Eric Suddoth's Blog, page 25

No, Never Mine

If everything is Yours
Everything is Yours
If everything is Yours
I’m letting it go
No, it was never mine to hold
No, never mine – Audrey Assad

Another one of my favorite artists is Audrey Assad. Her Everygreen album is one of my favorites that I played nonstop a few years. Her songs have a way of cutting deep to my core and stir.

On her first album, The House You’re Building, one of my favorite songs is Everything is Yours.

What do you consider yours?

Is it the money in your checking account? The stocks in your investment portfolio? Your three bedroom home and two cars? What about your kids?

I think we would all say that what I have is mine. But this song struck a cord in my heart many years ago because technically everything is God’s, He is just letting me use it temporarily.

That thought and notion blew my mind. We live in a society that centers on greed and envy, but if we realize what you think you behold, you’re not the one actually holding it. It is like God is letting you hold it.

It’s like being a kid. He says he owns the house he lives in, but he didn’t buy it. He just lives their temporarily. His parents bought the house with the means God gave them to buy the house.

If we realize that everything we say is ours really isn’t ours, it wouldn’t hurt so much to give it away.

I struggle with the belief of tithing and offering. I don’t struggle with the concept, but I wrestle with how much is enough. I was taught to give a tenth, but a tenth was an Old Testament standard. When the church started expanding after Christ’s resurrection they were called to give liberally…meaning more than a tenth.

I’ve had many conversations on where the line is in the sand. If I give 12% or 15% or 35%, when will I please God? When will I be content knowing I have given enough to show my love toward Him.

The thing is, I have learned I should never be content. Giving just doesn’t mean my money, but it’s giving of all myself. Giving of time through prayer and meditation. Giving of myself through serving. Giving of my talents to those who need it. Giving of my gifts to those who don’t have it.

I think so often we think that if we put a large check in the offering plate, we don’t have to serve. But we are supposed to love the Lord with all your heart with all your soul with all your mind and and with all your strength.

We are supposed to show love in all aspects of our life. We are to give all of ourselves to him.

I think that is why I love this song so much, I’m letting it go…no, it was never mind to hold.

What are you holding that you need to let go?

And let God?

Peace

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Do You Have a Dream?

Do you have a dream you want to pursue, but feel it’s impossible?

It’s not.

Did you used to have a goal, but put it aside?

It’s time to pick it back up.

Are you wandering aimlessly with no plan?

It’s time to chart a course.

I am giving away my book for Free – Friday to Sunday – in hopes of encouraging you to chase after the dreams you have. To spur you on to take a chance on a dream. To show you anything is possible.

If you’re brave, download it for Free!

Peace and and come dream with me

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The Minimum Wage Paradox

For many years people have been stating that the minimum wage needs to increase. I agree people deserve to make a fair wage, but what is a fair wage?

Let’s say you go to college to become a school teacher. You have studied hard for 4 years and graduated with your degree. You know first time teachers don’t make a lot, but it’s a foot in the door in hopes of a bright future and you accept a job for $32,000 at a school you wanted.

At the same time, a high school sophomore works at the movie theater tearing apart tickets and makes $15 an hour. If that student worked full time, it would come to $31,200.

No degree. No nighttime stress. Just a good time making money to pay for gas money.

Would that be fair?

The minimum wage was established under FDR with the Fair Labor Standards Act. This act was created to help protect workers with a 40 hour work week, overtime pay, and keep children out of hard work environments. Many people during this time didn’t have an education so they had to endure the bare minimum. So this law was created to protect them.

None of my grandparents graduated high school and some didn’t get out of elementary before they had to start working. FLSA was to help them. It was to protect those that needed protecting from a ruthless society that would take advantage of the less fortunate.

But today, the majority of the United States has a high school education. They have opportunities to attend college, learn a trade, join the military or join the work force. We have means of showing when a business isn’t treating their employees proper. There are more opportunities now than there were in 1938.

Also, in 1938 the economy was in shambles. The Great Depression happened and the wealthiest one percent who ran the businesses were probably trying to recoup what they had lost. So paying their workforce wasn’t a priority. There was corruption in many industries where kids were forced to work like grown men, putting themselves in danger. But they had to or they wouldn’t be able to eat. So they risked their lives to take care of themselves.

Today, if you work somewhere and they pay you the minimum wage, hopefully you work hard and show the owner you deserve a raise. After a year and an annual evaluation, you can see if the employer will treat you right. Well done, here is your raise. Or treat you like no one, well done, keep working.

