Most people believe in The Way Things Ought to Be.

Others embrace The Way Things Are.

Arguments, terrorism and war happen at the intersection of these Ways.

“Here’s what you ought to do.”

“That’s just not going to happen.”

“Okay, then we’ll fight.”

An even weirder, three-way intersection happens at

The Way I Remember It,

The Way You Remember It, and

The Way It Actually Was.

Standing in the reflection of that intersection is like standing in a house of mirrors.

My friend Dean Rotbart believes

you are three different persons:

1: The person you believe yourself to be.

2: The person others believe you to be.

3: The person you really are.

This means there is:

1. the person I see when I look in the mirror.

2. the person you see when you look at me.

3. the person God knows me to be.

The Roy I See lives in my mind.

The Roy You See lives in your mind.

The Roy God Sees lives in God’s mind.

(I’d like to meet that Roy, wouldn’t you?)

Sorry, but these are the strange things I’ve had on my mind this week.

If you judge these contemplations to be the disjointed ramblings of an overworked ad man at Christmastime, you will doubtless be correct. But if you discover among these 312 words a worthy nugget to contemplate, and it grows to become a portal in your mind that allows you to see new and wonderful things; well, that’s okay, too.

Final thought: I was contemplating the word “encouragement” when it hit me: Encouragement happens when a person needs courage… so you give them yours.

Your friend was worried and fearful.

You had courage, and gave it to them.

They were encouraged.

What a gift!

Encourage someone out there today, okay?

People who need it are all around us.

Roy H. Williams

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