Chapter 11, Page 30, Book 11

HAPPINESS is not a station you arrive at, but a manner of traveling

Margaret B. Rumbeck

Did you know that you can tell how happy someone is by looking at their Christmas list.

Those who want the latest gadgets and technology tend to be more unhappy than those who are satisfied with what they already own.

Presents are fun to select for people that I know. I match them to reflect not only others preferences, but also their dreams. This is Christmas gift giving to me.

I hope that while you are making out your list this year that you don't forget one important gift you can always give this season is a SMILE.  I love to give them and I love to receive them.  They are on the top of my list for sure.

It so fitting for the season – and so true.

A smile costs nothing, but creates much.  It enriches those who receive, without impoverishing those who give.

It happens in a flash and the memory of it sometimes lasts forever. None are so rich they can get along without it, and none are so poor but are richer for its benefits.

It creates happiness in the home, fosters good will in a business, and is the countersign of friends. It is rest to the weary, daylight to the discouraged, sunshine to the sad, and Nature’s best antidote for trouble.

Yet it cannot be bought, begged, borrowed, or stolen, for it is something that is no earthly good to anybody till it is given away.

And if in the last-minute rush of Christmas buying some of our salespeople should be too tired to give you a smile, may we ask you to leave one of yours?

For nobody needs a smile so much as those who have none left to give!

I hope your Wednesday is a WONDERFUL one!  SMILE! 

 'On Ya'-ma

Chapter 11, Page 29, Book 11

If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there. 

 C.S. Lewis

TERRIFIC 2'S TUESDAY

As with other roads, I often find that the road to Christmas is paved with good intentions. Somehow it all comes together. It’s not perfect, mind you, but Christmas does arrive and the family is always gathered and much food is consumed and we all walk away happy...

In the great rush to Christmas, though, there are a few things that I insist on.  One is the playing of Christmas carols.  I don't care whether others may like them or not, if you are within three feet of me anytime between December 1st to December 25th, you will be hearing Christmas carols.

Christmas songs never really leave us. Like clockwork, they come back annually to set the holiday mood. They are less like old songs and more like familiar friend -- just like the folks who sing them. Without holiday hits, entertainers like Bing Crosby and Perry Como may have faded into the past and their hit songs would have been buried in another era. But because of their holiday hits, these performers now come back to us each year with the regularity of Santa himself.

THEY remind each of us of the joy that is coming this Christmas season, as well as the wonderful love and glad tidings from past holidays as well

Carol singing, church bells ringing,
Once more Christmastime is here.
Children laughing, grownups beaming,
Hearts are warm with Christmas cheer

Ruby Lee Mitchell

One sure cure for the holiday blahs is to actively participate in the holidays. Go caroling. Create a gift, sew, bake, paint, carve or build. Write a thank you note to someone that has made your life better this year. Explain the meaning of Christmas to a child. Address Christmas card envelopes for nursing home residents. Attend a Nutcracker ballet performance. Make snow angels. Laugh often and smile at strangers. Go to a live reenactment of the nativity. Gaze at the winter stars. Say Merry Christmas to a stranger and listen to Christmas music.  Most radio stations have them playing all day long this time of year.

Just hear those sleigh bells jingling, ring ting tingling too ...Just holding your hand, We're gliding along with a song of a wintry fairy land. ...

 

Hope your TUESDAY is a terrific one!

'On Ya'-ma

Chapter 11, Page 28, Book 11

Love never ends.

1 Corinthians 13:8

In a PEANUTS cartoon, Lucy is berating Charlie Brown for losing the baseball game for their team.  She says, You blockhead!  You struck out, and we lost the last game of the season!

Then she adds accusingly, You were standing there thinking about your new girlfriend, weren't you?

As Charlie Brown walks away, he mumbles, I thought being in love was supposed to make you happy.

Well, love is an important part of happiness. Studies have proven that people in love are much happier. The same is true for people who get involved. They are much happier than people who complain, but never do anything to change the situation

Having a large family means that you are always involved in others lives.  And believe me, I am thankful for that every day of my life.

