Chapter 2, Page 28, Book 18

Our lives are not determined by what happens to us but by how we react to what happens, not by what life brings to us, but by the attitude we bring to life.  A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events and outcomes.  It is  a catalyst, a spark that creates extraordinary results.

Anonymous

Ending February on a positive note... 

Probably the best thing about February was that it was no longer January.  January seemed to go on and on with no relief in sight.  Not so with February.  We are having the 3rd day in a row with temps in the 50’s which is almost unheard of .  Typically its our third coldest month of the year falling slightly behind December and January.

I definitely had some bumps in the road as for 2 weeks I was pretty sick with the flu, but now that is pretty much over and done with.  Just trying to play catch up and gaining some strength.

I am looking forward to the month of March, the last few weeks of Lent and the beginning of Spring.

Few things in the world are more powerful than a positive push. A smile. A word of optimism and hope.  A you can do it when things are tough.

Richard M. DeVos

Chapter 2, Page 27, Book 18

Every gardener knows that under the cloak of winter lies a miracle ... a seed waiting to sprout, a bulb opening to the light, a bud straining to unfurl.  And the anticipation nurtures our dream.

Barbara Winkler

When we start seeing daffodils, we start thinking of spring.  It is usually still quite cold and is a welcome sight when the cheerful yellow blooms show up.

And then my heart with pleasure fills, and dances with the  daffodils.

William Wordsworth

Symbolizing rebirth and new beginnings, the daffodil is practically synonymous with spring.  It’s not only a sign of winters end but a lucky symbol of future prosperity.  A gift of daffodils is said to ensure happiness, but we should always give them in a bunch, if given as single bloom, a daffodil can foretell misfortune.

The picture today was taken a year ago on President’s Day.  I’ve not been out much at all lately and  so far this year I haven’t seen any, but there’s no doubt in my mind that they are there.

Flowers blossom with the exuberance of hope and new beginnings

Chapter 2, Page 26, Book 18

Hope is like the sun, which as we journey toward it, casts the shadow of our burden behind us.

Samuel Smiles

I’m so looking forward to Spring which leads us from the dreary days of winter into sunshine which brings to life an array of colors to chase the winter blues away.

Sunlight means more plants and more plans mean more colors.  More colors mean more happiness.  The sunshine makes everything brighter!

But the truth is we should make every day count, even the dreary ones.  Appreciate every moment and take from it every thing you possible can for you may never be able to experience it again.

Every sunset is also a sunrise.  It all depends on where you stand.

Kari Schmidt

There is nothing more beautiful than a sunrise or a sunset.  The sunrise reminds me to be thankful for another new day and the sunset reminds me to count my blessings each day.  They give me hope and inspiration.  

It’s been proven that spending a bit of time each day outside is the sun significantly improves our moods and makes us fee more positive. The sun is life giving

I’m living with hope and before we know it, Spring will be here.  Hang in there and keep the faith.  

Turn your face toward the sun and the shadows will fall behind you.

Proverb

Chapter 2, Page 25, Book 18

Sunday. Take it slow and give your soul a chance to catch up with your body.

Author Unknown

I’m retired and these days I rest more than I work, but Sundays are still a day to relax for me.  Time to go for a walk, catch up with family, read the papers and general take it easy.

Rest and relaxation are basic necessities.  Taking time to chill out and relax is important to both mental and physical health, particularly if you are going through a stressful time.

The time to relax is when you don’t have time for it.

Sydney J. Harris

Relaxation can help us to feel happier.  Whether we let our thoughts drift aimlessly, read a good book or listen to music, the act of resting relieves stress and allows us to feel content.

Hope you all can get some of that good old fashioned R & R today !

Taking time out each day to relax and renew is essential to living well.  

Judith Hanson Lasater

Chapter 2, Page 24, Book 18

High expectations are the key to everything

Sam Walton

Life is largely a matter of expectations

Let us be about setting high standards for life, love, creativity, and wisdom.  If our expectations in those areas are low, we are not likely to experience wellness.  Setting high standards makes every day and every decade worth looking forward to.

Greg Anderson

Over the years I have developed the attitude that everything happens for a reason and that I can expect good things to come from difficult circumstances.

The fact is that our expectations determine our attitude and our attitude determines our actions.  Our actions in turn determines our results

Nothing great can happen until you Expect it.

Live your life, every day of it, with great expectations and great things will happen in your life daily 

Art Fettig

Chapter 2, Page 23, Book 18

The great crises of life are not, I think, necessarily those which are in themselves the hardest to bear, but those for which we are least prepared.

Mary Adams

I was walking a long, minding my business, when bam!  out of nowhere a terrible flu bug hit me over a week ago now.  I was flat out of it for about 3 days doing nothing much but sleeping and since then trying to get well and still sleeping a lot.  I was not prepared for it at all .  

Not every challenge has to be dealt with on Monday. That's what Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday are for!

