Chapter 5, Page 19, Book 13

There was an old man who operated a rowboat for ferrying passengers between an island and the mainland. One day a passenger noticed that he had painted on one oar the word Works, and on the other oar the word Faith.  Curiosity led him to ask the meaning of this. The old man replied, I will show you, dropping one oar, rowing only with the oar named Works. Of course, the boat just went around in circles. Then he switched oars, picking up Faith and dropping Works. And the little rowboat went around in circles again, this time in the opposite direction. After this demonstration, the old man picked up both oars Faith and Works, and rowing with both oars together swiftly coursed over the water. He looked at the passenger and said, You see, that is the way it is in life as well as in rowing a boat. You got to keep both oars in the water, otherwise, you will just go in circles.

Author Unknown

Today's Word:

Efficient

Achieving maximum productivity with minimum wasted effort or expense.

Working in a well-organized and competent way.

I don't think that any of us likes to go round and round in circles, yet that is just what we often wind up doing.  Sometimes we might think our day is off to a good start and then we remember something done or said yesterday that we are sad about and the great start to the day starts to go down hill quickly.

What happened yesterday is in the past and to hang on to the memories just keeps us from moving forward.  To be efficient, to move on and enjoy the day, means letting go and making the best of what we have right now.

The ultimate goal of a more effective and efficient life is to provide you with enough time to enjoy some of it. 

Michael Leboeuf

Chapter 5, Page 18, Book 13

Love is the magician, the enchanter, that changes worthless things to joy, and makes right royal kings and queens of common clay. It is the perfume of that wondrous flower, the heart, and without that sacred passion, that divine swoon, we are less than beasts; but with it, earth is heaven, and we are gods. 

Robert G. Ingersoll

Today's Word:

Joy

A feeling of great pleasure and happiness

Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.

Psalm 30:5

Everyone delights in finding hidden treasure. Whether a child discovers coins buried in a sandbox or an adult stumbles upon a priceless antique in the attic—finding unexpected wealth is joyous!  Every new morning is like opening up a treasure chest.  It's nice to have a nice day. But it's great to have a joyful day. 

Granted, there are always unexpected things happening each and every day; but really… wouldn’t life be boring if everything went according to plan, every single day?  Every cloud has a silver lining, or so the old saying goes.  When you look for those joy filled moments it seems life becomes a grand adventure.

I have always been delighted at the prospect of a new day, a fresh try, one more start, with perhaps a bit of magic waiting somewhere behind the morning. 

 J. B. Priestley

It is morning here , and I watch the sky wake in streaks of color.  purple. pink. orange. Mornings don't always make a bright beginning like this one, but still I'm thankful for each one.  Every morning brings something beautiful.  Always different.  From coast to coast, and across the globe Gad wakes the world with something wonderful.  He  chooses to do this beautiful, breathtaking, glorious thing again and again, just for us.

When you think about it, God’s limitless supply meets every need. This is treasure indeed! 

You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
You have loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness,
that my soul may sing praise to You and not be silent O LORD my God,
I will give thanks to You forever 

Psalm 30:11-12.

Chapter 5, Page 17, Book 13

It's so hard when I have to, and so easy when I want to.  

Annie Gottlier

TODAY'S WORD

Easy

Achieved without great effort; presenting few difficulties.

Life can be busy, but rather than rushing from one activity to another, I remind myself, Easy does it.  I remember to slow down and fully savor each moment of my life.

We've all heard the words, take it easy.  That's the way I've learned to live my life.  Why do it any other way if I don't have to.  When you remember to live in the present moment it is much easier to do.  Not worrying about tomorrow or what happened yesterday.  

Taking a break during the busy times helps me relax and be open to the joy of being alive. I feel more aware, awake, and in the flow of things when I spend the day in an easygoing manner

I work a little and rest a lot these days. Slow but sure gets the job done. Taking it easy give me time to see the beauty in life.

No life is so hard that you can't make it easier by the way you take it. 

Ellen Glasgow

Chapter 5, Page 16, Book 13

There was a man who was walking down a dark street one night when he saw a faltering pinpoint of light coming toward him. He thought perhaps the person carrying the light was ill, but as he drew nearer he could see a man with a flashlight carrying a white cane.

Why would a blind man be carrying a light? the man wondered. And so he asked.

The blind man smiled. I carry my light, not so I can see, but so that OTHERS can see me. I cannot help being blind, he said, but I can help being a stumbling block.

TODAY'S WORD:

Beaming

To radiate light; shine.

To express by means of a radiant smile

This is an approach to life that is completely out of step with our modern way of looking at things. Our modern attitude is -- I'm looking out for me.  Most of the time, a stumbling block refers to something or someone that keeps another from doing something they want to do or should do.  

A motel chain once had a series of commercials that ended with the reassuring words, We’ll leave the light on for you.  My mother used to say the same thing to me.  Its warm beams seemed to say, This is where you belong. Someone loves you here. You are home

Sometimes it is our words and attitudes that do just that.  A beam is something to guide or communicate with.  We all radiate some kind of light to others and we just never know who might be watching.  I want others to see my cheerful smile and be encouraged, not discouraged.  I know that because it’s so easy to be discouraged, it helps to have someone to cheer us on.

We never know when something we say or do could wound another person.   Although it might take a bit of an attitude adjustment,  it is always better to be like a shiny pebble in a brook, rather than a stumbling stone.  

All of us can shine brightly, smile warmly, glow with happiness if we choose to.  

The problem is not the problem.
The problem is your attitude about the problem.

