GOING BACK TO MEMORY LANE

Good Day Tuesday,

Hello, today is the last day of March, the 31st, 2020, what are you doing? 

Dan and I have a conference call with our financial adviser.  With the way of uncertainty in the world today, it will be interesting on what he may say.

But, for right now, I’m going to focus on some memories of good times.  As you first walk in, my front door I have a picture of my daughter Danielle and our Buddy. 

We brought Buddy home when Danielle was nine.  Dan thought that this would teach our daughter responsibility walking, feeding and playing with him. I knew that this would not work and it will be mostly me to feed and walk Buddy.   I went with it and Buddy was part of our family for fourteen years.  The love we had, when we came home from work; especially Dan.  Buddy would sit on his own recliner that was in front of the front window, waiting for us to come home. 

The personality, would come out with excitement when we came home from work.  Those were the memories that will last forever.

What memories do you have of your pets (family)?

Another, priceless gift that I keep up in the hall way is this saying:

May your trouble be less

And your blessings be more

And nothing but happiness come through your door.

These priceless treasures are just items, but are things that make me happy.  Not long ago I had a conversation with my mom, she said that she knows that she had a lot of items (memories) in her home – but they make me happy.  After, the talk I thought; yes, that is part of why we are here.  If you can’t be happy, how can you make someone else happy. 

For me, it’s the memories.  Even though I live for the day and future, I love to look back and remember the happy times that I have spent with my family.  Through, gifts and things that represent the past; so, to me that is why I’m where I am today.  Through these uncertain times, I can sit in my home and be grateful for how precious life is and look for what ever today and the future will bring.

Change, has always been.  The first time I faced uncertainly was when I was sixteen.  My family’s lives changed forever, when my father died and then when I found out I had cancer nine years ago.  Life does not stop, its just how you move through it.  I have been through a lot of change, but through it all I have the love of life. 

Dan and I keep busy by reading, exercising by walking, blogging and editing, cooking and cleaning, meditating and keeping God in our lives.  Living in the modern world, we have been ordering on line, so we don’t have to go to the grocery store that often.

What aspects of work are you grateful for?

A poem I wrote in 2011 that I would like to dedicate to all the people on the front line of this virus.

Magic

You have

Created from

Your mind a wonderful

Tool to heal the world

From sickness and despair.

You have shown me what life

Can be.

With just your heart you have

Given the compassion of

A lifetime.

Last, yesterday I tried something new for brunch.  I never thought of making vegetable pancakes.  I was talking to my mom and she didn’t know if she would like it, for, they would not be sweet.  Well, they did turn out good and Dan loved them.  Another part of our menu for the future.

Healthier Pancakes

All my recipes are about color and creation for each to make to your liking. The ingredients are flexible depending on your needs and your imagination.  Of course, you would need to start with pancake mix and the normal ingredients to make pancakes.  Then cut up what ever vegetables you have at the time.  Saute them in a little bit of olive oil and then add some of them in the pancake mix.  When they are done, add the remainder of the vegetables on top.  If you like you can make a gravy to pore over.

Yummy.

Until tomorrow, do something different.  For Dan and I our daughter bought us a Bucs puzzle.  I think we can start it on March 31, 2020 the last day of March.  

EMBRACING CHANGE

Good Day,

Hello all, today Dan and I are embracing the change, its going on the 14^th day of hunkering down.  This morning I decided to embrace the positive of this uncertain time.

I go through my house and look at all the precious gifts from my friends that I kept from the past. I can’t believe that these were in boxes in storage for 7 years, but now I have them for keepsakes.

Do you have something that is a keepsake that you kept that is precious to you? Send me a message and tell me about it!

This angel was given to me by my angel on earth when I was having functional medicine for my cancer in Mexico.  Vera taught me so much and her passion is what continues me to educate others.  The message on the angel is:  

Embrace change

Begin today

Surround yourself with good people

Surrender your fear

Feel the brightness of being alive

What is calling you

Take flight forward your dreams

Wear red shoes

Believe in possibility

Be brave

Thank you, Vera, you made me believe in possibilities.  It showed me the brightness of being alive.

Throughout the future blogging, I will share some precious gifts that I received from the past and the reason why they are a keepsake. There is another precious gift that brightened up my days and was a positive image. My friend Debby gave this to me many years ago.  She is a friend that even through distance is always in my heart.  Our friendship is like, we may not talk for months, but when we do – it’s like we haven’t been apart. A precious friend that would drop everything to help.  When my mom was in trouble and ended up in the hospital, she was in Florida and I was in Mexico; I couldn’t be there right away and I called her.  She stops everything and went down to the hospital to be with her until my sisters could be there.  Do you have a friend like that?

