No Words.....

No words for a couple of days......got a few things going on and so I'm not going to be pontificating......explanation to follow soon....:))))) Have a great weekend Guys and Dolls.

Anticipate

Word of the Day..... Anticipate...v.t.,....look forward to, especially with pleasure...There are life happenings that we anticipate all of our lives. When small, we anticipate our birthdays or Christmas and what Santa will bring. The weeks leading up to those events seem long and slow, but delicious because the anticipation is so much fun. As teenagers we anticipate driving. That 16th birthday takes forever to arrive.....what kind of car will be get? How much freedom will we have? On a small sidenote.....I"m way old enough to remember kids not getting cars at 16. It wasn't the practice it is today, but since I spend my life with teens now, I know just how big this 16th deal is. Then at 18 we anticipate leaving the nest...what college will we choose? Or what job will we get? No more parental control....hmmmmmmmmmm. We anticipate at that time being an adult...making our own decisions. Then as we get older other anticipations become more important.....we anticipate college graduation, or starting our own company...seeing the fruits of our long hard years of studying......or long hard minutes...whichever might be the case. My point is our anticipations are ever changing as we reach each goal in life. Even as adults, we can anticipate....or can't wait for....an event....a vacation coming soon, a promotion in a career, an event in one of our children's lives. Anticipation never ceases to bring joy and at times happy tears. Anticipation looks on with love and delight. Anticipation is an emotion that although seemingly drags out time, makes weeks, days and minutes leading up to an event, full of hope and promise. I am full of ANTICIPATION......I hope you are too!!

Use.........

Word of the Day......... Use....v.,....the act or practice of employing something. What have you used today? Well, let's see...I've use my alarm clock, my coffee maker and cup, my microwave, my computer....I haven't been up long and have already used many things. I've used my toothbrush....half way used my brain. We use and use and use and I'm betting you are never aware of 95% of the things you use. It's routine, rote, life. Unless, of course one of those things doesn't work properly. Then we are aware of it's use and that we use it. How many words have I used already? Get it? We are USERS. And you know what? Using these conveniences makes life easier, and thus in many ways happier. But there is a big long line that needs to be drawn in the sand.....and that is when we begin to USE PEOPLE. Then, my friends, users sometimes become ABusers. There are legit reasons to use people....these are the people who are expected to be used and to be compensated for it. We use doctors, lawyers, teachers, mechanics, store clerks...the list can go on and on. But in this life, there are those people who use in ways that are insulting. Impolite, condescending, expectant people whose job, it seems, is to be better than most others and that's when Use becomes ABUSE. Please and thank you's are easy and free.....USE them. Smiles and nods are harmless and uplifting....USE them. Hugs to friends and family are healing.....USE them. Don't be that person who expects....don't be that person who uses just because you can. Be that person who lifts up and appreciates and makes someone else's day just a little better because you know the value of use and the hurt of ABuse.

Nibbled to death.......

WORDS OF THE DAY......... Nibbled to death by the ducks......phrase....... This was one of my mother's favorite sayings...and perfectly describes the way I feel this morning. I love this phrase......not only does it make entirely NO sense in that I doubt anyone has ever known a friend or loved one to have met their death by being nibbled by ducks...but it brings back wonderful memories of my childhood. Whenever there was something my mom really didn't want to do, she would say....I'd rather be nibbled to death by the ducks. Last night, I had a no-sleep night.....watched the clock do its thing until 4 a.m., then was up at 6. So therefore I think I have been nibbled.....and I promise you I will LOOK like I've been nibbled. Possibly nibbled by something bigger and mightier than the Ducks.....I know..that's some kind of movie reference. Anyway....my point is......even though you have a nibbled day....or dread something worse than being nibbled..you just have to go on with your life. Hobbling along....drinking an extra cuppa coffee and pretend like your well of energy hasn't been sucked dry. We all have NIBBLED TO DEATH BY THE DUCKS moments........that's life. It's how you respond that makes you either, well....dead, or stronger. So if you see me today, you might want to look the other way. I'm pretty sure it's not going to be a great sight!!

