Showing posts with label encouragement. Show all posts
Showing posts with label encouragement. Show all posts

Friday, May 24, 2019

Why Garden? You Just Have To Do it All Over Again

Let's get one thing clear.  I ain't no gardener.  I hate gardening and when someone tells me that it is therapeutic, it makes me wonder.  What is fun about bending over all day in the hot sun, getting sweaty and filthy?  I suppose some people feel that way about housework or any number of things that we consider chores.  


The weeds grow back, the house needs cleaning......



HOWEVER...last week I looked at the flower garden and decided it was time!  It extends around the entire yard and has a million or so different plants.  Almost all of them bloom, including the weeds.

I spent four-and-a-half hours weeding one day and could hardly walk for a day or two afterward.  I found no satisfaction in it and after looking at the yard, it looked as though it hadn't been touched.  That means I have to do it soon - AGAIN.

Can You Tell the Difference?

Friday, January 5, 2018

What Do You Think About the Most - Your Future or Your Past

A new year is usually the time we reflect on our past.  It is quite normal to wonder what would have been different if you had or not done something.  If the past year was traumatic, we might wonder what would have happened if we had made a different decision.
This is a blogging challenge called Secret Subject Swap and I was asked to answer this question posted by Minette at Southern Belle CharmIf you could go back 20 years for one hour and change the rest of your life, what would you change and why?

Friday, December 22, 2017

This is NOT the End of Your Story

Grands with Santa
As beautiful as the Christmas season is, it can be very difficult for many people to enjoy.  There are those of us who have lost someone close, perhaps a family member or dear friend.  It has been said that the 'first' Christmas after such a loss is especially challenging.  There are so many triggers to the memory of that loss.  

But we pick ourselves up off the ground and know that each year it will be a bit easier.  Or is it?  For some, it is still a serious emotional struggle.  They may hide it well and few people know or understand the pain of that loss.  When my son and his family walked away from our family five years ago, I maintained an attitude of hope that he would return before the year-end.  I will continue to maintain that attitude although sometimes that thread of hope gets thinner - I still hang on.  I will never give up.  I know it is not the end of the story.

What that loss has done is make me more empathetic to those who have lost much more than I have.  We cannot measure the bereavement for anyone other than ourselves because each of us process pain differently.  

But the season of Christmas is a reminder that we have much to be thankful for, to be joyful and enjoy the good memories and new ones we are about to make.
Grandbabies
What memories we will make this
Christmas with these precious ones


Friday, February 24, 2017

How to Push Through a Painful Experience

When we go through any type of trauma in our lives, it affects us. How it affects us can be either a negative or positive experience. Hopefully, we can learn from the experience and apply what we learned if we ever go through a similar one again. But, that is often easier said than done, isn't it?
trauma

Sometimes we do not realize we have "been here before" until it's over. Pain works that way.  Pain is just that - PAIN.  When we are in the middle of it, it feels like a new experience.  Yet, it rarely is.

There are many types of pain that we experience in life.  There are times when we are blindsided and experience pain on a level we had not realized we were capable of handling.  When we look back at those experiences we often wonder how we made it through -- but we did.  And we are stronger for it.
Pain takes on many forms in your life.  Rejection, loss, physical or emotional trauma, abuse, divorce, the list goes on.

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

What is Your Secret to Life?

Everyone wants to live longer and we spend a lot of money trying to find the secrets to living a longer life. We buy potions, pills, creams and exercise equipment - all in an effort to maintain or regain our youth. We spend a great deal of our hard earned money to look younger. Some of it works, but most of it does not.

Live longer


I have six living uncles and aunts and the YOUNGEST is 90 years old. I have always maintained that the harder you work, the younger you feel. Even though TODAY is my (you can guess the number :) birthday, I  work harder than I did 25 years ago.  I love to be busy which helps me to think younger, act younger and look younger, Yes, longevity runs in my family, but more importantly there are some underlying facts that we put into practice.


What you feed will grow
AND.....
What you starve will die

Thursday, September 29, 2016

How Do You Motivate Yourself?

Motivation














We all experience many types of external motivation which can look nothing like a motivational pep talk. 

Actually, most of the motivation we receive is not obvious. We rely on friends, books, family, luck, achievements and social pressures to tell us what to do and to keep us doing it.

Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Customer Service Sells - Make it Work for You

Many of us have lived long enough to see a decline in customer service.  When I was growing up and even as a young adult, serving a customer was more important than the sale itself. It was common knowledge that if you made a customer happy, he would return, again and again.  Remember when you went to the service station to get gas?  You got SERVICE. Someone filled your gas tank, cleaned your windshield, rear window and side windows.  Your oil was checked and your tires were checked as well.  You were offered the free item of the week, usually drinking glasses or coffee mugs.  
















