See the hammock? Can you imagine yourself in this spot, in the hammock, eyes closed, the breath of a breeze kissing your skin -its touch soft as a butterfly? I can, and often do. Imagination is a magical thing, is able to take us anywhere we wish to go, whether that be Paris, Jerusalem, Greece, Mexico, or New York. It can also enable us to cope better, helps us to wind down after a stressful day.
    Some people have told me (when I was younger), that I needed to grow up, needed to put away childish things, to stop daydreaming so much. It used to make me very sad, made me feel as if they were asking me to stop being myself- and in a sense they were.
   Children's imaginations help them cope with difficult things, enables them to learn how to put themselves in another person's shoes, helps them stretch their comfort zone, develop creativity, and in my case, it allowed me to distract myself from painful experiences. When hurting, I'd imagine how it would be later on, when everything had settled, when the adults had settled their differences. It got me through the sad and difficult moments.
It still does.

Sometimes, when my children were younger, they would ask me questions or tell me things that made me smile, reminded me of myself at their age. For instance: my daughter had a difficult time learning to eat veggies. One day, at the dinner table she was pushing  them around her plate with her fork, making the most horrible faces. "I don't know how these little green trees can be good for me when they taste so bad."
   Her younger brother laughed- told her, "Pretend they're Christmas trees then."
   Another time she asked if Jesus liked Spaghetti. "He might," I said.
   "Good, was her response. I'm going to save some of mine for him."

I didn't spend much time with my father growing up, so treasured the times I had him to myself. One day he took me with him, can't remember where we were going. What I do remember is the conversation.
   We passed under a bridge. I asked, "Dad, how many boxes of oleo could you stack from the ground to top of bridge?
     "Not sure. Quite a lot, I imagine."
     "One hundred?
      "Maybe."
      "More?
      "Don't know?
      "Less than?"
      "Not sure."
      "well guess."
         He changed the subject. I asked then, how far the stars were, what made them shine so bright, asked how did the man who made our car know how to do that; asked  where rubber came from, how old would he grow up to be? I asked who invented paint and how come the water we drink is a different color than ocean water. After awhile he began to get frustrated. He didn't get mad, just sighed and said," Doesn't your mind ever shut down?"
  I guess it doesn't. A car passes our house and I wonder where the people in it  are going, if they are happy, sad, if they believe in God or not. I go to the store, and while shopping, notice everything and everybody; wonder if the lady in front of me knows what a good example she is being for her child, by being so patient and kind to a rude checker. I go to the park, and see a couple sitting quietly on a bence nearby; notice the way the lady is sitting, head down, kind of hugging herself, gently rocking back and forth; notice the way the  man next to her is patting her shoulder, but not looking at her. He is staring into the distance, a sad look upon his face. I find myself imagining the worst of things going on in their life, find myself grateful, though I'm not sure why, that it is not me on that bench,
     Imagination is a wonderful thing. With but a little imagination we can often find solutions to problems, come up with a new and different approach, perhaps the one that will WORK this time.

Keep on dreaming. Don't ever give up on your dream. Some of the most beautiful, wonderful, delightful things in the world began with that first step. We don't come into the world knowing it all, but are capable of learning many things.

I woke to sunshine this morning, no wind, no snow, no rain. I hope, whereever you are you woke to something that lifted your spirits too; if not the sun, then perhaps knowing how loved you are, that your daily needs are always met, that you have a best friend, and a brand new day offering you a  DO OVER. Gotta love that!
    I have a lot to do today so am going to sign off now.
    REMEMBER: Life is short. Create a beaiutiful memory today.
    Love you much.
   

Keep On Keeping On

No two ways about it, life is HARD. And I think sometimes we make it even more difficult without realizing it. How? For two reasons (at least two that I

now recognize). The first is forgetting that the world runs on opposites:  a child is born- another child dies; a man finally gets the job he needs - another man loses the job he's had for twenty-five years; a couple is getting married
while another is getting a divorce; somebody is cured of cancer- another person isn't; one child becomes a success - another winds up in prison; today, a storm rages today - tomorrow the sun is warming our bones. Viewing life realistically, remembering how truly unpredictable it is, enables us to not be caught off guard so much. It teaches us to embrace the better, sunnier, brighter, more joyous moments, to appreciate them more. 

The second way we make life more difficult, in my opinion, is by making our trials, hurts, sorrows and disappointments our point of focus. A man cannot look at both sides of a coin at the same time. Neither can he be both happy and sad at the same time; he's either one or the other. We forget, I think, that we DO have control over how we feel. This is not to make light of depression (I've
struggled with it my entire life). I'm just trying to encourage those of you who may be experiencing stormy weather right now, as I am.
  
Like many of you, I got up this morning with the same set of trials I went to

bed with. But this morning I determined that they were not going to pull me under. I reminded myself that yesterday is gone, and just because things didn't work out then doesn't mean they won't now. Sometimes, we just have to accept that we were wrong about something, and move on.

Each new day offers opportunites to do things differently, to improve ourselves, to learn more. I've often reminded you that "IT WON'T ALWAYS RAIN."

And I have also said "A new day= a new way."

We need to try to remember that; to not forget that yesterday, with all it's pain, fears, worries, disappointments, mistakes and sorrows is gone, is behind us now.

Each new day is a brand new gift box, filled with blessings, both large and small.

They are there, I promise. But sometimes, especially when life is hard, it takes us longer to recognize them.

                           Todays Food For Thought

           1-Listen to the what you say- and the tone used when you say it/

           2- We believe what we tell ourselves.

          3- Think before speaking- or doing.

         4- You may feel alone sometimes, lost even, but in truth, you never are,
             because God keeps track of His children.

         5-If forgiveness seems impossible, just say the words
            and ask God to help you mean what you say.

        6-Our lives are what they are because of choices we made,
           or didn't make.