Good Words

Going through stacks of papers, notes and books this early morning.

A cold and sunny bright day
a perfect day for organizing paper work and reflecting on much I have underlined
in this mountain of books and articles that are in this cottage.

Here is a sample....

"All beings receive the fruits of their actions.  Their lives arise and pass away according to
the deeds created by them.  We can deeply care for them, but in the end
we cannot act for them nor let go for them nor love for them"

On this day

I choose to stay when I want to retreat
Choose to forgive when I want to condemn
Choose to love when I want to attack
Choose to hope when I want to doubt
Choose to stand when I want to fall........

and one more

On this day
I offer my gratitude for the blessings of this earth I have been given.
I offer my gratitude for the measure of health I have been given.
I offer my gratitude for the family and friends I have been given.
I offer my gratitude for the life I have been given...

Paraposdokians and Dabur Chyawanprash

On gappa blog yesterday
 read about - "Dabur Chyawanprash"
have never heard of this
and it sounds amazing.
 Amazon sells,
they sell everything and
thinking of  ordering.
Wonder what it would do for me at this time of life?

Received this  early morning
and sharing a few...

Paraprosdokians are figures of speech in which the latter part of a sentence
or phrase is surprising or unexpected: frequently humorous,
Winston Churchill loved them.

Where there's a will, I want to be in it

The last thing I want to do is hurt you.  But it's still on my list.

Since light travels faster than sound, some people appear bright until you hear them speak

If I agreed with you, we both would be wrong.

We never really grow up, we only learn how to act in public

War does not determine who is right - only who is left.

Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit.. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.

In filling out an application, where it says, "in case of emergency, Notify, I PUT DOCTOR

Women will never be equal to men until they can walk down the street with a bald head
and a beer gut, and still think they are sexy

Going to church does not make you a Christian any more then standing in a garage makes you a car

I used to be indecisive.  Now I'm not sure.

Good Way

A good way to start the day

Try it.....

Weather cold at the moment
but have memories of
day beginning on a
 beautiful sunny Spring morning
and beginning the day doing this on my deck
with the sounds of nature in the air.

At this time it is on a mat
in front of glass door
with beautiful Fall colors viewed.

Be careful
if this is new to you....

Credit goes to a special online friend
who writes "gappa"  http://kaimhanta.blogspot.com/

I Must

Take the time to retreat from your day - to - day routine, and make a genuine effort
to reconnect with yourself and your natural surroundings.
Something I read this early morning.

I thought this was what I was doing
and seems not so.
Here it is November, leaves cover the ground, wind blowing and a chill in the air.

A year that when I look back
I think went faster then any in my lifetime.
A year where so much has happened to me and in this family
and I almost feel like I lost myself somewhere along the line.

Physically feeling good at the moment, a smile on my face,
feeling at peace  and yet
I have much to do
regarding body, mind and spirit.
For some reason in my lifetime I thought this would stop
eventually and I would say to myself "you have arrived."
It is quite evident to me in these last years
I have not arrived
and wonder does anyone ever arrive?

There are continual lessons to learn.

Remember, wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit
~~ Edward Abbey~~

In order to understand this world, one has to turn away from it on occasion
~~Albert Cumus~~

Seeking a quiet day and then some more quiet days
to quiet the mind
and to stop trying to understand so much.

My heart tells me to do the best I can, stop the questioning,  just accept
 and nothing stays the same anyway and is always changing

Remember

Hold the words close and whisper them to yourself
when times are dark, when you are feeling down,
doubting yourself.
Embrace the thought
"I am perfectly enough!"

On this day
to all who visit the woods
a good thought

from Cate at

http://beyondthefieldsweknow.org/

Cranberry Salad

My Laurie
in Tampa
called and talked and remembered
 my old cranberry salad recipe.
Found it handwritten
 in my over 40 year old recipe book.
I think it came from my Aunt Lucille who passed
away 4 years ago in her 90's.

I am going to make it for Thanksgiving....

1 bag of fresh cranberries - chopped in processor
2 oranges - chopped chunky - 1 peeled and 1 unpeeled
1 small cherry jello
1 small orange jello
1 1/2 or 2 cups of sugar
2 cups of boiling water
1/2 cup chopped nuts
optional - small can of drained pineapple

dissolve jello in boiling water
add sugar
mix well
add rest of ingredients

pour in well greased mold - it always looked so festive
at Thanksgiving, Christmas or really - anytime
You could put in a glass Pyrex dish....

Keeps a long time in frig and slices beautifully

~~ I just went upstairs and retrieved my old mold ~~
seems I remember this mold not quite big enough for all of the mixture
and I would put the remainder in a glass bowl :)
I may just half it this time for my old mold.
I will use one jello, one orange, not so many cranberries
just less of everything - I think - not sure yet...
and may fill the center with grapes :)

Early this morning
pumpkin bread cooling
and placed my old mold
where daughter's could see it.

White Fields

Early Morning
dawn surfaces
looking out the window
heavy frost
white fields
last blooms
resemble ice sculptures

I smile at a dozen comments from one who's words
always are special to me - Ellen Hamilton.

Conscious of my warm heart as I continue to read my son's email with names of unfamiliar cities
and words
in his far off land, sharing of some of my granddaughter Sarah's visits to
Chiang Mai, Thai Island, Kon Lanta and the Linh Hotel.
A thought arises as I continue to smile
could I just book a flight and take off
even with cane in hand ?

I read something from Tricycle that explains much

Giving Rise To Forgiveness

~~Our suffering was not caused by our parents or grandparents.
It was merely passed down.  We are social animals.
We grow through modeling.
We teach what we have learned.
We act as we have been acted upon.
A person who is not loving
has not experienced love.
It is not his fault.

Realizing this gives rise to forgiveness,
and in Chin we vow that suffering will stop with us.
We Will Not Pass It Down~~ Guo Jun

I read this and realize that so much was missed in my early years from some.
But I vow not to pass it on and to practice love even to the unloving.
Never a day has gone by that when in contact I have not told my children, grandchildren,
 in the past their father or special ones then and now
" I love you"
So at times when these words did not come to me over the many years
or even now
I realize even more that some were not taught.

Enough sharing from the woods
as my day begins
A good day....