Update......

Word of the Day.... Update.....v.t.,.....bring up to date. This morning when I turned on my computer there was the 'you need to update' thing. I think it was Java.....sometimes it's Virus Protector or some other thing. Well, you know, some days I just DON'T want to update. But then again, we update things all the time. We update hair styles, we update gadgets, we update car models, we update clothes. We update skin creams so we'll look younger. We update water because apparently there is some that will make us SMARTER. We update vacuum cleaners because some sanitize our floors. I'm telling you we have animals in our house.....floors will NEVER be sanitized and I'm not updating my house to NO animals. We live in an UPDATE world. And it seems like this world updates every millisecond. Buy that new computer and before you get out the door.....uh oh...you need to update. One time I updated my Iphone and wiped it out.....I didn't update I shut it down..completely...it wasn't even a phone. It was a black line going down the screen. So now I have this ICloud thing that does my updating for me. The ICloud is much smarter than I am. For this I'm grateful. We don't hold good thick books anymore, you know where you can smell the pages....we have EReaders. Sometimes I just HAVE TO hold a book....so I put my Kindle down. Those are my NON-UPDATE days. Then it's back to the Kindle because it is so handy. Maybe it's my advanced age, but there are things from yester-years that are too precious to update. I have a Monday attitude today.....possibly I need to update to Tuesday.

Knit............

Word of the Day......

Knit......v.t.,......to form by interlacing yarn or thread in a series of connected loops. My mother was a knitter.  We would go to the yarn store and I would pick out the most gorgeous yarn and she would knit me wonderful sweaters.  Bless her heart....she tried and tried to make me a knitter as well.    Let me tell you, I would rather clean every gutter in Ft Worth than to try and knit a sweater.  I am NOT nor every will be a knitter.  Come at me with a needle and thread of any kind and I start backing up.  And yet....I AM a knitter, as we all are. We all knit together the yarns and threads of our being.  We make priorities and we put things back in the drawers of our lives for later times.  How great is it that we have this opportunity?  Now, I think there is more than one kind of knitter.  My mom, would be at the end of a sweater and look up 20 rows and see some tiny tiny little mistake and then would unravel the entire sweater to fix it. I would look and look for that mistake and beg her to leave it as no one would ever notice.  She would look at me with raised eyebrows and say....I would.  I imagine there are those knitters who think......it's okay, I"m the only one who will ever notice this tiny mistake, so I'm leaving it.  And frankly, I think that's fine too.  The point of all this ramblin' is we each have an amazing opportunity to knit our lives with wonderful gorgeous thread. We can make simple or intricate patterns with each day.  We can unravel the yarn and redo or we can go happily about our business.  The point isn't that we unravel or not; the point isn't that we make simple or intricate patterns.   The point is we have the opportunity to be our own knitter.  Then we show off our sweaters to the world.  Are you proud of what you knit?  It doesn't matter how expensive your thread is, nor how accomplished a knitter you are.  What matters is the chance we are given to knit at all!

Dwell.....

Word of the Day......

Dwell....v.,......linger as in speech and thought.

Mr P. is missing and all I can do right now is DWELL on that fact.  I check the yard 200 times a day.  I have walked around the barns, called out to him, I have dwelled on this fact now until I'm sick.  To me the act of dwelling on something usually connotes a problem.  When I think of someone dwelling, I think they are not happily thinking of circumstances; rather they are worrying, fretting,agonizing.  That's me right now....a DWELLER.  I wonder how you handle those dwelling moments in your life. Do you manage to forget them and go about your business for minutes or hours at a time?  Or do  you lose efficiency and simply obsess as I'm doing now.  Maybe I"m a champion dweller or maybe I'm a loser dweller because nothing else is getting accomplished.  I"m sorry this post isn't insightful, fun or deep.  I'm too busy dwelling.