No matter what you are selling, you need to distinguish yourself as a personal service company. The strength of your company’s business should be the quality of your products, but your success is determined by the quality of service you provide.

Friday, July 22, 2016

My 4-year-old Grandson has Questions about His Recent Marriage

When you live a crazy life, you should expect crazy things to happen.  When you keep doing the same thing over and over and expect different results, you are the crazy one.  I constantly look to the future when life will get easier, slow down a bit and then laugh out loud when I realize that may never happen.

To explain:  I have a lot of jobs, often wearing three or four hats at the same time on any given day.  This is normal for a Type A personality who is a perfectionist and believes that relaxing or sleeping is a complete waste of time.  Don't give me any lectures -- I've heard them all.  Most important thing:  I am NOT complaining. I love being busy.  

Consequently, the thought of doing this month's Fly on the Wall post seemed a bit overwhelming because so much happened in the past two months and it would be a really
l o n g post to share it all.  
View from my room

One highlight I will share with you is that I attended the Advanced Writers and Speakers Conference in Cincinnati and look forward to going back next year.  I learned so much in the workshops, made some incredible connections, made, even more, friends and got to see what it is like to live in 97-degree heat with high humidity.  

Our days were filled from early morning to late evening without time to shop or have any 'me' time -- loved it.  I certainly was not bored for one second.

I left the hotel each day to get to the closest restaurant - that was enough heat to last me until next year.  How do people live, work or BREATHE in that?

Sooooooooo........rather than bore you with all the incredible things that happened the last two months, I decided to do some snippets of the grandkids and their antics.


4-year-old grandson gets married

Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Sure-fire Way To Handle Discouragement

Do you ever get discouraged?  The definition of discouragement is 1) the act of making something less likely to happen or of making people less likely to do something 2)  a feeling of having lost hope or confidence

smiling baby
Find someone to make you smile
If that is the definition of discouragement, then what is the definition of encouragement?  It is 1) the act of making something more appealing or more likely to happen 2) something that makes someone more determined, hopeful, or confident

The interesting thing about the definition of both words is that discouragement and encouragement are an act that WE do.  It is not done TO us.  We perform the act.  We choose to be discouraged in a situation or encouraged by it and make the decision to change it.

In our darkest times, we need to find something or someone who we know will make us smile. It helps change our perspective and view the situation rationally.


Sunday, May 1, 2016

Quotes That Make You Go "Huh?"

I enjoy quotes.  Many of us do.  I like sharing quotes.  Many of us do.  I love quotes that underscore a point we are trying to make. 

It would be difficult to write a post about quotes without including some of my favorite dog quotes!  We are dog rescuers and therefore, dog lovers!

 dog chase



Dogs Rules

Monday, April 11, 2016

Do You Believe What Someone Says to You?

How do you feel about people who lie to you?  I don't mean the big lies -- just those tiny ones that don't really seem to matter.  Or do they?  Saying things we really do not mean is often more of a habit than an intention to hurt someone.

"I'll be in touch."  If I tell someone I am going to stay in contact with them, I make a note of it right then and there.  Sometimes it means sending them a quick email to see when we can get together or to see what's new in their lives.  Making the friendly gesture is only the first step.  Keeping in touch is quite another.

I have heard those words so often and then wonder why they never call.  Did they forget?  Do they not care?  It reminds me of the phrase from the second (or first) date "I'll call you."  You know they don't have the slightest intention of calling so WHY waste breath by saying they will?  Is it to appease the listener at the moment?  It is just as easy to say "Goodbye" as it is to say you will be in touch.

Friday, November 6, 2015

What Kind of Friend Are You?

It's 10:00 P.M. and the end of a stressful week.  I hadn't had a moment to myself all week between work and obligations, lending a hand to clients who needed me and a couple days out of town which included a lot of driving.  I was exhausted.

The phone rang.  I wonder who is calling this late. 

"Hello." 

I hear muffled words and short breathing sounds.  My first thought is "Oh no, what happened?"  

"Hello, can you hear me?"  A few sniffles and then "I honestly don't know how I can go on like this."  

"What do you mean?  Are you hurt?  Is your family okay?"

It was almost impossible to understand her words but eventually I pieced together that she discovered her husband was cheating on her and she was devastated.  






Without a moment's hesitation, I grabbed my keys and headed to her house.  She lived about 45 minutes away and it was raining heavily.  I hate driving at night, especially in the rain as it is extremely difficult for me to see, but if I take it slow, I will be fine...I reasoned. My friend needed my support.

