Good Morning Sunshine !

4:59:56 AM EDT
Feeling Hopeful

Summer afternoon--summer afternoon;

to me those have always been the two

most beautiful words in the English language.

Edith Wharton

Sultry, steaming, sweltering. . . .

Slow down. Or stop.

It's time to shed ambition and expectation,

along with commutes, clothing, cellular phones,

calendars. Now our wants seem to diminish.

Is it because our needs are met?

A shady nook, a cold drink, a cool breeze--

whether indoors or out.

A respite from the rigors of the day.

Time off for good behavior.

Summer is not so much a season as a melody,

that tune of contentment we hum as the days

 begin to beautifully blur.

The pursuit of happiness becomes

our personal priority this month,

as the sweet strains of . . .

Harmony start to be heard in our hearts.

Sarah Ban Breathnach

GOOD MORNING !

OVER THE HUMP DAY!

This long work week is sorta hard to adjust to after having 2 short weeks in a row. A full 5 days of work is more than I’d like to do anyway. Thankfully I’ll have more vacation days coming up that I’ll scatter around so that I’ll have some more 3 day weekends before camping season ends. We have a long way to go yet before the end of October comes.

We had a big downpour just about the time I left for home yesterday evening and we may have some more rain this morning, but it should clear by afternoon. It cooled things down and that was a good thing. I don’t want that air conditioner to run any more than it absolutely has to.

My babes all made it home safe and sound from their vacation at the camper. The last one to report in was DS#2 who had the farthest to travel by car. He says his a/c went out in the car and they had to drive in 95 degree temps part of the way. It’s a new car too. I’m just very thankful they made it home safely.

I hope your HUMP day is a good one and that you too find some things to be thankful for!

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

Learn to pause ...

or nothing worthwhile will catch up to you.

Doug King

I hope the summer is a great one,

with lots of fun and excitement.

But should the heat become,

too hot to bear, and should trouble find you,

I hope you'll remember to fly

as gracefully as a butterfly above it all.

Just slip your sunglasses on,

kick back, and let the woes slide on by.

MA

 

 

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5:24:12 AM EDT
Feeling Hopeful

Summer afternoon--summer afternoon;

to me those have always been the two

most beautiful words in the English language.

Edith Wharton

Can you imagine experiencing the world

as a great sandbox given for us to play

in like we did as children?

As we play, we can also open ourselves

to the exploration of our edges,

always creating new adventures of

self-exploration as we let go of old

out-dated beliefs about ourselves.

Judith-Annette Milburn

GOOD MORNING !

I made it through another Monday and hopefully Tuesday won’t be so bad. Yesterday was slow going for sure. I had not gotten much sleep on the weekend and I needed more.

Today should be much better as I got lots of sleep in last night. It has turned very hot and we should be close to 90 degrees here today. My home and car and work place all have air conditioning so the heat doesn’t bother me, but those without it or those that have to work outdoors will be affected.

The lazy hazy days of summer are beginning. I can be lazy and live without a/c at the campground, but not at home or work.

I received my first Fall catalog in the mail yesterday and I noticed that a few stores now have back to school clothing in them. The seasons seem to rush by so fast. I will enjoy summer while we have it and be thankful for it too!

We’ve all been the victims of rising gas prices for our vehicles and I imagine the cost of heating our homes this winter will be going up too.

My good cup of coffee is just about done and the clock says it is time… and I owe, I owe , it’s off to work I go…

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

It is a glorious privilege to live, to know,

to act, to listen, to behold, to love.

To look up at the blue summer sky;

to see the sun sink slowly

beyond the line of the horizon;

to watch the worlds

come twinkling into view,

first one by one, and the myriads

that no person can count, and lo!

the universe is white with them;

and you and I are here.

Marco Morrow

I hope the summer is a great one,

with lots of fun and excitement.

But should the heat become,

too hot to bear,

and should trouble find you,

I hope you'll remember to fly

as gracefully as a butterfly above it all.

