One solitary rose....

I am not an avid gardener, but I do enjoy a few flower pots on the patio with an assortment of color. Last summer, I planted a pink tea rose in a flower pot. It has been through snow, frost, wind and storms these past 6 months. But I have a rose. One single, solitary rose. Even after all the frost and cold. This got me to thinking about optimistic versus pessimistic. Some people would look at the spotted leaves and worry about the bug or mites that are eating the plant. They would wonder why one single rose bloomed and there aren't even buds on any of the other branches. An optimistic person would look at that single solitary rose and think of what a blessing it is that the bush has survived the winter. Too me, that rose represents many things. To me, roses remind me of Mother's Day. A Southern tradition is to wear a red rose to signify a living mother, and a white rose to honor a mother who is no longer living. So my sweet single pink rose is the combination of the two. The red gene represents my wonderful mother whom I adore. She will be 80 this year and acts like she is about 60. The white gene represents my two most precious grandmothers who have both passed away and who made such an impact on my life. The white also represents my wonderful Mother-in-law who has been gone almost 20 years. She was the perfect Mother-in-law and I still miss her dearly. The rose has always been a symbol of greatest love. Given by your significant other, it represents the love and bond that you share. Picked by small little fingers of your child or grandchild represents a love that now words can explain. The look on that precious face as it plucks a flower and gently lifts it to your face and says "I picked this for you." How do you view the roses in your life? Are you optimistic and see the "roses" that God has bestowed on you? Or are an eternal pessimist who is always looking for the thorns?

The Master of the Sea

The Master of the Sea While one night upon the sea, A ship was tossing to and fro. Breakers dashed on every hand, As angry winds around did blow. All on board were filled with fright, As the mighty billows rolled. Then they called upon the One Who the wind and waves controlled. Chorus: When He reaches out His Hand, Billows cease at His command. Winds and waves obey His will When He says to them, "Be still!" What man is this they all did say Whom the wind and waves obey? He’s the One who sails with me; He’s the Master of the sea. Though the storms of life may rage And the billows round you roll. He can calm life’s troubled sea As He did in days of old. As upon life’s sea you sail, Trust in Him who never fails. I’m so glad He sails with me; He’s the Master of the sea.

If it's Thursday, it must be hamburgers...

When I was growing up, there were certain things you could be assured of. When the whistle blew at the C & O shops at 3:30, within the next 10 - 15 minutes, Daddy would come walking up the road carrying his lunchbox. You could pretty well bet he would have a left over snack or goodie. He knew we loved to open his lunch box to see what was leftover that we could share. You knew that on warm summer evenings when he got paid we would walk about a mile to the Corner Grill and get an ice cream cone. You knew that on Sunday afternoons, weather permitting, we would either walk in the woods or up on the golf course to look for lost golf balls. Mom would wash them in bleach and Daddy would take them to work and sell them for about 50 cents a bag as practice balls. I remember one time he sold a bag to one of his friends. When the friend was looking at the balls he bought, he found one of his personalized balls in the bag that he had lost in the woods around the course. Daddy got a kick out of that. You knew that if we didn't take a walk, Daddy would be either on the patio listening to the Red's on the radio or in the living room in his favorite chair, watching them on TV. You knew that Mom would be in the kitchen cleaning up or making something delicious for us to snack on. You knew you could always go to the refrigerator and there would be a pitcher of ice cold, crystal clear well water. It was pure nectar on those hot summer days. But one thing that we always knew, no matter what, if it was Thursday, it was grocery store day and that meant hamburgers for supper. My mother has always and will always make the best hamburgers in the entire world. I always like mine smothered in cheese with mustard and Vlasic Kosher Baby Dills on it. We always had them with Barbecue Snyder's potato chips, a cold Pepsi and Saps Glazed Donuts for dessert. Sometimes we would have them with one of her famous homemade chocolate milkshakes. Over the years, we have been known to get together at Mom's just so we could have that exact meal. She will be 80 in June and still makes the best hamburgers and chocolate milk shakes around. So many things change in our world as we grow up. Technology is so advanced it can make your head spin. Life moves at a faster pace. There is so much to do and not enough time to do it all. But on Thursday's, I can close my eyes and go back to a simpler place and a simpler time and know that if I called Mom and went over, she would fix me a hamburger.

Exercising

I discovered something wonderful this morning. My cable (Comcast) has Exercise TV on their on-demand service. You can select the program you want and exercise in your own schedule. I decided to give it a whirl. I do not like exercise that causes me to get in the floor. I'm not always sure I can get back up. I would hate to be stuck in the floor all day until hubby gets home. So I decided to try Disco Abs. My tummy is my greatest shame so that sounded like a good place to start. Its marketing ploy was "Dance your abs into shape with your favorite Disco oldies." Sounded pretty good so I hit select. The show began with a room full of physically fit cuties gyrating to YMCA by the Village People. The 'teacher' welcomes you and says we will start off with a few warm ups. After 5 minutes of warm ups, I was worn out. Why are the warm ups as hard as the work outs? But I persevered. I bounced and sashayed to the left and then to the right. Hips a swaying, feet a stepping. "Hmm, not bad.", I say to myself. Then she added some arm swinging and hand clapping. By this time I'm really starting to get into the swing of things. Then it happened. She added some waist twisting and hip swaying. My body was all over the place. I couldn't keep up. I looked like a mound of Jello jiggling when you dump it out of the mold. I thought to myself "This cannot be pretty." But I remembered what a friend told me yesterday about working on things I can control. I thought, "Come on Bee, you can do this." I proceeded to jump and twist and bounce and hop.....all the way into the coffee table. Oww!! I learned two things today. Sedate crunches and setups are better for little old women and don't ever dance in your living room without moving the coffee table. But I did get in a good workout. I feel rejuvenated this morning. And I will try one of the other shows tomorrow. Not so sure the disco dance is going to be my thing.

