"Life is lived forward, but understood backward. It is not until we are down the road and we stand on the mountain looking back through the valley that we can appreciate the terrain God has allowed us to scale.” Jill Savage

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Wild Animal Safari Continued

The Wild Animal Safari also has a children's petting zoo.


Feeding the goats.



My grandson loves to feed the animals.



This is a bear - hibernating? At least sleeping.


Not sure what this is.


Wonder what he is thinking about?


More goats.


Trying to give the peacock some food.


Here's my little Tiger.


My bear that wears progressives sunglasses.


GS and grandpa.


Dad and daughter.


Daughter and grandson saying goodbye this is all she wrote!



THOUGHT OF THE DAY:

It's only a moment not the rest of your life.

Have you ever been in a bad moment maybe even an earth shattering moment and you want to react fast just to end the pain? I sure have. A death of a pet, finding out you have cancer or a loved one does, depression, a death, a loss of a friend. At times like this maybe it lasts more then one second, but if you have a game plan for times like these you can help yourself to deal with it. I know I have.

It could even be a smaller moment like when someone gets mad at you. Criticizes you. Judges you harshly. Says things that aren't true.

It is I find a choice of how I react. Sometimes I react fast and get mad back, but a lot of times I just let the moment go.

I'll leave - go out of the room.
I'll start to do some deep breathing.
Wait awhile. Give it some time. And that moment will go away.
Pray.
And I'll wait until another moment breaks through and hopefully things will look and be better.

Do you have a plan or a coping technique for bad moments?


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40 comments:

Shelly said...

I immediately turn to prayer- silent prayers, aloud prayers- whatever type the situation calls for.

Love the pics!

TexWisGirl said...

like the pic of your GS and that mini-pony. :)

Linda @ A La Carte said...

Cute photos of the petting zoo! I just try to take a deep breath and not let it get to me but it is hard. hugs to you! Linda

Belle said...

That is a fantastic zoo. I miss having a zoo where we live. I would say I pray when bad moments come. It is wonderful we have such a caring God to turn to.

Cheri said...

Are you having a bad moment now?

Jill said...

Great photos!

I'm trying to not react in an emotional way...similar to you...I try to leave "it" be for awhile and then come back to it.

Shug said...

Great pictures and loads of fun...this I know.
Stepping away is my best fix for those bad moments...Just to step away and repeat over and over again..JESUS!
Usually helps everytime..
hugs,
shug

MadSnapper said...

love all the photos and whatever that whatever is, he looks like we would not want our fingers in his cage. i am sooo jealous, want to do this.
when i have a moment, the first thing i do is CRY, i have been a cry baby my whole life. it does help except then my eyes burn the rest of the day and i look like rudolph

Wanda's Wings said...

Great pics! Life does happen so we do need a game plan. Prayer is always a great answer.

Skoots1moM said...

cute animals...
repeating scripture verses help me thru craziness...

Anonymous said...

I love the pictures from the park, GS looks very happy ^_^ Game plan? Never really thought about it that way, it's more like a defense mechanism that shoots in when a moment occur, which is not very often these days. Was going through some rough times some 14 years or so ago when a lot of sad things happened, and I was thinking "here we go again" took a deep breath and pushed myself through it. So I guess that's how I do it :) and with a little help from praying helps too.

Ginny Hartzler said...

I just like the way you say it "It's Only A Moment Not the Rest Of Your Life!" I am a fast talker, even doctors have asked me to slow down my speech. So I can say things before I have actually had time to think about it, NOT good. So what I always try to do is not say a word till I have thought!! I LOVE the last picture, joyous!

Remington said...

Love the pics....what do I do....pray....

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Hi Sandie, Love your safari photos. Looks like all of you had a great time...

I also loved what you said about how to deal with a situation... Walking away BEFORE saying anything is so important. Sometimes we blurt things out in the moment --which we will regret later. Life is all about our ATTITUDE and the CHOICES we make.
Hugs,
Betsy

Betty said...

I guess that was a pretty cold day because I don't see any other people there except your family! It sure looks like you all had fun though.

Coloring Outside the Lines said...

Looks like y'all had fun at the zoo- my grands love them too.

Ann said...

sure looks like you guys had a good time at the wild animal safari

Coping with bad moments hasn't always been easy for me. I used to react rather badly to them. The older and calmer I get the easier they have become. I walk away, clear my mind, if it's way bigger than I am I pray and sometimes I just turn to the blogs to help distract me from what's bothering me

Nancy said...

More fun pictures of the zoo adventure....

Learning to hold my tongue is sometimes hard but God is convicting me of running to Him first then speak...What a difference this has made....

Tanna said...

More and more I try to give myself time... the older I get the more I know not much that seems so earthshattering will even matter in five years... and five years goes fast. blessings ~ tanna
ps love the photos

Lynn said...

Deep breaths. Quiet time. Just letting things go if someone upsets me. (Although that can eat at you if you let it.)

That safari seems like fun times. :)

Michaele said...