Just slip your sunglasses on, kick back,

and let the woes slide on by

MA

 

 

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5:41:12 AM EDT
Feeling Hopeful

Summer afternoon--summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.

Edith Wharton

Oh, how beautiful is the summer night,

which is not night, but a sunless,

yet unclouded, day, descending upon earth

with dews and shadows and refreshing coolness!

How beautiful the long mild twilight,

which, like a silver clasp,

unites today with yesterday!

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

GOOD MORNING!

I’m up and sipping the good coffee, but to say I’m awake and smiling would be a lie, so we’ll just say I’m up and will go off to work and hopefully function at a minimal level today.

I really am tired out after the busy weekend. But I loved every moment of it for sure. I put in a few more pictures of my family as I have so many to share. I could have and probably should have taken even more.

It is such a grand occasion when I can get them all together. My two grand babes – Our Dino Boy and Pretty Lady came the farthest for the reunion. They had a long air flight and then an 18 hour drive. Next was DS#2 who did the 18 hour drive and then came DS#4 and family who had a 8 hour drive.

The others all live in Ohio and had 1 and ½ hour long drives to 3 hour drives. It was a blessing for sure.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

A porch is the only real reward you need

after a long summer's day.

Shawn Sell

 

I hope the summer is a great one,

with lots of fun and excitement.

But should the heat become,

too hot to bear,

and should trouble find you,

I hope you'll remember to fly

as gracefully as a butterfly above it all.

Just slip your sunglasses on, kick back,

and let the woes slide on by.

MA

 

 

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10:00:33 PM EDT
Feeling Hopeful
Hearing ALL IS VERY QUIET HERE

Summer afternoon--summer afternoon;

to me those have always been the two

most beautiful words in the English language.

Edith Wharton

 

Happy trails to you,

until we meet again.

Some trails are happy ones,

Others are blue.

It's the way you ride the trail that counts,

Here's a happy one for you.

Dale Evans

GOOD EVENING !

Here I am home again and having said good bye to DS#2 and #4 and their families this morning I’m a little sad this evening. Not only did I say goodbye to them, but good bye to all of my children and to a great family reunion too. I put in a few  pictures but will try and put in more later in the week.

I had them all together on the 4th of July and most of them through the whole holiday weekend. We had a great visit and I’m hoping we made some great memories for them all.

The grand’babes’ will be talking about their summer vacation for weeks to come I’m sure.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

How lucky I am to have something

that makes saying goodbye so hard.

Carol Sobieski and Thomas Meehan, Annie

I hope the summer is a great one,

 with lots of fun and excitement.

But should the heat become,

too hot to bear,

and should trouble find you,

I hope you'll remember to fly

as gracefully as a butterfly

above it all.

Just slip your sunglasses on,

kick back, and let the woes slide on by.

MA

 

 

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5:31:13 AM EDT
Feeling Hopeful

Summer afternoon--summer afternoon;

to me those have always been the two

most beautiful words in the English language.

Edith Wharton

 

AMERICAN FLAG

As red as a fire,

As blue as the sky,

As white as the snow--

See our flag fly!

Three pretty colors

Wave at the sky,

Red, white and blue

On the Fourth of July!

Red, white and blue

Those colors are,

And every state has its very own star.

Hold up the flag Hold it up high,

And then say, "Hurrah,

For the Fourth of July!"

Author Unknown

GOOD MORNING !

On Friday we celebrate the 4th of July here in the USA and I’ll be doing a double celebration as my family (24 strong) will all be together for the day.

As you know I camp with DS#1 and his family and DD and her hubby. Our 3 campers sit side by side at the campground. Last weekend DS#2 and #4 and their families joined us and have been at the campground all week. This holiday weekend DS#5 and #6 and their wives will join us camping and on Friday DS#3 and his family will come for the day.

I’ve been very excited about having the whole group together. When they were young and still at home they were all very close. As college, new jobs, and marriage took them all different directions it has become very hard to get them all together in one spot and at the same time. They love being together and their children enjoy seeing their cousins too. Everyone will remember this time together for quite awhile.

