Are You HAPPY?

Today can be the same as yesterday or you can decide to put some life into today. My grandfather use to tell me, “You will be as happy as you want to be.” I doubt I understood exactly what he meant at the time, but as I aged I began to understand not only what that meant but that it was true.

There is no way each day is going to be perfect; there are going to be ups and downs and problems can at anytime show their heads. The secret is how I respond to these things. I have to make a conscious effort each day to not allow my happiness and joy in life to be stolen. It isn’t always easy but it is always necessary.

My grandfather was right, “I’m as happy as I want to be.”

WHERE DID YOU GO?

Ever turn around and wonder where your self-confidence went? You use to have it.  How about your self-worth? Any idea where it went? Maybe you wonder when your good self-image turned into a poor self-image.  It’s easy for these things to happen. The problem is it doesn’t normally happen immediately.

Our feelings about ourselves are chiseled down one day at a time until years later a friend remarks “What happened to you, you use to have confidence in your abilities?” Or  that friend may ask you “Why don’t you feel good about yourself?”

I think we lose these things because we begin to compare ourselves to others. Comparing ourselves to others belittles us and if we continue to do this we eventually become nothing. We are meant to be unique not a carbon copy of someone else.

FRIENDS AND LETTING GO

I often find when presented with news I would rather not hear, there is a tendency to want to pretend I am somewhere else in time. That might have worked when I was a child but it doesn’t work well since I am an adult.

Today the news I received was about a friend of 51 years. Her surgery went well but the prognosis was not what we wanted to hear. Six months–when you are little sounds like forever away but  when you are older it goes by way too  fast. I can’t imagine how her family must be feeling, I am sure it will take some time to wrap their heads around this news. As for my friend, even though I haven’t been able to talk to her today there must be all sorts of feelings rushing through her head. Knowing her I know she will handle this with grace and do all she can to comfort her family and friends and to enjoy the days she does have being with her family and friends.

It has occurred to me that death seems closer around us when we get older. When we are young we don’t normally see much death, at least not  often. However somehow with my aging my friends have aged too. Just February we buried my best friend of 36 years husband. And here we are now being told another friend is beginning her process in that  stage that take us to the end of this phase of life. In this stage we are getting ready for the door to open to be received into heaven where we will see our Lord and loved ones who have gone on ahead of us.

When you’re told the amount of time you probably have left versus not knowing how much time you have left and it just happens do you wonder which is better? I do; I wonder which is better for the person, the family and friends.  Is it the same for all involved.

For me, I don’t know which I would prefer. I would certainly want my affairs in order and would want to spend my time with people I love. Yet I sure would not want to suffer or have my family watch as I suffer.

The family I am sure would want to keep their loved one for as long as possible until they get to the point they can let go. In the end for those of us who are left at a loved ones death letting go is hard. I believe it is a process that we have to walk through.

Letting go I guess is what it eventually boils down to for everyone involved.

My thoughts were when I was told she was going into surgery was “We just never know what the next day will bring for us but we can be sure our God will be with us know matter what it brings.” I find comfort tonight knowing that is true. I was told my friend was at peace with everything.  I will work on that in my process.

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Now it is said that if we are lucky we will find the pot at the end of the rainbow.  I think we find it a little at a time as we go along with life. You find some the day you fall in love, some more the day each child is born. I seem to find a little here and there each day whether through kind words or just a smile from someone. Maybe through a beautiful sunny day or the first bloom of spring. At any rate, I like my thinking better, I like finding those little gold nuggets everyday. How about you? Found any nuggets today?

LEPRECHAUN

Tulips in the Air

Tulips in the Air

Just seeing tulips reminds me it’s March and especially in the color of yellow.

Flowers in general are calming. Their beauty enhances our life and gives the feeling that all is well with the world.

Maybe that is why living with a garden outside your back door is such good medicine. You get to be part of the beauty and work with your hands at the same time.

Today let’s look around and see where the flowers are. If you don’t have any, go to the store and buy you some flowers to sit on your table, make you some tea, and sit in front of the flowers. Take this time to relax, get calm and appreciate the beauty flowers bring.

You will find you feel like a new person in fifteen minutes.  Try it~you’ll like it.

MARCH COMES IN

What can we say? We were celebrating the month of love and got an extra day then closed our eyes and in came March. This is the month we will wear a lot of green. Now I have been told by many of my friends this is the month you are most lucky in. Well that sounds like they believe in luck. As you know, some people do believe in luck, others however, do not. Me, I like to think we kinda make our own luck if we work hard and do right, as the saying goes. I entered countless Readers Digest contest when I was younger, never won…anything. So I have come to believe those types of things are pretty much like the lottery. The more people who enter them the less chance you have of winning. So I guess maybe luck might play a small part if you won or maybe just the old fella…chance.

The question is do you believe in luck or do you not believe in luck?

SAYING GOODBY

Do we say goodby to the month of Love and leave that love there, or can we take that love into the months ahead of us showering our loved ones and friends with this momentum we have going? Perhaps if we make an effort we can keep that feeling alive as we go forward.

Young Love–Old Love

Starting out it is easy to love your mate when they are young, attractive and energetic. Through the years life happens, you both have jobs, children, house, cars and bills. Before long kids go off to college leaving you two to get acquainted again. Hopefully your love for each other has deepened and not waned and you have bonded. Life moves on, your kids get married, and it’s just the two of you again.

True love, the unconditional kind, is when you are still in love with each other and you are old, no longer that cute couple that started out but a weathered couple. Few pounds extra, perhaps a little bald, skin sags a little. If you still are in love with each other now, then that is true love.

Love, just the words make you feel warm

and fuzzy. After thirty years two people

are more in love than ever. There is

something special about love. It can

take you through life with all its ups

and downs, ins and outs and the love

deepens into strong bonds.