Is it really that Simple?

This was sent to me today, it was one of those 'send this on and you will receive a miracle,' type things. I don't usually even read these let alone send them on but I happened to read this and thought it was relevant and wanted to post it.

A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with his hair fashionably combed and shaved perfectly, even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today. His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready.

As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on his window.

'I love it,' he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.

'Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room; just wait.'

'That doesn't have anything to do with it,' he replied.

'Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged .. it's how I arrange it in my mind. I already decided to love it. 'It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do.

Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I'll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away. Just for this time in my life

Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you've put in.

So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories!
Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank.
I am still depositing.' Remember the five simple rules to be happy:

1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.

Unfortunately these 5 simple rules hang up a lot of people, including me so my goal today is to pick one of the 5 and make it work for me today.
I will check back later and confess how I did.

Let the Good News roll!

Okay, there seems to be a glut of bad news out there and it is getting a tad bit depressing, so here is my solution. I want good news I mean I want to hear your good news. Surely there is more going on in the world besides an election that offers me no choice (except Sarah Palin), a bailout of very, very greedy banks, or wall street continuing its downward spiral.

Enough already... Give me some good news! I will start. I have started an exercise program where I walk with the DH a mile twice a day. I am actually feeling some really positive side effects from the aforementioned activity, the greatest being a feeling of well-being. I have also started taking my Pro-Argini9 Plus at least twice a day preferably three and my Thyroid seems to be getting whipped into shape. Whoopeee! I have 8 (count them) 8 wonderful, beeutiful grandchildren and 8 (again count them) 8 stupendous kids and kids-in-law. I live in the greatest country on earth. I am married to the man that most women only dream about being married to (love ya honey). I still have my parents around to lead me and guide me (not to mention, walk beside me) and travel with me to Disneyland.

Man, I could go on and on but the purpose of this blog is to hear from you about your good news. It is time to focus on the good, wonderful, positive aspects of our life and I am more then ready. ARE YOU WITH ME? Okay then, LET'S ROLL!

Gratefully There is only one of me

HowManyOfMe.com

There is 1 person with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Interestingly enough there are 61,050 people in the USA with my first name, and it happens to be the 697th most popular. Who knew. But the thing I like the most is that there is only one person in the whole of the USA with my first and last name and that would be ME! I know it probably says way too much about my self-absorption but that makes me feel special.

Water anyone? The hose is out back

So I found this website that helps you organize your home and then clean it on a daily basis in only 19 minutes a day. I can't even take a shower in 19 minutes a day. I was intrigued, nay facsinated by the very thought. Well, do you know what you can do with the rest of your day if the house only takes you 19 minutes. It is mind boggling I tell you. The very thought leaves me speechless. (Thank goodness the hands can still type) Her first suggestion is to make your sink shine. Now this was a bit of a tickler for me as my sinks are not ceramic or stainless steel as you can see from the photos. They are a composite material that while I find it wonderful and very lifelike, it stops just short of shiny. So I took Olive oil and coated my clean marvel as per the instructions. Anyway I followed the directions and then stood back admiring, I asked my dear husband what he thought of the job, 'Looks great,' he said and then promptly turned on the water to wash his hands. 'Wait, wait,' I cried, 'you can't use it, that would take off the clean almost shiny look.' He looked at me a bit perplexed, shook his head and walked away. I know it is a sacrifice but I think the website is right, we may not be able to have the conveniences of running water in our house but I will never again be embarassed by hard water deposits and a stained sink. Well I have to run, I need to go out back and wash my hands in the hose. Have a sparkly day.

Is it hot in here or is it just me?

