How’s this for a feel good story to start the day with!
In late 2008, a couple from South Africa crossed the Atlantic aboard the beautiful Queen Mary 2 and alongside the Queen Elizabeth 2, during the latter’s final voyage across the pond. While taking pictures of the QE2’s historic crossing, their camera slipped and disappeared into the deep blue sea.
In January of this year, fifteen months after the camera was lost, a fisherman trawling the ocean floor found the camera in his fishing net. The camera was inoperable but the memory card and photos were intact.
The fisherman viewed the photos, which included a picture of a woman standing on the deck of a ship with the QE2 at sea in the background. The fisherman contacted the BBC, where a correspondent determined that the passengers had been aboard the QM2.
Cunard was notified and the company was able to identify and locate the couple and reunite them with their photos, plucked from the bottom of the sea. Vacations to Go
Many years ago, I lost a camera in a taxi in Guangzhou. I still hope that somehow the pictures will get back to me, because they are irreplaceable. This was before I had a digital camera. It’s possible! If a camera, pictures intact, can be plucked from the sea, then anything is possible!
Sometimes you hear that still, small voice, but you don’t realize it. The day I lost the camera, when I removed everything from the taxi, the thought came to me to double check, but I didn’t follow through. I thought I had all my bags. That was a hard lesson, but one I hope not to repeat. I had my bags, but the camera had slipped out. The memories of that precious day are engraved in my heart, even if I don’t have the photos.
Have you ever had a lost item found in an unusual way or after an unusual amount of time?
Sometimes I think the best way is not to look for the item past a certain point, but wait for it to surface. I’ve found things in places I would never think to look. And I’ve also been able to replace an item several years later, after I wasn’t actively looking for it or a replacement. So where is the latest item that has gone missing! Perhaps in the same place that individual socks go.
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This came across my computer from Insight of the Day today:
I believe people should study a little bit every day. It should become habitual, like brushing your teeth, combing your hair, having a shower or getting dressed. Study the mind, the laws of the universe and paradigms. There’s enough information on those subjects to keep a person studying forever. Bob Proctor
Because I like to learn about new things, I don’t think of it as a habit. I laugh and say once I’ve learned one new thing each day, I can go to sleep.
Recently I read the book Happier: Learn the Secrets to Daily Joy and Lasting Fulfillment. He teaches a very popular class in this. One of his interesting points is to make anything you like, that makes you happy, a habit, schedule it in. Evidently making something a habit means it actually gets into your life on a regular basis. And it takes upwards of a month to make something new a habit.
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Recently I had the privilege to hear renowned pianist Brooks Aehron. If you ever get a chance to see him, you will have a good time, whether you like piano music particularly or not. He is quite a showman. He makes music fun!
One thing he asked the audience at one of his three concerts was: what is a pianist’s greatest fear? His answer was not forgetting the music, but the loss of a hand. Then he played an entire piece using just his left hand. You can imagine how difficult that is, especially if you are right handed.
This story of Hee Ah Lee takes it even farther. Born with serious birth defects, she has mastered piano with the use of only 4 fingers, some of which do not function as normal fingers. It makes many difficulties most of us might face seem very small in comparison.
It moved me to tears. I was also moved that her mother resisted family pressure to abandon her to adoption to Canada or the West. To her mother, Hee Ah Lee has always been beautiful and perfect.
She has given more than 200 concerts and loves to perform. If you watch the second video to the very end, you can see that she knows how to interact with the audience.
Here’s a short piece played by her:
And a longer story:
You can find other videos featuring her also.
The lesson here, to me, is find a way. If something seems impossible, yet our talents are leading us to do it, find a way.
There is a unique way for each of us to accomplish most anything, if we truly desire it, work toward it, and have our own vision that we keep in sight. It also helps to surround ourselves with others who will help forward our vision or even lead us to it. Eliminate naysayers! Work towards the end we are trying to achieve.
The world needs our music, whether we are playing music or living the music of our lives. Each of us is needed.
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There is a famous prayer often called the Serenity Prayer. Sometimes we simply have to accept what is, while we work it out in thought and prayer, trying to figure out what is the difference between what we must accept and what we must try to change.
Waiting for a Chinese adoption right now falls into this category. But so do a lot of other things.
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
–Reinhold Niebuhr
In letting go, we release our mental pictures of how things should turn out and accept what the universe brings us. We accept that we don’t really know how things should be. (p 186)
…surrender [is] a choice, and … it [does] not mean giving up… When we surrender, we accept it just as it is…to see that we always have choices, in every situation, is surrender. To turn away from a situation is to give up. To turn into it is surrender. (p 188-189)
Sometimes we have to turn into the wind in order to take advantage of it. The wind is going to blow anyway. The question is what are we going to do while it does?