I live alone now, but that doesn't mean I don't have people that I love in my life.  My family is increasing in size and every year or so it seems I'm blessed with a new grand'babe' or two to love and cuddle.  

I told my daughter the other day that having a baby is wonderful and your life is never the same again.  I enjoyed having a large family and joys just keep coming.  

Today I'm thankful for all of my family  and I pray for those that are alone especially at this time of year with CHRISTMAS approaching.  

I'll end with this quote today because I think it sums it all up very nicely

Family life is full of major and minor crises - the ups and downs of health, success and failure in career, marriage, and divorce - and all kinds of characters.  It is tied to places and events and histories.  With all of these felt details, life etches itself into memory and personality.  It's difficult to imagine anything more nourishing to the soul.

Thomas More

Have a Merry Monday Everyone!

 Life is very often like being on a Merry Go Round

Enjoy the ride!

'On Ya'-ma

Chapter 11, Page 27, Book 11

This Advent we look to the Wise Men to teach us where to focus our attention. We set our sights on things above, where God is. We draw closer to Jesus... When our Advent journey ends, and we reach the place where Jesus resides in Bethlehem, may we, like the Wise Men, fall on our knees and adore him as our true and only King.

Mark Zimmermann 

R AND R SIMDAY / BEGINNING A JOURNEY

This is the first Sunday of the Advent Season.  

This year I'd like to take you along with me on a journey.  Today and for the next 3 weeks before Christmas I'll be sharing bits and pieces of how I am preparing for Christmas.  

Advent is the perfect time to clear and prepare the Way.  Advent is all about waiting, hoping and praying.

Advent is defined as: the beginning of an event, the invention of something, or the arrival of a person and for Christians, Advent is the period of four weeks before Christmas. The season of Advent is meant to be one of expectant reflection, anticipating the coming Messiah. 

I always have an Advent wreath sitting on the dining room table and each day I'll be lighting a candle and saying a little prayer. The candles on the wreath will be lighting the way as I journey toward Christmas.

May the coming light that is our Lord

fill you and yours with joy and peace.

During the coming Christmas season 

May you be blessed 

With the spirit of the season, which is peace,

The gladness of the season, which is hope,

And the heart of the season, which is love.

When the wise men came from the east seeking Jesus, they went to Jerusalem.  They were looking for a newborn king, so they naturally went to the palace located in the capital city.   But Jesus was born in a lowly stable.  In order to teach the lessons and live out the examples of Christianity for us to follow, he descended to the very lowest of the lowly. 

The Wise Men from my Nativity set will be placed in the far most corner of my front room and each Sunday I'll be moving them a little closer to that stable where Mary and Joseph await the birth of their Son.

The Magi (wise men) don't get mentioned much during advent. They came on the scene a few weeks, and maybe even 2 years, after the angels and shepherds showed up, so during advent they don't get a lot of attention.  We don't know for sure how long they were gone, but it could have been a few months to a couple of years. 

You've heard the saying, Wise Men Still Seek Him. Let's be wise!

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,

Matthew 2:1

The wisdom of the Magi is to join them on the journey, one week at a time. As you share your gifts among your families, friends and even the least of these among you in the weeks to come, become one of the Magi giving your gift to others, as if that gift goes to the baby Jesus. You’ll never look at getting gifts for your loved ones the same way again.

R AND R can mean many different things.  For this Advent Season I'll be getting READY and REFLECTING.

'On Ya'-ma

Chapter 11, Page 26, Book 11

SUPER SATURDAY / The decorating begins

Now that Thanksgiving is over it is time for me to take down all the Fall decorations here and begin to put up some Christmasy things.

The very first thing I get out is my Advent Wreath which will be set on the dining room table

The next thing that will come out of storage will be my Nativity set 

Then of course the Wreaths on the door has to be changed out too.  I keep one on both my front and back door.

So today I thought I'd just share a bit about Wreaths and why we like to adorn our homes with them.

One of the most popular holiday decorations is the Christmas Wreath. You will see Christmas Wreaths used in many different ways and in many different settings. It is common to see them on the stairway, hanging on walls or doors, or even as a centerpiece on a table. From individual homes to large corporate offices, Christmas Wreaths are a pleasant sight throughout the holiday season. But why do we use wreaths in our holiday decorations, and where did this tradition begin?

