Saturday, March 31, 2012

The art of learning!

I love to learn, not something I used to say when I was young. But as I became a Mother and now a Grandmother, I have loved learning with my kids! I feel like I missed so much and though it may sound silly, I am amazed at how fun learning has been with them.
Dr. Seuss was some of our favorite books and stories, I loved the morals that they had. We used to read the book Sneetches, when someone made front of the kids or what they were or were not wearing. When you look at his books, you will see a 100 little lessons in them, to teach your kids, grand kids and of course...yourself!
So take time to find a Dr. Seuss book and get reading!
Enjoy!

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Storms in life!

I had a good day today, except I feel like I am coming down with a cold. My back is getting better slowly, but tonight for our Date Night ...we just got a movie, between my back and cold... I didn't feel like going any where. I need to try and keep this cold from getting too bad, so I am heading to bed. Loved this quote it was perfect for me to remember tonight.
Good night dear friends.

Friday, March 30, 2012

Be Hopeful!

I love this saying...


BE loving
Be creative
Be genuine
Be alive
Be encouraging
Be passionate
Be hopeful


Since I have been down and hurting the last few days, it has made me realize how good I was feeling, for so long. Hope I didn't take it for granted? Hoping the coming days will get better.
Good night dear friends!




 


Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Effort

A dear friend of mine gave me a book the other day called.. BEING HAPPY! by Andrew Matthews
I have been busy since she gave it to me almost a week ago, but since I have been down with my back and feeling a bit sorry for myself...I thought it was time to pull out this book and brush up on my life skills! It was just what I needed. Thank you dear friend!
I am only going to share one part that I read tonight, but for sure you will hear more about it in the future.
Hope this is a good reminder to all of us..on the importance of EFFORT! Good night dear friends, thanks for your calls and prayers.



(This photo is from here:

Insects and animals are nearly always busy; preparing for winter, getting ready for spring, washing themselves, cleaning their nests, feeding their young and doing the things that animals and insects do. They are a hundred percent alive and involved. They also appear to be particularly content.
  We could learn from animals. To be happy we need to be industrious. When we let things slide, it costs us. Things don't improve where we neglect them; sailors know this about their boats, athletes know it about their bodies, students know it about their minds, we all know it about the state of our garage. Any gardener finds out early that weeds come up automatically. You don't have to plant a single weed to have undergrowth right across your back yard. Things only improve with EFFORT.
  Our attitude to effort is important.
  We need to put in the effort because we WANT to do it; because it is our privilege and joy to learn, to test ourselves, to experiment and experience. The mistake that many people make is to work only for end results and not for the joy of working. Then, if they don't get the results they want, they are disappointed.

In a nutshell
  The story of Frit Kreisler, the great violinist illustrates beautifully and the relations between effort and success. After a virtuoso performance, he was approached by a woman who said,  " Mr. Kreisler, I would give my life to play as you have! "
  He smiled at the woman and said,  " I did!"


I got this photo from here:

" The reward of a thing well done is to have done it." ~ Emerson
" The secret of being happy is not in doing what one likes, but in liking what one does."  ~ James M. Barrie

The Glasses

Had another painful day. I forgot what it feels like to hurt all day long! Need to head to bed, and pray that tomorrow will be better.  Night dear friends!

The Glasses
Mother's father worked as a carpenter.  On this particular day, he was building some crates for
the clothes his church was sending to some orphanage in China.  On his way home, he
reached into his shirt pocket to find his glasses, but they were gone.  When he mentally replayed
his earlier actions, he realized what happened; the glasses had slipped out of his pocket unnoticed
and fallen into one of the crates, which he had nailed shut.  His brand new glasses were heading for China!
The Great Depression was at it's height and Grandpa had six children.  He had spent $20 for those glasses
that very morning.  He was upset by the thought of having to buy another pair.  "It's not fair," he told God
as he drove home in frustration.  "I've been very faithful in giving of my time and money to your work, and
now this."
Several months later, the director of the orphanage was on furlough in the United States.  He wanted to
visit all the churches that supported him in China, so he came to speak one Sunday at my grandfather's
small church in Chicago.  The missionary began by thanking the people for their faithfulness in supporting
the orphanage.  "But most of all," he said, "I must thank you for the glasses you sent last year.  You
see, the Communists had just swept through the orphanage, destroying everything, including my
glasses.  I was desperate.  Even if I had the money, there was simply no way of replacing those glasses.
Along with not being able to see well, I experienced headaches every day, so my coworkers and I were
much in prayer about this.  Then your crates arrived. When my staff removed the covers, they found a pair
of glasses lying on top.
The missionary paused long enough to let his words sink in.  Then, still gripped with the wonder of it all,
he continued: "Folks, when I tried on the glasses, it was as though they had been custom-made just
for me!  I want to thank you for being a part of that."
The people listened, happy for the miraculous glasses. But the missionary surely must have confused their
church with another, they thought.  There were no glasses on their list of items to be sent overseas.
But sitting quietly in the back, with tears streaming down his face, an ordinary carpenter realized the
Master Carpenter had used him in an extraordinary way.
I found the story here:
and I got the photo from here:

"Choosing to be positive and having a grateful attitude is going to determine how you're going to live your life."   ~Joel Osteen

"A good thing to remember is somebody's got it a lot worse than we do."   ~
Joel Osteen


Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Your Happily Ever After Part 2

Well, I apologize that I didn't finish this post yesterday, but I bent over to put on some socks, right after dinner last night and I got a terrible catch in my lower back. It continued to get worse and by 1:00 am I was hurting so bad that Jeff had to help me get into bed. The catch then went on to put pressure on a nerve and I was in a ton of pain. It caught me off guard because in the last 2 years I haven't that type of pain at all. It scared me because that used to be my life, all I could do was sit with my feet up or lay down. I didn't have much UP time at all. I pray that this isn't going to get worse,  that I will know what and what not to do. Anyway, I was down all day today too! This was definitely a BIGGER THAN ME DAY to say the least!
Oh well, let me share with you the rest of my presentation the other night... (like I had mentioned, I got the idea from this book I got at Chistmas called YOUR HAPPILY EVER AFTER by Dieter F. Uchtdorf 

 Our next princes was Snow White...
 Step mother basically hires a hit man ( known as the  huntsman) to kill her, yet he couldn’t and let her go into the forest and killed a pig instead and brought back the pigs heart to the evil queen instead.
Her problems all stemmed from the evil queen comparing herself to Snow White.  It is hard not to compare ourselves when you look at the movies, TV stars, and all the magazines  around us showing us,…just what we are suppose to look like . First of all can you say photoshop? Most of what we see is not real and even if it was … we are all different and were not created to look like carbon copies of each other.  It is in comparing ourselves with others that we truly find misery and unhappiness.  This has always been something that I have struggled with as a child of Incest


Many times when I look in the mirror I don’t feel good enough or acceptable, but I realize those thoughts do not come from my Heavenly Father. They are negative and truly keep me from reaching my true potential.
Coming out with my abuse was one of the toughest things I have ever done, I had to go to the Lord many times in prayer and ask if I was really had it in me to break generations of abuse that had been in our family, so that I might protect my children ( the next generation).
I think it is ok to ask the Lord for a confirmation of some kind. We have one of the greatest examples of  that in the Book of Judges in the Old Testament. This is where Gideon was called to deliver the Israelites out of the hand of the Midianites.
In Judges 6:12 we read where an Angel appeared unto Gideon and told him the Lord was with him and that he was a mighty man of valour. Then Gideon said… (vs 13) If the Lord be with us why then is all this befallen us?
The Lord just reminded him in (vs 14) to go and save the Isrealites because I have sent you and that He would be with him. 
 This is my favorite part… (vs 36 -38 ) ( lay sheep skin down )

Then Gideon still wavering in his belief that he can do it, asks (vs 39 -40)
I don’t think that Gideon was asking for signs from the Lord to prove something to him, this was different Gideon was asking the Lord to just tell him one more time FOR SURE that he could do this.
In a world where so many people are comparing themselves to each other, we would do good to remember that we are capable to do just what the Lord wants us to do.
“Remember it is not who you are that holds you back, it’s who you think you’re not! “

 Then there was Rapunzel out of all the princesses and stories I believe that I related to her best...well except I didn't have long thick beautiful blonde hair, I didn't live my first 16 years in a hidden towel and ...well, let's go on... 

Rapunzel didn’t know her divine heritage and I think her second lesson she had to learn was to get the toxic people out of her life.
First it is important to stay away from people who are toxic or draining. You know the type…you feel worse after you have just been with them or have just hung up the phone after talking to them. If there are people like this that are draining you, it is important to either get new and healthier friends around you or….set some boundaries.
Realizing who she was made all the difference in the world. I think that is vital that we each day do the same… realize our divine heritage. So that I don’t forget this… I have this poem on my mirror to read and memorize each day. It is amazing how you feel after repeating this every day. And I have one of these for each of you to take home tonight and put on your mirror if  you like. It goes like this…

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” 


And last but not least is…Cinderella
 Cinderella’s problems were many but one of the biggest ones I feel was …that she felt Alone!
But the truth is we are never alone, and the other truth is as quoted in the this book… that sandwiched between our  “ONCE UPON A TIME “and our Happily Ever After we will have to experience great adversity. It is all part of the journey we are on.  The Lord knows that the situations in our lives have to be a certain way in order to teach us.
 Refiner's fire
Some time ago, a few ladies met to study the scriptures. While reading the third chapter of Malachi, they came upon a remarkable expression in the third verse:
"And He (God) shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver"  ( Malachi 3:3 ).
One lady decided to visit a silversmith to learn about the process of refining silver. After the smith had described it to her, she asked,  "But Sir, do you sit while the work of the refining is going on?"
"Oh yes, Madam," replied the silversmith; " I must sit with my eye steadily fixed on the furnace for if the time necessary for refining be exceeded in the slightest degree, the silver will be injured."
The lady at once saw the beauty, and comfort too, of the expression, "He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver."
God sees it needful to put His children into a furnace; His eye is steadily intent on the work of purifying, and His wisdom and love are both engaged in the best manner for us. Our trials do not come at random, and He will not let us be tested beyond what we can endure.
Before she left, the lady asked one final question, "When do you know the process is complete?"
"Why that is quite simple," replied the silversmith. "When I can see my own image in the silver, the refining process is finished."