STAR

Stars are often used to symbolize heavenly bodies, purity and good luck. In dreams, a shooting star is a sign of self-fulfillment and advancement in life.

Stars may also symbolize a big change or turning point in a person's life, but they are also seen as a sign of sorrow. If a person follows a star in their dream, this might be a sign that he or she is ambitious or has intuitive gifts. If the stars that are visualized during dreams are dull or red in color, this might symbolize that there is a looming problem that has not been dealt with.

MAKE A WISH

Wish, desire, want, indicate a longing for something. To wish is to feel an impulse toward attainment or possession of something; the strength of the feeling may be of greater or lesser intensity.

Desire, a more formal word, suggests a strong wish: They desire a new regime. Want, usually colloquial in use, suggests a feeling of lack or need that imperatively demands fulfillment.

DREAMS

Dreams generally signify things about your emotions or health or the present situation of your life or about something which you have over thought about.  

HOPE

The Native American Indians referred to the Hope symbol as Star Knowledge which included the ability to mark events to come based on celestial alignments, providing hope for the future.

LOVE

The best known, universal symbol of love is the heart-shaped ideograph, and it symbolizes the core of romantic love, affectionate emotion and caring.

PEACE

Peace is an awakening in life. It is also the awakening of your soul. Peace is the symbol of being calm and stable. Peace in general could mean a various emotion running through the mind of a person. Many people forgive to maintain peace, while the rest ask for an apology to find some peace of mind.

Thank you, Debby, for always being there. You taught me what true friendship is.

Last night on FOX, I HEART – LIVING ROOM CONCERT FOR CORONA VIRUS. This was hosted by Elton John and some musicians and singers got together from their homes to honor all the front people that is taking care of us during this virus.  I personally want to thank them and send them positive energy of safety.

Before you go to sleep tonight, what blessings will you think about?

Last, yesterday Dan and I took our daily walk.  We try to do three miles a day.  Since we don’t go to the complex gym, we have been walking around our complex, but today since the mall down the road was closed, we walked to the mall and around the parking lot.  Along our walk nature was all around us, spring was in the air.  I love this time of year, when flowers bloom and trees come alive.  It’s a new beginning for them.

Until tomorrow, be safe.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT!!!!

Good Day

This is Dan’s and my 14^{th day} of hunkering down.  Be safe today everyone, go out and enjoy the sun- but be aware of your surroundings and keep a distance from one another.  When I was raising our daughter, Danielle’s safety was the first rule that I taught her. 

She really didn’t understand why I was so strict by not allowing her to adventure out when she was young.  Much like these uncertain times, we have to know our surroundings and stay our distance for safety reasons.  I learned to take each day at a time and be thankful for today. 

Its Sunday and Dan showed me this prayer that he read; I would love to share it with you.  Because we all are going through a difficult time.

I’m going to rise up and take hold of everything that God has in store for me.

I’m believing and declaring every day.

I’m getting better and better.

God is restoring health unto me.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT – DO YOU MAKE UP YOUR BED EVERY MORNING?

DID YOU MAKE IT UP THIS MORNING?

During these times of uncertainty, I know when I make up my bed and also get dressed out of my pajamas; I feel a lot better.  A lot of professionals say that we should all start the day with a good attitude. One way to be feeling good about yourself is get some sun, put on clothes and start with a clean space.  

This is one of my daughters designs, you can order on line with TARGET.

When I was a child, I was told to make up my bed. My mother told me that it will make the whole room look clean... Well, this stuck with me and I always made up my bed.... How about you? There is a secret to it, I just buy a big comforter and pull it over with big fluffy pillows.... MAKE IT BRIGHT and be feeling happy.

IF YOU WANT TO CHANGE THE WORLD YOU FIRST NEED TO MAKE UP YOUR BED!!!

Here is what the professionals say:

5 Reasons You Should Make Your Bed Every Morning bed

“If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of the day. Making your bed will [reinforce] the fact that the little things in life matter. If you can’t do the little things right, you’ll never be able to do the big things right.” – U.S. Navy Admiral William H. McCraven

For reasons that vary from the cultivation of mental discipline to highlighting a bedroom’s aesthetics, there is something to be said about making your bed every morning.

There are also plenty of reasons (or excuses) why someone doesn’t make their bed. First, most people simply don’t care or notice – it’s a bed – what’s the big deal? With all the rushing around and things to do, making the bed is a “time waster” for many people.

No dispute from this end that making your bed is mundane – it is – but this is one reason to do it. Think about your typical day: how many trivial, “unimportant” things require your attention anyways? You must do these things – at work, at home, or elsewhere – whether you want to or not.

So, why take the time to make your bed?