Hot flashes have taught me to let the moments pass. Looks like a chilly day at the zoo - but no crowds that way : )

Susan said...

Hi Sandie....Good job on the photos!

Game plan when I'm mad at someone or if someone hurt my feelings is to immediately pray for their 1)Happiness 2) Peace and 3) Prosperity. Learned that in 12 Step programs along life's journey.
And if possible, I do it on my knees, even if my teeth are gritted. ha ha ha ha

Depression or something else, I stay AWAY from sugar (depressant) and just "be" for a bit. It always passes.

Take care, Sandi. Susan

Anonymous said...

More great photos! The goats are very cute.

In my old age, I have learned to walk away, bite my tongue, and wait for better times!

Blondee said...

She sure is! I enjoy Lois and her blog posts very, very much.

Goats are one of my favorite animals. When I was a kid, my grandparents were our neighbors and I will never forget when Grandpa brought home 3 goats for us kids to have at his house as pets. One was pregnant and she gave birth to 4 gorgeous babies. Oh, if baby goats were ever mauled by children it was those poor goats. We had the best time with them, they ended up being like dogs, very tame and well behaved. :) Thanks for the trip down memory lane with your pics.

Cheryl @ TFD said...

Thanks for sharing your fun photos with us, Sandie! Looks like a great time!
As for being prepared or having a plan, so many things in life are totally unexpected that its hard to plan for, but the first thing that comes to mind for me is prayer.
Take care and enjoy the rest of the week.

Marie said...

I love all these pics. Just one important someone missing...you! Start handing Kelly the camera and lets see pics of you having some fun. :)
When I was young I always prayed quietly to myself. I wasn't allowed to really speak my feelings. As I got older and there wasn't anyone to tell me not to speak I probably spoke way too soon, I had a bit of a quick temper. I've also always been a bit of a cry baby...very emotional. Now I'm in my forties and I've matured. :) I take deep breaths, pray and hug someone I love.

Sr Crystal Mary Lindsey said...

I believe Andy had a wonderful time and so did the rest of you. There is nothing like animals to bring out the best in you. Glad the day was fine, but looked a little cool.. Love ya. Crystal xxxxx

Amy said...

What a lovely post. I can't agree more with what you've shared. Especially the "It's only a moment not the rest of your life." I guess we all have to look through the present and into the future and don't lose faith. :)

Anonymous said...

Looks like it was a fun day ...you have cute "critters"...LOL

Changes in the wind said...

Love the new header...great picture!

Stella said...

Glad you grandson had so much fun on his outing. I think as you get older you realize nothing last forwver. And what matters today probably won't be as improtant tomorrow and by next week you probably won't remember most things.

nancygrayce said...

Oh, looks like such a great time with your grandson! I remember going to a petting zoo in San Diego when my grands were small! Such good memories!

Unfortunately, the ones I tend to "react" with are the ones I love the most! I'm working on that now.....you have a good suggestion in deep breathing! I have to try that!

MunirGhiasuddin said...

Your grandson is very cute. I love the animal cut outs.
In hard times, the hardest moment I do get tense and stress out. I should be more firm and learn to depend on the God above to rescue me.

MunirGhiasuddin said...

Your grandson is very cute. I love the animal cut outs.
In hard times, the hardest moment I do get tense and stress out. I should be more firm and learn to depend on the God above to rescue me.

AnnaBannana said...
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AnnaBannana said...
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Nikki (Sarah) said...

that's a great tip. I used to stand there and let the whole thing consume me. Not anymore. Now I try to stop....go for a walk or run and pray

fun family pics

Kerrie said...

I loved sharing your safari journey with you and your lovely family. That's a great photo of your daughter with dad. I love the photo of the bear and I'm wondering if that is a hyena in the photo below, or maybe a jackal. Good advice on how to handle bad moments.

GrammyK said...

I've been having ongoing "smaller moments" in my life for many years now. You would think that with the time passing things would get easier but it does not. My heart breaks for all that could be but isn't. Still can't find a way to make it better because it's like a cancer to my soul that just won't heal. It's not that *I* can't forgive and forget. It's that the other people involved do not intend to forgive and have declared that they will never forget! What do you do with that? And the issues were just minor mistakes to begin with!! It wouldn't be so bad if these people weren't so dear to me. Sigh. So my moments are painfully long and drawn out. Sadly when a new moment comes along it's usually worse than the previous!! The only thing I can do is to not let them see the sway they have over me. And sadly it doesn't seem like they care anyway. At least not to try to make things better. :-(

Loved the pictures. Cherish the loving relationship that you have with your grandson and be thankful that you are at least allowed to be a part of his life!!

Have a great weekend Sandie!! <3

Sharon said...

GS has a smile that just makes me smile! He looks so happy!

My coping technique? Hmm. One thing I usually do is talk to the people who love me. Their reassuring voices do a lot to help me calm down.

And, of course, there is no greater place to turn than to the Lord in prayer. HIS peace (though it might take a while to sink into me) is always comforting.