Bullseye!

READY… “Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out.” Proverbs 10:9 NIV

AIM… WOW!!  This is the 150^th edition of Arrows of Integrity!  I am still amazed every week (or so) that so many of you are enjoying the stories, gaining personal insight and direction, and are using these messages to help you make good decisions for your life.  I must admit, there are moments when I wonder if this is it.  Am I supposed to continue writing my Arrows messages?  Then, one of my loyal readers will send a comment to me regarding how that week’s information really made a difference for him or her.  Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for your continued support, love, and grace over the past three years!  I’m thrilled to see what God has in store for these Arrows in the future.  I am so grateful you have shared these messages with your friends, and I hope you encourage them to subscribe if you find yourself forwarding them each week.

I would be remiss if I didn’t share a few bits of inspiration with you on this very special celebration of our 150^th edition.  It got me thinking about the tagline for our title.  Are you REALLY “Aiming for excellence as you target life together” with the rest of the Arrows of Integrity gang?  Have the weekly messages caused you to change directions or think twice about your approach in life?  The overall intent is for each one of us to take these God-inspired words and apply the instruction and advice to our daily lives; for each of us to CHOOSE the high road, to set an example of excellence and to be a guiding light in the world of chaos we live in.  Remember, true integrity is determined by the choices you make when no one else is watching.  However, your example of integrity is being watched every moment of every day. Who is learning from YOUR example?  I encourage each one of us to take a moment to evaluate our intentions and rethink our approaches and reactions to life.  No matter if you are performing a task at work, shopping at the grocery store, driving down the highway, coaching a little league team, leading a Bible study at church, studying for an important test or preparing for retirement, your character determines your destiny.  Choose wisely, my friends, and nothing will stand in your way of hitting the bullseye of success!

FIRE!   As you target life, be true to yourself and your commitment to living a life of integrity.  Let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no.  Be honest.  Make wise choices that your children would be proud to witness.  Have the courage to stand up for your moral decisions.  Love others.  And at the end of the day, when you look in the mirror and have maintained your self-respect, you’ll know you can sleep peacefully on your journey to success.

Be Excellent!

Lori  

 Check out my daughter, Alyssa’s version of Arrows of Integrity.

I’d say it’s a bullseye!

 

Super Mom

READY… “A suburban mother’s role is to deliver her children obstetrically once, and by car ever after.” ~ Peter De Vries

AIM… I want to know one thing: Why do we only celebrate mothers on one day out of the whole year? Moms are such an integral part of a successful family. I know for a fact, that moms have far too much to do in the short 24 hour window of a day. And yet, moms squeeze in every last second for extra activities, chores, food prep, homework help, laundry, banking, etc. that they possibly can. Sadly, it is the plight of a Super Mom. I must confess; I am a wanna-be Super Mom. Reality check: it’s impossible. However, for awhile, I was going to die trying to be the first ever Super Mom on the planet, darn it! Yeah, that ambition got shot down real fast by the kryptonite-effect the lack of sleep has on your body. So, for now, I’m happy to be a Semi-Super Mom enjoying the roller coaster ride of life with children and learning to take one day at a time. In the meantime, I’ll let my children believe I still have some super secret powers like using the eyes in the back of my head and my ‘mom sense’ for knowing exactly what they are going to do next before they even do it.

For a hilarious recap on everything we moms say in a 24 hour period, click the following link. You can’t watch this and tell me you, or your mom, hasn’t said the majority of these words and phrases all in the same day! Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXgoJ0f5EsQ

FIRE!   At some point today, have the courage to tell a mom that she’s doing a great job at being a mom. Where are you going to find this mom, you ask? You might find yourself behind a mom in the grocery store check-out line, or hear a fellow co-worker talking about her children, or you may actually be standing next to another mom while waiting to pick up your kids after school. No matter who the mom is, or when or where you see her, if you complement her mothering skills, you are guaranteed to bless her and make her day!

Be Excellent!
Lori

Embracing Forty

READY… “Maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had, and what you've learned from them, and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.” ~ Anonymous

AIM… Hooray, today is my 40th birthday! In my 40 years of life, I have crossed paths with many interesting people. At times I have been angry, sad, misinformed, scared, depressed, backed into a corner, intimidated, taken advantage of, hurt, challenged, lied to, taken for granted, intimidated and let down. However, more often than not, I have been happy, encouraged, supported, humored, trusted, hugged, kept in the loop, filled with joy, lead, followed, appreciated, inspired, strengthened, celebrated and loved. Most of all, over the past 40 years, I have been BLESSED. I have a God who loves me unconditionally, a wonderful family, an amazing husband, two incredible children and an enormous amount of fantastic friends. What more could I possibly ever want?? Truthfully…40 more years to do it all again and then some! Cheers to YOU and my future of being FABULOUS and 40!!


FIRE! Celebrate something special today! Did you accomplish something amazing at work? Did you save money at a fantastic sale? Did you simply get out of bed on time? Whatever smallish or largish event you choose to celebrate today, do it with exuberance and flair!

Be Excellent!
Lori