MORNING NOTES

Life After a Major Amputation

2025-10-16T12:01:00.000-07:00

Life After a Major Amputation

On Sept. 15, 2025 I had to have a below-the-knee amputation resulting from a surgical site that got infected and quickly moved to the bone of my right leg. What a wakeup call that was for Carolyn and me.

And how am I doing?

All things considered, very well thank you. I’ve had to reconcile several factors that are now a part of my life and must be dealt with on an on-going basis now. For instance:

~I've lost somewhere between 30-40 lbs.

~I no longer have a right foot and lower 12 inches of my leg. Sometimes I forget and want to lead with my right foot. Thankfully I’ve caught myself every time.

~I will have a wheelchair and a walker in my life for the rest of my life.

~I start the process of being fitted for a prosthetic in ten days. And that will indeed be a process, or so I am told.

~I haven’t learned to drive with my left foot yet, so driving is out of the question.

Let me be quick to say our Edmonds family has surrounded us with love and great care. They visited me in the hospital and rehibilitation center and the men in our family have jumped in to do the repair and remodel work we've needed.

This I do know. God has gone before me even before the diagnosis of this amputation. And he continues to be with me and Carolyn through every day we face.

My surgeon’s nurse took out 50 staples from my incision site on Oct. 7. That was a bit painful, and I survived it. Dr. Wingert said my leg looked better than any other patients he had seen. He was really pleased with me and my leg. You have no idea how that Carolyn and me and encouraged us.

And now you know. I haven’t posted anything on social media about this experience in my life. We’ve been busy adjusting to this new reality and learning new living skills from a wheelchair.

We’ve had to make a few adjustments here in our living space.

~Widened our bedroom and bathroom doors to accommodate my wheelchair.

~We’re getting more handicap handrails installed in our bathroom soon.

Other changes will come, and we will meet them head on with God’s grace and strength.

What do I need? Your continued love, friendship and kind thoughts and prayers. I’d love it if you wanted to respond through email or Facebook with a personal message. Those are such an encouragement to my spirit.

Thanks for reading and thanks so much for your constant friendship!

P Michael Biggs

Hope~Encouragement~Inspiration

For Those Who Want to Write

2024-05-14T20:40:00.000-07:00

For Those Who Want to Write

I'm writing a novel. The idea has been in my mind for nineteen years. I've attempted to write this novel three other times and never got beyond four or five thousand words each time.

This time is different - better.

Here's what I've learned on this writing journey this time around. Oh, by the way. I'm not finished writing it. But wanted to rush these thoughts out for now.

~I started on January 1, 2024 in earnest to write my novel again. I hooked onto an idea that was a good 'hook' this time that had escaped me before. My title stayed the same. My main character stayed the same. My location stayed the same for the most part.

~What changed? My mindset. One night, late, I was writing and it hit me. I am god (little g) of these pages. I can write anything, do anything to my characters I want. Even death. Once I realized that, it was like a lightbulb turned on and the lid was taken off.

~I also realized that persistence in writing is critical. I work a 40-hour week, and write two blogs each week plus produce at least one podcast and a video podcast every week. And I still find time to write almost every night. I say 'almost' because I give myself permission to take a night off when needed. Yes, permission. I listen to my body, and when the body says 'rest', that's what it gets.

~Since we writers are gods of our writing, we control the destiny of all we create. I killed off a minor character in my book this week. She had outlived her usefulness and I needed to keep the action in my chosen location.

~I took a writing retreat break recently: Thursday - Sunday. What a marvelous retreat that was. My goodness. To have a huge block of hours of concentrated writing time was a real gift to myself.

It was just me, my laptop and a few groceries at a friend's condo at the Peake of the Snoqualmie Mountains just out of Seattle. There was no one else along. I set no agenda. I wrote and took standing breaks as needed, I napped as needed, and then wrote some more. For two of those mornings I was up by 6:30 and writing shortly after that. And two of those nights I wrote until 11PM or later.

~I had a goal to accomplish for this four-day retreat. I was well into my second story in this book and felt it was time to bring it home. My goal was to finish this particular story. And I met it Sunday morning around 10:30. That felt great.

~I'm the kind of writer who has the idea of where the story is going to go and then I let it come out. I don't outline and stick to that script. I was amazed and surprised more than once in the twists and turns my story took, and in some of the characters that came forth. Toward the end I introduced a 10-yr-old street kid named Ze that I'm going to bring back in another story. He's a keeper. He was also a surprise.

Here's what I proved to myself.

~I have good ideas.

~I have the discipline to attempt a retreat like this and stick to my agenda of writing, writing, writing.

~My characters became real in some unusual ways. They took on traits, personalities, speech mannerisms and behaviors that were unique to each one. I love that. I told my wife before I went on this retreat that these characters were becoming friends.

~~ Thanks for reading this article. It's not for everyone, and if any writers or wanna-be-writers read it, my wish is that it will help unlock and inspire you to keep writing.

Success to all you word-smiths out there.

P Michael Biggs

Hope~Encouragement~Inspiration

Wholeness Does Not Mean Perfection

2024-05-05T19:35:00.000-07:00

Wholeness Does Not Mean Perfection

I guess I am not a whole person. You see, I’ve had some body alterations. Toes amputated on my left foot, three heart bypasses in one surgery, a broken left arm and other scrapes, dents, flaws, and weaknesses.

So, I guess I’m not perfect either. Hmmm. This idea strikes me tonight as I write.

Parker Palmer said this: “Wholeness does not mean perfection. It means embracing brokenness as an integral part of life.”

Whew! That kind of takes the pressure off, doesn’t it?

Wouldn’t it be grand if we were perfect? Life would be a breeze if everything we did, or sought, or thought, or talked about was perfect.

So, what do we do?

Looks to me like we embrace our broken places. We accept our flaws, our impurities, or proclivities, our weaknesses, our less-than-righteous tendencies. We accept the cracks that occur in our lives, our goals, and dreams, and do life anyway. Sometimes that means getting over ourselves,

Oh, I want to be perfect. People like me when I am perfect. When I balance to a zero difference in banking, I’m perfect. And you should see me on the days when I’m off balance. Ouch. That is not a pretty sight.

When I write a really great blog, or produce a great podcast, that’s amazing. I’m approaching near perfection. And when I don’t, I write and do podcasts anyway.

We keep going. We keep trying. We keep doing life.

In Brennan Manning’s book, Ruthless Trust, he tells a story about a cracked pot. Here is my re-telling.

Once upon a time there was a water bearer who had two large pots. Each hung on opposite ends of a pole that he carried across his neck.

One of the pots was perfect. The other had a crack in it.

The perfect pot always delivered a full measure of water to their master’s table, while the cracked pot leaked and arrived with only half a measure. Needless to say, the cracked pot was discouraged. He was ashamed of his performance because of his cracks. He didn’t feel useful.

One day, the cracked pot spoke to the water-bearer. “I am ashamed of myself. I only deliver a portion of what you expect of me each trip to the well. You see, I have cracks and I lose most of my measure of water all the way back home.”

The water-bearer smiled and replied, “My poor cracked pot. As we walk home today, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path.”

And sure enough, there were dozens and hundreds of beautiful and colorful flowers on his side, all along the path home.

The water-bearer pointed out, “Did you notice that there were flowers only along your side of the path and not on the side of the perfect pot? I know about your flaws. Every day for two years, as we have walked this path, you have been watering the seeds on your side and they have grown into beautiful flowers. Without you being just the way you are we would be looking at brown dirt, not graceful beauty.

Maybe, my dear cracked pot, you need to embrace your imperfections. You are whole, nevertheless, despite your imperfections.”

You see ... the cracked pot was useful after all. Sure, he leaked, sure he was considered less than, because he delivered less than the other pot. However, he had his purposes to fulfill, and he learned to do just that.

Wow! This gives a whole new sense of wholeness and perfection to our lives, doesn’t it?

If you need a spiritual application to this analogy, here it is.

God takes our imperfect cracks and weaknesses and teaches us a new sense of purpose, a new way to be whole and complete. We are useful, even in the middle of our imperfections.

Will we allow that to happen? I am. And I hope you are too.

P Michael Biggs

Hope~Encouragement~Inspiration

What People Seek

2024-04-28T09:27:00.000-07:00

What People Seek

I am a people person. For me, it has always been about building relationships. The many people I’ve met over the years of my living have added such color and freshness to my life. That is one of the reasons I write along the lines that I write. This I understand about people.

“One of the great cries of the human heart is this ...

People Seek Meaning

People Seek Connection

People want to know that their lives matter, that they are making a difference, a contribution in this world.

I think often of Oprah’s comments on her last televised show. She said this.

"I’ve talked to nearly 30,000 people on this show, and all 30,000 had one thing in common: They all wanted validation.

"If I could reach through this television and sit on your sofa or sit on a stool in your kitchen right now, I would tell you that every single person you will ever meet shares that common desire. They want to know: ‘Do you see me? Do you hear me? Does what I say mean anything to you?