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Afraid to Speak in Public? Two Secrets to Success

Public Speaking.   Speaking in Public.  Speaking to a large group of people. Speaking to a room full of your peers. There is an old adage that says some people fear public speaking more than death.


Speaking in public is my passion.  Motivating and inspiring people to do more, be more, laugh more, love more, and live better is the greatest reward.  Many people have a lot to share but are afraid to do it in a pubic forum. Two things that I have learned come from experience -- not a textbook or a public speaking course.  Master these two and your fears will be short-lived.

Friday, April 11, 2014

Use your words - Attitude Is Key

I'm participating in two writing challenges today. This one is Use Your Words. After you've read it, be sure to click here to read my A - Z challenge on Dogs

 
I sat there. Staring outside. It was raining.



@batterredhope #Use your words  there is always hope

I watched the rain drops and tried to see them individually as I was trying to concentrate on each one. The harder I tried, the more difficult it became. I never minded the rain. Living in the Northwest U S, we get a lot of rain and people complain about it all the time.

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Write a Review

Write a review about a book you love.  Write a review or discuss a book you love in detail.  That is the assignment!



I have read this book many times.  Sometimes I have read one chapter over and over and each time I read it I try to read it from a different perspective.

I read it to get a general feeling about the story.  Then I would read it to see how it flowed. Then I tried reading it from various points of views.  I would read it from a man's point of view, from a woman's point of view and then from a young woman's point.  Each time, I would get something more out of it.  Almost each time I would laugh and cry and feel the emotion of each chapter.

Sunday, March 2, 2014

I Ain't Dead Yet

Looking at my little Dachshund today, I can't believe he is getting so old.  It was just yesterday when he was a puppy.  He will be 18 years old this year and I know it won't be long before we will have to say good-bye.

I Ain't Dead Yet

In the evenings, he is pretty stiff.  When I ask him if he wants to go outside he just looks at me as if to say, "You're kidding, right?  I was just getting comfortable."

Saturday, March 1, 2014

Defying All Laws of Nature

The old man glanced at the gas gauge and realized it would be touch and go if he could make it to the service station before running out of fuel.  

@BatteredHope Unbelievable miracle while traveling
How can this be happening?


Unfortunately, the inevitable happened and that awful sputtering forced him to pull over to the side of the road.  He didn't know how his age and disability would allow him to walk the three miles to the closest station.  Breathing a silent prayer and taking a moment to consider his options, it happened.  

Monday, February 24, 2014

Stay At Home Moms -- What Exactly Do You Do?

I am now a grandma and loving every minute of it.  I didn't have my first baby until I was 35 and poured myself into parenting.

I continued to run my business out of my home and also home schooled my children in the early years.

I was often asked "What do you do?"  I could have responded with a list of all the things I was involved in and my business, but this is the way I responded.  I know that all moms, whether you are a stay-at-home mom or not will appreciate this statement:

"I am responsible for creating an environment of love, joy, peace, beauty and order in my home.  I am training a future citizen of America.  What do you do?"

The responses were always interesting and most people were very surprised at my response to their question.  Try it and let me know what happens.


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Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Wednesday Prompt - Is Life A Jigsaw puzzle?

 

 

For our Wednesday Prompt we were given the following quote:

“Life is like a jigsaw puzzle, you have to see the whole picture, then put it together piece by piece!”

Is that possible?  Are we able to see life as the whole picture?  I know that we would like to and often see our ideal life ahead of us.  How often does that actually turn out the way we have visualized or hoped? 
On the other hand, we must see our life this way in order to plan and set our goals to accomplish what we hope to have happen.  We must learn to take each 'piece' as it comes and work at making it fit into the big picture.
Sometimes we have pieces that won't fit or we wonder why they were ever put into the puzzle box.  But every piece has a purpose, a reason, for being there.  If we take the time to keep focused on the big picture, it will all fit together in the end.
Photo courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org 

Sunday, January 26, 2014

A Special Father and Lessons Learned

In a small German village on New Year's Eve 1903, my father, William Frederick was born. He was the oldest of thirteen children. Life was challenging and after his brother was born, my grandfather traveled to the New World to work and save enough money to bring his family to America.

@BatteredHope Lessons we learn from our parents




TRAVELLING AS STOW-AWAYS


The day came when Grandma and her two boys could travel across the seas to unite with Grandpa for a better life.   There was not enough money for the three of them to travel as passengers; my dad and his brother were stow-aways in the hull of the ship.  It was a three week journey with little food for the boys to share.  My father was four years old and would beg the kitchen staff for table scraps that had been thrown away.  He was reprimanded for asking and given nothing to eat.

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