by Sharon | May 2, 2016
Are they still popular?
Do people even do them?
Or have they become scrap books or mini-albums?
I remember having many of them — through junior high and high school. Yes, I am that old!! We had junior high — not middle school.
As amazing as it seems, I do remember being that young — full of dreams . . .
Everything was a major event — going to the beach, movies, dances — saving ticket stubs and everything else that would go into the memory book — lots of pressed flowers . . . even bottle caps . . . gum wrappers . . . all those insignificant things . . .
Just think of all the things you’ve thrown out that would be interesting to put in a memory book you could share with your child . . . It could be a memory book of “firsts” — the first time you went to Starbucks . . . or took a plane ride . . . went to a play . . . a movie . . . and the crazy things you collected . . . as well as the ticket to different amusement parks . . . plus all the pictures . . .
I don’t remember many of the names of the people in the pictures. Maybe it was because we moved around a lot. But it did give me new opportunities to make new memory books . . .
Maybe that’s why I’m still looking for something new . . . exciting . . . different . . . And why none of my memory books have been completed . . .
And . . . what happens when a memory book is completed . . .
Is it a good thing?
Does it allow you to move on to new things?
Or are memory books open-ended?
I guess, if you decide to create one . . . you’ll decide how many editions you’ll create . . .
An easy way to begin for your children is having a memory book for each school year. Maybe you would like to have one for each year in your life. Starting in January and ending it at the end of December. The school and the annual ones could be quite large . . .
I think it’s great to see the growth one has made in their life when it comes to decisions and direction . . . I like the idea of combining pictures and memorabilia with journaling . . . giving you insight in later years to tell your story of what was going on and how you felt about various things.
Life is a great journey . . . enjoy every twist and turn and the bumps along the way . . . The bonus is the people you meet . . . and the influences they have on your life as well . . .
Thanks for stopping by!
Sharon
by Sharon | Apr 30, 2016
Every Spring Is A New Beginning
I find it interesting how nature takes care of itself.
There’s the growing season and after the harvest, then a period of rest . . . then back to new growth.
So, if nature does this naturally, do we as humans run through similar cycles?
Usually a new school year begins in the fall . . . the spring brings a closing . . . then summer vacation which sometimes brings catching up or getting a head start on the fall . . .
I’ve always thought of fall as the new beginning, but as I walk in nature I see new growth all around me. The rains come to water and nurture the new growth . . . and our thoughts go to spring cleaning . . . and maybe new beginnings by taking care of things that need to get done . . . or thoughts of beginning a new life with someone special . . . or planning a vacation to rest and reflect . . . even contemplate one’s future.
Change Is Something That Occurs Regularly
Maybe I’m thinking of “change” because of the political climate.
An election year . . . change . . . perhaps . . . We won’t know until election day in November. But the summer will bring the opposing candidates together in debate and discussions . . .
With the new elected officials being announced in November, but not taking office until after the New Year.
It seems we do have to wait . . . wait through the seasons . . . and with each season . . . experiencing the changes nature brings . . .
When it comes to change . . . we can only change ourselves . . . our behavior . . . our thoughts . . . our actions . . . We’ve probably made adjustments throughout the year. I know when I was attending school, I was in a constant state of change . . . focusing more on one subject or another . . . then once I got a handle on that, gave more time to another subject . . .
School was probably preparing us for life . . . for work . . . for our own homes . . . our families . . .
This Spring I’ve Been Thinking A Lot About Paper Crafts And Mini Albums
I’ve thought about taking more pictures.
I did get a new printer . . . and I haven’t used my “new” camera as much as I anticipated when I bought it a couple of years ago.
I’ve been thinking of making videos. I’m not much of a vlogger, but I thought recording paper craft projects would be fun. Perhaps a reason for doing paper crafts in the first place.
I’ve decided not to get caught up in the news casts and all the election stuff. I like being informed, but I don’t need to get all tangled up in it. Many of my friends have found that just being informed is enough. When they spend half a day listening and watching, they find they become anxious and unhappy.
They worry . . . they become very concerned . . . So, it’s best to be informed and then do something that is enjoyable and relaxing.
The thing is, we can’t control the beliefs and actions of others. We can only do that for ourselves and our families. And we need to make our life as pleasant and enjoyable as possible for ourselves and for those around us and those who mean the most to us. We can’t help others if we’re anxious and angry. And we need to unplug from the “noise” and do something relaxing.
You can play a card or board game, make something out of paper, cook . . . learn something new . . . something you’ve always wanted to do. Or even relax with a jigsaw puzzle . . . or a good book or DVD . . . maybe even listen to music.
Spring is an excellent time to enjoy nature and to move away from the stresses of life . . . Yes, and life does bring us unpleasant things to deal with from time to time.
A friend of mine is grieving the decline in health of her father. It is very difficult for her, but she keeps herself busy . . . doing things that allow her to relax and sleep so the next day she will be there for her father. He depends upon her as does her own family and siblings . . . They work together to support one another . . . as does her friends . . .