The term Wreath, curiously enough, is linked to our word Wrist, with both terms forming a continuous physical circular shape. It also came from Middle English's wrethe, meaning a twisted band or ring of leaves or flowers in a garland.  Putting plants into the symbolic circular shape symbolizes the strength of life overcoming the forces of winter. 

The ancient Druids are the first society in known history to have worn sprigs of holly and mistletoe. These priests of yesteryear believed that holly, with its glossy, shiny prickly leaves of green adorned with red berries, remained green all year due to their magical properties. The Druids considered Holly sacred. Many speculate the holly berries have given us our green and red colors of Christmas.

 By the 17th century, holly had become a grander part of Christmas celebrations, the Christmas Wreath, and holiday decorations once again. The shape of the wreath symbolized the crown of thorns put atop the head of Jesus Christ, as well as the resurrection and eternal life. Holly and Christmas Wreaths came to stand for peace, joy, and contentment.The circle or ring shape is symbolic of eternity or eternal life, because the shape has no beginning or end.

While there are many designs and styles of Christmas Wreaths, they mainly fall into two categories, the Decorative Christmas Wreath and the Advent Wreath.

While wreaths often decorate our homes for Christmas there is no reason why they shouldn't be used all the year round.  They can be used in any season.  But today I'll be having a SUPER Saturday here at my house putting up my Christmas Wreaths and setting my Advent Wreath out on the table.

I hope it's a SUPER Saturday at your your house too.

'On Ya' - ma

Chapter 11, Page 25, Book 11

The melancholy days are come, the saddest of the year,

Of wailing winds, and naked woods, and meadows brown and sear.

William Cullen Bryant

FANTASTIC FRIDAY/ Chasing the blues away!

We here at my house always try to chase the gloom of a dreary November day away by celebrating the day after Thanksgiving by getting together and traveling off to a little town not far from home for a day spent together.  We like this little town because it is far a way from the hustle and bustle of all the shoppers trying to get all the black Friday deals at the shopping malls.

We take a step back in time as we attend a community craft show that reminds one of olden days gone by.  Everyone there dresses in costumes of times past and the decorations and music really revive an old time spirit.

The town also boasts a candle factory that has been existence since the 1800's. They also have a wonderful cafe where we'll all have lunch.  It's decorated in a victorian style so all in all gets us away from the hustle and bustle of the present times and gives us a very enjoyable way to spend time together.  We've done this now for over 20 years.  

The town has shown some of the effects of the times as it is not what it once used to be, but still I'm very thankful that it offers us a way to continue a tradition we love.

I'll be chasing the blues away today.  It'll be a  FANTASTIC Friday here spending time with part of my family.

I hope your Friday is a fantastic one too!

'On Ya'-ma

Chapter 11, Page 24, Book 11

Thank You, GOD for everything

I've experienced here on earth--

Thank You for protecting me

from the moment of my birth--

And Thank You for the beauty

around me everywhere,

The gentle rain and glistening dew,

the sunshine and the air,

The joyous gift of feeling

the soul's soft, whispering voice

That speaks to me from deep within

and makes my heart rejoice--

Oh, GOD, no words are great enough

to thank You for just living,

And that is why every day

is a day for real THANKSGIVING.

Helen Steiner Rice

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

I wish you a peaceful and gratitude-filled day!

'On Ya'-ma

Chapter 11, Page 23, Book 11

One morning a woman said to her husband, I bet you don't know what day this is.

Of course I do, he quickly answered, then ran off to work.

At 10 AM, the doorbell rang and when the woman opened the door, she was handed a box containing a dozen long stemmed red roses. At 1 PM, a foil wrapped, two pound box of her favorite chocolates arrived. Later, a boutique delivered a designer dress.

The woman couldn't wait for her husband to come home.

First the flowers, then the chocolates and then the dress! she exclaimed when he arrived.  This is the best Groundhog Day ever

WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY/ What a Wonderful Day

Well, it is the day before Thanksgiving today and NOT Groundhog day.  But none the less it is wonderful .  I think the little story tells it all.  It's all about what we do and say and our attitude.

