2017 | inspiration
We all know that life is a gift. This precious existence takes us on the ride of our lifetime. Life is like a roller coaster. Life is made up of an endless succession of highs and lows, laughing and crying, triumphs and tragedies. It can be very confusing. Just when...