This spring does remind me of a spring 10 years ago when I lost my mother and another spring 8 years ago when I lost my father. Time does heal, but . . . even after the grieving . . . there are times I do feel the void. It’s not that I want to fill the void, but to reflect positively and productively . . .
And for many of you, you may have a different season of loss . . . remembering . . . and reflection . . .
I’ve always wondered about “spring fever” . . . is it only during the spring or does it occur at different times?
I thought mine was in the fall . . . wanting to do so much more than what I was supposed to be doing . . .
Isn’t that what “spring fever” is about?
Thoughts wandering . . . instead of focusing upon tasks at hand . . .
This post is a wandering piece of my thoughts . . . ramblings . . . perhaps sorting out what is truly important and what isn’t.
Are you going through something similar?
I appreciate your stopping by and reading this post. If you’d like to leave a comment, please do.
Until next time,
Sharon
by Sharon | Apr 26, 2016
I found this on Pinterest and couldn’t resist adding it to my blog.
These are but 5 Dr. Seuss True-isms . . . I’m sure there are dozens more that you enjoy and may apply to your life. Some of the stories were probably your favorites . . . all because they seemed to speak to you . . . giving you some insight to something you had been thinking about . . . or it just made you feel good . . . or made you laugh.
Even as adults we have learned many things from our childhood that has stuck with us.
These are our personal true-isms.
Thoughts and ideas we pass down to our children . . . and grandchildren . . .
We continue to learn . . . years after we’ve finished school . . .
We learn from books and movies . . . there is something that resonates within us . . . It could be a greeting card we received . . . Or even something we observed while taking a walk or bike ride . . .
There is inspiration all around us . . . we just have to stop long enough to see . . . to hear . . . to think . . .
In my senior year of high school we had a “ditch day” . . . with planned activities . . .
Yes, there were the rehearsals for the graduation ceremony and then we went to the park for lunch . . . then we were free to go home for a nap because we had a Disney Grad Night celebration . . .
I remember that picnic lunch in the park . . . years later, I’d drive by and remember . . .
Then, decades earlier I stopped and walked through that area of the park. I even sat down . . . lost in memory of that day . . . a day when the 12 years of education came to an end . . . a time to plan for a future . . . yes, college . . . some friends were getting married . . . others had jobs . . .
I sat there . . . alone . . . remembering . . . thinking of all those kids . . . their dreams and goals . . .
Yes, I achieved my goals . . . as far as it went . . . with life lessons thrown in . . .
I do feel very fortunate and have been blessed by many who have come into my life . . .
No, I haven’t returned to the park . . . I remember it . . . but I have my own place to go for reflection . . . to see . . . to hear . . . to dream . . . and to remember . . .
My grandmother would stop every afternoon and have a cup of tea with a couple of cookies or a Danish . . . and she would sit quietly in her kitchen and sometimes sit on her front porch. It was her quiet time . . . Wherever her thoughts led her, I don’t know . . . she never shared them with me . . . but I imagine they may have gone to similar places where my thoughts take me . . . maybe she sat with her mother or grandmother in the kitchen having a cup of tea and a couple of cookies . . . sitting still and quiet . . . maybe she thought of those days . . . or of stories she read or was told so long ago . . .
Our thoughts can take us on wonderful journeys . . . to the past and even the future . . . we can imagine so very much . . . if we just stop long enough . . .
We are living in a miraculous age . . . the internet opens a whole new concept of communicating with people around the world . . . even communication with our friends and family has improved . . .
I have a couple of friends I met in my internet marketing group who do Google Hangouts regularly . . . It’s real time face time . . . They are thousands of miles away from me, physically, but it’s like we’re right there visiting . . . we’re all sitting in front of our computers in the privacy of our own homes . . . but we’re together . . . but separate . . . That’s a mind-binder . . .
People can take classes on-line . . . they can do crafts together . . . they can visit with several friends or family members via the internet and a URL address . . . My grandmother couldn’t imagine such a thing . . . nor could I a few decades ago . . . It is really something . . .
I hope these Dr. Seuss true-isms gave you some food for thought.
Until next time,
Sharon
by Sharon | Apr 15, 2016
Are you up for a challenge?
What do you think?
Can you do it? Do you want to do it?
I know being more positive does change your life for the better. Even after the 30 days, you may find you want to continue. It’s much like replacing one bad habit with a better choice.
Remember, you don’t have to do all of them, just one . . . or a couple for 30 days.
Some of them don’t seem that difficult to do. And, the choice is yours. You may have a book you’ve been wanting to read . . . just start by reading it for 5 minutes per day. You can always read longer, but you have to continue for the 30 days. A really easy one is to say each morning upon awaking, “Today is going to be an awesome day!” You could do that for 30 days. I find it fun to look for the awesomeness of the day. It could be a beautiful day. It could be that you accomplished many things. It could be you met someone . . . or you learned something new . . .