 I can personally tell you that the Lord is there and available to all of us. None of us should ever have to go through life alone, if we do it is by our own choice. I couldn’t and wouldn’t trade the relationship I have with my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ for anything. When did I learn the most in my life… when times were hard, but they have been oh soooooo worth it.

So let us all remember this quote...
"Always remember you are braver
than you believe, stronger than you
seem, smarter than your think, and
twice as beautiful as you'd ever
imagine!"
And when we believe this...let us teach it to the next generations...I know that I am trying to teach that to my granddaughters
Good night all your wonderful Princesses out there!

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Your Happily Ever After

I was recently asked to speak at our church to the women. My topic was YOUR HAPPILY EVER AFTER...it was an amazing night, not because I spoke... but because of all the wonderful women that were there, the great food and the beautiful decorations. We spoke of 6 Princesses and talked all about their issues. We all know about their happy endings but I felt like it was important to talk about the things they struggled in their lives. So tonight I will talk about 3 of them and then tomorrow night I will talk about the other three Princess.
 
First was...
The Little Mermaid actually this movie came out when I was pregnant with Lee and very sick, so Lauren and I watched it over and over. To this day, the soundtrack of it, still makes me quezy! J
 Anyway let’s look at Ariel’s issues ...
Ariel was not satisfied with what she had, hmmm have we ever felt like that ourselves? Why does that grass always seem greener on the other side?  .


"It isn’t the spot of ground we’re planted in that matters; it is how we respond to the Lord’s nourishing. The poorest of the poor spots of ground can bring forth some of the sweetest fruits. We must believe this or else we will allow our circumstances and environment to determine our lives and the quality of our souls."  ~S. Michael Wilcox



 Next there is Sleeping Beauty
Now Aurora’s issues were that she doubted herself. Now you all know the story when she was born she was blessed with different gifts such as beauty and the ability to sing. But she also cursed that when she turned 16 she would prick her finger on a spinning wheel and die. Yet there was one gift left to be given and it was the gift of when she did prick her finger she wouldn’t die but only fall into a deep sleep and could only be awakened by true loves kiss. When the time came for her 16th birthday, the witch that tempted her to touch the spindle, she then heard the good fairies voice telling her not to, and she pulled her hand back but when the witch commanded her again, she went ahead and did it.
I think from Aurora we can learn to truly believe in ourselves and not just follow the crowd or voices of the world. You have to chose what is right for you, you have to tune out all the voices in the world that tell you something different than what you know to be true.
I believe that it is important for us to constantly being doing SELF Checks on ourselves, totally remembering the quote “We don’t see things as they are but as we are.”
 I realize that we have to be patient with ourselves…when we go down a road we have never been before, it may be harder than we think to regroup and feel like our old selves again. Try hard not to take offense when you are in this state of mine.
We all will have what I call Bigger Than Me Days, just keep doing self checks and continue to look at the road you are on and try to see where it is leading you. 

 Beauty and the Beast  I have to admit, this one is one of my favorites. Probably because I think it would be wonderful to have some big strapping Beast watching over and taking care of me and just that he would have the ability to pick me up and carry somewhere… oh wouldn’t that be great … any way J lets go on to Belle’s problems. 
 
So Belle’s issues were tough, because she didn’t really fit in. No one liked her because she was smart and pretty Still I think she had her head on straight. She knew what she wanted, and she was educated and she liked who she was.
What I think I learned from Belle, is all of us will have times in our lives that we will fit like we don't fit in. I especially struggled with this after my mastectomy. But time does heal things and I just have to remember this quote alot... 
"Oh, my friend, it's not what they take away from you that counts - it's what you do with what you have left."  ~Hubert Humphrey

"3 choices in life:
give up, give in, or give it you all.

I know this was long but hopeful you enjoyed it! Good night dear friends!












Friday, March 23, 2012

Why is the grass greener on the other side?



I love this quote... having the great life really does take time! It's Date Night so I had better go.
Good night dear friends!
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Thursday, March 22, 2012

Service to Others


What a great story this was!
Enjoy and good night dear friends!

