Friday, May 30, 2008

BOOK 08, CHAPTER 5, PAGE 30

Life moves fast. Make it count. CELEBRATE!

Are you are lacking laughter in your day?

Remember the average child laughs 400 times a day.

It may be time you let the child inside come out to play awhile. We really do have more to enjoy than we did as children.

We have a vast amount of memories stored to be brought out and explored.

We have years of mistakes that are always good for a laugh.

We have accumulated friendships full of hugs and love that certainly can bring some smiles to our faces.

We can celebrate all those things and what's more we have the enthusiasm, wonder and excitement in all the good times yet to come.

Laughter is the best medicine !

From one of my daily meditations

GOOD MORNING!

What a very nice short work week this was! The good Lord has certainly blessed me with some restful days this week. I’ll be off to the camper after work and even though there will be a chance of showers today and tomorrow, it will be good to be there.

DS#1 and his family won’t be camping this weekend but DD and her hubby should be there. It doesn’t make much difference to me as I would be happy there if it was just me camping. I do love spending time with some of my family though. It sure beats sitting at home by my self and doing house work.

The poor house is sadly neglected. I usually try to do a little each evening, but my evenings go so quickly there is hardly time to do much. My next door sister is keeping up with the yard work on the weekends. We have such a tiny little yard that it doesn’t take much. She loves to work with the flowers and is much better at it than I so it’s good she is able to do this.

I’ll probably have an update and pictures for you come Sunday evening. Have a great weekend everyone. You all will be in my thoughts and prayers.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

Life, like any other exciting story, is bound to have painful and scary parts, boring and depressing parts, but it's a brilliant story, and it's up to us how it will turn out in the end.

Bo Lozoff

Here’s wishing

That each day of yours

Be BRIGHT

And BEAUTIFUL!

MA

 

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Thursday, May 29, 2008

BOOK 08, CHAPTER 5, PAGE 29

The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.

Oprah Winfrey

 

Anxiety is the rust of life,

destroying its brightness and

weakening its power.

A childlike and abiding trust

in Providence is its

best preventive and remedy.

Tyron Edwards

As I get better at trusting life and not worrying about tomorrow or the next day, I find that things fall into place pretty neatly when I let them.

GOOD MORNING !

May is almost over and it still seems like April here. Chilly nights and cool days have been in our weather forecast more often than not. We had a frost warning last night and this morning it is just 37 degrees.  BrrrChill !

June will bring warmer temps and more sunny days. The summer days will fly by as they'll be busy ones with a lot of time spent out doors.  How great it will feel not to have to dress in layers and bulky clothing.

Life moves fast.

Make it count.

CELEBRATE!

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

Remember always that there

are two things which are more

utterly incompatible even than oil and water,

and these two are trust and worry.

Can you call it trust,

when you have given the saving

and keeping of your soul

into the hands of God,

if day after day you are spending

hours of anxious thought and

questionings about the matter?

When believers really trust anything,

they cease to worry about the thing

they have trusted.

Hannah Whitall Smith

Here’s wishing

That each day of yours

Be BRIGHT

And BEAUTIFUL!

MA

 

 

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Wednesday, May 28, 2008

BOOK 08, CHAPTER 5, PAGE 28

The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.

Oprah Winfrey

 

How true it is that, if we are cheerful and contented, all nature smiles, the air seems more balmy, the sky clearer, the earth has a brighter green. . . the flowers are more fragrant. . . and the sun, moon and stars all appear more beautiful, and seem to rejoice with us.

Orison Swett Marden

GOOD MORNING !

I’m back to work today. I’m sure the desk will be stacked with work to do and I’ll be tired out again at the end of the day, but I’m so glad I had the long weekend to enjoy with people I love and to get the rest that I needed.

It will be a short work week as we are already at ‘Hump Day’ . Our weather has turned cool once again but warming a little tomorrow. Rain is also in the forecast for Friday and maybe Saturday. I’ll be hoping that it changes again before the weekend.

I have to say that I am one ‘contented’ lady after my long weekend. It would be a grand thing if that feeling could last all week long.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

PRAISE

Oh, tell us, poet, what do you do?

I praise.

But the deadly and violent days,

How do you undergo them, take them in?

I praise.

But the nameless-how do you raise

That, invoke the unnamable

I praise

What right have you, through every phase,

In every mask, to remain true?

I praise

-and that both stillness and will affray

Know you, like star and storm?