…conditions may never change, which makes us victims of their not changing. To say, ‘I will only be peaceful if such and such happens’ is pretty limiting…I’m not talking about accepting everything that happens. If you don’t like the television show you’re watching, you don’t have to surrender to it — change the channel.
…I’m talking about situations we have decided are insurmountable obstacles to happiness….Surrendering into life as it is can be the quickest and most powerful way to get the lesson out of the situation. You can’t change your bad childhood, but you can have a good life… you can stop wasting your time and energy [on things that won't change]…[it] doesn’t mean that life is over.
…if happiness is possible tomorrow, it is also possible today. If love is possible tomorrow, it is possible today. (p 188-193)
If we have to get through a situation in order to get to the other side, then we simply have to do it, a day at a time, making each day count as best we can, making choices for happiness even as we walk the path. Nobody can tell you what works for you, but you can find it for yourself. Don’t let a day go by without finding some happiness in it. Take a moment to notice the good things around you.
…live every day to its fullest. When was the last time you really looked at the sea? Or smelled the morning? … to see the stars… to gaze out on the ocean. Many of us live near the ocean but never take the time to look at it. We all live under the stars, but do we look up at the sky? Do we really touch and taste life, do we see and feel the extraordinary, especially in the ordinary? (p 224)
There are wonderful moments waiting in this day. Go for it!
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I simply love this quote, not much else to add to that. I like it for me as both the parent and the child I once was, but still embody. I too had an excellent childhood, or at least a plenty-good-enough one, but I wasn’t taught the rest of this. I had to pick it up for myself in the parades of life. And I have to encourage my children in this direction.
As an adult, once when I was going through what might possibly have been a difficult situation, someone said to me to view it as if I were sitting in a parade stand. I should think of it as if I were (or had been) watching it pass by, not as if I were in it. I thought that was very helpful to remember. I had sort of felt that way at the time it was happening, not exactly removed from it, but not within it either. It helped me feel freer of any repercussions. And it seemed a kind of grace.
Karin
A mother should give her children a superabundance of enthusiasm, that after they have lost all they are sure to lose in mixing with the world, enough may still remain to prompt and support them through great actions. Julius C. Hare (1795-1855) English Cleric
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If kvetching is second nature to you, I heard today of rubber bracelets to be worn to help you stop complaining. I guess even Oprah talked about it on her show. I’m behind in finding out about things.
It is worn on one wrist, until you complain, then you move it to the other wrist and begin to count again. The hope is to get to 21 days without changing wrists. Thankfully, it doesn’t register complaints in your mind, only spoken complaints.
And I don’t think it counts for legitimate complaints (though we should be honest with ourselves which are and which aren’t, LOL)
It’s spreading around the world. So far, more than 3.5 million have been ordered, going to 78 countries. If you want to read a story about it, go here; or to order bracelets and read more about it, go here.
See my later post on this here. I added pictures from this post below:
My bracelet
I thought about making a bracelet with the words No complaint, but for me, I wanted a positive reminder of what I hope to bring.
I was playing around with alphabet beads to see what letters I had to work with. It isn’t necessary to put much money into making a bracelet like these. I made two bracelets that I alternate wearing. If I find I really enjoy them, I will remake them in silver beads. I added crystals and carved beads to make them more interesting.
Create-Imagine-Appreciate
Bring Joy-Love-Pax
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I like each of these. It’s a toss up which one is more appropriate for any given day.
Nurture hope, pack lightly, quell rumors… all speak to Chinese adoption at the moment, and to other things as well.
Be ready for the things life has to offer. Wait patiently, doing what you can today.
Until I no longer had a source for them, I used to give silver rings engraved with ‘hope’ to people, if they were going through deep waters. It was a visible way for them to know that someone cared. I wish I could find them again.
Master something made me laugh. Something! how difficult is that. It could be anything, no matter how small. Master anything. Find something that interests you and go with it.
Which of these speak to you today?
