Friday, June 26, 2009

You are what you think!


Don't worry be Happy? Recall that song? Well, it is true.

A person is a product of his or her own thoughts. Thoughts form the thermostat which regulates what we accomplish in life. Isn't this the truth?
Some people are so happy while others are so discouraging.
It is because your body responds and reacts to the input from your mind. When you feed it with doubt, worry, and discouragement, that is what comes out.
Adjust the thermostat forward---to thoughts filled with vision, hope, and victory---and count on that kind of day. You become what you think about.


Thoughts, positive or negative, grow stronger when fertilized with
constant repetition. That may explain why so many who are gloomy and
gray stay in that mood, and why others who are cheery and enthusiastic
continue to be so, even in the midst of difficult circumstances.
Happiness (like winning) is a matter of right thinking, not intelligence, age, or position. Our performance is directly related to the thoughts we deposit in our memory bank. We can only draw on what we deposit.
Excerpted from Come Before Winter and Share My Hope

These ideas come from Chuck Swindle and are so true!
I am going to be a positive person- I love my job and I love my life and I can keep up the diet and loose weight and be a thin person again. I can exercise and swim and walk and be thinner.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Wild? Wednesday


Today I planted and watered some flowers. Thought about writing a story/novel/book. Thought about how great it would be to live in Hawaii. Looked up living in South Carolina~ and went swimming in Oxford at 6:30 p.m. The most fun thing was all of it. So little makes me happy!

Monday, June 22, 2009

Growing Old- And the secrets of such

I read this scripture to day and found it very meaningful especially in light of growing old and moving on.

"My son, if you will receive my words
And treasure my commandments within you,
Make your ear attentive to wisdom,
Incline your heart to understanding;
For if you cry for discernment,
Lift your voice for understanding;
If you seek her as silver
And search for her as for hidden treasures;
Then you will discern the fear of the LORD
And discover the knowledge of God."



Starting last winter I began to think about what comes next.
Lots of unanswered questions:
Where do I want to live out my days?
How do I keep in touch with old friends? And my family?
Who will do these things when the oldest die out?
What is important about being older and wiser?

First point: getting old is a trial, but the alternative is worse... Actually I am not afraid of that....
Eat less exercise more Stay away from processed foods
Connect with friends from the past, you never know what will come next. I spent time in Ky. with JoAnn and Jo-Ann Kristensen came here and Sharon and I have reconnected. Through facebook. When Suanne McMillan died I saw lots of friends former teachers and that was good. If we move elsewhere we will lose friends from 25 to 40 years of our lives. So maybe going to N.Carolina or Georgia or ST. Joe/Benton Harbor isn't a good idea. You need to keep your history.

Looking on line for a place to move- I really want to go to the beach or nearer to the beach. But the on line words don't really tell you what the place is like to live. Neither does it tell you what the problems are and everywhere they have problems.

So to stay or to go?

Friday, June 19, 2009

Chairs


I think today we should consider chairs.
Chairs are very functional. They have four legs to hold you up and some have arms to help you up. Some are low slung and some are stiff and sturdy. You can rest there. You can sleep there. Although you might get a crook in your neck, if you sleep there for too long a time. And they are very useful when you are shopping and need to rest!
Katie needs some for her house--particularly kitchen chairs, though she has some great ones that work well outside.
My outside ones are plastic and have lasted a long time.
In the classroom I have blue ones and light weight blue ones but only two with wheels and three grown up chairs. Once I had a rocking chair but a student broke it, ( this happened on a day I was absent.) He stuck his head between the rungs in the back support part of the chair.
In our living room we have a rocking chair and a recliner and two chairs with wheels, one is for the computer and one the scrapbooking tables.
I used to like to sit in a chair at the pool and watch as my children were swimming and diving. Now though I can't sit in the pool chairs and get up gracefully as they are too low.
I like the chairs at my parent's cabin in Michigan. They are caned, by my father and some have arms which make them easy to get out of. They are arranged across from the couch so that guests can take a seat when they come into the cabin. Others are pushed into the table so that you can sit on them during dinner.
We all need to sit in chairs. If a chair is empty then anybody should be welcome to sit in it. In my classroom people get to sit in the teacher's chair or in the rolling chair as a reward. A.M. Smith says in the book tea Time For the Traditionally Built that the problem with the modern world is that not enough of us are prepared to share our chairs.

That is true for many things. We are not prepared to share we just use and throw aside.
I chose the photo in honor of Thea's birthday today and Father's Day on Sunday. FYI they are sitting in chairs. Yep! Chairs are great!

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Birthdays

Tomorrow is my baby sister's birthday. She will be 50. I remember when she was born. One of our grandmothers was with us. In the morning when I got up I went to see mom and dad and they were gone- not in their bed. Thea was born. Lots of good memories about her.
She was a smart little girl. She learned to read before kindergarten. She taught herself to whistle a unique way through her teeth. Now she has the loudest whistle around. I think I heard this from someone. My sister had staight A's through 12 grade. Though she didn't go to college she could have and would have done extremely well there. She got my parents to stop smoking and to use plain, white kleenex to save the environment. She is kind, helpful, and very patient. She loves to dress up and she loves to play games. She loves music (can't sing so she says) and she loves her family.
Happy Birthday little sis!

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Books and thoughts








As a ninth grader in 1967 I was captivated by the Soviet Union/Russia/ and Tsar Nicholas and his wife. So on the Saturday I began a book called The Romanov Bride. Today I finished it and decided to read some more about the Romanovs and got a book called the Last Chapter. It is interesting because it tells their final story and final hours and it also includes the struggles of the scientists to find exhume and prove the bones identity.

Thoughts- Revolution sure is/was bloody and violent. I am glad that in America in my lifetime we have not had this kind of rebellion. I am also glad that there is no more royalty- well maybe there is you just don't really see or hear much about it any more. They (the really rich and noble) keep a very low profile.