Because I praise.

Rainer Maria Rilke

Translation by Denise Levertov, Light Up the Cave

No one is certain what tomorrow will bring. And yet you can always be certain that whatever it is, the best way to prepare for it is to live today with purpose and passion. You are rich beyond all measure because you have this day to live. Celebrate your good fortune by truly making it great.

Ralph Marston

Here’s wishing

That each day of yours

Be BRIGHT

And BEAUTIFUL!

MA

 

 

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Tuesday, May 27, 2008

BOOK 08, CHAPTER 5, PAGE 27

The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate

MEMORIAL DAY IS EVERYDAY

Memorial Day is special,

It comes once a year in May,

But I honestly must tell you,

I observe it every day.

How could this heart of mine forget,

Loved ones who've gone on,

No day is done - no night goes by,

I do not think of everyone.

It's fine to wave a flag and march,

And salute and stand erect,

My eyes brim over, I choke up,

I bow my head and pay respect.

I'm proud of every war time hero,

Those that returned and those that died,

And I ache for all those empty arms

That long to hug them to their side.

I always cry when I hear Taps,

I can't hold back the tears,

It doesn't matter when it's played,

Whatever day - whatever year.

I buy the Veteran's Poppies,

Which I fasten to my blouse,

I support each Veteran's cause,

And I fly a flag atop my house.

Memorial Day, of course, is right,

But it's everyday to me,

I think of loved ones who've passed on,

Every day I breathe.

Virginia Ellis

(This beautiful lady writes many many good poems and encourages others to share them. She writes from the heart and from experience you can tell)

Good afternoon !

I do hope you all had a great Memorial Day weekend. I’m home from the camper .  I came home earlier than expected as a cool front and rain were moving in.  It's only 49 degrees here and that is hard to take as yesterday it got up to 80!  But I'm not at work and here at home I can use the time to catch up on a few things.

This evening one of our neighboring churches is having a special music night of PRAISE, so I’ll be going to that. I’ve never been to this church before and sadly it will be closing soon as their membership is not great enough to keep it going any longer.

It was part of an old ethnic neighborhood and most of those people have long since moved away. I even remember my Dad telling about how it was built when he was a young boy. Lots of memories there for lots of people and I thought I’d better go visit while it was still open.

It’ll be back to work tomorrow, but I’ll be ready for it. I got lots of rest this past weekend and am very thankful for the respite. I’ve put pictures in for you today that show pretty much how my weekend went. It was a nice little vacation.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

Some memories are realities,

and are better than anything

that can ever happen to one again.

Willa Cather

Life moves fast. Make it count. CELEBRATE!

Here’s wishing

That each day of yours

Be BRIGHT

And BEAUTIFUL!

MA

 

 

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Friday, May 23, 2008

BOOK 08, CHAPTER 5, PAGE 23

The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate

Oprah Winfrey

 

We can stop waiting for life

to become perfect and start working

with what we’ve got to

make it as satisfying as we can.

We can accept, bless, give thanks,

and get going.

Today, we can begin to call forth

the riches from our everyday life.

Procrastination has robbed

us of too many precious opportunities.

Call a friend for lunch,

begin to read or even write that novel,

organize your papers.

Try a new recipe for dinner,

smile at everyone you meet,

sit and dream before a blazing fire,

pick up your needlepoint again,

act as if you’re grateful to be alive,

scatter joy.

Think of one thing that would give

you a genuine moment of

pleasure today and do it.

Sarah Ban Breathnach

GOOD MORNING !

TGIF – THANKFULLY IT IS F R I D A Y

I am ready to take off to the camper right after I stop to get the beagle on my way home from work this evening. Everything is packed up and ready to go.

Four heavenly days away are just what is needed for sure. I’ll take the laptop with me but I won’t know til it happens if I’ll be able to use it. So if you don’t see any entry from me until Tuesday evening, you’ll know why.

Have a great weekend everyone!

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

Take all of the precious days of your life

and use them to bring more joy, love,

and oneness with God to this world.

Life is short.

Don't miss a moment of it.

Joseph J. Mazzella

Here’s wishing

That each day of yours

Be BRIGHT

And BEAUTIFUL!

MA

 

 

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Thursday, May 22, 2008

BOOK 08, CHAPTER 5, PAGE 22

The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.

Oprah Winfrey

Though the past may indeed hold some regrets,

you have something much more powerful.