~Oprah Winfrey

People seek meaning in their lives. They want to know if they mean anything special to someone else, and they want their lives to have some kind of impactful meaning.

In a quiet house, on a quiet street, the mailman was working his way to every home, delivering whatever was in his bag for each residence.

Later that same day a phone call was placed. I answered.

“Hi, Michael. I got your note today.” And then she broke down and sobbed.

After later reflection, this is what I know. Though she could not put into words at that moment what she was feeling, she communicated, nevertheless. And what she said was this:

“I felt cherished today.”
“I felt loved and appreciated.”

“You thought of me.”
“You recognized me.”

For me, it was a simple note of thanks for some act of kindness my friend had performed at our church.

For her, it was recognition, validation. Someone (me) stopped and said, “Hey, I see you. I know you and I thank you.”

Oprah said it well: “One of mankind’s greatest needs is the need to feel validated.”

When I was ten, my brother and I were mowing the yard one hot August afternoon in Tennessee. Our Dad pulled into the driveway, tossed out a brand-new baseball and glove, and then drove away.

He didn’t say anything -- he simply waved and drove away. We felt significant, cherished.

Everyone needs to feel esteemed, loved, acknowledged and that they are significant. Everyone, at some time in life, needs to be cherished.

How can we do this for others in our lives?
-Place an assuring hand on one’s shoulder and offer affirming words.

-Place a well-timed phone call and say esteeming words.

-Send a handwritten note in the mail.

-Write a significant email of appreciation and thankfulness.

-Send or hand-deliver a bunch of flowers unexpectedly.

-Buy a small gift, simply because it fits someone you cherish, and you want to acknowledge their significance in your life.

Back in 2012 I wrote a blog that got more clicks than any other to date at that time. It was called “Carolyn Left Me Today.” She had to fly to Phoenix to see her parents.

As we were nearing the airport we were having light conversation and she turned to me and said. “One thing I know as I go on this trip is that my cup is very full because of your love and esteeming ways and for the way you care for me.”

What an incredible thing to hear.

We look for ways to fill each other’s buckets. We esteem each other.
We talk.
We listen.

We take time for each other.
We love to take our 2-night 3-day getaways just to be together.

Just this past Friday I received a text from her. She is out of town with her daughter and granddaughter. She texted – “Just thinking of you in the in- between moments. I love you.”

I’m not a trained therapist, nor a marriage counselor, not even a relationship expert, but as I think about this blog today, some things come to my mind that I think make a huge difference in our relationship. May I share them with you?

1. We love. We find ways of loving each other. Sometimes it is a phone call. Sometimes it a $5 bunch of flowers from Pike Place Market. Every morning it is my responsibility to make her breakfast. She loves my scrambled eggs. Found out recently so do some of our grands. She will occasionally surprise me with an amazingly special dinner. Recently it was pot roast. Oh my. All these tiny actions say, “I love you.” “I cherish you.” “I adore you.” And we use the words too, in our relationship, every day – several times each day.

2. We play. We both carry a heavy schedule every week, but we live for Saturday and Sunday. I’ll never schedule an Up-Words day on the weekend without first talking with CB and finding out what she is interested in doing or where she wants to go. I can write anywhere, and at any time. I don’t want my writing to interfere with our time together. We put a lot into our days together. We do some “on- purpose” living on those days. Sometimes it a trip to a museum, or to the beach. We’ve caught more sunsets during our years of marriage than I caught all the rest of my years of living put together.

We talk. No, seriously – we talk. At meals, in the morning while getting ready, and any other time we are together, there is conversation. And especially at night, when I come home, we make it a point of stopping what we are doing, we embrace, we kiss, and then begin dinner prep. We focus on each other, we look at each other, and we are in the moment, together. This is huge!
We laugh. During our phone chats each day I always look for something to say to crack her up. We laugh together. We enjoy life together. And we love.

All these points simply add up to this: we fill each other’s buckets. We don’t dip into each other’s bucket with hurtful, sassy, demeaning comments. We esteem one another. We look for the good. We say words that heal, not words that hurt. What a way to relate.

Our buckets are very full.

We seek on purpose to live in relationship, to offer meaning to each other and to find ways to connect.

You know what? The people around you want the same connections and meaningfulness in their relationships.

Give the greatest of gifts – VALIDATION!

P Michael Biggs

Hope~Encouragement~Inspiration

It's Never Too Late

2024-04-02T12:00:00.000-07:00

It’s Never Too Late

If you think life is passing you by or the parade is over and you’ve missed it, think again.

This post is for those of us who are in the second act of life. You know, in some ways we are just now getting a good start, and we’re perhaps over sixty years of age. How about that!

This quote speaks to me on a lot of levels.

It’s never too late

to be who you might have been.

I’ve written and talked of wanting to be a writer for over forty years. Oh, I wrote a lot of stuff earlier in life:

Checks
To-Do lists

Grocery lists

Christmas wish lists

Assignments for work

I even wrote a few serious pieces – like my first published article at age 29. I was paid $22 for that epic work. Later, I had a series of articles published in a now-defunct magazine called “Bookstore Journal”. I wrote video scripts, marketing copy, commercials and a whole passel of other writing projects but never felt qualified about calling myself a writer until after publishing my first book – The Letters.

That book was published when I was sixty-three. At last, I could call myself a writer. And the writing continues.

My friend Paulette Woods is in her eighties, and she just published a new book – I See You There. It’s good and insightful, and I’m going to borrow a few ideas in the days ahead for my own blogs, and she knows this.

In Texas I knew a man in my Toastmaster’s Club who was seventy-six and he was learning to play the flute. A lady in that club was eighty-two and was taking sky-diving lessons. Heavens to Betsy – what was she thinking?

I’ll tell you what she was thinking. She didn’t want her life to pass her by without attempting some of the dreams she had held onto for a very long time. She realized that the parade was not out of sight, and she could still catch up and play her part.

The one regret of people in nursing homes that is repeated time and again is this.

I Wish I Would

Have Taken More Chances

Our opening quote bears repeating.

"It’s never too late

to be who you might have been."

I once was a broad-jumper in track-and-field events. I can’t do that anymore.
I once ran the 50-yard-dash.
I loved biking all over Albuquerque. I can’t anymore without the help of an e-Bike.

But look at what I can still do. And look at what you are still able to do.

In these days, LA Fitness has become one of my places to go to for exercise. I’m not the most muscle-bound participant there. On some days, I turn in a disappointing session. I fatigue quickly. My muscles just won’t make another turn of the bike pedals, and yet I go. I go because I see subtle differences in the little bit that I do. My strength is returning, I’m feeling better, sleeping better, breathing better. I had the privilege of telling two of my doctors recently that I felt better than I’ve felt in seven or eight years.

They were amazed.

The meds are still a part of my daily routine. Protein is still a vital element in my diet.

I’m not a spring chicken anymore, but I am a wiser and more mature and healthier version of myself because I have a goal and dream of who I want to be and I’m moving at my own pace in the direction of those goals and dreams.

Here’s a funny incident. Just yesterday Carolyn and I were in our favorite bookstore in Fairhaven, Washington. I was doing my usual browsing when a seven-year-old boy come up to me and said, “Do you want to arm-wrestle.”

What boldness.

What brashness.

What spunk.

What guts.

What an unusual young man.

I politely declined. Frankly I didn’t want to be embarrassed because he just might have won that arm-wrestling match. He went on to say, “I just beat my friend Charlie in arm- wrestling.” I mumbled politeness and we went our own way.

A huge part of this philosophy of “It’s Never Too Late” is the ability to know our limits, for there are limits in what we can do.

I don’t subscribe to the philosophy of “You can do anything you believe you can.” I will never be a ballet dancer. I don’t want to be one. I don’t desire to be one, and even if someone convinced me I could become one, it ain’t gonna happen.

But look at what I can do.

Here’s the thing.
It’s never too late to be who you might have been.

P Michael Biggs

Hope Encouragement Inspiration

Who Are You Becomming?

2024-03-16T20:32:00.000-07:00

Who Are You Becoming?

See this picture quote?

I know for sure what we

dwell on is who we become

I happen to believe this. I’m living proof – past and present.

I talked of being a writer for over thirty years. And that is pretty much all it was – talk. Oh, I published my first article at age 28 and got paid $22 for it. But I didn’t buy into me being a writer.

Later, in other jobs, I wrote a lot of stuff – video scripts, marketing brochures, you know the drill, and yet never adopted the label ‘writer’.

Ah, but in 2009 I started taking my writing urge seriously and began my first blog. Even then, the fear of not having enough content to sustain a weekly blog plagued me. Mystery of mysteries, I kept finding subjects that needed my touch, my perspective. And now, fourteen years later I own six blog sites.

And ... I have published five books. After publishing my first book, I finally found the courage to call myself a ‘writer’.