Dollop......

Word of the Day......

Dollop....n.,.....an amount given, spooned or ladled out.

I've always loved the way the word DOLLOP sounds.  I'll have a dollop of whipped cream on a piece of pie.  Shall we we have a dollop of apricot jam on our toast?  Dollop is just a word with that brings up imagines of a wonderfully set table full of great tasting things......High Tea at the Plaza in New York City...can't you just see Eloise with a DOLLOP of something on her scone.  If you think about it, we all have dollops of this and that in our lives.  Little spooned out pieces of joy that make our lives richer.  Maybe it's a good book, maybe it's a yellow rose bush in full bloom, maybe its a garden lush with fresh vegetables soon to be eaten, or a really good haircut.  Your dollop could be a please or thank you from a complete stranger. It could be that very first sip of hot coffee in the morning, or the tingly first drink of a favorite soda.  I bet if you stop and think, you can come up with DOLLOPS  in your day that you've never recognized as a blessing.  How sad we let the little joyful dollops go by and just consider them routine.  Maybe today you'll keep this wonderful sounding word in your mind and stop and say thanks for all the DOLLOPS you receive. They are gifts not to be ignored.  It's the little things that make your day delightful.  No drudgery......just dollops.

Croquet

Word of the Day.......

Croquet.....n.,....lawn game with balls driven by mallets.

We used to play croquet all the time when I was a kid......My parents had a huge yard and we would run out and put up the little arches, arguing every second that someone hadn't gotten them just right.  Then we'd argue about the color of the mallets we got or the color of the balls.  Now, rest assured, the Williams ladies didn't don wonderful white gowns and the guys put on their white slacks and Ivy League sweaters for these matches......that was in the movies....and our family name was NEVER on the marquee.  Nonetheless, it was a fine time.  We played with revenge in our hearts...if you dared to try and knock my ball out of your way then I would spend the rest of the time trying to pay you back.  We were outside, we were together and we were lovingly trying to 'kill' each other.We won; we lost; we played.  I'm sure the kids of today would be bored in 3 milliseconds.....there were no bright lights...no screaming sound effects.....no background music.  But it was a fine time.  It was a family time.  I think my point this morning is that every family needs that time.  I'm not saying you can't bond over screeching, fast paced video games....grab those Wii's and have at it.  Be competitive...show a little revenge....play your heart out.  There is not much good to be said of a kid that is always 'allowed' to win.  There comes a time in every life when someone is better and is gonna beat you.  If that someone is your mom or dad....that's ok.  Tantrums from teenagers losing on the basketball court or the football field aren't pretty sights.  We've all seen them....The lessons learned at home serve you well....and can be taught in a myriad of ways.  Family time=learning time. Life is a CROQUET game and at some point, you're gonna have your ball knocked out of bounds.  It's all about dealing with life....win, lose or draw.....it's all about dealing.

Path......

Word of the Day......

Path...n.,......a route, a course, along which something/someone moves.

Everybody has a path.  We all go along our daily paths doing our daily things.  Some days our paths are determined by necessity.  We have to take the work path.  We have to take the school path.  We have to take those paths that keep our homes running smoothly.  Our paths are sometimes straight with  no surprise curves.  Some days our paths take a sharp turn to the right or left.  Unexpected twists turn our paths into the unknown.  Do you skid around those unforeseen bends in the road....hands gripping the steering wheel.......feet stomping on the brakes?  Do you turn down the radio, readjust the navigation system?  Or do you alter your sails and enjoy the ride?  How boring would life be if our paths were always straight?  If we plodded along....doing life through rote actions?  Not every bend in the path of life is enjoyable, and the key is to face those bends with determination not fear. Learn, then heal from those paths. Now think about  those turns and twists in the path of life that, although surprising, are also exciting.  Those, my friends, THOSE are what makes everyday a new day.  Enjoy those curve balls.....don't live in a rut.  Climb out of the bar ditch and take your path of life with courage, conviction and enthusiasm.  When your path is in the valley and the curves are dark and scary, think about the top of that mountain where the view is light, airy and uplifting.  Here's to the PATHS OF LIFE.  I, for one, say bring them on!!