 1. YOU START THE DAY RIGHT

As Admiral McCraven said to the graduating class at the University of Texas, making your bed instills a sense of accomplishment. You walk out of the room knowing that you’ve achieved something. You’ll feel more inclined to complete another task, then another. At the end of the day, you’ll have done more, (perhaps) spearheaded from the simple act of making your bed.

If you approach making your bed with the mindset of “How I do anything is how I do everything,” you’ll gain a growing sense of pride, self-confidence, and motivation. Further, you’ll leave the house feeling a sense of control and personal responsibility – an asset you can take with you throughout the day.

2. IT CULTIVATES MENTAL DISCIPLINE

Mental discipline, also known as self-discipline, is developed by overcoming mental and physical resistance.

When you roll out of bed on a Monday morning, sometimes the last thing you aspire to do is make your bed. This dreaded feeling is understandable, but it’s also a terrific opportunity to discipline yourself.

We tend to associate any form of “self-discipline” as harsh and restraining, but it needn’t be. Although your brain and body may resist your efforts, you can engage your mind at-will and gently bring its attention back under control. You employ your mind this way by focusing intently on one thing, and one thing only: the task at-hand.

Which segues perfectly into #3:

3. IT CAN BE A GREAT MINDFULNESS EXERCISE

One tenet of mindfulness is witnessing your thoughts without criticism or judgement. This very principle can be applied to all of our efforts. Any mundane task: washing the dishes, cleaning the floor, and yes, making the bed – are all excellent times to practice mindfulness.

As we implement mindfulness into every small or large task, we establish a mental and physical “connection.” This mindset dissipates much of the resistance and angst attempting to creep in as we intently focus on the task at hand. As our mindful “muscle” grows, we’ll find making the bed – and many other duties – less “painful” and more rewarding!

Charles Dickens, one of history’s most profound writers, once wrote:

“He did each single thing, as if he did nothing else.” Perfectly said.

4. YOUR SLEEP MAY IMPROVE

A study undertaken by the renowned National Sleep Foundation (NSF) may have discovered a correlation between making the bed and better-quality sleep. Individuals or couples that made their bed “every day” or “almost every day” reported better sleep than those who rarely or never make their bed.

It’s difficult to explain this study’s results, but – and this writer is speculating – it may be the byproduct of the several other benefits listed in this article.

 Certainly, it is not out of the realm of possibility to attribute higher quality sleep to a sense of accomplishment, mental discipline, task-orientation, and, perhaps most importantly, mindfulness.

5. YOU’LL APPRECIATE THE NEATNESS

For those with an eye for design aesthetics, making your bed will most likely prove pleasing to the eyes.

Rachel Hoffman, a housekeeping and organizational guru, states: “Taking a moment to straighten up your bedding creates an orderly and neat focal point in what might otherwise be a messy disaster.”

Hoffman also says that making your bed can serve as a source of inspiration and reassurance. More specifically, that you can control your surroundings; this “can be pretty empowering as an indication of what you’re capable of accomplishing with just a small amount of effort.”

I bet you didn’t ever think that the topic of making up your bed would make a big difference!

Name the hardships in your life and the good you can find in them.

Open your blinds, get some sun coming in. Go out in the fresh air and if need be- yell and scream, let it out.  Enjoy what God created, nature.

Until tomorrow, safety.

I HAVE THE FAVOR’S

Good Day,

Today is Saturday our 13^th day of hunkering down, but we are keeping busy.  We were awoken up by a picture up above our bed that fell and hit Dan in the head around 5:30. Thank goodness he was sleeping on his front.  This picture is very light and was drawn by our daughter.  I told Dan it was a sign from his mother, for it is her birthday and maybe she was trying to tell him something. Since it was a drawing of the 

TB Bucs football team winning the Super Bowl Dan said “She Was”.  When speaking to my mom today, she stated maybe that was her birth time. So, today I honor Thelma Malin.

Are there any weird things like this happening to you? 

Love to hear, just send me a message.

Dan is reading a book that we have in our library of books, we had them in storage for 7 years.  Its great to go through them and read again.  The book is, Become A Better You.  The other day Dan shared this prayer from it and I like to share with you:

I am anointed

I am a victor not a victim

I am getting healthier

And healthier day by day

I have the favors of God.

Yesterday, we celebrated our grandson’s birthday, and in my post yesterday I shared that we used zoom and connected with people from all over the country, grandparents, friends and relatives.  My mother also was able to share with us, she had balloons and had on a party hat to get in the spirit of things.  Perhaps if the virus did not happen, we would have not thought of this.  I say a good thing can come out of a bad thing.  This will be something that I will always treasure, being able to see both sets of grandparents come together and celebrate their grandson’s birthday from different locations.