Karin
Accept differences
Be kind
Count your blessings
Dream
Express thanks
Forgive
Give freely
Harm no one
Imagine more
Jettison anger
Keep confidences
Love truly
Master something
Nurture hope
Open your mind
Pack lightly
Quell rumors
Reciprocate
Seek wisdom
Touch hearts
Understand
Value truth
Win graciously
Xeriscape
Yearn for peace
Zealously support a worthy cause
Renee Stewart
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Experience makes us see an enormous difference between piety and goodness. Blaise Pascal (1623-1662)
An open mind is a prerequisite to an open heart. -Robert M. Sapolsky, neuroscientist and author (1957- )
It might be a good idea if the various countries of the world would occasionally swap history books, just to see what other people are doing with the same set of facts. -Bill Vaughan, journalist (1915-1977)
…we have a lot of opinions, and we tend to take them as truth. Pema Chodron
This book was a gift from a friend a number of years ago. I think you have to be in the right mood to read it. If you are unfamiliar with Buddhist terms, it takes some getting used to seeing them and knowing what they mean in context. She has many gems in the book, sometimes within paragraphs where I took the wheat and left what I wasn’t clear on. In many ways, she makes goodness understood from outside a religious parameter. And it is all about having an open heart, open to the compassion of the world and of our own, open to the pain of the world and a means of alleviating it. I might try to read some of her other books too, but they are heavy duty for everyday fare.
I bet most of us would not understand history if we read it from the perspective of someone else’s country. I think that’s where travel comes in and broadens our viewpoints. Reading about a place is not the same as breathing the air and stepping foot on the soil and looking out from or at something different from our normal scene.
It might be the same with true piety and goodness vs. piety that has a negative connotation. I don’t think the word goodness is ever corrupted as ‘piety’ usually is. If it is good, it’s good. When I think of the facts (‘facts’) about God…piety, religion, truth…the same set of facts yields many different concepts, all of which cannot be true…or all of which might be partially true. But facts or not, are we becoming a better person, maybe kinder or nicer or more considerate, more compassionate and even, a little bit more good? I’m not sure for most of us that it is a steadily inclining line, at least I have setbacks, but over all, hopefully…
How about you? Have you ever read any of her books? or any book on Buddhism? Do you think you’ve changed in the last five years?
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Just when it seems like a bit of good news would be exceedingly welcomed, comes this true story (I’ve checked it with Snopes) about a woman hand feeding hummingbirds.
Isn’t it great that with the Internet we have a way to easily share these experiences that we might never hear about otherwise?!
Thanks to Cathy for sharing with me in the first place!
It’s a reminder to me that “God’s in his heaven; all’s right with the world.”
from “Pippa Passes”
The year’s at the spring
And day’s at the morn;
Morning’s at seven;
The hill-side’s dew-pearled
The lark’s on the wing;
The snail’s on the thorn;
God’s in his Heaven -
All’s right with the world!
Robert Browning (1812-1889)
Is it possible that in these difficult times we could trust more deeply that God will feed and clothe us, as he does the birds and the lilies? Whether we are literally in need of food, shelter, clothing, water, health, employment or any of a myriad of other needs, the most basic need is for the ideas that will lead us in the right direction and out of limitation.
Ideas are always limitless! (This goes along with the short movie I posted earlier.)
Not too long ago while pondering how I should schedule my day, though my first inclination the night before had been to get on down the road and back home, I felt it was all right to meander a bit. In doing so, I had a number of interesting conversations with strangers, some welcome time with a friend, and a bit of fashion enjoyment, including some time with perfumes.
After I’d been back on the highway for a while, an electronic sign informed me of an accident 26 miles down the road. One lane was closed. (I learned later that it had only cleared about an hour before I got there.) If I had hurried my way home, I would have been stuck for hours while they cleared the road. I was able to get past it without any lost time.
Sometimes we do not know what we or others are protected from, but this time it was apparent. And it could have been far worse, but thankfully wasn’t. On this busy stretch of road, many more could have been involved in this accident but were not.
That’s just a small example of how ideas will clear our day for us. Expect ideas today and always that will help you!
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Review Hide and Seek by Cherry Adair (Book 3) Hide and Seek is the third book in the T-FLAC series. This book concerns Kyle Wright, the second of the Wright sibs. He is a medical doctor, but like all the Wright brothers, not what...
Wasting a life The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life. Muhammad Ali Well, this challenges us, doesn't it! I did a lot of...
Review: MetaGame by Sam Landstrom (Kindle Edition) I decided to order MetaGame (Kindle Edition) by Sam Landstrom because at the time I was looking for free Kindle books (it is now $1.69) and it sounded interesting. I am normally not a sci-fi...
Ah, sweet licorice in tea and chocolate and perfumes I'm not one to eat a lot of black licorice, but I do like it. When our son was five, we had one of our most beloved exchange students from Finland. He came when he...
Contemporary Fireplace Design Ideas You have many fireplace design ideas to choose from when you're ready to add a beautiful fireplace to your home. Your final choice will depend...
Creative Ideas (Part One) Like the power of electricity your Ideas have greater impact when they rapidly flow in concentrated streams of thought. You'll find this and more in...