Advice......

Word of the Day.......

Advice...n.,...opinion urging choice or rejection of a course of action.

I wrote an article/essay yesterday on 'The Best Advice I'd Ever BEEN Given'.  I like to think about that more than the the best advice I've ever GIVEN.  Giving advice seems to be something we all think we're good at....well, he should ..she should ...you should .  Did you ever stop to think that maybe you SHOULDN'T be giving advice?  Okay, okay...maybe someone asked you for your advice.
Whadda ya do?  Give it? Refuse to give it? Plead ignorance? Knowing most people, I think advice comes hurling out of their mouths with little thought to outcome.  There is a fine line between giving advice and being judgmental......between sharing expertise and giving orders.  If you're asked to give advice and you are comfortable doing it, by all means, go for it.  But please please please....realize that advice can't be withdrawn.  Think about what you're saying before you say it.  Don't be afraid to just bow out.  Giving advice isn't something that should be taken lightly, after all, you're dealing with a life.  It's not weak to say, I just don't know.  Think before you share, order or suggest.  My advice?   Don't give it unless you KNOW what you're talking about.  And if you think you're an expert in ALL THINGS?  My advice is......you're wrong!

Invisible.......

Word of the Day......

Invisible.....n.,.....incapable of being seen.

Do you sometimes feel invisible?  Sometimes I wish I were invisible......just drifting along not being noticed....doing my thing.  There are many invisible things in our lives that surround us everyday...air, thoughts, faith, expectations, feelings.  Here's the thing.  There are some things that have the capability of being invisible but should never be.  Your love for someone is INVISIBLE unless you show it, say it, express it, live it.  We all have people in our lives whom we love dearly.  Don't let your attitude be...well, they know I love them.  Why do I have to tell them every day?  Why do I have to show them?  Why do I have to express that love?  Well, because you just do!!  Love.....TO love and TO BE loved is a blessing you don't want to ignore.  Days are busy, packed with things we feel we have to do and many times we overlook those INVISIBLE things.....those things that brighten ours and someone else's days.  Do you know how much it means to people to hear a friend or family member say...I love you?  No you don't.....unless you're taking EVERY opportunity you have to tell/show them. I have been blessed with so many people in my life whom I love dearly and who love me.  They tell me that.....and show me that...and I try to do the same.  We laugh together...we cry together...we bond with little acts, and words of love.  Please don't let your love be INVISIBLE......time is fleeting......you never know.  You just DON'T!!!

Father.....

Word of the Day..... Father.....n.,...person who has sired A child. Today is Father's Day. Somehow I want it to be Daddy's Day. To me Father connotates politeness, structure, propriety...Daddy connotates rides on shoulders, little league ballgames and wrestling in the grass. Fathers instruct; Daddies teach Fathers pat on back: Daddies give big bear hugs. Never heard..she's a Father's girl. Always heard she's a Daddy's girl. I'm not saying Fathers are bad...they aren't. I'm just saying I hope you have/had a Daddy!! Happy Daddy's day!!

Gathering...

Word of the Day.... Gathering...meeting, assembly Today is a great GATHERING!! It is the third annual SPLASH DAY at my sister-in-law's wonderful home. Girls (take that term very loosely)gather for the day to visit, laugh, sun and swim. Here's the thing about gatherings..they aren't meetings. No roll call, no agenda,no serious matters. Talkers and gabbers abound. It's come and go or come and stay. It's bring a friend or come alone. It's girls being girls. Meeting new friends... catching up with old ones. Here's my point... don't make your life a series of meetings. Throw some GATHERINGS in there. Laugh a litte, no laugh a lot. Meet new people; there is life out there Go live it.