I do hope you all have a great weekend. I’ll be home Sunday evening and will check in with you all then.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

You have to love a nation that celebrates

its independence every July 4,

not with a parade of guns, tanks,

and soldiers who file by the White House

in a show of strength and muscle,

but with family picnics where kids

throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy,

and the flies die from happiness.

You may think you have overeaten,

but it is patriotism.

Erma Bombeck

I hope the summer is a great one,

with lots of fun and excitement.

But should the heat become,

too hot to bear,

and should trouble find you,

I hope you'll remember to fly

as gracefully as a butterfly above it all.

Just slip your sunglasses on,

kick back,

and let the woes slide on by.

MA

 

 

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5:24:07 AM EDT
Feeling Happy

Summer afternoon--summer afternoon;

to me those have always been the two

most beautiful words in the English language.

Edith Wharton

 

The Angel of July brings a season of leisure, a time to play and replenish our energy. The projects we began in the spring should be well underway and growing stronger on their own.

July's angel urges us to take the time, now, to step back and observe what we have planted.

The July angel encourages us to tend the garden of our life, to care for what we have started, and to be objective enough to weed out the unhealthy or unproductive elements.

This angel of summer reminds us to nurture the people and things that bring us happiness, so we can product for ourselves a crop of joy and fulfillment

You cannot hold back a good laugh any more than you can the tide. Both are forces of nature.

William Rotsler

Good Morning !

It’s that glorious time of the year when most of us can put on our shorts and short-sleeved shirts and actually feel the air and sunlight on our skin. When we don't have to turn up the heat in the morning when we get up.

Summer has a special sort of magic that we can't deny. So my theme for July is going to be a mixture of all the things that make up summer, a lot about nature, and the beach and also a few patriotic entries as the 4th of July is almost here.

AHHH summertime. We dream of it all year long. We happily ditch the coats, gloves and boots and trade them in for shorts, T-shirts and flip-flops. Summer conjures up visions of days at the beach, picnics in the park, playing outside with friends, long, hot days and warm nights and warm-weather treats like ice cream and hot dogs

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.

Rabindranath Tagore

I hope the summer is a great one,

with lots of fun and excitement.

But should the heat become,

too hot to bear,

and should trouble find you,

I hope you'll remember to fly

as gracefully

as a butterfly above it all.

Just slip your sunglasses on,

kick back,

and let the woes slide on by.

MA

 

 

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5:27:35 AM EDT
Feeling Hopeful

Relax

It’ll come together

God has everything

Under Control

Be still, and know that I am God… Psalm 46:10

Intentions

Whatever you intend with the whole of your being cannot help but come about in your life. Your authentic intentions form a magnificent pathway upon which are countless opportunities to discover and create richness and fulfillment.

Relax your mind and get beyond the noise of worries, frustrations, strife and conflict. In that powerful, peaceful place you can connect to the pure energy of your most sincere intentions.

Intentions are not mere wishes for things that might seem desirable only in the limited context of the moment. Truly powerful intentions come from deep within your most profound and sincere sense of purpose.

Look at life not from a perspective of fear, for fear will drain all the energy from your intentions. Look at life from a perspective of love.

Continually live in gratitude for what is, and you give real power to your intentions for what can be. Give your best to each moment, and your intentions benefit fully from your efforts.

Align your intentions with your most deeply held values and purpose. And those intentions will surely become real.

Ralph Marston

GOOD MORNING !

Here we are the end of another chapter in my book. I hope some of the words I’ve entered here have helped you and that you are taking time out to RELAX. Each moment of each day is so important that we don’t want to miss out on any of them for sure.

I do believe that our dear Lord has everything in control. Things that happen have a reason and most of the time we’ll never know what it was, but there is a plan for each and everyone of us.

Faith and trust are two of the most valuable things we can possess. With faith that we are in the care of the great Lord of all, we can trust that things will work out for the best. With faith and trust we can put our worries aside and enjoy each day and all it brings.

