http://www.flickspire.com/m/SimpleTruths/LifeIsLikeCoffee
Often, the happiest people in the world don’t have the best of everything... they just make the best of everything!"
Showing posts with label happiness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label happiness. Show all posts
"Life is like Coffee" Movie
Click on link to view video:
http://www.flickspire.com/m/SimpleTruths/LifeIsLikeCoffee
"Do you know people that just seem to be happier in general? Do you say to yourself, "I want to be more like them"?
Often, the happiest people in the world don’t have the best of everything... they just make the best of everything!"
http://www.flickspire.com/m/SimpleTruths/LifeIsLikeCoffee
Often, the happiest people in the world don’t have the best of everything... they just make the best of everything!"
My Children: A Mother couldn't be Prouder!!!
Even though picture taking is not high on their list of enjoyable experiences the kids were great sports (well almost- RC wasn't very happy as you can see in some of the video pictures). And to make matters worse, to keep it a surprise, they had to give up Charlie's softball game (which they love to do every Friday evening).
These are more than just great pictures of our good looking teens... even Chris, our photographer, (TheStoryPhotography.com) mentioned what really great kids they are and how easy they are to work with... the pictures reflect who they really are.
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| Phillip, Olivia & RC in full Black Belt Gi |
The karate pictures bring back memories of the many years of training (me dragging them ... and then, them dragging me); while juggling carpooling, homework, football, baseball, wrestling, swimming... all through hot summer days and winter snowstorms. The boys testing for their black belt together; running their 2 mile run in record time, sitting in "shiqudatchi " for hours with their instructors on their shoulders and Olivia testing a year later at 12 with her oldest brother running right beside her... pushing her forward.
The wonders of DNA: the same genes, same parents, same house... very different kids...
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| RC, 17 |
RC is a our quiet teddy bear... with a gentle heart bigger than his stature. One story about RC, in particular, stands out for me. A few years ago we were visiting the traveling Vietnam Memorial Wall at the fairgrounds. As usual, there were long lines, crowds of people and one nervous mother (me) trying to keep a headcount with one eye on the little heads and the other on the wall. As I turned to do my "every 10 second" headcount, I suddenly realized that I could no longer see RC... he had lagged behind. I grabbed the other kids, back tracked through the crowd and was ready to give the "you stay with me no matter what" lecture. I quickly noticed that he had his arms full of stuff that was not his. He had stayed back to help out a dad so he could lift his young daughter up on his shoulders to do a pencil trace of a name of someone that they had loved and lost. No one has to ask RC to do things ... he just sees where people need help and he gives it.
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| Phillip, 16 |
Phillip is our social magpie, comic relief and swamp land salesman... There is constant laughter, very long stories and up to minute product reviews in our home. And a few "I like Turtles"... don't ask! I remember one time when he was very little he told me that I should buy cascade because it was the BEST, and it is the best because they said so... I thanked him but explained that we were not buying it, because we didn't own a dishwasher. He was very upset because it was the best and we had to have the best to make things easier for me. Phillip brings the smiles and laughter to our home in his own unique and creative ways. We have since bought a dishwasher and yes, we do use cascade!
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| Olivia, 13 |
Charlie and I are truly blessed; it is so nice to be reminded between the: "When are you going to clean your room?" "Who loaded dirty dishes on top of the clean dishes in the dishwasher?" and the all too frequent ".. you need how much money, and by when? "
It’s Never Too Late to Say Yes... (Guest)
One of the greatest experiences of my life began with an application for a job that I didn’t get. I had applied for a position as a part-time instructor of English, but the job had already been filled by the time the university had received my resume. Lucky for me, a different position became available.
“Are you up for an adventure?” began the phone call I received one winter morning. My heart lodged in my throat as I listened to the details of what that adventure would entail: teaching a grammar and writing class to a group of students who spoke very little English. Not only did I have absolutely no experience in teaching non-native English speakers, but the real kicker was that the class was scheduled to begin in just two days.
