I am very appreciative that I have flexibility to choose which direction, which projects I am going to tackle each week. After years of being on the road Mondays through Friday and assorted jobs that had me on my feet all day and late into the wee hours at venues, right now I am seeking an income stream in a new and different way.

My strength and stamina are finally returning from my chemo side effects and my spirit is soaring. I am grateful for the possibilities my life holds. It is going to be absolutely amazing when I discover the combination of my skill set and opportunity resulting in a true income stream.

We only see and interact with that part of a person that shows. None of us knows what is going on with someone else below the surface. That is where true intentions and the core of our character and beliefs lie. We only share a glimpse of that with someone close who knows our heart.

I love this. Hope it makes you smile. I will be selling my "stuff" March 3rd at a Spring Market in Largo, Florida and the following Saturday, the 10th at the Rec Center on St. Pete Beach. Come and you can take some of my "stuff" home to live with your "stuff".

I am alive today and overflowing with blessings. I recieved a perfect framed picture last Thanksgiving entitled Survivor and Saturday I recieved a fantastic little bracelet that is enscribed "Survivor".

Today I was wearing it when I went to the doctor for my blood tests. Everyone said how beautiful my bracelet was. As wonderful as the compliment was, the best thing was to be alive and represent that it is true.

I have never found a religion that has spoken to me. I have been so blessed to have Jesus in my life. It has been the single thing that has seen me through. I believe in being nice. I believe in sin. I believe in the power of forgiveness and understanding. I feel I am a work in progress but know that God always loves me. I have everything I need. I just need to get out of my own way. I don't just believe in miracles, I witness them everyday.

I carry a piece of paper in my wallet and refer to it often. I have had it there for many, many years. It is the reminder of how I want to live my life:

“People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.
 If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
 If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway.
 If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
 The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
 Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway.
 For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.”

Some days this is easier said than done. I aspire to this behavior.

Below is the video that was the catalyst for my sharing today. It appeared on my son, Tom's Facebook page and I wanted to share it. Most all my life I have kept my strong beliefs and faith private. I have learned from both my sons, Tom and Jim that sharing may help others to find the source of hope.

It is a bit disconcerting to have the doctor say, "You will need to take one of these little pills everyday for the rest of your life." Then I read the label on the prescription bottle "3 refills".  Yikes!

My sister, Bonnie, shared this cartoon on her Facebook page. I love it.

In this world of technology, it is important to recognize that although "all" friends are important, family and the people whose lives have crossed our paths need at least as much time and attention as the hundreds that we have never met that "befriended" us on Facebook.

"Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass on a summer day listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is hardly a waste of time". 
John Lubbock

My little sales and marketing book, has been re-published as an ebook. It is a little out of date but I didn't want to publish the next edition until I saw this book re-published. It is now available to be read on the ipad, Nook and Kindle. It is a true blessing and wouldn't have been possible without the inspiration and support of many. Thank you very much.

The updated version of Sell More will be finished this summer and it is expected that my hope filled cancer book will be ready for the publisher by Easter.

Below is the notification from my publisher. It is exciting!
Good day.

We apologize for the late update but your electronic book is already available for sale in Amazon, Barnes and Noble and iUniverse Online Bookstore. We have included the screenshots and the links where you can direct your readers to purchase a copy of your electronic book.

eBook Customer Service Team

1663 Liberty Drive Suite 200
Bloomington, IN 47403
Tel: 877.655.1722
email: ebookservice@authorsolutions.com

Sell More: An Entrepreneur's Guide To Marketing On A Small Budget Strategies That Make A Big Difference by Judy Mckay (Kindle Edition - Sep 26, 2007) - Kindle eBook   Buy: $3.99
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It is also available through Barnes and Noble for the NOOK.

