Winter Of My Life

Winter of My Life You know. . . Time has a way of moving quickly And catching you unaware of the passing years. It seems just yesterday that I was young, Just married and embarking on my new life with my mate. And yet in a way, it seems like eons ago, And I wonder where all the years went. I know that I lived them all... And I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams... But, here it is... The winter of my life and it catches me by surprise... How did I get here so fast? Where did the years go and where did my youth go? I remember well... Seeing older people through the years and thinking that those Older people were years away from me and that winter was so far off That I could not fathom it or imagine fully what it would be like... But, here it is... My friends are retired and getting grey... They move slower and I see an older person now. Some are in better and some worse shape than me... But, I see the great change... Not like the ones that I remember who were young and vibrant... But, like me, their age is beginning to show and we are now those Older folks that we used to see and never thought we'd be. Each day now, I find that just getting a shower is a real target for the day! And taking a nap is not a treat anymore... it's mandatory! 'Cause if I don't on my own free will... I just fall asleep where I sit! And so, now I enter into this new season of my life unprepared For all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability To go and do things that I wish I had done but never did!! Yes, I have regrets. There are things I wish I hadn't done... Things I should have done, but indeed, There are many things I'm happy to have done. It's all in a lifetime... So, if you're not in your winter yet... Let me remind you, that it will be here faster than you think. Whatever you would like to accomplish in your life, please do it quickly! Don't put things off too long!! Life goes by quickly. So, do what you can today, As you can never be sure whether this is your winter or not! You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of your life... So, live for today and say all the things you want your loved ones to remember... And hope they appreciate and love you for all the things You have done for them in all the years past!! Life is a gift to you. The way you live your life is your gift to those who come after. Make it a fantastic one. ~ And, Remember ~ "It is health that is real wealth And not pieces of gold or silver." ~Author, Unknown

Death

It's NOT the End, It's part of the journey

The Atonement

‎"I do not know who in this vast audience today may need to hear the message of forgiveness inherent in this parable [of the laborers in the vineyard], but however late you think you are, however many chances you think you have missed, however many mistakes you feel you have made or talents you think you don’t have, or however far from home and family and God you feel you have traveled, I testify that you have not traveled beyond the reach of divine love. It is not possible for you to sink lower than the infinite light of Christ’s Atonement shines."

Future and Past

Don't look into the future with eyes from the past... Stop cheating on your future with your past... it's over! :)

Only You

ONLY YOU No one on Earth Exists quite like you And no one is able To do what you do. The person you are The talents you bear Gifts that only You can share. Only you have learned From the things you've done Gaining perspective From the battles you've won. Times when you've lost Have been pricless too The lessons contribute To what makes you you. The rest of the world Can't see through your eyes Which is why your insight Is such a prize. Because you are you There are lives you affect Much more than you Would ever expect. The things you do The things you say Send ripples throughout The Milky Way. You're unique, amazing Like no one else You have the exclusive On being yourself. ~Dan Coppersmith~

Natural Highs

1. Falling in love. 2. Laughing so hard your face hurts. 3. A hot shower. 4. No lines at the supermarket. 5. A special glance. 6. Getting mail. 7. Taking a drive on a pretty road. 8. Hearing your favorite song on the radio. 9. Lying in bed listening to the rain outside. 10. Hot towels fresh out of the dryer. 11. Chocolate milkshake (vanilla or strawberry). 12. A bubble bath. 13. Giggling. 14. A good conversation. 15 The beach 16. Finding a 20 dollar bill in your coat from last winter. 17. Laughing at yourself. 18. Looking into their eyes and knowing they Love you 19 Midnight phone calls that last for hours. 20. Running through sprinklers. 21. Laughing for absolutely no reason at all. 22. Having someone tell you that you're beautiful. 23. Laughing at an inside joke with FRIENDS 25. Accidentally overhearing someone say something nice about you. 26. Waking up and realizing you still have a few hours left to sleep. 27. Your first kiss (either the very first or with a new partner). 28. Making new friends or spending time with old ones. 29. Playing with a new puppy. 30. Having someone play with your hair. 31. Sweet dreams. 32. Hot chocolate. 33. Road trips with friends. 34. Swinging on swings. 35. Making eye contact with a cute stranger. 36. Making chocolate chip cookies. 37. Having your friends send you homemade cookies. 38 Holding hands with someone you care about. 39 Running into an old friend and realizing that some things (good or bad) never change. 40.. Watching the_expression on someone's face as they open a much desired present from you. 41. Watching the sunrise. 42. Getting out of bed every morning and being grateful for another beautiful day. 43. Knowing that somebody misses you. 44. Getting a hug from someone you care about deeply. 45. Knowing you've done the right thing, no matter what other people think.

10 Commandments Of Living

These are like the ten commandments to follow
in life all the time....what a wonderful world
this would be. These are good, too!


1] Prayer is not a "spare wheel" that you pull
out when in trouble, but it is a "steering wheel"
that directs the right path throughout.


