Put on a Happy Face......or at least try.

It seems that every time I turn on the TV, I hear someone screaming in anger. At work there are folks who are always angry and frustrated at one thing or another.  With all of the anger in our world, no wonder there is so much unhappiness.
I truly believe that angry people are unhappy people.
But, sometimes I hear comments, like.....You know so and so is only happy when she is complaining. Or, he is happiest when he is angry.
That is just not true.
If you are thinking about your problems all the time or focusing on how unhappy you are, then you are just going to succeed at making yourself more miserable and more miserable. Miserable people are never happy.
Guess what? When you get your mind going in the right direction and put some of your energy into the good in your life (and we all have good in our lives), then you will experience some real happiness.
Happiness will give you peace.

Dear Lord. We are grateful for many things. How truly blessed we are to know that you will always be with us. Help us to embrace the good in our lives. Show us how to throw out our negatives. Grant us peace.

Sum-sum-sum-sum-sum-sum-sum-er-time. Summertime. Oh-oh-oh 0h."

Our friend from Vermont was stunned when the car thermometer read 99 degrees. He couldn't even imagine what he was seeing and experiencing. An hour or so later, that same thermometer topped off at 104.
Recently, after a dozen or so days of 90 degrees or more, our vibrant green, grassy lawns started to go dormant (that's burned out, brown and dead for you Yankees or Californians) and the potted flowers started wilting. No amount of artificial watering can stem a horrendous Midwestern hot spell. The natives were saying that June was not supposed to be this hot. The weather persons on TV were saying that we were having record breaking high temperatures.
Fast forward to today, July third. Flash flood warnings and record breaking cool weather. The soil in my flower pots is soggy and I had to jettison the extra water in their saucers. What a difference a day or so makes.
Welcome to the Great Midwest. And, this ain't Ohio! I'm talking Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Nebraska and Iowa. We are what weather is all about!
As I sit here wrapped in my sweater (I refuse to allow my husband turn on the heat in JULY), I am contemplating the strangeness of Mother Nature. How dare we plan for a hot and dry 4th of July! We are not in control of the Universe. We are in control of very little and oh how upset we get when things don't go our way.
Buck up, cowpokes! Hang on to the reins and hold on for dear life. Life is a wild and unpredictable ride.

Good Lord: Sometimes this journey is tough. But, You never promised us a smooth and easy trip. As your children, we know that we can turn to You for comfort and assurance. Your arms are always wide open and welcoming. We praise You and welcome Your blessings.

The Match Game

Picture this......Three mature couples, each of them married over 50 years, embattled in a "Not So Newly Wed Game".  There were three rounds of questions. The sport was in just how well did these anciently married folk know their spouses.
Well, it appears, not very well. None of the men could remember  the when and wherefore of  their first date. No matches with their female counterparts. Or, what gift they had first given their spouse. Harder still, to answer, was where would their spouse want to go ....if time and money were no object. ( I said Italy....my husband said Hawaii!)
Fifty years is a long time to live closely with one person, yet none of us seemed to know much about  each other after all.
Well, maybe that's just the trick to staying married for a very long time. Mystery! The Unknown may be the greatest aphrodisiac of all.


Great and powerful God: We thank you for the surprises of life. We are thrilled with the unknown and the unusual. We appreciate the change and  randomness of our existence. Variety is indeed the spice of life.
You are our shield and protector. Thank you for being our constant and our rock.

Bomb-Pop, Grandpa?

Thursday brought something new to the retirement community.
The Ice Cream Wagon came trolling by. I wrote trolling, but actually the driver wheeled in the driveway and stayed just about as long as a "drive-by" shooter stays at a crime scene!
He must have been unaware that even if our residents could have heard the tinkling music or
made the connection between the music and the impending arrival of the Ice Cream Man, they could never have chased after him.

If he comes by again, the video I may make just might become the next Internet sensation. We'll be ready for him next time. Residents with their canes and walkers, money in hand, will be waiting eagerly behind the shrubbery. Men and women on their electric chairs will be poised and ready, with their fists on the controls and purses in their baskets.
Folks will all "peel out" and start rolling through the parking lot, before his wagon hits the corner. I can see them now, surrounding the surprised driver with their demands for the goodies.Then they will grab the cool stuff and speed back inside to eat the frozen treats in their air-conditioned apartments.
Ain't summertime great?