In my earlier adult life, I attracted images of myself that were less than esteeming. As time wore on, I’m afraid I dwelt on those negative, harsh words and phrases that others had attached to me, and I began believing some of them.

The worst of all was this ... “You’re an accident looking for a place to happen.”

I’m glad many of you didn’t know me in those days. Even though those words were spoken to me almost fifty years ago, I believed a bit of that idea, and thus it affected my self-esteem, self-worth, self-confidence, and my ability to perform on a consistent basis in life.

You see, the principle of “Whatever a man thinks in his heart (mind, soul and inner being), so is he” was at play, only I was tuned into the negative images and words. Wise sages, ancient philosophers, and men and women of learning have taught us for years about the importance of good and wholesome thoughts and how we should direct our attention to those ideals and lay off the negative, put-down language that tends to run free-will though our minds in constant stream mode.

This is a hard lesson to grasp. And those negative thoughts and ideas that we allow to live rent-free in our minds are hard to corral sometimes.

But corral them we must! We must take charge of our minds when in neutral, or when discouraged, or disappointed, or after a major loss of some kind.

It is a conditioning of the mind of which I speak. WE are the masters of our own minds. Others may say those awful words of hurt, however, we are the door keeper of our own minds. WE decide if we will allow them to run free or do we arrest them sooner than soon?

There are many excellent words and phrases that disciplined people find useful. Here are some of them.

I can.
I will.
I like myself.
I approve of myself.
I am capable.
I am better than that.
I may be down but I’m not out.
If I fall seven times, I’ll stand up eight.

What are you listening to in your mind?
Can you see the importance of changing those loop-to-loop soundtracks to different, more positive words and phrases?

I so strongly believe in the power of words that my company name is Up-Words. I say – I will speak Up-Words to every person I meet. I will look for the good in others and compliment those good traits on every occasion in which I am able.

I remember a story Dale Carnegie wrote in his book "How to Win Friends and Influence People."
One day he walked by a man standing outside his office building. The gentleman was holding a sign begging for a handout of any kind.

Rather than give the man money, Mr. Carnegie looked him over and finally commented, “My goodness. You surely have tied your shoelaces nice and neat."

Mr. Carnegie thought no more of that incident.

The next morning Mr. Carnegie's secretary announced that a gentleman was there to see him. Dale showed the gentleman into his office, who was dressed in his Sunday best, wearing a fresh shirt and tie and shined shoes. And his hair was neatly combed and his face cleanly shaved.

The man began. "Perhaps you don't remember me but yesterday I was standing outside your office building begging for money. You walked by, looked me over, and then commented on how nicely my shoelaces were tied. You wouldn't have known this, but I had already decided that I was going to go and throw myself into the river unless I got some kind of sign that somebody somewhere might still care about me."

He continued.

"Your words gave me hope. I reasoned that if I could do that one thing of tying my shoelaces neatly then perhaps, I could still find other things I could do with success. I decided then and there that I would clean up and make something useful of myself. You gave me hope in those few words, Mr. Carnegie. Thank you."

My favorite quote on the power of words.

“Never underestimate the power

of the right words spoken at the right time.”

P Michael Biggs

Offering Hope

Encouragement

Inspiration

One Word at a Time!

How Far Have You Come?

2024-03-13T16:10:00.000-07:00

How Far Have You Come?

We’re all on the road again, aren’t we? Some of us occasionally have flat tires, we lose our transmissions, our motors give out, we run out of gas, we get dented, bruised, and need a paint job. It’s all a part of the journey we are all on.

And if you think I’m writing about an actual road trip, then keep reading.

Here’s the basis for today’s thoughts.

You Didn't Come This

Far to Only Come

This Far!

I latched onto the parable of the servants in the Bible story who were given differing amounts of talent.

You know this, perhaps.

One was given 5 talents. He turned those into 10 talents.
One was given 2 talents. He turned those into 4 talent.
One was given 1 talent. He buried his in the ground and it was lost. No growth, no production, no future possibilities.

The moral of the story is to take what you have been dealt and make the best use of it and multiply its value.

Expand your enterprise. Grow.
Become more.
Do more with what you have.

Of course, setbacks will happen. We will get knocked off the horse a time or two. Surgeries will pop up. Illnesses will happen. And twenty or thirty other hurdles will pop up on our path.

And we keep going anyway.

We keep moving. We keep taking our pills. We keep going to the gym. We keep eating better. We keep listening to great information. We keep reading superb books.

WE GET BETTER.

The quote above challenges me.

"I didn’t come this far to come this far!"

Heck no!

There are times when issues arise, medical circumstances happen, job losses slap us down, and perhaps we think “Well, I’ve come a long way. Maybe this is where I get off.”

I don’t think so.

If you have a measure of talent, if you care, if you dream, if you have a goal and a mission in life, then you go a bit further. You reach back for a bit more strength, a bit more creativity, and a bit more will to do something more.

~Oh, we may move slower than before the attack happened.
~We may not be able to do the broad jump anymore.
~We may not sing a high C again.
~We may get our sticks tangled up and drop one or both occasionally, but we play and sing and move at whatever pace we can NOW move and play and sing.

If you can no longer speak, write.
If you can no longer sing, hum, or teach, or enjoy the music.

We find ways to continue using our talents and gifts.

I still want to write the blog heard around the world.
I still want to write more books, and especially finish my novel, for I feel it has redemptive power. (This probably makes no sense to you unless we’ve engaged in conversation about my book. It is still my little secret, and yet someday I will present it to the world.)

I don’t bother counting my talents these days. I just find ways to use them. That is the great joy in life at this age and time.

So, I’ll repeat our premise.

We didn’t come this far to only come this far!

Can you go a little farther?

P MiCHAEL BIGGS

Hope~Encouragement~Inspiration

Our Dark Days Make Us Prove We Are Strong

2024-03-02T18:37:00.000-08:00

Our Dark Days Make Us

Prove We Are Strong

I once thought I was not a strong person. My self-esteem was almost non- existent, my self-confidence was in hiding, and I suppose my mindset was one of ‘I’ll coast through life and see what happens. After all, I’ll take what comes and I probably deserve what comes.’

Oh my. What a lousy way to approach life. Trouble comes, so do nothing, say nothing, assume you deserve it and that’s that.

No way. I say NO WAY.

I’ve had a few dark days in my years of living. And with the living I’ve done thus far, I can look behind me and see those dark days.

And look what I learned and look how I came out.

You don’t know the inner strength you possess until you really must dig down and use it. Oh, my friend. You have strength inside of you. I hope you believe that. What you must do now is let that strength, that intestinal fortitude rise to the surface and show us that you may be down, but you’re not out.

That bears repeating.

“You may be down, but you’re not out.”

Many of us have experienced divorce, or bankruptcy, job loss, loss of a loved one, horrible surgeries, and the list goes on.

The great news is this ... some of us have found the strength to rise from the ash-heap and make a new start. We’ve found the strength from somewhere within us and pulled ourselves up by the bootstrap. We’ve determined that this too shall pass, and this situation is not going to be the end of us.

It is not the end.
It is not even the beginning of the end.

It, however, could be the beginning of a new beginning. That’s not double- speak. That is what it is – a new beginning. Every beginning has a starting point. Where is yours?

A personal story:
When I went through toe amputation surgery on my left foot three years ago, I had dark days. I wondered, questioned, and worried over my ability or inability to ever walk at a normal pace. And I thought pain in walking was going to become the norm for me for the rest of my life.

Look at me today. I can walk. I do the treadmill at the gym. I work a 40- hour week. This past summer I discovered I can ride a bicycle again, and the weekly improvements keep on coming.

My first steps after surgery were not a pretty sight. I was in pain with every step. When I came home from the hospital, I was fearful of having to climb eight steps up and then eight steps down into our condo.

I’m way past all that.

Along the way, with Carolyn's help, I found my inner strength, my intestinal fortitude to persevere, to be persistent and to keep doing what I knew needed doing, for I was not going to let a little thing like missing five toes stop me from living a good and full life.

They were dark days. And guess what. They made me prove just how strong I already was.

I found the strength within. How about that.

Now, I’ve used a lot of “I” words to tell my story, and I trust you will forgive me for that. The point is this ... we all have that measure of inner strength. Sometimes, we never see it until the hard places come, the seemingly unsurmountable experiences in life. And when those times do come, we have a choice.

Will we wallow in our self-pity and doomsday mindset? Or will we rise, take up our bed and walk.

Just to be clear, I am a man of faith. I have no doubt that the God of my understanding was by my side through all that I have experienced in life.

And I do know that He will not do for us what we can do for ourselves.

What can you do for yourself? Sometimes we can only do small acts, and those small, somewhat insignificant acts lead to more small acts, and muscles that start firing, and neurons and nerve endings that fire, and mindsets that start changing from a can’t do to a CAN DO!

Dark days are no fun, granted. And look what they teach us.