Hares and Tortoises

WordS of the Day.......

Hare...n.,....rabbit like mammal.

Tortoise......n.,....turtle


Are you a tortoise or a hare?  Do you roll the dice and see what happens?  Do you 'fly by the seat of your pants' and hope for the best?  Or are you a methodical thinker?.  Plan out every step you take well in advance?  I think about the old fable of the hare and the tortoise.  The hare was certainly a risk taker...off he went at a wild pace.  The tortoise, on the other hand, slowly made his way down life's path. I think probably the hares of the world drive the tortoises crazy and vice versa.  I'm more of a hare.  Call me and in 15 minutes I'm there.  My husband, on the other hand, is somewhat of a tortoise.  He wants to know time, place , etc., well in advance.  It's a good combination, because when we get where we're going....although my patience is maxed out at our slow pace,.... he has all those things I've forgotten.  Did you lock the door?  Yes.  Did you unplug the coffee pot? Yes.  Did you turn on the outside lights? Yes  Did you make sure that Missy had food and water?. Yes.  Did you make sure I turned off the iron?  No...but remember you have one that turns itself off after 30 minutes......because you're a hare you needed that.  I wish I'd brought a bottle of water...I put you some in the little cooler in the back.  Can you drive faster?  No.....remember we get better gas mileage if we go slower.  I don't care.....Yes, that's evident by your gas usage. I bet you know if you're a tortoise or a hare and I bet you have the opposite somewhere in your life.  Don't you figure there's a reason for that other than to drive each other crazy?  The hares of the world get things done quickly.....the tortoises plod behind sometimes having to tidy up the corners, but enjoying the fact that the path has been made.  I love my tortoise even though at times I want to put him on speed dial. Love the people around you...even if they are your opposites.  Have a great Friday Guys and Dolls.

Mood.....

Word of the Day......

Mood.....state of mind....n.,.....

What kind of mood are you in today?  Some people are just moody....meaning you never know exactly what to expect.  You know those people......up..down..happy..sad..anxious..relaxed.  Well, we all have moods; some of us just have longer periods of moods.  O....she's just a happy person.......always smiling.  O......be careful with him....he usually isn't nice.  We wake up in good moods; we wake up 'on the wrong side of the bed' bad moods.  Maybe we should always be in a great mood just because we wake up at all.  Things to put me in a great mood....good friends, God's love, my kids, your kids, a really good book, a good night's sleep(yes at my age, this isn't always the case).  Things to put me in a bad mood......I have to really stop and think about that one....disagreements, the 2 o'clock wakefullness, something not working properly.  Last night I couldn't find my cell phone.....immediate bad mood because I really thought it was crushed on the church parking lot......called it.....Leslie answered......it was in her purse(don't ask)...instant good mood returned.  Funny thing moods.....they can be fleeting or they can be semi-permanent...either way they do control our lives if we let them. We are all susceptible to moods.  I"m sure there is some type of hormonal explanation  that quite frankly doesn't interest me at all.  I say just roll with the mood you're in and hope to heck you don't step on anybody's toes while the 'Ouiser' mood grabs you.  Sometimes we are just entitled to be somewhat 'pissy'.  What makes your mood good or bad?  How does your mood affect others?  Do you wait for a change and hope for the best if you're not in the best mood?  Sometimes you can take that frown and turn it upside down...and sometime you want to just beat the heck out of anybody that says that stupid suggestion.  It's your mood.....OWN IT!!

Divide.....

Word of the Day.......