Relaxing and resting in the moment without any stress of what the future may bring. A brand new chapter will begin tomorrow and I look forward to what it might hold, but today I will CHILLAX and appreciate it to the fullest.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

You cannot pull people uphill who do not want to go, you can only point up.

Amy Carmichael

Not everyone agrees with our viewpoints or our approach to certain things. We would like everyone to go with our own ideas but people do have different and varied viewpoints that need to be respected. We can only put forward our own viewpoint or ideas. We can't force them on anyone…

 

May your summer months

be joyous and fun…

And above all,

blessed with love,

Ma

 

 

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8:08:33 PM EDT
Feeling Hopeful
Hearing ALL IS QUIET HERE

Relax

It’ll come together

God has everything

Under Control

 

Be still, and know that I am God…

Psalm 46:10

 

A LITTLE STORY FOR YOU TODAY…

A Shoe For All Occasions

She liked to walk, so she walked.

From years of walking, the bottoms of her feet

had become hard and leathery.

Even so, there were places she

could not go-where the stones

were too sharp or the sand too hot.

She came across another who wore

curious things on his feet that allowed

traversing of the forbidden zones.

So, she fashioned shoes of her own

and ventured into unfamiliar territory.

The further she walked, the colder it got.

It began to snow,

which made travel exceedingly difficult.

She had an idea. With larger extended

versions of her shoes, she discovered

that she could move across

the surface without sinking. So she moved on.

Eventually, she came to the edge of a large ocean,

and try as she might, she could not get

her shoes to prevent her from sinking.

She could go no further.

As she reflected on this circumstance,

she realized that she no longer knew

where she had come from of where she was going.

So she returned to the snow and

walked around because she liked to walk.

Others came and went,

but none could walk on the snow

as easily and as gracefully as she.

She was content. Then one day,

the snow began to melt and

the grass began to grow.

Soon there was a rich carpet of green.

Her shoes hindered her movements,

so she took them off.

But the bottoms of her feet were

now soft and sensitive,

and the grass tickled her toes.

She reached down to feel the grass with her hands.

She lay down to smell the sweetness

and she rolled on her back.

For the first time, she looked up to see the sky

and she wondered "had it been there all along?".

Author Unknown

 

GOOD EVENING !

The Story above and the poem below are a little lengthy but I hope you take time out and read them. They offer some really good thoughts that we could all benefit from.

I’ve so much to tell about the weekend that I’d run out of room here for sure. I hope the pictures show the love and excitement of having two of my sons and their families join us for vacation at the campground.

Come Wednesday evening of this week I’ll head back to the campsite to join them again and by Friday all of my babes and their families will be there. It will be a grand celebration.

The dear Lord has truly blessed me with my family and I’m so thankful that we are able to be together . Time is short and we don’t know for sure when we’ll be able to do this again.

A BIG THOUGHT FOR TODAY

I Listen

by Chuck Roper

I Listen to the trees, and they say:

"Stand tall and yield. Be tolerant and flexible.

Be true to yourself. Stand alone, and stand together.

Be brave. Be patient. With time, you will grow."

I Listen to the wind, and it says:

"Breathe. Take care of yourself --

body, mind, and spirit. Take time. Be quiet.

Listen from your heart. Forgive."

I Listen to the sun, and it says:

"Nurture others. Let your warmth radiate

 for others to feel. Give yourself withoutexpectations."

IListen to the creek, and it says:

"Relax; go with the flow. Tend to what's really important,

and let the rest go by. Keep moving --

don't be hesitant or afraid.

 Lighten up -- laugh, giggle."

I Listen to the mountains, and they say:

"Be there. Be honest. Be trustworthy.

Do what you say you're going to do.

Be true, genuine, and real. Speak from the heart.

Don't cheat."

I Listen to the birds, and they say:

"Set yourself free. Sing."

I Listen to the clouds, and they say:

"Be creative. Be expressive.

 Let your spirit run free.