You have today.

And you have a future that will be

 shaped by what you do today.

You can choose, right now,

from a large set of valuable

and desirable possibilities.

Based on your past experience,

you are well qualified to be

your own best advisor.

Learn from what you've come through,

and you'll find a way to go

wherever you choose to go.

Ralph Marston

GOOD MORNING !

Our experiences really do help us make choices. We have decisions to make every day of our lives and based on what we’ve endured, we choose what is best for us.

There was a time when I wasn’t as optimistic and hopeful as I am right now, but time sure taught me a few things and I chose the better way to go. Worry and complaining get us absolutely no where.

Wow ! Only 1 more day of work to this week and I’ll be off to my ‘little place in the woods’. It will be quite different at the campground this weekend because lots of people will be there and hey, the weather is to warm up and be sunny too ! We won’t quite know how to act without our boots and umbrellas.

We may even have some grass growing by now. That’s a good thought. I’m going to keep all those good thoughts in my mind today as I work and just maybe it’ll be a great day!

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

The most pleasant and useful persons are those who leave some of the problems of the universe for God to worry about.

Don Marquis

Here’s wishing

That each day of yours

Be BRIGHT

And BEAUTIFUL!

MA

 

 

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Wednesday, May 21, 2008

BOOK 08, CHAPTER 5, PAGE 21

The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.

Oprah Winfrey

Re-Make Yourself

Stephen R. Covey, Priorities, Vol. 4, # 6

I promise you, as you choose to remake yourself, to see in new ways who you are and what you are capable of, to dedicate yourself to using body, heart, mind and spirit in living your life, you will open up windows of possibility within your life and within the lives of others.

Your courage will inspire others to be brave. Your model will inspire others to change. Together, the courageous change will create something worthwhile, something completely human.

GOOD MORNING !

Learning how to celebrate each day no matter the circumstance is not any easy thing to do. I know many have extreme problems and find it very hard to have anything worthwhile. The good news is that nothing lasts for ever and if we can remember that it helps.

I tell myself that every work day…this too shall pass. Getting older means that there are many things that you cannot do as well as you used to, and going to work 7-4 five days a week is something I find I can’t do as well.

Oh, I have no problem getting my work done, but then I have no energy left for anything else. I am really glad to get home each evening and just sit at my computer or if the weather is nice get outside a bit and enjoy my rocking chair on the patio.

Yet I do find blessings in each day and celebrate them over and over. Today I find my self very thankful for the fact that I have my health and that my family too is reasonably safe, happy and healthy.

I made it through the winter without even a cold. I still attribute the flu shot for that . 4 years now I’ve been getting it and I’ve really well all of those 4 years.

Well my coffee is gone and so am I…

I owe, I owe ,

It is off to work I go

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

On Inspiration

Daily Word, Jan. `91, p. 22

Inspiration is everywhere in life, but we need to recognize it. Whatever strikes a special chord of awareness within us will prompt greater accomplishments.…

Awareness is noticing the blessings that often get overlooked in our busy lives. It is waking up with a song of rejoicing in our hearts and taking that song with us throughout our day.

Gratitude for a special blessing can inspire us to look further and discover even more good in our lives. As we are inspired, let us also be inspiring to others.

By living our lives according to the truth as we know it, everything we say and do is uplifting.

Here’s wishing

That each day of yours

Be BRIGHT

And BEAUTIFUL!

MA

 

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Tuesday, May 20, 2008

BOOK 08, CHAPTER 5, PAGE 20

The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.

Oprah Winfrey

Most people are just trying to get through the day.

Be committed to learn to get from the day.

Don’t just get through it; get from it.

Learn from it. Let the day teach you.

Join the university of life.

What a difference that will make in your future.

Commit yourself to learning.

Commit yourself to absorbing.

Be like a sponge. Get it. Don’t miss it.

Jim Rohn

GOOD MORNING !

Monday is now history and today (Tuesday) is another day in which we can start brand new and make the most of what ever may be coming our way.

I’m putting my layers on this morning as it is still chilly here and I don’t like being cold. It is going to be in the 50’s with some clouds and maybe showers they say. That is better than freezing temps and snow for sure.

Usually we are a bit warmer this time of year and come this weekend all our pools and beaches will be opening for the season. The pool at the campground will be open too, but I know it has to get a bit warmer for me to go swimming.

