It could change in an instant

You can't get too comfortable in Life because Life is always changing. As you have probably already experienced many changes, so you know that in an instant everything could change. Not all the changes you will have to make will be easy. But you know that you have to make the necessary changes no matter how difficult they may be. Although not all the changes come from out of the blue. Like New Year's resolutions, those you make on the last few days of the year. As you sit quietly reflecting on what happened throughout the last year. First count your blessings. Then decide what you want to do differently to make the New Year the best it can be. Keeping in mind that if something or someone held you back the last year, don't let it hold you back this year. You won't know exactly what the New Year will bring but you do know what not to bring. If we all make a New Year's resolution to do one act of kindness a week, the New Year would be better for everyone. Stay safe as you ring in the New Year.

Another year has flown by

Doesn't seem like it has already been a year since we celebrated the New Year. But regardless it is time to ring in the New year. Time sure does fly by. In the blink of an eye, weeks fly by. Before you know it fifty two weeks have flown by. That might be nice for a child but the older you get the more you realize that you wish you could slow down time. Young children don't stay young for long. Before you know it they are adults. And old adults certainly wish they could slow down time because they know they only have so much time to enjoy. Enjoying every moment you can throughout your life means you have to slow down whenever you can so you can enjoy it. Time won't wait. As we wind down 2019 let's take the time to count your blessings. And I would like to wish good health and happiness to you all in 2020. Be safe as you celebrate the New Year.

Memories of Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone. The presents have all been opened and enjoyed. Now the room looks bare. Short of a few scraps of paper that flew around as they ripped open the packages to see what was inside. The garbage man will have lots of trash to pick up this week. Now that Christmas has come, New Year's is just days away. Time to make plans about what the New Year will hold for you. Keep your resolutions realistic. Making unrealistic expectations and goals will only set yourself up for failure. As you reflect on the year gone by, take the time to count your blessings. If you want to start the New Year out with a fresh start then don't bring what didn't work last year with you. JUST FLUSH IT so that 2020 can be the best it can be.

Sometimes it's hard to choose

As I sat down to write a blog today, my mind was full of thoughts. They were all good thoughts about so many things. Memories from the last few days and excitement about the joy the next few days would bring. I was trying to quiet my mind so I could write a blog but I was enjoying all the happy thoughts. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the four fortune cookie papers from the other day. I read each one as I looked for inspiration for my blog. I couldn't choose just one because two of them were fighting to grab my attention. The first one said: Courtesy begins at home. And without a doubt this message needs to be spread. Teaching your child from a very young age to always say thank you and please will teach them to be thankful and appreciative later in life. Every parent is a teacher and their home is their classroom. Even if you don't have children remember it takes a village to raise a child. If we all teach the habit of Humanity it will replace the insanity we see in society. The second fortune cookie that grabbed my attention said: If you want people to like you, like yourself first. Immediately two things came to my mind. You can't be comfortable in the skin your in unless you are comfortable with what you are doing in the skin your in. And two, Let your conscience be your guide.

 

It's time to cheer, Christmas is almost here

I don't know about you but I have several mini Christmas parties with friends and loved ones that are not able to get together on the actual day of Christmas. My first one was yesterday. I have another one tomorrow. No matter if it's on Christmas Day or not, the love, peace, and joy is in the air. It truly is an amazing time of year. And unlike other Holidays that are only celebrated for twenty four hours, the love, peace and joy of Christmas last for thirty days or more. I can't wait to see the happiness on the faces of my grandchildren as they open the gifts I got them. They all gave me suggestions of things they would like to get for Christmas. They keep asking me, did you get this or that for me, with excitement and a big smile. I just keep saying I don't know you will just have to wait and see. Now after weeks of asking, they are just days away from finding out. They wake up at the crack of dawn at their house to see what Santa brought them.  Then they come over to our house to eat breakfast. And by then they are hungry and ready to eat. But they eat mighty fast so they can finally see what I got for them under my tree. For adults we surprise them before Christmas with their gifts to catch them off guard and bring a big smile on their face. Christmas day is all about the kids and enjoying the happiness that just glows on their faces. The smell of syrup as they run with excitement to give us a big loving hug, thanking us for the gifts. After they leave you can still smell the bacon in the air and enjoy the memories of the Joy on their faces. Enjoy every moment you can of the Christmas season before the season changes. And get ready to enjoy the changes that the New Year will bring. Happy Holidays to everyone.

In the beginning...

When you are very young, you see the World as a magical place where all of your dreams can come true. During your teenage years, you think you are invincible, so you have no fears. As you reach adulthood, you believe that everything you always wanted  is yours for the taking. Then you reach middle-aged and by then you know that you have to be realistic about what is possible for you. Then you get old. That's when you know that there are limits to what you can do. Every season in your life is different. Just like winter, spring, summer and fall are different. There is plenty to enjoy no matter what season it is.

