The dirt road I had been traveling ended suddenly.  The path that promised to lead to a place of new adventures had become a dead end.  Scattered upon the ground lay hundreds of spent shells; apparently this isolated place had been used for target practice.  After walking the circumference of this bullet ridden piece of paradise I discover a nice trail leading off into the forest.  Here I discover that my dead end was simply a new starting point.

        After an hour of walking into the silent forest on fire with the colors of fall I step through an invisible spider web.  Immediately I realize what I have done.  I take a step backwards in an attempt to step out of the sticky trap.  But the silver super glue refuses to release me from its grasp and I merely tare it from its foundation.  After a few seconds of cleanup I have removed the remains of those who gave their lives so the owner of this web might live.  It was about here that I meet the one responsible for such a sticky web.

        His home had just been destroyed.  He had watched as his livelihood was ripped from its very foundations and flung to the ground.  In front of him now stands an enormous destructive force (cute, but gigantic in comparison).  And what does he do when confronted by the one responsible for his loss?  To my amazement he is not fleeing to some shelter or searching for a place of safety.  Instead he is immediately hard at work picking up the pieces and beginning again.  His disaster and tragedy seemed to be just another opportunity to start over, wiser than before.  I love his attitude.  He allowed his past failures to become guideposts for future success.

        Perhaps today you are sorting through the ashes of lost dreams or picking up the pieces of yet another failure.  Take heart and do not get discouraged because falling down doesn’t make you a failure; staying down does.  A man doesn’t become a failure until he is satisfied with being one.  We can begin again; we can start over and make things better than they were originally.  We serve one who is able to transform our tragedies into triumphs; who can make all things work together for our good.  Let us be more like our homeless spider and be thankful for second chances and new beginnings.  Happiness is a choice; choose to begin again.

Something to think about:

• People who make a hash of things are generally struggling with yesterday’s leftovers.

• Don’t apologize for failure; mend it…It is never too late to mend.

• If you never make a mistake, you may live and die without anyone ever noticing you.

• Even the perfect people buy pencils with erasers.

• There is no failure until you fail to keep trying.

• The worst failure is failure to try.

• Achieving a goal is never final, and failure to do so is never fatal.

• Setbacks stiffen your backbone if it is made of the right stuff.

• The sweetest songs often come from broken hearts.

Thankful for second chances and new beginnings
Rickey Moore