I need a seriously uplifting transfusion

I may be tired of being happy, but I am tired nonetheless. I am tired emotionally because I am dealing with a sister and a dog who are both battling cancer. I am tired because of the vitriolic polarization of our own nation. I am tired of no one accepting any kind of responsibility for their own actions or the actions of their children. I am tired of the pronounced evil I see across the globe. I am tired, tired, tired. I’ve been emotionally and mentally drained the past month. Which isn’t to say that I haven’t been unbelievably blessed during that time frame; it just means my spirit is running low. I just can’t get my thoughts focused on what I’m trying to say. And then it hits me. It’s time for me to be quiet and receive, not transmit. My mind typically sees so many different things in just one moment or in a single flicker, so it’s nice to be able to drift for a while. I need replenishing. We all do. Our strength comes from outside of ourselves. We are not self-sustaining ecosystems like a terrarium. We need input to grow. Put down the pen, the telephone, the laptop, the remote, and pick up a book.  As the Bible says, “Be still and know that I am God.” When I am tired, it’s because I’ve depleted myself. I need to refill in order to keep going. And the higher the pace, the more resources are needed. Many times after hearing my father, the late, great Charlie “Tremendous” Jones, speak, people would ask me if he was always like that. For those of you who have not heard him, he was quite the energetic force of nature on and off stage. People were amazed and envious of his boundless energy and unbridled enthusiasm. The answer is ‘yes’. Growing up I used to think it’s just because he was strong or had a resilient temperament. And while both are true, the reason behind his ability to never be tired was his constant drinking from the well of words of others. People often cry out that they wish God would speak to them, or that they wish they had a few more words to exchange with a loved one. Well, the next best thing to hearing someone speak is to read their words. And in the case of someone no longer with us on this Earth, it’s the first best thing. So I’m writing to you today, dear reader, because I started reading again. I was stuck; I was tired; I was in a rut. But now that I’m reading I slowly feel the life force flowing again through my veins. I’ve got some really tough and tiring times ahead. I better make sure my blood bank of a library has an endless supply of Be Positive. Luckily….it does.