Accidents happen. It’s part of childhood. And most of the time the tears are dried and the child continues on his or her way. But once in a while the fearless little explorer requires more than a kiss and a cookie.

Below is a wonderful account of how the trauma of an accident was turned into a happy memory. With a little help, he revisited the event – on purpose.

Recently, a four-year-old boy named Conner was injured while exploring stored lumber in his yard. EMT’s took him to the hospital with a fractured skull. A week after surgery he came home. (He is just fine). When his mother called the fire department to thank them for their kindness, the fireman on duty asked if they could make a social call the following Thursday.

The next week, amid blaring sirens, an EMT truck and a fire engine pulled up in front of Conner’s house. He and his little sister were entertained by the crew and invited into the trucks. Pictures were taken and within twenty minutes, the children had new memories to replace the old ones. When the trucks pulled away – sirens blaring – the gathering neighbors waved goodbye.

Thanks to all those who serve our communities with dedication and excellence. You are appreciated!

For more information about how to replace a negative memory or about a child’s physiological memory, visit the article “Physiological Memory.”

Or, about replacing bad memories: blog post “New Parts.”

When life is not going as planned, we need strategies to survive. What better principle to teach our children than how to make it through the tough times?

Here is a way to begin …

• First, it helps to remember that whatever you are going through, you are not alone. God is with you.
• Second, do not compare yourself, your life, or your current circumstances with anyone else.  We are all dealing with “issues,” even if they don’t show … even on social media.
• Third, one constant truth is that “everything changes.” It’s the nature of life on earth. And until we pass on, life will remain in a constant state of flux. So as challenging as life may seem right now, remember that circumstances will change and your light will brighten.

In the meantime, to help bring you out into the sunshine, here are a few strategies to ponder …

1. Be thankful in all circumstances – not thankful FOR the trouble, but thankful that you are coming OUT of the trouble. Even if you can’t see how right now. By finding one thing to be thankful for, you shift the focus – even if you have to be thankful for something as mundane as the grass. It is a way to begin.

2. Forgive. Carrying around unforgiveness contaminates our peace and eats away at our bodies. Even if it is ourselves that we must forgive.

We have all done foolish things. Made inappropriate comments. And asked ourselves “What were you thinking?” We have all been cheated on, lied to, stolen from, hurt, and betrayed. Living in this world – a world dominated by selfishness and deceit – is part of our earthly experience. We should not be surprised when man lets us down. But we must not carry around the wrong and burden ourselves with such a heavy load. Let it go! Let … it … GO!

3. Be kind. The other day I received the nicest email from Roger, a website visitor. It was a short “Thank you for keeping this website up-to-date … I continue to learn …” That was it. A thoughtful gentleman just letting me know that I had touched a life. His gratitude moved me deeply.

Isn’t that why we are here? To encourage and serve one another? Just ask Roger. His kind words made my day!

“And be ye kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another …”

It will help us – and our children – through the tough times.

Recently we went camping, setting up our temporary digs in an RV park near a large city. Our next door neighbor was an elderly man, staying for six weeks so that he could take advantage of the excellent medical facilities nearby. Several weeks into his stay, I asked him how he was recovering from cataract surgery.

“I can see as if I were twenty years old again!” He replied. “With my new eyes, new teeth, and new hearing aids, I feel like Mr. Potato Head.”

Being made new on the outside is certainly cause for rejoicing. But being made new on the inside is even more freeing.

You know that fleeting feeling of newness that comes when you have done something well? The confidence that comes from seeing that you are becoming the best version of yourself ? You 2.0?

The question is, are we teaching our children to feel like Mr. Potato Head, too? Are we allowing them, on the inside, to replace malfunctioning parts with new ones? Replace mistakes with new opportunities for success? Replace bad memories with good ones?

When a child does something wrong, it is important that we let him know that he can be made new again. That he can receive new eyes, seeing himself successful and well-loved. New ears where he can hear good words about how he is valued and capable. New joy that comes from doing something well.

Let us remember today to give ourselves – and our children – new inward parts, new confidence, and new opportunities for success.

Feeding fear – inadvertently – can mark our children’s perception of life.

We periodically check the statistics on this website to see how many times each page was viewed. From this we can determine which articles are of greatest interest. The other morning I powered up my computer only to find that no stats had been calculated during the night. The lack of information frustrated me and finally, about midday, I emailed the hosting company and they quickly fixed the problem.

The incident caused me to wonder, though, what would happen if I monitored other areas of my life – like television viewing – as closely as I did my website stats?

• What if I monitored, for example, how many times during an hour of prime time, I received the notion that sickness and disease were imminent?
• How many times I received the idea that indigestion was looming and sleepless nights would require a sleep aid?
• How many times the side effects of chemotherapy would pass through my consciousness?

Exactly what was I feeding my mind, anyway? I decided to find out.

The results: The next evening I tallied the commercials during an hour of prime time viewing. To my surprise, in addition to the heartburn, skin rash, medicate-your-child, flu-is-coming-and-you-are-going-to-get-it dialogue, there was a barrage of coming attractions filled with terror, violence, and sexual promiscuity. I was filling my mind with 60-second snippets of mayhem and perversion, of fear and death! All things contrary to God’s Word.

Each evening the life of God was being siphoned out of me and replaced by all things negative! Even more shocking is when I did the math. If I watched just one hour of prime time television each evening – containing at least 6 “you-could-have-this-disease” or “look at this terror” ad – and multiplied it by 365 days, that would mean that in the next twelve months, I would be told 2,190 times that sickness and disease were coming or that I should be afraid. And if I watched 2 hours … well, you get the idea.

When I realized what was happening, I decided to make a change. I decided it was time to cherish the mute button. It was time to preserve my peace by allowing my thoughts to meditate on good things.

Now every time a negative commercial appears, I have my own 60 second commercial. I thank God for his protection, or that we are all well and whole, or I just close my eyes and rest.

Conduct your own survey. Tally up what you are receiving – what your children are receiving. What do you think?

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”

We want you to know that we pray for you – our website visitors – every day.

We value your visit, your time, and your life.

More importantly, God values you too. He has brought you here today to remind you that He has both a purpose and a plan for your life. Never again will you be alone, unappreciated, or uncovered by prayer.