Military Story: The Marine’s Father  

 

Found photo here:



A nurse took the tired, anxious serviceman to the bedside.
“Your son is here,” she said to the old man. She had to repeat the words several times before the patient’s eyes opened.
Heavily sedated because of the pain of his heart attack, he dimly saw the young uniformed Marine standing outside the oxygen tent. He reached out his hand. The Marine wrapped his toughened fingers around the old man’s limp ones, squeezing a message of love and encouragement.
The nurse brought a chair so that the Marine could sit beside the bed. All through the night the young Marine sat there in the poorly lighted ward, holding the old man’s hand and offering him words of love and strength. Occasionally, the nurse suggested that the Marine move away and rest awhile.
He refused. Whenever the nurse came into the ward, the Marine was oblivious of her and of the night noises of the hospital – the clanking of the oxygen tank, the laughter of the night staff members exchanging greetings, the cries and moans of the other patients.
Now and then she heard him say a few gentle words. The dying man said nothing, only held tightly to his son all through the night.
Along towards dawn, the old man died. The Marine released the now lifeless hand he had been holding and went to tell the nurse. While she did what she had to do, he waited.
Finally, she returned. She started to offer words of sympathy, but the Marine interrupted her.
“Who was that man?” he asked.
The nurse was startled, “He was your father,” she answered.
“No, he wasn’t,” the Marine replied.
“I never saw him before in my life.”
“Then why didn’t you say something when I took you to him?”
“I knew right away there had been a mistake, but I also knew he needed his son, and his son just wasn’t here. When I realized that he was too sick to tell whether or not I was his son, knowing how much he needed me, I stayed.”
Author Unknown
Found the story here:

"What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal."  ~Albert Pike
 
"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better.  It's not."  ~Dr. Seuss

Little boys!

Introducing my 3rd grandchild ( first grandson ) Hezekiah William, isn't he too cute! Found this sweet poem, and for those of us who have boys grown up now becoming Dad's themselves...it was very fitting!   Good night dear friends!

You Are...

Someone once called you
Snips, Snails, Puppy-Dog Tails--
but I know you
and you are
mud-puddle-splashing and
secret-fort-building and
living-room-floor-wrestling and
sometimes even sweet-sibling-hugging
you are
coated with the dust and dirt of
boyhood play--
high-top tennis shoes and falling-down socks
blistered palms from too much free-throw practice
chlorine-damp hair from a splashy cannonball dive into the pool
you are
eating your veggies
only with the promise that they'll make you big and strong
you are
giggling in your pj's at Saturday morning cartoons
you are
letting the dog lick your face and
you are
laughing
you are
scrubbed and tubbed
hair combed (until
it rumples on your pillow
when you settle in to sleep)
and there in your dreams
you are
a cowboy, a fireman,
a dump-truck driver,
an astronaut,
Michael Jordan
but in my dreams
(my daydreams and my night dreams)
you are
a grown, gentle man with
a lighted smile, shining eyes--
you are
in candlelight,
kissing your beautiful new bride--
you are
in night-light,
singing soft lullabies to your babies in their beds,
and smoothing their bath-damp hair
for I know you and
that's what my little boy is made of.  ~(Nikki Blair )
Found the poem here:

“You’ll never know how much I love you…..not until the son becomes a father.” ~ Uknown

Monday, March 19, 2012

The Letter

 I love this story, I think that is exactly what Jesus would have done if He were here. We are His hands, let us never forget that. Good night dear friends.

The Letter

Ruth went to her mail box and there was only one letter. She picked it up and looked at it before opening, but then she looked at the envelope again. There was no stamp, no postmark, only her name and address. She read the letter:
Dear Ruth:
I’m going to be in your neighborhood Saturday afternoon and I would like to visit.
Love Always, Jesus

Her hands were shaking as she placed the letter on the table. “Why would the Lord want to visit me? I’m nobody special. I don’t have anything to offer.”
With that thought, Ruth remembered her empty kitchen cabinets. “Oh my goodness, I really don’t have anything to offer. I’ll have to run down to the store and buy something for dinner.” She reached for her purse and counted out it’s contents. Five dollars and forty cents. “Well, I can get some bread and cold cuts, at least.” She threw on her coat and hurried out the door.
A loaf of French bread, a half-pound of sliced turkey, and a carton of milk…leaving Ruth with a grand total of twelve cents to last her until Monday. Nonetheless, she felt good as she headed home, her meager offerings tucked under her arm.
“Hey lady, can you help us, lady?” Ruth had been so absorbed in her dinner plans, she hadn’t even noticed two figures huddled in the byway. A man and a woman, both of them dressed in little more than rags. “Look lady, I ain’t got a job, ya know, and my wife and I have been living out here on the street, and, well, now it’s getting cold and we’re getting kinda hungry and, well, if you could help us, lady, we’d really appreciate it.”
Ruth looked at them both. They were dirty, they smelled bad and frankly, she was certain that they could get some kind of work if they really wanted to. “Sir, I’d like to help you, but I’m a poor woman myself. All I have is a few cold cuts and some bread, and I’m having an important guest for dinner tonight and I was planning on serving that to “Him.”
“Yeah, well, okay lady, I understand. Thanks anyway. “The man put his arm around the woman’s shoulders, turned and he headed back into the alley.
As she watched them leave, Ruth felt a familiar twinge in her heart. “Sir, wait!” The couple stopped and turned as she ran down the alley after them. “Look, why don’t you take this food. I’ll figure out something else to serve my guest.” She handed the man her grocery bag.
“Thank you lady. Thank you very much!” “Yes, thank you!” It was the man’s wife, and Ruth could see now that she was shivering. “You know, I’ve got another coat at home. Here, why don’t you take this one.” Ruth unbuttoned her jacket and slipped it over the woman’s shoulders. Then smiling, she turned and walked back…..without her coat and with nothing to serve her guest.
“Thank you lady! Thank you very much!”
Ruth was chilled by the time she reached her front door, and worried too. The Lord was coming to visit and she didn’t have anything to offer Him.
She fumbled through her purse for the door key. But as she did, she noticed another envelope in her mailbox. “That’s odd. The mailman doesn’t usually come twice in one day.” She took the envelope out of the box and opened it.
Dear Ruth:
It was so good to see you again. Thank you for the lovely meal. And thank you, too, for the beautiful coat.
Love Always, Jesus
The air was still cold, but even without her coat, Ruth no longer noticed.
… Author unknown
found the photo here:

Sunday, March 18, 2012

The importance of HOPE!

My daughter sent me this poster, isn't it neat, and soooo true! Hope you had a great Sunday! Good night dear friends!
"We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope." ~Martin Luther King, Jr.
(Hope you were able to read  yesterday's post on Teddy Bears, that poster was amazing too!) 

Saturday, March 17, 2012

I love Teddy Bears!

A dear friend sent this photo / picture to me today. I love it! I love the whole concept that we can have protection and a friend, to be with us as a child. Most of you know that I collect Teddy Bears. Once I became a Mother, an older and wiser friend told me that I needed to collect something. I asked why, her reply was " all you life your kids and husband will want to get you something, if you can steer them in a certain direction you will be better off. If not you will have to put some real ugly things up in your house! " I laughed so hard...but it is true!
So I thought long and hard about it, and decided I would like to collect Teddy Bears. I would have loved to done that as a child but... didn't have that type of childhood. But if anyone ever needed a Teddy Bear to protect them... I sure did. My monster turned out to be my Grandfather... and so now years later, I am safe and have many beautiful Teddy Bears in my home ( for almost every occasion ). They constantly and simply remind me how SAFE I am, and that is a wonderful feeling. Plus, when I die, they can be given to my children and grandchildren and anyone else who I knew and loved. Yes, that is why I love Teddy Bears and I would love to get a copy of this print!

found this drawing here:

During my second battle with Cancer, I wonder one night as I laid awake in pain and fearful of my future, what in the world Mothers do that have kids battling cancer? How could their hearts handle all that the kids would have to go through? What is there out there to help the kids fight these terrible monsters? Thus came the idea for our Once Upon a Time or Recnac Monsters. It has been neat to sell them ( my girlfriend now makes and sells them ), plus give them away. When I pack one up and send it off to a child battling any life threatening problems, it feels wonderful.  I hope they bring them the same mental picture as the one above.
So the next time life gets really hard, ask for one of our Monsters, or go purchase yourself a sweet Teddy Bear just to be safe!  Good night and sweet dreams dear friends!

This photo is from Lauren's blog, you can find it here:

Once upon a time there was a monster under my bed.
So I shivered and screamed and pulled the covers over my head.
All of a sudden, that monster came out--and do you know what he said?
"can I be your friend and sleep with you instead?"
Congratulations! You've just adopted a ONCE UPON A TIME MONSTER!
Now you'll always have a friend to help you be brave and you'll never be alone again!


Cancer can be scary and I know you are afraid.
Just cuddle up with me and try your best to be brave.
If it helps to ease your worry, go ahead and change the name.
Turn cancer into recnac and see if you feel the same.
Make me your recnac monster; look at my silly face.
I hope I make you smile as you take me from place to place.



Each time we face our fear, we gain strength, courage, and confidence in the doing."

"There is much in the world to make us afraid.  There is much more in our faith to make us unafraid."  ~Frederick W. Cropp

Friday, March 16, 2012

True Love sees beyond the physical!

It's Date night, but here is a sweet love story for you. Good night dear friends.  Military: A beautiful true love story

One day, a young guy and a young girl fell in love.
But the guy came from a poor family. The girl’s parents weren’t too happy.
So the young man decided not only to court the girl but to court her parents as well. In time, the parents saw that he was a good man and was worthy of their daughter’s hand.
But there was another problem: The man was a soldier. Soon, war broke out and he was being sent overseas for a year. The week before he left, the man knelt on his knee and asked his lady love, “Will you marry me?” She wiped a tear, said yes, and they were engaged. They agreed that when he got back in one year, they would get married.
But tragedy struck. A few days after he left, the girl had a major vehicular accident. It was a head-on collision.
When she woke up in the hospital, she saw her father and mother crying. Immediately, she knew there was something wrong.
She later found out that she suffered brain injury. The part of her brain that controlled her face muscles was damaged. Her once lovely face was now disfigured. She cried as she saw herself in the mirror. “Yesterday, I was beautiful. Today, I’m a monster.” Her body was also covered with so many ugly wounds.
Right there and then, she decided to release her fiancé from their promise. She knew he wouldn’t want her anymore. She would forget about him and never see him again.
For one year, the soldier wrote many letters—but she wouldn’t answer. He phoned her many times but she wouldn’t return her calls.
But after one year, the mother walked into her room and announced, “He’s back from the war.”
The girl shouted, “No! Please don’t tell him about me. Don’t tell him I’m here!”
The mother said, “He’s getting married,” and handed her a wedding invitation.
The girl’s heart sank. She knew she still loved him—but she had to forget him now.
With great sadness, she opened the wedding invitation.
And then she saw her name on it!
Confused, she asked, “What is this?”
That was when the young man entered her room with a bouquet of flowers. He knelt beside her and asked, “Will you marry me?”
The girl covered her face with her hands and said, “I’m ugly!”
The man said, “Without your permission, your mother sent me your photos. When I saw your photos, I realized that nothing has changed. You’re still the person I fell in love. You’re still as beautiful as ever. Because I love you!”
I found this story here:
I found the photo here:
Author Unknown