P Michael Biggs

Hope~Encouragement~Inspiration

Never A Good Time to Stop

2024-02-25T18:48:00.000-08:00

Never a Good Time to Stop

I don’t want to bore you with my medical history, but I need to use a part of it to illustrate a point.

I had complete toe amputation on my left foot three years ago. Between that surgery (actually four surgeries) and my open-heart surgery 6 years ago my body has taken a beating. Just in the last few months have I rounded a corner and have started to feel better than ever, even before heart surgery.

I’m going to LA Fitness, working on my own and with a personal trainer, and have been doing very well.

I’ve missed working out for the last two week. TWO WEEKS. And I can tell a difference. Climbing steps had been getting a bit more difficult. The simple act of getting out of a chair had become more of a challenge and a few other muscular observations of note. All because I took two weeks off.

Oh, I could rationalize and say I’ve been busy, which I have, or we’ve been out of town, or I’ve been too tired to go for my personal training session, which I missed two weeks in a row.

And I have paid a small price for all of that.

Happily, I returned to the gym today. I was able to pick up where I left off and believe it or not, I can already tell that my body is responding. Rising from a chair has suddenly become easier, and other movings and motions of my body have become easier again.

Can you believe all this? If I want to live a longer life than others with similar medical experiences, then I must keep up with my weekly gym visits, my treadmill walks, my weight machines and all else.

I can never ask, “Can I stop now?” No, not now. Not ever!

Is that a depressing prognosis?

Not on your life. Do you know the euphoric feeling I sense after working out each time? Some of you do. It is like a special kind of drug that is good for you – it’s all good for you.

I felt that way this morning. I’ve felt it before.
And I will continue to feel it every time I pay the price and go to the gym.

Even when I’m ninety-two, which is a long way off, I’ll be doing something in the way of physical activity, for I like the differences I feel in my body.

I wonder where else in life I can apply this idea? And I wonder about this for you, my loyal and faithful readers. When you reach 75 might be considered by some a good place to stop. Probably not. Perhaps curb your activity some but never stop.

I’m already curbing some activities. The weights are a bit lighter than twenty years ago. Some of my personal trainer activities must be modified specifically for me, and Monica, my trainer, is perfectly okay with that.

Changes happen. Adjustments must be made. Stopping because I’m too old or too weak? Not today.

Take a break occasionally if you must.

That’s called sharpening the saw, thanks to Stephen Covey

But keep doing something, some level of activity as you can.

Your body will thank you.

Your heart will thank you.

Your family will thank you.

Your mind will thank you.

And you just might find time to write about your own experience sometime and let us all hear of your health successes at your ripe and good age, whatever age that may be.

P Michael Biggs

Hope~Encouragement~Inspiration

You Can Bounce and Not Break

2024-02-17T20:20:00.000-08:00

You Can Bounce and Not Break

It’s such a simple thought, isn’t it? It almost doesn’t need to be written on, and yet we need to remember this great concept.

Rejection teaches us

that we can bounce

and not break!

I love that idea.
I know this to be true. And you do too.

Everybody gets rejected.
Everybody loses out at some point.

Everybody gets defeated sometimes.

Ever been divorced?
Ever been in bankruptcy?

Ever had open-heart surgery?

Ever had an amputation?
Ever lost in love?
Ever had a foreclosure or a repossession?

Here’s the thing.

All the bad stuff I mentioned above, and there is a lot more that could be added to this list, all of that stuff is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it could, perhaps, be the beginning for a different take on life or on any of those circumstances listed.

WE CAN BOUNCE AND NOT BREAK!!!

We should take out an ad in every newspaper in the world, yes – the world, and proclaim this from every mountaintop.

This I’ve said in many blogs, and yet it needs saying again and again.

Failure Is Not Final!

~We walk away from failure, (or hardship or sickness or defeat.) ~We overcome failure, (or hardship or sickness or defeat.)
~We bounce back from failure, (or hardship or sickness or defeat.)

~We learn from failure, (or hardship or sickness or defeat.)

Failure is not the end. Oh no. It is a teacher. It is a hard lesson in life that we take to heart.

Yes, we must grieve our failures. We must take time to process, and reflect, and wonder and ponder and do all that other stuff a smart person does after a failure.

And then we move on. WE MOVE ON!

Is your mindset that of an overcomer? Do you want to bounce, or do you want to break into thousands of tiny pieces?

I say – Let’s Bounce.

Rebuild.
Reinvent yourself, your dream, your one thing that is always on your mind.

Do you remember what Muhammad Ali once said?

You don’t lose if you get knocked down.

You lose if you stay down.

P Michael Biggs

Hope~Encouragement~Inspiration

On Becoming You

2024-01-30T20:56:00.000-08:00

On Becoming You

The greatest compliment you can possibly pay to mankind is to become a true-blue representative of YOU. Become YOU!

A great quote.

When you die and go to heaven,

your maker is not going to ask,

“Why didn’t you discover the cure

for such and such?”

The only question we will be asked

in that precious moment is,

“Why didn’t you become you?”

Elie Wiesel

A personal story:

I’ve had nine or more different careers thus far in my life. Some were a perfect match for my skill set and some were a strain and I really had to work at being good.

One day, in my fifties, I decided to do a bit of self-examination and took out a yellow lined pad and a pen and begin thinking.

My thoughts were on jobs I had had and why I liked them or disliked them. A picture soon began to emerge. It looked like this.

I like to encourage people.
I like people.
I like to build people up.
I like to influence people for the good.

I’m musical.

I’m creative.
I can speak and sing before audiences.

And then thoughts of past careers came to mind.

In every instance in all nine careers, it dawned upon me that I had attempted to do some kind of work of encouragement, even in selling life insurance and mattresses. Can you believe that?

And today, I’m a writer of hope, encouragement, and inspiration. How about that?

Enough about me.

What about you?

Are you becoming a real version of you?

Once upon a time there was very successful heart surgeon. This doctor was the most amazing and skillful physician at his hospital.

He had a son. As most fathers do, this surgeon wanted his son to follow in his footsteps. The son grew, went to college, got into medical school, and earned his white coat and a prestigious position as a budding surgeon, following in his father’s footsteps.

Dad was happy, the son was miserable.

You see, he didn’t have the finger dexterity of his father. The father could manipulate those tiny instruments during a procedure with such finesse. The son’s skill was sloppy, and careless.

Finally, to dad’s dismay, the son left the medical world and became a real estate developer. He just didn’t have the basic skills required as a surgeon and he realized it.

See the point?

We have innate skills and desires lying silently inside of us and sometimes we just need someone, or some set of circumstances to come along and show us a better picture of who we might become and what we might become.

A huge part of becoming oneself is the great adage of “Know Thyself.”

How can you become YOU?
Do you know and understand you?
What do you like?
What do you think about in your alone moments?
What do you dislike?
If you could change something about yourself, what would it be?

And what about relationships? To what kind of people are you drawn? And there are so many other avenues to pursue in this vein.

Have you considered taking a personality assessment test?
Do you know your strengths, and weaknesses, and do you have a good idea of the kinds of jobs you should seek out or the ones you should leave alone? Are you good with numbers or are you good with using your hands?

Self-understanding is HUGE!

This article could go on, but it is best to bring it to a close. Now is the time for you to go off somewhere by yourself and do some mulling, some cogitating and some serious self-examination and determine the important ideas to which you are attracted for your life and make whatever alignments are right for you.

There is only one YOU. Become the best YOU!

P Michael Biggs

Hope~Encouragement~Inspiration

Where Does Your Worst Enemy Live

2024-01-21T19:50:00.000-08:00

Where Does Your Worst Enemy Live?

Our worst enemy is nearer than we might think, for it is closer than your breath.

Make Sure Your Worst

Enemy Doesn't Live

Between Your Two Ears.

Laird Hamilton

You know those negative thoughts, those imaginary battles we all face. You and I know all about those conversations that we have with ourselves about the never-gonna-happen events and circumstances in life, and yet, we persist in continuing these conversations.

We fight a constant battle in this arena, and we constantly have to be on our guard. Sometimes, these arguments and scenarios feel good, and we feel self-righteous and victorious with the arguments we create in our minds. And we probably win a lot of these made-up battles that no-one ever sees.

And the enemy still exists.

I’m reminded of a Bible verse I learned a long time ago.

“Take Every Thought Captive.”

To me, it means:

~Stop the fight. Be aware of what is happening and bow out of that fight.

~Redirect and place your thoughts onto truth, what is or what should be.

~If the issue is real and needs addressing, take the appropriate measures and have the hard conversations.

These are such easy words to write, and yet I fight this same enemy from time to time.

I’m in this battle with you.

P Michael Biggs

Hope~Encouragement~Inspiration

Have Hope / Give Hope

2024-01-15T11:03:00.000-08:00

Have Hope / Give Hope

Do you have hope? Does it bubble up in your heart? How are your dreams? They are first cousins to hope, you know.

Some word pundits say, 'Hope is not a strategy'. However, I wouldn't want to go through life without hope.

