CHAPTER 5, PAGE 31

Whatever else you do or forbear,

impose upon yourself the task of happiness;

and now and then abandon yourself to the joy of laughter.

And however much you condemn the evil in the world,

remember that the world is not all evil;

that somewhere children are at play,

as you yourself in the old days;

that women still find joy in the stalwart hearts of men;

And that men, treading with restless feet their many paths,

may yet find refuge from the storms of the world

in the cheerful house of love.

Max Ehrmann, 1872-1945

American Lawyer, Philosopher and Poet

GOOD MORNING !

There really is a lot of good in the world, we just don’t hear about it very often. I have the radio on all day at work so I keep up on the news, such as it is. Very rarely do I hear anything good. If we are looking for the media to keep us happy, we might just as well forget it.

My home has always been my haven. No matter how bad the day may have been, I always know that some relief will be waiting once I get home.

Eden is that old-fashioned house we dwell in every day Without suspecting our abode until we drive away.

Emily Dickinson

They say you should only have things in your home that you love . Anything else should go. I have lots of books here, lots of craft projects just waiting to be done, a collection of Bibles and books for my studies and lots of pictures of my loved ones. My dulcimers hang on the wall and don’t get played as much as they should but I love the quiet peaceful music they give when I do strum them. There is even a toy box in the living room for the grand’babes’ to enjoy when they come.

Those are all things I love and that are a part of who I am. My furnishings are all old and comfortable. There isn’t anything that is worth much to most people, but to me they are what make up my home.

The home should be the happiest spot we can ever know on earth.

Through wisdom a house is built, And by understanding it is established; By knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.

Proverbs 3:4, 24

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

Happiness grows at our own firesides, and is not to be picked in strangers' gardens.

Douglas Jerrold

May your day be blessed with a few SMILES and lots of SUNSHINE to warm your heart

MA

 

 

 

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CHAPTER 5, PAGE 30

Hope doesn't come from calculating

whether the good news is

winning out over the bad.

It's simply a choice

to take action.

Anna Lappe, O Magazine, June 2003

GOOD MORNING !

I’ve always been full of HOPE for each new day. As I go to work today, I HOPE I can find the energy to do my job well, I HOPE the weather will be nice, I HOPE that all my family and friends are doing well, I HOPE that only good things will come our way.

I’m always HOPEful that some little word or a SMILE that I might share brings joy to someone today

Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: You don't give up.

Anne Lamott

I won’t give up and I do strive to make each day a little better than the day before. With the good Lord’s help, I know this is going to be a great day!

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

There is no medicine like hope, no incentive so great, and no tonic so powerful as expectation of something better tomorrow.

Orison Swett Marden

May your day be blessed with a few SMILES and lots of SUNSHINE to warm your heart !

MA

 

 

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CHAPTER 5, PAGE 29

Give us patience when things disturb,

So we can somehow gently curb

Hasty words in anger spoken,

Leaving hearts sad and broken.

Helen Steiner Rice

A patient man has great understanding,

but a quick-tempered man displays folly.

Proverbs 14:29

GOOD MORNING !

We are reminded once again to be gentle in our speech, our thoughts, and our actions. It’s so easy to make or break someone’s day by what we say and do. We often don’t mean to be cruel or unjust. What we think as something trivial can be monumental to someone else.

I’ve had occasions when I just knew by the look on a person’s face that I’d said the wrong thing. One moment a smiling face, the next a frown. Sadly, we can not reverse what has been said. Of course the opposite is also true. I’ve many times seen a frown turn upside down by simply smiling at someone who doesn’t have one to share.

When I was at Dad’s this past weekend, we had a visit from my Dad’s sister and her husband. I rarely get to see my Aunts and Uncles anymore, so it was really nice to see them. They brought some old pictures to share with Dad, and reminisced over the old days.

My uncle, who was always a character, shared a few jokes with us too. It was so very good to see my Dad with a smile on his face. I’m very thankful for that visit and I’m sure he was too.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

As long as we have what we have inside, the capacity to love, to work, to hear music, to see a flower, to look at the world as it is, nothing can stop us from being happy . . . but one thing you must take seriously. You must get rid of the ifs of life. Many people tell you, 'I would be happy - if I had a certain job, or if I were better looking, or if a certain person would marry me.' There isn't any such thing. You must live your life unconditionally, without the ifs.

Famed pianist Arthur Rubinstein, when celebrating his 84th birthday

May your day be blessed with a few SMILES and lots of SUNSHINE to warm your heart !

MA

 

 

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CHAPTER 5, PAGE 28

One gift, above all others

God gives to us to treasure

One that knows no time, no place

And one gold cannot measure

The precious, poignant tender gift

Of Memory......that will keep

Our dear ones ever in our hearts

Although God gives them sleep

It brings back long remembered things

A song, a word, a smile

And the world's a better place ... because

We had them for awhile!

Author Unknown

GOOD MORNING !

Memorial Day is here. And in addition to honoring the sacrifices of our nation's veterans, the final Monday in May also heralds the unofficial beginning of summer.