You can't feel it unless you first have a thought about it

Obviously the moment it first happens you live it and feel it. Also Everytime you think about it, you relive it and feel it. After it happens you have to think about it to be honest whether it was positive or negative experience. If it was a positive experience, then you can plan on doing it again. But if it was a negative experience then learn what you need to do to make sure that it doesn't happen to you again. Then JUST FLUSH IT out of your mind before it can hurt you again. There will be times when something triggers the thought making it pop up front and center trying to grab your attention. So you will have to JUST FLUSH IT out of your mind at a quick glance, before you have to relive it and feel it again. It would be nice if as soon as you flushed it you would never think about it again. But realistically that is not possible. You will never forget what happened, but it can't hurt you again unless you choose to relive it over and over again. You can't have a feeling without first having a thought. That's why people say what you don't know won't hurt you. That is also why if it hurt you don't keep it fresh on your mind or it will hurt you again. Take the painful experiences from your past and JUST FLUSH IT so it doesn't stink up your future too.

A little bit of kindness goes a long way

I am so happy to see so many smiling faces everywhere I go. The holiday spirit is in the air. It's a shame that it doesn't stay with us all throughout the year. Could you imagine what a difference that would make? We have to enjoy it while we can. An act of kindness, no matter how small, makes a big difference to everyone you are kind to. Usually as we each go throughout our day,  we tend to whisk by each other so fast that there isn't a chance to connect with others. But during the whole month of December, we all slow down our pace just enough to at least make eye contact and share a smile. If you want to make a positive difference you have to do something positive.

Time to wrap things up

Just two weeks left to go until Christmas. Hopefully you have finished all your shopping. It's time to get everything wrapped up and put under the tree. You will be tempted to buy something for someone while you are out and about. But if you want to be done you have to resist the urge to buy anything else. If you get one person another gift it will only make you feel like you have to buy others another gift too, to stay even. I know because yesterday my granddaughter told me something she really wanted for Christmas. Problem is when I got it for her it made her have one more gift for than my other grandchildren. So there I was wondering around the store looking for something for my other grandchildren so they were even, again. Luckily I was able to find bargains and once again I was finished with shopping, again. The lines at the post office are getting longer and longer. You can't even find a parking spot so you can get in the long line. Luckily I am merely going there to check my P. O. Box but unfortunately I need a place to park to go in and check it. So I have decided from now until Christmas I will only go check it after the post office is closed so I can park right up front. To not get frustrated over the crowds that the holiday brings you have to think about how to avoid the busy times whenever you can. I have found that if I go early when the stores first open, I can avoid the crowds. When I need to go to post office, I go after they close to avoid the crowds. To stay Holly and Jolly you got to figure out how to avoid the crowds. Please remember that if you can't afford to buy it then don't buy it. The reason for the season is to have peace and joy, and there is no joy in going into debt for anything. Happy Holidays everyone.

You can't make a mistake more than once because....

We all make mistakes. Learning from our mistakes is a healthy part of our journey. Remember before you can learn anything from them, you have to first admit that you made a mistake. An honest mistake only happens once. Because if you repeat it again then it is a habit not an honest mistake. Your life's journey will be full of Life Lessons. You will have to make many choices and changes on your journey. And to know what choice is best for you, requires you to be honest with yourself. You can't make the necessary changes if you don't admit that anything needs to change. The New Year is starting soon. It's a perfect time to find some free time and find a quiet place to evaluate where you are and decide where you want to be, so you can make any changes that are necessary. The New Year is a chance for a fresh beginning. That is....If you don't bring what didn't work in the past with you. Take all the painful experiences from your past and JUST FLUSH IT out of your mind. Then you will have room for the positive thoughts of what 2020 will be like for you. Your thoughts will determine the reality you live in. Make 2020 the best it can be, by being the best you that you can be.

You shouldn't have to accept something that is unacceptable

If you ignore it then you are saying that it is ok with you. But if you ignore it then it will become a common occurrence. No one should have to accept something that is unacceptable. If you do nothing when it is happening to someone else then it won't be long before it happens to you or someone you love.  We have ignored things for so long that it has created the insanity we see in society today. Don't ignore it, don't let it become common. What happened to common courtesy, common decency, and common sense, being common? If you wouldn't want it to happen to you or someone you love, then don't let it happen to someone else.
 

If only you knew you would understand

You can think you know someone, yet have no idea what they are going through. Some things they choose not to discuss with anyone. You obviously can only base your opinions on what you see and hear. That is why you should be kind to everyone you meet because you have no idea what they may be facing. As the Christmas Season approaches it brings joy. But there are some people who are alone for the holiday, which brings them sadness. If you know someone who doesn't have plans for Christmas, invite them over during the season to share some Christmas Joy with them. You could bake some Christmas cookies and share some with them. I like to pay for the food for the car behind me in a drive thru a couple of times in the days leading up to Christmas. A random act of kindness can help spread the Christmas Joy. Remember the reason for the season is to to spread comfort and joy not go into debt buying gifts you can't afford. Sharing a smile won't cost you a penny. And being patient as you are out in the holiday crowds is the only way to stay Holly and Jolly.

The calendar says fall but that didn't stop the freeze from coming

Just because it is supposed to happen doesn't mean it will happen. Just because it used to work that way doesn't mean it will work that way. In life you just can't get too comfortable with how things are. Because things are constantly changing. You can make plans, but your plans may need to change. You may not like the change but you have to make the necessary changes to keep up with whatever changes. Even though the calendar says it is Fall, it didn't stop the winter temperatures from coming. And you will have to change the clothes you had planned on wearing, to your winter clothes to stay warm outside. You can't predict what the future holds no more than you can predict the weather. Just don't get too comfortable in life because life is unpredictable.