Remember this:

Man can live ...

Forty days without food

Three days without water

Eight minutes without air

Only one second without hope.

(Unknown)

If this quote is true, and I believe it is, then I don't want to live one second without hope.

Hope whispers of what might be. Hope offers the seed of a promise in waiting, perhaps.

This quote by Mr. Emerson is significant. Talk about hope. It is the essence of which we speak.

"Our chief want is someone

who will inspire us to be

what we know we could be."

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

How about that? A could be in the making. I like that a lot.

We seek a savior who dispenses hope. We seek someone who will come along in our lives and say the magic words that we all long to hear. Those life-giving words of esteem and good will.

Oprah said it so well on her last televised show.

"I've talked to nearly 30,000 people on this show, and all 30,000 had one thing in common: They all wanted validation. If I could reach through this television and sit on your sofa or sit on a stool in your kitchen right now, I would tell you that every single person you will ever meet shares that common desire. They want to know: 'Do you see me? Do you hear me? Does what I say mean anything to you?'

They all had hope. Hope that someone somewhere would recognize them as valid and worthwhile individuals. Hope that they were living a life of significance or could live a life of significance.

Oprah goes on to say. "Try it with your spouse. Try it with your kids. Try it with those with whom you are in a relationship. Validate them. 'I see you. I hear you. And what you say matters to me.'"

That action alone gives a person hope. Great hope.
I remember a story Dale Carnegie wrote in his book "How to Win Friends and Influence People."

One day he walked by a man standing outside his office building. The gentleman was holding a sign begging for a handout of any kind.

Rather than give the man money, Mr. Carnegie looked him over and finally commented, “My goodness. You surely have tied your shoelaces nice and neat."

Mr. Carnegie thought no more of that incident.

The next morning Mr. Carnegie's secretary announced that a gentleman was there to see him. Dale showed the gentleman into his office, who was dressed in his Sunday best, wearing a fresh shirt and tie and shined shoes. And his hair was neatly combed and his face cleanly shaved.

The man began. "Perhaps you don't remember me but yesterday I was standing outside your office building begging for money. You walked by, looked me over, and then commented on how nicely my shoelaces were tied. You wouldn't have known this, but I had already decided that I was going to go and throw myself into the river unless I got some kind of sign that somebody somewhere might still care about me."

He continued.

"Your words gave me hope. I reasoned that if I could do that one thing of tying my shoelaces neatly then perhaps, I could still find other things I could do with success. I decided then and there that I would clean up and make something useful of myself. You gave me hope in those few words, Mr. Carnegie. Thank you."

I think Dr. Seuss might be onto something with this memorable quote.

"A person's a person,

no matter how small."

~Dr. Seuss

~Every person should have
a chance to have hope.
~Every person has worth.
~Every person needs
some kind of recognition
that they exist.

I want to be a dispenser of hope. How about you?

P Michael Biggs

Hope~Encouragement~Inspiration

Can Dark Days Make Us Strong?

2024-01-07T19:08:00.000-08:00

Can Dark Days Make Us Strong?

Have you had dark days recently? Life sometimes has a way of upsetting the apple cart, as we used to say.

Ponder this quote. What does it whisper to you considering your dark days?

“My dark days made me strong.

Or maybe I already was strong,

and they made me prove it.”

~Emery Lord

At this point in life, I’m finding strength and persistence that I never knew I had.

I’m six years past my triple-bypass heart surgery and doing quite well. My blood pressure is in good ranges, I see my cardiologist regularly and he gives me good marks all around.

Over Thanksgiving I began frequent trips to the gym again, and I’m loving it. Remember I had all my toes on the left foot amputated 3 years ago. You would never know of the amputation to watch me walk now.

Dark days haven’t slowed me down. The quote for this blog IS true.

I hope you are proving some things to yourself now that might have been a bygone way of living.

P Michael Biggs

Hope~Encouragement~Inspiration

I Came to Live Out Loud

2024-01-01T09:32:00.000-08:00

I Came to Live Out Loud

Welcome to the new and clean sheet of paper we have been given in this new year. Resolutions will abound. Spoken ideas and intents will be declared. Goals will be posted. Conversations will be had.

And ... We’re off!
Here is my idea for this season of life.

If you ask me what I came
into this life to do,
I came to live out loud!

Now I know a little bit about ‘loud’ living. I am a drummer and musician. Drummers are loud. We can’t help it. Oh, we can play soft if we must, like in Ravels “Bolero.” But give me a drum solo moment and I’ll shake the earth. It will get loud.

But that is not what I’m talking about. Nor am I talking about living a boastful, braggadocios life. I’m not a raging alcoholic, nor a rebel-rouser, so my life will not speak in those terms.

Rather, I am an encourager. I am a writer of hope, encouragement, inspiration, and the effects of my work appear in the lives of others. Somebody somewhere may read my words or hear my podcast or read my books and a shift might happen inside of them. They may think differently. They may begin a new action or activity that causes a chain reaction in themselves and in others. And they may go out and change their world as they know it. Now wouldn’t that be something?

The center of my focus, words and deeds will be in these areas.

~Live a life of grace that is offered to every person, every day.

~Speak words that help and heal, not words that hurt and hinder.

~Become the best version of ‘ME” that I can.

~Use all the tools/talents in my toolbox.

~Allow the God-of-my-understanding to speak through me, as loudly or as softly as He chooses.

If I can pull this off, I shall then look back over this life and say, “I wrung the towel dry. I didn’t leave a drop of my life unused. I really did live out loud.”

P Michael Biggs

Hope~Encouragement~Inspiration

Discovering Silence

2023-03-26T18:56:00.000-07:00

Discovering Silence

I am a drummer. Drums are loud, not silent except perhaps in the opening few bars Ravel’s Bolero. That is almost silence.

Music has been my life all my life. There are splashes of silence throughout most musical compositions in the form of rests, but they are fleeting seconds at best.

So, what is the meaning of discovering “silence”?

In moments of trauma, of distress, of my world being upset and knocked off balance – these are times when I’ve discovered silence. There is peace and comfort in silence, if one can truly embrace that soundless oasis. And it is not for the faint of heart.

In moments of personal crisis and in peaceful seasons of calm and bliss, I’ve found myself longing for silence, desperately needing silence. Isn’t that odd of a drummer? Sound and noise are what drumming is all about.

Ah, but those moments of silence.

As I age, I find my need for silence growing with intensity. The peace and calm of silence is what I seek. No noise, no sounds, not even Dvorak’s New World Symphony. I simply need silence.

Silence allows us to hear the unheard, the silent voices, the whispers from a bigger, wiser source to seep through to our souls and minds. Some call this meditation, and that’s good. Some call it tuning into a higher power, and that’s good. Some call it the calm in the middle of the storm, and if that metaphor works for you then that’s good.

The world is a noisy place. Multitudes of musical tastes can be had from numerous sources if one chooses. Traffic is thick and loud in our larger cities. Jets zoom overhead, car horns blare, babies cry, dogs bark, balloons pop, doors slam, people interrupt, dishes get banged, our electronic gadgets put out an abundance of sound. Carolyn and I fall asleep to the sound of a machine that produces “white noises’, and it's all good. This “white noise” is supposed to mask my snoring, and any other sounds that seep in through our windows and walls in the night.

I suppose that is a form of discovering silence through steady sound. How ironic is that!

Ah, but the healing power of silence is magical. When we reach those moments of peaceful bliss in silent retreat, well, that is a slice of Heaven.

These silent and still moments don’t come easy, AND we make them happen. It is an on-purpose kind of experience that is sought, not bought.

We decide to have a moment in time of silence, a break from noise, and intrusions into our bombarded senses.

My friend Mitch often seeks his silent moments in nature. On Facebook, I often travel with him to some amazing, gorgeous landscapes and mountain vistas that our Pacific Northwest has to offer.

I’ve often driven to Sunset Avenue here in Edmonds just to sit and watch and listen. The Puget Sound has its own rhythm of the tides coming and going, and the Seagulls gliding and riding the currents in majestic quietness. All of this is a great source of peace and beauty.

The radio stays off. The windows are rolled up. The walkers and runners and bikers pass by with not a sound that interrupts my moment of bliss. I’ve even known moments of sleep or dozing in the middle of all this beauty. How about that? Isn’t that a perfect picture of discovering silence?

And what do I hear in the middle of these moments of silence? Oh, there is nothing audible that I come away with. But what it does for my soul and my psyche is immeasurable. Sometimes I have viewed my Sunset Avenue times as being in a ‘Sorting Hat’ machine. The ‘Sorting Hat’ comes from the Harry Potter movies and is used to place new students into one of four houses in which to live. I have been able to sort thoughts, problems, health issues and ways to allow my body to heal. I listen for the gentle nudging’s of what I call “God” in my moments of silence. And I’ve retreated into silence when writing so that I can touch a deeper part of my soul and instincts that bring to light an occasional idea in need of expansion.