Actually, I don’t do a lot of swimming, I just float around in the water and enjoy cooling off in the pool when it is hot.

The pictures I added today are from Mother’s Day weekend. I am now finally able to download them on my computer. With any luck I may be able to make an entry from my computer from the clubhouse deck this weekend. I’m going to take the laptop and see.

I’m now on my last sip of this good coffee this morning so I guess I’d better get ready to go.

I owe, I owe

It’s off to work I go…

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

Whatever you are, be a good one.

Abraham Lincoln

Here’s wishing

That each day of yours

Be BRIGHT

And BEAUTIFUL!

MA

 

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Monday, May 19, 2008

BOOK 08, CHAPTER 5, PAGE 19

The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.

Oprah Winfrey

The fire is the main comfort of the camp,

whether in summer or winter,

and is about as ample at one season

as at another.

It is as well for cheerfulness

as for warmth and dryness.

Henry David Thoreau

GOOD MORNING !

I’ve wonderful news to share this morning. Yesterday when I was going out to breakfast with DD and her hubby, I got a call from the geek squad. There was nothing wrong with my computer except….that it needed more RAM.

For a few $$$ they could up grade my computer and I could pick it up in a few hours. With out any hesitation I say yes, and I picked it up on my way home Sunday evening ! With a little help from DDIL#5 I got everything plugged in and working. Now isn’t that good news!

I thought so anyway.

This will be a week that was at work for sure. I have payroll today and on Friday due to the Monday holiday next week. These Monday holidays mess up my week since we started doing payroll on Mondays.

After Friday though , I’ll be on a long 4 day weekend. Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. I took a day of vacation to add to the long weekend and I will be loving every moment of it.

God willing and the creek don’t rise, it will be a nice break. I cannot say enough about the benefits of my weekends away. There used to be weeks go by that I had no hugs, now every weekend is full of them. That is something you can only appreciate to the fullest when you haven’t had one in awhile.

And talk about SMILES…the weekend is full of them too. There are no unhappy campers in our group.

Life moves fast. Make it count.

CELEBRATE!

 

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

To poke a wood fire is more solid enjoyment

than almost anything else in the world.

Charles Dudley Warner

Here’s wishing

That each day of yours

Be BRIGHT

And BEAUTIFUL!

MA

 

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Sunday, May 18, 2008

BOOK 08, CHAPTER 5, PAGE 18 (evening edition)

The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.

Oprah Winfrey

So much of unhappiness, it seems to me,

is due to nerves; and bad nerves

are the result of having nothing to do,

or doing a thing badly,

unsuccessfully or incompetently.

 Of all the unhappy people in the world,

 the unhappiest are those who have

 not found something they want to do.

 True happiness comes to those

 who do their work well, followed by

a refreshing period of rest.

True happiness comes from the

right amount of work for the day.

Lin Yutang

It's up to us to decide whether we're going to do the work we have very well, or do it to the least of our abilities. If we want to be happy, it seems, it's necessary for us to see the work that we do as important, and then to treat it as if it were truly important.

Taken from a Daily Meditation from http://livinglifefully.com/

Good Evening All!

I have once again returned safely home, thank the good Lord. It was another restful weekend at the campsite . I can only say that these weekends are my escape from work and I do rest 100% of the time.

The little quote above about doing your work well and taking time out for refreshment is so true. What a difference it makes.

I continue to go to the little church in the valley there and always feel at home and welcome there. Some how we were blessed by having rain only during the nighttime this weekend and had sun and clouds during the day. It was very windy though and I had to bundle up at times to keep warm, but it was still great.

Saturday afternoon I even sat in my swing with the beagle, stretched out and even had a little nap. The babes were laughing at me for falling asleep, but it has the same effect on me as my couch here at home. If I want to get something done, I dare not sit on the couch or I’ll fall asleep.

I hope you all were able to get some rest and relaxation as well as a little refreshment too. I certainly am a better person for all the R & R that I got. As always you’ve been in my thoughts and prayers.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

When you arise in the morning,

think of what a precious

 privilege it is to be alive

– to breathe,

to think,

to enjoy,

to love.

Marcus Aurelius Antoninus

When we focus on the privilege that we have of breathing the air of this planet and thinking our own unique thoughts and enjoying all this world has to give us, our lives take on a new luster, a new shine

Here’s wishing

That each day of yours

Be BRIGHT

And

BEAUTIFUL!

MA