Never Quit

Never Quit

Click on Never Quit, and it will take you to a wonderful story.

Be inspired, go forth, and LIVE.

Smoke Signals

Some stories are worth reposting. I'll take another dose of laughter at Bella's expense.

Do you have one of those friends who will come for lunch to help you get rid of left-overs? I love that. Nothing fancy, just two friends enjoying a simple meal, some good laughs, and great conversation.

I have a few great friends who would join me for a meal of left-overs. The one I have in the town I'm now living in, is Susan. She's a whole lot of fun, and is the kind of friend that doesn't care if your house is in shambles, and you greet her at the door in your sweats, no make-up... basically looking like something the cat dragged in. Everyone needs a friend like that. Those friends of mine, you know who you are... God bless you!

Well, it was twenty minutes before Susan was to arrive, and I was doing some last-minute preparations. Candles were lit in the window which opens the kitchen to the living room. Love candles. Even the simplest of occasions calls for candles! I happened to look over to that same window, and to my surprise, I saw smoke billowing from my counter-top to my ceiling!! Are you ever amazed at how many thoughts rush through your mind in an instant? I actually reminded myself that no, it could not be the lunch I had on the stove, because my stove is on the other end of my kitchen! I stood there and looked at our cat, Bella. She had a look on her face as if she was saying, "What? What'd I do? Why are you looking at me like that?" It was in that moment that I realized that the smoke was coming from Bella! When she came through the window, her tail caught on fire! Okay, let me tell you, that you would be amazed at two things: 1. How much smoke can come from burned cat fur. 2. How incredibly horrid burned cat fur smells!

Well, great. Twenty minutes until lunch, and my house now smells like burned cat fur. Ugh! I quickly opened windows, and got the Febreze out. Did I mention that I threw the cat out? Let her send smoke signals outside! (Don't worry... I made sure I completely extinguished her tail first.)

Susan arrived. No lie... she said, "Wow it smells good in here. It smells like a hair salon!"

Unpack Your Cape... The World Needs a Hero

A.B. Simpson said: “God is preparing His heroes. And when the opportunity comes He can fit them into their place in a moment. And the world will wonder where they came from.”

Get your cape ready...
And maybe your tiara.

I Want a Wide Life

I don't want to get to the end of my life
and find that I just lived the length of it.
I want to have lived the width of it
as well.

~Diane Ackerman

Gratitude

grat·i·tude   [grat-i-tood, -tyood]
noun
the quality or feeling of being grateful or thankful

Gratitude makes a meal a feast, a house a home, and a stranger a friend.
~author?

What a beautiful sentiment; I could not have said it better, myself. Gratitude can turn your world from ordinary to extraordinary. It's all about your attitude... and gratitude. (This is starting to sound like a show tune. Or Dr. Seuss, perhaps.)

Anyway, the point is... Look around you. You have a lot to be thankful for. Put on your rose colored glasses and turn that meal into a feast, your house into a castle fit for a queen (that would be YOU, Your Highness), and a stranger into a friend (who just might happen to be an angel).

Gratitude. Simple, but powerful.

Sunshine and Smiles

If you are anything like me, you might find yourself at the beginning of a new year, wondering where, oh where, did last year go? If someone were to ask you to name ten events worthy of sharing, could you? You and I both know that life has a gazillion wonderful moments tucked in each passing year, but we are so busy and preoccupied, that we find it hard to recall all of the times that made us smile, giggle, or cry tears of joy.

Here's an idea... What if we kept a notepad handy and jotted down those moments as they happen? We could keep a notepad in our purse, on our desk, in the kitchen because you and I both know that wonderful things happen in a kitchen!, in the car, etc., etc., etc. (Now I feel like the King from The King and I. He really liked that wonderful word, etc. So do I.) Back to the notes. At the end of each day, we can put the notes in a jar, basket, or box. Whichever you fancy. I think I will call mine the Jar of Sunshine and Smiles.

Picture yourself sitting down on New Years Day with a really good cup of java, and reading all of your little notes with the ones you love, or in a room with just you, your really good java, and God. You are smiling, aren't you? Wouldn't that be fun?!

This is perfect for me because believe it or not, I hate journaling. I know. It's a shock. I love writing on this blog, but to sit down and write in a journal just makes me turn up my nose and shake my head.

So, go get some notepads and pens. Let's start a collection of sunshine and smiles. I dare you!

Chef Lisa

Last night was pork roast so tender a baby could eat it... Tonight was Brandied Chicken Breasts. This is what happens when I watch Julie and Julia. I get inspired. And I get chubby. Guess I'll just have to dance more... in the kitchen.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

~Martin Luther King, Jr., hero