This month, we will have the first Blue Moon in nearly two years. On May 31st look to the sky and see if you can see any blue around the second full moon of the month. Chances are you won't, but maybe we should use this "once in a blue moon" to do something we’ve been meaning to do, but have yet to get to.

In just a few short weeks, summer will really be here. The time seems to be flying by now that the nice weather has arrived.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

Death leaves a heartache no one can heal,

love leaves a memory no one can steal.

From a headstone in Ireland

May your day be blessed with a few SMILES and lots of SUNSHINE to warm your heart !

MA

 

 

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CHAPTER 5, PAGE 27

 

Little do we realize

That the glory and the power

Of He who made the universe

Lies hidden in a flower.

Helen Steiner Rice

The heavens are telling the glory of God; they are a marvelous display of his craftsmanship. —Psalm 19:1

The miracle of love is like the miracle of a flower, it thrives upon the sunshine of a smile...it entwines itself around the heart. Its roots are secured in the memories of yesterday and its petals breathe the promise of joy-filled tomorrows. To be loved is to know happiness and contentment. To give love is to know the joy of sharing oneself. It is through the miracle of love that we discover the fullness of life.

GOOD MORNING !

I’ve been at my Dad’s since Saturday morning so my entry is a little late today . I'm getting ready for church and after that will go back to Dad's til evening.

Tomorrow the plan is to work outside. The porch needs a good scrubbing off as well as my patio furniture. Hopefully with the warmer days there will be plenty of opportunities to sit outside and watch the birds in the evening. We are blessed by some tiny little hummers that are such fun to see.

The flowers are blooming. Our azalea bushes are beautiful right now and the Bachelor buttons are out in full force. Before long I’ll have some tiny roses on my rosebush. The hostas have grown a lot and need to be separated once more. We seem to have them scattered here there and everywhere. It truly looks like I’ll have more work than I have energy, but I’ll try…

Today is the 2nd anniversary of this journal. I used to have one here before this one and deleted it. Regretfully, I can never retrieve that one. Here is a link to my first entry in this one. http://journals.aol.com/marainey1/GoodMorningSunshine/entries/2005/05/27/new-journal/288

I have a picture there of Our Sweetheart and I sort of like the way it is now with the new picture element we have.

Remember that children, marriages, and flower gardens reflect the kind of care they get. (Life's Little Instruction Calendar, 1999)

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food, and medicine for the soul.

Luther Burbank

May your day be blessed with a few SMILES and lots of SUNSHINE to warm your heart !

MA

 

 

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CHAPTER 5, PAGE 26

People who laugh heartily on a regular basis have lower blood pressure than the average person. When people have a good laugh, initially the blood pressure rises, but then it decreases to levels below normal. Breathing then becomes deeper which sends oxygen enriched blood and nutrients throughout the body.

Laughter decreases stress hormones and increases infection fighting antibodies. It increases our attentiveness, heart rate, and pulse. Laughter, along with an active sense of humor, may help protect you against a heart attack. A recent study done by the University of Maryland Medical Center found that people with heart disease were 40% less likely to laugh in a variety of situations compared to people of the same age without heart disease.

Laughter can be a great workout for your diaphragm, abdominal, respiratory, facial, leg, and back muscles. It massages abdominal organs, tones intestinal functioning, and strengthens the muscles that hold the abdominal structures in place. It is estimated that hearty laughter can burn calories equivalent to several minutes of exercise.

Laughter stimulates both sides of the brain to enhance learning. It eases muscle tension and psychological stress, which keeps the brain alert and allows people to retain more information.

What other medicine is this powerful, yet completely free and has no bad side effects?

What did the car say to the tire? . . .

Don’t stop now, you’re on a roll!”

GOOD MORNING !

LAUGHTER IS THE BEST MEDICINE

Did you know that the average child laughs 400 times a day while the average woman laughs 15 times a day? We really do have many opportunities for laughter, yet most of us don’t use them.

We have years of memories to rekindle and laugh about. Even the mistakes we made can be laughed at now. We have years of friendships and good times that can bring out some really good laughs if we think about them. But the best is yet to come they say…

I’ve spent many moments laughing at my self. The older I get, the more reasons I seem to find. The other day I started to get upset at work over a really mundane request someone made and then I caught myself. All of the sudden I realized that it was very foolish to be upset. I had plenty of time to do what they asked and after all I get paid the same no matter what it is I’m doing… So I laughed and said ‘Sure’ I’ve got plenty of time.

Somewhere along the line, we learned not to laugh. That's right. A baby giggles for the first time at about 9 weeks of age. Between 4-6 months, touch and sound make a baby laugh and by 10 months an infant will seek out laughter, usually through games like peek-a-boo. This is a natural part of human development. But at some point, perhaps when we enter school, we begin to hear these messages, "Don't act so silly," "Wipe that smile off your face," and "Grow up". Remember? Again and again, we hear these phrases throughout our formative years. So what we learn is: be more serious and be more mature.

To top it off, Laugh Stoppers lurk within us. Their names are: Embarrassment, Humiliation, Pain, Rejection and Criticism. They tell us to keep our composure, stay in control and for heaven sakes - don't act foolish! Often, we have little control over life's events, but if we learn to see humor in these situations and laugh, we can minimize the impact.

