Date night

Well, you can't be real creative on your Date Nights if your wife is sick. But still Jeff rented a movie for us and it was nice to just be together. The movie that he chose was ... "Invictus" (Warner/Blu-ray, 2009, PG-13). Morgan Freeman is a commanding presence as Nelson Mandela in this true story of how the South African leader used the power of the nation's passion for rugby to bring blacks and whites together after apartheid was abolished. And Matt Damon matches him as the captain of the team, who is quite surprised when Mandela asks him to win the World Cup!

It was an inspiring movie about unity, forgiveness and faith. It isn't that often that you finish a movie or leave a movie and feel inspired, it was nice. The poem that the movie was named after is here below. It was another reminder to me that we are in control of what we do, say and think. Many times I think we might forget that. What a powerful movie!

Invictus

Out of the night that covers me,

Black as the Pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be

For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance

I have not winced nor cried aloud.

Under the bludgeonings of chance

My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears

Looms but the horror of the shade,

And yet the menace of the years

Finds, and shall find me, unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll,

I am the master of my fate;

I am the captain of my soul. ~by William Ernest Henley; 1849-1903

"IF MEN DO NOT COMPREHEND THE CHARACTER OF GOD, THEN THEY DO NOT COMPREHEND THEMSELVES"            ~ Joseph Smith

 

"WATCH YOUR THOUGHTS, FOR THEY BECOME WORDS.

WATCH YOUR WORDS, FOR THEY BECOME ACTIONS.

WATCH YOUR ACTIONS, FOR THEY BECOME HABITS.

WATCH YOUR HABITS, FOR THEY BECOME CHARACTER.

WATCH YOUR CHARACTER, FOR IT BECOMES YOUR DESTINY." ~ Unknown

Envy

I was talking today to some dear friends of mine, we had mentioned that some times when you go to someone's home or visit their blog, that you feel a bit of envy, for what you don't have. I usually do pretty good in that area but some times I slip up. It doesn't take much to snap me back to reality when I think of all the blessings I  do have. We reminded ourselves that when we are feeling envy, that it actually keeps us from focusing and appreciating what we do have.

Jeff and I went to a movie the other night and one of the main points in the movie was to make you think about this question ....If you only had a few minutes to get out of your house because of a fire or something ....what would you take? In the story the girl realized that the guy she loved and was dating, cared more about his possessions than her, that was a sad realization but also life altering for her. She realized exactly what was more important and finally tried to let go of her old habits and thoughts, and live in the here and now. To have healthy thoughts and to ask herself that same question...What would you take if you only had a few minutes to get out of your home? 

I hope we will try and remember not to be envious about what others have but take a good look at what we spend our time and money on...that is where are heart is!  There will always be someone better off than you in the world and yet there will always be someone less fortunate than you too! Service seems to help with so many things, maybe the transformation happens when we stop worrying about ourselves so much and start worrying about others.

This poem went right along with my thoughts tonight. Enjoy and good night!

Service

Supposing today were your last day on earth, 
The last mile of the journey you've trod; 
After all of your struggles, how much are you worth, 
How much can you take home to God? 
Don't count as possessions your silver and gold, 
Tomorrow you leave these behind, 
And all that is yours to have and to hold 
Is the service you've given mankind. 
Anonymous, 

our value

In February I was asked to give a motivational speech to a women's group. I was excited to have the opportunity once again to speak and yet when asked, I was just weeks away from starting radiation and I had no idea what I would be feeling like. Since speaking is one of my FAVORITE things to do, I said yes and prayed daily that I would have the strength to do it and for guidance on what to talk about. I was able to speak that night and I felt like it was a true blessing because just a week or so later my health declined and I don't think I would have been able to do it. I believe that I mentioned speaking back then in my blog, and many of you asked me to tell you what I spoke about. I kept saying that I would... but as the radiation progressed, I got weaker and in more pain and it never happened.

Now when I speak, it is usually for an hour and the whole speech would be too long to write in a blog any way. But I felt tonight impressed to tell you the basis of what my talk was on. It was on understanding our value, our true worth. Online I read a story of a motivational speaker and it goes on to tell how he began his speech. I (as a compliment to him or her?) did the same thing and that is how my speech began. Here is the story...

Value

Source Unknown

A well known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20 bill. In the room of 200, he asked, "Who would like this $20 bill?"

Hands started going up.

He said, "I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this." He proceeded to crumple the dollar bill up.

