Thursday August 20 2015  AND NOW IT IS TOMORROW…

…And I have been so busy that I haven’t even had a chance to think of anything worthwhile to write in a blog at the end of the day when I am tired!  So how’s that?  Oops!  Is that the real me coming out?  I surely hope not.  It sounded a little like a cross between self-pity and a bit of griping.  And I just won’t hear about that!  So…I go retrieve a book I picked up at the library yesterday, from my little safe place where I keep all my library books when I am not reading them.  Sometimes I have checked out at many as 30 or 40 books so I have to have a system to keep close tabs on them.  I only have a few out right now.  The title of the book I checked out is: “YOU CAN’T AFFORD THE LUXURY OF A NEGATIVE THOUGHT-A Book for People with Any Life-Threatening Illness—Including Life.”  Copyright 1988 by Peter McWilliams.  The best part is, there is no threat of jail or anything else if you quote from it.  So…YOU’VE GOT IT!  I’m going to quote from it.  I actually haven’t even cracked it open until just now and the first thing I read is worth repeating.  It is a quote from Samuel Smiles from 1859.  I don’t think they had any technical machines to transfer data from one place to another back in 1859, so perhaps he would be honored to have his quote quoted 156 years later by a little old lady writing on her new-fangled gadget, sending his words to who knows where.  So here goes:

“The spirit of self-help is the root of all genuine growth in the individual; and, exhibited in the lives of many, it constitutes the true source of national vigor and strength.  Help from without is often enfeebling in its effects, but help from within invariably invigorates.” 

Read it over a few times and get the full impact of what he is saying.  I believe it is so true.  I believe in part that my journey this spring had something to do with me finding the “spirit of self-help” so I could experience genuine growth within myself.  However, I did have a lot of people offer me help in so many ways as I traveled, and for that I will be forever grateful.  Even with the help I received I did learn a new self confidence in myself that I could depend on myself for help when I needed it.  And one of the things I practiced while on the road was exactly what the title of this books speaks about. I DID NOT ALLOW MYSELF THE LUXURY OF NEGATIVE THINKING!   Because of adopting that attitude, no job was too big, no road was too long, no night was too dark.  I think I shall enjoy reading this book by the same Author that wrote the book I talked about last week about “get off your buts, and just do it”.  Just my sneak preview tonight while sitting here in front of the computer makes me excited to have found another book filled with such treasures.  Uh oh!  I feel a poem coming!

 

NEW FRIENDS

By Kathleen Martens

August 20, 2015

 

Oh, so many pages

Filled with such treasures

Hours and hours

Of reading pleasure.

 

Just the title

Quickens my mind

Because of all the words

I know I will find.

 

Books become friends

That you spend time with

Whether fact or fiction

Science or myth.

 

Books become alive

When they speak to you

And show you a world

That you never knew.

 

Books filled with wisdom

Or a funny little story,

Or Science fiction

Somewhat gory.

 

What matters most

Does it make a better you?

Does it give you solid ground

To help you get through?

 

Books are all different

So choose wisely what you read,

What you deposit in mind

Plants a little seed.

 

Fill your heart up

With goodness and gold,

All the words in a book

Through your life will be told.

 

Give thought to improve

By words others plant.

So use discretion

Which friends that you grant.

 

Your books are your friends,

Treat them with respect.

The returns are bountiful

More than you ever expect!

 

I LOVE MY FRIENDS!  Even the people ones.

 

My dear sister Velma I so appreciate.  Thank you dear sister for helping my blogs present better.  She is great at proofreading them (the day after) and telling me where they need fixing.  I told her today in an email that it is too bad she isn’t able to proofread them BEFORE I publish them.  She’s always a day late!

Today was food day but I have not had the time to fix anything yet.  All had to be refrigerated with hopes of making “REFRIGERATOR SOUP” tomorrow.  Another busy day tomorrow so I’ll see how it goes!  Dave is still sick from last night but is better in blood levels.  He seems to have a full-fledged virus that is taking a toll on his low immune system.

And I leave you with another piece of wisdom from same book above quoted from Theodore Roosevelt:

Do what you can,

With what you have,

With where you are.

I leave you with these words.

Good night and God bless each one of you!