I picked up the books for the course and sat there thumbing through the pages, wondering what on earth I had gotten myself into. Somehow I scraped together that first lesson and worked up the gumption to stand in front of my new class.
We sometimes made wild hand gestures and drew pictures to understand one another that first day and in the days to come. Those weeks in the classroom stretched me until I thought I could stretch no more. But something amazing happened along the way; I had no idea that being so uncomfortable could make me so happy. Happiness, it seems, sometimes shows up in the most unlikely ways.
According to psychologists, happiness has little to do with where you live, how much money you make, or even how healthy you are; they attribute just 10 percent of your happiness to such factors. Instead, happiness largely depends on the choices you make. Saying yes to that class is still paying dividends. It gave me glimpses into lands that I may never see in person, helped me forge lasting friendships and opened doors to new career opportunities.
Baseball player and manager Yogi Berra once famously quipped, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” You’ll no doubt come to many forks in the road during your lifetime. Though you can’t precisely say what will make you happy in the future, you can use your goals as guideposts along the way. Being flexible and willing to take risks can help too.
You might worry that you’ll make the wrong choice when you come to these forks, particularly those where your money is on the line or when you feel like you don’t know enough to make a wise decision. Overcoming your fear of failure is paramount to finding happiness and getting what you want. Take the initiative to learn what you need to know, whether it pertains to buying a house, opening a college savings account, managing your investments or just simply learning to balance a checkbook.
It’s never too late to say yes to an adventure or to learn a new skill. I’m putting my money where my mouth is next month as I take a community education art class. The idea of trying to learn something new among strangers is frightening for me, much like the feeling I had when I embarked on my first English as a Second Language class. Still, even if I don’t create a masterpiece, I know I’ll be glad I said yes to the adventure. Written by: Carey Denman, American Center for Credit Education—ACCE
“Are you up for an adventure?” began the phone call I received one winter morning. My heart lodged in my throat as I listened to the details of what that adventure would entail: teaching a grammar and writing class to a group of students who spoke very little English. Not only did I have absolutely no experience in teaching non-native English speakers, but the real kicker was that the class was scheduled to begin in just two days.
I picked up the books for the course and sat there thumbing through the pages, wondering what on earth I had gotten myself into. Somehow I scraped together that first lesson and worked up the gumption to stand in front of my new class.
We sometimes made wild hand gestures and drew pictures to understand one another that first day and in the days to come. Those weeks in the classroom stretched me until I thought I could stretch no more. But something amazing happened along the way; I had no idea that being so uncomfortable could make me so happy. Happiness, it seems, sometimes shows up in the most unlikely ways.
According to psychologists, happiness has little to do with where you live, how much money you make, or even how healthy you are; they attribute just 10 percent of your happiness to such factors. Instead, happiness largely depends on the choices you make. Saying yes to that class is still paying dividends. It gave me glimpses into lands that I may never see in person, helped me forge lasting friendships and opened doors to new career opportunities.
Baseball player and manager Yogi Berra once famously quipped, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” You’ll no doubt come to many forks in the road during your lifetime. Though you can’t precisely say what will make you happy in the future, you can use your goals as guideposts along the way. Being flexible and willing to take risks can help too.
You might worry that you’ll make the wrong choice when you come to these forks, particularly those where your money is on the line or when you feel like you don’t know enough to make a wise decision. Overcoming your fear of failure is paramount to finding happiness and getting what you want. Take the initiative to learn what you need to know, whether it pertains to buying a house, opening a college savings account, managing your investments or just simply learning to balance a checkbook.
It’s never too late to say yes to an adventure or to learn a new skill. I’m putting my money where my mouth is next month as I take a community education art class. The idea of trying to learn something new among strangers is frightening for me, much like the feeling I had when I embarked on my first English as a Second Language class. Still, even if I don’t create a masterpiece, I know I’ll be glad I said yes to the adventure. Written by: Carey Denman, American Center for Credit Education—ACCE
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