Today was not altogether ordinary, there was yet one more fire to put out and hurt feelings to massage, you know the typical stuff. The thing that made today different from every other day was the fact that I actually felt good about the fire extinguishing thing.
Sometimes I do things out of pure habit, sometimes out of guilt and sometimes I actually do things with the intent to fix something so that I can move on. Today was the latter. And can I tell you, it felt good.
I am not saying that I was in the wrong completely or the other party was in the wrong completely, (I think that in most situations there is blame to go around and then some)but it felt good to finalize something that has been nothing but a nagging rock in my shoe. Isn't it funny that we can do something to ease someone else's misery (not to mention our own) but we don't do it. We just continue to limp along trying to adjust the rock in our shoe to different positions thinking it will hurt less somewhere else instead of stopping, taking off the shoe, shaking out the rock, and moving on. I tell ya, as humans sometimes I think we are not quite playing with a full deck. Anyway, it is done, at least this episode is done and I am free to move on to the next fire.

Go Cougars!

Well here we are at the wonderful BYU-Wyoming football game. The weather couldn't have been better, it was slightly overcast with the possiblity of rain and that kept the temperature down. We knew that it would be a good game when after just the first few plays BYU picked up a fumbled lateral pass and ran it back for a touchdown. Whew-hoo that was so on the ball of that little defensive player. I am not very well versed in the sport of football but even I knew that the player that scooped up the ball was very on top of things. The game became particularly exciting when with only 6 minutes left in the first half, the sun went behind the scoreboard in the south endzone (where our seats are) and stayed there until there were only 2 minutes left in the game, talk about good Karma. Oh, and Steve the wonderful went down at half time and came up with some very tasty, if not expensive, hot dogs with relish and katsup or Ketchup, catsup or however you wish to spell it, along with a caffeine free Coke (the only kind they sell at the Y). Food for my tummy, liquid refreshment, shade and what turned out to be a blessed breeze coming from the North, what more could a girl want. Oh, and Steve also rented me one of those hard plastic chairs with a back that hooks to the bleachers so I was also comfortable. (what a guy, as you can see from the picture). Anywho just wanted to share my wonderful Saturday with the Mr. Can't wait for the next time the stars align and I am right in the path of perfection.

PS and for those that are interested, it was a shut-out, BYU 44-Wyoming 0

The power of Football Players

I had a great opportunity last night. It was our privilege to attend the fireside put on by the BYU football players. For those of you that are reading this and already know about the firesides, you know what I am talking about, if you don't I must put in a plug for this. Those on the team that choose to participate put on this fireside that includes talks by the players and coach Mendenhall and his wife. They also have musical numbers that are just wonderful. Any time we have attended it has been standing room only. There is one held the night before any game, even the away games and the crowd is full of youth. Youth are who this is meant to help and affect but anyone that attends will leave with their testimonies strengthened. It is a testimony building, faith enhancing evening. This is a wonderful time and all ages benefit from it. I cannot say enough about this great program, if you have one coming to a town near you please, please do anything you can to get yourselves and your kids to it, you will not be sorry. It will be the best hour of your week.

Choosing the Right

Sometime it is so hard to do the right thing. I know what needs to be done and what should be done, but sometimes my natural man tries to take over and if I am not careful I not only succumb, I jump feet first on the band wagon. I do want to do the things that will make my Savior proud of me but when the cold cruel world keeps taking cheap shots at the people that mean the very most in the world to me, My Family, I have to keep breathing deeply to gain control.
My one and only darling daughter, who I have been greatly blessed to have as a friend, has had a very emotionally trying experience in the past two weeks. She has been battered and spit upon (figuratively speaking) and even when the situation should be put to rest, there are those that continue to pour salt by the gallons into her wounds. The mother bear in me starts seeing red and I can feel the blood of righteous indignation surging through my veins until I think that they will pop.
Can anyone out there explain to me WHY people go out of their way to destroy another human being? What could possibly be in it for them. Don't they realize that the dark one who is whispering in their ear so constantly to go for blood, is a liar. There will be no good come to those that choose to hurt, maim and destroy another spirit.
I know that this is not a very pleasant blog but my heart is aching and broken for my daughter as I can do nothing but preach patience, kindness and understanding all the while trying to control my own tendencies for revenge.
It is moments like this when I feel the weight of my Saviors atoning sacrifice, the blessing from it are mine for the taking but only if I do that which proves me a worthy recipient. I also feel the grief that he suffered that my daughter now is feeling as she tries to overcome her own feelings of pain. He suffered so that he knows how to comfort her wounded soul.
Maybe I have just answered my own question, maybe just maybe we are allowed to suffer at the hands of others so that we can have a greater need and appreciation for that which can save us, if we let it.