Divide.....v.,.....seperate into parts

Being somewhat of a math 'idiot', I usually don't like anything that reminds me of Algebra, Geometry or any of those higher maths I never took.  One of the brightest things in my life is the calculator on my phone.  You see, with that, I don't have to know how to divide.  I have written a book, I can teach Spanish, I can do a lot of things, but I'll be the first to admit, math is just not one of them.  But let's think about the word DIVIDE.  Subconsciously, we DIVIDE every day.  We divide ourselves into roles......mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, wives, husbands, workers, friends...the list goes on and on.  We divide our days.....family time, work time, rest time, fun time. We have neat little pockets of time where we divide our lives and  live them accordingly.  Our lives are divided in other ways....by years....kid time, teenage time, adult time.  These times are divided in ways we can't control.  You may wish to be a teenager when you are 10;  you may wish to be 30 when you are 40.  Some 'DIVIDED' things we just can't  adjust.  But many things we can divide ourselves.  Examine your life.  Is it divided into too many slots and none of them get properly tended ....kind of like garden plots that are left to the weeds.  Your day is DIVIDED into only so many hours.  Nature adjusts and divides in ways of growth, rest and renewal.  We need to do the same.  Don't divide 24 hours by 100 ways/things to do.  Nothing prospers in that mode....especially you!

Folks.....

Word of the Day......

Folks...n.,.....people

I've always loved the word FOLKS....it denotes comfort, ease, a loving simpleness.  It's common in the South to ask....'Who are their folks?'  Hopefully when that is asked about OUR children, people don't raise eyebrows.  :)))  To me your folks are just that....your folks. I think the word stretches farther than our families.  It runs freely through our entire personal community.  When you're with your folks, if you're in an old pair of jeans and t shirt, that's ok; if your pedicure isn't perfect, that's ok, if you're eating off of paper plates rather than the china, that's ok.  When you need help, you call your folks.  When you are sad, you call your folks.  When you have great news to share, you call your folks.  Your folks are your everyday zone....the place where you can be yourself.  You are accepted when you're with your folks.  We all have PEOPLE in our lives, but we are truly blessed with our FOLKS.   I hope you have many folks in your life.  But more importantly I hope many people call you their folks.

Murky

Word of the Day......

Murky....adj......obscure dimness, fogginess.

Sometimes things get murky. Not only the weather, but also life in general.  Our sense of direction gets off.  We know there is a better road; we just can't find it.  We so want to be at the top of that mountain where the view is clear and unobstructed....where plans are laid out in a nice neat path and we simply follow them....where we can skip down that Yellow Brick Road.  But guess what?  Life isn't like that.  There are hours, days, weeks and even months where life is just MURKY.  Our compass is off; we know there is change coming, but we don't know where, when nor how.  I think the important thing is to remember that strength comes from murkiness.  Character is built. Confidence is made. It's okay to be gloomy when life is murky....not as a way of life, but somehow as a soother. We can't hide those feelings,but we can't let them overtake our lives. We endure until  that blue sky and clear sailing comes, and when they do come, life becomes that much sweeter because we've endured the murky days. We've held strong to our beliefs that there is a pinnacle just in front of us and we will get there. Don't let the MURKIES get you down.  They are temporary.  They won't win.  You will!!

Imitate.......

Word of the Day......

Imitate.....v.tn,......have the same characteristics as.....

Is it wrong to IMITATE someone?  Well, I think the answer can be yes and no.  We can imitate in a hurtful manner and it is wrong.  There are some people who imitate for a living.  We've all seen them on TV and for the most part it is harmless and some are rather amazingly accurate.  Then there are those who do it for other reasons.  They do it to insult.  Maybe someone imitates someone else to make fun of or to cause embarrassment.  That is clearly wrong.  But let's think about imitating someone we admire in a less than obvious manner.  We all do it.  Maybe you like someone's style of dress, so you imitate that....maybe you see a haircut and you take a picture of it to your hairdresser and ask for a similar style.  When we cook a recipe from the Food Network, we are hoping to imitate the outcome.  So clearly there is wrong and right way to imitate.  A famous saying is 'Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery'.  That's true to some degree.  But when we let our lives be overruled by trying to be like someone else, we lose.  When we become 'WANNABE'S' we miss out on so much that God has give to only us.  We are each made up of traits and personality and talents that are uniquely our own. They are mixed and mingled in a very individual way.  I hope we can each recognize this and fine tune ourselves to be ourselves.....not to control our lives by IMITATING someone else.  You are You.......Live It!!