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Bigger than me day!

I haven't had a Bigger Than Me Day for awhile, I guess I was due for one. For the last couple of days I have had some sensitivity in my teeth. I just had my 6 month check up and was told everything looked great, so I was sure that the pain was just in my mind :) But I should have known better, teeth are very unsure things... there is really no rhyme or reason. Some people eat all kinds of junk and sugars and they never had any cavities. I try so hard to eat healthy and have been for over 20 some years, and my teeth have tons of problems. What, did I hear you say ...life isn't fair? You are sooooooooooo right!
Last night I woke up with some throbbing pain in my lower left side and I began to worry. I even prayed about it... tried to convince God that I had too many things going on right now to have trouble with my teeth. And they are all good things too... for some reason I thought that might give me some leverage? Who am I kidding?
So first thing this morning I thought I had better call my dentist, the last time I had throbbing pain in a tooth, I was in another state and it went into a terrible abcess...so I didn't want to wait too long. They were great and got me right in, I didn't have time to eat but thought I could do that right after. Once the Dentist looked at it, he said he thought I should get right over to a specialist...it didn't look good. We called them right there from the office and they say they didn't have any other time this week or next except for today in 20 minutes...so I went. After lots of X-rays and testing, the verdict was I needed a root canal done right then. :(
Oh well, as my Grandmother used to say " If it wasn't for bad luck Lynn, you wouldn't have any at all". No truer words have ever been spoken...or so it seemed today. After 2 or more hours we were all done and I was told to go home, stay on the pain medicine and lay low.
Now I have to admit, that wasn't at all what I had to do on my calendar today...shocking. I did come home and lay down, but had big plans to catch up on a few things tonight... that didn't happen either. So I just checked this off as a Bigger Than Me Day, and I am going to go back to bed and try again tomorrow. I tried to think of something positive about today... so here is my little, but positive list!

1. At least I wasn't out of town when I had my tooth ache this time
2. It was raining outside, so a good day to do something inside ( like a root canal )
3. I wasn't able to eat much, so did well on my Weight Watcher's points :)
4. ........?????

Ok, so I only had 3, but that was more than 0. Good night dear friends!


"There is no education like adversity."
~Benjamin Disraeli

"Fractures well cured make us more strong." ( sure hope that is true for teeth too? I had some fractures on that same tooth :)
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Positive thoughts

Tonight I went to a Motivational meeting, the topic was Positive thoughts. Here are some of the things that were mentioned...

-It is important to do positive talk with yourself ( and everyone used to think talking to yourself was bad :)
- When you have a set back, don't get discourage that happens to all of us sometimes
-Stay around friends and family who support you, not ones who criticize you
-Work on your self esteem
-Embrace flexibility
-Set up your environment to help you make healthy choices
-Start Victory journals ( even if it is just one accomplishment a day )

"Success isn't about luck, but rather about choosing to think positively and acknowledge accomplishments.

"One of the most significant findings in psychology in the last 20 years is that individuals can choose the way they think!   ~ Martin Seligman Ph D


So you are probably wondering where this meeting was? It was my Weight Watchers meeting. I just started last week, and I have to say ( being a motivational speaker myself ) I should have been going for years just to have such great and positive energy that they have there. It was impressive to hear people's stories and find out a bit about their lives and what they have overcome.
I know some of you might wonder if I really have enough to lose to go to Weight Watchers? Well, I do and even though it is not alot, I really felt like I needed to do it. My body has changed as I am getting older, and those extra few pounds are not getting any easier to get off. So I wanted to be pro-active and try to get on top of it before it gets bad.
 What a great thing for me, I love the accountability and I don't like to disappoint people ( not that the ladies that weigh you in care ) but still it seems a good fit for me.
Need to head to bed, but remember to keep those positive thoughts coming!
Good night dear friends!

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Enjoying life!

Enjoy your life at every moment

I really liked this story. Enjoy!
Good night dear friends!