 Captain Jack Sparrow

Chapter 5, Page 15, Book 13

There is a story told about a boy who found a tortoise. He started to examine it but the tortoise pulled its head in and closed its shell like a vice. The boy was upset and picked up a sharp pointed stick to pry it open. The boy's uncle saw all this and remarked, No, that's not the way. In fact you may kill the tortoise but you will not get it to open up with a stick.  The uncle then took the tortoise into the house and put it down near the fireplace. Within a few minutes the tortoise got warm and then it pushed out its head, stretched out its legs and began to crawl. People are like tortoises, said the uncle. You can't force them into anything but if you first warm them up with some real kindness, it is more than likely that they will do what you want them to do.

Author Unknown

Today's Word:

Kind

Having or showing a friendly, generous, and considerate nature

At its most basic, kindness is about caring genuinely for others around you, wanting the best for them.  I was always taught that I should treat others as I wished to be treated.  Showing kindness was one thing I learned at an early age.  

When you show kindness to others you're practicing one of the most effective ways to attract more happiness into your life.  he smallest things can make all difference in your life and others.  

Little things like a kind word, a hug, or a smile can make a huge difference.  Amazingly, after helping someone, you will experience a sense of satisfaction with yourself that you would not have gotten any other way. 

Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.

  Mother Teresa

Being kind to yourself is just as important as being kind to others.   It is one thing that is often neglected or something some may feel guilty about doing.  Many people, women especially, are taught to put others ahead of themselves.  I've learned that if you aren't good to yourself, you can't be good for others.  

Making sure we are getting enough rest and eating the right kind of food is one way to be kind to yourself.  Taking time out from a busy day for a little rest and relaxation is another way.  We need to treat ourselves the way we would treat a friend.  Speak and act kindly toward yourself.

Being kind is good for others and for your self too!

How beautiful a day can be When kindness touches it! 

George Elliston

Chapter 5, Page 14, Book 13

Some Important Don't's
author unknown

Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling five balls in the air.   You name them Work, Family, Health, Friends and Spirit, and you are keeping all of them in the air.   You will soon understand that Work is a rubber ball.  If you drop it, it will bounce back.  But the other four balls--Family, Health, Friends and Spirit--are made of glass.  If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered.  They will never be the same.  You must understand that and strive for balance in your life.

How?

1.  Don't undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others.  It is because we are different that each of us is special.

2.  Don't set your goals by what others deem important.  Only you know what is best for you.

3.  Don't take for granted the things closest to your heart.  Cling to them as you would your life, for without them, life is meaningless.

4.  Don't let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past or for the future.  By living your life one day at a time, you live all the days of your life.

5.  Don't give up when you still have something to give.  Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.

6.  Don't be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect.  It is the fragile thread that binds us each together.

7.  Don't be afraid to encounter risks.  It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.

8.  Don't shut love out of your life by saying it's impossible to find.  The quickest way to receive love is to give; the fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly; and the best way to keep love is to give it wings.

9.  Don't run through life so fast that you forget not only where you've been, but also where you are going.

10.  Don't forget that a person' s greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated.

11.  Don't be afraid to learn.  Knowledge is weightless, a treasure you can always carry easily.

12.  Don't use time or words carelessly.  Neither can be retrieved.  Life is not a race , but a journey to be savoured each step of the way.

TODAY'S WORD:

Authentic
Of undisputed origin; genuine

 Made or done in the traditional or original way:

So many times we keep our authentic self hidden because we are afraid.  The story about the 5 balls and the tips above say so much about life.  

To be who and what you really are isn't easy because we all want to please those around us.  I've found that the person we need to please most is ourself.  If we aren't happy with ourselves, no one else will be happy with us either.  

We all need to be appreciated.  The fact is that there have been few times in my life when anyone has actually thanked me or said how much they appreciated me.  Still, I know that I am.  Because I've been a mom and a wife, I know that very often we give a lot and get little, but the rewards are worth the giving.  My thanks has come when I see them enjoying their food, or when they laugh and joke around, being comfortable and safe in my home.  The thankfulness of actions rather than words sometimes says much more.

Family and friends are never to be taken for granted.  They are treasures beyond telling.  YOU are a treasure, one of a kind, and there is nobody else like you either! 

To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.  

e.e. cummings, 1955

Chapter 5, Page 13, Book 13

Tiny Lilly of the Valley blooms along side the house right now.  I do have some weeding to do as I see a small tree growing  and some clover too.

One's life has value so long as one attributes value to the life of others, by means of love, friendship, and compassion.

Simone de Beauvoir

TODAY'S WORD:

Affluent

 Generously supplied with money, property, or possessions; prosperous or rich.

Plentiful; abundant.

 Flowing freely; copious

There is an old Beatles sang that says money can't buy you love. It's true!  The only things that really matter cannot be bought or sold.  They come from the heart!

Money is important as it does provide things that make us feel comfortable and secure.  It's that feeling we get when we know there is food in the cupboard and a home around us to keep us safe from the storms of life.

Being affluent, isn't all about money.  It's about the abundance of things we have. I'm wealthy beyond measure when it comes to having plenty of family around.  I do have a home that keeps me safe.  I do have all the food I want and I am comfortable in my life style, so maybe I am an affluent person.

Not rich or wealthy, but having all I'll ever really need.  I'm thankful for that.  

To laugh often and much;

 to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; 

to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;

 to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; 

to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, 

a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;

 to know even one life has breathed easier because you lived. 

This is to have succeeded.

Ralph Waldo Emerson