Life's Loving Memories

  OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW "Acceptance simply means that you make a committment: 'Today I will accept people, situations, circumstances, and events as they occur.' "   --Deepak Chopra A new year is dawning and it's that time of year when we teasure that which has passed.  Everything that happened during the year was sprinkled with blessings. It's easy to find the blessings in the pleasant moments that happened, but harder to bless some of the challenges.  But actually some of the challenges can turn out to be steeping stones. You lose a job, perhaps even one you disliked in the first place only to discover that it released you  so that you could try a new and meaningful new job.  Also, with the new year we find this to be true in our house, that we need to let go of a few things we can live without. Solution, yard sales. They are a very interesting thing. I’ve had them in my own yard, meeting neighbors and haggling over prices with buyers. It’s a

  MY SHOES                                           "These boots are made for walking." When Gary and I first got married, we lived in a cute little condo that was above its own garage. I had been used to living alone for four years, and I was a teacher that stood on my feet for eight hours a day. My feet hurt and I was used to coming home and taking my shoes off anywhere.   During the first month of our marriage Gary blew up at me, saying, “WHY DO YOU HAVE TO LEAVE YOUR SHOES ALL OVER THE HOUSE.” Calmly I replied, “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize it bothered you, I will put them in the closet when I get home every day.” That pretty much still happens, but I have my occasional slip. I have such a wonderful shoe rack now that it really is a rarity that I leave them laying around. Both my husband and my wasband will both tell you, there is rarely a shoe that will not fit my foot.                            "Don't be afraid to make  a mistake, your readers might like i

  MAKING GREETING CARDS "When I find myself wondering what to do next, or I have challenge that elbows its way into my life, those are the very times when connecting with the Creative Intelligence of God guides me to the solution."  Life's Garden Grows   --Sandra Lindsey Smith As a child I enjoyed birthdays. One year my brother made me a birthday card   that said: What’s eighteen days after ground hog’s day, eight days after Lincoln’ birthday, six days after Valentine’s Day, and two days before Washington’s birthday? Sandy’s birthday of course! I don’t remember what the picture on the card looked like, but I still remember the warm feeling I felt when I read the card. That may be the reason I enjoy making personalized cards for other people so much. It is indeed a creation that comes from the heart. Short but to the point today. No matter how you share your kindness with others, let it shine brightly in this holdiay season! "Everyone has a purpose in life ... a

  THE TIRE "Be a participant in life. Push the play button and agree to see the best in any situation, and be amazed at what you see."                        Life's Garden of Weekly Wisdom       ---Sandra Lindsey Smith When I was forty-four I got a divorce.   It was interesting, dating again after eighteen years of marriage. I was looking for someone to be a companion with for an occasional movie or dinner out. I went to a friend’s fiftieth birthday party and met a man who wanted me to come back to his yacht with him.   I said, “I can’t tonight, but maybe we could meet for breakfast in the morning.” We decided to meet at the restaurant right by the marina. The next morning came, and I started out to the restaurant, all the time I kept thinking to myself, is this a good idea or isn’t it, is it or isn’t it. As I was driving into the marina parking lot, the tire literally fell of my four by four. (Was that God speaking out loud to me or what?) The man I was meeting sugge

    HAVING CANCER “When we create peace and harmony and balance in our minds, we will find it in our lives.” ―  Louise L. Hay,  You Can Heal Your Life Two remarkable things happened to me in June of 2001, I discovered I had stage one colon cancer, and I got back into theatre. I had begun noticing a little bit of blood in my stools.   When I shared those same symptoms with a   friend, an operating room nurse, she suggested I get a Sigmoidoscopy   to check if I had colon cancer. It turns out that I did have a small cancerous tumor growing at the very end of my colon.   It turned out to be stage one, but before I knew that, I studied all I could about the disease. The internet told me there were four stages. Louise Hay in her book, You Can Heal Your Life , shared that perhaps a person with cancer had stopped doing something that they enjoyed doing. I thought about what that might be, and the answer came, acting. I was a teacher who had let go of my drama classes to teach speech, and