Silence works for me. I often come away from these moments with a renewed energy, some new thoughts, and new and improved desires with which to serve Carolyn, my family and mankind.

I love my moments of discovering silence.

Morning Notes Blog Site

P Michael Biggs

Hope~Encouragement~Inspiration

Anything Can Be

2023-03-19T10:24:00.000-07:00

Anything Can Be

Shel Silverstein just rings my bell sometimes. In his whimsical, often silly ways, he brings home a truth that is simple and astounding. Such as this one.

“Listen to the musin’ts, child. Listen to the don’ts.

Listen to the shouldn’ts

The impossibles, the won’ts.

Listen to the never haves, Then listen close to me ...

Anything can happen, Child. Anything can be.”

For years, too many to count, I was told I shouldn’t buy a circular saw. They said, “Why, you’ll cut your foot off.” I bought one, used it successfully for a bunch of years, and never cut off my foot. The fact is, I discovered a real love for woodworking and still have a bookcase that I made in the ninth grade.

Once, I was told while looking at a reel-to-reel tape recorder to “Leave that thing alone, boy. You don’t know nothing about machinery.”

I owned two different reel-to-reel machines, learned to operate a dozen other recording-type machines, and now produce my own podcast using a Mac Air and iMovie. I learned you see.

What do you want to be? It could happen, you know. If you have the aptitude for it, and the desire, and a will to learn. “Anything can be”, as Shel Silverstein said.

There is one thing, though, that I’ll never be. I’ll never be a ballet dancer. First – I don’t want to be one, and second, I don’t have the physical body size and muscle strength to become a ballet dancer.

But look at what I do want to do. I want to keep writing encouraging and hope-filled blogs and books and continue producing my podcasts along the same lines. I have been doing that, and I have a strong desire to do that, and it appears I have some skill in doing those crafts.

Want to know what the best part of all of these wants and desires that reside inside each of us? We don’t need a permit. We don’t need a license in most cases. We just do it.

This short line from The Treasure of Sierra Madre speaks my point very well.

“Badges? We don’t need no stinkin’ badges.”

You don’t have to wait for the phone to ring, the talent agent to call, or for your invitation to arrive in the mail. You just “screw your courage to the sticking place” (thank you Beauty and the Beast) and do it.

YOU DON’T NEED A PERMIT!

Some unknown person said this:

Do not wait for the perfect time and place

to enter, for you are already onstage.”

Find your spot and belt out your lines. We’ll listen, and perhaps applaud, and buy your books or music or widget.

Be courageous. Do the hard thing – that of taking the first step toward your dream. The rest will follow.

Morning Notes

P Michael Biggs

Hope~Encouragement~Inspiration

Where Does Your Worst Enemy Live?

2023-03-12T18:29:00.000-07:00

Where Does Your Worst Enemy Live?

What a great question. And one worth some thought.

This is important, so stay tuned and read all the way to the end. I found this quote tonight and it is the centerpiece for this blog.

“Make sure your worst enemy doesn’t live between your own two ears.” ~Laird Hamilton

Oh my, the conversations we have with ourselves. They would be great comedy if they weren’t so true.

I’ve had running monologues with myself along these lines:

~I can’t.

~I don’t know how.

~ I might fail.

~People will laugh.
~It’s already been done before.

~I tried once and failed.
~I don’t want to look like a fool.

~She might say ‘no’.
~ I will lose my shirt if I invest in that.

~I don’t trust myself.

Well, I could continue, and by now you get the general idea.

We sabotage ourselves by what Zig Ziggler called ‘Stinkin’ Thinkin’.

Bottom line, we don’t believe. We are non-believers in ourselves and our worth.

I’ve told this story before, and again it proves beneficial. I was in my sixties before I realized I could do some things with great success and confidence.

One day, while reading Louise Hayes’ book “You Can Heal Your Life”, I read this four-word phrase.

I approve of myself.

I remember that day very clearly. I stopped reading, put the book down, and had a serious heart-to-heart with myself. For the first time in my life, I realized that I really had never believed in and approved of myself. Oh, I had had a few successes in life. I was a capable drummer, a fair singer, a good minister of music, and good at a few other career tracts I had followed, but in the course of life and in the study of P Michael Biggs, I had one major failure. I have never come to the place of approving of myself, my talents, my likes, my personality, my good side, and my own ideas.

I suppose it took me nearly an hour to cover that idea in relationship to my own life. At the end of that hour, I decided, yes, DECIDED that it was about time that I stepped up to the plate of self-esteem and self-analysis and start the process of approving of myself. I was not a bad person with a ton of secrets. No, no. I had not robbed a bank, cheated anyone, committed murder, or done anything worthy of jail time. I simply had never fully and completely believed in myself, my goodness, and my worth.

I made a laminated business-card size pocket reminder and for the next year, I suppose I pulled that card out and read it a dozen times a day. And the magic began to happen. I began to approve of myself.

I didn’t suddenly become Model Citizen of the Year, nor the best employee my employer ever had. I didn’t win the Noble Peace Price, I didn’t run for President, and I didn’t win the lottery. Carolyn didn’t like me, yeah, love me more. I doubt she even noticed the changes taking place inside of me, but I noticed. I walked with a bit more confidence. Not cockiness, not self- righteous pride, or narcissism. I just simply began approving of myself. I was quieting the voice in my head that had been plaguing me all my life. The voice of can’t, won’t, not worthy, I’m inferior.

The little kid that used to wear torn jeans and black tennis shoes was going away. You see, white tennis shoes were the fashion statement of my day, and torn jeans wouldn’t come along for another sixty years. I was beginning to believe in ME.

Just writing these words and going into this much detail is having a cathartic effect on me. I’ve never told this much of this part of my journey toward self-approval. It was indeed a marker in my life. And it made a difference.

Because of these circumstances, I realize now that my life’s mission is directly tied to those feelings of failure, and lack of confidence in myself. I want to help others find their own sense of self-worth and self-confidence, and I want to help a few people come to a place of declaring “I APPROVE OF MYSELF.”

If you have followed my blogging for the past thirteen years, you’ve read several blogs dealing with failure and how to overcome the label of “FAILURE”. The bottom line is this ... I may have failed at something, but I am not a failure.

My prayer is that this blog today will speak to someone’s heart and mind. I hope and pray you find your own ways to defeat your own worst enemy, the one living between your two ears. It takes hard work. It is not easy, and it IS necessary.

Morning Notes Blog Site

P Michael Biggs Hope~Encouragement~Inspiration

We Still Need Someone to Believe in Us

2023-02-26T16:52:00.000-08:00

We Still Need Someone to Believe in Us

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: On Oprah Winfrey’s last show of her popular daytime television series, she said this.

"I've talked to nearly 30,000 people on this show,

and all 30,000 had one thing in common --

they all wanted validation. ... They wanted to know;

Do you hear me? Do you see me?

Does what I say mean anything to you?"

In this world, it is an easy thing for some individuals to become lost in the crowd of the other voices. There are shy people and individuals with a low sense of self-worth, and some that just plain ‘ole feel they are ‘nobody’.

Some people are just too tired to speak up for themselves, or perhaps, have had some awful life experiences, and they reconcile within themselves that they are just not worth the fight to be acknowledged. And perhaps, they have committed what they consider the unspeakable act, or sin, or transgression. They feel they just don’t matter anymore.

What a terrible conclusion to reach – that you just don’t matter anymore.

My passion, my mission in life is to be an encourager. I want to be one who validates people. I attempt this through writing and podcasting, and in one-on-one interpersonal interactions. Am I successful? In some small measure, perhaps. Occasionally I will get a note or a phone call that lets me know someone needed my word and heard it in an appropriate time.

I’m reminded of a sixth-grade teacher, Mary, who assigned her class a writing assignment. The assignment was to write a short, positive comment about each of his/her fellow classmates and turn them in to her.

After compiling each student’s list, the teacher passed them out in class. You could hear a pin drop as the students sat quietly, reading what their fellow classmates had written about them. It was a remarkable moment.

Years later, one of the boys, John D., was killed during a hard-fought battle in Viet Nam. His sixth-grade teacher attended the memorial service, along with many fellow students in John’s class.

After the service, John’s father approached Mary and thanked her for coming to the service. He paused and continued. “We found this in his wallet along with his other belongings.

He began unfolding a sheet of paper, yellowed, tattered, and torn. It was the paper containing the comments from his sixth-grade classmates written ten years before.

The father said, “He carried this with him everywhere. I’m told he would often pull it out and read it before almost every major conflict in which he was involved during his time in Viet Nam.”

By now, other students had gathered around and one by one they each began saying that they too had their copy of these comments and how meaningful they were to them. Some even had their copy neatly tucked inside their wallets or pocketbooks.

You see the power of an appropriately placed word?

Has someone seen something in you bigger and greater than you ever dreamed you could be? Those kinds of people become my heroes. What foresight! What insight!

This is a great story and is at the heart of my thoughts for today. Our words change people.

