SUNDRY THOUGHTS AND WORDS....

When I was in grade school, they told me to write down what I wanted to be when I grew up.

I wrote down happy.

They told me I didn't understand the assignment,
I told them they didn't understand life

- Unknown



To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter... to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird's nest or a wildflower in spring - these are some of the rewards of the simple life. ~John Burroughs
You have succeeded in life when all you really want is only what you really need. ~Vernon Howard
© 2010-2014 (Whimseys, Writings and Thoughts) All Rights Reserved

Thursday, August 12, 2010

If you love someone let them know today....tomorrow may never come.

   (copy the URL below into your search line...you won't be disappointed)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nr7DcJdbCS0

God bless the men and woman overseas and here in the United States who serve and protect us!

Monday, August 2, 2010

Mother Nature Redecorated!

As always with me, and perhaps with you too, time just keeps moving right along.  Summer in my world will soon be over and I am not ready for that to happen. My summer has been filled with winds, tornadoes, the never ending sound of chain saws and the ever-changing scenery in our subdivision. Gone is so much of our privacy as well as the privacy of our neighbors....some more than others.  And in many ways it is sad.

But as in so many things-- out of tragedy comes lessons, newness and a reminder of what is important in life.  Gone are the big beauiful trees that brought us shade and the sometimes comfort of the rustle of their leaves as the wind whispered through the branches. But now our vegetable garden will get all the sunshine it needs.  Gone are some of the truly beautiful flower gardens in our neighborhood.  But for some it will bring the adventure of expanding lawns and creating new gardens.  Gone is the quiet idyllic calmness of a small town neighborhood. Tempers have flaired and friendships have been tested.  But now we see houses we have never seen before that were hidden from our view and ours from theirs......and so perhaps new friendships will form.

I've spent summers in this neighborhood out in my yard with seemingly no one else outside, wondering where all the people are....wondering why they too were not out enjoying the wonderful weather, the sunshine, the extraordinary pleasure of living in a neighborhood that still had lots of trees and the beauty of nature gracefully placed in between, in front of, and behind the homes.  Where were the people?  But this summer Mother Nature gave us a bit of a nudge and people are out and about.....not always smiling....but for the most part trying to make the best of a bad situation.....trying to see the glass as half full instead of half empty.  It could have been so much worse.

It's true, this is not how I planned on spending my summer.  This has greatly taken away from time that I thought I would spend writing on my novel. This has given me an excuse to exchange walking everyday, for hours of raking and moving limbs (hopefully providing me with the cardio exercise I need).  The minutes have ticked by, the days have slipped away, the scenery has changed.   Summer will soon slip into fall. But that's OK. Life is good!  

I always try to see the bright side of things, the silver lining around the darkest cloud.....I guess I have a bit of a Pollyanna mentality......why just this morning I stumbled across a new blog and saw this cute sign and fell in love with it......

"I am fairly certain that given a cape and a nice tiara, I would save the world"

.....It made me think of my friend Debi Weaver who lives in Dallas.

Well I am off to do some more raking of my yard.  Enjoy every moment, enjoy every day.....and when someone or some thing unexpectedly changes scenery of your neighborood.......just think of it as Mother Nature redecorating.  I think she needs to talk to David Bromstad! :)