2] So a Car's WINDSHIELD is so large &
the Rear view Mirror is so small?
Because our PAST is not as important as
our FUTURE.
So, Look Ahead and Move on.


3] Friendship is like a BOOK.
It takes few seconds to burn,
but it takes years to write.


4] All things in life are temporary. If going well,
enjoy it, they will not last forever.
If going wrong, don't worry, they can't last long either.


5] Old Friends are Gold! New Friends are Diamond!
If you get a Diamond, don't forget the Gold!
Because to hold a Diamond, you always need a
Base of Gold!



6] Often when we lose hope and think this
is the end, GOD smiles from above and says,
"Relax, sweetheart, it's just a bend, not the end!



7] When GOD solves your problems, you
have faith in HIS abilities; when GOD doesn't
solve your problems HE has faith in your abilities.


8] A blind person asked St. Anthony:
"Can there be anything worse than losing eye sight?"
He replied: "Yes, losing your vision!"


9] When you pray for others, God listens
to you and blesses them, and sometimes,
when you are safe and happy, remember
that someone has prayed for you.


10] WORRYING does not take away tomorrow's
TROUBLES, it takes away today's PEACE.

Myself, By Edgar Guest

Myself
by Edgar Guest
I have to live with myself, and so,
I want to be fit for myself to know;
I want to be able as days go by,
Always to look myself straight in the eye;
I don't want to stand with the setting sun
And hate myself for the things I've done.
I don't want to keep on a closet shelf
A lot of secrets about myself,
And fool myself as I come and go
Into thinking that nobody else will know
The kind of man I really am;
I don't want to dress myself up in sham.
I want to deserve all men's respect;
But here in this struggle for fame and pelf,
I want to be able to like myself.
I don't want to think as I come and go
That I'm for bluster and bluff and empty show.
I never can hide myself from me,
I see what others may never see,
I know what others may never know,
I never can fool myself -- and so,
Whatever happens, I want to be
Self-respecting and conscience free.

Marjorie Pay Hinckley - “I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully, tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails. I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp. I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbors children. I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone's garden. I want to be there with children's sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder. I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived.”

An Important Lesson

What Lies Before Us and What Lies Behind us is Nothing compared to What Lies Within us.

Advice for All on New Year’s Day- Ann Landers

Let this coming year be better than all the others. Vow to do some of the things you’ve always wanted to do but couldn’t find the time.

Call up a forgotten friend. Drop an old grudge, and replace it with some pleasant memories.

Share a funny story with someone whose spirits are dragging. A good laugh can be very good medicine.

Vow not to make a promise you don’t think you can keep.

Pay a debt.

Give a soft answer.

Free yourself of envy and malice.

Encourage some youth to do his or her best. Share your experience, and offer support. Young people need role models.

Make a genuine effort to stay in closer touch with family and good friends.

Resolve to stop magnifying small problems and shooting from the lip. Words that you have to eat can be hard to digest.

Find the time to be kind and thoughtful. All of us have the same allotment: 24 hours a day. Give a compliment. It might give someone a badly needed lift.

Think things through. Forgive an injustice. Listen more. Be kind.

Apologize when you realize you are wrong. An apology never diminishes a person. It elevates him.

Don’t blow your own horn. If you’ve done something praiseworthy, someone win notice eventually.

Try to understand a point of view that is different from your own. Few things are 100 percent one way or another.

Examine the demands you make on others.

Lighten up. When you feel like blowing your top, ask yourself, "Will it matter a week from today?"

Laugh the loudest when the joke is on you.

The sure way to have a friend is to be one. We are all connected by our humanity, and we need each other.

Avoid malcontents and pessimists. They drag you down and contribute nothing.

Don’t discourage a beginner from trying something risky. Nothing ventured means nothing gained. Be optimistic. The can-do spirit is the fuel that makes things go.

Go to war against animosity and complacency.

Express your gratitude. Give credit when it’s due—and even when it isn’t. It will make you look good.

Read something uplifting. Deep-six the trash. You wouldn’t eat garbage—why put it in your head?

Don’t abandon your old-fashioned principles. They never go out of style.

When courage is needed, ask yourself, "If not me, who? If not now, when?"

Take better care of yourself. Remember, you’re all you’ve got. Pass up that second helping. You really don’t need it. Vow to eat more sensibly. You’ll feel better and look better, too.

Don’t put up with secondhand smoke. Nobody has the right to pollute your air or give you cancer. If someone says, "This is a free country," remind him or her that the country may be free, but no person is free if he has a habit he can’t control.

Return those books you borrowed. Reschedule that missed dental appointment. Clean out your closet. Take those photos out of the drawer and put them in an album. If you see litter on the sidewalk, pick it up instead of walking over it.

Give yourself a reality check. Phoniness is transparent, and it is tiresome. Take pleasure in the beauty and the wonders of nature. A flower is God’s miracle.

Walk tall, and smile more. You’ll look 10 years younger.

Don’t be afraid to say, "I love you." Say it again. They are the sweetest words in the world.

If you have love in your life, consider yourself blessed, and vow to make this the best year ever.