We have the power to change somebody's life. In most cases we will never know when we’ve connected the dots for someone by our words of hope and encouragement, and yet it happens. This power still rests in our hands, and voices, and attitudes.

In the past fourteen years, I’ve written more than 600 blogs, and four books, plus over 130 podcasts. All of them with the intent and purpose of offering hope, encouragement, and inspiration to my readers.

I shall continue writing and speaking for as long as I am physically able, for this is a passion to which I am dedicated.

If you take away any significant thought from this blog, I hope it is this.

You have the power

to change somebody’s life.

Morning Notes Blog Site

P Michael Biggs

Hope~Encouragement~Inspiration

Hope Is Real

2023-02-20T13:26:00.000-08:00

Hope Is Real

Revlon, the fragrance company, makes perfume, but in stores they sell hope. THEY SELL HOPE! Hope for romance. Hope for love. Hope for a second date and more.

Remember the caterpillar? He is going along in life, happy and content, eating plants, a few other insects and living life. One fine day the caterpillar senses a need to spin a cocoon around itself. Perhaps he thinks this is the end. Perhaps, to a caterpillar, there is no hope left, and so he spins and prepares for death.

And then ...

Out comes a beautiful Butterfly. The former caterpillar had little beauty to boast of. This new and improved Butterfly is full of beauty. Hope has come with the beginning of this remarkable Butterfly. Hope indeed.

Richard Back, author of Jonathan Livingston Seagull once said, “What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a Butterfly.” (Richard Bach)

Is hope alive and well in you? Oh, the outside circumstances may seem dark, dull, and dismal, and yet, what about hope?

Oprah Winfrey was raped at age nine. She is, to this day, a strong and influencing force in our world.

Bill Gates said, “I didn’t even complete my university education.”

Steve Jobs, of Apple Computer fame, said that he slept on the floor in friends’ rooms, and he returned Coke bottles for food and money. He would get weekly free meals at a local temple.

Former Prime Minister, Tony Blair of Great Britain, once told, “My teachers used to call me a failure.”

Remember President Nelson Mandela? He spent 27 years in prison.

Here’s the point. Though we may pass through many difficulties in life, we should never give up because life is not about what you couldn’t do so far. It’s about what you can still do.

Each of these individuals had hope. HOPE! They never gave up. That is important. They continued believing in themselves, their talents, their abilities.

They each had hope.

Dr. Seuss adds this thought: “A person’s a person, no matter how small.” Do you believe in hope?

Sometimes our hope comes from within us. We have this strong sense of “someday I’ll ...”. Others of us hope we’ll get some outside help. We hope someone will come along and inspire us to be what we know we could be. Ralph Waldo Emerson gave us that insight. This is why the motivational speaking industry is a multi-million- dollar business. They could, in essence, hang a sing that reads, “Hope Sold Here.”

Hope is to cherish a desire, knowing you will have fulfillment.

Hope is a state of being. Even when life sends rain, hope dances in the puddles until the sun comes out again.

A final thought:

Man can live ...

Forty days without food

About three days without water

About eight minutes without air

Only one second without hope.

(Unknown)

Morning Notes Blog Site

P Michael Biggs

Hope~Encouragement~Inspiration

The Courage to Start

2023-02-11T13:57:00.002-08:00

The Courage to Start

Anything worth going after takes courage. To put it another way, it takes courage to start.

You’ve heard this – “The journey of a thousand steps begins with the first step.”

Ben Franklin once said – “Nothing ventured. Nothing gained.” I’ll say it again –

It Takes Courage to Start.

A wise person once said this:

“If you do not go after what you want, you will never have it.
If you do not ask, the answer will always be no.
If you do not step forward, you will always be in the same place.”

For thirty or more years I dreamed of and talked about being a writer. Oh, I wrote a few things here and there. I had my first article published in a magazine in 1978 and got paid $22 for it. I wrote other stuff but not on any kind of consistent basis. I certainly did not earn the title “writer” with what I produced.

Finally, in 2009 I started in earnest to write with one blog site. I had the courage to start on that day and have continued ever sense.

What do you want to do? Write, draw, paint, sing, act, start a business, build products? Now is a dandy time to begin.

What’s that you say? You’re too old? Nonsense.

I wrote a blog on January 23, 2023 (What Will I Accomplish Today). Here’s a reminder of some important facts.

A study in the U.S.A found that the most productive age in human life is between 60-70 years of age.

~The 2nd. most productive stage of the human being is from 70 to 80 years of age.
~The 3rd. most productive stage is from 50 to 60 years of age.
~The average age of NOBEL PRIZE winners is 62 years old.

~The average age of the presidents of prominent companies in the world is 63 years.
~The average age of the pastors of the 100 largest churches in the U.S.A. is 71.

~The average age of the Popes is 76 years.

This tells us that the best years of our lives are between 60 and 80 years. A book review published in NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE found that at age 60, you reach the TOP of your potential, and this continues into your 80s.

Does that inspire you, encourage you? I hope so.

Here’s the thing. Begin. Just begin. And in the early days, it’s okay to copy your heroes. Copy the people you love. Who inspires you to do what you want to do? Copy what they do, and sooner than soon you’ll find your own voice and start making your work your own with your unique touch and style.

Seth Godin inspired this next bit of writing. I call this his Manifesto to Begin Something.

Draw the art you want to see. Start the business you want to run. Play the music you want to hear. Write the books you want to read. Build the products you want to use. Do the work you want to see done.

Just find the courage within you to start.

P Michael Biggs

Hope~Encouragement~Inspiration

You Get to Bat Again

2023-02-04T16:03:00.001-08:00

You Get to Bat Again

When I worked in banking, one day I was off in my teller draw by $5400. I mistakenly counted a customer’s deposit as a $6000 deposit when it was only $600. I thought I might lose my job over that mistake. Instead, I got to bat again.

When I played little league baseball, occasionally I would strike out. That is disappointing to any baseball wanna-be. The good news is that I got to bat again.

I once went through bankruptcy. That is a horrible and troubling experience. I wondered if I would ever have a credit-worthy reputation again.
In time I repaired my credit and today I’m happy with a credit score above 740. You see, I got to bat again.

There once was a guy named Simon Peter. He was a follower of Jesus Christ. He was a braggart, a strong-willed individual some might say, and he loved to tell you what he was going to do. However, sometimes his follow-through was less than desirable.

You see, in a critical moment in history, he denied even knowing Jesus. When accused of being a follower and a known associate of Christ, he cursed, he swore, he spat, he grumbled and he said, “I don’t even know that man.”

And then do you know what happened? He went out and wept bitterly.

He was ashamed. He was regretful for what he had said. He had lost his chance to be a man true to himself and true to the one he professed to love. He fell from grace as it were, and he felt his life was over. If only he could have taken those denials back. But it was too late.

Time passed. Christ was killed, and three days later he arose from the dead. Soon thereafter, an angel appeared to some of Christ’s followers. He had a message for them:

7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter,

He is going ahead of you into Galilee.

There you will see him, just as he told you.

Did you notice that Peter was named specifically? It is as if Christ was saying, “Peter, you get to bat again. Don’t worry about what happened a few days ago. Get ready to bat.”

This idea speaks to me on so many levels. Of course, there is the spiritual application, and that’s good.

And there is the “failure” aspect of life that is dealt with.

Very few mistakes in life sound the death toll. Bottom line – WE MAKE MISTAKES! We falter. We mis-step. We just down-n-out blow it sometimes.

And then along comes a grace moment. We’re told – Get back up. Brush yourself off. Go to bat again. You get a second chance.

There is an old Chinese proverb that says:

Fall Down Seven Times – Stand Up Eight.

Mankind loves to put labels on people.

“Oh, he’s a convict.”
“Not him. He’s a bank robber.”
“Avoid him. He’s an adulterer.”

“Don’t trust her. She is a lie and a cheat.”

I love this quote by Maxwell Maltz.

You are not your mistakes.

Have you fallen?
Made mistakes?
Blown it in a big way?
Committed some seemingly unforgivable act?

Your mistakes do not define you.

I'm thankful for second chances.

Second chances mean you get to bat again!

P Michael Biggs

Hope~Encouragement~Inspiration

Words Still Matter

2023-01-28T19:35:00.000-08:00

Words Still Matter

I was in a Walgreen’s Drug Store recently to pick up a prescription and as I turned to leave, I saw a man of 73 years. He was looking at birthday cards for his wife”. I thought to myself, “How sweet is this”, and decided to stay close by and just observe as he made his selection.

He reached up, picked a card, read it, and put it back. He picked another and put it back. He did these three more times, and finally read one card and then headed for the checkout with the card in hand.

I can imagine what happened over the next thirty minutes. He got home, scribbled something of sentiment on the card, or perhaps simply said “Love you” and then gave the card to his wife.

“Love you.” It can be expressed in so many ways. For some, it is a bump on the shoulder. Others place a hand on another’s hand, or shoulder, or cheek and look into their eyes. No words, just this simple touch.

