Take Time Off

"If I don't take time off and care for myself, I'll burn out. You have to constantly look after yourself so that when you are called upon you have the strength."
Carol Dynatyi

A Good Woman

A good woman is proud of herself.
She respects herself and others.
She is aware of who she is.
She neither seeks definition from the person she is with, nor does she expect them to read her mind.
She is quite capable of articulating her needs.
A good woman is hopeful.
She is strong enough to make all her dreams come true.
She knows love, therefore she gives love.
She recognizes that her love has great value and must be reciprocated.
If her love is taken for granted, it soon disappears.
A good woman has a dash of inspiration, a dabble of endurance.
She knows that she will, at times, have to inspire others to reach the potential God gave them.
A good woman knows her past, understands her present and moves toward her future.
A good woman knows God.
She knows that with God the world is her playground, but without God she will just be played.
A good woman does not live in fear of her future because of her past. Instead, she understands that her life experiences are merely lessons, meant to bring her closer to self knowledge and unconditional self love.
Girl, Smile.....YOU KNOW YOU HAVE IT GOING ON!

So Keep ON Keeping On.

Sent to me by my friend Gail Harris

My Prayer for Each of You

'May today there be peace within.
May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith in yourself and others.
May you use the gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.

May you be content with yourself just the way you are able to be today.
Let this knowledge settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.
It is there for each and every one of us.'

Pass this on to others.

Received by me from my friend Gail Harris. Fractionally adapted.

Just For Today

1 Just for Today
I will try to live through this day only, and not tackle all my problems at once. I can do something for twelve hours that would appall me if I felt that I had to keep it up for a lifetime.

2 Just For Today
I will be happy. This assumes to be true what Abraham Lincoln said, that "Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be."

3 Just for Today
I will adjust myself to what is, and not try to adjust everything to my own desires. I will take my "luck" as it comes, and fit myself to it.

4 Just for Today
I will try to strengthen my mind. I will study. I will learn something useful. I will not be a mental loafer. I will read something that requires effort, thought and concentration.

5 Just for Today
I will exercize my soul in three ways: I will do somebody a good turn, and not get found out; if somebody knows of it, it will not count. I will do at least two things I don't want to - just for exercize. I will not show anyone that my feelings are hurt; they may be hurt, but today I will not show it.

6 Just for today
I will be agreeable. I will look as well as I can, dress becomingly, keep my voice low, be courteous, criticise not one bit. I won't find fault with anything, nor try to improve or regulate anybody but myself.

7 Just for Today
I will have a programme. I will not follow it exactly, but I will have it. I will save myself from two pests: hurry and indecision.

8 Just for Today
I will have a quiet half hour just by myself, and relax. During this half hour, sometime, I will try to get a better perspective on my life.

9 Just for Today
I will be unafraid. Especially I will not be afraid to enjoy what is beautiful, and to believe that as I give to the world, so the world will give to me.


Lord make me an instrument of Thy peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy.

O, Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;
To be understood, as to understand;
To be loved, as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive,
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

- Al-Anon Family Groups

I Have Learned

I've learned... That the best classroom in the world is at the feet of a wise person - young or old.
I've learned... That when I love my husband, I feel peaceful.
I've learned... That just one person saying to me, 'You've made my day!' makes my day.
I've learned... That having a child fall asleep in my arms is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world.
I've learned... That being kind is more important than being right.
I've learned... That I should never say no to a gift from a child.
I've learned... That I can always pray for someone when I don't have the strength to help him in some other way.
I've learned... That no matter how serious my life requires me to be, I need friends to act goofy with.
I've learned... That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand.
I've learned... That simple walks with my father when I was a child does wonders for me as an adult.
I've learned... That my life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer my life gets to its end, the faster it is going.
I've learned... That I should be glad God doesn't give me everything I ask for.
I've learned... That money doesn't buy "class."
I've learned... That it's those small daily happenings that make my life so spectacular.
I've learned... That under everyone's hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved.
I've learned... That to ignore the facts does not change the facts.
I've learned... That when I plan to get even with someone, I am only letting that person continue to hurt me.
I've learned... That love, not time, heals all my wounds.
I've learned... That the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than I am.
I've learned... That everyone I meet deserves to be greeted with a smile.
I've learned... That no one is perfect. I can love them anyway.
I've learned... That life is tough, but I'm tougher.
I've learned... That I love my children and children-in-law completely.
I've learned... That opportunities are never lost; someone will take the ones I miss.
I've learned... That when I harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere.
I've learned... That I'm glad I told my Mom that I love her one more time before she passed away.
I've learned... That I should keep my words both soft and tender, because tomorrow I may have to eat them.
I've learned... That a smile is an inexpensive way to improve my looks.
I've learned... That when each newly born grandchild holds my little finger in his little fist, that I'm hooked for life.
I've learned... That we want to live problem-free, yet the happiness and growth occurs while we're wrestling challenges.
I've learned... That I get a lot of things done even if it doesn't show.

How to Stay Young

1. Throw out non-essential numbers. This includes age, weight and height.
Let the doctor worry about them. That is why you pay him/her.

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle.
"An idle mind is the devil's workshop." And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person who is with us our entire life, is ourselves.
Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever.
Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it.
If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, to the next county, to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

- George Carlin

Woman

"One is not born a woman, one becomes one."
- Simone de Beauvoir