You Never Quit Learning

I had a learning moment last night. I had blogged about my most recent trip to my happy place. I added pictures, published the post and sat back secure in the knowledge that one more post was under my belt, then the call came. My sister called with an edge to her voice, I was worried about what might have happened to the folks (as they are visiting her right now). She said 'Roxanne, I just read your blog, were you talking about so and so? I was stunned, no! I told her, of course I wasn't talking about them. Oh good, she said, I was afraid you were referring to them. I then hung up and promptly reread what I had written, and you know, I could see why she might have thought that. I then did a complete and quick rewrite to make sure what I actually said was what I really thought I was saying. It was a lesson for me. I know that sometimes the littlest things create the biggest problems in our lives just because we are not clear with our communication process. I quite regularly think things in my head and then remark about said things to Steve and he looks at me like I just dropped out of the sky. The conversation makes complete sense to me, he just wasn't privy to the first half. It makes me wonder how many of my current "situations" (hurt feelings etc.) have been of my own making because I haven't expressed myself correctly.
I have learned my lesson, I will try to be clearer when talking with people around me and then if they still insist on getting all bent out of shape I will at least know that I have done my part to keep the carnage to a minimum.

Pictures of the Fam

This is what happens when I haven't posed the troops. The top one is the after picture.

My Home Away from Home

Well here we are in the Happiest Place on Earth. My husband, parents and I spent two glorious days basking in the sun and enjoying the atmosphere, It was awesome. Thanks mom and dad for joining me in my trek to a place I love, you made it just that much more special. The joy of having people you love and that love what you love make the trip almost magical.

The importance of having the right company joining you on your trip to bliss was brought home to me when I spent the following afternoon with some business friends we met at the park that did not share my particular addiction to my happy place. This is a trip that should only be taken with those that share your particular passion for the mouse and all that comes with him.

These folks just did not have the vision necessary to transport themselves from a world of cares and traffic jams to a place where the worst thing that could happen to you is a little dousing with water and a tasty Pineapple Whip while you dry off.
I will in the future be much more careful when selecting those I wish to share my experience with.
If you can't handle smiling without trying to or sitting, really sitting and soaking in the feeling of make believe along with songs that almost make me do an impromptu dance that would rival anything on "so you think you can dance", you must stay back at the hotel. There are plenty of things to keep you busy out there in the cold cruel world.
As for me and mine we want to take any opportunity to feel free, to become a child again. Thanks Mom and Dad for planting that seed in my little heart when but a tiny child (yes, I was tiny once) and thank you Walt Disney for making such a place for me to do just that.

A little of this, a little of that

Well, it has been quite a while since I last posted and I have been reminded by my dear little niece that I have been absent. You see, this is why I have never been successful at keeping a journal, I get caught up in the day to day comings and goings and forget all about the need to put things down in print. I don't even have a good excuse for not posting, nothing exceptionally time consuming has demanded my time. I have also not had an especially delightful experience that I wanted to share (of course that has not stopped me from sharing before). I think that I will just share some of the cute pics of my grand babies for all to enjoy. When in doubt, trot out the little darlings (who doesn't love to look at cute little kids). Oh, I do plan on having much more to blog about in the coming days as we are heading out to sunny southern Cal tomorrow. We are going with my parents and if mom and dad are along there will be innumerable stories to share. I will keep you posted.