Mask.....

Word of the Day.......

Mask...n.,.....Face covering

When you think of a mask, possibly you think of Mardi Gras.,or Halloween or some other celebration where
people cover their faces.  And that is true.  But we all have masks we wear everyday.  We wear our work mask, or our parent mask, or our bored mask or our excited mask, or our polite mask.  I'm a people watcher and I love to try and figure out what's going on behind facial masks.  When I see friends together at lunch, they have on their animated masks.  They are catching up, no worries for an hour.  They are solving problems or talking about future plans.  Sometimes couples have their....I can't believe you did that....mask on. At school there are 300+ kids with 300+ masks on at any point of the day.  They have their....O my gosh I can't wait til 3:40....masks on most of the day.  Every once in a while I see a .......O yeah, I get that....mask on.  Sometimes I see the....you can't make me do that....mask.  Then my mask says back....watch me!!  Then their mask is.....okay, I'm backing down.....or their mask says....show me...!! Sometimes someone's mask says....I'm a thousand miles away and while I'm pretending to listen, I"m really not.  Chica, our cat, wears her....I'm so not interested mask.....most of the time.  Missy, our dog, has her....you are the light of my life .....mask on every second.  Facial expressions/masks are highly entertaining.  Watch them.....but be sure to have your.....I'm so not watching you...mask on when you do!!

Symphony........

Word of the Day.........

Symphony......n.,....major orchestral composition......

A week ago tonight we were at the Morton H. Meyerson SYMPHONY Center in Dallas to watch our Aly Garcia receive her medical degree. As I sat and watched and listened to the ceremony, I couldn't help but stare at the very impressive organ pipes that stood tall and proud behind the graduates. What an amazing sound that pipe organ must produce!.  The polished golden pipes were beautiful and so impressive. Now I"m not a symphony kinda girl.  I'm just going to go on and say I've never been to a symphony.  I've been to a Willie Nelson concert, a Rolling Stones concert, a third grade concert.....I"m pretty sure those don't fit the actual definition of a SYMPHONY.  In none of the above events were there organists, violinists, cellists, or harpist.  Even though they didn't produce classical symphonic music, they were a SYMPHONY to me.  There are symphonies all around us.....and not all man made.  The entire world is a SYMPHONY of sounds, sights and tastes.  Your favorite sound might not be mine.  Your favorite taste might not be your best friend's.  You may love to see the pastels of spring and someone else love the golds of autumn.  I think my point is that what a wonderful SYMPHONY this world is.  Colors, lights, shades, musical notes, laughter, silk, polished wood, giggles, songbirds, plush carpet, cool water......these and a million other things make up the symphony of life.  Have I strayed from the 'official' definition of symphony?  You bet......but that's the beauty of life.  It can't be boxed into an 'official' definition.  It's a wonderfully, diverse universe God has given us.  Get out their and enjoy your SYMPHONY.

Isolate

Word of the Day....

Isolate...adj.,...Being alone


 This morning my computer was down due to inclement weather. Sadly, this caused me to feel isolated. No FB...no email.. no Amazon....totally alone. At times I love an alone feeling. But first thing in the morning, I want to connect with the world. Sure, the TV worked; I could have gotten my fill of all the world happenings, but I wanted to connect with MY world, MY friends, MY circle. What a phenomenon of today's world. With a click of a computer key we can instantly know how lives are being led. I think being ISOLATED is a lost art. Somehow this makes me sad.

Abundance.....

Word of the Day......

Abundance.....n.,...great supply.