Remember: A laugh a day keeps the doctor away!

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.

Mother Teresa

May your day be blessed with a few SMILES and lots of SUNSHINE to warm your heart !

MA

 

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CHAPTER 5, PAGE 25

Step into my garden

Step in and you'll see

A measure of peace

And tranquility.

It's the scent of the blossoms

The buzz of the bees

The sweet song of birds

As they sing in the trees.

The sweet scent of roses

Their petals so new

As they glisten and sparkle

With the fresh morning dew.

Run your toes through the grass

Beneath a canopy of trees

Hear the rustle of leaves

As they blow in the breeze.

Let the beauty of springtime

Fill your soul with great peace

Take it with you and share it

With each one you meet.

Author Unknown

Good Morning !

Springtime has turned to summer this week. It’s been almost toasty here. This weekend when everyone wants to get outdoors and have fun, we are promised some thundershowers.

This is day 1 of my 4 day weekend. I’m in the house doing a really good ‘house blessing’ today. It is sorely needed. Saturday and Sunday will be days spent with my Dad and then Monday hopefully, I’ll be able to get outside and do a few things.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

When you are a Bear of Very Little Brain, and you Think of Things, you find sometimes that a Thing which seemed very Thingish inside you is quite different when it gets out into the open and has other people looking at it.

A. A. Milne (The House at Pooh Corner)

May your day be blessed with a few SMILES and lots of SUNSHINE to warm your heart !

MA

 

 

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CHAPTER 5, PAGE 24

 

At age 20,

we worry about what others think of us.

At 40,

we don't care what they think of us.

At 60,

we discover they haven't been thinking about us at all.

Jock Falkson

GOOD MORNING !

When I read the quote above, I thought how true that is. I can remember the painful teen age years when we worried so much. Things like whether we were wearing the right clothes or not seem so trivial today.

Times and people do change a lot over the years. The dear friends I have now were made in my middle age and even we don’t really see a lot of each other. Our life styles and needs have changed and many things pull us in different directions.

When it comes down to it, I suppose we just need to be content with what we are and rejoice in that. Most of the time, I am able to work and play for its own sake, not to look good in the eyes of others

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

I'm not happy, I'm cheerful. There's a difference. A happy woman has no cares at all.

A cheerful woman has cares but has learned how to deal with them.

Beverly Sills (1929-) American Opera Singer

May your day be blessed with a few SMILES and lots of SUNSHINE to warm your heart !

MA

 

 

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CHAPTER 5, PAGE 23

What another would have done as well as you,

do not do it.

What another would have said as well as you,

do not say it;

what another would have written as well,

do not write it.

Be faithful to that which exists nowhere but in yourself—

and thus make yourself indispensable.

Andre Gide

Good Morning !

It is over the hump day once more ! I’m off to work and you know my motto… I owe I owe it’s off to work I go….

I really don’t want you all to think I’m in terrible debt or something when I say that. I ‘m merely the one who supports myself and with out the good old paycheck I might have to become a burden to my family, so I continue to go off to work each day and thank the good Lord that I’m able.

I am now able to laugh about the grand pension that was left to me by my DDH. I do receive a monthly check graciously allowed to me from the company my husband worked for for 25 years…Don’t laugh now, it is $89.27 . I was dumbfounded at the time I found out and I was refused a lump sum. So for obout 15 years now I’ve accepted that precious sum to add to my wages to live on each month. I do tend to laugh a lot rather than cry.

The family home at the time was sold and I now hove my own home that is entirely paid for. You see the Lord has been very good to me. I am constantly thanking Him for my daily bread and He never fails me.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

I was once afraid of people saying,

Who does she think she is?

Now I have the courage to stand and say,

This is who I am.

Oprah Winfrey

May your day be blessed with a few SMILES and lots of SUNSHINE to warm your heart !

MA

 

 

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CHAPTER 5, PAGE 22

 

Don't say you're not important,

It simply isn't true,

The fact that you were born,

Is proof, God has a plan for you.

The path may seem unclear right now,

But one day you will see,

That all that came before,

Was truly meant to be.

God wrote the book that is your life,

That's all you need to know.

Each day that you are living,

Was written long ago.

God only writes best sellers,

So be proud of who you are,

Your character is important,

In this book you are the "Star."

Enjoy the novel as it reads,

It will stand throughout the ages,

Savor each chapter as you go,

Taking time to turn the pages.

Author Unknown

GOOD MORNING !

Sometimes we tend to forget just how really and truly important we all are. No matter how trivial we may think our job or station in life is, we are just as important as the President or any King or Queen.

I’ve always thought of myself as a pretty lowly person on the totem pole. It seems that most of my life has been spent serving others in one capacity or another.

I’ve decided that the NEXT 20 years of my life are going to be the time I get it all together. I thought there was a song about that – the next 20 years -- but when I did a search I didn’t come up with one.

Of course when you are 63 years old like me, 20 years (more or less ) might be all I have left, so I’m thinking it’s now or never.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.

It's about learning how to dance in the rain.

Author Unknown

May your day be blessed with a few SMILES and lots of SUNSHINE to warm your heart !

MA

 

 

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