You have a decision to make. Keep working there knowing you have no future or get a job with your new skill sets in hopes of making more.

If I was working for someone who didn’t respect me enough to pay me a fair wage now, why would I still work for them? If the government increased the minimum wage and that was the only reason I got a raise, what would my attitude be?

It would be bad. I wouldn’t respect my employer. I would probably bad mouth them. I wouldn’t care about my employer’s business because my employer didn’t care about me.

And that is just sad.

In some cities jobs may be hard to find where they pay minimum way or a little above, but in the majority of cities there are other places. There is also another restaurant. There is always another shopping center. There is always another factory. There is always another place to apply.

I am always excited when I hear from my younger guys I have mentored when they got a raise at their part-time job and they are beaming proud of that accomplishment. I congratulate them and let them bask in their joy.

But I don’t want them to settle for that high school job for the rest of their life. There is nothing wrong with that job, but I see potential in them to do much, much more.

And sadly, I see so many people settling because they don’t believe they have the knowledge, the will power, the connections, the gumption to better themselves.

Bettering yourself isn’t easy. If it was easy, then you wouldn’t get any better.

It’s like working out. If you do something you are not used to, you may be sore tomorrow. But that soreness is good because it is using new muscles in a new way. It’s making you better.

Sadly many in the United States has grown accustomed to getting what we want, when we want it, without doing anything to get it. It’s just given to us. Freedom. Rights. Food. Shelter. Medical.

But I’m always saddened when I see people living at the minimum because there is something so much better than that. I wonder if God is saddened by the bare minimum. He has given us knowledge to pursue our dreams and we do nothing. He has given us means to accomplish the unthinkable and we do nothing. He has given us resources to change the world and yet we do nothing.

I’m not for free handouts because there is always someone who will take advantage of a good thing and mess it up for the rest of us.

I’m more hands on. If you don’t feel like you can make a change, talk to me and I will encourage you. If you don’t think you have what it takes, talk to me and I will show you I’m nothing special either. If you don’t believe in yourself, talk to me and I will tell you that you can do anything.

Should we have a minimum wage? Yes.

Should we be living to raise the minimum wage? No.

We should be living to raise our own worth without someone telling someone else to raise it.

Some may read this and think I am cold, but I am the complete opposite. If you have a dream to better yourself, I will cheer you on when no one else will. I’m here to say don’t settle for the minimum wage…rise above it.

You can do it.

Peace

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Every Minute

And I can think of time when families all lived together
Four generations in one house
And the table was full of good food
And friends and neighbors
That’s not how we like it now
Cause if you sit at home you’re a loser
Couldn’t you find anything better to do
Well no I couldn’t think of one thing
I would rather waste my time on than sitting here with you – Sara Groves Every Minute

I am a big Sara Groves fan. Ever since I got her Conversations cd in the early 2000s I have clung to her music.

There are some artists I would love to sit down and talk over life with over a bowl of ice cream (I’m not a coffee drinker).

Sara Groves is one of them.

When I was in college and after I graduated I would go to my grandparents house every Friday night and play cards. My grandfather would always give me a hard time about being at their house on a Friday night. “When I was your age…” but he would always grab the deck of cards and we would play for hours.

I love the line in Sara Groves song Every Minute, “Cause if you sit at home you’re a loser
Couldn’t you find anything better to do”

I may have looked like a loser to the outside world, but to my family, they were my world. Now my grandparents are gone, but I have those memories of my grandfather blushing as I told him a dirty joke. Or the sound of my grandmother’s laugh as we would go 10-for-2 and beat my sister and grandfather. Or the time when I called my sister a fool for making a mistake and my grandfather said, “Now son, we don’t say things like that around here. I would kill a man if he called me a fool,” when a few minutes before my grandmother was retelling a story with a cuss word. But that was okay, because she was just telling a story.

Good memories can’t be bought with flashy, trendy means.

Now with COVID I spend Saturday and Sunday afternoons at my parents eating lunch, visiting, playing games while mocking their Hallmark movies.

The line from Sara Groves still rings true to my ears, but now a new line means something special, “Well no I couldn’t think of one thing
I would rather waste my time on than sitting here with you”

I love my friends. But I also love my family. And it’s a really nice thing when your family is also your friends.

I’m fine with being a loser…

May we have more good memories ahead.