He then asked, "Who still wants it?"

Still the hands were up in the air.

"Well," he replied, "What if I do this?" And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe.

He picked it up, now all crumpled and dirty. "Now who still wants it?" Still the hands went into the air.

"My friends, you have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20.  

Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way.

We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value.

“The worth of our lives comes not in what we do or who we know, but by WHO WE ARE and WHOSE WE ARE. You are special - Don’t EVER forget it.”

I won't be able to tell much more of my speech, maybe some day I will be able to speak where you can hear me? I can tell you  however, unlike the story, I just showed the $20.00 bill and talked about it but...did not give it away! That is the difference between a speaker who speaks for money and one who doesn't ! :)

I do love this subject and it is one that is very close to my heart and although this sounds contrary to what I am saying, it is the very subject that I still have the most struggles with in my life. How can that be? Well, I was a child of incest and self worth is a very hard concept for survivors. It is hard to believe that you could possibly have much value if someone would do something like that to you. 

Maybe the reason I like to talk about it so much, is because it constantly reminds me of what I need to remember and work on. I was reading an article today on a teenager who since the age of one was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy. The article talks about how her kindness and determination has changed her life and the lives of those around her.

Two things in the article stood out to me the most, one is the sign that she has over her bed which reads, "SEE YOURSELF AS GOD SEES YOU". Wouldn't we all feel better about ourselves if we remembered that daily?  The second thing was how positive she remains even though this terrible disease has taken away so many things in her life. She just continues to look for the ways that she can make a difference and then she does them.

Great wisdom for all of  us. To remember our value, our great worth! I daily am trying to remember that and when I do...LIFE IS BETTER! I AM HAPPIER and MUCH MORE WILLING TO ENJOY EACH MOMENT AND LOVE AND SERVE THOSE AROUND ME. It doesn't take long to see so many good people in the world, making a difference.

I hope this article will inspire you to feel and do the same!

"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world."  ~Anne Frank

"Act as if what you do makes a difference.  It does."  ~William James

Mental fences

I received an email from simpletruths.com and they told me of a book that they were selling called Living a Five Star Life, by Betty Mahalik. I like the simple things that she challenges the readers to do. Here is a small part of what was in the email. It did make me stop and think.

Betty challenges all of us "to live a great life by discovering the life we have right now, instead of trying to invent a whole new life."

Today, I'd like to share her chapter titled: Fences in your Mind. Enjoy!

"I've watched the movie Chicken Run at least a half-dozen times. Just beneath the surface of its simplistic look and story line lie a number of wonderful messages told through the eyes of a bunch of Claymation chickens trying to break out of their chicken-wire world to escape their fate at the chopping block. Their freedom leader, a feisty little hen named Ginger, comments profoundly in one scene: "the fences are all in your mind." She reminds her fellow chickens (and us), that a bigger obstacle than the physical fences they're surrounded by are the mental fences that hold them captive.

It's been a good reminder for me on those occasions when I've been dealing my own mental fences...those created by self-doubt, uncertainty, fear. Can you relate? Where have you fenced yourself in mentally in recent days or weeks? Perhaps your mental fence is procrastination, a deadening habit that keeps you stuck. Maybe yours, like mine, is related to self-doubt, and the on-going internal noise it produces that keeps you immobilized. Perhaps yours is the belief that you don't deserve success, so you sabotage yourself to avoid having to find out how successful you could be. There are a million variations of the theme, but the result is still the same: we stay stuck like the chickens in the movie.
One of the key questions in the Best Year Yet® program is: "How do I limit myself and how can I stop?" Those limitations are never external. They always live inside us. The antidote to being trapped by our mental fences is to create a compelling enough vision that, like Ginger and her flock of chicken friends, we're willing to resort to amazing measures to break out. The formula:
VISION + CONSISTENT ACTION = FREEDOM!

.
FREEDOM IS JUST THE OTHER SIDE OF ACTION.
Recognize that your mental fences can only keep you stuck as long as you're looking at them. They can only contain you as long as you're not taking actions consistent with your vision. Go ahead, take the action you've avoided and leap into a future filled with possibilities. And remember, the fences are all in your mind!"

Like I said, I haven't read the book, but I certainly enjoyed the part of it they sent me. I am always looking for ways to conquer my fears and limitations. I do believe that most of our fences that keep us trapped or held back, are truly in our mind. So like she said, we need to go ahead and take action  and leap into the future. Good night dear friends!