We are a nation of abundance.  Turn on the faucet and you have an abundance of water.  Turn on the light switch and you have an abundance of electric light.  Go to the gas pump and an abundance of gas flows into your car.  Look at Chica, our cat, and clearly she has an abundance of cat food.  I wonder if anyone realizes the true abundance in our lives?  While some of this abundance is pricey, our lives are also  filled with FREE ABUNDANCE.  Does it cost you to share your smile, your thank you's, your prayers, hugs or hellos?  Nope! Doesn't matter if you have an abundance of money in the bank or if you have a dollar, you still have an abundance of things to share.  Go out there and be generous!  We are not given an abundance to hoard, but to spread.  We are not given an abundance to pile up, but to scatter.  WE are a people of abundance.  Someone is waiting for your generosity.

Volume......

Word of the Day.....

Volume..n.,....degree of loudness

How high is the VOLUME of your life?  We are surrounded by sound.  Intercoms, car horns, televisions, radios, talkers.......our world is a filled to the brim with noise.  Sometimes we turn on our televisions...not to watch, but to have a little background noise.  Sometimes we chatter... just to hear ourselves talk.  We sit at a red light and the car next to us is vibrating with the volume of the radio.  We pull over when we hear emergency sirens.  We eat in restaurants and hear the clatter in the kitchen.  Phones ring in offices,  cells phones ding with text messages.......sound, noise, sound, noise. I wonder what we'd hear if all that noise didn't exist?  Would we hear the birds sing?  Would we hear the wind whistle or wisp?  Would we hear the leaves on the trees rustle?  Would we hear the sound of silence?  Would we actually hear ourselves think and begin to know ourselves better?  Think about it.....there are parts of our days VOLUME is inevitable.  But there are parts, no matter how short, where you can omit the volume of your life...even if it's for 5 minutes. Where you can hear yourself think, begin to know yourself better.  Turn down the VOLUME of your life; rest inside your silent soul.  I bet you like what you find!

Satisfied..

Word of the Day.....

Satisfied....v.t.,...fulled the wants and needs

You know, some people are never satisfied.  If they have a nickle, they want a dime.  If they have a quart, they want a gallon.  If they have an inch, they want a mile.  I guess we can say they have 'It's Never Enough' syndrome.  They are never satisfied with life.  Things have to be bigger and better.  More, more, more is their mantra.  I think in the United States of America it's very easy to fall into this syndrome.  We are preached to on television, in the newspapers, magazines, radios that whatever we have, someone has more and we're not really 'livin' the life' unless we have it too. Our kids aren't involved in enough activities; we don't belong to enough clubs; someone else is surely getting ahead of us, so we get on that wheel and run as fast as we can.  Faster, stronger, richer, busier....surely then we will be SATISFIED.  Let me throw this out.......life passes quickly.  If the 'It's Never Enough' syndrome has you in its grip, then maybe it's time to reevaluate.  Provide for your family and future, but let go of the syndrome.  At the end of the day...week....month....year....life, I think we'll find that moments missed and never recaptured, words unspoken and never said are the things that mattered in this life.  Learn to be satisfied with the air you breath, the sky you live under, the time with family and friends you're given.  Be SATISFIED!

Design

Word of the Day.....

Design...v.t.,.....plan the form and making of.......

Think of how many things you design in one day.  Possibly you have no concept of the act of designing ......you consider that to be a world of fashion, home decor....things that either don't interest you or you consider you have no talent for.....but you DO DESIGN everyday.  You design you thoughts, your actions, your facial expressions, your attitude, your words, your demeanor.  Every second of every day you are designing.  It's called FREE WILL.  Maybe your design is one of color and light, maybe it's one of darkness and drudgery.  Maybe your design uplifts your friends, family and coworkers.  Maybe it makes them design their days with walls built up around their hearts to avoid you and YOUR day's design.  Think about this......not only do you get to design your clothes, hair and makeup(ladies) but everybody gets to design their impact on this world....day by day.  You don't have to have a show on HGTV to be effective.  You just have to get out of bed and step out your door......your designing begins.