Deb Sofield

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Friendship

A shoulder to lean on

I am a bystander – a new friend – and an American colleague who has come to work in her country. Just for a moment, in the late afternoon’s dusty air settling on a few minutes’ worth of freshly fallen rain, we are family. It can happen to anyone. The police report said he had come from the eye doctor and had his pupils dilated. Instead of waiting for the appropriate time to allow his eyes to see clearly, he got up from the hospital bench and walked into the street. Not being able to judge distance with his fractured […]

Do what lies clearly at hand

What do you do when you don’t know what to do? That is a question that has come up a lot lately with some projects that I am working on. Sometimes despite my best intentions I look down the path of life and wonder – what do I do next? I am sure it is an issue that many face since, in our world of plenty, we have many great choices. And sometimes there are more ways than one to get to the finish line. But how do you know what road to take? And what measurements should one use […]

Walking Away

“When faced with senseless drama, spiteful criticisms and misguided opinions, walking away is the best way to stand up for yourself. To respond with anger is an endorsement of their attitude.” ~ Dodinsky How many times have you thought about walking away from the drama, the words and the noise but you stayed to play one more round, hoping it would not be as bad as you thought. No doubt, it ended up being pretty awful. And the worst part is you knew it would end up poorly, but you just had to speak your mind one more time, or […]

Why We Lie

Honesty is such a lonely word, and to add insult to injury, exaggeration is the name of the game, and that is a lie. Oh, I know I said the word lie. I said it because, well, that is what it is when you don’t tell the truth about yourself. I know the word is harsh and it is tougher still to be called out on, but, quicker than you can hide your lie from those who know you, the damage you’ve done to yourself will cut you deeply and leave a lifelong scar for all to see. I want […]

If You’re Tired of Starting Over Quit Giving Up

I love the quote, If you’re tired of starting over—quit giving up. I am not sure who said it, but, wow, if there was ever a billboard that we should put up around the state, it’s this one. If you’re tired of starting over—quit giving up. I hear people say all the time that they are tired of always having to start over, and so many times I want to ask the obvious question of why did you stop? Really, why did you stop your diet? Why did you stop going to school? Why did you stop being the loving […]

Be somebody who makes everybody feel like (a) somebody

Have you ever been around someone who makes you feel like you matter? Really that you matter to them and frankly that YOU matter in general? And it is not dependent on what time of day or night, or weekend, or if they are with other friends, or they find you by yourself, or even if they don’t see you for a while. But when you re-connect the way they treat you is with respect, kindness, gentleness, graciousness and sheer unbridled happiness that they got the chance to see you again. Now you might be thinking that I’m taking about […]

Every Positive Change

People often think that making changes in life (large or small) is just too difficult to do, so they procrastinate, and then they take such a long time to finally make a decision that they miss the opportunity, when all they really needed to do was to take the most basic step, and that is to start. My thought for the day is…  Every positive change in your life begins with a clear, unequivocal decision that you are going to either do something or stop doing something. I don’t want to be a scold, and, frankly, that is not my […]

The Value of Your Name

I’ll be speaking to a ladies’ Bible study group in a few weeks and, in thinking about what my topic would be, I decided to speak on a topic that has been rolling around in my head for a while now, and it is the value of your name and reputation. I liked that topic so much that is my theme for today. I want to talk about the value of your name and reputation. When people hear your name, what do they think? What comes to mind when someone says your name? Now, for some of you, don’t fall […]

Everyone has an invisible sign

Everyone has an invisible sign hanging from their neck saying, ‘Make me feel important.’ Never forget this message when working with people. ~ Mary Kay Ash There is an age-old phenomenon that is back in full force today, partly due to social media and partly due to our busyness, when it comes to actually seeing those we say we care about. I hate to admit it, but I am guilty of what John Steinbeck said, “I wonder how many people I have looked at all my life and never seen.” It is not on purpose that I have seemingly overlooked […]