There is good that can come from this exercise. Even a little exercise, nothing outrageous, just taking a walk. You could watch the 5 funny YouTube videos . . . stop listening to the news . . . meditate . . . how about the gratitude journal . . .
This is a good list of things you could do, but more importantly, choose something you would like to do for 30 days. Then see if things are changing for the better in your life. There will be subtle changes . . . you’ll have a new perspective, perhaps . . . you may be smiling more . . . you may feel happier. Little things may not get you down as they did before . . . It would be beneficial to write down any changes you’ve noticed while you’re participating in this challenge.
Have fun and let me know how this worked for you.
Sharon
by Sharon | Apr 8, 2016
Too Often Our Thoughts Aren’t For Our Benefit
I’ve had days when I’d rather stay home than run errands.
I was sitting and thinking about all the things I needed to do. Then, I suddenly got up, walked out the door, into my car and drove off. It seemed as though my thoughts were leading me in the direction I needed to go in order to get the various tasks accomplished.
I had a good morning, taking care of things I’d put off . . . just because my thoughts weren’t working with me.
Yes, it was cloudy and wet . . . but, quite honestly, I didn’t notice it. I was on a mission.
Sometimes we do need to let go of our imagined fears and move past them.
I found this great site where you can make an envelope and fill it with Best Thoughts. There are some you can print out and there are some that are blank so you can write out your own Best Thoughts.
They could be favorite quotes or Bible Verses. They could even be affirmations you find uplifting. It’s about allowing your mind to get you out of a rut . . . of deciding to not let troubles and sorrows get you down. This may allow you to think on the more positive side . . . your troubles and sorrows won’t disappear over night . . . but how you perceive them may . . . maybe not overnight, but with persistence . . . soon.
Some may believe this is magical thinking. In a way, I suppose it is. We dwell on things . . . some good and others . . .
Our thoughts help us make decisions . . . getting down to the basics of the situation, rather than all the extras that are there complicating it.
I was watching a movie about a woman who reached a cross roads . . . she was given an opportunity to teach at a prestigious college and have her book published. When this opportunity was presented to her, she also received a proposal of marriage from her long-term boyfriend.
She met him for dinner. She was bursting with news . . . and he was concentrating on his proposal and the life they would share together.
Well, in the movies there is conflict, otherwise there wouldn’t be a story. And in the story, it was all figuring out what to do . . .
There are ways of approaching such a situation . . . and there are many movies with this theme . . . either the man or the woman is given an opportunity of a lifetime . . .
These cards may allow you to think through your priorities without hurting anyone or yourself in the process.
There are many lessons to learn in life . . . many opportunities lost . . . many taken, leading to others . . . or to heartbreak . . .
Life is full of those ups and downs.
It may be worthwhile to sit quietly each day with Best Thoughts to help you either through those downs or assist you in preventing unnecessary ones.
It’s worth a try . . . just click here and you can print out the envelop and the cards . . . and print out plenty of the blank ones to write out your own best thoughts . . .
I find those to be more meaningful to me.
And these may be helpful to a friend . . . it wouldn’t hurt to share this with them.
Until next time,
Sharon
by Sharon | Mar 28, 2016
It’s all a matter of perspective.
I find it refreshing to sit back and observe . . . nature, people, pets . . . just watch and learn.
At times it is difficult to sit quietly. I sometimes feel I need to be doing something . . . or at least thinking about something . . . about my blog or a project . . . something meaningful and worthwhile.
I did receive an email about “breaking the cycle.” It was about getting your emails and posts noticed . . . but I wasn’t thinking in terms of marketing. I was thinking in terms of life. We are creatures of habit. We schedule time . . . we’re always on the clock.
But, break the cycle . . . even for 5 minutes . . . or a minute and build up . . . what would that do? How would that affect our day? Would we gain insight?
I came across this quote on Pinterest about taking charge of your life without excuses or blame. Too often we give our power to others . . . out of foolishness, not knowing better, perhaps fear . . . it’s always easier to blame others or situations than to take a long hard look at yourself and realize you can make the changes when you stand up and take charge of yourself.
It may be about being your own best friend . . . about finding what is truly important to you. We don’t have to follow others . . . yes, it is easier, but is it right for you? Is it what you want to do?
Life gives us opportunities . . . that don’t seem like opportunities at all. We could lose a best friend or a significant love interest . . . and we can choose to be devastated, hurt, lost, bewildered . . . or stand up and say, “That was good for the moment and in this moment I will move on in my journey and find my true meaning of life and happiness.”
Yes, it is a tall order, but it is important to allow doors to close and others to open. I’m not saying be reckless . . . I’m saying to take the time to explore your thoughts and feelings. Take a moment or two to reflect . . . to think . . . to observe . . . to discover what makes you happy.
Sitting out among the abundance of spring is like a rebirth . . . take advantage of spring . . . and watch yourself blossom and bloom.
Until next time,
Sharon