Today Dan and I are going through a magazine from Vital Choice.  Its amazing what you can do with salmon. You can go to this site to order yourself or just look around.  I am very satisfied with the product and the items are wild.

https://www.vitalchoice.com/?smile_referral_code=giRT2mfY&st_intent=st%3Areferrals%3Acustomer-offers%3AgiRT2mfY&utm_campaign=smileio_referrals&utm_medium=referral_url

Its great, that since we have been back to the states that we have been ordering on line.  Its more important now for the social distancing. By purchasing my produce on line, our wild salmon products and other household goods, it’s less time spending in the grocery stores.

I’m learning more to realize, why do we have to prove to people that we are right.   If you know your right that is all that matters.  Showing others isn’t worth the conflicts that might happen.  Just listen and go on from there.  We are all right in our own minds.

My mother wrote this poem on 5-11-2011, which I put in my book. 

Love Kills Cancer

Love is more valuable than gold

It is yours to have and to hold

Love has a way to make you feel

Even memories of love, no one can steal

Everyone has a right to love

It starts within and comes from above.

It is to love one another as it is

A halo of eternity.

By – Debby Surdi

What blessings are you most grateful for today?

During, this hunkering down time, I’ve been going through some of the precious memories that I kept in storage while we lived in Mexico for seven years.

One of the items was a pillow, it was kept for the saying on it: Cherish yesterday, Dream tomorrow, Live today.

In times of uncertainty, this is more valuable to me.  We all are blessed to live today- we can make the best of a bad situation and make it good.

Another item that I kept was this sign: Decisions, Decisions, Decisions.  You know that we all have decisions in live that may be good or bad, but its how we decide that leads to the ending.  The best advise is knowledge is power and if we all researched on what is the best outcome for you, the better we will become.

Until tomorrow, again be safe and do something that you have not done in a long time around your home.

Here are some great project that you can do with your child outside.

OH, WHAT A BEAUTIFUL MORNING

Good morning,

Today Dan and I are celebrating our grandson’s 2^nd birthday.  For many years since our daughter left for college, we have been social distancing ourselves and following her career.  We learned about Skype when she was going to college in London to get her masters. 

So, this is not something different.  We do visit during the year, but since our grandson has been born; we do have more face-time together.  This is and is the future of parents and their children that go off to college and take jobs in other locations. 

Social media refers to websites and applications that are designed to allow people to share content quickly, efficiently, and in real-time. Many people define social media as apps on their smartphone or tablet, but the truth is, this communication tool started with computers. This misconception stems from the fact that most social media users access their tools via apps.

There are two different types of social media, one is personal and the other is business.  Right now, with social distancing, I’m going to talk about personal.

The ability to share photos, opinions, events, in real-time has transformed the way we live.  

Images Are Key

Another thing to consider is that the most commonly-shared content on social media is an image. So, always include an image with your posts. This will dramatically increase your chances that one of your followers will share the post with their network. While building up a large network of followers is great, ultimately what you want is to have your followers—no matter how many you have—share what you're posting with their network, and those people will share your post with their followers, and so on. This is the new form of "word of mouth" and it is what people mean when they say a post went "viral."

Being able at our age to figure out the modern age of social media and learn not to be afraid of it is timeless.  Looking for challenges in our everyday life has helped me over come the fear.  I’m able to blog and share my experiences with others and also personally connect by face-time with my daughter, son-in-law and grandson. When we were in Mexico and now in Virginia, I Facebook messenger video chat with my mother every once in a while.  If I can do it anyone can!!

Since this is Dan and my 12th day of distancing, I know that real soon we will be able to get the simple things as a hair cut or even go out for a cup of coffee at Barnes and Noble.  I’m going to share this poem that I wrote in my book, I Believe in Miracles.  Because I believe that this will happen real soon.

I BELIEVE IN MIRACLES

I believe in miracles

And pray that I am being answered.

For days and nights of hoping

My heart is beating with laughter.

I can fill my journey with

Imagination of the bright rainbow shades.

For orange when combined with red

Will create the happiness of yellow.

I believe in miracles

And pray that I am being answered.

For days and nights of hoping

My heart is beating with laughter.

You can achieve the beauty of

The cross walk of life.

Just hold out your hand and grasp

Mine, we can move mountains.

I believe in miracles

And pray that I am being answered.

For days and nights of hoping

My heart is beating with laughter.

What qualities of your body, mind, and spirit are you most grateful for?

Have to go to get ready for a birthday party on Zoom. Happy birthday Jonah, your grandpa and grandma love you-bunches.

Until tomorrow, have a safe weekend. Try to go out and get some rays, but keep your distance.