Lawrence Spindel

Family and friends told me that it takes about a week to recover, and I’m finding out that it’s a little more than a week.  I am recovering, slowly but surely.  About the time I think I’m better, I do too much and find myself feeling worse.

This getting well is a challenge for me and I’m learning that a little patience is needed.  It’s not over but it is better and I’m taking it one day at a time.

There's always room for improvement, you know--it's the biggest room in the house.

Louise Heath Leber

Chapter 2, Page 22, Book 18

Short and Sweet

They say the best way is just to live one day at a time.  If you try to live seven days at a time, the week will be over before you know it.

Pam Brown

Chapter 2, Page 21, Book 18

Short and Sweet

Try to make at least one person happy every day. … If you cannot do a kind deed, speak a kind word. If you cannot speak a kind word, think a kind thought. Count up, if you can, the treasure of happiness that you would dispense in a week, in a year, in a lifetime!

Lawrence G. Lovesick 

Chapter 2, Page 20, Book 18

Short and Sweet

I wake each morning with the thrill of expectation and
the joy of being alive.  And I'm thankful for this day.

Angela L. Wozniak

Chapter 2, Page 19, Book 18

Short and Sweet

Whatever our hands touch -
We leave fingerprints!
On walls, on furniture
On doorknobs, dishes, books.
There's no escape.
As we touch we leave our identity.
Wherever I go today
Help me leave heartprints!
Heartprints of compassion
Of understanding and love.
Heartprints of kindness
And genuine concern.

May my heart touch a lonely neighbor
Or a runaway daughter
Or an anxious mother
Or perhaps an aged grandfather.

Send me out today
To leave heartprints.
And if someone should say,
'I felt your touch,'
May they also sense the love
that is deep within my heart.

Author Unknown

Chapter 2, Page 18, Book 18

Short and Sweet

Until I’m totally well and back on my feet here my posts will be Short and Sweet.  Hopefully I will be able to find something to share each day that will make your day just a little more pleasant in some way!

Goodness Knows

Goodness knows that sometimes the greatest thing in the world is a smile from a child.

So Goodness laughs a lot.

Goodness knows that it’s easier to break a child than to mend one,

So goodness handles with care

Goodness knows that everyone deserves a second chance,

And sometimes a third and fourth chance, too.

Goodness knows that we all need friends in this world,

So Goodness is determined to be friendly.

Goodness knows that only people count,

So Goodness never counts out people.

Goodness knows that life is sometimes lonely,

But we are never alone.

And when the sorrows of life are left unexplained, it’s still not too much to bear,

For we can trust that Goodness knows.

Author Unknown

Chapter 2, Page 17, Book 18

Chapter 2, Page 13, Book 18

When the power of love over comes the love of power, the world will know peace.

Jimi Hendrix

There is no greater power than Love.  It has the ability to transform and ordinary moment into something magical.  It can heal old wounds and take away negativity.  Love is limitless and timeless.  It will never run out.  It will always be with you.

The power of love is the glue that puts us together when we are broken.

Love makes a difference in every life it touches.  Love uplifts, strengthens, energizes.  Love empowers.  Love matters because with out it, nothing else will.

Never underestimate the power of love, for it shines in the darkest moments.

Chapter 2, Page 12, Book 18

Sometimes people don’t understand the promises they’re making when they make them. But you keep the promise anyway. That’s what love is. Love is keeping the promise anyway.

John Green

Promises can be tricky.  None of knows with complete certainty what will come and this means we can’t always keep our promise.   

No one is perfect but we can still promise ourselves and loved ones to have the best intentions.

Keep every promise you  make and make only promises you can keep

Anthony Hitt

A promise to love someone is a promise to give them your best even when they are at their worst.  It’s a promise to believe in them even when they struggle to believe in themselves.

A promise makes a person accountable and it’s important those promises are ones that you can keep.  If you can’t keep a promise, don’t make it.

But I have promises to keep. And miles to go before I sleep

Robert Frost

Chapter 2, Page 11, Book 18

Love notices. Love pays attention to words, emotions, actions, and people that others overlook and miss.

Rick Warren

Paying attention pays off, for we are happiest when we give ourselves away. If you love someone, pay attention.

Love looks out for the interest of others.  Love pays attention to the small things that can have a big impact.

I’m sharing a story today that I read in one of my morning devotionals.  It seemed to fit right in with my theme and so I thought you might enjoy it too.

Once upon a time a woman was flying on a plane across the country. She was feeling afraid and sorry for herself and very annoyed by the sniffling of a little boy sitting beside her. She scolded the man on the other side of the child for not taking care of him.

This child isn't with me, he said, I thought he was yours.

The little boy wiped his tears and said, I'm with nobody. When my Aunt Maggie gets tired of me in New York, she sends me back to California, and my aunt in California doesn't want me either and sends me back to New York.  I was kind of...scared...and wished someone would pay attention to me.