Once a fisherman was sitting near seashore, under the shadow of a tree smoking. Suddenly a rich businessman passing by approached him and enquired as to why he was sitting under a tree smoking and not working. To this the poor fisherman replied that he had caught enough fishes for the day.
Hearing this the rich man got angry and said: Why don’t you catch more fishes instead of sitting in shadow wasting your time?
Fisherman asked: What would I do by catching more fishes?
Businessman: You could catch more fishes, sell them and earn more money, and buy a bigger boat.
Fisherman: What would I do then?
Businessman: You could go fishing in deep waters and catch even more fishes and earn even more money.
Fisherman: What would I do then?
Businessman: You could buy many boats and employ many people to work for you and earn even more money.
Fisherman: What would I do then?
Businessman: You could become a rich businessman like me.
Fisherman: What would I do then?
Businessman: You could then enjoy your life peacefully.
Fisherman: What do you think I’m doing right now?


MORAL – You don’t need to wait for tomorrow to be happy and enjoy your life. You don’t even need to be more rich, more powerful to enjoy life. LIFE is at this moment, enjoy it fully.
As some great men have said “My riches consist not in extent of my possessions but in the fewness of my wants”.
Found this story here:

 "Live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find eternity in each moment".  ~ Thoreau

Monday, March 12, 2012

Missing my hour!


I am always surprised at how tired I am when we have the Daylight savings time change. This picture and quote made me laugh tonight (probably because I am so tired ). I decided to finally set our clocks all at the same time now. I know you are probably asking why I didn't always do that? Not sure exactly, we started by setting Jeff's clock up, so when the alarm went off...he still knew he had a few more minutes to sleep in. We set our kitchen clock ahead about 10 mins so some of us ( will not mention names ) would get somewhere on time, otherwise they would have been late. Our downstairs clock is always off because it needs new batteries, and the old mantle clock I got Jeff for Christmas is usually chiming about 20 mins early or 20 mins late (that one I can't do anything about ). But the Christmas clock in my room is right and that is all that really matters, because every hour it plays a beautiful Christmas song!  So I had to keep telling myself today that what the clock says really was the right time! ( Oh it's the little things in life....:)
So to answer the question below.... "WE HAVE JUST SUCKED ONE HOUR OF YOUR LIFE AWAY. TELL ME...HOW DO YOU FEEL?"    My answer is...TIRED AND VERY SLEEPY, so I am heading to bed dear friends. Good night!


 
"Both young children and old people have a lot of time on their hands. That's probably why they get along so well."   ~ Jonathan Carroll ( this is certainly true with Grandparents )

"Know how to live the time that is given you."  ~Dario Fo

Sending prayers

Today, I found out about a young couple's loss of their little boy yesterday.  I know the family a little, but can't even imagine how they must be feeling. I just have been teary eyed all day about it. I think in times like these, all we can do is really pray and pray hard for them. No words can express how sorry we feel and yet we struggle to even find words of comfort to send to them. I just realized some times the best thing really is prayer. Trusting our Heavenly Father to keep them in His arms during this time is what can give them peace, healing and comfort.
How grateful I am to know that God lives. I have watched throughout the years, many people who have had tremendous trials and hardships in their lives but never believed that there was anything or anyone out there to help them. They truly believed that this life is it, that there is no life after this...no hope of ever seeing their loved ones again. How comforting it is, to know that there is a life after this, to know that we have a Heavenly Father who loves us and will take care of our loved ones until we can see them again. As one sweet Mom ( who lost a child also ) told me, "every day I get up and try to live my very best, so we will be able to see our sweet child again". Families can be forever, what comfort that knowledge brings.
My prayers go out to all who are struggling and hurting tonight, please know you are not alone!
Good night dear friends!

The Cord

We are connected,
My child and I, by
An invisible cord
Not seen by the eye.

It's not like the cord
That connects us 'til birth
This cord can't been seen
By any on Earth.

This cord does it's work
Right from the start.
It binds us together
Attached to my heart.

I know that it's there
Though no one can see
The invisible cord
From my child to me.

The strength of this cord
Is hard to describe.
It can't be destroyed
It can't be denied.

It's stronger than any cord
Man could create
It withstands the test
Can hold any weight.

And though you are gone,
Though you're not here with me,
The cord is still there
But no one can see.

It pulls at my heart
I am bruised...I am sore,
But this cord is my lifeline
As never before.

I am thankful that God
Connects us this way
A mother and child
Death can't take it away!

Author Unknown

 

If Only

If only, my child, I could send,
A basket filled with love,
And pretty blue forget-me-not’s
To your new home above.

If only I could send a hug
Past every twinkling star,
And a suitcase filled with kisses
Up to heaven where you are.

If only I could rock you
As I did not long ago,
And sing you one more lullaby
Before you had to go.

If only’s fill my every thoughts
As my heart is aching for you.
With faith, I’ll wait until the time
“If only’s” all come true.

By Ron Tranmer ©  found poems here:


Eskimo Proverb

 "Perhaps they are not stars,
but rather openings in heaven
where the love of our lost ones
pours through and shines down upon us
to let us know they're happy."

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Computer problems!

Been trying to get my computer to stop acting up for over an hour now, not sure what is going on? Hope it's not me. Anyway, now it is already the Sabbath ( remember we set our clocks up an hour tonight ) so I need to head to bed. I will give the computer, and my mind a break. Hopefully it will work better tomorrow ( I mean today ), oh whatever... good night dear friends!