For game design Andrea Angiolino was born the 27th of April, 1966 in Rome, the city where he still lives. He published many boardgames and books about games,...
Choose a Shredder for All Your Needs There was a time when you could simply throw away old bills and expired credit cards without another thought. With the increasing frequency of identity...
You can’t debate faith nor can you debunk it. Faith is a personal choice inside one’s heart. It’s a choice the famous and much controversial theologian Karl Bart called a “leap of faith.”
If you’re going to be a sojourner of faith, you’ll need to prepare for some leaps, because my guess is somewhere along the way you’ll be making some horrendous leaps that come with a rush one never would experience from a bungee cord on “Fear Factor.”
But be forewarned: It’s a leap you’ll need to make by yourself. When it comes to faith, it doesn’t matter who your daddy is. You’ll have to unearth it and claim it for your own. Norris Burkes
I’ve said before that I enjoy Norris’ columns. This is from his latest. You can find a link to him on the front page of my blog. He always has something pithy dropped into the everyday stuff that exists for all of us.
I knew someone who used to say that everyone has faith and everyone has doubt — it’s important not to mix them up, to doubt the things we should have faith in, and have faith in the things we should be questioning.
It’s something to think about in considering the various things we believe whether about faith or other things that will be debunked as time moves on.
Knowing the exceptions The young man knows the rules, but the old man knows the exceptions. Oliver Wendell Holmes I love the idea of the flexibility that is behind this quote. Every rule has its exception. I know...
Empathy, hope, faith, cynicism, doubt, pessimism (book) The other day walking through the library quickly, several book titles leapt out at me. The author of this book shares out of his practice and his life. He was a psychologist, on the faculty...
The Frog Prince by Jane Porter The Frog Prince is a modern day fairy tale. Because I liked Flirting with Forty so well, I had high expectations for this one. In a mere 371 pages Holly goes from being a devastated,...
Would you change your past, if you could? One time I said to my son, computer guru extraordinaire, I wish there were a computer that we could plug in alternate realities and see where we'd be in the current moment. He snorted, Ma!(he's...
Pay attention to the little stings of life Norris Burkes writes thought provoking essays about real life and God. This essay talks about almost losing his daughter to a bee sting, but her new boyfriend thought fast enough to be aware. I like...
Prophecy There is an interesting phenomenon happening soon that has never really happened before. Many prophetic cycles have resolved recently or will be resolving soon, like...
Welcome New Readers! Welcome to Go To Retirement, a blog written by a baby boomer for baby boomers (and others) who are thinking about and preparing for retirement....
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Sometimes I think the harder we look for happiness, the more elusive it can be. It’s like searching for Mr. Goodbar. But if we just sit quietly, appreciating and in the moment, it sneaks up on us.
That’s not to say that we don’t have to work at it or take charge of our own happiness. Like Cathy writes below in the comments section, I often say that I fight for my happiness!
I’ve learned through the years that I need to bring happiness into my moments, if I expect to experience it. I remind myself to do those small things for myself that secure my happiness, to be good to myself, to take time to enjoy the moments that run through our fingers.
I’ve talked with a number of folks over the years and in recent weeks whose concerns are ratcheting up. They are looking to establish (more) joy in their lives in the face of negative reports and a general malaise. Concerns about the world; their finances; life in general; their health, their work, their marriage; retirement funds — anything you can think of — are stealing their peace and occupying their thoughts.
Over the years I’ve looked into happiness, read a number of books, worked on it for myself, and tried to discern what, exactly, is happiness? I don’t know that it is possible to be happy every moment, but even in the midst of problems, it is possible to be a happy person, or at least to experience joy at some level and in some moments. So happiness isn’t determined by whether a person is happy every single moment, but whether it is an attitude of heart and mind.
An analogy that came to me a number of years ago that I’ve often shared with others is this:
Every incident of goodness; every moment of joy; every good thought or deed; every kind word experienced or given; every beautiful thing we notice; every bit of gratitude we express; every note of music we hear or play; every time we appreciate something around us; every time we give or receive a compliment; every time we take time to take time is like a pearl we are stringing in our lives.
The knots in the string are life’s problems.
When we look at a strand of pearls, yes, we see the knots, but we don’t focus on them. They only serve to make the strand more beautiful. What we see is the complete strand with the individual pearls. The knots hold the pearls securely, as well as set them apart from each other so that we may better see and appreciate the individual pearls.
That seemed like enough, and for years that is what I strove to understand and share.
But this past week, when talking to someone, it occurred to me to think out loud as we were talking: What is the string?
And in an instant I listened to the idea come out of my mouth that I hadn’t yet had:
The string is happiness.
