Sparks: Light Bright

The darkness around us might somewhat light up
if we would first practice using the light we have
on the place we are.
~Henry S. Haskins

Last week, Entrepreneur and I took the grand girls to Branson, Missouri. While we were there, we visited……now don’t laugh….Ripley’s Believe It Or Not. Definitely an Odditorium. In one of the rooms was a giant Light Bright, and the girls loved it!

When they started playing with the pegs, I thought it would be perfect for Annie’s Sparks. When I saw this quote, I knew they both needed to be paired with each other to reinforce Annie’s Sparks philosophy…which is very simple.

     The negative energy of the world has become thick and oppressive. Social media has become a part of this dare, negative storm. There is an obvious, universal need for more positive energy and peace. And, we can be a part of this affirmative change.

I believe we are meant to be lights in this world. If we allow our light to shine, we can see where we are going. It is then that we can begin to truly see each other clearly. There is hope. Together, we can light up the entire world!

Blog hopping with Annie at McGuffy’s Reader’s Sparks and Sandee’s Awww Mondays over at Comedy Plus.

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Sparks Monday

Friendship… Is essential to intellectuals.
You can date the evolving life of a mind, like the age of a tree, by the rings of friendship formed by the expanding central trunk.
~Mary McCarthy

I missed last week’s Sparks link up…but I had a good excuse. I’ve been wanting to use this photo for the longest time, and have been searching for the perfect quote to accompany it. Well, last week I found it…..unfortunately, I found it on Thursday.

Entrepreneur cut this dead tree down in our yard last Autumn. I’m always sad when one of our trees don’t make it through the winter. When he cut this one down, I counted the rings to try to estimate how old it was. My best guess is it lived about 40 years. And, my mind went racing…..was it planted intentionally by the owner of the land our neighborhood now occupies? Or, was it dropped by a squirrel as it was gathering seeds and nuts for the winter? Or, maybe it was unceremoniously planted through bird or deer droppings? No clue.

Forty years?! Wow, I was smack in the middle of college when this sapling sprouted. And, like this tree, my life has experienced good years and bad years. And, also like this tree, the “central trunk” of my life has expanded each year with wonderful, supportive friends, some of whom have been in my life longer than 40 years. One thing is for sure, my central trunk of friends are what has kept me grounded as Entrepreneur and I travel his cancer journey. My rings of friendship are still expanding and I’m so incredibly grateful and appreciative of those who offer their prayers and support.

Annie at McGuffy’s Reader hosts a blog hop every Monday called Sparks. I’m finding that reading everyone’s “Sparks” is one of the highlights of my week. Her philosophy its simple:

The negative energy in the world has become thick and oppressive. Social media has become a part of this dark, negative storm. There is an obvious universal need for more positive energy and peace. And, we can all be part of this affirmative change.

First Spark for 2018

Over the holidays, I missed a couple Sparks and Awww Mondays with Annie and Sandee, but hope to get back into  a routine now. That said, I’m already a day late to both link-up parties for this week! 😀

I hope everyone’s new year is off to a grand start. Let’s all try to do our part to spark some positivity in our world.

It’s not what we have in life,
but who we have in our lives
that matters.
~J.M. Laurence

Linking up with the bog hops for Sparks at McGuffy’s Reader, and Awww Mondays at Comedy Plus.
  

Beautiful Changes

We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.
~Maya Angelou

Beautiful souls don’t happen by accident. They are the result of many life experiences…good and bad….and the attitude carried throughout the process. Never think the beauty you see is the result of random chance. True beauty is only achieved through the intricate, well-planned refinement of change.

Sparks is an awesome idea created byAnnie McGuffy. The Monday blog hop shares uplifting, inspiring thoughts, ideas, and experiences with others in hopes of providing the SPARK needed to make the day better and contribute to the power of positivity.

Please join in the blog hop and be a part of the light that can dispel the darkness of negativity.

Also blog hopping along with those over at Peabea’s Pictorial Tuesday.

 

 

It’s a choice.

Attitude is a choice. Happiness is a choice. Optimism is a choice. Kindness is a choice. Giving is a choice. Respect is a choice. Whatever choice you make makes you. Choose wisely.
~Roy T. Bennett

Isn’t that the truth? Do you ever find it odd that so many people claim they want complete control over their own lives and then blame-shift off onto others when it comes to not wanting to have a good attitude, or be happy and optimistic? All of a sudden, there’s a million excuses for not being kind or respectful with remarks, thoughts and actions.

Is it really someone else’s fault when we find ourselves with a crappy attitude, unhappy, pessimistic, unkind, selfish and disrespectful?

Trying to add to the positive aura over at McGuffy’s Reader, Sparks 7

Cabo says, Hello Summer!

Hello Summer! Hey…….wait a minute…..I think I might resemble that remark. Can’t understand how Mom can say that. She always says I’m the smartest puppy she knows.

