10 Things that Make Me Happy

1.  Bell trees

2.  Hallmark commercials

3.  Care Bears

4.  Letter writing

5.  Lemon Pledge

6.  Lightning bugs

7.  Fans

8.  A good Chinese buffet

9.  Rondo Passacaglia by Cynthia Dobrinski

10.  The old opening of Mystery on PBS

Faith and reflection - When I Survey

i was thinking about this anthem this morning.  This is another arrangement that we sang in youth choir.  It is by Gilbert Martin and is a very popular one i have discovered.  i remember that the Sunday we were supposed to sing this Mr. Hamilton, our choir director, was nervous that we didn't have enough youth show up to pull it off so he had the adult choir join us.  We might have been able to pull it off ourselves, but it was nice to have the backup!

Thought for the day

This morning as i was checking my email, a "Dear Abbey" article appeared on the yahoo homepage.  i often read these "advice" columns because they're fun.  Sometimes they give great advice, sometimes it's awful.  But, it is usually an enjoyable read.  i clicked on this morning's article and was inundated with pop up ads.  Then, and this was the Chicago Sun Times website, they wanted me to take some quiz about my movie watching habits before they would let me look at the article.  It's Sunday morning.  i'm having my coffee.  i don't have time for that.  So, needless to say, i did not keep going and simply went forward checking my email.

Anyway, sometimes just the title of an article gets me to thinking about things.  i know, that is the whole point of titles...to intrigue the reader and entice them.  The title of this Dear Abbey was "Grandma rejects homemade gifts from 6 year old" or something to that akin.  Now, taking into account that i did not read the article itself, only the title, and do not know the circumstances with which Grandma rejected these gifts, it made me very sad for both grandma and her grandson.  For him, he probably worked very hard on these gifts and put a lot of his heart into them.  And for grandma, she probably either has too much going on to realize the effect her actions have or has not really established much of a relationship with her grandchild.

Home made gifts are the best.  i think about all of the ones i made for Grandmother, even if it was just drawing a picture for her.  As far as i know, she kept them.  And if she didn't, i was not any worse off not knowing. But, i do know that she kept some because i have them still.  A woven trash can that i made for her in camp.  A wooden box with a duck on it i made for her.  Several pictures i drew.  She kept them and i have them and i love that.  And i try to do the same.  Our nieces and nephews have done drawings for us as birthday presents or just as something nice for us.  i keep them displayed on the fridge for awhile and then tuck them away for safe keeping (once the fridge gets too full of stuff on it lol)

Bottom line, i think it's important to appreciate when someone takes the time to make something for you.  Gifts like that mean more and it makes the giver feel wonderful when their hard work is enjoyed.  Even in college, all the mixed tapes we made for each other were great gifts....and you knew that someone took actual time in making it.  And there is always such hope in the eyes of a child when they hand you something they made specifically for you.  Acknowledgement and appreciation are the key ingredients here.

Holding onto these gifts is not necessary, but holding onto the joy and the memories is.

Cheers

Quote

"There's nothing like deep breaths after laughing that hard.  Nothing in the world like a sore stomach for the right reasons."

                                                                    Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Showtune of the week - Close Every Door

It's a rare thing for me to use Donny Osmond and beautiful singing in the same sentence.  i by no means dislike him, but i'm not the greatest fan in the world.  However, his rendition of Close Every Door from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is hard to beat.  One of the finest versions out there, no doubt!

An old family photo - Edgewood Farms

This is a newspaper clipping showing the home of my Great Grandparents, J.W. and Anna Bivens

i found this paper in some old photos i was going through.  i realize that it's hard to see, but you get the idea.  Grandmother was born in this house.  This picture was taken sometime in the first decade of the 20th Century.  The house itself went through some modifications. In this picture, there is a lot of Victorian trim work on the exterior.  All of that was eventually taken down.  The slender columns on the front porch were replaced with thicker, less ornate ones.  The part of the front porch that sticks out the most was eventually screened in, then the screens were taken down after the family sold the home.  It was a lovely home in its heyday and would be a lovely home again!

Thought for the day

i have been thinking a lot lately about my first time around at UNCG...in particular, my theatre training.  It was a great time for me.  i learned a great deal about the craft of acting and, to be honest, i was pretty good at it.  i do not regret my time there or the fact that in the end i chose not to pursue theatre as a career, even when i do miss it.  Having said that, one of the things we were taught in acting class is to stay in the moment.  Be there fully and take everything in.  Your surroundings, your reactions, the other people that you are working with on stage, etc.  And the more i think about this technique, the more i realize i need to apply it to my every day life.  Theatre is life after all :)

Yesterday, i went to campus to take care of some registration business for next semester.  While i was walking through campus, i started to think about this acting lesson.  Taking it all in.  i took my time and looked at all of my surroundings...the buildings, the landscaping, the few other people on the campus.  And it was nice to just allow myself to be in that particular moment and enjoy it.  It definitely put an extra spring in my step.  i felt good.  and i like feeling good!  And then i realized that, the older that i get, the more i am unconsciously being in the moment.  The other day at work, a coworker spilled an entire tray of apricot bars that were cooling off on the freezer floor.  All of us at work just howled because, simply, it was really funny.  And i loved that moment of us just laughing and having fun.  And that moment stayed with us for awhile and we had a great time with it.  Now, when Squirt barks at whatever is passing by our house, i try not to get too mad at him even though it can be frustrating.  i stop and think Squirt won't always be here to bark and i won't always be here to hear him bark, so i just let him bark and enjoy the fact that we're sharing some time together.  When i go over to sit on Lois's porch in the afternoons, i realize that it will not always be like this...our hourly visits with friends...so just live in this particular time, this brief scene of life and relish it.  And i do.

To be in the moment is to be aware.  Not every moment of life is good, but not every moment is bad either.  And drinking it all in creates wonderful memories and makes each moment that much more special.  A good way to live, i think.

Cheers