Peace

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Coming Full Circle

Many people ask me, “Eric, how do you come up with your stories?”

If you people watch…you create stories. They may not be glamorous, but it’s still a story you spin out of just a fleeting thought.

Many stories I write come from random thoughts or ideas that seem to come out of nowhere. I walk beside the notion for a little while as if observing the scene. Taking in characteristics of fictional friends, eavesdropping on an imaginary life or peeping through an unwritten diary.

And as I continue to daydream, I feel compelled to share in the lavish story.

While all my stories have a fictional take, one story has a deeply personal beginning.

Back in July of 2010 I was supposed to take my nieces to an amusement park. Instead, we took one to the hospital the night before.

That memory of my niece still haunts me as she was choking during supper. There is a helpless feeling watching people try to get a piece of chicken up out of your little niece while hugging your other niece. Paramedics looked her over and said she was good.

But she wasn’t. Her lungs started to fill with fluid. She was slowly drowning internally without anyone’s knowledge. A few hours later we took her to the hospital and the ER started to try their best to figure out what was wrong.

I sat in the ER with my dad, sister and niece, waiting and hoping for good news. Hours later she was transported to another hospital because they couldn’t figure out what to do.

Luckily, the next hospital knew the cause and started treatment immediately.

Today, Leah is a beautiful, healthy, college student chasing her dreams of baking sugary goodies.

But 10 years ago, how did I deal with this crisis? I turned to my writing.

The near death crisis of Leah turned into a near death experience for Scarlet.

Intertwined was birthed in that moment.

Just as a mysterious stranger saves Scarlet in chapter 1, Leah too was saved in a miraculous, mysterious way.

I tried to release this book nine years ago, but no one wanted to take a chance on an unpublished author. So I put the book away.

Then two years ago I dusted off the book and started reading it again with fresh eyes. I fell in love with the story once again.

Last spring I was walking through the woods looking for a tree to use as the book cover. I took many photos, but none seemed to work. That’s when my sister brought up the idea of someone painting the cover.

I knew the perfect person. She immediately said she would come up with a few ideas. Within a few weeks I had the painted cover from the artist.

Oh, did I forget to mention the cover was painted by my niece who actually inspired the story to begin with.

It is amazing how God works everything together. How a tragic moment in my memory is now a beautiful reminder of God’s faithfulness and perfect timing.

Thank you Leah. I may have never told you…but you inspired this wonderful story. I’m glad you said yes to painting the cover and leaving your mark on this story in another way. Maybe God knew your cover was the cover I was supposed to use and you couldn’t have painted it for me 10 years ago.

Peace

If you are interested in reading this cherished book, check it out.

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Set Your Heights High

What are your goals for 2021?

Do you even have any?

If you don’t, why not?

Is it the fear of not reaching that elusive goal? Are you afraid to dream for fear of having it crash down at your feet when your dream isn’t reached?

To you, I say face your fears and try!

No one has ever achieved greatness by accident. It takes time and determination. It takes trial and error. It takes pain and grit. It takes stamina and hope.

We all have the same air to breathe. You may think some have been born into a better scenario, but we are all given the same air to breathe. You may think some have been gifted in other areas, but once again we are all given the same air to breathe.

At the end of the day, will you dream of a better tomorrow or will you sleep without a hope for the morning?

I prefer to dream and hope for tomorrow and tomorrow’s tomorrow.

Want to dream with me?

In early 2020 I released a personal book of songs written and sung behind my piano and guitar. I bit the bullet and shared my innermost thoughts and prayers.

I wrote these lyrics back in 2001 while I was waiting for my Spanish class in college. It was a month after September 11th and I was scribbling my thoughts. I think this song is relevant for this post.

Weeks have gone by – but not as many as we would like – but we live in the past with every day – and we try to hold on – I guess it’s true what they say – that life must go on

We cannot live for the past – we cannot dream about what’s ahead – we need to live like this day is our last – but we never do – we just hope for the future instead

I lit a candle what feels like the other day – the flame has been out for a month – I’m trying to shine the light, show the way – but the melted wax is not enough – and I guess it’s true what they say – it all comes down to faith

We cannot live for the past – we cannot dream about what’s ahead – we need to live like this day is our last – but we never do – we just hope for the future instead

And it is good to hope – but hoping never saves any lives – and it is good to dream – but dreaming never opens the blind man’s eyes – and I guess it’s true what they say

That before you can claim defeat – you have to at least – try

So, what are you going to do? Are you going to try to achieve what you have never achieved before?

