It doesn't take much effort and there is no cost:

Share a smile

Say please and thank you

Give a courtesy wave

Practice patience (definitely this takes practice for me)

Embrace these four letter words - love, care with the addition of the tiny little word BE turn these 4 letter words into verbs - be nice, be kind.

You can make a terrific difference in your life and others when you choose to extend some common courtesy.

The extra mile is congession free.

Our prayers go out to those in North Dakota and Minnesota facing rising waters and those from the Pan Handle of Florida to Atlanta dodging tornadoes and storms. We must be ever mindful of the power of weather. I hope everyone will be safe and free from harm.

Today Noah is celebrating his birthday. Happy Birthday Noah! He has begun playing baseball and once again has discovered he has tremendous talent for yet again another sport.


Like his beautiful sister, Hope, he also has other talents and is very smart.


Everytime I hear about what is happening in their lives and those of Jake and Jonah I beam with pride and smile with joy.


Hope has a basketball tournament this weekend and I will be rooting for her.


In life you have many wonderful moments. Sometimes you only have to hear about them long distance to feel you are part of them and sharing in the experience. I am blessed that despite very busy lives my daughters(in-law) Shelia and Carol and my sons Tom and Jim write and/or call and share with me what is happening in their lives. It is terrific!!!!


Yesterday I was delighted by musical treats of Happy Birthday being sung to me and wishes being sent over the phone and e-mails. Today is a glorious day. I hope Noah enjoys his birthday as much as I did mine.

Birthdays are terrific. They give us a wonderful opportunity to push the pause button on our busy, crazy lives so we can reflect back over our life's journey so far. I have had some incredible adventures. Never could I have imagined the twists and turns my life journey has taken. I have seen more places, met more and different people and had far more experiences than ever I could have dreamed.

My life has been touched and changed by circumstances, challenges, people and the guardian angels I have met along the way. Truly I am blessed. I have lived a most amazing life. I say thank you prayers often and they are never enough.

Birthdays are a gift. They are perfect for remembering, for dreaming and definitely for celebrating the opportunities life has given us. I have an extra bounce to my already peppy step today as I look forward to the adventures that lay ahead as I live each day fully, gratefully and supremely happily. I hope you have an awesome day! May joy overflow your heart.

I hope you enjoy your Day!!!!!!!

Words of wisdom on this special day from the one and only Tigger.

"Stripes or tails or feathers help make us who we are.
Be happy being YOU each day. And you'll bounce very far."

"Life's not about waiting for the storms to pass...
It's about learning to dance in the rain."
~Vivian Greene

I had great walks this week along the beach at Ft DeSota. The sand is sugary white and the water was blue on some days and nearly green colored on others. It is fun to notice the way it changes color depending on the sky and weather conditions. Walking along the shore I saw castles, children playing and love notes written in the sand.

Some people think that when love notes are washed out to sea with the changing tides they are erased. I think they last forever floating on the waves.


Walking is terrific. I highly recommend it. Not only does it help you physically but it is a wonderful therapy mentally. It gives you an opportunity to notice things outside yourself and if you walk outside it is the perfect chance to appreciate God's phenomenal handiwork.

This week we are going to have a Full Moon. I hope it turns out to be a wonderful, magical and happy week for you. I hope you get the time to splurge and go for a walk.

The Second Ten Commandments
Havey Mackay,Best Selling Author, Motivational Speaker and Nationally Syndicated Columnist
Monday, February 16, 2009

We all know about the original Ten Commandments, but have you ever heard of "The Second Ten Commandments"? I don't remember who sent them to me -- these pearls of wisdom have been often attributed to one Elodie Armstrong -- but I sure would like to thank him or her for sharing this wisdom. (Me Too!)

Here they are with my spin on them:

I. Thou shall not worry, for worry is the most unproductive of all human activities.

You can't saw sawdust. A day of worry is more exhausting than a day of work. People get so busy worrying about yesterday or tomorrow, they forget about today. And today is what you have to work with.

II. Thou shall not be fearful, for most of the things we fear never come to pass.

Every crisis we face is multiplied when we act out of fear. Fear is a self-fulfilling emotion. When we fear something, we empower it. If we refuse to concede to our fear, there is nothing to fear.

III. Thou shall not cross bridges before you come to them, for no one yet has succeeded in accomplishing this.

Solve the issues before you right now. Tomorrow's problems may not even be problems when tomorrow comes!

IV. Thou shall face each problem as it comes. You can only handle one at a time anyway.

In one of my favorite "Peanuts" comic strips, Linus says to Charlie Brown, "There is no problem so big it cannot be run away from." I chuckle every time I think about it because it sounds like such a simple solution to a problem. Problem solving is not easy so don't make it harder than it is.

V. Thou shall not take problems to bed with you, for they make very poor bedfellows.

Just remember that all your problems seem much worse in the middle of the night. If I wake up thinking of a problem, I tell myself that it will seem lighter in the morning and it always is.

VI. Thou shall not borrow other people's problems. They can better care for them than you can. I must confess that I have broken this commandment because I wanted to help someone out, without being asked, or I thought I was more equipped to handle a situation. But I wouldn't have to deal with the consequences, either.

VII. Thou shall not try to relive yesterday. For good or ill, it is forever gone.

Concentrate on what is happening in your life and be happy now! We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get a better job, make more money, get married, have a baby, buy a bigger house and so on. Yet the accomplishment of any of those events may not make any difference at all. The Declaration of Independence says we are endowed "with certain unalienable rights that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." You are responsible for your own happiness.

VIII. Thou shall be a good listener, for only when you listen do you hear ideas different from your own.

You can win more friends with your ears than with your mouth. Hearing is one of the body's five senses, but listening is an art. Your success could hinge on whether you have mastered the skill of listening. Most people won't listen to what you're saying unless they already feel that you have listened to them. When we feel we are being listened to, it makes us feel as if we are being taken seriously and what we say really matters.

IX. Thou shall not become "bogged down" by frustration, for 90 percent of it is rooted in self-pity and will only interfere with positive action.

Seriously, has frustration ever improved a situation? Better to take a break, collect your thoughts, and redirect your attention to a positive first step. Then go on from there.

X. Thou shall count thy blessings, never overlooking the small ones, for a lot of small blessings add up to a big one.

We all have something to be grateful for, even on the worst days. Hey, you're still on the green side of the grass, aren't you?

Mackay's Moral: These may not be chiseled in stone, but try them -- they'll make your life less rocky.

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