Dear God we are so thankful for the fun times. We will continue to follow you and ask your guidance in the not so fun times. Life isn't always an ice cream sandwich, but your steadfast love endures forever.

Lord, save me from myself!

Spoiler Alert! I am a Senior Citizen attempting to use the Internet.
Back when it was cool to take "typing" in high school, I took it and got an A. (Not an A+, but a regular A.) I was really pretty good at "Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their party." Over the years, I have taught classes in keyboarding, Office and Word.
My spouse and I were a couple who bought a computer for family use, before we knew what the Internet was or how to connect to it. That was years ago.
So, don't call me  Missy Tech-no-nothing. I do Social Media. I email. I process, make labels and create cards.
But, yesterday, when I received a bizarre multi color notice on the lower right corner of my monitor, I was puzzled. What did the message mean?
"My logmein was not connected." OMGoodness!
My first thought was. I have been hacked. And, to top it all off , it must be someone or something from China. That rascal!
Then......Maybe it had something to do with food.  Chow Mein, you know! Maybe I was been stalked by a Chinese Restaurant!
I'd never had a message like this before. What had I done wrong? What button had I pushed, to cause this message?
Then, I ran over to my much younger work colleague. "Kaycee!" I pleaded. "Help me. What have I done? My logmein isn't connected."

"That would be Log Me In," she replied patiently. "Just hit the X in the corner. It will go away."

Oh, Lord. Save us from ourselves. We are so in need of your help and protection. We cannot do life without you. Asking for Your help and the help of others is a very good thing.

" I'll make it anywhere...."

I know many fearful senior citizens. They worry about many things, and they are afraid of a great many more. Fear and worry have paralyzed them. They are afraid to enjoy the rest of their lives.
Here's what I believe.
My youth was spent worrying and being fearful. I always deferred to the sensible and followed along doing what others told me was right. Well, hear this, folks, I refuse to be afraid in my senior years!
I've made it this far. Praise the Lord. I am a survivor!
I just spent the weekend in New York City. On Saturday, this little old lady walked by herself for 4 hours. I shopped, did some sightseeing, visited Grand Central Station, Central Park, Rockefeller Center and Times Square. It was great fun.
On Sunday, I had some family with me, but again, we were adventurers, exploring unknown environs without fear.
Monday, the same.
Look out world. To quote Pogo, (in sort of a bizarre way), " We have met the enemy and he is us." Our enemy in life is truly "us". God has given us the power to do whatever we want. We just have to do it. It is up to us.
With God as our ally, we cannot fail.

Dear God; Let's make it happen. Together we can succeed. You are my source and my shield. AMEN.

Pants on Fire!

I  just listened to a popular TV Commentator talk about what makes him angry. He read a list of things a mile long. I suppose that he must be angry, most of the time. That would be very stressful and lead to the consumption of a whole lot of antacids!
By contrast, I would have a very short list of things that make me angry. Oh sure, I get disappointed and fuss when things don't seem to go right, but I don't often get angry. I roll my eyes a lot. I frown and pout, but, I rarely get really  and truly angry.
But, if hard pressed to tell you about the one thing that makes me angry, it would be lying. I believe that it is very important "to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth".
But, as a addendum to that truth statement, I am reminded of what my mother taught me. My mother used to repeat the "if you can't say something good about someone, don't say anything at all" mantra.
The Lord, and many people know, that I am not a saint. So, I'm quiet a lot!  I would rather keep my mouth shut, than tell a lie.
I try very hard to be truthful. So, in turn, don't lie to me. I don't like it. If I catch you at it, you will disappoint me.
It's true what they say about lies. Lies are a lot like potato chips. You can't tell just one! Lies grow, with each retelling. Lies are hard to live up to and with. No one ever told just one white lie.
Please, don't lie.

Dear God; Sometimes we want things to be better than they actually are. We mess up. We fail. Sometimes we just try to cover up our mistakes. It is not always easy to be faithful. Lead us towards the Goal and show us how to put our faith in You. You are our strength and our rock.