Enjoy Life and Make Every Day CountI love to stay home. Joe and I don’t travel much because he likes to stay home, too. When we do go, it’s to visit family and friends. Then when we get home, I say, “there’s no place like home.” I seem to thrive when I have a daily routine. As I type that statement, I smile because in years past I would have said that I like “spur of the moment” situations. But all through my life I have never liked to travel; that statement still stands! My body just has a difficult time adjusting to a new place. That is as close to explaining it as I can get. Having said that, we do make several trips during the summer and I think, "This is fun". So if you can explain that way of thinking to me, please do! What I’m trying to put into words is the fact that I like simple, fun things. I enjoyed the child rearing years. I have three daughters that are my best friends. Now we four can get together and laugh about things they did growing up and laugh about things we all are doing now. Learning to laugh at yourself is one of the most freeing accomplishments you will ever acquire. My girls each have different personalities, although they are all alike in the way they live spiritually and morally. They all learn different things from each other and I learn many things from all of them.
Joe thinks differently, although I have never caused him to be late, and we’ve been married for 8 years! He is just constantly concerned that there will be a first time! (There could easily be a first time!!) I enjoy life, but so does Joe, in a different way!
My baby daughter, Amy, is the clown. I say this because in the birth order that people have studied and written about, the baby of the family is usually happy, and making other family members laugh. She is very busy, too, with three kids. She and Chantel live in the same city so they help each other with their kids.
I have a special grandson, as all my grandchildren are, but Zach has special needs. There are many things to learn from a child who has special needs and we are all learning as Zach’s mother learns and shows us day by day. If you would like to follow Zach’s daily life, which is beautifully depicted, read his
mom's blog.
It will touch your heart and make you laugh and cry at the same time. Meet Zach’s dad Andy and his big brother Jake and learn how everyone fits just right into this family.
Are you still waiting for your circumstances to change before you"ll allow yourself to be happy? Most of us have preconceived ideas of what would make us happy, and we refuse to be satisfied until those things happen. The problem is that even once specific things happen in our lives, we"re rarely satisfied with them! Instead, we shift our focus to something even bigger and better, believing "it" will make us happy (or happier). We never allow ourselves to reach a point of contentment. Have you done the same thing to yourself? The good news is that you can decide to be happy NOW – even if not everything in your life is perfect. Below you"ll find 3 easy ways to do so: 1) Be grateful. Gratitude is one of the most powerful states of mind that you can adopt. Not only does it make you feel good, it shifts your focus from what you don't have to what you DO have, and keeps it there! As you focus more on what you are grateful to have in your life (even the really small blessings!), you worry less about anything that may be lacking. The result? A more pervasive sense of happiness! 2) Take time to smell the roses. If you spend most of your days feeling rushed and scattered, it's hard to feel happy and content. In order to be truly happy, you need to make time for yourself to relax, dream, and take pleasure in life's simpler moments. Beginning today, make sure to spend time doing things you love on a regular basis. Read books that stimulate your imagination; listen to great music; take long walks, and generally make an effort to enjoy your life as it is right now. 3) Love the journey. Many of us make the mistake of pinning all of our expectations on some vague, far-off result, like the completion of goals. We believe that once we "get there" everything will be perfect and we"ll finally be happy. However, there is much to be gained from enjoying the journey TO your destination! Make it your mission to revel in every moment that you"re working toward higher goals. Enjoy the sense of self-mastery and accomplishment you gain with every goal you achieve. Make it a worthwhile journey and you"ll savor the end result that much more! The most important thing to understand about happiness is that it is largely a CHOICE you make from moment to moment. Though certain serious situations make it difficult to feel happy at times, most often we allow the little things to bother us and block any happiness we would otherwise feel. Embrace happiness, and it will grow to monstrous proportions in your life!
Habits, oh those nasty habits. Habits are developed from training, influences, observation, and practice. We develop many habits throughout our life, which some are good and others are bad. Good habits we can keep, but if one wants to improve their life the bad habits has to take a hike. Getting rid of bad habits however is not easy, especially if an addiction is involved. For this reason, we can take a few steps to learning how you can change your habits. Making excuses: +People wander through life making excuses. Anytime a person sees something complicated, they will often make excuses why they cannot deal with the problem. "This is just the way I am." This is a common problem in the world, which we've all heard billions of times. If you are out to improve your life however, you need to say, "This is something that hinders me from achievement and I have the power to change it. The first key to success is stop making excuses. Learn how to tell the truth. The truth is the only answer that leads you to improve your personal life. Once you learn to tell the truth, you will need to commit self to learning new behaviors and habits. +You can commit by choosing a new habit. Today I plan to drink more water. Some of us detest water, yet water is our way of living healthier. Instead of detesting something that will save your life, start saying, today I will drink more water. Even if you start out drinking a glass for the first couple of days, you are making changes. Today I am going to stop judging others and myself. This is a common mistake people make in the world. They spend time judging others and themselves. This gets them nowhere but in a world of chaos. You make your bed, you must learn to sleep in it, which is why you should change your ways. Judging is only for our Master in the sky. +Do you think negative? I can't change this. My life is full of nonsense, I can't swing it anymore. Why me? Who put a tag on my head, saying persecute me. If you spend your life thinking negative and saying negative connotations, try changing your ways today. For instance, say, I can change something and I am going to. Instead of saying life is full of nonsense, accept it as truth yet move ahead to make your life better. Why me is a common question, which no one knows why, yet we have to accept it, make better decisions and move ahead. If you feel persecuted, ask you what you are doing that makes you feel this way. Do you have friends or family members weighing you down? If so, then kick their butt down the road and make new friends. No one in life is worth you suffering ongoing. You have the power to make changes, yet you do not have the power to change other people. When you start to make changes to improve your life, start small. Instead of jumping the gun, take baby steps to success. Too many times people try to change overnight. This only leads to frustration. +When you are working to change your life and habits make sure you seek support and feedback. You do not have to walk the road to success alone. Feedback is found at your library, the Internet, at colleges, and so on. You will find support along these channels as well. Ask someone you trust to support you and give you feedback when needed also.
Watching his life unfold at his memorial service has inspired me to follow Jesus more closely and to learn more about what God expects of me. I know I was created for a special purpose, just as you were, and I don’t want to miss doing what God wants. Watch and be inspired to live life for eternity and to enjoy every day, knowing your heavenly Father has everything under control.
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