Or from iuniverse

More About This Book
Overview Product Details

Sell More, will do for your business what slow motion did for Baywatch; the ideas included will increase interest in your company. This results oriented book is filled with inexpensive techniques designed to attract new customers, entice them to return often and recommend your product or service to everyone they know. Whether you are just opening your business or need to stimulate sales, Sell More provides the remedy for drooping profits. Filled with proven strategies, Sell More is a practical resource to help you customize your sales and marketing plan. Learn how to maximize your visibility, sales and profitability with minimum expense. Judy writes in a fun uncomplicated style. She recognizes the ever-changing challenges that face today's entrepreneurs. She shares proven strategies that can easily be adapted to fit your unique circumstances and budget. The goal of this book is to serve as a tool that will help you achieve the thriving, profitable business you envision.

Lately, it seems that words of judgement, hurtful words are being shared between people who truly care for each other. It is heart wrenching to witness.  It was time for me to re-read, Silver Boxes.

In the book, Silver Boxes, Florence Littauer shares stories, biblical quotes and humorous antidotes about the importance of becoming encouragers. That honest kind words are gifts (silver boxes) that can make a positive difference in a person's life.   I love that concept. It is not for us to judge others.

I know in my own life, a compliment, a reassuring word, or being remembered can transform my whole day. It can make a wonderful difference.

At one point in the book she shared a story about a family that enjoyed the old song:

Home, home on the range,
Where the deer and the antelope play.
Where seldom is heard a discouraging word,
And the skies are not cloudy all day.

The dad would laugh at how crazy a home on the range must be with all those deer and antelope romping through the living room. The children would laugh at such a thought. Then they would come back to the point of the song, it doesn't matter where you live, if you give encouraging words the skies are not cloudy at all.

True enough, encouraging words can help disperse the clouds of self-doubt and concern.

I have been blessed to have received encouraging words and need to be always mindful that words are powerful.  Sometimes giving out a silver box is as simple as acknowledging a person's presence and saying hello.

Thank you from the bottom of heart to all who have acknowledged my presence, never forgotten me, and encouraged me. May your skies be cloud free (except of course, for those white fluffy ones that are fun to watch as they change shapes and move across the sky).
 

Once you have been owned by a Great Dane, you understand Marmaduke and a commercial like this one.

God only made each day 24 hours long because He knew that's all we could handle. When we get into trouble, it is often because we are either hanging on to hours and events from yesterday, or borrowing them from tomorrow.

I was sorry to hear about this on the radio today. Josh Hamilton's story was one of the ones included in the wonderfully inspiring book, "I Am Second". I pray he can find his way out of the dark. He has an incredible family and my heart goes out to them.

1] Prayer is not a "spare wheel" that you pull out when in trouble, but it is a "steering wheel" that directs the right path throughout.

2] A Car's WINDSHIELD is so large & the Rear view Mirror is so small? Because our PAST is not as important as our FUTURE. So, Look Ahead and Move on.

3] Friendship is like a BOOK. It takes few seconds to burn, but it takes years to write.

4] All things in life are temporary. If going well, enjoy it, they will not last forever. If going wrong, don't worry, they can't last long either.

5] Old Friends are Gold! New Friends are Diamond! If you get a Diamond, don't forget the Gold! Because to hold a Diamond, you always need a Base of Gold!

6] Often when we lose hope and think this is the end, GOD smiles from above and says, "Relax, sweetheart, it's just a bend, not the end!

7] When GOD solves your problems, you have faith in HIS abilities; when GOD doesn't solve your problems HE has faith in your abilities.

8]A blind person asked St. Anthony: "Can there be anything worse than losing eye sight?" He replied: "Yes, losing your vision!"

9] When you pray for others, God listens to you and blesses them, and sometimes, when you are safe and happy, remember that someone has prayed for you.

10] WORRYING does not take away tomorrow's TROUBLES, it takes away today's PEACE.

If moving will help me look like this, I am moving my butt as I celebrate this special day!

I received this message from Johnson City, Tennessee this morning.  It made me smile. I celebrate Ground Hog's Day every year and it was nice to know that someone I haven't seen in many years remembered.

"The local groundhog call the TV station this morning to say to leave him alone tomorrow because,"You already got Spring" he said.


Yes, it's February and we have sunny days with temps in the 60's. I know that's cold to you folks in the tropics, but when it's the dead of winter in Tennessee and I only have to wear a windbreaker, we're just thrilled."