O Man!

From a devotion...source or author unknown.

My 4 year old grandson came up to me and said, "Grandpa, I am going to sing for you." You may recall that the "Johnny Appleseed Song" ends with Amen repeated over and over again. My grandson sang it with gusto, including his own version of the ending:

       O the Lord is good to me and so I thank the Lord for giving me the things I need, the sun and the rain and the apple seed. The Lord is good to me. O man! O man! O man! O man! O man! Ohhhh man!

     I got to thinking about the good sense in my grandson's version. O man, the Lord is good to me! O man, the Lord does give me the things I need!

     I've had many O man! moments since he sang to me. I hope you have many O man! moments too. You don't need to use the proper Amen. Just express your awe and gratitude with O man! and God will get the message. It will place you in the grand tradition of David when he determined to let his lips praise God.

I can so relate this to my health journey. There is such an abundance of fruits and vegetables available compared to 30 or 40 or 50 years ago. There are resources in knowing how to prepare and eat them. There is a variety of fun exercise programs right at our fingertips. There are ways to track our steps and infuse our water and track your eating habits. O man!

We are given so much more than the sun, rain and the apple seed.

And another of my favorite poems/sayings.....source unknown.

ENJOY THE LITTLE THINGS

MOST OF US MISS OUT ON LIFE'S BIGGEST PRIZES:

THE PULLITZER

THE NOBEL

THE OSCAR

THE TONY

THE EMMY

BUT WE ARE ALL ELIGIBLE FOR LIFE'S SMALL PLEASURES:

A PAT ON THE BACK

A KISS ON THE CHEEK

A FOUR POUND WALLEYE

A FULL MOON

AN EMPTY PARKING SPACE

A CRACKLING FIRE

A GREAT MEAL

A GLORIOUS SUNSET

A CUP OF HOT SOUP

AN ICY COLD DRINK

DON'T FRET ABOUT MISSING OUT ON. LIFE'S GRAND AWARDS; ENJOY IT'S TINY DELIGHTS. THERE ARE. PLENTY FOR EVERYONE.

So on this day, September 11th, full of sorrows and loss,  let us pause and give thanks for those who protect us and for those who are brave and selfless. O MAN!