I say it’s time to try!

People wore their pearls yesterday for Mrs. Harris becoming Vice President, but it’s time to wear your pearls for you. If she can do it, you can do. Don’t settle living vicariously through her.

It’s time to try!

Peace

If you have enjoyed this post, you can download my book Unsung for free!

While you are there, check out my other books.

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Really 2021…Really?

I had high hopes for 2021. Really high. I mean, look what we just left with all the turmoil that was swirled around, chewed up and then spit out in 2020.

Wasn’t everyone expecting a better 2021?

Then wednesday happened with the chaos in Washington D.C.

I was texted by a friend, “Are you watching the news?” Thinking they were speaking of the election in Georgia. “It’s like 9/11.”

Suddenly I knew it wasn’t about the election in Georgia.

I sat in my office and worked while listening to the radio. Shocked at what was happening in our Nation’s Capital. It seemed like something you would be hearing in a third world country. But not in the United States. Never here.

I couldn’t believe the Capitol building was being stormed.

The afternoon went on with the news coverage going on in the background. It was a sad day in American history.

But what made me sadder were the opinionated Facebook posts and Tweets that oozed judgement and condemnation at both sides.

Trump haters were spewing hate. Trump lovers were spewing hate. People who flipped positions were stunned and were either praised or rebuked.

At the end of the day I just felt dirty.

So I flipped off the news coverage of the reconvened vote and turned on the lighthearted The Great British Baking Show.

If you haven’t watched the The Great British Baking Show it is a baking competition. But unlike cut-throat competition shows of allies and backstabbing, these competitors actually help out their fellow competitors when help is needed.

When someone is needing an extra pair of hands, two people immediately leave their ovens and help out. Even if they know they are helping out someone who may knock them out of competition. It’s remarkable. It’s charity at its finest.

If only we all could be like these participants and want the best for our competitors.

But sadly…That’s not how the world usually works or plays out.

I agree there is a time and place to correct and hold accountable. But that time and place isn’t all the time and definitely isn’t every place. But sadly with Facebook and Twitter, we post without a second thought sometimes.

It’s incredibly frightening to know that in an instant reputations can crumble from one ill-fated, strongly-worded post.

So please. Think before you post. Reread your post and count to ten before posting.

Maybe even consider thinking, “What would Jesus do?”

Jesus corrected, but he also showed love and compassion. If your post doesn’t show Jesus’ mercy and grace, then you may want to rethink it.

I know I need to follow my own advice sometimes.

But even after this week I am still hopeful for 2021. This week isn’t going to crush my dreams or smash my optimism because in the darkest of times light shines the brightest.

Here’s to a bright 2021!

Peace

If you enjoy my blogs, check out my inspirational book to encourage you to chase your dreams!

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The Cleansing Period

Hi, my name is Eric and I’m a sweetaholic. During the holidays I tend to let myself go and enjoy the sweet treats. I don’t just enjoy, I over indulge. Then on January 1 I detox myself.

Yesterday I felt it. I wanted something sweet but I held off. In a few days I’ll be fine, but the process is a slow one. But the benefits are worth it. It will make me better.

Sometimes you have to give up things you like to become a better you.

We all have something we use as a crutch. Eventually that crutch becomes your dependency. When something becomes like that, it’s time to distance yourself.

It may be food. It may be alcohol or drugs. It could be a relationship or person. It could be anything. It also could be something that looks good, but too much of a good thing ends up being a detriment.

For example, exercise is a good thing. But if you start to exercise to much it can take over your life. You can end up with a disorder where you never feel like your reflection is good enough. Exercising all the time could damage relationships because you are always at the gym.

Exercise is good, but it can turn bad if you allow it.

If there is something you need to cut back on, it’s 2021. Today is the best time to start.

So many people join gyms this time of year. They have a goal, but usually by February the goal has fizzled. Don’t let your goal fizzle.

Tell someone your goal. Let them hold you accountable.

If you can, set small goals so you feel like you have accomplished something. Going cold turkey is hard, so do other things that will give you some satisfaction. Treat yourself in other ways for working toward your goals.

If you mess up. Don’t beat yourself up too much. Just try again tomorrow. If you fall off the horse, get back on it. Riding on that horse will you get where you need to go faster than walking. It may be harder, but it is better.

Here is to a better you.

Here is to a better 2021.

Peace

If you enjoy my blogs, check out my inspirational book to encourage you to chase your dreams!