Actions speak louder than words

I have always loved the quote that says..."What you do speaks so loudly, I can't hear what you saying"

As a mom, I know personally that is so true but I also think that it is true in every area of our lives. You can tell someone what you believe in but if you don't live what you believe, then your example tells much, much more about you. A dear friend of mine sent me a cute story about this very same subject. I thought it was  perfect to share part of it with you, because that is exactly what I learned at church today too. Your example, your actions are so important. Especially when you believe in Christ. It is vital that we stop and take a closer look at our lives to see if we are truly following the Savior's example in EVERYTHING we do.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Several years ago, a preacher from out-of-state accepted a call to a church in Houston, Texas. Some weeks after he arrived, he had an occasion to ride the bus from his home to the downtown area. When he sat down, he discovered that the driver had accidentally given him a quarter too much change. As he considered what to do, he thought to himself, 'You'd better give the quarter back. It would be wrong to keep it.' Then he thought, 'Oh, forget it, it's only a quarter. Who would worry about this little amount? Anyway, the bus company gets too much fare; they will never miss it. Accept it as a 'gift from God' and keep quiet.'

When his stop came, he paused momentarily at the door, and then he handed the quarter to the driver and said, 'Here, you gave me too much change '

The driver, with a smile, replied, 'Aren't you the new preacher in town?'

'Yes' he replied.

'Well, I have been thinking a lot lately about going somewhere to worship. I just wanted to see what you would do if I gave you too much change. I'll see you at church.'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Preach the Gospel at all time and when necessary use words"  ~ St. Francis of Assisi

"A good example has twice the value of good advice"

"Setting an example is not the main means of influencing another, it is the only means"  ~ Albert Einstein

Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

Thanks so much to each of you that has been a shining example to me and my family throughout the years.

Graduation Day! Class of 2009 yeah!!!!!!

It is late and we are pretty tired from sitting in those HARD chairs for over 2 hours for graduation. But I have to admit it was a wonderful feeling seeing Lauren receive her diploma. She was so excited! Amy and John went with us so we were able to make a little bit more noise, when they called her name! :)

I will leave you with this sweet story, it was really good. So I hope you enjoy it too! Good night dear friends.

Making a difference in someone else's life...BIG!

One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class was walking home from school. His name was Kyle. t looked like he was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, 'Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a nerd.' I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my friends tomorrow afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders and went on. As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him. They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him.. He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes My heart went out to him. So, I jogged over to him as he crawled around looking for his glasses, and I saw a tear in his eye. As I handed him his glasses, I said, 'Those guys are jerks.' They really should get lives. ' He looked at me and said, 'Hey thanks!' There was a big smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude. I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived. As it turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen him before. He said he had gone to private school before now. I would have never hung out with a private school kid before. We talked all the way home, and I carried some of his books. He turned out to be a pretty cool kid. I asked him if he wanted to play a little football with my friends He said yes. We hung out all weekend and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him, and my friends thought the same of him. Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again. I stopped him and said, 'Boy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books everyday! ' He just laughed and handed me half the books. Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends.. When we were seniors we began to think about college. Kyle decided on Georgetown and I was going to Duke. I knew that we would always be friends, that the miles would never be a problem. He was going to be a doctor and I was going for business on a football scholarship.. Kyle was valedictorian of our class. I teased him all the time about being a nerd. He had to prepare a speech for graduation. I was so glad it wasn't me having to get up there and speak Graduation day, I saw Kyle. He looked great. He was one of those guys that really found himself during high school. He filled out and actually looked good in glasses. He had more dates than I had and all the girls loved him. Boy, sometimes I was jealous! Today was one of those days. I could see that he was nervous about his speech. So, I smacked him on the back and said, 'Hey, big guy, you'll be great!' He looked at me with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and smiled. Thanks,' he said.As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began "Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years. Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach...but mostly your friends... I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them. I am going to tell you a story..' I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the story of first day we met. He had planned to kill himself over the weekend. He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have to do it later and was carrying all his stuff home. He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile. 'Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable..' I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment. I saw his Mom and dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile. Not until that moment did I realize it's depth. Never underestimate the power of your actions.. With one small gesture you can change a person's life. For better or for worse. God puts us all in each others lives to impact one another in some way.

Believe in Your Dreams

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." ~Eleanor Roosevelt

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." ~ Nelson Mandela

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." ~ Mark Twain