Success vs. Failure

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. - Albert Einstein

I once heard some one use this quote to describe failure. And it is true. If you keep doing the same things over and over and over and it is not working, why would you keep trying?

I find myself doing this in my quest to lose weight. I keep sliding back into my bad habits, thinking that "2 more Junior Mints won't hurt". But how many times a day do I eat those "2 more".

Each of us must take a good hard look at what we view as failures in our lives. We should ask ourselves "What could I have done differently?"

For example, if you are a salesperson and your sales are down, is it the economy? Or is it because you are not willing to go out on a limb and try new approaches? This is true in everyday life as well. If we do not take chances and make changes, are we destined to continue with our current status? Will we feel like a failure because we cannot reach our goals? Or will we strive to perfect our daily walk so we can see the success that waits for us ahead?

So many people are looking for things to motivate them. So many want to succeed and try different paths to reach that success. We all have our favorite bible verses that help us and keep our spirits lifted in difficult times.

But go back and read Genesis Chapter 1. God did not rest until He achieved the ultimate success when He created the world. Each day brought new things. Each day was something He created. After each day that He completed, the bible tells us "And God saw that it was good."

Our loving God, the very one who created us, shows us from the first chapter of His word, that we should strive to be successful. We should work toward our goal and at the end of the day, we too can look at our successes and say "it was good."

Strange uses for every day items....

Over the years, my husband and I have been very inventive when trying to accomplish things around the house. We have found that many items can serve a dual purpose. Recently, hubby discovered a second use for coffee filters. When you heat up a bowl of something in the microwave, you probably cover it with a napkin or saran wrap. The saran wrap can melt down and cling to the food, leaving a film on your food. A napkin has a tendency to blow off as the turntable goes around. We have found if you place a coffee filter in bowl, like you would in the coffee maker, it allows the pops and splatters from the heated item to stick to the filter and not all over your microwave. When you are through, just pull it out and toss it. No sticky film on your food and no messy interior to worry with. Another item that I used today is something I used to do years ago when my son was in Little League baseball. Do you ever have a stain that refuses to come clean? Grass stain, ketchup, mustard, chocolate, grease, all these are items that are hard to get out of certain materials. We had a grease stain in a jacket today. I tried stain removers, Greased Lightning, everything that normally works on stains. It didn't come clean. So I grabbed an old toothbrush and made a paste my Cascade for the dishwasher and a drop of Dawn dishwashing liquid. Scrubbed it into the stain and let it stand for 10 minutes. Presto! No more stain. It is perfect for getting grass stain out of those white pants the little ball players wear. Does your husband or son have a favorite ball cap? You know the one with the all the dirt and sweat from work and play. They are machine washable, but it does something to their fit and can cause shredding around the edges of the bill after repeated washings. Simply find one of your pots or pans about the size of the inside of the cap. Turn the pan upside down and place the cap on like you would put it on your head. Place the pan in your dishwasher and run it through the cycle (again with your Cascade). When you remove it, leave it on the pan over night until it dries. No frilled edges from the washer's spinning and the pan helps it retain it's shape so it doesn't shrink. Just wanted to share those tips with you in case you ever need them.

Monday Madness

Well, it's Monday. Time to start that week long process of surviving. Why are Monday's so hard? It's like starting all over again. Each Monday brings with it the challenges of a new week. We have to check our calendars to see what appointments we have scheduled. We need to plan our week for what work we will work on. We are exhausted and tired from the weekend. We need a shot of energy to get going.

By Tuesday, it is a little better. You have caught up with the messages and emails that came in since you left on Friday. You are beginning to work on the task list you have for this week. You are at that "almost done with yesterdays catch up" stage.

By Wednesday morning, you are feeling much more into your routine. You have accepted the fact that work is a part of your life and you are required to show up and perform your duties, no matter how you feel. By Wednesday afternoon, you have been able to mark many things off your to do list. You can see the end of the tunnel and know that freedom is just a couple of days away.

By Thursday, you realize that you need to buckle down and finish out your tasks for the week. You need to have Friday open for unexpected things that come up as the week draws to a close.

By Friday, you are feeling more refreshed than you ever do on Monday mornings. You know the madness of your week is about over. You are looking forward to two glorious days of relaxing with your family. You are counting the hours until 5:00 as you hurriedly process any last tasks that require immediate attention. Come 5:00, armed with your pay check and a thrill that the weekend is here, you clock out and head home. Secure in the knowledge that for two whole days, you don't have to worry about "this place" at all.

But watch out, Monday is just around the corner AGAIN.