I loved the idea that there is a string of happiness moving through our lives and that we are stringing together moments of love, joy, goodness, peace — the loveliness of life — on it.
May you be blessed by this idea, as much as I was to receive it, and may today and every day be filled with many beautiful and precious blessings.
Finding happiness One thing I know, I'm not happy here, but would I be happy anywhere else? ...Having been blown sideways by life, or shoved by my parents, we've never had the time or privilege to think...
Love in a perfume bottle A recent article details the love a woman's father had for her mother in buying her what he considered a luxury, Royall Lyme Toilet Lotion. Along with the gift came the admonition to use it...
A woman with substance Our paper chronicles today a woman who is 105. She looks good! They say she has a spark. Here's some highlights: She began playing the drums at 12. A neighbor says of her: She's an...
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A life that is well lived This comes from a friend of mine who helped another friend celebrate her 102nd birthday! I asked her to tell me something about her friend. I think we tend to hear more of decrepitude than...
Happy New Year! photo credit: claudmey It's a brand new day and a brand new year! Let's take this "clean slate" and live our lives as joyful, healthy,...
Peace Prize Prevaricators [/caption] OSLO: The Norwegian Nobel Committee announced one week ago that Barack Obama had won this year's Nobel Peace Prize. It was reported that he...
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Thinking of an adoptee's rejection by her APs "In every dispute between parent and child, both cannot be right, but they may be, and usually are, both wrong. It is this situation which gives family life its peculiar hysterical charm." - Isaac Rosenfeld...
FOTD More AL matte eyes + NYX lips This look is from yesterday, Thursday. I haven't done my look for today yet. This was a quick summer look, using the NYX lippie that Miranda had reminded me of, when she commented the other...
Nightfall, The Beach (poem) with artwork by Renoir Mary is a talented poet with insights into art. I have admired her posts that incorporate her poems or thoughts with art. Enjoy! Karin Dear Karin, Here is a poem that I wrote on Saturday...
US National Parks I found this video last night about the US National Parks. There are some wonderful images here. Each park that is included has a picture. It makes me want to make it a goal to...
A little more about heroes "You don't have to be a fantastic hero to do certain things - to compete. You can be just an ordinary chap, sufficiently motivated to reach challenging goals." Sir Edmund Hillary Mountaineer and Explorer, today's...
Retuning Of Last Love It should be finished. There was no way to the world, I will ever receive mine excluding a back. When we broke, I have gone...
Own Business Network marketing as well as any other trade, requires certain knowledge, abilities and experience. Probably that you already are the representative of this or that...
Things to Do Besides Skiing Just because you are visiting a ski resort, then that does not mean that you can only ski. Here are some things that you may...
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Here’s a story from the world’s oldest blogger, of how she was bullied and how she solved it.
Olive is 107 and as feisty as my grandmother was. I think I’d like her! What a gal! (I miss my grandma!)
I was once told by my older daughter’s school that bullying is just a natural part of junior high and high school. I think not! was basically what I said.
Now, of course, they take a no-bullying stance, but it was sure a long time coming. And I’m not sure they can solve what takes place after school.
Have you ever been bullied? how did you solve it? (Me, I left quickly the place where I should not have been alone. I never told my mother either!)
Being Godlike, God centered I love the John Watson and Theodore Rubin quotes. I recognize them from the Stoddard book - it is chock full of wonderful quotes. I have written all over the book. So glad you told...
Invited to be a guest blogger at cologneperfumefragrance I am beginning a series of Le Jardin Retrouvé perfume reviews at cologneperfumefragrance. Yuri Gutsatz is the founder of this parfum house. I had never heard of Gutsatz prior to being given samples of his...
A story of remission/healing I was telling a friend about another's diagnosis and how it is known to sometimes go into remission, even permanently. Here's what she wrote in reply: It really struck me what you said on the...
Poignant comments by kids Trying to resurrect this conversation: Just prior to having Chinese New Year dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, our 10 year old said something to the effect: I'm Chinese, right? [Yes.] Then she remarked...
Live 30 days on a budget - I dare you! If I had to name just two personal finance techniques that have literally changed by financial life around they would be: Budgeting and the Debt...
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. He teaches a very popular class in this. One of his interesting points is to make anything you like, that makes you happy, a habit, schedule it in. Evidently making something a habit means it actually gets into your life on a regular basis. And it takes upwards of a month to make something new a habit.
has an interesting chapter on surrender. The book also has chapters on Authenticity, Love, Relationships, Loss, Power, Guilt, Time, Fear, Anger, Play, Patience, Forgiveness and Happiness. 
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