Thought for the night!
"In the end, the number of prayers we say may contribute to our happiness. But the number of prayers we may answer may be of greater importance."   ~ Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Friday, March 9, 2012

Date night!


Tonight is Date night, so I will talk to you tomorrow.
Good night dear friends!
Pinned Image

Battle wounds!

We have always told our kids about God, and also that there is a devil. We have taught them that it is important to know how he works on tripping you up, discourages you or fools you into a false sense of security going down a wrong path in your life. I don't really believe in the old saying  "The devil made me do it ", but I do think it is important (like going into any battle) to know who your enemy is, and what type of weapons or strategy they are going to use.
Life is alot like that, it is a battle of right and wrong, good verse evil and so we need to be prepared and go into it with our eyes wide open.
I had a discussion the other day with one of my children, we were talking about how differently we see things or react to things... because of our backgrounds. They talked about how (because they were protected and not abused ) their lives have turned out and how they don't have the same worries, concerns and heartache that I do. Then they thanked me for that. Now normally I would have been thrilled to hear that maybe I did something right in my parenting but instead, right after the conversation ( when I was by myself ), I just cried and cried. The thought that keep coming into my head was "You are still so broken Lynn". After a few minutes I stopped and realized this was just a thought, and then I tried to understand where it came from, instantly I said to myself " God does not say things like that to His children", as soon as I realized that once again Satan was working on my self esteem, I quickly thought..."No, you aren't broken you are just wounded." Just like many soldiers that go off to war who come back wounded. I tried to remember I had to be in battle for many years, so naturally I am going to have to keep slowing healing from my wounds.
Some days I wonder what it would have been like to have a fun, happy and safe childhood? I wonder what I would have turned out like, if I had had that?  I some times envy people who have had that and then I realized that is what my kids had. And that makes me happy. Plus, I have to remember that if I hadn't stopped that chain of incest, how many more generations would it have effected with it's poison?So I need to remember I still have some of the wounds and some times, without any notice... they get reopened a bit. But still I am home now, I am safe and I am healing little by little with the help of a great husband, wonderful kids, incredible friends and of course from my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
That is what I need to remember each time those terrible thoughts come in my mind. I am not broken,  I am a Survivor!!!
I pray for all of you that have wounds too! Don't give up, remember you can be a survivor!
Good night dear friends.


"In truth a family is what you make it. It is made strong, not by number of heads counted at the dinner table, but by the rituals you help family members create, by the memories you share, by the commitment of time, caring, and love you show to one another, and by the hopes for the future you have as individuals and as a unit".  ~MARGE KENNEDY

"Love makes a family."  ~GIGI KAESER

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Dad's Empty Chair



It is late and I really need to head to bed. Had a very eventful day and it was sunny... it is hard to top that! Loved this story! 
Good night dear friends! 


Daddy’s Empty Chair
Photo from here:

A man’s daughter had asked the local minister to come and pray with her father. When the minister arrived, he found the man lying in bed with his head propped up on two  pillows.
An empty chair sat beside his bed.
The minister assumed that the old fellow had been informed of his visit. “I guess you were  expecting me," he said.
“No, who are you?” said the father.
The minister told him his name and then remarked, “I saw the empty chair and I figured you knew I was going to show up,”
“Oh yeah, the chair,” said the bedridden man. “Would you mind closing the door?”
Puzzled, the minister shut the door.
“I have never told anyone this, not even my daughter,” said the man. “But all of my life I have never known how to pray. At church I used to hear the pastor talk about prayer, but it went right over my head. I abandoned any attempt at prayer,” the old man continued, “until one day, four years ago, my best friend said to me, ‘Johnny, prayer is just a simple matter of having a conversation with Jesus. Here is what I suggest...’”
‘Sit down in a chair; place an empty chair in front of you, and in faith see Jesus on the chair. It’s not spooky, because He promised, ‘I will be with you always.’ Then just speak to Him in the same way you’re doing with me right now.’”
“So, I tried it and I’ve liked it so much that I do it a couple of hours every day. I’m careful though. If my daughter saw me talking to an empty chair, she’d either have a nervous breakdown or send me off to the funny farm.”
The minister was deeply moved by the story and encouraged the old man to continue on the journey. Then he prayed with him, anointed him with oil, and returned to the church.
Two nights later the daughter called to tell the minister that her daddy had died that afternoon.
“Did he die in peace?” the minister asked.
“Yes. When I left the house about two o’clock, he called me over to his bedside, told me he loved me and kissed me on the cheek. When I got back from the store an hour later, I found him dead. But, there was something strange about his death. Apparently, just before Daddy died, he leaned over and rested his head on the chair beside the bed. What do you make of that?”
The minister wiped a tear from his eye and said, “I wish we could all go like that.” ~ Author unknown
I found the story here:

"Prayer requires more of the heart than the tongue."     ~Adam Clarke

 
"Do not make prayer a monologue-make it a conversation."   ~Author unknown