The Secret to a Happy Life
There seems to be an epidemic these days of depression. Everyone I talk to, it is experiencing some degree of depression. As I wonder about the cause of this twenty-first centuryphenomenon, I think of my great grandmother who raised my dad in the back woods of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan during the Great Depression.She had a hard life raising twelve children and two grandchildren, seeing two die as toddlers as well as two as adults with cancer. She supported her sick husband who was twenty-two years older than she was. She struggled through the great depression, yet (according to those who knew her best) she was never depressed a day in her life! Why? Maybe because she was too busy just surviving to stop and think about feeling sad.
She came to this country from Holland as a child. She married at the age of 13. Her parents went back to Holland without telling their children. She fed her family by raising animals and a large garden, in addition to taking in boarders and caring for the elderly and sick. She sold her homebaked goods and ran the local post office.
She entertained traveling preachers and live-in teachers.She cooked on a woodstove in a house that was so cold the water in the teakettle would freeze during the night if she didn't get up and stoke the fire.She could see the snow outside through the cracks in the walls. She had nophone, no electricity, no running water, no shower, bathtub or indoor toilet!There was no television to watch as she relaxed in the evenings. In fact, she didn't relax in the evenings. That's when she sewed the family's clothes. To listen to the radio, her family had to walk half a mile to the nearest neighbor's house.
She was upbefore anyone else in the morning and she was the last to go to bed at night. Her children were the only ones in school who had real meat to eat and didn't have to take lard sandwiches in their lunches. Her kids had shoes to wear when the neighbors didn't, but they put cardboard inside those shoes to cover the holes in the soles. Though they lived in a tar paper shack, they were better off than most of the folks they knew. When beggars came to grandma's door, shewould always give them a meal and a dime, though a dime was a lot of money inthose days.
She and her children rarely took baths. To do so, they had to pumpthe water from the well, heat it on the stove, and fill the metal tub in thekitchen by the fire. They never went to a doctor when they got sick. Theycouldn't afford such a luxury. And in those days, there was not a whole lotthat doctors could do for them anyway.
(Modern medicine has come a long way inthe last 70 years). This may sound like a story from Laura Ingalls Wilder books about the 1800's, but I'm talking about the 1930's!My great grandma and her family rarely drove the 13 miles into town because gas wastoo expensive and they couldn't all fit into the car anyway. When they didgo to town, they had to change flat tires every few miles and in the winterthey froze with no heat in the car and frequently got stuck in the snow eventhough they had put chains on the tires. As a newlywed, when mygrandmother moved to her new home with her new husband, she packed all herbelongings into a horse-drawn wagon. As they drove away from her parents' home,she said "I forgot to bring a broom." Her husband replied, "The house we'll beliving in has a dirt floor, so you won't need a broom."This was my grandmother's life.
How many of us could live like that and stillbe happy? Maybe part of the reason she could be happy was that she did not have the high expectations that we have these days. She expected to lose children to death. She expected to have to work hard and not have much to show for it. She accepted whatever happened and kept going, taking each day as it came. Maybe our problem is that we cannot accept hardship when it comes because we expect our lives to be better and easier than they sometimes are.When I compare my life to my great grandmothers, I realize that we are very fortunate to have all the good things we enjoy in ourlives.
Let's count our blessings and be thankful!During this joyous season, when we celebrate the fact that God loved us each somuch that He was willing to give up his only son to die in our place, we can bevery thankful for THAT and for many many other blessings. Question of the Day: How many blessings can you count in your life that youare grateful for?, DirectorHUGS AND HOPE FOUNDATIONA ministry designed to share God's Wordand His love with families of critically ill childrenhttp://www.hugsandhope.comJoin Us! Together we can make a difference.
Life issues Pt. 3 - An Atitude of Gratitude
========================================Special Requirements For Reprint:Article may be freely reprinted in your ezine, in your e-book and/or on your web site with the authors resource box included and without any changes.========================================An Attitude of Gratitude.How important is this to you on your path to success ? I sincerely believe that everyone should consider this simple but effective fact.Being grateful for the things you possess in life will make your journey to success more smoother.Gratitude wards off negativity and jealousy , which in turn makes you feel better about your self.Feeling good and positive about yourself makes you feel more confident in your abilities to succeed.I have personally use it to good effect and I can tell you that it works.So what if others are better off or more educated that you ? Does this really make a big difference in your life ? You should always give thanks for the little or plenty that you have because someone out there...
Life issues Pt. 3 - An Atitude of Gratitude
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Weddinglinksdirect.com Turns Wedding Planning into a Dream Come True
Weddinglinksdirect.com Guide is a directory for wedding shops, services and also including home shopping in the USA. Grooms and Brides can choose from a wide selection featuring: Wedding Accessories, Wedding Anniversary, Wedding Bands, Wedding Bouquet, Wedding Cakes, Wedding Catering, Wedding Centerpiece, Wedding Chapel, Wedding Decorations, Wedding DJ, Wedding Dress, Wedding Favors, Wedding Florists, Wedding Gifts, Wedding Honeymoon, Wedding Invitations, Wedding Jewelry, Wedding Limousines, Wedding Music, Wedding Party Rentals, Wedding Photographers, Wedding Planners, Wedding Reception, Wedding Ring, Wedding Shoes, Wedding Song, Wedding Tuxedos and Wedding Videographers. Weddinglinksdirect.com Guide directory have been reviewed by our editors and placed in appropriate categories to make it easier for you to find your desired shop.Weddinglinksdirect.com presents a wedding directory for the budgeted minded customer up to the Hilton of society. Making the perfect wedding couple Weddinglinksdirect.com...
Weddinglinksdirect.com Turns Wedding Planning into a Dream Come True
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It is all about the Medal
It is all about the medal
Running a marathon is like life. There is a beginning, middle and end. Not only that there are the obstacles that come up. For the average person a marathon will take at least four hours. This is four hours of a conversation in your head.
The marathon is run in your mind. The stories I told myself were amazing. The stories were all based on my experiences of life. Some of these stories were empowering and supportive but others were not. The marathon was like a rerun of my life and my opinion of myself determined my outcome.
When they put the medal on me I felt acknowledged, not only for finishing the marathon but for being a success in life. I have never been the same since. My life works because I have the medal to prove it. Life is about saying what I am going to do and doing it. Doing the marathon is a condensed version of a commitment.
If you stop while running it is unlikely you will start again. My body froze up. I could...
It is all about the Medal
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How To Eliminate Your Competition Without Bloodshed
Copyright 2006 I.M.A.G.I.N.E. Consulting Inc.
So how do you eliminate your competition without bloodshed? You must create a niche for your business. A niche is something that makes your business different from your competitors. To compete with other businesses nowadays (especially online) you need something that nobody else can copy. One of a kind!
First you must know who your competitors are.
Is your business the only one of its type? I doubt it. If so, it won't be for long.
Do you know your exact target audience? If not, you will have to find out this information before creating any kind of niche. Below are two ways to come up with a competition eliminating
niche.
1. Just Ask!
The first way to come up with a niche is to think like your target audience or customers.
Know their exact needs, wants, goals, problems and interests.
There're two ways to do this: The first way is to put yourself in their...
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How to Change A Tire
It always happens at the worst times! You need to know how to change a tire even if you have an auto club membership. Depending on where you get a flat, there may not be a phone nearby to call a tow truck. Let's take is step by step and always remember to read your owners manual, there will be detailed instructions relating to your car there. I should mention also a few tips for getting to the side of the road safely if you have a blowout on the road. ?Stay calm, do not panic ?Slowly take your...
The Secret to a Happy Life How to Change A Tire Shoes used cars
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