20 Thoughts on 2020

2020 is a year that will be remembered for many years to come. Many people will hold this year with contempt, but 2020 is what you made out of it.

It is easy to want to curse this year. But easy isn’t always right as I read on someone’s tweet this morning.

If you learned anything, then it wasn’t useless. So here is a list of things I learned.

1. Never take certainty for granted. Or better yet, never think anything is certain.

2. Life can stop on a dime if you let it. So don’t let it. At the end of the day you control your own life. You may steer wrong, but there is always a detour to get it back on track.

3. Life can’t break you, if you learn to bend. Become as flexible as a yoga guru.

4. Enjoy the simple things in life. At the end the simple things are what you treasure.

5. People can’t see your smile behind a mask. Don’t just smile, but let your whole body show your joy.

6. Read more positive stories and less news rants and political jargon. A year from now you won’t remember what caused your blood to boil, but you will still remember the video of the cat on the Roomba.

7. Patience is important. Do more puzzles. If you can complete a 1000 piece puzzle then seriously anything is possible with a little patience.

8. True relationships can last through a distance. Friends and family will find ways to show love.

9. God bless technology. Heaven forbid if we went through the quarantine 30 years ago. Just think of what we learned and how it will make our lives better in the future.

10. Lemons are sour, but they pack some powerful vitamin C. Don’t swerve against things that may give you a bad taste at first, because they may actually have some hidden benefits.

11. A slower life can be a better life. Enjoy the quiet evenings at home and relax.

12. Take time to smell the roses, because you will miss that smell and taste once it’s gone.

13. Take a nap if you want to. Who cares if people judge because they are probably napping too. So worry less about people’s impressions of you and focus more on what gives you joy. Then do that.

14. Dream. Dreaming of your future helps when you have nothing else to do.

15. Act on your dreams. Anyone can dream, but only a few take that first scary step. It’s time to start walking.

16. Live each day like your not guaranteed the next. We say this, but we rarely do it. It’s time to do it.

17. Look at your city like a visitor. Experience the overlooked with a fresh pair of eyes. People who can find joy in the mundane will never be disappointed.

18. Help those who need helping. By helping others you tend to forget about your own problems.

19. Play a board game like you did as a kid. Life can drain you, so rewind the clock and take off a few years of stress.

20. Everything happens for a reason. We may not know the reason, but there is one. In life you are given a choice, so choose wisely. Will you look for the positive in a hard situation or will your close your eyes and sulk? It’s time for a scavenger hunt! Hunt for the good and look past the negative. Winners will know who they are.

One of my favorite quotes from a quirky 90s show I used to watch came from John, the Biscuit, on Ally McBeal,

If you think back, and replay your year – if it doesn’t bring you tears of joy or sadness, consider the year wasted.

2020 was definitely not wasted. May God bless you and keep you safe.

Peace and here to a better 2021!

Vitamin D-elight

It’s getting cold and flu season (even though this has been COVID year). At the start of this time of year I always try to boost my immunity by taking multi-vitamins, drinking Vitamin C liquids and washing my hands more often (but shouldn’t I always do that?) Getting sick during tax season is no fun because taxes still need to be done even if you feel like death warmed over.

Another vitamin I take is D. I was told a few years ago that my D levels were low so I have been taking this dose daily for years. It seems like multiple members in my family have low levels, so we pass around the bottle at lunchtime like we pass the bag of chips. And it seems like this little vitamin is a great one to take for COVID.

Vitamins boost your immunity, but so does laughter. So go ahead and delight in some Dwight from the Office. So detox yourself and devour some Duck Dynasty. Try and deepen your desire for Despicable Me.

Sleep is a great way to destroy the evil bugs. So drink some decaf. Light a few decadent candles and deflate. Take a few deep breaths because you deserve some desired rest.

Don’t smoke! Just don’t. It decreases your wallet. It decreases your immunity. It depresses those around you when you depart to stand outside in the cold.

Devotionals and encouraging words help with immunity. Your demeanor and decisions help impact your defiance in getting sick.

Eat healthy and decline on your desserts. Ha! Never mind, eat healthier, but it’s okay to delight in yourself now and then. Dark chocolate is a good source of antioxidants. Better yet, dark chocolate covered almonds. Yum.

So here’s to healthy living. Stay safe and stay well!

May God bless you and protect you.

Peace

If enjoy my blogs, check out my mystery and inspirational books.