In case you missed my introduction, you can read it HERE. I’ve jumped up to 14.5 pounds in just three short weeks. Everyone keeps talking about the size of my paws…….but I think they’re pretty perfect just the way they are. All I know is it’s getting easier to clear the step from the backyard into the house, and I’m able to catch the little white dog that lives next door. Boy, I rolled her a couple of times last night real good while we were chasing each other!

So, it’s my first official day of summer, and there are sooooo many things to get into tear up discover. I’ve really only just begun. So far, no shoes, socks or clothing have been sacrificed to my razor-sharp teeth. Whenever I get into something really interesting, all of a sudden I find a substitute chewy bone in my mouth. What’s up with that?

But I did discover I luuuvvvvvv watermelon….and strawberries….and peaches…..and apples! I found out I even like green beans and broccoli. I hope Mom lets me come with her to the garden soon. I could be such a big help.

I am part Golden Retriever so, of course, they got me my own pool! The Poodle in me keeps trying to suppress those water instincts, but I’m sure I can overcome those negative vibes before summer ends. And it’s so much fun when the litter mates play in there too!

I have to admit, I do tend to get into some trouble from time to time. It seems to come when all I want to do is play….rough…with my mouth…..on their fingers. But I have all this pent up energy and am so happy to share it with anything that crosses my path! And, I am a little mouthy at times, especially when I’m hungry.

Because of this, Mom and Dad have decided it’s time for me to start learning something called “manners.” They say words like Come, Sit and Wait. And then there’s the one I don’t care for so much. No.

I’m hearing that one a lot lately.

It’s very hot outside now because it’s summer. Duh. What? You sit outside on a 90F day in a fur coat and tell me how YOU like it. My yard does have lots of shade, but……

This is my preferred napping location, but just to show I’m flexible, I’ll relocate to various AC vent around the house. 🙂

That’s all for today. Take care, stay cool, and may all your puppy dreams be sweet.

For better or for worse

For better or for worse…

It’s been five days since my post on Entrepreneur’s unexpected brain surgery. Definitely a low point in our 36 years of marriage.

For richer, for poorer…

Emergency Room visit, five-hour surgery, recovery, and in-house rehabilitation; not to mention more CT scans, MRIs and other tests too numerous to count; and we’re not even to the part that involves treatment for any remaining cancer cells…let’s just say I’m feeling the “poorer” part of the vow. We met our deductible in…oh, about the first minute.

In sickness and in health…

In less than a week’s time, my over-achieving, fiercely independent, take-no-prisoners husband…the man who has come back from countless athletic injuries, a hematoma under a shoulder blade, rotator cuff surgery, knee surgery and, most recently, a kidney removal from cancer…has been humbled beyond belief by the need for a walker and help with the most mundane daily living tasks.

Because the cancer mass in his right temple measured 4.7cm and went deep into the brain, this necessitated the neurosurgeon cut around inside his head. And when people cut around inside your head, there’s trauma, swelling, bleeding and other damage that results in diminished physical abilities, capabilities and strength, And that’s in addition to the psychological, emotional and spiritual trauma that occurs when your body and thought processes don’t want to play well with what your brain want them to do.

But I signed on for the long haul. And a long haul is exactly what we’re facing now. Unless someone has faced this type of humbling disability, I’m not sure it’s possible to convey the feeling of sheer terror and helplessness that accompanies stepping into these unchartered waters.

It’s hard to remember that today’s “reality” will not be the reality of a month from now…or two months from now….or six months from now…or a year from now. Success will not be measured by the calendar days but rather, by accomplishments…however long they take.

Our lives are forever changed by this event. I’m not sure I can even comprehend what our family will go through over the coming weeks, months and years. All I know is I will be beside him every step of the way. I will celebrate the small victories as well as the major milestones. I will cry. I will curse the fates. I will pray.

“I will hold you by your right hand—
I, the LORD your God.
And I say to you,
‘Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you.”
~Isaiah 41:13

But I know we are not facing this challenge unarmed. We are not climbing this mountain alone. The outpouring of prayers and support is literally spanning coast to coast…as well as a few across the pond (a shout-out to my international Facebook/Bloggy friends). We are connected to an amazing support system and unbelievable prayer warriors. Earthly angels sent to minister to our family. No, we are far from facing this alone.

Strengthen the feeble hands,
    steady the knees that give way;
say to those with fearful hearts,
    “Be strong, do not fear;
your God will come,
    he will come with vengeance;
with divine retribution
    he will come to save you.”
~Isaiah 35:3-4

And I need to remember this when the days seem overwhelming, when the nights are filled with fear, when the odds look like they are not in our favor.

The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is.
~CS Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (1942)

But, I’m sure it’s going to feel more like this…

We’re not doubting that God will do the best for us; we’re wondering how painful the best will turn out to be. 
~Letters of C. S. Lewis (1966)