What fun it has been!

What fun it has been reading the comment section of the "Favorite moments of your day" contest. I wish all my conversations and interactions revolved around how great life is. I wish I could be aware of every smile, and know the reason for it. I wish I could see people hugging, laughing, dancing, singing, creating, and celebrating, or at least, get to hear, more often, about how much fun they are having. I wish there was far less complaining, whining and blaming from the people who do those things too often, and more encouragement, empathy, optimism, and joy.

In looking who has replied so far, and I know all of them well, except for one, those people tend to be optimistic, happy people in general. They are the type of people we all look forward to hearing from, and being with. They are people that make life better wherever they are, no matter what they are doing. They touch the lives of others with smiles and laughter, listening ears, and caring hearts. They make a point to enjoy their lives, celebrating the little things as well as the big things. They create happiness, they don't sit around and wait for someone else to do it for them, and they share it with others.

What a pleasure this has been, and I hope to hear from many more people. For those of you that have shared so far, thank you so much. I didn't realize how much fun it'd be for me. It's been the favorite part of my day since the very first comment!

New Contest!!!

See post titled FAVORITE MOMENTS OF TODAY for details...

Favorite moments of today...

Waking up and feeling great!
Getting to spend time with my brother, Don, who I haven't seen in two years!
Holding a new calico kitten. So teeny, eyes tightly shut, sweet little mouth and tiny nose. So Precious!
Wriggling my fingers in my dad's newish full beard. I love it.
Watching my dad interact with my granddaughter, Meg. He's so fantastic with kids.
Getting to spend time with my daughter, Kari. She has a great sense of humor.
Getting hugs and an "I love you" from granddaughters, Britty and Lindsay.
Eating candy corns mixed with peanuts. Kari always has goodies at her house.
Eating a new no fat carmel praline candy frozen yogurt, yum! Unfortunately, eating is always a favorite.
Finally leaving my dad's house after trying to fix a car.
Taking photos of Meg and Britty who were playing models and changing clothes and wigs every few minutes. They never cease to delight me.

What a blessed day!

I'd love to hear some of your favorite moments too.  I'm having a contest...share your favorite moments of the day, and I will choose my favorite one of your favorites and award a gift to the winner. It could be as small as a ten dollar gift card to Starbucks, or Target, or wherever I choose, or let me know where you'd like it from, and/or a 2010 Blue Mountain Arts "Dream" calendar which features one of my poems.  Just leave your favorites in the comments section of this blog, and I'll announce the winner on November 1st. You can enter as often as you want.

Don‘t put your happiness in temporary things…

   When I go to church, I always hope to be inspired, entertained, and enlightened. It doesn’t always happen that way, but a couple weekends ago it did.
  
   The speaker’s name was Nick. He’s from Australia, and has no arms or legs. Nick had an amazing sense of humor, and he made being happy seem effortless. The fact that he has no limbs barely seemed like an inconvenience to him. Though we all KNOW how inconvenient it would be! I think it had such an impact on me because I know so many people who are sad, angry, addicted, and emotionally unstable, yet they have arms and legs! People, we have arms and legs, what more could we want?

   Happiness. Nick had something to say about that as he walked back and forth, with no legs, on a table in front of the thousands of us. He said, “If you put your happiness in temporary things, your happiness will be temporary.”

   The only thing that isn’t temporary is God.

   Nick’s happiness comes from his relationship with God, not his circumstances. He admitted that he has asked God for arms and legs many times. He said that he has a pair of shoes, and long pants, in his closet for whenever God might decide to give him legs. He told us, “You can ask God for anything, but don‘t let your desires supersede your desire for God.” Nick desired God more than anything, and God renewed Nick’s mind, and changed him from being depressed, and at times suicidal, to being happy.

   The turning point, according to Nick, was John 9:1-3. It‘s about a man who was born blind. When asked why that had happened, Jesus had answered that it was “so the works of God should be revealed in him.” Nick said that God spoke to him through this scripture, and that it changed his life. Thousands of people have come to have a relationship with Jesus through Nick’s story.

   We all have a story. With every decision we make, our stories grow and change. I hope that I will never forget Nick, and that whenever I feel offended, hurt, or angry, that I will remember that I don’t have it so bad after all. I hope too, that I will purposely choose to make my story one that glorifies God; like Nick does.

Grandparents day isn't for everyone...

   Grandparents day has come and gone, and I got nothing. Not a card, or a phone call, or a dinner in my honor. No one suggested a family get together, going to a movie, or anything! Nothing, nobody, nada.

   And I have thoughtful kids! Thus, I figured it was just one of those days they didn’t know about. So, I was surprised when I was told they’d sent THEIR grandmas cards for grandparents day! Hm…Weird… So, ya knew huh? … And I am a ???

   Anyway, I suppose I must have felt something less than positive over that fact, or why would I have started to blog about it? I am, after all, a wonderful grandma! Truly! I am not just saying that. I rock! As I was writing (complaining and whining) though, I began to realize that I don’t need a day to be recognized for being a grandparent. My gift for being the grandma is exactly that; the privilege of being the grandma!

