Mental Health
ANNIE’S JOURNAL by Annie Warner Donnelly
Charles Osgood Wood III, known professionally as Charles Osgood, is best known for being the host of CBS News Sunday Morning for 22 years, a role he retired from in 2016. As an actor, he is known for Horton Hears a Who! (2008), CBS News Sunday Morning (1979) and A Science Odyssey (1998). Today, I am sharing a poem he wrote about “a most important job that needed to be done”.
“There was a most important job that needed to be done, And no reason NOT to do it, there was absolutely none. But in vital matters such as this, the thing you have to ask is WHO exactly will it be who’ll carry out this task. ANYBODY could have told you that EVERYBODY knew that this was something SOMEBODY would surely have to do.
NOBODY was unwilling, ANYBODY had the ability, but NOBODY thought he was supposed to be the one. It seemed to be a job that ANYBODY could have done, If ANYBODY thought he was supposed to be the one.
But since EVERYBODY recognized that ANYBODY could, EVERYBODY took for granted that SOMEBODY would.
But NOBODY told ANYBODY that we are aware of, That he would be in charge of seeing it was taken care of.
And NOBODY took it on himself to follow through and DO, What EVERYBODY thought that SOMEBODY would do.
When what EVERYBODY needs did not get done at all, VERYBODY was complaining that SOMEBODY dropped the ball.
ANYBODY then could see it was an awful crying shame, And EVERYBODY looked around for SOMEBODY to blame.
SOMEBODY should have done the job, and EVERYBODY would have, But in the end NOBODY did what ANYBODY could have. The End.”
Can we identify something in our family, our school, our workplace, our church, our community, a local not-for-profit organization or a community service – even something in our world – that ANYBODY might have told us that EVERYBODY knew that this was something SOMEBODY would surely have to do. Not only that, EVERYBODY has a chance to do it. EVERYBODY took for granted that SOMEBODY would, but NOBODY has done it yet. Might you be the SOMEBODY to do it?
Might you be the SOMEBODY who has the heart to take the time to ask the questions about what needs to be done and how the plan needs to be developed to do it? Might you be the one to help EVERYBODY learn how to do their part?
There is a SPECIAL SOMEBODY willing to help you bring others together to do what EVERYBODY knows must be done. The Apostle Paul had a personal encounter with this SPECIAL SOMEBODY on the road to Damascus. In Philippians 4:13, he tells us what he learned. He wrote: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you, too! Imagine how good you will feel when you can look back and see that you were the SOMEBODY who did it! Amen.
Rose’s Devotions by Rosy Hagedorn
Angels All Around Us
Apr. 23, 2023 – Matthew 18:10 – See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. (NIV)
Have you ever wondered how you escaped a car accident with only a scratch, whereas it could have been so much worse? I have, on many occasions. There were times, while driving my car, when I changed the radio station or inserted a music disc into the CD drive, just to look up and see that I had swerved a little too far to the left, narrowly missing an oncoming car. Something or someone made me look up at just the right time.
Psalm 91:11-12 – For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. (NIV)
I remember a time when my youngest daughter and I were driving home from a shopping trip. It was wintertime. We were coming down a hill, and the stop light turned yellow. We came to a stop. We heard a muffled sound behind us, getting louder the closer it came towards us. By the time we realized what was happening, a huge transport truck passed us on the right-hand side driving through a red light. As the light turned green, we noticed the truck on the side of the highway. We saw the driver’s face. As far as I could see, he was apparently shaken and in shock. We surmised that his brakes must have failed. When we looked behind us, we wondered how this huge transport trailer could have passed us without impact. The truck had about two feet between my car and the lamp post to pass us. If that truck had hit us, it would have hit the passenger side where my daughter was sitting. It was a miracle. I believe it was an angel that intervened at just the right time.
We often don’t recognize that these celestial beings have come to our aid until much later, when we reflect about the incident and wonder how we got through it and lived to tell about it.
God sends His angels to help and protect us, sometimes without our knowing about it at all. The least that we can do in return is to intervene to assist and guard others, and be an “angel” to them.
Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for sending Your angels to help and protect us. Empower us to be “angels” to others, whether it be by volunteering in a retirement facility or hospital, sending a card, visiting the home-bound, making a phone call, sending flowers, or giving someone a much-needed hug. Amen.
Mistakes We Live
Apr. 16, 2023 – It’s hard to admit we’ve made a mistake. The bigger the decision, and the more profound the consequences, the harder it is. If we’ve made a big investment in the square peg, and can’t return it, then we may be tempted to try every possible way to get it into the round hole. Even if we are damaging the peg and the hole, we may still keep trying to force the situation.
If we’re in the wrong job, or working with people who frustrate us, or do not respect us, we may complain about the job, or try to change the people. This can be very damaging to our self-esteem, self-confidence, and self-worth.
The reason it can be damaging is because unless we are in a situation that is based on true cooperation, and in which our input is genuinely welcomed and appreciated, our efforts will have little impact. They may even meet with resistance, but either way we will feel negated, rejected or ignored. These are not healthy feelings. Either we accept the fact that we are not in a truly democratic environment, and live with the consequences of our choice, or we find somewhere else to be.
The third option is to be an agent of change, but this also must be a conscious choice, because it is an extremely difficult path. It may or may not be comfortable, depending on the situation, but for sure it will exact an emotional toll.
Now let’s imagine the same scenario, but this time it’s a marriage. Your spouse is just not acting the way you think a spouse should. He/she is not attentive, loving, interesting enough. He’d rather watch T.V. (always) than be with you. She’d rather be out with her girlfriends than to spend time with you. So you might rant and rage, nag, withdraw into silence, or distance emotionally. If this starts going on for years, any of the above responses may begin to become a way of life. You find yourself turning into a nag, or perhaps pulling back into your own little world.
At some point we have to ask ourselves how long we want to live our lives as the disgruntled employee, or the frustrated, alienated spouse. The problem is if we do it for too long, we lose the belief and confidence in ourselves, as well as the energy to do anything about it. And discouraging as it might seem, no one else can make it better.
We must decide what we deserve and know that we are worth it. We can only make our needs and wishes known, and see what the response is. If the pattern is that we don’t count in the workplace, or in our own home, it may be time to count ourselves out.
Gwen Randall-Young is an author and award-winning psychologist. For permission to reprint this article, or to obtain books, CDs or MP3s, visit www.gwen.ca. Follow Gwen on Facebook for inspiration.
Gwen Randall-Young Psychological Services Ltd. | Website (780) 464-7005 | gwendall@shaw.ca