So what did the woman do? She forgot her fears and her loneliness and her annoyance, all her sour feelings. She put her arms around the little boy, who snuggled against her and fell asleep with a smile on his face. 

Give whatever you are doing and whoever you are with the gift of your attention

Jim Rohn

Chapter 2, Page 10, Book 18

The best proof of love is trust.

Joyce Brothers

The foundation of love is trust.   

Love is built on mutual interest, care, trust and respect.    Whether in a friendship, family relationship of business or personal partnership, any bond is built on trust. 

 Without trust you have nothing, with it you can do great things.

Trust is like a mirror, once its broken its never the same.

The basic principle of trust is easy:  do what you say you are going to do. 

Try and trust will move mountains

Proverb

Chapter 2, Page 9, Book 18

Love Giving

Someone taught you how to love,

and probably didn’t know it.

And in return, with every day,

It’s now your turn to show it.

When you love, you give a gift.

And when you’re gone it stays

To be passed on by the ones you loved.

To make some one else’s day

So remember someone who loved you,

and show how much you care,

By sharing all the love they gave

With people every where.

When you give away your love,

That doesn’t mean it’s gone.

Love will last forever,

so open your heart…

and pass it on.

Author Unknown

You give love away and you still have it too.  It goes and them comes straight back to you.  Love gladdens sad hearts and brighten dull days.  When you give away love, you actually have more of it.  The more love you give, the more you have.

Love wasn’t put in your heart to stay.  Love isn’t love until you give it away

Love takes many forms and shapes.  It could be a smile, a hug, a listening ear  Giving love means being loving.  Being accepting towards a person no matter what you think of them or their actions.  We can never run out of love no matter how much we give away.

Love is always bestowed as a gift — freely, willingly and with out expectation.  We don’t love to be loved; we love to love.

Leo Buscaglia

Chapter 2, Page 8, Book 18

The art of love…is largely the art of persistence

Albert Ellis

 Persistence is an action of love.  Love is a force that persists and bonds us not only to one another but to everything around us. 

Love is not easy. Love is not an accident. Love takes work. Love takes time. Love takes persistence. 

Love doesn’t give up easily.  No matter what obstacles happen, love will find a way.

You really shouldn’t say I love you unless you mean it.  But if you mean it, you should say it a lot.  People forget.

Author Unknown

Chapter 2, Page 7, Book 18

There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up.

John Homes

One of the most basic ways we love others is through kindness.  Kindness starts with caring and being tenderhearted and compassionate toward others.

Love and kindness are never wasted.  It doesn’t matter if you do a small act of a kindness or a big one, the important thing is that you are kind and it’s never a waste of time.

Flatter me, and I may not believe you.  Criticize me, and I may not like you.  Ignore me, and I may not forgive you.  Encourage me, and I will not forget you.  Love me and I may be forced to love you.

William Arthur Ward

When we share glimmers of hope, we lift each other up.  When we’re kind to one another and build each other up we are not only lifting up someone else but we’re lifting up the people around us to.  Being kind is contagious.  

I am going your way, so lets go hand in hand.  You help me and I’ll help you.  We shall not be here very long…so lets help one another while we may.

William Morris

Chapter 2, Page 6, Book 18

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around

Leo Buscaglia

There is a lot of power in the human touch.  It heals, connects, nourishes and soothes.  When your touch conveys affection or happiness, you pass along that feeling to whoever you touch.  

Simply touching another person can make us feel more secure and less anxious.  It is not just children who could use a warmer reassuring hug to make things a little better.

A hug delights and warms and charms,

that must be why God gave us arms.

Author Unknown

The nurturing touch of a hug builds trust and a sense of safety.   A touch can show that we’re loved and special.  

They say say there is nothing like a pat on the back to give encouragement to others or to show them how we much we appreciate a job well done.

The picture below is DDIL#6 and our little Lucky Guy

Reach out and touch someone…

Chapter 2, Page 5, Book 18

Love puts the fun in together, the sad in apart  and the joy in a heart.

Anonymous

I really relate to this quote as I have a large family that only gets together for the holidays for the most part.  There are a few that live close by but time and distance keep us apart more than not.  

The picture above is one of my favorites but was taken awhile ago as the grand babies on my lap have either turned eight years old or will be eight this year.

It is a joy for me to have such a big family and I’m very thankful for all of them, but distance makes a big difference. 

My children and grandchildren are the frosting on the cake and when we do see each other, we have a great time.  If’ it’s possible to make up for lost time, we certainly try.

They say that in any relationship you get what you put into it.   And if nothing else our family  gives lots and lots of love.  

Another quote that I like says, 

Family, we may not have it all together, but together we have it all.

To me this is what family is all about.  What one can’t do, another can.  It is in caring and sharing together that makes a family so important.

Families are love, memories and laughter we all share together and for me, together is a wonderful place to be.

When love and skill work together, expect a masterpiece

John Ruskin