We can make every day special.  Little things like flowers and chocolates cheer us up.  A new article of clothing often brightens our appearance.

A kindness done for another can bless the giver as well as the receiver.

Making every day wonderful isn't really very hard to do at all.   We all want and need to have something that makes us feel like we just can't wait around for life but to make us feel that life is just ours for the making.

I am thankful that today I've still got one more day before THANKSGIVING!

Nope, we cannot stop or control the happenings in our lives but we can control what we do.

I hope it's a wonderful Wednesday for you too!

'On Ya'-ma 

Chapter 11, Page 22, Book 11

I AM GRATEFUL for what I am and have. My thanksgiving is perpetual... O how I laugh when I think of my vague indefinite riches. No run on my bank can drain it 

for my wealth is not possession but enjoyment.

Henry David Thoreau

TERRIFIC 2'S TUESDAY/ DANCE LIKE NO ONE'S WATCHING

Life as we know it is so short. Making the most of years we are granted is a matter of being ourselves even though we know that we will inevitably encounter people who disapprove of our choices. When you shake your tail feathers like no one is watching, you will discover that there are many others who appreciate you because you are willing to let go of any inhibition

When I think about it, I am happy that I am me.  With all my faults I'd still rather be me than anyone else I know.  The good Lord has blessed me with everything I need and I am very content with what I've been given.

I have a life that has been full of joys and sorrow like most, but the grand thing is that even in the sad times I've always had something to be thankful for.  I'm getting older but now is a time I can relax and enjoy all that I've worked for.  I've been blessed with gifts that make my heart sing.

I don't dance much but when I do it is with the stars of my life that with their twinkling smiles and laughter, have made my life so rich.

Today I'm thankful that I am.  I am a thankful person.

You cannot be grateful and bitter.

You cannot be grateful  and unhappy.

You cannot be grateful and without hope.

You cannot be grateful and unloving.

So just be grateful.

Author Unknown

That is my 2 for this TERRIFIC Tuesday.  

'On Ya'-ma

Chapter 11, Page 21, Book 11

It's you I like,

It's not the things you wear.

It's not the way you do your hair,

But it's you I like.

The way you are right now

The way down deep inside you

Not the things that hide you

Not your diplomas...

They're just beside you.

But it's you I like,

Every part of you,

Your skin, your eyes, your feelings,

Whether old or new.

I hope that you'll remember

Even when you're feeling blue

That it's you I like,

It's you yourself, it's you

It's you I like!

Mr. Fred Rogers

MERRY MONDAY! / THANK YOU!

As we speed our way to Thanksgiving Day on Thursday of this week, I'd be remiss If I didn't say that I'm THANKFUL for all the people in my life.  The dear family and friends that make everyday so special for me are on the top of my list.

I've been trying to tell you about something I'm thankful for every day as I've been celebrating I Am So Thankful Month here on my blog.  I'm sure that a month really isn't enough time to express my thanks for every thing.  Each new day seems to bring something else to be thankful for.

It's been said that learning to be thankful for the people who've touched our lives, empowers us to live joyfully and pursue our goals.  Even the difficult people often leave us with something to be thankful for.  Sometimes people that give us a hard time can be our motivation to overcome our circumstances in positive and fulfilling ways

I am very thankful for all the people that have been such a great help to me in my life.  People that have always been there for me when I needed them.

I'm thankful for all the patient people in my life that put up with me and love me just as I am

I'm grateful too for all the amazing people I've met through this blog. Through them I've had the opportunity to learn so many new things and to see places I'd never be able to visit.

I'm thankful for all of you that have touched my life in some way.  Through you I've learned some very important lessons and although some of them were difficult ones, they were important for my personal growth and so I am thankful for them.

Thanksgiving is a holiday where gratitude is the main cause for the celebration. I'm celebrating this month. My list will continue and I'm very happy and thankful to be able to share it with you.

Thank you all!

Have a MERRY Monday!

'On Ya'-ma