Some are free to express the words, “I Love You,” and they stop at that, but there is so much more to be said.

“Thanks for the biscuits for breakfast this morning. They hit the spot.”

“I appreciate you always having my clothes clean and folded just like I like them.”

“Do you know I stopped a dozen times today and my heart swelled with love as I thought of you.”

“Oh, how you make my life beautiful.”

To a sibling we might say:
“Remember when we were kids, and you always looked out for me? Thank you for that.”

And to best friends:
“We’ve lived a good and long life. You are my best of friends. I am so thankful for how you add to my life.”

Or to a child:
“I’m really proud of you and the man/woman you are becoming.”
“I love my front row seat in watching you. You make me happy.”

Nice sentiment – “Love you”. I said it a thousand times in words and written it on a few cards for various occasions and then given them to Carolyn.

Words come hard for most of us when we think of those close to us. We want to say so much, but often soften the moment by a simple “Love you”.

Those sentiments are good, even great, but a well-placed, well-thought-out word is food for the soul that can be feasted on for days and weeks to come.

I never get far from Maya Angelou’s words when she once said:

I’ve learned that people will forget

what you said, people will forget what you did,

but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Words live long after they are spoken. Their effect on an individual take on a life of its own, and are played time and again, in secret, just before falling asleep, upon awakening, when things are going right and in times of sadness and hardship.

Words matter!
Let me relate a very personal story.

~~~

During my growing up years, I thought I was loved, but I was never told those magic three words “I Love You”. Dad showed us on occasion that we were loved, yet the words were never spoken. One day, when I was seven, Donny and I were out mowing the front lawn. We were just about finished when Dad pulled into the driveway, rolled down his window and tossed out a brand-new baseball and glove.

Donny and I thought we had won the lottery. Dad didn’t say anything. He simply smiled, backed out of the drive, and went back to work.

I remember another time when I hit two home runs in one game in little league baseball. Dad and Mom treated me to my favorite chocolate shake and a hamburger at The Gizmo. He was so proud of me; he went from table to table bragging on me and my home runs. But no “I Love You.”

When I went to college, I made friends. I began noticing that some of my friends and their families would express the “I Love You” words when together. I began thinking about my own family and how I had never heard them express these words to me and my siblings. Of course, I had never expressed them to my parents either.

During these days I was still directing music for a church that my dad pastored. On an October Sunday, I felt it was time to begin expressing “I Love You” to Mom and Dad.

All afternoon I kept looking for the perfect opportunity to say, “I love you.” Finally, after the PM service, we went

to my parent’s home for a bite to eat. As we were getting ready to leave, as usual, we would gather in a circle, join hands and Dad would pray for us.

I knew after he said “Amen” that it was now or never if I was going to say “I love you” on this night.

As I hugged Dad I simply whispered, in a broken voice “I love you.”

He paused a moment, hugged me a little tighter, then tried to croak out “I lo lo lov cough cough cough.” He just couldn’t say the words, but he tried.

When I hugged Mom, I expressed those same words to her. She simply pulled me even closer. Mom had this funny way of hugging where she would bury my head between her neck and the top of her shoulder. When I said “Mom, I love you,” she just squeezed me tighter and cried. To this day I can still remember the smell of Mom’s perfume mixed with the bath powder that she wore.

We broke the ice that day. We got good at saying “I love you”.

~~~

If you ask me on any given day, “do words matter” I would respond with a resounding YES! They do. I have built my writing career on the power of words, so much so that my company is called Up-Words.

I encourage you to find the words, the phrases, the ideas that need to be expressed in your family and with your close friends. Say the words. Express the sentiments.

Words still matter!

This is my morning reflection.

Morning Notes Blog Site

P Michael Biggs Hope~Encouragement~Inspiration

What Will I Accomplish Today?

2023-01-23T20:45:00.000-08:00

What Will I Accomplish Today?

Mary Oliver once said,

“I wonder what it is I will accomplish today?

I am 73 years old. Some might say I am in the sunset years of my life. I suppose death could overtake me at any moment. I hope not.

You see, I still dream dreams, I still have blogs to write, podcasts to produce, new friendships to court, and old friends whose lives I’ve not yet completely explored.

I can do things, I can think thoughts, I can speak and meditate on the good in this world, and I can still love. I’m not through loving Carolyn yet. I still enjoy holding her hand, having light and fluffy conversations, and when we have those heart moments when we go a bit deeper – well, it’s simply the best. We talk about each other, and about our kids and grandkids, our siblings, and all others close and dear to us.

I want to live and keep living. Life is good, despite what we’ve faced these past five years ago.

Heart surgery was no fun, but we’ve gone way beyond that.
Three amputation surgeries were horrible to endure, and thankfully we’ve moving beyond those as well.

I’m seventy-three. I can still see some distant horizons that excite me. There are places I want to go. There are skills and experiences yet to be brought to the light of day.

Can I accomplish anything with my life at seventy-three? Oh my, you better believe I can. And so can you.

A friend of mine posted the following on Facebook recently. I shared it on my page and have received an unusual number of likes and hits.

"A study in the U.S.A found that the most productive age in human life is between 60-70 years of age.
~The 2nd. most productive stage of the human being is from 70 to 80 years of age.

~The 3rd. most productive stage is from 50 to 60 years of age.
~The average age of NOBEL PRIZE winners is 62 years old.
~The average age of the presidents of prominent companies in the world is 63 years.
~The average age of the pastors of the 100 largest churches in the U.S.A. is 71.
~The average age of the Popes is 76 years.

For those of us above the age of 60, we are in the greatest and most productive time of our lives.

How about that!

Let’s go accomplish something today.

Morning Notes Blog Site

P Michael Biggs Hope~Encouragement~Inspiration

This is my morning reflection.

What Is Your Path for This Year

2022-12-31T12:22:00.000-08:00

What is Your Path for this Year

Morning Notes

It is New Year’s Eve. Tomorrow is a do-over, so to speak. A new year, a blank page. We start fresh.

I like new years. I like the hope they bring. I like the opportunities to be experienced.

And I love to think about what might be in this coming year. And so, I start with a few questions that need pondering.

Can my life get better than it is at this current moment? Perhaps a question before we answer this one – do I want my life to get better (whatever better means) than it is now?

And what about my health, my wealth, my mental and emotional life. And of course, my career, if a person is still gainfully employed.

Allow me to use the metaphor of Life in 2023 as on a path. This path will have a multitude of hills, valleys, bumps, smooth patches, growth moments and leisure moments. Are we out for a stroll or are we driving with an objective destination?

I know people in sales have fresh quotas to meet. Most businesses will have new goals, new emphasis on important measures, and have a magic number in mind for the end of 2023.

My retired friends, on fixed incomes, have a different path, a more level road to follow. Their income won’t change much, but they have some bit of input into their health and how to spend their income.

So, back to these ponderable questions.

Question: Do I like my life as it is now? Am I happy? If I were to make a change of any type, what would it be?

Question: How is my health at this moment? Am I into an exercise routine or do I need to start one? Am I under a doctor’s care or do I need to be? And do I have a medical team in whom I have great confidence? AM I willing to listen to them and follow their instructions? This is a big question in my opinion.

Question: How is my career life? Do I like what I do? Do I respect the people around me at work? Am I esteemed? Am I considered a worthy part of the team? Do I have a solid future doing what I’m doing for the next foreseeable few years?

Question: Am I a growing person in whatever activities I will enter into this year? If I’m still working, how much better can I be as an employee or boss? If I’m retired, am I partaking in activities that bring life and zest to my soul and mind?

Question: How do I treat others? Am I an esteeming person? Do I build others up, or am I the ‘fixer’ who goes around correcting and telling others their faults on how to do their lives better.

Question: If you are the boss, what kind of boss are you? Do your employees trust you? Do they have your back if you need it? Are they willing followers, or reluctantly submissive subjects who need constant prodding?

Question: What am I doing to feed my mind? Am I a reader of books and life-enhancing material? Whom do I follow as thought leaders either in my field or in the world in general? Do I form my own opinions or accept the regurgitated verbiage of others? Whose opinions do I allow to have power over my own? What kind of thinker am I?

Question: What are my thoughts about myself? Do I like myself? Do I approve of myself? Do I believe I am a person of worth? Can I see myself accomplishing anything of worth in the coming year and years of my life? Am I a contributing member of society?

Question: What are my views on God and the spiritual concepts that are in play? You are charge here, and you get to form your own thoughts and ideas in the realm of God and spirit world.

These questions will give you a lot to chew on for a while. This is no easy task and should not be undertaken lightly. And if you are a life coach, perhaps you’ll use these thoughts as conversation points in working with some of your clients.

May the path you travel in 2023 lead you to new discoveries, new thoughts and perhaps a new and improved you.

Morning Notes Blog Site

P Michael Biggs Hope~Encouragement~Inspiration

This is my morning reflection.