   Grandchildren are full of surprises. My granddaughter, Britty, spent the day with me the other day because she was sick. During this recovery period she did fifty cartwheels, twenty-five front rolls, jumped on the trampoline one hundred times, and practiced walk-overs. Then the Motrin wore off, and I saw how sick she really was. Tummy ache and slight fever, even a little cough, so I gave her another dose, then sat down and read stories and babied her. Twenty minutes later, she was asking for ice cream and flipping off the couch! Motrin rules, and that girl is the best entertainment ever!

   Another great thing about being a grandma is that the fun continues even when they aren‘t around. Photos of our times together let me enjoy those memories over and over again; and sharing stories of them delights me, and, whoever I’m telling the stories to. Even just browsing through a store has become an adventure. I can't pass up the doll aisle, the baby clothes, for their dolls, or my future great-granchildren, the toys, or the kids' clothing department. If I find something for any one of them, the anticipation and excitement is a high that trumps any celebration, party, or gift I could receive.

   And I did get a very special grandma gift as Britty was about to go home. Two little arms wrapped around my waist in a tight hug, with a whispered, “When will I see you again?” To which that child was picked up and smooched, with a whispered, “As soon as possible, baby, as soon as possible.”
  
   So, no, I don’t need a special day to be honored as a grandma; every day is already special because of the wonderful, precious, young people that make me one!

Have a wonderful day...

Let me preface this blog with a promise that I'm not going to go all spiritual or religious in all my posts. (Ya' know until I had a blog, I didn't know that's what the 'stories' were called!)

Anyway, I've been thinking a lot lately about all the people who are easily angered, easily hurt, and easily offended and how miserable it makes them, and the people they interact with. I used to be like that, and I can still get angry, hurt, or offended. The difference now is that it happens way less often, and when it does, I get over it way quicker. Thank you, God!

When I'm struggling with something, I go where I know I can find the answer...the Bible, and I came across a verse, Proverbs 18:20b From the produce of his (her) lips he (she) shall be filled.  In my own words, "I will be filled with what my lips produce." So if my lips produce complaints, angry words, rudeness, disrespect, self-pity, and stuff like that, then that's what I'll be filled with, that's what I will put out to others, and that's what my life will be about, and remembered for. (Yuck!)

The other verse I found helpful is Proverbs 18:12a Before destruction the heart of a man (or woman) is haughty... so if we are haughty, prideful, rude, insisting on our own way, always needing to be right, or thinking we're better, our way is better, etc. destruction will follow!!! Perhaps destruction of marriages, friendships, health (mental, emotional, spiritual), maybe jobs, homes, and for sure, the joy of the moment, and all the peace and joy it could've held. Let's choose to let stuff go, and have peace, and fun, instead.

Well, that's it. I had other things I could've written about, and will in a day or two. But I just wanted to try to lighten some hearts, to reach even one person, who too often is impatient, overly-sensitive, angry, sad, frustrated, or depressed. I've been there, and done that, and was miserable. So I thought I'd share a bit of advice from my best friend, God.

The things which are impossible with men are possible with God. Luke 18:27  Have a wonderful day...

Me? A football fan...

 I used to hate football. The whole time I was growing up, my dad would watch it whenever it was on, on our ONLY TV; and he’d yell, and cuss, and pace around the room. Let me emphasize that my dad was a normally kind, fun, loving dad. He was a fireman who often worked two jobs. People have always loved my dad, and so have I. Well, maybe not quite as much, though, during football season. LOL

   Knowing what I knew about men and football, and against my better judgment, I proceeded to marry a football fan. The same scenario was repeated every Sunday during football season. Like my dad, my husband, Randy, would plop on the couch, usually with a couple of beers, and watch game after game, and yell and cuss.

   What is it about a game, that some men take so personally that they let it invade their homes and families? How can their peace and happiness be allowed to be controlled by a game? A game played by complete strangers! Strangers that make a ton of money, don’t care about them, and can’t hear them yelling from outside the TV screen!

   They just don’t get it. And unfortunately, it must run in the family because our youngest son, Josh, had ended up becoming a die-hard Cardinals’ fan. His heart was so wrapped up in that team that my interest was piqued. Every play gave him joy or sorrow, and I began watching parts of the games just to monitor how he would be doing on game days.

   I began asking questions, caring because Josh cared. The more I watched, the more I learned… and the more I watched. A few minutes here and there, then a quarter, a half, and before I knew it, I was a season ticket holder and in the stands in person! And I found out that football isn’t just a game! What? You say! Hey, I was as surprised as anyone. In fact, I was amazed, and at times, even a little appalled, that I cared at all about the game.

   What’s the attraction? Well, being football fans makes us part of a community, a club, a family, sort of. It’s being part of a team. (Go Cards!!!) It’s yelling so loudly, you think you are actually helping. This only applies at the games, it does not work with a TV. And, it’s fun! We all dress in red and white, and wear shirts with players’ names on them. We all meet together and eat, then we all pack into the stadium, watch the game, yell and scream, and eat some more, then we leave, and go get something to eat.

   It’s just very cool being part of something exciting and exhilarating, sometimes exhausting and disheartening. It’s forgetting all the real stresses of life, for a couple hours, to care about something that shouldn't, I mean, doesn’t, really matter, a GAME!