Let yourself be light and gay,

but let yourself be heavy and sad.

Cry when you feel like it."

I Listen to the sky, and it says:

"Open up. Let go of the boundaries and barriers

which you have created to protect yourself.

Experience change. Fly.

" I Listen to the flowers and small plants, and they say:

"Be humble. Be simple.

Respect the beauty of small things.

Respect the beauty of humility and truth.

 Let go of perfectionism.

 Love yourself as you are; it opens the door to change.

 Practice acceptance.

" I Listen to the bugs and flying insects,

and they say: "Work. Be productive. Use your hands.

Focus on what's in front of you.

Ignore the past; there is only the present.

" I Listen to the moon, and it says:

"Love. Share love. Make love. Be romantic --

touch and caress. Allow yourself to be loved.

Be gentle, kind, and understanding.

Use candles.

" I Listen to the stars, and they wink and say:

"Play. Dance, be silly, have fun."

I Listen to the earth, and it says:

"I am your mother. I give you life.

Respect all that is around you.

Find beauty in all things -- living and not

-- including yourself;

for we are all one -- not separate.

Be especially respectful to the very young

and the very old, for they are both very near God.

Give up the belief that you are a higher form of life;

there is no higher form of life.

We are equal because we are the same.

When you return to me, I will welcome you,

and I will set your spirit free.

Love and nurture your children;

cook good food for them,

and hold them very close to you often.

Hold me close to you often as well,

and I will hold you in return;

I will support you.

Have faith.

May your summer months be joyous and fun…

And above all, blessed with love,

Ma

 

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5:32:40 AM EDT
Feeling Hopeful

Relax

It’ll come together

God has everything

Under Control

 Be still, and know that I am God… Psalm 46:10 15

Ways to Enhance Your Day

Get up early. Look around outside before going to work

Relax and enjoy your meals.

Spend time with friends.

Pace yourself.

Find a quiet place to go to.

Praise yourself and others.

Develop positive relationships.

See your mistakes as stepping stones.

Keep track of your own moods

so you can watch out for them.

Say No without feeling guilty.

Learn effective time management.

Pay attention to health, diet and sleep.

Exercise regularly.

Keep from comparing yourself to others

Good Morning !

Little did I know when I started on the them of RELAXATION this month, I’d find so many things to post for you each morning. I guess it is a pretty important subject for all of us. And it’s not only for our bodies and minds, but our souls also. There will be only 2 more days of this topic and then we’ll be moving on to SUMMER.

July and August will pretty much be a hodgepodge of lots of different aspects of the season of Summer. Picnics, bugs, holidays, seashores, swimming, sunshine, and lots lots more.

With my weekends and vacation days off I don’t have an entry each day anymore, but there will still be lots to share with you. I have given up on trying to take the laptop to the campground, it’s just too much hassle to go down to the club house and use it. Maybe by next year they’ll be able to send the Wi-Fi up the hill to me.

I pretty much keep you posted on everything that goes on in my life anyway. It seems I have a rather short span of topics to tell about, but if you enjoy hearing about family, camping, and celebrations, I’ll have plenty to tell on those subjects.

I’ll be back Sunday evening with an update for you. You’ll all be in my thoughts and prayers.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

 Going Too Fast

Live your life like the wind.

Speed up when necessary,

And know when to slow down.

Slow down when life pushes so hard and fast,

You cannot consume anymore air.

Slow down when you can't see

Where you're going

Or where you're coming from.

Take time to stop and realize

What you have right in front of you

When you cannot find what you're looking for.

When you cannot find what you want in someone else,

Look inside of yourself.

Don't sweat the small things,

And make the best of the big things.

Cherish the experiences you've had,

And use the lessons you've learned.

Our lives are rubber bands,

Bending and stretching to fit

Even the most awkward situations.

You can adapt to anything,

Regardless of its size or shape.

You just have to realize and use

What you have in your own hands

May your summer months be joyous and fun…

And above all, blessed with love,

Ma

 

 

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