Dear Readers,
Think of a dear friend to whom you can send this:

To My Friend

My Friend...
I am a different person,
a better person,
since we first became friends.

Your honesty helps me
to see my weaknesses,
and your support helps me
to turn them into strengths.

Thank you
for not saying the things
you think I want to hear,
but for saying the things
I need to know.

You're one of the few people
I trust when you tell me
that I've done well,
because you are one of the few
who will tell me
when I could do better.

You challenge me
to be the best I can be...
by accepting and appreciating me,
you've helped me
learn to accept
and appreciate myself.

Thank you for being my friend!
--author unknown

Best Time of My Life

It was June 15, and in two days I would be turning thirty. I was insecure about entering a new decade of my life and feared that my best years were now behind me.

My daily routine included going to the gym for a workout before going to work. Every morning I would see my friend Nicholas at the gym. He was seventy-nine years old and in terrific shape. As I greeted Nicholas on this particular day, he noticed I wasn't full of my usual vitality and asked if there was anything wrong. I told him I was feeling anxious about turning thirty. I wondered how I would look back on my life once I reached Nicholas's age, so I asked him, "What was the best time of your life?"

Without hesitation, Nicholas replied, "Well, Joe, this is my philosophical answer to your philosophical question:

"When I was a child in Austria and everything was taken care of for me and I was nurtured by my parents, that was the best time of my life."

"When I was going to school and learning the things I know today, that was the best time of my life."

"When I got my first job and had responsibilities and got paid for my efforts, that was the best time of my life."

"When I met my wife and fell in love, that was the best time of my life."

"The Second World War came, and my wife and I had to flee Austria to save our lives. When we were together and safe on a ship bound for North America, that was the best time of my life."

"When we came to Canada and started a family, that was the best time of my life."

"When I was a young father, watching my children grow up, that was the best time of my life."

"And now, Joe, I am seventy-nine years old. I have my health, I feel good and I am in love with my wife just as I was when we first met. This is the best time of my life."

~ Author Unknown ~
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TODAYâS INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE:

"What you're supposed to do when you don't like a thing is change it. If you can't change it, change the way you think about it. Don't complain."

~ Maya Angelou

Get Out of Your Own Way

Be careful what you ask for, you just might get it:

Your words, your dreams, and your thoughts have power to create conditions in your life.

What you speak about, you can bring about. If you keep saying you can't stand your job, you might lose your job.

If you keep saying you can't stand your body, your body can become sick.

If you keep saying you can't stand your car, your car could be stolen or just stop operating.

If you keep saying you're always broke, guess what? You'll always be broke.

If you keep saying you can't trust a man or trust a woman, you will always find someone in your life to hurt and betray you.

If you keep saying you can't find a job, you will remain unemployed.

If you keep saying you can't find someone to love you or believe in you, your very thoughts will attract more experiences to confirm your beliefs.

Turn your thoughts and conversations around to be more positive and power packed with faith, hope, love and action.

Don't be afraid to believe that you can have what you want and deserve.

Watch your "thoughts," they become words.
Watch your "words," they become actions.
Watch your "actions," they become habits.
Watch your "habits," they become character.
Watch your "character," for it becomes your "Destiny."

GET OUT OF YOUR OWN WAY!

~ Author Unknown ~

Keepers

I grew up in the fifties with practical parents -- a Mother, God love her, who washed aluminum foil after she cooked in it, then reused it. She was the original recycle queen, before they had a name for it...

A Father who was happier getting old shoes fixed than buying new ones.

Their marriage was good, their dreams focused. Their best friends lived barely a wave away. I can see them now, Dad in trousers, t-shirt and a hat and Mom in a house dress, lawn mower in one hand, dishtowel in the other.

It was the time for fixing things -- a curtain rod, the kitchen radio, screen door, the oven door, the hem in a dress. Things we keep.

It was a way of life, and sometimes it made me crazy.

All that re-fixing, reheating, renewing, I wanted just once to be wasteful.

Waste meant affluence. Throwing things away meant you knew there'd always be more.

But then my Mother died, and on that clear summer's night, in the warmth of the hospital room, I was struck with the pain of learning that sometimes there isn't any 'more.'

Sometimes, what we care about most gets all used up and goes away ... never to return.

So ... while we have it ... it's best we love it ... and care for it ... and fix it when it's broken ... and heal it when it's sick.

This is true ... for marriage ... and old cars ... and children with bad report cards ... and dogs with bad hips ... and aging parents ... and grandparents.

We keep them because they are worth it, because we are worth it.

Some things we keep.

Like a best friend that moved away, or a classmate we grew up with.

There are just some things that make life important, like people we know who are special ... and so, we keep them close!
--author unknown
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TODAYâS INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE:

"You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus."

~ Mark Twain

DIVE IN

There is so very much work to be done. And truly what a blessing that is. Because getting things done is what you do best. Getting things done is what keeps life interesting, fulfilling and vibrantly moving forward.

You won't get it all done today, or tomorrow, or next week or next year. But that's a good thing, not a reason for dismay. Just think how terribly empty life would be if you never had anything to do. How truly fortunate you are to be alive and able to make a difference.

Now is an ideal moment to get busy making that difference. Now is a great time to enthusiastically dive in and get to work on all that can be done. If you're overwhelmed by thinking of all there is to be done, stop thinking about it so much and start working on it. You have the chance to make a real difference for as long as you choose to do so.
~ Ralph Marston ~

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TODAYâS INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE:

"Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen."

~ John Steinbeck